| You Never Can Tell | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Lou Breslow |
| Screenplay by | Lou Breslow David Chandler |
| Story by | Lou Breslow |
| Produced by | Leonard Goldstein |
| Starring | Dick Powell Peggy Dow Joyce Holden |
| Cinematography | Maury Gertsman |
| Edited by | Frank Gross |
| Music by | Hans J. Salter |
| Production company | Universal Pictures |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date |
|
| Running time | 78 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
You Never Can Tell is 1951 American comedy film directed by Lou Breslow and starring Dick Powell, Peggy Dow and Joyce Holden.
Plot
An ex-army dog named King inherits a fortune from his eccentric millionaire owner. Should King die, the fortune will pass to the late millionaire's secretary, Ellen (Peggy Dow). Perry Collins (Charles Drake) calls to visit King, ingratiating himself with the story that he remembers King from his army days and that he rescued King from a jeep accident. But Collins has designs on both Ellen and the fortune she will inherit on King's death and when King is found poisoned, King's spirit asks Lion (the leader in the heaven for animals) to send him back to earth to solve his own murder. He returns as Rex Shepard, a private investigator (Dick Powell). Lion also sends Golden Harvest, a racehorse, back to earth as Goldie Harvey (Joyce Holden) to help Rex. Goldie and Rex must solve the case before the full moon or they will have to remain on earth as humans.
Cast
- Dick Powell as Rex Shepard
- Peggy Dow as Ellen Hathaway
- Joyce Holden as Golden Harvest / Goldie Harvey
- Charles Drake as Perry Collins
- Albert Sharpe as Grandpa Hathaway
- Lou Polan as Police Sergeant Novak
- Frank Nelson as Police Lieutenant Gilpin
- Will Vedder as Nicholas
- Frank Gerstle as Detective
- Ott George as Detective Lieutenant Louie Luisetti
Critical response
Writing in AllMovie, critic Hal Erickson reported that the "most delightful aspect of You Never Can Tell is the film's ability to successfully sustain its single joke for 78 minutes," and that it is a "captivating piece of whimsy."
References
- Worley p.108
- Erickson, Hal. "You Never Can Tell (1951)". AllMovie. Netaktion LLC. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
Bibliography
- Worley, Alec. Empires of the Imagination: A Critical Survey of Fantasy Cinema from Georges Melies to The Lord of the Rings. McFarland, 2005.
External links
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- 1951 films
- 1950s English-language films
- 1950s fantasy comedy films
- 1951 comedy films
- American black-and-white films
- American fantasy comedy films
- Films about dogs
- Films about reincarnation
- Films about the afterlife
- Films directed by Lou Breslow
- Films scored by Hans J. Salter
- Universal Pictures films
- 1950s American films
- English-language fantasy comedy films
- 1950s comedy film stubs
- 1950s American film stubs