The Ex-Mrs. Bradford

A jockey expires under mysterious circumstances, bringing in an urbane doctor and his ditsy ex-wife.

Pretty good whodunit. But the real mystery is the reason for this copy cat version of the Thin Man, especially when it's running at the same time as After the Thin Man (1936). Oh well, just one more Hollywood mystery. I suppose the reason has something to do with a change of studios, from MGM to RKO.

Whatever the solution, the screwball formula works well. Powell and Arthur are both in fine form, along with a fairly colorful cast of supporting players. Actually, the whodunit part is not really played up in a rather complicated screenplay. As expected, the real emphasis is on the two droll leads as they trade snappy dialog in sophisticated fashion. The results come through in highly engaging style. I guess my only remaining point is whether or not RKO has something against little Scottie dogs.

I've seen the Thin Man series -- Powell and Loy are definitely great, but there is something awfully sweet about Powell and Arthur's chemistry in this flick. Jean Arthur SHINES when she looks at Powell. There is an unmistakable undercurrent buzzing between them. This film may not have the wit of the Thin Man series, but undeniably makes up for it in charm. While I watched it, I thought for sure Powell was carrying on an off-screen affair with Arthur. My friends thought the same. This is one film where I wish I could step back in time (to schmooze and lock lips with Powell!) There seems to be no end to his lovable playful smirks! Powell's character, Lawrence Bradford, is probably the closest thing to the "perfect man." Okay, this is sounding way too gushy, but I can't help myself.

The comic banter between William Powell and Jean Arthur is the highlight of this murder mystery, which has one of the most bizarre and unlikely plots ever. Powell is probably the most suave detective of the 30's, and Arthur has a unique voice which often sounds like a succession of tiny tinkly bells. They are extremely fun to watch, so take the brashness of the plot with a grain of salt and just enjoy seeing it unfold. Eric Blore also has some comic turns as Powell's butler.

Powell's contract with MGM included a clause which allowed him to reject being loaned out to another studio, but he wanted to work again with Arthur and he liked the script, so he eagerly accepted the assignment. They had worked together in two 1929 Paramount films, The Canary Murder Case and The Greene Murder Case, both in the Philo Vance series.

A William Powell/Jean Arthur murder caper from 1936. Think of it as a companion piece to Powell's more popular Thin Man films but w/o the booze, Asta (their lovable pooch) or Myrna Loy. Powell plays a well-to-do pathologist who's tasked to find out who knocked off a horse jockey. When the bodies begin piling up & at one point he's implicated in the murders, Powell, w/ample comedic assistance by the peerless Arthur, must find the culprit before another big race is upon them. Not really much different than Powell's signature crime series, one wonders why this outing wasn't rewritten & released as a Thin Man movie. Oh well, if you can't get enough of this pair, then this film'll do it for ya.

A reasonably entertaining combination of comedy and mystery, done in much the same fashion as 'The Thin Man', and even starring the same star, William Powell is as good as one would expect, however Jean Arthur does not work quite as well with him as Myrna Loy does, and she is even a tad annoying to have on screen at times. The script is well written with some good lines and an interesting plot, and the film relatively engaging on the whole. By all means it is inferior to 'The Thin Man', but yet it manages to do quite a good job with similar material, and other than Powell's character, the elements borrowed from 'The Thin Man' are fairly disguised. It is a good film in itself either way.