Mr. Lucky

Dir: H.C. Potter

1943

****

Mr. Lucky is a fantastic classic that remembered that romantic comedies work best when they've got a great story at their heart. It is predominantly a rom-com but there is a great crime thriller aspect about it to which helps with the overall realism of the characters, even though they are big name stars. I could listen to Cary Grant's voice all day and he is perfect as the Mr. Lucky of the title, a grifter and gentleman gambler called Joe Adams, always on the lookout for a big score. He and partner in crime Zepp (played by Paul Stewart) concoct a way to dodge the World War Two draft and look for a way to bankroll their gambling boat. They stumble upon a War Relief charity organization and try to convince its head (the fantastic Gladys Cooper) to let them run a charity casino with the intentions of taking the profits for themselves. The organisation's lieutenant (played by the brilliant Laraine Day) suspects their offer is untoward and puts heed to the idea. Not one to give up, Joe joins the organization and after winning the trust of his colleagues, and after also learning how to knit for the troops, he convinces them of his idea. The chemistry between Grant and Day is electric. The script is sublime and sharp as a knife but the two actors sizzle in every scene they share together. The supporting cast is rich tapestry of great unsung comedic actors and H.C. Potter's faultless direction has a clever noir look about it, giving it that very knowing edge. My only criticism is the opening and closing scenes. The film is essentially a flashback, told by one man to another which actually doesn't make sense, given that you couldn't retell something you didn't witness/weren't told about or the person telling you wasn't aware of. The final scene is ridiculously melodramatic which really doesn't fit with the style of the rest of the film. I think the film's double ending (or double-bluff if you will) is unfortunate as both endings worked well, just not together. While there were many films like this in the 40s and then the 50s, few were as sharp as Mr. Lucky, a real underappreciated gem.