You Never Can Tell

I first saw this low-budget black-and-white film at the age of fourteen, promptly forgot the forgettable title, but never forgot the premise or the wonderfully waggish Dick Powell. Now, many years later I've remembered the title and managed to obtain a VHS copy from an online auction house, and as an adult in pretty good standing, I can report that it's still rather delightful.

The premise: "King," a German shepherd dog, inherits a fortune, is poisoned by a heartless villain, and his spirit is taken up to "Beastatory." There he asks for a chance to return to earth as a "humanimal" in order to clear up the circumstances surrounding his own death. His request is granted, and he is installed in a Film Noir-ish office as a salty private eye with the whimsical name of Rex Shepherd, accompanied by a Kentucky thoroughbred filly as his secretary Goldie (Joyce Holden).

The casting is exquisite. Dick Powell, though really quite a nice-looking actor, always struck me as having a slightly canine look; I believe he succeeded so well in private-eye roles partly because of the perception that he would doggedly "sniff out" the truth. The next-in-line heiress (Peggy Dow) is pretty and wholesome. The butler and the housekeeper are suspiciously sinister. The heiress's boyfriend is suspiciously affable. And a host of minor characters bear traces of resemblance to various breeds of dogs.

The whole family, from about eight years up, can enjoy this film on different levels. But you'd best like corn, and I don't mean popped.

6/10

In You Never Can Tell, Dick Powell got a chance to satirize his own new image as a tough guy private detective. He's certainly one of the most unusual private eyes that the movies have ever created.

If you didn't know it before, you know it now that animals have a soul and when they die they go to a place called Beastatory. That's what's happened to King when he gets poisoned by some nefarious forces who are after his money. That's right, his money. It seems as though King's inherited a fortune, the former member of the US Army's Canine Corps was left a multi-million dollar estate. This German Shepherd is now the envy of Rin Tin Tin.

In Beastatory when an animal hasn't lived a good animal life they have a most unusual punishment, they come back as humans, an interesting theological notion as I've ever heard. But King makes an unusual request to voluntarily go back and deal with his murderer. It's granted and he's even given a companion, a thoroughbred race horse who comes back as the girl Friday of the detective Rex Sheppard, that King becomes. Of course when he goes back he's now Dick Powell and the race horse is Joyce Holden.

Charles Drake and Peggy Dow are in this film as well, they were the romantic interest a year before in Harvey, the young psychiatrist and the nurse at the funny farm Josephine Hull was trying to stick Jimmy Stewart. The roles aren't quite the same in You Never Can Tell. Peggy Dow was a young lady of much promise who married and retired early after only a few films and the silver screen was the poorer for it.

Powell has some very funny moments especially when he can't quite shake his canine background as a human. But Joyce Holden really provides the most laughs in this film. Hysterically funny moment when she races to catch a bus she just missed. Holden probably broke the six furlong record at Aqueduct in that effort.

This is a very sadly neglected comedy I wish was shown more often. If TCM ever shows it, don't miss it.

Both ridiculous and magical, this is a comedic fantasy which really works. Former armed forces dog--a German Shepherd who just inherited a fortune from a wealthy people-hater--is poisoned and dies, reincarnated soon as a private detective out to solve his own murder. This set-up may sound an awful lot like that Chevy Chase/Benji comedy from the early-'80s, but those who give up on the picture early will be missing a treat. The writing is ticklish and pointed, and the sharp handling is sprightly and lyrical. Dick Powell is, as always, wonderful in the lead, matched by amusing Joyce Holden as his assistant (in her previous life, she was a horse). Sounds silly, but it works a special brand of wacky magic. *** from ****

A reader answered my message on the message board and informed me that this film was being offered on ebay. I went there and paid $40.00 and now have my own copy which was recorded from TV. I have since put it on msvcd and made a backup copy. I wasn't dissapointed even though it had been almost fifty years and I was surprized at how good my memory had been (or was it the writeups in imdb)? Its just a good old mystery from those years with a little (OK! A lot) of fantisy involved. The people holding this film should release it on DVD as an olde. There are still enough of us out here that enjoy theoldies. DickPowell wasn't singing in this one, but he sure was acting well. My suggestion is if you havn't seen it, you should. If you don't see it, you will be the loser.

The wacky premise of this superbly crafted film is that a German Shepherd, poisoned to permit his mistress's murder, goes to Beastitoria (animal heaven) and pleads to return to earth, reincarnated as private eye Rex Shepherd, to solve his own murder. Filled with witty dialogue, funny bits where the animal "breaks through" the human, this movie stars Dick Powell in a kind of takeoff on his "Murder My Sweet" serious shamus. I have tried to find it anywhere since seeing it in 1951 without luck. If anyone can locate it, please e-mail me.