La puce et le grincheux

Depression-era bookmaker accepts a six-year-old girl as a marker for a $10 bet that her father makes, loses and vacates on. Damon Runyan's enduring story, filmed previously in 1934 with Shirley Temple and in 1949 starring Bob Hope as "Sorrowful Jones" (also unofficially in 1962 as "40 Pounds of Trouble"), hopes to get by on 'cute' scene of irascible Walter Matthau playing reluctant papa to little Sara Stimson (as soon as Matthau gives the kid his double-bed and spends the night in a chair, we know what we're in for). Philip H. Lathrop's burnished cinematography gives the picture a handsome look, Ruth Morley's costume design is fine, and Henry Mancini has composed a lively (if somewhat derivative) score; otherwise, this remake was pretty unnecessary. Executive producer Matthau doesn't give a heartfelt performance--he's just playing on our collective good will; ditto Julie Andrews as a wealthy widow. *1/2 from ****