Mr. Lucky

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

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.

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."

This is a very well-made and enjoyable film. While not exactly a wonderful film, it is very worth watching and an excellent example of Cary Grant's acting and charm. It's a wartime propaganda film that takes a different slant--instead of being heavy-handed and centering on war, it focuses on a con man who thinks he's slick for avoiding the draft--fighting is only for "suckers". As the film progresses, his unshakable bravado suddenly becomes shaken when he meets lovely Loraine Day. Somehow, she gets through to this charming jerk and he knows he can't continue as he's been doing. It's an interesting character study and a welcome change from the usual.

Unavailable on DVD, but found on VHS at Blockbuster, "Mr Lucky" is a Cary Grant vehicle, even more than a morale boosting, "keep the homes fires burning" war movie. Grant gets to play a wide range of roles here: fashion plate, grifter, romantic lead, war hero and (most notably) knitter of sweaters. Look, I've seen them all: North By Northwest, Bringing Up Baby, To Catch A Thief, and on and on.This has many moments that match the very best that Cary Grant had on offer. Most notably, there's an extended sequence of Grant riffing in Cockney to Laraine Day. Now Cary Grant liked to identify himself as a Cockney (which is usually termed as an East Londoner), but here he gets the rare opportunity in his movie career to play one (also in Gunga Din), and when asked where he picked up the rhyming slang that makes Cockney so annoying (charming to Americans) he says: Australia ! Ah Hollywood... You've also got to admire the sartorial splendor which Cary maintains throughout the film, even though he 's supposedly a poor kid from the wrong side of the tracks who left home at nine. Apparently there's a finishing school on Skid Row, and Cary was voted Best Dressed. Of course, one of the perverse running gags of "Mr Lucky" is that our hero wears absurdly garish ties, and does not know how to tie a Windsor knot. All he needs is Laraine Day to bring him the appropriate conservative necktie to complete him. Bless him he fights her off ... On a fifth viewing (over a lifetime), I have to admit the last twenty minutes drips with melodramatic sentiment out of step with our modern times (hey, I still tear up-don't tell anyone) but this is still a classic: funny, fast paced, easy on the eyes, and with a great supporting cast.