Miss catastrophe

Caught this today on TCM - lots of fun. characters and snappy dialog borrow heavily from the 'Thin Man' series, only husband Douglas works as a lawman, and wife Joan is the wannabee 'private eye' (with all the right hunches). Blondell is very charming and lovably wacky, but proves that blonds CAN compete in the 1930's (Hollywood) world of sleuthing. Hilarious results come from Douglas attempting to keep wifey under wraps in latter portions of film while he tries 'to break the case wide open'.

Also, earlier, the couple return home from a romantic night out, but Joan's great expectations for intimacy appear to get dashed (---: witty scene, but tastefully portrayed ..

8 / 10

There's Always a Woman stars Joan Blondell and Melvyn Douglas as husband and wife, trying to solve a case, much like Myrna Loy and William Powell in the Thin Man series, with "Always a Woman" coming several years after Thin Man. William Reardon (Douglas) is deciding if he wants to stay in the private eye business, when wife Sally (Blondell) comes along and interferes in all his business. This one is a little more edgey and biting than the Thin Man; here, they have it out, and it's not alway quite the same gentle, kidding tone that Thin Man has. I wondered if this film had been written by the same team as Thin Man, but it appears it was completely different writers. Viewers will recognize Mary Astor who started in silent films, and made many films, including several with Bogart (Maltese Falcon, Across the Pacific). Blondell will probably be most well known for Three on a match and Desk Set. Interesting that both of Melvyn Douglas' Oscars were for Best Supporting Roles, much later in his career.

The Quick Pitch: Husband, who works for the DA, and wife, who is secretly running her husband's old detective agency, compete to see who can solve a murder.

As my rating indicates, I generally enjoyed There's Always a Woman. It's no Thin Man, as it's often compared and as Columbia Pictures had hoped it would be, but the movie is decent enough entertainment. The mystery may not be much, but this kind of light-hearted, who-done-it is never deep on plot. The film looks good and moves at a good pace. The direction is snappy with very little in the way downtime. Joan Blondell really shines as Sally Reardon. She's cute, funny, and sassy. She dominates the screen anytime she appears. Co-star Melvyn Douglas is good in his own right and makes a good straight man for Blondell, but he can't compete with her screen presence. There are a variety of other solid actors in the supporting cast, most notably Mary Astor, in what is pretty much the same role she played a few years later in The Maltese Falcon.

The thing that bothered me the most about There's Always a Woman was the casual depiction of spousal abuse. Maybe attitudes have changed since 1938, but I don't enjoy seeing a woman having her hair pulled or being hit by her husband. It didn't come off as funny or playful, just mean. Without those moments, I would have definitely rated There's Always a Woman higher.

6/10

Comparisons with the Thin Man are inevitable. But if Bill Reardon (Douglas) can be taken as Nick Charles' slick, well-composed brother, Sally Reardon (Blondell) can only be taken as Nora Charles' rowdy, very distant cousin. It's Blondell as Blondell, sassy, madcap, and irresistible. Still, how funny you find her many pratfalls may depend on comedic taste. The humor here is much broader than the dry, sarcastic wit of Powell and Loy. Also, unlike the Charles's who work as a team, the Reardons often work at head-butting cross-purposes, even if they do get results.

Here Sally goes to work for mystery woman Lola Fraser (Astor), and ends up involved in a murder. Bill ends up working the same case but as a police detective. Seems as though he'll have to arrest Sally if she doesn't change her headstrong ways—fat chance. As a whodunit, the movie only partially succeeds since screen time is mainly taken up with Sally's shenanigans. Still, things do move along briskly, while Blondell maintains the energy level. No, they're not the understated Nick and Nora, but the movie's generally entertaining enough.

The plot of this comedy murder mystery isn't anything particularly special or original and sillier than it should be to for it to be credible but nevertheless it's still thoroughly entertaining.

It's one of those films which when you notice it's coming to an end, you wish it would keep carrying on. It does help of course if you like Joan Blondell and since that surely includes everyone in the world except for six members of one isolated tribe deep in the Amazon you'll enjoy this. She is as brilliant in this as she's ever been and even in a 'post pre-code' negligee she's jaw-droppingly stunning. Her character is however a little too ditzy. As an aspiring detective, her character is not that easy to believe.

According to her autobiography, Joan Blondell really enjoyed making this in Columbia's more relaxed atmosphere away her now hated Warner Brothers. You can sense her renewed enthusiasm and feel the electricity in her performance. She really brings what could have been a formulaic and forgettable feature to life.

Another small fly in the ointment is Melvyn Douglas' character. His relationship with his 'wife' seems a bit too snarky and aggressive at times. He's not really that likeable so the enjoyment of this film relies completely on the shoulders of Miss Blondell so if you're not a fan of her (perhaps you're a Nazi?) then maybe this isn't for you?