Cary Grant plays a debonair scoundrel named Joe who assumes a fake identity to dodge the draft, only to wind up involved in a new romance with the target of his next grift, Dorothy (Laraine Day). He plans to steal the proceeds from a war-relief charity ball and flee to South America, only pausing to reconsider his plan when Dorothy becomes the most important thing in his life. She’s a socialite fundraiser totally smitten with her new beau but also devoted to her charity cause, making for a crushing development when his original intentions are revealed.
Buy Mr. Lucky Blu-rayGrant and Day are perfectly paired, with Day nearly matching Grant’s megawatt charisma. She’s bemused, wholly engaged, and more than up to the task of matching wits with Grant’s grifter character with a heart of gold. Their easy, witty rapport makes it fun to root for their relationship, even as their shifting situation seems to undermine any hope for success. The rest of the cast are mere placeholders for Grant and Day to bounce off of, completely unmemorable and mostly kept out of the way of the towering lead performances.
Aside from Grant and Day’s sparkling repartee, it’s fun to see Grant playing somewhat against type as a deceitful schemer, even if his innate charm makes it hard to conceive of him choosing the wrong/criminal outcome. While the film is largely a drama, the buoyant stars and director H.C. Potter make it feel comedic, keeping the story entirely lighthearted in spite of its themes of wartime draft-dodging, gambling, and embezzlement. The story is also a product of its time, shoehorning in the war-relief charity efforts in a clumsy attempt to connect with the 1943 wartime movie audiences, but the core relationship between the leads rises well above the jingoistic script to make it a timeless treasure.
The new Warner Archive Blu-ray presents the film in its original 1.37:1 aspect ratio, with DTS-HD Master Audio mirroring the original mono track to two channels. Black and white definition is crisp and clear, and no noticeable defects are present in picture or sound.
Special features include a recurring Warner Archive favorite: radio broadcasts of the story with the original cast. In this case, the disc includes the 1943 Lux Radio Theater broadcast starring Grant and Day, as well as a 1950 Screen Director’s Playhouse broadcast with Grant and Potter. The original theatrical trailer is also included.
