C'è sotto una donna

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.

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.

Despite thin comedy material, JOAN BLONDELL and MELVYN DOUGLAS give their all to the interplay between the detective husband and snoopy wife routine in this fast-moving comedy/mystery. Douglas is a detective badly in need of clients when MARY ASTOR pops into his office while he's away and tells her story to Blondell about keeping tabs on an unfaithful husband.

MARY ASTOR, JEROME COWAN and ROBERT PAIGE are the chief suspects when the man is killed, but the accent throughout is on comedy rather than solution of the crime. What matters is that the comedy is breezy and stylish in the Blondell/Douglas manner with both of them at the top of their form. Revelaton of the murderer comes as no big surprise.

Trivia note: RITA HAYWORTH has a fleeting moment as a secretary, unbilled in the credits. Blink and you may miss her one line and quick exit.

My wife tells me that she liked THERE'S ALWAYS A WOMAN as much as THE THIN MAN (and its progeny). I don't put them in the same league – and chances are, you won't either – but my wife tells me that she liked that the woman (Joan Blondell) was the detective and the smart one. (The "smart" part can be debated, as it is not constant, but this film was made in the 1930s.) The cast was very good, but there is no William Powell. I don't care how many awards he won, Melvyn Douglas is no William Powell. And neither is Joan. (There is no Myrna Loy/subordinate wife character, which takes us back to why my wife liked this so.) If you are reading this review, chances are you'll like this film. It has the charm we can always find in comedies of this period, and Joan is wonderful as always. (And for THIN MAN fans, there is a period of suitable drinking.)

Joan Blondell and Melvyn Douglas are Bill and Sally Reardon in "There's Always a Woman," a 1938 screwball comedy. Douglas is a former detective with the D.A.'s office who has opened his own office. However, there are no clients after a few months, so he returns to the D.A. Sally, his wife, is supposed to close the office, but when a Mrs. Fraser (Mary Astor) enters, Sally passes herself as a detective and gets the case - plus a retainer. It then becomes a competition between husband and wife to see which one will solve the case, which becomes more complicated, involving murder and blackmail.

It's hard not to love Joan Blondell is just about anything, and she's excellent in this. She and Douglas make a good team, though in the sequel, it's Virginia Bruce who steps into her role.

The script is witty, and the acting is excellent from all involved. This is no "Thin Man" - there were a few of these husband-wife detective movies that came out after the success of "The Thin Man" - in fact, one try at a series featuring Joel Sloane, a rare book dealer, and his wife, Garda, starred Melvyn Douglas in 1938. None quite measured up, but often these films were entertaining. "There's Always a Woman" is definitely a good one.