Released in 1943 Mr. Lucky is a romance set in the early days of WWII. Cary Grant is Joe "the Greek" Adams, a gambler, crook and con man. In order to avoid the draft and keep his gambling ship going he steals the identity of one of his men, Joe Bascopolous, who was declared 4-F. His underhanded partner Zepp responds to his draft notice, but fails the physical.
In an effort to raise dough Joe sets his eye on a war relief organization. He plans to convince them to run a charity gambling event, with him in charge, and steal all the proceeds. Along the way he meets socialite and volunteer Dorothy Bryant (Laraine Day). Joe becomes entangled with Dorothy and as his romantic interest build it seems becomes unlucky at everything else. His partner Zepp is not happy with Joe's new outlook on life and takes steps to ensure the gambling proceeds end up in his hands.
The movie is told through one long flashback. It opens with a lone woman standing on a pier in the midst of a foggy night. A merchant marine sailor (Charles Bickford) relates the tale of the woman and the ship "The Briny Marlin" to a new night watchman and the story of Joe unfolds.
Grant is at his most charming, playing the role with a cockney accent and using lots of "gangster slang". The film is directed with a sure hand by H.C. Potter, who would also direct Grant in Mr. Blanding Builds His Dream House. The movie is a bit of a war propaganda film, but when you consider it was made directly after the U.S. entered WWII that can be understood.
For a long time the movie had disappeared from home video and was unavailable to collector's. It was originally released on VHS by RKO Video, but after they folded the rights went to Warner Bros. who has recently added the film to their Archive Edition and the film can be made to order on DVD or downloaded for viewing.
An early type of film noir, the movie is an excellent romantic melodrama and great viewing for Grant fans.
At The Movie House rating *** stars
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