vincentlynch-moonoi Most films require us to suspend belief to some extent. But this one goes a little too far to set up the premise -- that in order to not disappoint a fiancé, that a police detective would wine and dine a gangster headed to prison, rather than renege on a date. Okay, so you've got to swallow pretty hard to choke down that premise. But, if you can, this is a pleasant enough comedy.In fact, there are a number of minor issues throughout the film that make it illogical, but it's still fun. The two stars -- Melvyn Douglas and Joan Blondell -- have really good screen chemistry. As a result, I was able to overlook some of the problems with the script.Except for movie buffs, Douglas and Blondell are largely forgotten actors today. And that's a shame. In their day they could certainly carry a film. Melvyn Douglas, in particular, was quite adept at comedy or drama. Here, Douglas demonstrates his flair for comedy. Joan Blondell was a prolific screen actress, and I usually associate her with comedy.The supporting actors here do nicely. While you may not remember their names, you'll certainly recognize their faces. Of particular note: Clarence Kolb, here playing the police captain (though he always reminds me of the old man with all the money in the Monopoly game). Ruth Donelly as Blondell's best friend. Edward Brophy as the gangster. Donald MacBride as a detective (and sometimes referred to as the King of the Slow Burn).This movie is no great shakes, but is pleasant enough.

gridoon2018 Although made one year later than another Melvyn Douglas - Joan Blondell pairing, "There's Always A Woman", "The Amazing Mr. Williams" can be taken as more of a prequel than a follow-up to that earlier film, in which Douglas plays a retired detective who has gone private and Blondell is his wife who has already discovered her knack for crime-solving. Here, Douglas works for the police force, Blondell is the mayor's secretary, and they haven't even gotten married yet. While Blondell is always a delight to watch and the film definitely has its moments (especially near the end, when her role becomes more active), it is burdened by an episodic story that jumps from subplot to subplot (first, it's a locked-room mystery; then a false identity farce; then a hunt for a serial killer; and finally, a bank-robbery-and-murder story). All in all, it's pleasant but unremarkable. **1/2 out of 4.

gerdeen-1 The odd title, "The Amazing Mr. Williams," suggests to me that somebody wanted to create a movie series. That never happened, and it's easy to see why. Douglas plays Kenny Williams, a smart, brave and thoroughly decent police detective. His girlfriend, portrayed by Blondell, wants him off the force at any cost. His boss, played by Kolb, has just the opposite plan: He wants Williams to stay on the force even if it ruins his life. Both the girlfriend and the police chief are willing to lie and scheme to get what they want. What a situation! In a supposedly charming comedy, the people in Williams' life seem to care "amazingly" little about him. It all has a kind of nasty edge. If any of the gags had worked, this film might have been saved, but they all fall flat. Even the much-discussed drag scene is dull. The sight of a typical guy in an absurd female disguise is either funny at first sight or it's not funny at all. You can't doll up this dog of a movie.

F Gwynplaine MacIntyre There's nothing amazing about 'The Amazing Mr Williams'. Part of this movie's problem is its lead actor Melvyn Douglas. He was a lousy actor and lazy with it. For most of his career, he allowed his good looks, a glib manner and (usually, but not in this movie) some fine scriptwriting to make up for his lack of acting ability. I disliked Douglas as an actor before I knew anything about him as a person; I've learnt enough about him to know that I also despise his politics. I'll give Melvyn Douglas credit for one thing: his chromosomes did produce the incredibly talented and sexy actress Illeana Douglas.Melvyn Douglas made this movie right after the brilliant 'Ninotchka' ... talk about a comedown! 'The Amazing Mr Williams' is allegedly a comedy, but I never laughed. Douglas plays a plainclothes detective on the homicide squad, named Kenny Williams. I never heard of a police detective named Kenny, but if they called him Kenneth Williams ... well, what a carry-on. The whole city is in a panic because a serial killer is going about, killing women. No motive is given for this; he just likes to kill women. The mayor (Jonathan Hale, better than usual) calls Williams on the carpet to account for his failure to catch the killer.SPOILERS APPROACHING. The cheap, vulgar, untalented and unattractive Joan Blondell plays the mayor's secretary. (She doesn't sound literate enough to file a letter, much less type one.) Blondell and Douglas squabble like a cat and a dog, so it's blatantly obvious they're going to end up together.At this movie's lowest point, Melvyn Douglas decides to draw out the killer by dressing up as a woman. You do NOT want to see Melvyn Douglas in drag! He's well over six foot, and he doesn't even shave off that annoying moustache. The similarly-'tashed William Powell was an actor very similar in type to Melvyn Douglas (but much more talented). When Powell disguised himself as a woman in 'Love Crazy', he had the integrity to shave off his moustache: a genuine sacrifice, as Powell needed it to grow in again for his next role. But Melvyn Douglas brings nothing whatever to his role in this movie, not even a razor. He plays his drag scenes with the same annoying smirk he used throughout the bulk of his career.On the plus side, 'The Amazing Mr Williams' has several of those splendid supporting players who made Hollywood's movies of the '30s so delightful. Edward Brophy is brilliant here, touching and funny as a criminal who gets an unlikely furlough from his life sentence. The dyspeptic Donald MacBride is fine as a cop who gets mistaken for the killer, and is nearly lynched by a mob. Ruth Donnelly is splendid: as usual for her, but here she gets a chance to show her talents away from her usual orbit on the Warner Brothers backlot. Jimmy Conlin, Luis Alberni and the grinning Dave Willock are all fine in small roles. Barbara Pepper (whom I usually dislike) is good here too. The grossly unpleasant Maude Eburne gets some screen time; I always loathe her, and she gives the same performance in every film ... but some audiences enjoy Eburne's one-note performance very much, for reasons I can't fathom.If you're familiar with Hollywood character actors of the 1930s, and the roles they tended to play, one glance at IMDb's cast list will tell you who the murderer is. That's the problem with 'The Amazing Mr Wiliams': everything is too obvious. I'll rate this movie 2 points out of 10.