The Ex-Mrs. Bradford

Last updated
The Ex-Mrs. Bradford
The Ex-Mrs. Bradford 1936.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Stephen Roberts
Screenplay by Anthony Veiller
Story by James Edward Grant
Produced byEdward Kaufman
(associate producer)
Starring William Powell
Jean Arthur
James Gleason
Cinematography J. Roy Hunt
Edited by Arthur Roberts
Music by Roy Webb
(musical director)
Production
company
Distributed byRKO Radio Pictures
Release date
  • May 15, 1936 (1936-05-15)
Running time
82 minutes
CountryUnited States
Language English
Budget$369,000 [1]
Box office$1,084,000 [1]

The Ex-Mrs. Bradford is a 1936 American comedy mystery film. William Powell and Jean Arthur star as a divorced couple who investigate a murder at a racetrack. This was the last film directed by Stephen Roberts before his death from a heart attack.

Contents

The similarity between RKO's The Ex-Mrs. Bradford and M-G-M's The Thin Man (1934) was speculated about given the chances that RKO's film would eclipse After the Thin Man (1936), which was to be released later in the year, at the box office. Modern sources claim that the film was RKO's third most successful production of 1936. [2]

Plot

Wealthy murder mystery writer Paula Bradford (Jean Arthur) returns from her worldwide travels to see her former husband, surgeon Dr. Lawrence "Brad" Bradford (William Powell). He had divorced her because she was always involving him in real-life murder cases, but she wants him back. When a jockey riding the favorite dies while leading a race, she is convinced it was murder. She and Mike North (Frank M. Thomas), the horse's trainer, persuade the reluctant doctor to investigate. Brad is puzzled when he finds traces of gelatin on the corpse.

Then he receives an envelope at home addressed to North. North telephones a little later to say he sent it and will come pick it up. Someone claiming to be North calls shortly afterward and instructs Brad to meet him somewhere else, but without the money. Curious, Brad opens the envelope to find a great deal of money and replaces it with some torn up magazine pieces. Suspicious, Brad takes a taxi, but gets out a short distance away and returns to his suite. As he anticipated, a burglar is inside looking for the envelope. When the two men start fighting, Paula tries to help using a skull she picks up, but ends up knocking out Brad instead, allowing the intruder to get away.

Soon after, the doorbell rings. When Brad opens the door, North's body falls in. Police Inspector Corrigan (James Gleason) names Brad as the main suspect in the second death. Now Brad has to solve both murders to clear himself.

All sorts of suspects present themselves: Nick Martel (Robert Armstrong), a bookie who owed North $125,000 for a winning bet; Leroy Hutchins (Ralph Morgan), the owner of the winning horse; John Summers (Grant Mitchell), the favorite's owner; Mrs. Summers, who is seeing Martel behind her husband's back; and Summer's lawyer, Henry Strand (an uncredited Frank Reicher).

Even Brad's receptionist, Miss Prentiss (Lila Lee), had been spotted with Martel. Brad discovers that North made the bet through someone else and Martel was instructed to send the money to an address he was given, but decided to confront North in person instead over what he considered to be deceit; though North claimed he did not place the bet, Martel did not believe him and gave him the money.

Going to the address provided, Brad finds Paula already there. They then discover the body of Lou Pender (Paul Fix), the would-be burglar who had masqueraded as North, in a Murphy bed after he kills a spider. As Brad is examining the corpse, an unseen person shoots at him from the window. He is not seriously wounded.

Brad eventually figures out how the murders were committed. The killer put a deadly black widow spider inside a gelatin capsule, secretly attached it to the victim's body, and waited for the gelatin to melt from body heat, releasing the spider.

Since the police have the $125,000, Brad assumes the killer will try the same trick again. The same two horses are scheduled to race against each other the next day, so Brad has film cameras set up around the racetrack. The murderer does strike again, but Brad had taken the precaution of inoculating the jockey beforehand.

Brad invites all of the suspects to his suite, hoping the culprit will stay away. When that fails, he screens the film footage he had taken. It shows Mr. Summers slipping a capsule down the jockey's back. Pulling out a gun, Summers admits his motive was revenge against his unfaithful wife and Martel.

Brad subdues him before he can shoot the lovers. During the struggle, however, Paula accidentally knocks out her ex-husband with a vase. Despite this, the couple remarry.

Cast

Jean Arthur in The Ex-Mrs. Bradford.jpg
Uncredited (in order of appearance)

Reception

The film was very popular, and it earned a profit of $350,000. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Suspicion</i> (1941 film) 1941 American film by Alfred Hitchcock

Suspicion is a 1941 romantic psychological thriller film noir directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and starring Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine as a married couple. It also features Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Nigel Bruce, Dame May Whitty, Isabel Jeans, Heather Angel, and Leo G. Carroll. Suspicion is based on Francis Iles's novel Before the Fact (1932).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Benjamin</span> American actor and film director

Richard Samuel Benjamin is an American actor and film director. He has starred in a number of well-known films, including Goodbye, Columbus (1969), Catch-22 (1970), Portnoy's Complaint (1972), Westworld (1973), The Last of Sheila (1973), and The Sunshine Boys (1975), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture. Benjamin was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series for his performances in He & She (1968), opposite his wife Paula Prentiss.

<i>Murder, My Sweet</i> 1944 film directed by Edward Dmytryk

Murder, My Sweet is a 1944 American film noir, directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Dick Powell, Claire Trevor and Anne Shirley. The film is based on Raymond Chandler's 1940 novel Farewell, My Lovely. It was the first film to feature Chandler's primary character, the hard-boiled private detective Philip Marlowe.

<i>The Saint Strikes Back</i> 1939 film by John Farrow

The Saint Strikes Back is a 1939 American crime film directed by John Farrow. It marks the second cinematic incarnation of the antihero crimefighting character Simon Templar, alias "The Saint". George Sanders replaced Louis Hayward, who had played the Saint in The Saint in New York. The movie was produced by RKO and also featured Wendy Barrie as female gang leader Val Travers. Barrie would appear in two more Saint films, playing different roles each time, though not in the next film in the series, The Saint in London. This was the second of eight films in RKO's film series about The Saint, and the first of five with Sanders in the title role.

<i>The Saint in London</i> 1939 film by John Paddy Carstairs

The Saint in London is a 1939 British crime film, the third of eight films in RKO's film series featuring the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paula Prentiss</span> American actress

Paula Prentiss is an American actress. She is best known for her film roles in Where the Boys Are (1960), What's New Pussycat? (1965), Catch-22 (1970), The Parallax View (1974), and The Stepford Wives (1975).

<i>Born to Kill</i> (1947 film) 1947 film noir directed by Robert Wise

Born to Kill is a 1947 RKO Pictures American film noir starring Lawrence Tierney, Claire Trevor and Walter Slezak with Esther Howard, Elisha Cook Jr., and Audrey Long in supporting roles. The film was director Robert Wise's first film noir production, preceding his later work on The Set-Up (1949) and The Captive City (1952).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Hutton</span> American actor (1934–1979)

Dana James Hutton, known as Jim Hutton, was an American actor in film and television best remembered for his role as Ellery Queen in the 1970s TV series of the same name, and his screen partnership with Paula Prentiss in four films, starting with Where the Boys Are. He is the father of actor Timothy Hutton.

<i>Lady Luck</i> (1946 film) 1946 film

Lady Luck is a 1946 American comedy film directed by Edwin L. Marin and starring Robert Young, Barbara Hale and Frank Morgan. It was produced and distributed by RKO Pictures. The picture tells the story of a professional gambler who falls in love with a woman who hates gambling and tries to reform him.

<i>Gold Diggers of 1935</i> 1935 American film

Gold Diggers of 1935 is an American musical film directed and choreographed by Busby Berkeley, his first time as a film's overall director. It stars Dick Powell, Adolphe Menjou, Gloria Stuart, Alice Brady, Hugh Herbert, Glenda Farrell, and Frank McHugh, and features Joseph Cawthorn, Grant Mitchell, Dorothy Dare, and Winifred Shaw. The songs were written by Harry Warren (music) and Al Dubin (lyrics). The film is best known for its famous "Lullaby of Broadway" production number. That song, sung by Shaw, also won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The screenplay was by Manuel Seff and Peter Milne, based on a story by Robert Lord, who also produced the film, and Milne.

<i>Cry Danger</i> 1951 film by Robert Parrish

Cry Danger is a 1951 film noir thriller film, starring Dick Powell and Rhonda Fleming. The film was directed by Robert Parrish, a former child star and later editor in his debut as a director.

<i>Miss Grant Takes Richmond</i> 1949 film by Lloyd Bacon

Miss Grant Takes Richmond is a 1949 American comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring Lucille Ball, William Holden and Janis Carter It was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was released under the alternative title Innocence Is Bliss in Britain.

<i>Murder in the Music Hall</i> 1946 film by John English

Murder in the Music Hall is a 1946 American musical mystery film directed by John English and starring Vera Ralston, William Marshall and Helen Walker. The film involves a murder in Radio City Music Hall with The Rockettes as suspects.

<i>Saratoga</i> (film) 1937 film by Jack Conway

Saratoga is a 1937 American romantic comedy film starring Clark Gable and Jean Harlow and directed by Jack Conway. The screenplay was written by Anita Loos. Lionel Barrymore, Frank Morgan, Walter Pidgeon, and Una Merkel appear as featured players; Hattie McDaniel and Margaret Hamilton appear in support. It was the sixth and final film collaboration of Gable and Harlow.

The Fuller Brush Man is a 1948 American comedy film starring Red Skelton as a door-to-door salesman for the Fuller Brush Company who becomes a murder suspect.

<i>The Guilty</i> (2000 film) 2000 American crime film

The Guilty is a 2000 American crime film directed by Anthony Waller and starring Bill Pullman, Devon Sawa, Gabrielle Anwar, Angela Featherstone and Joanne Whalley. The film is a remake of the 1992 UK TV two-part telemovie of the same name and identical plot starring Michael Kitchen, Sean Gallagher, Caroline Catz and Carol Starks.

<i>Bachelor in Paradise</i> (film) 1961 film

Bachelor in Paradise is a 1961 American Metrocolor, CinemaScope romantic comedy film starring Bob Hope and Lana Turner. Directed by Jack Arnold, it was written by Valentine Davies and Hal Kanter, based on a story by Vera Caspary.

<i>Bad Boy</i> (1949 film) 1950 film by Kurt Neumann

Bad Boy is a 1949 American drama film directed by Kurt Neumann and starring Audie Murphy, Lloyd Nolan and Jane Wyatt. It was Murphy's first leading role. It was distributed by the independent studio Allied Artists.

<i>Girl of the Rio</i> 1932 film

Girl of the Rio is a 1932 American pre-Code RKO musical film starred Dolores del Río and Leo Carrillo. Directed by Herbert Brenon, the screenplay was written by Elizabeth Meehan and Louis Stevens, based on the play, The Dove by Willard Mack, which was itself based on a magazine article by Gerald Beaumont. The film is a remake of the 1927 silent film, The Dove, starring Norma Talmadge.

<i>A Girl, a Guy and a Gob</i> 1941 film by Richard Wallace

A Girl, a Guy and a Gob is a 1941 film produced by Harold Lloyd and starring George Murphy, Lucille Ball, and Edmond O'Brien.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Richard Jewel, 'RKO Film Grosses: 1931-1951', Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol 14 No 1, 1994 p55
  2. "AFI|Catalog".