Lucky Night (1939)

Sometimes I don't like a film, but this film annoyed me. I guess I have a tendency to like people who are responsible. And the two main characters here -- played by Robert Taylor and Myrna Loy. It all begins when the two run into each other and go on an evening fling where every bit of gambling they do brings in more money. So, egged on by Taylor's character, they get married (in part due to alcohol) and plan to live a life based on doing as little work as possible and having as many going on a lark days and nights as possible. Of course, they need a place to live, and to have that Taylor needs a job, so he becomes a very successful paint salesman. At various times it's difficult to tell which character is more irresponsible, but ultimately Loy becomes the one yearning for a home and some stability. The biggest problem of the whole film is that when it ends...suddenly...we're not sure if the couple is going to go Loy's way, or Taylor's way. At that point I felt I wasted my time watching the movie.Don't get me wrong. The acting here is really good and Taylor is strikingly handsome. The problem is the concept of the script. In fact, for the first third of the film I kept wondering if there was actually plot, or if this was going to be 82 minutes of people just acting frivolously. The plot shows up about halfway through the film. Oh, and tell me how a man with $0 always has such a nice, and nicely pressed suit.There are 3 people I'll mention in the supporting cast: the usually rather staid (but always good) Henry O'Neill as Loy's father; there is one funny scene where he is drunk! Perpetually grumpy Charles Lane as the boss at the paint store. And Marjorie Main -- acting and sounding NOTHING at all like Ma Kettle -- as the land lady.I'm still holding my nose on this one.

I fell in love with Bill Overton before they left the park; Cora's inability to commit to a man before she had a sense of herself was decades ahead of its time...Bill's "Peter Pan" tendencies are really a profound commitment to joy and surprise, and Henry O'Neill as Cora's father is the great remediator and earns every bit of Cora's loyalty, "high, wide and handsome". Modern, full of stylish characters and character it's a jaunty little Jane Austen-like morality tale of the delicate balance between taking life seriously and the honorable pursuit of never-ending impulse, of maintaining your backbone and honesty in the face of losing face, and of the rewards facing up all wrapped into one romantic comedy.

The second half of the movie is all about applying the frolic of the first half to the reality of day to day life...and well worth looking forward to, much less sitting through. Bill's "idea" is to seize every opportunity, much less day, and Cora's "practicality" is the deadening effect being reasonable at all costs can have. Henry O'Neill was a great find, and you'll notice him more often than you'd think once you've identified him: as Bill's worst enemy at the beginning of the movie, it is he, as Cora's dad, who brings not only the couple but the theme together by the end of the movie. Deeper than it appears, it is charming through and through

Lucky Night gets off to a roaring start, with Loy and Taylor tearing up the town and obviously having a ball together. There's great chemistry and the situations they get themselves into are a lot of fun to watch. For awhile I was really thinking this movie was going to turn out to be an underrated and little-known gem.Unfortunately, when the pair sober up the next morning, the story goes off the rails and becomes a dreary, incoherent mess. Taylor's character keeps rambling about how he has some "idea" about what life should be, but he can't articulate what he means. The dialogue actually becomes so bizarre at times that I wondered if the writer was all there.This one is worth checking out if you're a fan of Loy -- she's always a pleasure to watch -- but if you start to get antsy halfway through, change the channel. You won't be missing anything.