A city girl on a bus tour of the West encounters a handsome rodeo cowboy who helps her forget her simpy city suitors.
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Title: A Lady Takes a Chance (1943)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Jean Arthur | ... | Molly J. Truesdale | |
| John Wayne | ... | Duke Hudkins | |
| Charles Winninger | ... | Waco | |
| Phil Silvers | ... | Smiley Lambert | |
| Mary Field | ... | Florrie Bendix | |
| Don Costello | ... | Drunk | |
 |
John Philliber | ... | Storekeeper |
| Grady Sutton | ... | Malcolm Scott | |
|
|
Jean Stevens | ... | 'Jitterbug' (as Peggy Carroll) |
| Grant Withers | ... | Bob Hastings | |
| Hans Conried | ... | Gregg Stone | |
| Ariel Heath | ... | Flossie | |
|
|
Sugar Geise | ... | Linda Belle |
|
|
Joan Blair | ... | Lilly |
| Tom Fadden | ... | Mullen | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
A New York bank clerk,Mollie Truesdale (Jean Arthur), in the late 1930s, finds that her cherished dream of making a 17-day all-expenses-paid bus trip to the Pacific Coast and back, isn't all she thought it would be...until she reaches Oregon and a bucking broncho tosses a rodeo performer on top of her and knocks her flat. Duke Hudkins (John Wayne), by way of apology, shows her the sights of Fairfield, Oregon, and she misses her bus, quarrels with the bewildered Duke, hitchhikes across a lot of desert...and a romance is born. Written by Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>
Taglines:
IT'S SCREWY...And So Funny! IT'S RIOTOUS...And Romantic! (1950 reissue poster) See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
19 August 1943 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Cowboy and the Girl See more »Filming Locations:
RKO Studios - 780 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USACompany Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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Written by Bob Bell
Performed by The Three Peppers
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Although his character in A Lady Takes a Chance is named Duke Hudkins, actor John Wayne got his nickname "The Duke" long before. In his early teens living in Glendale, California, Wayne had a dog named Duke. They were so inseparable that family and friends called them Little Duke and Big Duke. For Wayne, who soon entered high school theatrical productions, the name stuck. See more »Quotes
Waco: Love is the best thing there is, I guess, but you're barking up the wrong cowboy.See more »
Soundtracks
Swingin' at the Cotton ClubWritten by Bob Bell
Performed by The Three Peppers
See more »
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I won't bother to rehash the plot details, as others have already done so, but simply wish to express how much I enjoyed this film. It was a real treat from start to finish - slightly offbeat & definitely funny (but not goofy enough to be screwball) and sweet & romantic but not sentimental enough to be sappy.
Director William A. Seiter (who helmed "Sons of the Desert", Laurel & Hardy's best film, as well as other successful comedies) takes what is perhaps a shopworn premise and turns it into something special with the help of two extremely capable stars. John Wayne reveals his often underrated talent for light comedy in this - coming across just as masculine as always but with a sweet, funny softness that makes his Duke Hudkins extremely endearing. Jean Arthur is in a familiar role, playing a quirky but sweet city girl (Molly J. Truesdale) with just the right amount of spunk. Note her unconsciously forward behavior when the two of them first meet - wow! They are surprisingly wonderful together - watch the gentle, tender way the scene in the hay is handled. And never once did I feel like Jean Arthur faded to the background in Duke's presence. (In quite a few of his films, he is so charismatic and powerful a presence that his leading lady winds up looking about as charismatic as wilted celery.)
There are some funny scenes involving long bus rides, cold desert nights, sneezing horses, rodeo "groupies," bucking broncos, and broken cameras. The supporting cast is great, but they haven't much to do as this is really a film about a boy and a girl. Sharp-eyed fans of Gene Kelly and/or Frank Sinatra will recognize Grady Sutton from "Anchors Aweigh" as one of Molly's unspeakably drab beaux.