The Mad Miss Manton 1938
Socialite Melsa Manton, famed for her beauty and vivacity, discovers a murdered body that vanishes. Police and sensational press immediately label her a prankster, pressuring her to clear her name. Undeterred, she uses her social influence and quick wit to outmaneuver investigators and locate the missing corpse, turning the scandal into a tense battle.
Does The Mad Miss Manton have end credit scenes?
No!
The Mad Miss Manton does not have end credit scenes. You can leave when the credits roll.
Meet the Full Cast and Actors of The Mad Miss Manton
Explore the complete cast of The Mad Miss Manton, including both lead and supporting actors. Learn who plays each character, discover their past roles and achievements, and find out what makes this ensemble cast stand out in the world of film and television.
Irving Bacon
Spangler, the Process Server (uncredited)
Charles Halton
Popsie (uncredited)
Henry Fonda
Peter Ames
Olin Howland
Mr. X, the Safecracker
Hattie McDaniel
Hilda
John Qualen
Night Watchman at Subway Construction Site
Lillian Miles
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Barbara Stanwyck
Melsa Manton
Ed Brady
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Russell Wade
Charity Ball Guest (uncredited)
Linda Perry
Myra Frost
Charles Trowbridge
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
George Chandler
Newspaper Staff (uncredited)
Paul Guilfoyle
Bat Regan
Walter Sande
Jim - Investigator for Peter (uncredited)
Penny Singleton
Frances Glesk
Sam Levene
Lieutenant Brent
William Tannen
Drunk Who Trips in Las Palmas Club (uncredited)
Stanley Ridges
Edward Norris
Emory Parnell
Doorman (uncredited)
Ted Oliver
Detective (uncredited)
Robert Mitchell
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
James Burke
Sullivan
Tom Costello
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Matt Mchugh
Frisco - False Waiter (uncredited)
Byron Foulger
Assistant News Editor (uncredited)
Paul Everton
Newspaper Editor (uncredited)
Charles McMurphy
Policeman (uncredited)
Leonard Mudie
Managing Editor (uncredited)
Donald Kerr
Ben - Melsa's Chauffeur (uncredited)
Harry A. Bailey
Booking Sergeant (uncredited)
James Carlisle
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Tom Ferrandini
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Bess Flowers
Guest at Charity Ball (uncredited)
Mike Lally
Las Palmas Club Dance Floor Extra (uncredited)
George DeNormand
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Brick Sullivan
Police Detective (uncredited)
Pierre Watkin
Mr. Fenton (uncredited)
Grady Sutton
Secretary to District Attorney
Clarence Wilson
Norris' Attorney (uncredited)
Charles Sullivan
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Virginia Dabney
Secretary (uncredited)
Vinton Hayworth
Peter's Secretary (uncredited)
Bert Stevens
Charity Ball Guest (uncredited)
Eddy Chandler
Detective with Machine Gun (uncredited)
Buster Slaven
Messenger Boy with Telegrams (uncredited)
Oliver Cross
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Jack Rice
Hospital Doctor (uncredited)
Otto Fries
Homicide Detective (uncredited)
Lynton Brent
Clerk (uncredited)
Wade Crosby
Writer (uncredited)
Fred Rapport
Headwaiter (uncredited)
Harvey Parry
Stuntman (uncredited)
Miles Mander
Fred Thomas
George Magrill
Policeman (uncredited)
Robert Middlemass
District Attorney (uncredited)
Jane Woodworth
Charity Ball Guest (uncredited)
Frances Mercer
Helen Frayne
Whitney Bourne
Pat James
Leona Maricle
Sheila Lane
Carlie Taylor
Charity Ball Guest (uncredited)
Kay Sutton
Gloria Hamilton
Vickie Lester
Kit Beverly
Michael Stark
Plainclothesman (uncredited)
Jean Stevens
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Harry Fleischmann
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Cy Slocum
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Gerald Pierce
Newsboy (uncredited)
Buck Mack
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Ann Evers
Lee Wilson
Catherine O'Quinn
Dora Fenton
Eleanor Hansen
Jane
Frank Anthony
Policeman (uncredited)
Harry Campbell
Harold (uncredited)
William Corson
Ronnie Belden (uncredited)
Mary Jo Desmond
Charity Ball Guest (uncredited)
Pauline Wagner
Charity Ball Guest (uncredited)
Barrett Whitelaw
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
External Links and Streaming Options
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Take the Ultimate The Mad Miss Manton Movie Quiz
Challenge your knowledge of The Mad Miss Manton with this fun and interactive movie quiz. Test yourself on key plot points, iconic characters, hidden details, and memorable moments to see how well you really know the film.
The Mad Miss Manton Quiz: Test your knowledge of the 1938 film *The Mad Miss Manton* with these ten questions ranging from easy to challenging.
Which actress portrays Melsa Manton?
Full Plot Summary and Ending Explained for The Mad Miss Manton
Read the complete plot summary of The Mad Miss Manton, including all major events, twists, and the full ending explained in detail. Explore key characters, themes, hidden meanings, and everything you need to understand the story from beginning to end.
Melsa Manton, Barbara Stanwyck takes her two small dogs for a midnight stroll at 3:00 am near a subway construction site, where a hurried Ronnie Belden, William Corson, bursts from a house listed for sale by Sheila Lane, Leona Maricle, and owned by her husband, George Lane. Inside, she discovers a diamond brooch and the dead body of George Lane. As she hurries to summon help, her cloak drops away, concealing the brooch. When the police arrive, the body, cloak, and brooch have vanished, leaving everyone to scramble for explanations.
Melsa and her friends are notorious pranksters, so Lieutenant Mike Brent, Sam Levene, does little to investigate the murder. Peter Ames, Henry Fonda, writes an editorial decrying Melsa’s “prank,” and she sues him for libel. The affair sparks a tense public clash that pulls the lovers and a circle of suspects into a dangerous mystery.
To defend their reputation, Melsa and her friends launch a self-imposed manhunt that spans the Lane house, Belden’s apartment, Lane’s business office, and a string of local beauty shops. The investigation is punctuated by two attempts to intimidate Melsa and two gun-toting assaults on her life—one at a charity ball, and another trap laid for the killer with Melsa as bait. The women even manage to overpower Ames twice and tie him up, though Melsa’s ally Myra Frost, Linda Perry, flirts with him during the danger.
Amid this turmoil, Frances Glesk, Penny Singleton, emerges as the girlfriend of Sheila’s ex-husband, Edward Norris, Stanley Ridges, a former convict who has just finished a ten-year term at Joliet Correctional Center. Frances claims an alibi that she and Eddie were at a hockey game, and that his ten-minute smoke break during intermission wouldn’t allow him to reach the crime scene in time.
As the tension mounts, Mike’s relentless accusations fall on innocent people, and Melsa pieces together that Ronnie Belden moved the body and cloak from the Lane house before the police arrived. A clue—the trail of tar paper left behind by an escaping would-be killer—reminds Melsa of the subway site, leading her back to it. There she discovers a fast electric cart on the tracks, revealing how Norris could travel between the crime site and his alibi in about ten minutes.
Edward Norris confesses to the murders and briefly holds Melsa and Peter hostage at gunpoint before being captured. The pressure of the case also transforms the relationship between Melsa and Peter: what begins with sharp antagonism evolves into mutual respect and growing affection, eventually turning into engagement. Peter decides he will marry Melsa and begins to woo her with a renewed, determined ardor.
After the dramatic rescue by the police, Melsa and Peter look toward a future together, planning a honeymoon as they step into a new chapter of their lives. The story remains a tense, stylish blend of suspense and wit, driven by a determined group of women who refuse to let a deadly mystery erase their reputations or their chance at happiness.
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The Mad Miss Manton Themes and Keywords
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The Mad Miss Manton Other Names and Titles
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