Main Cast: William Powell, Jean Arthur, James Gleason, Eric Blore, Robert Armstrong
Release Year: 1936
Country: US
Run Time: 80 minutes
Plot
The "ex" of the title is daffy mystery-writer Jean Arthur, former wife of urbane doctor William Powell. When Powell becomes the prime suspect in a murder case, Arthur endeavors to solve the case herself -- and to reclaim her ex-hubby in the process. After a well-directed semiclimax at a race track, the killer is revealed during one of those expository scenes in which all the suspects are gathered together in one room. The murderer attempts to escape, and Powell is knocked cold in the process. When he awakens, he discovers that Arthur has set up some projection equipment, and is running a film of a minister reciting the wedding vows. Curses! Trapped again! Like William Powell's previous RKO effort Star of Midnight, The Ex-Mrs. Bradford was an attempt to cash in on the popularity of Powell's Thin Man films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Although in mystery films William Powell never had as fine a love interest as when he was paired with Myrna Loy, that doesn't mean his non-Loy pairings are without interest, as The Ex-Mrs. Bradford indicates. While it would have been interesting to see the multi-talented Loy take on the title role, it's hard to imagine anyone doing it better than the unique and lovely Jean Arthur. Arthur brings her special charm to the part, playing a dizzy blonde that of course really isn't so dizzy and winning hearts in the process as usual. She and Powell work quite well together; the chemistry is of a different sort than the Powell-Loy pairings, lacking some of the sexual undertones, but it still is definitely chemistry and definitely potent. As for Powell, he flies through the part with that singular ease of his, tossing off a line with an effortlessness that belies the skill involved. And it's a good thing that both the stars are in such fine form, for it must be said that the screenplay for Bradford, while more than acceptable, is less than sterling. The same can be said for Stephen R. Roberts' direction. Fortunately, the stars and such stalwart supporting players as Eric Blore (whose part is practically as large as Powell's and Arthur's) and James Gleason more than make up for Bradford's shortcomings. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Perry Ferguson - Art Director, Van Nest Polglase - Art Director, Edward Kaufman - Associate Producer, Bernard Newman - Costume Designer, Stephen R. Roberts - Director, Arthur Roberts - Editor, Roy Webb - Musical Direction/Supervision, Roy Hunt - Cinematographer, Darrell Silvera - Set Designer, John L. Cass - Sound/Sound Designer, James Edward Grant - Screen Story, Anthony Veiller - Screenwriter
