Review of You Never Can Tell

Imaginative fantasies for-the-sake-of-an-idea are rare in Hollywood. It is much easier to impute massive powers to a watch or show a watch that can stop time, without regard for the meaning, ethics or development of such ideas. "You Never Can Tell" is beyond any doubt one of the most delightful and unexpected fantasy films ever. It begins with a visit to Beastatory, where good animals go, a heaven for non-humans courtesy of David S. Hursely and the optical department; the animals are shown on a negative image with glowing eyes, speaking English. The film was directed by Louis Breslow and written along with David Chandler. It tells the story of an Army canine who is murdered. He comes back to protect his mistress, daughter of a wealthy man played by Albert Sharpe, in the person of beautiful Peggy Dow. he is in human form, calling himself "Rex Shepherd", and his partner for the mission of mystery-detection and help to her is Golden Harvest, a palomino filly now in human form as Goldie, his assistant. The villain of the piece is ably played by Charles Drake, who is romancing Dow. While Rex munches kibble and Goldie outruns buses and visits her psychologically troubled horse friends at the track, they somehow manage to save Dow's life and expose the reason behind Rex's killing and the threat to her. Of course, Rex falls in love with Dow, she with him, and he remains on Earth and watches as Goldie gallops off toward Beastatory's alternate heaven, turning into a palomino again as she disappears into the skies. Please don't miss this delightful film; it is one of Powell's best, and a genuine comedy-fantasy rarity.