Lucky Partners

It's not in the league of It Happened One Night or His Girl Friday. The story line is nonsensical and the pacing can be slow and ultimately, it just doesn't work. So why 7 stars? Because Ronald Colman is having a ball playing a sexy rogue and every romantic scene works perfectly. He drops some incredibly flirty dialogue and Ginger Rogers reluctantly being proper and locking the door to their adjoining rooms is ALL OF US (whew!). There's a scene that's a precursor to "Pillow Talk" that's just as romantic. This movie just doesn't really work, it should have been better, but it's worth it to watch just for Colman and his scenes with Ginger Rogers.

"Lucky Partners" has a very good, very funny ending that alone makes this film worth watching. It's not the best courtroom comedy scene, but it's a very good one. And, it brings in the last supporting actor, whose presence helps lift this comedy a notch. That's Harry Davenport as the Judge.

A couple of reviewers commented that there is no chemistry here between the leads, Ronald Colman as David Grant, and Ginger Rogers as Jean Newton. Rather, they seem to me to be stand-offish which is part of the plot and roles they are playing. David is a quirky character, after all, with a very strange idea. And Jean is very naturally suspicious of this guy. In any real-life setting of such a situation that brings these two together for the whole movie, I can't imagine that any respectable woman wouldn't be the same way. So, Ginger plays that part very well.

The supporting cast in this film are all very good. Spring Byington has a small part as Aunt Lucy. Two brothers who own a neighborhood bistro as Nick #1 and Nick #2, are Leon Belasco and Eddie Conrad. A small part by Fern Emmett as the hotel chambermaid is very funny in the courtroom. She is testifying about the strange practice of Jean. The maid says she would go to one room after another in the hotel to turn down the beds and, on opening the door she would find Jean sitting in a chair, facing the door and "waiting to POUNCE on me."

But the best supporting role overall is played by Jack Carson. Some people may not like Carson for his part, but he was a consummate actor who played whatever part he got very well. Here, his Freddie is something of a blowhard and long-time boyfriend of Jean's. That they've only been engaged five years says something about their relationship in the movie. Take Carson's part out and the movie loses the basis for a significant amount of the humor.

Perhaps the one thing that sets this film back slightly is the persona of Colman's David Grant. It's not that he doesn't play it very well. Indeed, Colman was known for a specific persona in many of his films where his delivery was rather matter-of-fact and sometimes bitingly clever or huge understatement. But, with Jean's more lively, sprightly persona, I think the film would have been lifted a notch if David had been a little more down to earth and ordinary - as someone who is obviously attracted to Jean early on. Instead he does come across as somewhat snooty. But, to me, that's not "chemistry," where otherwise the two show keen interest in the other person at the right times.

Here are some favorite lines from this film. The Quotes section under this IMDb Web page on the movie has loads of funny lines, mostly from the court scenes.

Jean Newton, "Oh, Aunt Lucy, will you never grow up? People could walk in here and take your entire stock and you'd never know the difference."

Jean Newton, "And, the passion you've acquired for French novels, shame on you." Aunt Lucy, "Yes, darling, I know they're not entirely moral. But the French always seem to make everything so logical."

Freddie, "He's harmless. Look at him."

Freddie, "Very strange duck." Jean Newton, "Just what kind of a duck does that make you?"

Bride in elevator, "Did you just get here, honey?" Jean, "Yes." Woman, "We've been here a week." David, "How are the falls?" Groom in elevator, "Uh, we're seeing them tomorrow."

Freddie, "If you think you can take my girl and... " Jean, "And, what?" Freddie, "That, I don't know."

Freddie, "I used to think he was just crazy. Now I don't trust him." Jean, "That means you don't trust me either."

Hotel maid, "I tell you, your honor, it got me so nervous, I've been ascared (sic) to open a door ever since, for fear I'd find her sitting there, waiting to POUNCE on me."

Judge, "I've never heard that celebrities are any more to be trusted in their relations with women than anyone else."

Jean Newton, "Oh, it wasn't that kind of an experiment. I was to be a guinea pig."

Judge, "I see. He made love to you, he kissed you, and then he drove away in your automobile without a word. Is that right?"

Jean, "Your honor, this isn't fair. You said you were gonna protect me. He's only trying to make me talk to him now because I wouldn't talk to him outside."

Judge, "And now, Mr. Somerset." To the bailiff aside, " I have a lot of questions to ask this Casanova."

Judge, "Now that we've heard the witnesses in this case, it seems to me that we're in even deeper confusion than we were before."

A romantic comedy along the lines of 'It Happened One Night' (1934) but Ronald Colman is the incognito one. Ginger Rogers isn't in the know but agrees to take a Platonic road trip with him even though she's engaged to someone else. This is pretty risqué material for 1940 and there's a bit at the end which could be interpreted as a jab at the Hays Code (thanks to Equinox23 for that insight). Directed by Lewis Milestone ('All Quiet on the Western Front', 'Of Mice and Men') with a story that keeps one intrigued thanks to its unpredictability, it is a perfectly delightful piece of entertainment guaranteed to leave a warm fuzzy feeling. Several other reviewers here are rather harsh on this film, citing lack of plausibility, chemistry, etc. If you want plausibility see 'Judgment at Nuremberg' but if you enjoy romantic comedy don't let the nitpickers here dissuade you from seeing this charming film.

Ginger Rogers and Ronald Coleman are "Lucky Partners" in this 1940 film, also starring Jack Carson and Spring Byington.

Rogers plays Jean, a young woman walking down the street when she passes Dave (Coleman), whom she doesn't know, and he wishes her "good luck." She delivers a box of books (her mother owns the book shop The Book Nook) to a client. The client is in the midst of getting a divorce and doesn't want a $200 dress chosen by her soon to be ex-husband. So her mother gives it to Jean.

Jean thinks back to Dave's "good luck" and wonders if he just might have something there. She goes to Nick & Nick's, a local store, and decides to buy a sweepstakes ticket with Dave, who's right across the alley. They introduce themselves to one another and after a lot of back and forth, they go in on the ticket.

Jean is engaged to an insurance man (Carson) and plans on moving to Poughkeepsie with him after they're married, with no honeymoon. The condition of Dave going in on the ticket with her is that, if they win, Dave will take her on a trip, platonically of course, before she settles down. This somewhat surprises her fiancée but he agrees to it.

They win, and it's one of those European sweepstakes where if you draw a horse, you either sell the ticket for $12,000, or bet that the horse will win, in which case you will win something like $150,000 American money. They gamble on the race and lose. However, Jean's fiancé, unbeknownst to her, has sold her half of the ticket for $6000. She gives Dave 3000, and he still wants to take her on the trip. She goes.

Ronald Coleman...Jack Carson...now, what do you think happens? This is a slight movie enlivened by the two wonderful stars, Coleman, so dashing and charming, and Rogers, a somewhat naive young woman with a hidden sense of adventure. Rogers always did well playing opposite classy men, Fred Astaire being an excellent example.

Some funny scenes, some sweet scenes. It's not earth-shattering, but I liked it.

Passing on the street, caricaturist Ronald Colman wishes complete stranger Ginger Rogers good luck. When luck comes her way, she decides Colman is her lucky charm, and suggests he go into an Irish Sweepstakes ticket with her. She is scheduled to marry bespectacled "insurance engineer" Jack Carson and move to Poughkeepsie, without a honeymoon. She wants her own money. Colman agrees, if she will take all the money, save for enough for a honeymoon. Insulted, Miss Rogers fetches Carson, expecting him to thrash Colman. Instead, Colman convinces him that she will marry him win or lose, and the chances of winning are millions to one; any trip with Colman would be as brother and sister. Convinced he is in on a cinch, Carson agrees. Instead, they draw a horse. Carson surreptitiously sells "her" half of the ticket. When she gets her money, she tells Colman, and they go on a trip. Complications ensue.

It's carried on the charms of the two leads, of course, but I always thought there was something odd about the rhythms. I've just done some digging and discovered it's based on a movie written, co-directed and starring Sacha Guitry. Of course! I can just see Guitry in the Colman role, talking nonsense a mile a minute; there's even a moment in which Colman's manner suggests Guitry.

The considerable charms of the leads overwhelm me, of course, but the best realized characters are in support: Carson's dull but suspicious "insurance engineer"; Spring Byington's bookstore owner; and Harry Davenport's judge who provides a third-act deus ex machina.

Guitry's original version doesn't seem to be easily available, much as I would like to see it for comparison. What we have here is a rather sniggering crazy comedy that doesn't quite work, however much I enjoy watching it.