SYNOPSICS
There's Always a Woman (1938) is a English movie. Alexander Hall has directed this movie. Joan Blondell,Melvyn Douglas,Mary Astor,Frances Drake are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1938. There's Always a Woman (1938) is considered one of the best Comedy,Mystery movie in India and around the world.
An investigator for the District Attorney's office quits to open his own detective agency. However, business is so bad that he finally decides to give it up and go back to his old job. As his wife is at his office closing up, a wealthy society matron walks in with a case: she wants to know if her husband is having an affair with his ex-girlfriend, who is now married. The wife accepts what looks to be an easy case, figuring than she can then persuade her husband to re-start the agency. However, when the client's husband is found murdered, she decides to investigate the murder herself. Her husband has also been assigned by the D.A. to investigate the murder, and he doesn't know that his wife is also on the case. Complications ensue.
More
There's Always a Woman (1938) Reviews
Joan Blondell and Melvyn Douglas At Their Funniest
This movie masquerades as a murder mystery, but is actually a Battle of the Sexes screwball comedy of the first water. Bill Reardon has been pressured by his unrelenting wife, Sally, to quit his job as a detective for the District Attorney's office and open his own private detective agency. After several months, he has no clients, and is broke. He finally admits defeat and goes back to working for the DA, intending to close the office the next day, and leaving his wife to manage it. At the last minute, though, a client, Mrs. Fraser, comes into the detective agency. Desperate for income, Sally masquerades as "Operative 7" and convinces Mrs. Fraser to give her the case. The rest of the movie is the rivalry between Sally and Bill, each trying to top the other at solving the same case. The inexperienced Sally's methods are extremely unorthodox, to say the least, and usually end up backfiring on her as they lead her at full tilt on a merry chase through a web of gambling, blackmail and murder. Bill's methods are more traditional, and he has all the horsepower of the local police department at his disposal, but somehow he always ends up, involuntarily and much to his chagrin, following a trail that Sally has blazed earlier. There is a sequel to this film, "There's That Woman Again," this time with Virginia Bruce in the part of Sally. Who could imagine any more urbane, sophisticated man of the world than Melvyn Douglas in "Ninotchka?" Here, as Bill Reardon, he is just as handsome, but ends up coming off as somewhat of a boob, rather easily manipulated by his wife's scheming machinations, and constantly at the end of his rope over them. This shows off his talent for comedy even better than his role in "Ninotchka" can. Bumbling foil or not, he does end up being the one to solve the crime in the end, though. Mary Astor is quite watchable as Mrs. Fraser, playing a hard-edged role of the type she is so good in, chilly and mysterious, but with aspects of a vulnerable victim at the same time. Joan Blondell somehow manages to play the screwball heroine, Sally Reardon, without any of the cloying suffocation of Ida Lupino in "Lone Wolf Spy Hunt" or the stark frightfulness and outright psychosis of Katharine Hepburn in "Bringing Up Baby." I could never understand what any man would see in either of the latter two. I would run as far as I could, as fast as I could, in the opposite direction from both of them. But Blondell retains an allure and a lovableness throughout all her antics, in spite of her headstrong, independent, disruptive ways. It is pretty easy to understand why Bill puts up with everything he does from her, and still wants her back after each debacle. When Joan Blondell is funny, she is really quite excellent at it. And this is the best I've seen of her, rivaling "Topper Returns," or perhaps even outdoing her performance there. (Although admittedly I have only seen a fraction of the 59 movies she made in the 1930s -- an average of 6 movies a year!) She is clearly the centerpiece of this comedy, and handles it masterfully, never dropping the ball, and leading the viewer around by the nose just as easily and continuously as she does her husband. But the real incandescence of this film is the unexpected zingers that are delivered, usually off-hand, and usually as the wrap-up of a scene. They are always unexpected, very clever, and made me laugh out loud on many more than a couple of occasions. Watch closely for them all, as they are easy to miss. They are every bit as witty as anything in any of the Thin Man or Boston Blackie movies. A very funny movie. (One warning: those who are sensitive to any allusion to spousal physical abuse, however playful, will not enjoy this movie.)
The wife of a detective takes a case of her own
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.
Breezy screwball comedy/mystery should delight Blondell/Douglas fans...
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.
Sort of like a Thin Man movie where Nick and Nora work against each other throughout the film.
This is an enjoyable kooky whodunnit comedy--the sort that were popular in the 1930s and 40s. In many ways, Joan Blondell and Melvin Douglas play characters like Nick and Nora Charles from the Thin Man series--except that instead of working together, they work against each other through much of the film. The film begins with Douglas owning his own detective agency. However, he has no clients and is forced to go back to his old job as an investigator for the District Attorney's office. However, when his wife (Blondell) is alone in the soon to be vacated detective office, a perspective client enters--and she decides to take the case herself. After all, she thinks, if she can solve the case then maybe the agency could succeed--and make Douglas happy because he would rather be a private detective. In a funny scene, the couple goes out for a night on the town. Douglas does not know that his wife is working a case and she spends the evening keeping an eye on a suspect for her client. The problem is that the next day, the client's husband is found dead and Blondell investigates it for her client while Douglas also investigates it for the D.A.--and he STILL doesn't know she's involved. In fact, many times she uses her inside track to trying to solve the crime. When Douglas finally wises up to what's going on, the sparks really fly. What I particularly liked about the film is that while Blondell is sometimes very clever, other times she's a total moron. Too often in these sort of films, the wife is too smart and too competent. Here, however, both Douglas and Blondell have their strengths and deficits. I also loved the great dialog between them--it's very well written and funny. In particular, however, since they are supposed to be married, Douglas is NOT the most gentlemanly guy--often tossing his wife around and even having her arrested. Overall, while the mystery isn't that mysterious, the characters and acting are very good--making this an enjoyable little romp--and nearly earning an 8 (this was a close one).
Delightful mystery-comedy vehicle for Blondell, Douglas!
Caught this today on TCM - lots of fun. characters and snappy dialog borrow heavily from the 'Thin Man' series, only husband Douglas works as a lawman, and wife Joan is the wannabee 'private eye' (with all the right hunches). Blondell is very charming and lovably wacky, but proves that blonds CAN compete in the 1930's (Hollywood) world of sleuthing. Hilarious results come from Douglas attempting to keep wifey under wraps in latter portions of film while he tries 'to break the case wide open'. Also, earlier, the couple return home from a romantic night out, but Joan's great expectations for intimacy appear to get dashed (---: witty scene, but tastefully portrayed .. 8 / 10