Mr. Lucky (1943)

A gambler has plans to swindle money from a charity program, but starts to have second thoughts when he falls for a rich society girl.

Director:

H.C. Potter

Writers:

Milton Holmes (story), Milton Holmes (screenplay),

Stars:

Cary Grant, Laraine Day, Charles Bickford

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Cary Grant	...	Joe Adams / Joe Bascopolous
Laraine Day	...	Dorothy Bryant
Charles Bickford	...	Hard Swede
Gladys Cooper	...	Captain Veronica Steadman
Alan Carney	...	Crunk
Henry Stephenson	...	Mr. Bryant
Paul Stewart	...	Zepp
Kay Johnson	...	Mrs. Mary Ostrander
Erford Gage	...	Henchman
Walter Kingsford	...	Commissioner Hargraves
Florence Bates	...	Mrs. Van Every

Storyline

Joe Adams takes on the identity of a dead gangster in order to avoid the draft. Adams plans to use a war relief charity to get his gambling operation up and running, until he falls in love with Dorothy Bryant and has a change of heart.

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Plot Keywords:

charity | con man | con | gambler | socialite | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 May 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aventureiro de Sorte

Filming Locations:

George Washington Bridge, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The rhyming slang used by Cary Grant's character is a form of slang in which a word is replaced by a rhyming word, typically the second word of a two-word phrase (so stairs becomes "apples and pears"). The second word is then often dropped entirely ("I'm going up the apples"), meaning that the association of the original word to the rhyming phrase is not obvious to the uninitiated. For example: "Sherman" for an American (Sherman tank = Yank). The exact origin of rhyming slang appears to be unclear, partly because it exists to some extent in many languages. In English, rhyming slang is strongly associated with Cockney speech from the East End of London.

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Goofs

When Joe replaces the bottle on the water cooler the first time, the angle of the bottle changes between shots.

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Quotes

Joe Adams aka Joe Bascopolous: [Calling to handyman after slot machine pays off] Hey, Blubber! Fix this thing!
Blubber: Something wrong, boss?
Joe Adams aka Joe Bascopolous: It pays!

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Connections

Featured in American Masters: Cary Grant: A Class Apart (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Battle Hymn of the Republic"
(ca 1856)
(uncredited)
Music by William Steffe
In the score when Dorothy shows a picture of her great-grandfather

User Reviews

Cary Grant Rolls the Dice

Poor boy turned suave gambler Cary Grant (as Joe Adams) evades service in World War II by assuming the identity of a deceased sailor classified "4-F" (unfit for military service). Then, he joins a New York women's group supporting the war effort from the home front. There, he learns to knit, and flirts with sophisticate Laraine Day (as Dorothy Bryant). At first, Ms. Day is wary of Mr. Grant, who uses slight-of-hand to fill the war relief group's coffers. But, Day falls in love with Grant, unaware he is planning to bilk the ladies' war relief organization.

RKO put a lot into "Mr. Lucky", and it pays off handsomely. Aside from a violent streak (once slugging his leading lady), Grant turns out to be much less of a heel that you're led to believe; and, he is thoroughly charming. The direction (H.C. Potter), camera-work (George Barnes), design (William Cameron Menzies), and supporting cast are outstanding. The film is bracketed with a moody atmospherics.

The ending could have been better. But, mainly, "Mr. Lucky" is great for watching Grant work wonders with his conflicted character. Grant is so convincing that, when he looks in his car's rear view mirror, you're almost sure the car's mirror hasn't actually been removed by the studio (they blocked actors' faces and were too reflective). There was no mirror there, or was there?

******* Mr. Lucky (5/28/43) H.C. Potter ~ Cary Grant, Laraine Day, Charles Bickford, Gladys Cooper