Fast Company

In her whirlwind MGM career, Florence Rice made more than 40 movies from 1934 to 1943, starring opposite a who's who of leading Roberts of the era: six movies with Robert Young, three more with Robert Taylor, and one with her 3rd husband, Robert Wilcox. (OK, Wilcox was less of a who's who and more of a "who's dat?") In this movie, she's in the traditional Myrna Loy role with Melvyn Douglas basically "trying out" to replace the ailing William Powell in the "Thin Man" movies. (Here, Melvyn & Flo are book shop owners solving crimes on the side.) Well, it was not to be, as that kind of on-screen chemistry couldn't easily be manufactured, and fortunately for all involved, Powell recovered in time to heroically resume his signature Nick Charles role. Meanwhile, this movie came and went, Melvyn moved on to bigger and better roles, and MGM's career mismanagement would ensure that Florence Rice would begin moving more swiftly toward her 30-year-long retirement with her 4th/final husband.

The first and, in my humble opinion, the best of the three Joel & Garda Sloane mysteries. Others have compared the three "Fast" movies to The Thin Man series. Its only real similarity is the snappy exchanges between husband and wife. Joel is gainfully employed with his own rare books business and well known locally as an expert in the field. Garda works with him. Neither Nick or Nora did much other than live off of Nora's inheritance. I particularly enjoyed Florence Rice more in the Garda role than either Ann Sothern or Rosiland Russell. She is fairly rarely the butt of Joel's "jokes" like Nora is. Douglas and Rice are a little more "down to earth" than the other two couples.

If you are a mystery series fan this is well worth the hour and ten minutes and much better than most of the '30s and '40s mystery series. Don't expect to be culturally enriched but you will be entertained.

Married couple Garda (Florence Rice) and Joel Sloane (Melvyn Douglas) are rare books dealers. They work for an insurance company to recover lost books to make ends meet. They try to help recently released convict Ned Morgan with a job. He was imprisoned for stealing from his girlfriend Leah's father Otto Brockler. When Otto gets murdered, Ned becomes the prime suspect. The couple investigates.

The introduction of the rapid-fire couple is the bee's knees. The introduction of the case is a bit clunky. It would be better to leave more of the case hidden. It needs more from Ned Morgan. It needs to show him with Leah. This is a showcase for the investigative couple's rat-a-tat-tat banter. Melvyn Douglas is perfect and Florence Rice has good chemistry with him. It only makes the constant recasting of the duo all the more head-scratching. The point should be to make this couple iconic but that's almost impossible if they keep changing the actors.

Fast Company is my favorite of MGM's three "Fast" films based on a popular novel written by Marco Page (a pseudonym for Harry Kurnitz, which I would love to read). As a HUGE Thin Man (aka Nick and Nora) fan, I can say these aren't quite as good but if you are looking for a solid marriage with witty dialogue, a lot of drinking and a side of mystery solving ala Nick and Nora, these three films come close. Each of the three films use the same "rare book dealer" home office set, but completely recast the husband and wife duo. In this the first film, Joel and Garda are played by Melvyn Douglas (my favorite Joel) and Florence Rice (my second favorite Garda), in film two (Fast and Loose) they are played by Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell (my favorite two stand alone actors...but my least favorite as Joel and Garda), the third and final film (Fast and Furious) stars Franchot Tone and Ann Southern ( my favorite Garda) as our intrepid lead and leading lady. This is a light hearted mystery with snappy dialog, great banter and one liners being exchanged between our married couple and occasionally the police detectives. Melvyn Douglas and Florence rice have wonderful and believable chemistry as a married couple. No one hams it up for the camera better than Douglas. Louis Calhern plays an excellent bad guy. When a young and innocent friend of Joel and Garda's is released from having spent a year in prison for a crime he didn't commit, Joel and Garda attempt to find him a job when his former boss and accuser ends up dead, the friend becomes the obvious suspect leaving Joel and Garda to figure out who r ally committed the crime both then AND now. The story has a beautiful mol played by Claire Dodd and some other wonderful character actors who fill in the "criminal" element! Fun, light-hearted movie that you will enjoy.

Melvyn Douglas and Florence Rice are "Joel Sloane & Co. – Rare Books," as it says on their office door. The husband and wife team spends as much time flirting as detecting in this clever and very funny mystery.

The plot involves a rival book seller (George Zucco) who has reported some valuable books stolen. Something is fishy….did he steal his own books and then frame his daughter's hot-tempered fiancé, who is in jail for the crime? Zucco is in cahoots with a counterfeiter who produces rare editions, and employs a clever secretary (the excellent Claire Dodd) who wears a mink coat that ought to be out of her price range….

Anyway, it's not exactly a surprise when the shady Zucco is found murdered. There are multiple suspects, and Douglas sums up the general feeling when he tells the investigating police detective, "Well, if you're looking for a statement from me, I am not bogged down with grief."

It's a very fast-paced picture. In one sequence, Douglas is kidnapped, tied up in a hideout, and escapes while Rice gets herself captured and the cops show up to the rescue—all in a matter of a couple of minutes.

Witty dialog and the very attractive cast pleasantly overshadow the plot, which is rather complex but—in a movie like this—not all that important anyway.