Why William Powell's Rendezvous (1935) is a messy, delightful spy comedy

If you love William Powell when he is slightly annoyed, Rendezvous is absolutely worth eighty minutes of your evening. It is perfect for anyone who thinks World War I spy rings could use more fast-talking romance.

But if you want a serious, logical spy thriller, this will probably make you want to throw your remote. It is just too goofy for that.

The Premise (And the Chaos)

Powell plays this guy Bill Gordon who just wants to get shipped out to France to fight. Instead, he gets stuck in Washington because he is too good at reading secret codes.

And then there is Rosalind Russell. She plays Joel, this incredibly energetic woman who basically kidnaps his career because she is madly in love with him after meeting him once. 🤷‍♂️

She literally steals his army orders so he can't leave. It is wild how toxic this is by modern standards, but they make it look so charming!

The comedy is fast. Almost too fast.

I actually had to rewind once because Powell mumbled a joke about invisible ink while looking incredibly dapper. His hair is just perfect throughout the whole war effort.

The Spies and the Strange Stuff

Enter the German spies. Cesar Romero is there, looking young and extremely suspicious in every frame.

And Lionel Atwill! He has this one scene where his eyes go so wide I thought they might pop out of his head.

There is this bizarre scene with a desk full of toy soldiers. They spend about three minutes moving them around, and I still don't get the point of that strategy.

But that is the charm of these old MGM quickies. They don't wait for you to catch up.

It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in Some Bride, though with more guns and secret inks. That one also had people making crazy decisions for love.

Why It Mostly Works

Let's talk about Binnie Barnes. She plays Olivia, a spy who uses a very thick, very fake-sounding accent.

Her interaction with Powell in the hotel room is the best part of the movie. The way she tries to seduce him while he is clearly just trying to find a hidden microphone is pure gold. 🕵️‍♂️

There is a moment where a character gets shot, and the transition back to lighthearted banter is so fast it gives you whiplash. One second a guy is dead on the floor, the next second Russell is complaining about her shoes.

It is a bit messy. The script had like nine writers, which is no joke if you look at the credits.

You can tell they were all fighting over whether this was a comedy or a thriller. But Powell keeps it afloat.

"Some codes are meant to be broken. Others are just annoying."

A few weird things I noticed:

• The way Powell holds a telephone looks like he's trying to weaponize it.
• Rosalind Russell's hats get progressively larger as the movie goes on.
• The secret ink formula is apparently just lemon juice and some other kitchen stuff.
• A very young Cesar Romero looks like he was drawn by a Disney animator.

Anyway, it is a fun time. Just don't expect a masterpiece of logic.