Don't Bet on Blondes (1935)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Robert Florey

Writers:

Isabel Dawn (story) and
Boyce DeGaw (story) ...

Release Date:

13 July 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

HE'D BET ON ANYTHING! (original poster - all caps)

Plot:

Gambler and bookmaker "Odds" Owen decides that the insurance racket is a business that offers better odds and less risk...

Plot Keywords:

Insurance | Lloyds Of London | Daughter | Insurance Policy | Suitor

Cast

Warren William	...	Oscar 'Odds' Owen
Claire Dodd	...	Marilyn Youngblood
Guy Kibbee	...	Col. Jefferson Davis Youngblood
William Gargan	...	Numbers
Vince Barnett	...	Chuck aka 'Brains'
Hobart Cavanaugh	...	Philbert O. Slemp
Clay Clement	...	T. Everett Markham
Errol Flynn	...	David Van Dusen
Spencer Charters	...	Doc
Walter Byron	...	Dwight Boardman
Eddie Shubert	...	Steve
Jack Norton	...	J. Mortimer 'Mousy' Slade
Mary Treen	...	Owen's secretary
Maude Eburne	...	Little Ellen Purdy
Herman Bing	...	Prof. Friedrich Wilhelm Gruber

Also Known As:

Not on Your Life (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

USA:59 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:Approved (PCA #959)

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Quotes:

Col. Jefferson Davis Youngblood: Your charm excuses your accidental Northern birth.

Soundtrack:

Bridal Chorus (Here Comes the Bride)

Mr. William's Comedy Capers

DON'T BET ON BLONDES is the lesson New York City's most eccentric insurance broker learns the hard way.

Fast-moving & fun, this is another example of the comedy crime picture that Warner Brothers was so expert at producing. Casts & plots could be shuffled almost endlessly, with very predictable results. While this assembly line approach created few classics, audience enjoyment could usually be assured.

Suave and sophisticated, Warren William dominates this enjoyable little film with his debonair manner and slightly sardonic sense of humor. Playing a topnotch bookie who seamlessly switches to the more legal insurance racket, William is never less than absolutely in command of his performance. His pursuit of lovely Claire Dodd, even though she's the subject of his client's offbeat policy, illustrates his character's single-minded determination to get exactly what he wants. Whether in comedy or drama, Warren William was a most enjoyable actor to watch and it is a shame that he is almost forgotten now.

A sturdy cast of costars gives fine support to William. Cuddly Guy Kibbee plays a Kentucky colonel desperate to retain his daughter's largess. Quick-tempered William Gargan is William's numbers expert, while Spencer Charters is his wise old company doctor. Clay Clement is a somewhat larcenous lawyer who has his eyes on Miss Dodd; Walter Byron portrays a prissy hypochondriac actor. Mary Treen is William's no-nonsense secretary; Hobart Cavanaugh plays a little man anxious to ensure his pregnant wife against having twins.

Look fast for Herman Bing as a man with a dog. A young Errol Flynn, looking earnest & eager, plays a potential suitor for Miss Dodd; he would become a major movie star very shortly. Wonderful Maude Eburne steals her scenes as a champion husband caller from Iowa.

Movie mavens will recognize W. C. Fields' longtime accomplice, Tammany Young, as an uncredited betting tout in the open scene.