Mr. Lucky

In my opinion, "Mr. Lucky" is one of Cary Grant's finest pictures. Grant (Joe Adams) Stars as a Gambler looking to make a buck. Joe is a man with no scruples. He is willing to walk over anyone for a chance at a quick score.

However his cold hearted ways begins to melt when a beautiful woman comes into his life. Laraine Day, (Dorothy Bryant) gives a strong performance as a volunteer for a war relief organization. She offers Grant a chance to help raise funds for the group when he suggests a casino night.

However Joe intends to use Dorothy as a pawn in a fixed game. That idea quickly changes when he falls for Dorothy. Joe must choose between his loyalty to his gang or his love for Dorothy.

Mr. Lucky is a wonderful mix of comedy and drama. One of the best moments is where Joe is learning to knit. Very funny! This is a picture that display's Mr. Grants full range of talents.

The cast included Charles Bickford, Gladys Cooper, Alan Carney, Henry Stephenson, and Paul Stewart. It was expertly Directed by H.C. Potter. The wonderful black and white cinematography was by George Barnes.

I highly recommend this picture.

Fun Facts. -Laraine Day was on loan-out from MGM. -Mr. Lucky was RKO's second biggest hit of 1943 -Writer Milton Holmes said Mr. Lucky was inspired by a real event in 1936. A nightclub owner put on a gambling benefit at the Beverly Hills Hotel to raise money for a church.

My main reason for seeing 'Mr Lucky' was for Cary Grant, who gave so many great performances even when the film wasn't as good. Especially because he apparently considered it one of his favourites of his films/roles because of his character being closer than most of his roles at the time to the real him, which did surprise me considering to me and most other fans his role here is a departure type of role. There are some other talented names in the cast and although his output was not huge HC Potter was no slouch in the directing department.

Is 'Mr Lucky' one of Grant's best? No in terms of overall films and he has given better performances as well. It was still very charming and enjoyable, deserving of more attention, and it does boast one of Grant's better attempts at going against type. It is among Potter's better faring films too (and of the films seen most of them are good, 'Second Chorus' being an exception), and mainly because the cast are so good. How could they not be considering their calibre?

Visually, 'Mr Lucky' looks attractive. Some lovely stylish shots that capture Larraine Day and her eyes in full photogenic glory and the use of light and shadow has a good deal of atmosphere. Roy Webb's score is both sumptuous and moody, without being overwrought or intrusive. Potter directs with skill, and doesn't allow the comedy to get overdone or the romance to get sickly sweet.

There is a nice balance of subtly witty comedic moments, thought-probing intelligence, some never too dark tension and heartfelt drama in the script, without an overload of either of them. The story is mostly very charming and warms the heart without going too heavy on the froth, the romance doesn't distract and mostly it's not too sappy. The characters are nicely written and worth caring for, that's including the not initially likeable title character.

Although his role here was atypical for the time, Grant's charm and sophistication really shines. Day looks wonderful and has a sparkling personality without over-doing it. Charles Bickford and Gladys Cooper, both always solid, are sterling support.

Only the rather too melodramatic final 15 minutes or so disappoints a little, as well as the momentum bogging down a little in the middle.

Concluding though, very nicely done and well worth watching if you love Grant. 8/10

This is a great Cary Grant movie, that never takes it self to seriously. The plot is easy to follow, and the acting is well done. The love story is really secondary to the entire gambling story, and that's where this movie is really good and funny. There have been some comments that the chemistry between the Grant and Day is not great, but I think otherwise. The love story is really the back story, setting the stage for the ending, and keeping the movie light hearted and often times funny. This movie also has a lot of subtle humor, and you need to have somewhat of a "different" sense of humor to appreciate it all. However, this is a great sit down, popcorn, easy to enjoy Cary Grant flick.

A good, solid 1940s gangster picture with the luck to have Cary Grant in it. I had never heard of this movie before I saw it on the shelf and decided to give it a try. What a great surprise! Grant's presence is at first strange because he's a heartless swindler and I'm not used to that from him, but he plays it like he's gone wrong somehow - like the world owes him a living because they're too shallow and stupid not to fall for him. I can't imagine this movie without him.

There are some great comedy touches, like how he is forced to learn how to knit in order to carry his plan off [later he has a classic Cary Grant moment in a banker's office commenting on a hand-knitted tea cozy].

And although the love story is a little sappy most of the way through, it's not out of place or unpleasant to watch. In fact, Dorothy undergoes a remarkable character change that comes as a nice surprise - Laraine Day is terrific portraying her.

There are even some great shots. The uses of light and shadow go beyond the classic black and white "look". In some places this movie is staged beautifully - the director has a remarkable eye and helps turn what could have been just a vehicle for Grant into a real work of art.

The videotaped print that I saw was badly in need of restoration, especially the first reel.

Cary Grant is "Mr. Lucky," a 1943 films also starring Laraine Day, Charles Bickford and Gladys Cooper. Grant plays a self-serving swindler named Joe who takes the identity of a dying man who's 4F so that he won't have to go into the service. The name he takes is that of a Greek man, Joe Bascopoulos, but the name will bring him more than just a 4F classification. Needing money to get his gambling ship started, he sees an easy mark in Dorothy Bryant (Day), one of the administrators of a War Relief Fund. He uses his considerable charm to persuade her to let him run a casino night as part of the organization's big fundraiser. The plan is to use cash boxes with false bottoms and take off with nearly all of the money. Just one hitch - Joe has fallen in love with Dorothy.

This is a slightly different role for Grant - he plays a real low-life and at that, one with no style. One of the running jokes is his rotten ties and inability to tie them right. Grant is perfect in the role, as well as incredibly handsome. But it's only a slightly different part - like Tyrone Power, who tried so hard to change his image in 1947 with "Nightmare Alley," Grant tried too, and like Power, was sabotaged by the producing studio. In Power's case (who actually would have done well had Zanuck let him have more traditional Cary Grant type roles), he was allowed to make the film and play a low character, but his studio, 20th Century Fox, did not publicize the film nor release it widely. In Grant's case, he'd happily accept a role - such as this one or his part in "Suspicion" - only to have the script changed so that he's not a total heel. It had to be frustrating for these actors who were capable of so much more than they were allowed to do.

Lovely Laraine Day is just right as the young, rich Dorothy who passionately believes in helping the war effort. Day had an air of sophistication that lent itself well to these wealthy society girl roles.

"Mr. Lucky" is beautifully photographed in black and white, with lots of interesting shadows and fog. The film also has some very funny moments - Grant learning to knit is just one.

This is a very good movie and somewhat of a departure for Grant, a cousin to his role in "Suspicion."