COMEDY-DRAMA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23055, 4 December 1936, Page 15

COMEDY-DRAMA

"THE EX-MRS BRADFORD" The new picture at the State Theatre to-day will be " The Ex-Mrs Bradford." The advent of a new William Powell picture is an event in itself, and on this occasion it is made more auspicious by the presence of the lovely new co-star Jean Arthur, who plays the title role in this smartest of all Powell romantic detective mysteries. Ever since a new screen style for sleuthing was set by Bill Powell in "The Thin Man" his admirers have been clamouring for him in another photoplay cut along more or less the same lines. "The Ex-Mrs Bradford " combines some of the delightful romantic tom-foolery of "It Happened One Night" with the smooth, devil-may-care spirit in the face of danger of " The Thin Man." To top this, it has a leap year wooing of Powell by Jean Arthur, which is reported to be one of the most adroit things of the sort ever filmed Powell is a surgeon, a man-about-town type of fellow, liked by all, who gets thrust into the mystery surrounding a series of murders in high sporting circles, and turns his genius for amateur sleuthing to solving them. It is at this time that his lovely young "ex" wife, Jean Arthur, decides she will come back and wed again the man she has never ceased to love—but she has to catch him first. While police, bookies, racetrack touts and gamblers have Bill on the spot, he and Jean fight it out, out-smarting each other, until the verbal battle sparks and crackles. Meanwhile Jean is helping, and sometimes almost slaying, Bill in his detective business. The box plans are at the theatre and Begg's.