Introduction:

Hollywood had not one, but two reigning screen superstars who were part of the ideal family image: Kay Francis and Myrna Loy. While Kay Francis was constantly either committing murder or taking the rap for her children’s killings to protect their virtue, Myrna Loy had a less dramatic image. She was the “Perfect Wife,” however; she achieved much more than that cliché label. It is ridiculous to limit such an outstanding career of a Hollywood star down to one redundant label. Myrna’s career spanned nearly sixty years; and there is a lot more to her story than just being Hollywood’s “Perfect Wife.” It took Myrna a long time to hit her stride, but she emerged as Hollywood’s most popular female star of the late 1930s.

Few recall that Myrna Loy was pronounced Queen of Hollywood when Clark Gable was named King. While I over-hype Norma Shearer as Hollywood’s Queen, Myrna also deserves some prestige recognition. Norma was being hyped as Hollywood’s First Lady of the Screen as early as 1932, when Myrna was still working her way up to major stardom. However, that doesn’t give one permission to dismiss Myrna Loy. I have a personal admiration for both stars, so it’s difficult to deceiver who really deserves the title. While both worked hard to fight for their stardom, Norma certainly had the Thalberg protection after 1929; Myrna was given the prestige roles because of her extreme popularity. After Jean Harlow died and Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford went on the wane, Myrna was undoubtedly MGM’s most valuable asset. So whoever deserves that title is still up in the air. Norma Shearer was no Marion Davies; she was just as popular as Myrna and just as big of a star.

Anyway, Myrna Loy remains one of Hollywood’s most beloved legends. Her pairings with Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, and of course William Powell are just as entertaining to watch seven decades later after their initial releases.