Alicia I love this movie so much

Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Contentar Best movie of this year hands down!

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

robert-temple-1 '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.

caronbc *** This review may contain spoilers *** I truly love this movie and wish they would release it on DVD. It is very clever and funny. A millionaire dies, leaving his fortune to his German Shephard with his secretary in charge of the money and the dog. The dog is poisoned and the girl is blamed for his death. When the dog goes to heaven, he tells the higher authorities that it wasn't the girl who killed him and he is the only one who can put things right. He is given one month (one moon cycle) to prove her innocence and so he is sent down to earth as an 'humanimal' (an animal soul in human form) and he is given a secretary (a horse) to help him.The next scene opens with him in an office with a sign on the window "Rex Shephard - Private Detective". He is sitting at his desk and he is nibbling something out of a bag in one of his drawers which turns out to be doggy kibble. His secretary (the horse) has a feed/nose bag for a handbag and has horse shoes on the soles of her human shoes. And so it goes..... I won't spoil it, by listing the clever animal cross human jokes, for anyone who is lucky enough to see it. I have not seen it for over 20 years; and believe me, I have been looking.It is a wonderfully, lighthearted movie for all ages. Although, I'm sure the older you are the more you would get the subtleties of some of the jokes.It was also released as "You Never Know"

Nicholas Rhodes This is a most original film. I have an excellent copy taped from French TV a few years back. It is a kind of a reverse "Fluke" but instead of a man coming back as a dog, we have a mutt coming back as a man. Also this film is extremely funny, in no small measure do to the excellent and flippant performance of Dick Powell and his female horse companion. I don't know who on earth could have dreamed this idea up but he/she was onto a winner. I am also curious to learn the title of Rex's Favourite Tune which Powell hears the young lady playing on the piano when he returns on a night visit to find evidence of his murder. Fluke had me weeping, but this film had me laughing most of the way through and I was a little surprised by the ending. The Heaven of Beasts is also well done special effects wise and I always have pleasure in seeing animals "speak" with human voices. I am not saying that animals watching would necessarily have the same opinion as me on this subject but there you have it. This film would do well to be available on DVD and to be publicised as its appeal and charm are absolutely TIMELESS !!

MetaLark I first saw this low-budget black-and-white film at the age of fourteen, promptly forgot the forgettable title, but never forgot the premise or the wonderfully waggish Dick Powell. Now, many years later I've remembered the title and managed to obtain a VHS copy from an online auction house, and as an adult in pretty good standing, I can report that it's still rather delightful.The premise: "King," a German shepherd dog, inherits a fortune, is poisoned by a heartless villain, and his spirit is taken up to "Beastatory." There he asks for a chance to return to earth as a "humanimal" in order to clear up the circumstances surrounding his own death. His request is granted, and he is installed in a Film Noir-ish office as a salty private eye with the whimsical name of Rex Shepherd, accompanied by a Kentucky thoroughbred filly as his secretary Goldie (Joyce Holden).The casting is exquisite. Dick Powell, though really quite a nice-looking actor, always struck me as having a slightly canine look; I believe he succeeded so well in private-eye roles partly because of the perception that he would doggedly "sniff out" the truth. The next-in-line heiress (Peggy Dow) is pretty and wholesome. The butler and the housekeeper are suspiciously sinister. The heiress's boyfriend is suspiciously affable. And a host of minor characters bear traces of resemblance to various breeds of dogs.The whole family, from about eight years up, can enjoy this film on different levels. But you'd best like corn, and I don't mean popped.6/10