You Never Can Tell

This very enjoyable and somewhat bizarre movie is one of the best kept secrets of the 1950s. The movie begins with Ellen Hathaway (Peggy Dow) and the German Shepherd named King. King has inherited his owners fortune and the estate is to be looked after by his secretary, Miss Hathaway. King is a happy dog, but someone his unhappy about his inheritance and poisons him. Off he goes to Beastatory where he awaits judgment. Although he has been a good dog, he requests to return to Earth so he can reveal his killer. He returns as a private eye named Rex Shepherd (Dick Powell) under the watchful eye of a reincarnated horse Goldie (Joyce Holden) and stirs up all kinds of trouble. A great movie for kids and adults alike, You Never Can Tell combines just the right amount of fantasy and reality to create a believable and fun film. It is not cheesy, but there are plenty of silly jokes like Rex munching on dog kibble and Goldie outrunning buses. Hopefully this title will be formally released, but until then we will have to settle for ebay prints and TV broadcasts.

My wife thought "You Can Never Tell" was kind of cute. However, she didn't finish the movie and I sure thought it was pretty ridiculous. It's the sort of movie that makes you wonder if the leading man, Dick Powell, had done something to tick off a studio executive! When the story begins, you learn that Rex the German Shepherd inherited millions from his deceased owner. As a result, Rex now lives a nice life and is cared for be Ellen (Peggy Dow). However, after she meets a seemingly kind man and falls for him, SOMEONE poisons Rex and the doggy dies. The scene switches to some annoying version of Animal Heaven where it's presided over Mufasa. I say annoying because the film footage is all shown in negative....and it's hard on the eyes. Anyway, Rex is there (since he was such a good boy) and he requests that Mufasa (or whatever the lion's name is) send him back to Earth to investigate his murder and bring the killer to justice! So, he's reincarnated as a human and is a hard boiled doggy detective...and he's assisted by a horse who has been reincarnated as a lady. If this plot sounds completely insane, then, well, you pretty much have a clear picture of the film. It is enjoyable at times but also dopey at others. It falls into the category of a must-see, however, not because it's good but because of a major Hollywood star doing a film THAT weird and, well, silly. Powell tries his best but it's a pretty inconsequential film.

I remember this movie fondly. I watched it for the first time standing behind my bedroom door, peeking into the living room, because I was supposed to have been in bed ;-) I enjoyed it so much that I wasn't sure later, as an adult, that I could possibly have remembered it accurately - childhood memories can be misleading. So I tracked down a rental copy and surprise! If anything I loved it more - adult perceptions picked up on some humor that had sailed right over my youthful head. Check preconceptions at the door, lock away logic and just sit back with a bowl of popcorn and enjoy!

I just happen to come across this movie as I am watching TV on a lazy afternoon. Thats back before a certain classic movie channel decided to annoy everyone by inserting TV ads during a movie. That is also when I used to watch AMC a lot and I was on the right channel at the right time. This movie is a true classic. I have yet to see another film like this one. Very enjoyable. I hope someday TCM takes a hint and brings it back. That is so other people can see it. They will not be disappointed. Anyone who watched Sky King will recognize Moose Tanner as the guy with a headlock on "Rex" in jail. So if anyone should happen to come across this movie on their guide, sit back and enjoy. It does not get boring towards the end like some movies do and it will always what they will say next.

It doesn't matter whether you love animals or not, this is a fun movie. I loved it as a kid, and stumbled on it again as an adult. I didn't expect to enjoy it as an adult, but I thought it was even better than what I remembered. The cast was great. My husband agreed that it was great fun, and to my surprise,even my daughter (who doesn't like anything in B&W) loved it. She's tried to get a copy to show her children. I would love to see this released on DVD. Although I loved "Oh, Heavenly Dog" with Chevy Chase, "You Never Can Tell" was better. I doubt they could improve on it if they did film a remake. If you get a chance, this is definitely one movie worth watching.

I saw this movie one late night in the mid 60's in NYC on CBS Late Late Show, the one where the "Syncopated Clock" was the theme song. I was perhaps 7 or so and this is the first movie I clearly remember seeing by myself. For years I would ask people about this movie not having remembered the title just the profound experience at such an impressionable age. Years later I happened upon AMC and lo it was running I came in around the end when the character "Goldie" was heading back up the "stairway to heaven" at that moment I had an epiphany realizing perhaps the "Led Zeppelin" song had it's inspiration from this movie. I then was able to schedule and see the whole film and wow even though it was a bit dated it was still fun. Also it was most impressive how it affected me as a child for I am certainly one of those who imagine multiple incarnations as a part of our make-up as on the order of Richard Bach's "Illusions" where the character of Donald Shimoda asks Richard "...how many movies have you seen? Hundreds maybe thousands was the answer "...ah then that's how many lifetimes you have had..." and clearly as supposed in this film some of them definitely were as beasts!

In You Never Can Tell, Dick Powell got a chance to satirize his own new image as a tough guy private detective. He's certainly one of the most unusual private eyes that the movies have ever created. If you didn't know it before, you know it now that animals have a soul and when they die they go to a place called Beastatory. That's what's happened to King when he gets poisoned by some nefarious forces who are after his money. That's right, his money. It seems as though King's inherited a fortune, the former member of the US Army's Canine Corps was left a multi-million dollar estate. This German Shepherd is now the envy of Rin Tin Tin. In Beastatory when an animal hasn't lived a good animal life they have a most unusual punishment, they come back as humans, an interesting theological notion as I've ever heard. But King makes an unusual request to voluntarily go back and deal with his murderer. It's granted and he's even given a companion, a thoroughbred race horse who comes back as the girl Friday of the detective Rex Sheppard, that King becomes. Of course when he goes back he's now Dick Powell and the race horse is Joyce Holden. Charles Drake and Peggy Dow are in this film as well, they were the romantic interest a year before in Harvey, the young psychiatrist and the nurse at the funny farm Josephine Hull was trying to stick Jimmy Stewart. The roles aren't quite the same in You Never Can Tell. Peggy Dow was a young lady of much promise who married and retired early after only a few films and the silver screen was the poorer for it. Powell has some very funny moments especially when he can't quite shake his canine background as a human. But Joyce Holden really provides the most laughs in this film. Hysterically funny moment when she races to catch a bus she just missed. Holden probably broke the six furlong record at Aqueduct in that effort. This is a very sadly neglected comedy I wish was shown more often. If TCM ever shows it, don't miss it.

A favorite. Just basically a good movie from start to finish. What particularly impresses me is Beastatory; for a 1950's movie, that was a pretty nifty effect. Goldie and Rex made quite a team.

If you buy only one of those overpriced Universal Vault MODs, buy this one! If you buy two, then buy "If I Were King" starring Ronald Colman, but that is another story. I'd like to think that Dick Powell was wealthy enough by 1951 that he could largely pick his projects, because this one is a gem of Dick Powell parodying the Dick Powell PI persona of the noirs. He plays a German Shepherd dog, King, who inherits a large fortune from an eccentric owner and then is murdered by poison. When he arrives in Animal Heaven (Beastatory) he says he knows who his murderer is and wants time back on earth to bring that murderer to justice. It's not just his untimely death that requires his attention, his kindly keeper was next in line for the estate, and down on earth she is suspect number one, so he also wants to clear her name in the process. King is given that chance, but he must return to Animal Heaven by the new moon or forever remain a "Humanimal" - human in form, animal in nature. To become a humanimal and return to earth not knowing that you are one is the punishment of bad animals. King will return knowing his state and his mission with all of the memories of his previous existence. He is given a deceased Kentucky race horse as his companion and helper on his mission. It's just hilarious seeing Dick Powell returned to earth as "Rex Shepherd, PI" sitting in a spartan office talking like Philip Marlowe and nibbling on dog kibble instead of peanuts and cowering in doorways whenever the dog catcher appears, forgetting he is in human form. Goldie, his human-horse companion, has hat styles that are pure palomino. The murderer is no mystery - you learn the identity pretty much up front. The trick is catching the perpetrator. Also, as a humanimal, Rex finds he is having new rather confusing feelings for the beautiful young lady who was his keeper during his life as a dog. How can this all work out and not bust the production code wide open? Watch and find out. Let me also say that the transfer is outstanding on the Universal Vault DVD. All I have seen in the past are poor VHS transfers from past TV airings. This one is worth going back to again and again for the hilarity and the magic of it all. A great family film, a great holiday film, a great film anytime you need cheering up. Forgive me for mentioning specific products in this review, but this one DVD transfer is the only way I know to see a good copy of the film.

'Woof woof!', that's what I say. This is a film (variously called YOU NEVER CAN TELL and YOU NEVER KNOW) in which a deceased dog, a German shepherd, is given permission to return to earth for a limited time as a human detective to solve his own murder and to clear the nice woman, his former mistress, blamed for the crime. Dick Powell, in his most congenial mode, plays the returned dog, posing as a private investigator named Rex Shepherd who sits around munching on dog biscuits when he is not looking for clues. Yes, it all sounds ridiculous, but it is done with such a light touch and such good humour that it is a most enjoyable film. And it is of special appeal to those of us who believe that dogs are in many ways superior to humans anyway. The reason why everyone is so excited about the murder of the dog is that his original owner died and left his six million dollar fortune to the dog, and as usual there are some wicked humans scheming for that stuff, which is useless to dogs, called money. This was the only feature film directed by Lou Breslow (1900-1987), who was better known as a film writer. Not only did he write this film, but he wrote 78 others, including in this very same year, both BEDTIME FOR BONZO, starring Ronald Reagan, and MY FAVORITE SPY starring Bob Hope and Hedy Lamarr. Breslow must have felt very strongly about dogs to push himself forward as director for this film. There are some very amusing scenes in Animal Heaven (doubtless located at the Dog Star, though this secret is not revealed), and the whole film is not only most enjoyable but often hilarious. However, humourless people need not apply. If you don't know how to laugh (and it is amazing how many people don't, especially these days when dour humourlessness is on the rise), then go watch a war movie or something instead of enjoying this light-hearted romp. But the rest of us can sit back and have a good time watching Dog Justice being done and Dog Ethics triumphing over human greed. (If only we could set the dogs on today's psychopathic bankers, now wouldn't that be a good idea!) The actress Peggy Dow, who only appeared in films between 1949 and 1951, unexpectedly retiring 'for domestic reasons' just as she was really getting going, is charming as Ellen, whom 'Rex Shepherd' wishes to clear of his murder. What a loss to the screen that she dropped out like that. So sit back, munch your dog biscuits, and enjoy seeing how dogs can handle things when human affairs need straightening out.