Private Detective 62

William Powell is Don Free; on some secret mission. But we're not told just what. He teams up with a private eye, for some reason. Not much happens until about 45 minutes in. Then the action starts. His partner and a mobster team up to set up a wealthy gal from new york, but of course, the plan goes off the rails. People end up dead. Co-stars margaret lindsay, arthur hohl, ruth donnelly. This was clearly JUST before the film code was being enforced, as one character even says "be sure you get her into bed!" and "lay off that snow 'til this gets cold!". These never would have been allowed when they re-enforced the decency code. It's good, once it gets going. Directed by michael curtiz. This came out the same year as kennel murder case... which also starred william powell, and also was directed by... curtiz!

William Powell is outstanding in this stylish detective story about a lucky lady who runs up 50 grand in winnings from a speakeasy hood's gambling joint. Powell plays a former spy who was caught by the French and deported to the US. From there we are taken for a ride by Powell, which is wild and highly unlikely, but very entertaining, nonetheless.

Of course, there is a romantic interest which has its usual predictable course. As good as the chemistry was in this film, it would much better in the Thin Man series, with a marriage made in heaven with Myrna Loy.

However, for this film, it is the ride, and not the destination that is enjoyable. This film is obviously the vehicle that led to Powell being selected for the Thin Man series (and with a much more interesting co-star in Myrna Loy). Enjoy this appetizer before diving into the Thin Man series.

Once again, the Turner Classic Movies network scores a touchdown for hard-core fans of William Powell !! This film is a depression-era gem and because it features Powell as a good guy who's not above conniving, it works beautifully.

The subtext of the movie -- the ritzy society dame who has an amazing knack for winning at roulette -- fully supports the context, which is what does a smart gentleman do when he's down on his luck ? In this film, Powell acts the part with panache and enthusiasm. He's not too good to take on the kind of almost-X-rated detective work that made "private eyes" synonymous with cads and bounders ....

But his character draws the line at fleecing the society diva played by Margaret Lindsay. In some ways this entertaining "detective fiction" steps way outside the usual social norms, and for that alone it gets a seven out of ten. Powell is amazingly charming in this film, and given the context of his employment, it is a bit of a fantasy scenario.

Like some other films of this specific time period, the fictional treatment of "New York swells" who gamble and win or lose what were then truly fabulous sums of money, was surely part of the appeal to the aforementioned "fantasy." People who were lucky to gross $ 2000 in a year's time, in that time, would have been, perhaps, a bit scandalized by seeing a privileged social butterfly knocking down the "house" for $ 50,000 at the roulette table !! But it made the otherwise fantastic notions of the film ever-so-much more believable.

Powell really sparkles in this movie. He's so very suave and urbane and yet just a little bit of bitterness comes through in the way he uses the dialog his character is given. Almost every time I have seen the whole of a Powell performance from this era, I come away somewhat astounded at the fluid nature of his talent.

"My Man Godfrey" remains my favorite film, of course, in the Powell repertoire but this detective story is both quirky and fantastic and ultimately believable just because Powell carries it all the way through. And yea, the final sequence where he's sprinting up stairs to embrace the lovely socialite -- who proposed marriage to him !! -- is very clever and pleasing. This is a great Powell vehicle and to see it without commercials on TCM was a real pleasure.

Donald Free (William Powell) gets arrested for stealing French government papers and deported back to America. The French tries to detain him again but he manages to escape. He has nothing left in the world. He partners up with foolish, corrupt private detective Dan Hogan and they start working for gangster Tony Bandor. Bandor's gambling den keeps losing to society lady Janet Reynolds (Margaret Lindsay) and it's up to $45k. Hogan happens to be half-partner with Bandor in gambling. Hogan assigns Free to get material on Reynolds without telling him the truth.

This is a fine William Powell flick. He's a dashing leading man for this type of film. I don't really get the French start to the movie. I don't think it adds anything great. If they're adding a whole prequel to the story, they should make it more exciting. Margaret Lindsay is perfectly nice but she's no Myrna Loy. This is all fine but it doesn't reaches for the next level.

Despite the title, this is not a genre movie. There are elements of a whodunit, straight melodrama, and businessman shenanigans, but the results don't easily fall into any category. What appeal the movie does have comes, in my view, from Powell and some good plot twists.

So how is Don Free (Powell) going to make a living now that he's been cashiered from the diplomatic service. After all, it is 1933 and jobs of any kind are hard to come by. Some of the movie's best parts manage to convey this sense of an economically depressed time. Anyhow, for Don, there's always a need for private detectives since there's always a need to get the goods on somebody or something. So he fast- talks his way into an agency partnership with an unscrupulous associate, and that's when the trouble begins.

Powell's his usual slick self, but without an opportunity for his amusing Thin Man tongue-in- cheek. Shot in just 21 days, the erratic script sometimes shows (follow Janet's path, if you can). Nonetheless, ace studio director Mike Curtiz blends tricky plot elements in smooth fashion so that it's hard to notice. Note, however, the fleeting reference to "snow" (heroin) and "hophead". This is a pre-Code production, while such references to hard drugs would disappear from mainstream movies for several decades. Speaking of hopheads, I'm still wondering if James Bell's Whitey is supposed to be a dash of comic relief or suffering ill effects of his addiction. Either way, it's the movie's only actor's blemish, at least in my opinion. No, the movie's nothing special, except for the compelling Powell who would soon get to show his full range of talents in the delicious Thin Man series.