Cary Grant and Laraine Day star in comedy-drama Mr. Lucky, a film made recently available on Blu-ray through the Warner Archive Collection.

While Mr. Lucky was made during the war era, its main flashback setting takes place in the days before the United States entered World War II. That’s where we meet gambling ship owner Joe Adams (Cary Grant). Owning a ship isn’t his problem in as much as his efforts are to avoid the draft. Both him and partner Zepp (Paul Stewart) receive draft notices as the country prepares to enter the war. You’d think they would be willing to serve their country, right? This turns out to not be the case. Anyway, the two gamble on which of them will steal the identity of Joe Bascopoulos, who was 4F (unfit to serve).

It isn’t that the two gamblers want to actively avoid the draft but they plan to run away to South America with the proceeds for the War Relief, Inc. charity ball! They use the war relief efforts as way to provide money for their gambling ship. Captain Veronica Steadman (Gladys Cooper) is talked into authorizing their efforts. Her lieutenant, socialite fundraiser Dorothy Bryant (Laraine Day), is not on board with it. To say that she has her own suspicions is not an understatement.

As far as plans go, there is quite a bit of double-crossing going around and said plans end up getting foiled. In fact, it’s because of Dorothy that Joe ends up changing his mind, deciding to use the money for war relief after all. Zepp doesn’t want to hear any of this and turns on him. In what comes as no surprise, Joe ends up killing Zepp. In order to protect Dorothy, Joe had to knock her out when she caught him in action with the loot. After killing Zepp, Joe then sends the stolen money back to Dorothy via Hard Swede (Charles Bickford).

Cary Grant was more or less a star by the time that Mr. Lucky was released in May 1943. It’s not my favorite Grant role but he turns in a solid performance as usual. But anyway, major stars like Grant just couldn’t get away with committing crimes on screen during the Production Code era. That’s why it comes as zero surprise to see Grant’s Joe Adams have a redemptive arc in Mr. Lucky. Otherwise, his character would have to go to jail for committing acts of larceny. Filmmaker H.C. Potter would reunite with the screen legend a few years later on Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House.

Even with Cary Grant playing in scoundrel form, he still puts on a show in Mr. Lucky.

Bonus Features

• Lux Radio Theater broadcast with Cary Grant and Laraine Day (10/18/1943)
• Screen Director’s Playhouse broadcast with Cary Grant and H.C. Potter (1/20/1950)
• Original Theatrical Trailer

DIRECTOR: H.C. Potter
SCREENWRITERS: Milton Holmes and Adrian Scott
CAST: Cary Grant with Laraine Day, Charles Bickford, Gladys Cooper, Alan Carney, and Henry Stephenson, Paul Stewart, Kay Johnson, Erford Gage, Walter Kingsford, Florence Bates

RKO Radio Pictures released Mr. Lucky in theaters on May 28, 1943. Grade: 3.5/5

Please subscribe to Solzy on Buttondown and visit Dugout Dirt.