Cary Grant will probably be remembered well into the future for three films that he made. "Arsenic and Old Lace" is a comedy, crime and thriller of 1944. "An Affair to Remember" is a drama, light comedy and love story of 1957. And, "North by Northwest" of 1959 is the Alfred Hitchcock action, adventure and mystery film that is likely to remain on the IMDb top 250 list for decades to come. Before, between and after those films Grant made many more movies – most of them big box office successes. Aside from the three most familiar films, he made a slew of comedy-romances. When we hear the name, Cary Grant, most movie buffs are likely to think first of "My Favorite Wife" of 1940, or "The Awful Truth" of 1937, or another one of his hilarious comedy-romances. Yet, besides "North by Northwest," Grant made a dozen other mystery-crime-thrillers. Most were very good. "Big Brown Eyes" of 1936 is one of those films, but a somewhat lesser one. The acting is very good by all of the cast, and the plot is very good. But this film suffers from a disjointed screenplay, weak direction, and poor film editing. Grant plays a police detective sergeant, Danny Barr. Joan Bennett is his sweetheart, Eve Fallon, who works as a manicurist. She leaves her job to work for a newspaper and tries to help Danny solve a jewel robbery. Walter Pidgeon is Richard Morey, an insurance investigator and adjuster. He runs a secret, crooked operation on the side. Among the rest of the supporting cast are Lloyd Nolan as Russ Cortig, Joe Sawyer as Jack Sully, and Edwin Maxwell as the editor. This is an interesting and fun film that most should enjoy. With better writing, direction and overall care in the making, "Big Brown Eyes" could have been a much better film. Danny and Eve have a scene with back and forth dialog that reminds one of the famous routine of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello – "Who's on First?" Eve, "Where are you going?" Dan, "I don't know yet. I haven't made up my mind." Eve, "Can I go with you?" Dan, "Where?" Eve, "Where you're going." Dan, "Well, I just told ya. I don't know where I'm going." Eve, "Well, when do you leave?" Dan, "I don't know that either." Eve, "Well, why can't you take me along?" Dan, "Where?" Eve, "That's what I'm asking you." Dan, "I'm asking you that." Eve, "Say, who's going – you or me?" Dan, "Where?" Eve, "I don't know. I'm not going – you are." Dan, "Well look, what time is it?" Eve, "What time does your train leave?" Dan, "How do you know I'm going by train? I might be going by boat." Eve, "What kind of a boat?" Dan, "I don't know. I haven't seen it yet."

"Big Brown Eyes" is from 1936 and directed by Raoul Walsh. Joan Bennett was still a blond, and here, Cary Grant plays Dan Barr, a detective trying to recover someone's stolen jewels. Bennett plays his jealous manicurist girlfriend Eve, who takes a job on a newspaper after she quits manicuring.Walter Pidgeon plays Cortig, the head of the jewel theft ring which is also involved in the murder of a child who was hit by one of Cortig's stray bullets. He's joined by Lloyd Nolan. Thanks to his crooked attorney, Cortig is found not guilty. Dan is so upset he quits the force to go out on his own and get justice. Eve returns to her manicure job; both are very defeated by the trial.This is an okay, fast-moving film with Bennett playing what today would be considered a stereotype, you know, the gum-cracking, wisecracking blond. Grant is very handsome and slips easily into his role. He's not the "Cary Grant" persona quite yet. That's a couple of years away.I don't know who the Big Brown Eyes were, but it must have been Cary Grant. I saw Joan Bennett in person near the end of her life - she was very tiny, with very black hair, and had beautiful blue eyes.

Big Brown Eyes (1936)Well, the big brown eyes that come to mind here belong to Cary Grant, who is coming into his own here. You'll recognize not only the looks (the eyes are heavier in the earlier films) but a mature attitude, the relaxed and cocky and sarcastic fellow that is so famous.The leading woman is Joan Bennett, who plays Grant's love interest. Bennett is not well known as a type the way Crawford or other women from her period are, and it's partly because she plays a kind of generic character, in this case a blond, sweet, smart, fun woman. She actually became more famous later in a couple Fritz Lang dramas (as a brunette), also playing a type. what she had going for her was a natural and fluid ease before the camera. And an ability to fit a part, not steal the show.Because the show belongs to Grant. And Grant here is a cop, Danny Barr. He tends to insert his casual confidence and slow ease as a cop and it's actually a pretty interesting fit, not at all the stereotype created by harder boiled types, or more witty ones (name a half a dozen famous ones). It's fascinating to watch him at this pivotal point in his career. It's usually pointed out that Grant's persona solidified in 1937 in "The Awful Truth" but having watched most of these films from this period it really seems that he's fully himself here, a year earlier. History is right in the sense that "The Awful Truth" pushed Grant's career up a notch simply because it's a better movie. And he has a more prominent role in it.Here, the action is spread between Grant and his cops, Bennett and her life bouncing from being a manicurist to a reporter, and the "bad guys" who are up to their usual no good. These thugs are actually pretty convincing, falling short of the hardened awful types of some movies. One of them (the kingpin) is a young Walter Pidgeon, who is not quite right in his role, but it's fun to see him so early in his career. "Big Brown Eyes" is poorly name, but besides that it's not a bad movie at all, and if you follow the several plot lines (all connected) it gets pretty interesting. Every now and then when the plot is sped up (thankfully) the camera shows a whole range of characters close up and at a tilt. It's both affected (a little at odds with the rest of the movie) and successful (at speeding up the plot with appropriate humor and agitation). There are some fun twists (like when Bennett accidentally makes a fingerprint dusting using some talcum powder. And there are lots of turns, people quitting jobs and leaving town, and some odd shocks, as when the baby is killed.In the end it's also a romance with Grant in the lead role, well done and sharply acted. See it.

This little movie is more than forgotten. It is so mundane that no one has decided they can make a nickle from it, despite having some of the very same features and creative crew as projects that are celebrated. Cary Grant is about the same here, as in, say, "Charade."I have to admit, it is flat. It all can be laid at the feet of the writer, I suppose.These comedies are delicate. I suppose they cannot be engineered, like so much in film can. Oh, the execution can of course, but if the writer doesn't froth intuitively, nothing can spin it in after the fact.But then again, this was the 30's where experimentation was the rule. And I suppose you need several failures before you get a "His Girl Friday" (which this resembles) out of so many tries.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.