IMDb RATING
6.7/10
1.1K
YOUR RATING
A down-and-out private eye falls for a woman he has been hired to frame.A down-and-out private eye falls for a woman he has been hired to frame.A down-and-out private eye falls for a woman he has been hired to frame.
Joan Barclay
- Gambler
- (uncredited)
Arthur Byron
- Tracey
- (uncredited)
Heinie Conklin
- Bartender
- (uncredited)
Eddie Dunn
- Doorman
- (uncredited)
Bill Elliott
- Man at Roulette Table
- (uncredited)
Theresa Harris
- Janet's Maid
- (uncredited)
Charles Lane
- Process Server
- (uncredited)
Eddie Phillips
- Mrs. Wright's Boy Friend
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThough the film is called "Private Detective 62," neither William Powell's character nor anyone else is actually referred to by that code number.
- GoofsThe credits list Ruth Donnelly as Amy Moran, and Dan Hogan introduces her to Donald Free as Amy Moran. But near the end of the film, the Process Server (Charles Lane) approaches and asks, "Your name Amy Potts?" And she answers, "Yeah."
- Quotes
Free: The only claim you got to being a detective is you got big feet and they're flat.
Hogan: Say, for the last time I'm telling ya, whoever heard of a man going to Atlantic City with his wife?
Free: Were you ever married?
Hogan: I was once. Why?
Free: Where'd you go for your honeymoon?
Hogan: Atlantic City.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Dirty Harry's Way (1971)
- SoundtracksIsn't It Romantic?
(uncredited)
from Love Me Tonight (1932)
Music by Richard Rodgers
Copyright 1932 by Famous Music Corp.
Played during opening credits and often throughout the film
Featured review
William Powell Shines in Zippy Light-Hearted Intrigue
Long before he directed Casablanca, Mildred Pierce and The Adventures of Robin Hood (among other brilliant films) Michael Curtiz took a hand in putting together this little Depression gem about shady detective work, women with money to spare, and a budding romance. The always puckishly sophisticated William Powell appears to have a great deal of fun playing what appears to be a shady detective—but one with an integrity and a great charm for women.
In this zippy little pre-code gem, Powell is hired to put a wealthy female gambler in jeopardy so that her considerable winnings can be taken back by the speakeasy where she gambles; can you guess what happens when the two meet? The woman is played by the engagingly attractive but underused Margaret Lindsay, and she's an apt foil for Powell's machinations (Lindsay has never looked better than she does in this film, and one wonders why she never moved into more major films).
This is another Warner Brother's quickie, a highly entertaining, fast-moving (67 minutes!) "B" film loaded with familiar character actors like Hobart Cavanaugh and Irving Bacon and even Toby Wing, whose wide-smile and sexy persona impresses immediately in a five second appearance as one of Powell's willing conquests. There's even a pre-code drug addict named "Whitey" referred to as a "hophead" into "snow," the sort of drug reference which, as a result of the new code, would completely disappear from films for twenty years after 1934; drugs didn't make a major appearance again until Sinatra's Oscar-nominated performance in The Man With The Golden Arm in 1956.
This is not a great film by any means, but a perfect Saturday matinée popcorn movie, an excellent example of a studio film that was no longer made after 1950.
In this zippy little pre-code gem, Powell is hired to put a wealthy female gambler in jeopardy so that her considerable winnings can be taken back by the speakeasy where she gambles; can you guess what happens when the two meet? The woman is played by the engagingly attractive but underused Margaret Lindsay, and she's an apt foil for Powell's machinations (Lindsay has never looked better than she does in this film, and one wonders why she never moved into more major films).
This is another Warner Brother's quickie, a highly entertaining, fast-moving (67 minutes!) "B" film loaded with familiar character actors like Hobart Cavanaugh and Irving Bacon and even Toby Wing, whose wide-smile and sexy persona impresses immediately in a five second appearance as one of Powell's willing conquests. There's even a pre-code drug addict named "Whitey" referred to as a "hophead" into "snow," the sort of drug reference which, as a result of the new code, would completely disappear from films for twenty years after 1934; drugs didn't make a major appearance again until Sinatra's Oscar-nominated performance in The Man With The Golden Arm in 1956.
This is not a great film by any means, but a perfect Saturday matinée popcorn movie, an excellent example of a studio film that was no longer made after 1950.
helpful•170
- museumofdave
- Apr 1, 2014
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Man Killer
- Filming locations
- 6439 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA(street clock with 'Stromberg Jewelers' on the face and 'Optician' above)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $260,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 6 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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