Deception, Comparison, and Panic in Libeled Lady: How Shakespeare’s use of Banter Influenced Romantic Comedy - Natalie Brunini

Deception, Comparison, and Panic in Libeled Lady: How Shakespeare’s use of Banter Influenced Romantic Comedy 

“I wonder that you should still be talking, Signor Benedick. Nobody marks you,” (1.1.92-94) Beatrice exclaims to Benedick in Shakespeare’s play Much Ado About Nothing. While that language strongly contrasts the conversations of two people in love, the characters end up married in the final scene. Throughout the play, fighting becomes a sign that Beatrice and Benedick have feelings for each other, and thus their banter becomes equated to love. This theme has become a staple in romantic comedies, with characters who are seemingly unsuited for each other, ending up romantically linked. In Jack Conway’s Libeled Lady (1936), this theme is present, although reworked, through the tension between couple Warren Haggerty (Spencer Tracy) and Gladys Benton (Jean Harlow). While set to get married, the characters allow deception and comparison to fuel their constant bickering, however moments of panic reveal the couples true feelings.

While most authors wrote of courtship through affection or caring words, Shakespeare took an odd approach by using bickering. To keep the audience entertained in the romance between Beatrice and Benedick, stability and positive feelings are rarely expressed. In the first scene, before Benedick is even introduced Beatrice is seen heavily criticizing him and saying that “He is no less than a stuffed man,” (1.1.48) or essentially saying he’s stupid. This constant bickering leads their friends to believe they would actually be good together, thus deceiving them and setting them up. Once they believe the other likes them, they can let their guard down, and confess their true feelings. Benedick tells Beatrice,  “I will live in thy heart, die in thy lap, and be buried in thy eyes” (5.2.80-82), ultimately confirming his love. Since Shakespeare’s time, audiences have watched as the characters bicker throughout and confess their true feelings in the final scene, proving this theme to be a key element of romantic comedies.  

While reworked slightly, in the film Libeled Lady, Haggerty and Benton are an example of a bantering couple, who with a little deception, realize their true feelings for one another. Within five minutes of the film, Haggerty’s soon-to-be wife Benton storms into the newspaper office and says, “you can’t do this to me Warren Haggerty, not to me!” (5:17) in regards to him leaving their wedding. They continue bickering about how he has cancelled their wedding multiple times as he says he “can’t get away” (5:45). This scene marks an important recurrence in the film: Benton trying to get married and Haggerty being pulled away to work on the newspaper. When Haggerty realizes he needs to marry his friend and business partner Bill Chandler (William Powell) in a scheme to win his libel suit, he leads Benton to believe he’s finally going to marry her. While this deception comes from one of the members of the couple itself, it still plays on the deception experienced by Beatrice and Benedick. 

In Much Ado About Nothing, it takes deception for the characters to realize their true feelings for each other. In Libeled Lady, the same is true. After being deceived, Benton repeats from earlier, “you can’t do this to me Warren Haggerty, not to me!” (17:56), and thus an argument ensues over Haggerty trying to marry her off. Deception plays another critical role in the film between the relationship of Benton and Chandler. Chandler plots to avoid Benton and Haggerty filing suit by falsifying his feelings for Benton. While this deception ultimately leads to the couples reunion, it first leads to serious tension for Haggerty and Benton. 

The deception put forth by Chandler leads Benton to start to compare her fake relationship to her real one. One of the biggest plot twists in the film is Benton starting to fall for Chandler due to the attention he gives her. As Chandler attempts to convince and deceive Benton that Haggerty is throwing both of them under the bus, Chandler looks at Benton and gently grabs her hand as he says, “you know, you’re one girl in a million” (1:02:43). Yet, Benton quickly moves her hand away and begins ranting about how Haggerty doesn’t realize that. A few moments later, however, and her attitude has changed as a medium shot soon shows them dancing. Benton smiles with content and leans her head into Chandler’s chest, who comments “I hope Warren won’t mind our dancing like this” (1:03:24), to which Benton rolls her eyes and says “What? Oh, him” (1:03:27) showing she has completely forgotten about her fiance. 

"What? Oh, him" (1:03:27) Benton starts to fall for Chandler.

The moments that Benton shares with Chandler lead the audience to believe that she is desperate for attention, which is emphasized by the way she smiles at Chandler, a big difference from her earlier distaste for him. However, Chandlers attempt to benefit himself and Connie Allenbury (Myrna Loy) will come back to hurt him in the final scene. While this specific example of comparison does not lead to bickering between Haggerty and Benton in the moment, it contributes to her aggravation which presents itself in the final scene. A complicated plot ensues where Benton seemingly has feelings for Chandler, while Chandler has feelings for Allenbury, and Haggerty seems to only care about his newspaper. As the storyline between Benton and Chandler progresses, Haggerty begins to get jealous. When Benton worries about Chandler, Haggerty immediately compares her compassion for him, exclaiming, “she never tried the morgue for me!” (1:08:15), and then jumping up and saying, “she may be his wife, but she’s engaged to me” (1:08:26).

Haggerty upset at the compassion Benton is starting to show towards Chandler.

Haggerty's comparisons of himself to Chandler mirror Bentons constant comparison of herself to the newspaper. Each character is troubled by the belief that there’s something more important in the other’s life.

While deception and comparison feed banter between the characters and cause issues, panic is what is used to express the character’s true feelings. In the previous scene I mentioned where Benton begins to refuse the hoax marriage (“you can’t do this to me Warren Haggerty, not to me!” (17:56)), Chandler starts to opt out, and quickly Benton changes her demeanor and tells Chandler, “it’ll ruin his life. It’ll ruin his career. A fine friend you are.” (19:40). These moments of panic lead Benton and Haggerty to express their love. When they feel their relationship or partner is compromised, Benton and Haggerty let their guard down towards each other. Although differently set up, once Benedick and Beatrice were confident in the other’s feelings they were able to let their guard down as well. The panic experienced by the couple comes to a head in the final scene as Benton walks in on Chandler and Allenbury’s celebration of their marriage. 

Soon after Haggerty joins the three, Chandler announces his marriage to Allenbury. A long shot foreshadows the ending as it displays the two couples split with Allenbury and Chandler on one side and Haggerty and Benton on the other. Thus, the shot demonstrates that although moments of tension are about to occur between the four individuals, their place with their significant others are secure. As Chandler and Allenbury explain they have dropped the suit, Haggerty rejoices, yet a close-up on Benton’s face contrasts the emotions felt by Haggerty and instead shows her sorrow at being left out of the happy ending.

Benton getting upset by Haggerty's excitement towards the suit being dropped.

In a long shot Benton rhetorically asks, “where do I stand?” (1:34:17). Here Benton implies that she does not know who to physically align herself with as it seems neither man wants her, they have both let her down. After she explains her predicament, she runs from the scene and in a compassionate conversation between the two leading ladies, Allenbury explains that “women can’t fool women about men” (1:36:00). However, Benton insists she is not going to listen, still frustrated at the way the situation played out. Their conversation is contrasted with a medium shot of Haggerty and Chandler, where Chandler reveals,  “I wouldn’t try to steal Gladys if she were the last female on Earth” (1:36:24). Haggerty responds, “You can’t stand there and insult Gladdie!” (1:36:30), revealing that he does in fact care about her.  Again, this is contrasted with Allenbury and Benton, the latter who reveals, “I never want to hear his name! I hate him” (1:36:43) in response to her relationship with Haggerty. Then, before Benton can get another word out, a clash of sounds insinuates that the men are fighting, and leads to a panicked Benton who shouts, “Warren!” (1:36:47). 

Benton rushing towards Haggerty after she learns he and Chandler are fighting.

This feeling of panic reveals itself as Benton worries her relationship is threatened, and thus she is able to reveal her true feelings. Acting impulsively rather than with reason, Benton runs out to him, and similar to Benedick, Haggerty is able to finally confess his feelings. Haggerty confesses, “I’m just a mug, Gladdie, but I still love you” (1:37:17). In the very final moments of the film, Allenbury’s father walks in as both couples are being cared for by their partners. While it took deception, comparison, and panic, the two couples end up happily together as evidenced by the final image with the two divided by Allenbury’s father.  

The final shot with the two couples divided both in pairing and physically by Allenbury's father.

             The characters of Beatrice and Benedick, with their tumultuous pairing and heavy banter, captivate the audience’s attention. Thus, Shakespeare’s influence can be felt in the romantic comedy genre through the prevalent use of banter expressed in these films. In Libeled Lady, jealousy and deception lead the characters of Haggerty and Benton to frequently argue. Yet, moments of panic cause the characters to express their true feelings for one another. The couple then ends up happily together, mirroring the final scene between Beatrice and Benedick. In modern day society, individuals tend to fixate on the idea that if a young boy is making fun of a girl, it usually means they like them. Whether this idea was reinforced through the heavy use of these plots in texts, beginning with Shakespeare, or through a predisposal to these stories that led to their popular usage, this belief has undeniably permeated current culture and American media far beyond just Benton and Haggerty.