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Long before he directed Casablanca, Mildred Pierce and The Adventures of Robin Hood (among other brilliant films) Michael Curtiz took a hand in putting together this little Depression gem about shady detective work, women with money to spare, and a budding romance. The always puckishly sophisticated William Powell appears to have a great deal of fun playing what appears to be a shady detective—but one with an integrity and a great charm for women.

In this zippy little pre-code gem, Powell is hired to put a wealthy female gambler in jeopardy so that her considerable winnings can be taken back by the speakeasy where she gambles; can you guess what happens when the two meet? The woman is played by the engagingly attractive but underused Margaret Lindsay, and she's an apt foil for Powell's machinations (Lindsay has never looked better than she does in this film, and one wonders why she never moved into more major films).

This is another Warner Brother's quickie, a highly entertaining, fast-moving (67 minutes!) "B" film loaded with familiar character actors like Hobart Cavanaugh and Irving Bacon and even Toby Wing, whose wide-smile and sexy persona impresses immediately in a five second appearance as one of Powell's willing conquests. There's even a pre-code drug addict named "Whitey" referred to as a "hophead" into "snow," the sort of drug reference which, as a result of the new code, would completely disappear from films for twenty years after 1934; drugs didn't make a major appearance again until Sinatra's Oscar-nominated performance in The Man With The Golden Arm in 1956.

This is not a great film by any means, but a perfect Saturday matinée popcorn movie, an excellent example of a studio film that was no longer made after 1950.

The film begins with William Powell being convicted in a French court of espionage and he is deported back to America. However, the French reconsider and plan on returning him to France when Powell jumps overboard and swims for shore in New York. Once there, he has a devil of a time finding work since it is during the Depression and since his reputation was ruined over the conviction. Eventually, he does land on his feet when he partners up with a two-bit private detective with very questionable morals. Through Powell's business acumen and skills as a detective, the agency is able to grow and prosper. Unfortunately, his partner is even more shady and corrupt than he imagined--leading to a dandy climax.

Over the years I have become a real fan of the films of William Powell--mostly because he was able to make his performances look so natural and relaxed. In this film, you have a somewhat ordinary plot that comes to life thanks to Powell. This mystery-action film isn't much like his later THIN MAN films, though it is still pretty exciting and well worth a look.

Once again, the Turner Classic Movies network scores a touchdown for hard-core fans of William Powell !! This film is a depression-era gem and because it features Powell as a good guy who's not above conniving, it works beautifully.

The subtext of the movie -- the ritzy society dame who has an amazing knack for winning at roulette -- fully supports the context, which is what does a smart gentleman do when he's down on his luck ? In this film, Powell acts the part with panache and enthusiasm. He's not too good to take on the kind of almost-X-rated detective work that made "private eyes" synonymous with cads and bounders ....

But his character draws the line at fleecing the society diva played by Margaret Lindsay. In some ways this entertaining "detective fiction" steps way outside the usual social norms, and for that alone it gets a seven out of ten. Powell is amazingly charming in this film, and given the context of his employment, it is a bit of a fantasy scenario.

Like some other films of this specific time period, the fictional treatment of "New York swells" who gamble and win or lose what were then truly fabulous sums of money, was surely part of the appeal to the aforementioned "fantasy." People who were lucky to gross $ 2000 in a year's time, in that time, would have been, perhaps, a bit scandalized by seeing a privileged social butterfly knocking down the "house" for $ 50,000 at the roulette table !! But it made the otherwise fantastic notions of the film ever-so-much more believable.

Powell really sparkles in this movie. He's so very suave and urbane and yet just a little bit of bitterness comes through in the way he uses the dialog his character is given. Almost every time I have seen the whole of a Powell performance from this era, I come away somewhat astounded at the fluid nature of his talent.

"My Man Godfrey" remains my favorite film, of course, in the Powell repertoire but this detective story is both quirky and fantastic and ultimately believable just because Powell carries it all the way through. And yea, the final sequence where he's sprinting up stairs to embrace the lovely socialite -- who proposed marriage to him !! -- is very clever and pleasing. This is a great Powell vehicle and to see it without commercials on TCM was a real pleasure.

Despite the title, this is not a genre movie. There are elements of a whodunit, straight melodrama, and businessman shenanigans, but the results don't easily fall into any category. What appeal the movie does have comes, in my view, from Powell and some good plot twists.

So how is Don Free (Powell) going to make a living now that he's been cashiered from the diplomatic service. After all, it is 1933 and jobs of any kind are hard to come by. Some of the movie's best parts manage to convey this sense of an economically depressed time. Anyhow, for Don, there's always a need for private detectives since there's always a need to get the goods on somebody or something. So he fast- talks his way into an agency partnership with an unscrupulous associate, and that's when the trouble begins.

Powell's his usual slick self, but without an opportunity for his amusing Thin Man tongue-in- cheek. Shot in just 21 days, the erratic script sometimes shows (follow Janet's path, if you can). Nonetheless, ace studio director Mike Curtiz blends tricky plot elements in smooth fashion so that it's hard to notice. Note, however, the fleeting reference to "snow" (heroin) and "hophead". This is a pre-Code production, while such references to hard drugs would disappear from mainstream movies for several decades. Speaking of hopheads, I'm still wondering if James Bell's Whitey is supposed to be a dash of comic relief or suffering ill effects of his addiction. Either way, it's the movie's only actor's blemish, at least in my opinion. No, the movie's nothing special, except for the compelling Powell who would soon get to show his full range of talents in the delicious Thin Man series.

William Powell is Don Free; on some secret mission. But we're not told just what. He teams up with a private eye, for some reason. Not much happens until about 45 minutes in. Then the action starts. His partner and a mobster team up to set up a wealthy gal from new york, but of course, the plan goes off the rails. People end up dead. Co-stars margaret lindsay, arthur hohl, ruth donnelly. This was clearly JUST before the film code was being enforced, as one character even says "be sure you get her into bed!" and "lay off that snow 'til this gets cold!". These never would have been allowed when they re-enforced the decency code. It's good, once it gets going. Directed by michael curtiz. This came out the same year as kennel murder case... which also starred william powell, and also was directed by... curtiz!

William Powell is outstanding in this stylish detective story about a lucky lady who runs up 50 grand in winnings from a speakeasy hood's gambling joint. Powell plays a former spy who was caught by the French and deported to the US. From there we are taken for a ride by Powell, which is wild and highly unlikely, but very entertaining, nonetheless.

Of course, there is a romantic interest which has its usual predictable course. As good as the chemistry was in this film, it would much better in the Thin Man series, with a marriage made in heaven with Myrna Loy.

However, for this film, it is the ride, and not the destination that is enjoyable. This film is obviously the vehicle that led to Powell being selected for the Thin Man series (and with a much more interesting co-star in Myrna Loy). Enjoy this appetizer before diving into the Thin Man series.

Donald Free (William Powell) gets arrested for stealing French government papers and deported back to America. The French tries to detain him again but he manages to escape. He has nothing left in the world. He partners up with foolish, corrupt private detective Dan Hogan and they start working for gangster Tony Bandor. Bandor's gambling den keeps losing to society lady Janet Reynolds (Margaret Lindsay) and it's up to $45k. Hogan happens to be half-partner with Bandor in gambling. Hogan assigns Free to get material on Reynolds without telling him the truth.

This is a fine William Powell flick. He's a dashing leading man for this type of film. I don't really get the French start to the movie. I don't think it adds anything great. If they're adding a whole prequel to the story, they should make it more exciting. Margaret Lindsay is perfectly nice but she's no Myrna Loy. This is all fine but it doesn't reaches for the next level.

William Powell is "Private Detective 62" in this 1933 precode also starring Margaret Lindsay, Ruth Donnelly, and Gordon Westcott.

William Powell plays Donald, a government servant who is convicted of espionage in France and deported. He's shipbound for America when the French decide they want him back, probably for further investigation. He jumps ship and swims to shore.

It's the Depression, and with his conviction, it's doubly difficult for him to find work. However, when he goes to a detective's office looking for a job, he finds the detective, Dan Hogan (Arthur Hohl), fast asleep. He's then mistaken for Hogan, takes on a case, and finds himself in partnership with Hogan.

Hogan, however, works for a mobster, Tony Bandor (Westcott), and Don is sent out to get something really bad on a gambler, Janet Reynolds (Lindsay) who is owed $50,000 by Bandor. He doesn't want to pay. Don falls for her and quits. However, he learns that Bandor has been shot, and a Janet, believing she shot him, needs help.

Good film, with a terrific performance by Powell, who at first is attracted to some big money but develops a conscience. Powell is terrific in everything. The rest of the actors each do a fine job.

Recommended.

Penniless William Powell goes into partnership with failing private detective Arthur Hohl. Powell's intelligence, hard work and integrity wins them clients, but Hohl uses their prominence to make money working for racketeers. When Margaret Lindsay thinks she has shot a man dead -- even though the audience knows she has not -- she turns to Powell for help.

It's a definite pre-code, with everyone on the take but Powell, and the increasingly moral Ruth Donnelly. Powell is fine, speaking his lines clearly and letting the story evolve without any fuss. It's a minor Warner Brothers production, but there is a wealth of minor character actors who will please the demented die-hards like me, including Natalie Moorhead, Hobart Cavanaugh, Irving Bacon, Heinie Conklin, and Toby Wing.

They used to say that in the end, Samuel Goldwyn couldn't get arrested in Hollywood. Well the same is true here for "Donald Free" (William Powell). His government career went down in flames and now he can't get a job for love nor money. Until, that is, he alights on the dodgy "Peerless" detective agency where he is charged with a frame-up of "Janet" (Margaret Lindsay) who has fallen foul of a gambler who is the man behind the cheques at his new employer. What nobody (except the audience, that is) predicts though, is that the two will begin to fall for each other and his task becomes not only more difficult, but downright perilous. It's quite a fun, and quirkily plotted, thriller this with a degree of chemistry on screen and just enough wriggle-room with the story to keep it interesting for an hour. By now the studio was quite adept at eking out the budget and the aesthetic of the film works quite well too, before a lively ending that offers no surprises but entertains well enough for a standard, afternoon B-feature.

William Powell's stay at Warner Brothers was a short one - only a couple of years - but he hit the bullseye in every picture he did there. This film is one of them. Here William Powell plays Donald Free, a secret agent of sorts who gets caught in France with stolen documents. The agency he works for has already told him that if he is caught all knowledge of his action will be disavowed, so he is unsurprised when that is exactly what happens. For some strange reason, the French take Donald all the way to New York harbor before deciding to transfer him to another ship and send him right back to France. The only reason for all of this inefficiency can be as a plot device for Donald to make an easy escape by jumping overboard and swimming to shore, which he does.

Donald is now home and at liberty, but that doesn't get you far in 1933 Depression era America. Without references he is unable to get a job as a detective for any police department or obtain a private detective license. But after pounding the pavement with no luck for months, Donald manages to partner up with a private detective firm on its last legs. The partner has the license but not much talent at detecting or discretion, and Donald has the talent and no license. Ruth Donnelly plays the firm's secretary with mouth and moxy to spare. They're doing OK and then a well-known gangster bankrolls the firm and floods the office with business. When that gangster wants a favor in return - the discrediting of a beautiful customer that his gambling joint owes tens of thousands of dollars to because he doesn't have the money to pay her when she finally decides to cash in her chips - things begin to get really interesting. You'll probably figure out what's going on even before Powell's character solves all of the mysteries for you, but here as in most of the early 30's Warner Brothers films, most of the fun is the journey not the destination. Highly recommended.

Fans of pre-Code feature films will enjoy this forgotten 1933 gem made in twenty-three days, brilliantly directed by the world's most underestimated director, Michael Curtiz, for Warner Bros when young Daryl Zanuck ran the studio and Hal Wallis assisted him. The film, lasting a little more than an hour, is packed with mystery, comedy, and romance, all thrown together helter-skelter and moved along at a rapid pace whose only purpose is to entertain. William Powell, as to be expected, is his usual impeccable self as the charming detective with integrity who ends up helping beautiful Margaret Lindsay, a society damsel in distress. As those were the days when all well-born people in films spoke with English accents, Margaret's is particularly thick. Ruth Donnelly plays the opposite: a working-class secretary who gets the laughs. There is a mystery plot, of course, that makes more sense than most. It's peopled with any number of sleazy lower-class villains, one of whom is referred to as a "snowbird" in the days before the word meant someone spending his winters in Florida or New Mexico. A most enjoyable film made when movies were movies.

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Private Detective 62 casts William Powell as a detective once again. But if you think you're going to see something on the order of Nick Charles or Philo Vance think again. Powell is playing one seedy gumshoe who through the circumstances of the Great Depression and the fact he's been deported back to America from France under indiscreet circumstances, he finds he's desperate for employment.

He works a few cons in this film, but the biggest is when Powell goes into partnership with peephole peeper Arthur Hohl and then the two are financed in their detective agency by gangster/gambler Gordon Westcott.

Westcott has a special job for them, to discredit and/or get money back that society woman Margaret Lindsay. But one sight of Lindsay and Powell has an attack of ethics.

Private Detective 62 has its moments, but Powell's ethics seem to be rather elastic here. He's not like his more famous detective roles and I think fans will be disappointed.

A good tight little film. The plot is obvious and creaky but William Powell is as stylish and suave, something he was to perfect later in the thin man series. The direction by Curtiz is well above average for the time ..... some beautiful angle shots, a nice fluid camera and I love the stair bit at the end .... in other words it is not as "stage bound" as a lot of other films from the time. The female lead, Margaret Lindsay,does a good job of looking pretty, and the great character actor Charles Lane turns up yet again. Its only about 67 minutes long and its a hoot .... pity the story isn't up to scratch (although they managed to sneak in a character called Whitey who is a hop head and at one stage is told to lay off the "snow") and it starts off slow otherwise it would be a mini classic ( like Powell's other film of about the same time "Jewell Robbery")

There is just Something about Pre-Code Films (1930-34). In this one there are Only a Few Blatant Examples. A Shot or Two of some Very Tame Female Flesh and a Cocaine Addicted Fall Guy Referred to as a Snowbird and is told to Lay Off the Snow. Maybe some Other Vagueries having to do with some Dark Attitudes about Detective Procedures like Framing and Peeping. The Alcohol and Gambling Stuff is Rather Routine.

So other than the Pre-Code Attraction there is William Powell in Another Charming, Effortless Outing as, once again, a Private Eye. There are some Typical Touches of Expressionism by Director Michael Curtiz and Margaret Lindsay with Full Face Beauty and a Shape to Match is Forever Watchable.

Overall, this One does not Stand Out Much but is an Entertaining Peek at some Depression Era Atmosphere and as is So Often the Case with Films of this Era Delivers a Lot to Look At in a Very Short Running Time (just over an hour).

At the heart of this detective story is a nice little bit of intrigue, complete with murder and a shady double cross. Unfortunately, it takes too long to get there. Pace isn't so much the issue per se, it's more the plot, which is rather dull in all of its prologue. Among other things, you'd probably never know this was a pre-Code film. The film even fast forwards itself a couple of times to keep itself to 66 minutes, simply showing major plot developments in newspaper articles. William Powell elevates everything he's in and there's no exception here, but the star of this show was Margaret Lindsay, who brought cool sophistication and toughness to the part of a society woman who is lucky at the roulette table. Pretty cool that she was empowered enough to pop the question at the end too. I also liked Ruth Donnelly and Natalie Moorhead here, who liven things up when they're on the screen.

William Powell stars in this 1933 detective drama. Only running a little over an hour, the film deals w/a disgraced & down & luck liaison officer now forced to work as a private eye from a firm that's not operating from a moral high ground which comes into focus when Powell gets a case to trail a socialite, played by Margaret Lindsay, who's been on a roll winning money at a casino & set her up for a fall at the behest of the casino owner who doesn't want to pay her but when Powell's partner concocts a double cross (the owner gets Lindsay to meet him for the pay out & when he reneges, she pulls out a pistol so when he lunges at her she fires, escaping the scene w/o the cash not knowing her gun was tinkered with so basically she fired blanks) but when the casino guy turns up dead, Powell must prove Lindsay's innocence & catch the real killer. This plot point happens w/20 minutes to go leaving the opening 40 minutes feeling like so much filler that Powell's charm rides like a surfer but as it is, it's not enough.

Thoroughly enjoyed this one which was even better due to the stellar presence of William Powell. Apart from the fact that he adds immeasurably to any film he's in, this one has an especially good plot with no lulls in the narrative. Here he is part con man, part ladies man and part quick-witted private eye., just the type of part Powell excels in.

The film sports an excellent director in Michael Curtiz (10 years before "Casablanca"), who gets a lot of mileage out of a supporting cast of proven Hollywood veterans. The script is first class and the screenplay has enough twists and surprises to satisfy even the most jaded movie-goer. I also added an extra star for William Powell's presence because he never disappoints.

8/10 - the website no longer prints my start rating.

OK, it's probably not but this is one of those films which when you're actually watching it, you think it is. There's a Cagney film called HARD TO HANDLE which gives the same experience, you get that same 'high' from this. It's fast, it's witty, it's exciting, it's romantic, it's engaging, it's got gangsters, it's got the Depression, it's got murders, in fact it's got everything you could possibly expect from a Warner Brothers pre-code movie even down to Sheila Terry in a very saucy negligee!

What it's got most of all is William Powell and if you're a fan of his then this is an absolute must for you. Let me say first off that I really don't like THE THIN MAN - that's the second most over-rated film in the history of cinema (first is of course CITIZEN KANE), but other than that I am a massive fan of the coolest dude of the whole 1930s. Although this picture wasn't written specifically for him, you couldn't imagine William Powell being more William Powell than he is in this. It is a fabulous fun adventure directed at break-neck speed by Michael Curtiz who effortlessly switches mood from light to dark, from adventure to romance, from social commentary to comedy whilst at the same time ramping up the tension at the perfect pace to keep your attention.

And just when you think it can't get any better we're treated to three glorious seconds of the goddess that was Miss Toby Wing! And for those of you playing the 'Spot the Wing Sisters in a Movie' game, you get double points with one this because Toby's lovely sister Pat also gets two seconds of screen time about ten minutes later. Why Bill Powell would go for stuffy Margaret Lindsay with that weird Mid-Atlantic accent instead of "Hollywood's most beautiful Extra" as she was called is anyone's guess.