Misfire attempt at a comedy with Fredric March as a womanizing P.I., Ann Sothern as his ditzy secretary, Ralph Bellamy woefully miscast as a bumbling copper and Joan Bennett as the murderess they’re after.
Kay Kendall (Joan Bennett) finds out her sister commited suicide. She goes to see the man she’s been fooling around with. He’s a rich guy who has been fooling around with a lot of women. Kay shoots him.
An APB goes out for her and she’s chased to the docks. She drives her car into the water. Ben Blodgett (Ralph Bellamy) calls the Commissioner (Thomas Mitchell) and says she’s in the bottom of the sea. Case closed. Good thing the top was down in her car. She gets out and ends up in Honolulu.
A notice comes to the San Francisco PD with a picture of a ring pawned by Kay. She’s changed her name to Mary Holden. The Commissioner wants Sam Wye (Fredric March) to find her. He was kicked off the force because he couldn’t leave the ladies alone and is now a P.I. Blodgett is ordered to go with him to keep an eye on him.
Sam’s secretary Jean Livingstone (Ann Southern) wants to go on the hunt but he won’t let her. She’s also enamored with him. Sam and Blodgett go to Japan and then China. Blodgett says he has her captured and she’s in his room. Sam goes to see. It’s Jean. He says “Dr.Livingstone I presume.” That leads to a running gag throughout the movie where Blodgett thinks her name is Dr.Livingstone.
Jean says she’s traced Kay to the steamship “Hanoi” bound for Singapore. Sam gets on board. He meets Kay. One look and he’s smitten. As things proceed Sam finds out there’s a hundred thousand dollar reward out for Kay’s capture. Now he has to decide whether to turn her in or not.
There’s more wacky stuff with Jean and Blodgett. The movie comes to an ending that’s tipped off early….but only if you were paying attention. Overall it’s not very good and Bellamy is annoying.
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