The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (1936)

When a jockey dies during a race, it's believed to be heart failure but a mystery writer (Jean Arthur) gets it into her head that it was murder and she prods her doctor ex-husband (William Powell) into investigating the death. Directed by Stephen Roberts (STORY OF TEMPLE DRAKE), this wan murder mystery shows that sometimes even star power can't resuscitate a movie that's dead on arrival. Powell and Arthur do their best but to no avail. The central murder mystery isn't all that interesting to begin with and the dialogue (Anthony Veiller did the screenplay) lacks the sparkle and wit that made the THIN MAN series such a treat. Still, the film was popular with contemporary audiences and solidified the box office pull of Powell and Arthur. Nostalgists and fans of Hollywood's "Golden Age" should be okay with it. With Robert Armstrong, Eric Blore, James Gleason, Erin O'Brien Moore and Ralph Morgan.