L'étonnant Mr Williams

This is the third of three films Melvyn Douglas made with Joan Blondell in 1938 and 1939. It seemed that Columbia Pictures was trying to generate some momentum with the two but it apparently didn't take. It's too bad, as I really liked the two together--at least in the two films I saw (this one and "There's Always a Woman"). They seemed to have good chemistry.

This one begins with Douglas as a police lieutenant. For some odd reason, the Captain seems to want to destroy Douglas' love life with Blondell. Every time they plan a date, the Captain insists that Douglas needs to respond--even on his off days. This puts Douglas in the dog house with his girlfriend and eventually it causes Douglas to do something really crazy. The Captain, again in an effort to break up Douglas and Blondell, sends Melvyn on an errand to escort a convict to prison. But, Douglas is afraid to tell Blondell that their date has been canceled--so he brings the convict with him on the date--figuring he can drop off the guy at the prison later! And naturally, it blows up in his face and the police end up looking pretty bad.

Eventually, after many further indignities, Douglas has finally had enough. He knows the only way to get her back is to quit his job once and for all. But, like a retired fire horse, he just can't get it out of his system and despite telling Blondell he'd quit, he is tricked by the boss into investigating a murder/robbery. The notion of Douglas freeing a convicted murderer is just plain nuts. Why didn't he just let the guy stay in jail while he investigated instead of putting himself in jeopardy of a long prison term for such an act. And, sadly, at the point in the film the plot seemed to drag--mostly because it became more of a standard mystery film at this point. Like Nick and Nora Charles and Douglas and Blondell in "There's Always a Woman", the two pair up to solve a crime....and the film becomes all too ordinary

Overall, I liked the characters and the story had some nice moments, but the final 1/2 of the film is a bit of a let-down. Not bad, but after such a nice start, not all that great either.

Delightful minor film, juggling comedy and detective, romance and drama genres as nimbly as Lt Kenny Williams (Melvyn Douglas) balances his devotion to his girl Maxine Carroll (Joan Blondell) and his duty to the force as an ace detective.

This hodge-podge may not appeal to all viewers today, but in its day, it had something to offer every member of the movie-going family, and the resolution to the rather tired feeling-versus-duty plot is original and refreshing, and well worth the wait.

"The Amazing Mr. Williams" contains what must be among the most outrageous blind dates in film history, and its bright comic repartee sparkles. Ludicrously frocked, Melvyn Douglas delivers some of the best lines: "I'd walk down Main Street in a Turkish towel before I'd let any woman control my life!" And the effervescent Joan Blondell lets her barbs fly with typical aplomb: "Good grief! You look like my Aunt Nellie!'

The crime-solving here is standard fare, although a fine cast of character actors helps bring the material to life.

From today's vantage point, "The Amazing Mr. Williams" is perhaps most interesting for its insightful commentary on gender as a socially defined construct, all the more malleable for its seemingly rigid boundaries. While much of the gender commentary takes place in a superficial battle of the sexes, at times it is both subtle and penetrating, playing out not only in some of the finer details of the film, but in the battle of genres that reaches its culmination in the final scene.

Joan Blondell is waiting in a restaurant. "Honestly, I should have my head examined," she says. "The world is full of nice normal men and I become engaged to a crazy cop."

The crazy cop is Melvyn Douglas, ambitious young police detective constantly tugged between his job on the one hand and his fiancée on the other. Blondell wants a little of Douglas's time - but for some reason homicide chief Clarence Kolb is intent on making Douglas work as many nights as possible, causing him to miss dates with Blondell.

Kolb's wicked plots to keep Douglas focused on his job involve enthusiastic assistance from goofy fellow cops Don Beddoe and Donald MacBride. Blondell herself works in the mayor's office across the courtyard from the cops, with co-worker Ruth Donnelly on hand to supply sardonic cracks.

A hilarious early episode features Douglas escorting convict Ed Brophy to prison to begin a 40-year stretch. Not wanting to miss an appointment with Blondell, Douglas stops off at her apartment, introduces Brophy as a pal, and they go out for a day at the beach....

Blondell's frustration with Douglas and his darn detective work builds and builds - until suddenly Douglas is arrested and it's up to Blondell herself to track down a key clue and save an innocent man. All of a sudden she's gung ho:

Donnelly: "You're crazy - what do you know about being a detective?" Blondell: "Everything! Watch me."

It's a silly story but this cast sure makes it a lot of fun - right down to the closing gag, which you can see coming from a mile away but is hilarious nevertheless.

Most fans of pre-WWii film will enjoy The Amazing Mr. Williams, a fun police detective comedy-adventure starring a sparkling team of Joan Blondell and Melvyn Douglas. Joan Blondell by 1939 had been in film nearly 10 years but appears beautifully fresh and gorgeous, expressing herself not only with her vibrant eyes and face but with her entire body. And Douglas is as smooth as silk in this role, perfectly subtle but leading the way through a series of plot twists. The wonderful supporting cast are all familiar to us move-lovers, their work together here allowing the viewer to feel as though we are spending quality time with good tried-and-true friends. The uniquely-voiced Clarence Kolb, in particular, seems to have a really good time here and shines brightly. But really, the entire cast sparkles. The direction is obviously sharp, the settings (police station, city hall, domiciles, street scenes) are detailed and well-lit, and the dialog is uncomplicated, square-on, economical, and seems like natural interaction and banter. There is nothing not to love in what is really a fairly minor picture, but one put together with great affection. Please enjoy!

Melvyn Douglas once more gives a polished performance in which, this time, he inhabits the role of a detective who can't place love before duty and adventure, and the warmly beautiful Joan Blondell (who, far from being illiterate, as one reviewer suggested, wrote a novel about her early life) is as enjoyable as ever as his ever-suffering sweetheart.It's almost a screwball comedy, almost a Thin Man-type movie, almost a series, I guess, that didn't quite make it to a sequel. It doesn't quite reach classic status, but it has all the ingredients for a fun 85 minutes with an episodic but pacey script, fine character actors, and direction that keeps it all moving fast enough so that you nearly don't notice that Williams (Douglas) isn't exactly Columbo when it comes to detecting. I wish there were more films like this.