Miss catastrophe

The plot of this comedy murder mystery isn't anything particularly special or original and sillier than it should be to for it to be credible but nevertheless it's still thoroughly entertaining.

It's one of those films which when you notice it's coming to an end, you wish it would keep carrying on. It does help of course if you like Joan Blondell and since that surely includes everyone in the world except for six members of one isolated tribe deep in the Amazon you'll enjoy this. She is as brilliant in this as she's ever been and even in a 'post pre-code' negligee she's jaw-droppingly stunning. Her character is however a little too ditzy. As an aspiring detective, her character is not that easy to believe.

According to her autobiography, Joan Blondell really enjoyed making this in Columbia's more relaxed atmosphere away her now hated Warner Brothers. You can sense her renewed enthusiasm and feel the electricity in her performance. She really brings what could have been a formulaic and forgettable feature to life.

Another small fly in the ointment is Melvyn Douglas' character. His relationship with his 'wife' seems a bit too snarky and aggressive at times. He's not really that likeable so the enjoyment of this film relies completely on the shoulders of Miss Blondell so if you're not a fan of her (perhaps you're a Nazi?) then maybe this isn't for you?

Bill Reardon (Melvyn Douglas) is a struggling private detective. His wife Sally (Joan Blondell) had push him into quitting a well paying investigating job in the DA office. He goes off to get his old job back. Famous socialite Lola Fraser comes in looking to hire an investigator and Sally promptly takes the job pretending to be an investigator. She starts investigating behind her husband's back which gets complicated when the DA office gets involved in a murder case.

The one and only issue I have is Bill's constant physical fake-outs against his wife. He keeps pretending to hit her and missing by the barest margin. He even throws something at her. It's another era and it's supposed to be funny. It's like Ralph Kramden. It hasn't aged well. Otherwise, the combative rapid-fire banter is fun.

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.

The Quick Pitch: Husband, who works for the DA, and wife, who is secretly running her husband's old detective agency, compete to see who can solve a murder.

As my rating indicates, I generally enjoyed There's Always a Woman. It's no Thin Man, as it's often compared and as Columbia Pictures had hoped it would be, but the movie is decent enough entertainment. The mystery may not be much, but this kind of light-hearted, who-done-it is never deep on plot. The film looks good and moves at a good pace. The direction is snappy with very little in the way downtime. Joan Blondell really shines as Sally Reardon. She's cute, funny, and sassy. She dominates the screen anytime she appears. Co-star Melvyn Douglas is good in his own right and makes a good straight man for Blondell, but he can't compete with her screen presence. There are a variety of other solid actors in the supporting cast, most notably Mary Astor, in what is pretty much the same role she played a few years later in The Maltese Falcon.

The thing that bothered me the most about There's Always a Woman was the casual depiction of spousal abuse. Maybe attitudes have changed since 1938, but I don't enjoy seeing a woman having her hair pulled or being hit by her husband. It didn't come off as funny or playful, just mean. Without those moments, I would have definitely rated There's Always a Woman higher.

6/10