Private Detective 62 (1933)
1h 6m | PG-13
A former government agent in France, who has failed at an assignment and been disavowed, is deported back to the USA, where he can only find work at a low-rent detective agency. He soon gets involved with a woman with ties to a crooked gambling club owner, who is a client of his agency.
Director: Michael Curtiz
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Genre: Crime, Drama
Video: 720p
Cast
William Powell
as Donald Free
Margaret Lindsay
as Janet Reynolds
Arthur Hohl
as Dan Hogan
Ruth Donnelly
as Amy Moran
Gordon Westcott
as Tony Bandor
Natalie Moorhead
as Helen Burns
Reviews
They used to say that in the end, Samuel Goldwyn couldn't get arrested in Hollywood. Well the same is true here for "Donald Free" (William Powell). His government career went down in flames and now he can't get a job for love nor money. Until, that is, he alights on the dodgy "Peerless" detective agency where he is charged with a frame-up of "Janet" (Margaret Lindsay) who has fallen foul of a gambler who is the man behind the cheques at his new employer. What nobody (except the audience, that is) predicts though, is that the two will begin to fall for each other and his task becomes not only more difficult, but downright perilous. It's quite a fun, and quirkily plotted, thriller this with a degree of chemistry on screen and just enough wriggle-room with the story to keep it interesting for an hour. By now the studio was quite adept at eking out the budget and the aesthetic of the film works quite well too, before a lively ending that offers no surprises but entertains well enough for a standard, afternoon B-feature.