The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (1936) review: Jean Arthur is delightfully chaotic

If you have ninety minutes to spare tonight and want some easy, fast-talking comfort, The Ex-Mrs. Bradford is absolutely worth your time. Anyone who loves 1930s banter and people drinking cocktails in evening wear will have a great time. But if you need a mystery that actually makes sense, you should probably skip this one. 🍿

It is basically RKO trying to copy the massive success of MGM’s The Thin Man. They even hired William Powell to play the exact same tired, wealthy guy who just wants to drink in peace and avoid trouble.

This time, instead of Myrna Loy, he is paired with Jean Arthur. Honestly, I think I might prefer Arthur’s chaotic, squeaky energy here.

She plays Paula, his ex-wife who writes mystery novels. She basically uses unpaid alimony to force her doctor ex-husband, Lawrence, into investigating a shady death at a racetrack.

The plot is a total mess, to be honest. There is something about a jockey dying, some poisoned gelatin caps, and a very strange spider subplot that feels like it belongs in a weird B-movie.

But nobody is watching this for the plot. You watch it to see Jean Arthur accidentally knock people out or set things on fire.

She has this amazing scene where she tries to sneak into a morgue and just completely bumbles the whole thing. Powell looks genuinely amused by her, and his sighs are so loud you can practically feel the warm air coming off the screen.

Also, we have to talk about Eric Blore. He plays the butler, and he has this face that looks like a disappointed lemon. Every time he walks into a room, the movie gets twice as funny.

The director, Stephen Roberts, actually directed Stingaree a couple of years before this. He died right after making this movie, which is sad because he really had a knack for letting actors just play around in the frame.

There is a scene in a hallway where three different characters keep opening and closing doors, and it feels so loose and unrehearsed. I love when old movies feel a little bit messy like that.

Some small things that made me laugh out loud:

• Jean Arthur trying to use a magnifying glass and looking through the wrong end.
• William Powell's pajamas, which look like they cost more than my entire apartment.
• The guy who plays the inspector who just seems angry that he has to be in the movie.

"I didn't know you were a detective."
"I'm not, I'm just a husband who didn't pay his alimony."

It is not a masterpiece. But it has that warm, dusty celluloid feeling that makes you want to curl up on the couch with a blanket.

If you've already watched all the Nick and Nora movies three times, this is the perfect next step. Just don't try to follow the spider stuff too closely.