Sort of a proto-Thin Man. William Powell plays a lawyer who has an interest in solving mysteries. A friend of his asks him to locate the woman he'd loved, who vanished one night a year ago. Powell's got his own problems, starting with a society girl (Ginger Rogers) determined to marry him and help him. Then a reporter gets shot in Powell's apartment. Is it connected to the missing girl, or the mysterious masked singer Mary Smith? Well, what do you think?
Rogers and Powell bantering while drinking a lot of alcohol is the main appeal of the movie. Powell trying to throw her off the trail and Rogers doggedly refusing to be thrown. Pity there's so many other elements that keep drawing away from that. Rogers had something going with a mobster, involving letters that Powell had to get back with a little blackmail. So then the mobster becomes part of the story. Interesting how many of these movies have mobsters that a unashamedly criminals, but they're also honorable guys, really.
There's a cop, of course, although he's a polite older gent who is willing to be patient. Nice change of pace from the aggressive, loudmouth idiot cops in most of these movies (although there is one of those.) An older society lady that knows Powell that's on her third husband. Powell's friend, who either was conveniently unconscious during the murder, then disappears for a while. Another investigator trying to find the friend's missing lady in connection with other murders. Adding more murders on top of the reporter starts to make everything too convoluted.
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