George Raft has come up from the gutter, dragging his pals, James Gleason, Lynn Overman, and Edgar Kennedy with him. Now he's running a gambling joint in Palm Beach. When broke heiress Dolores Costello (credited as "Dolores Costello Barrymore") tries to pawn her jewels in a last effort to break the house, Raft thanks her kindly and takes her into partnership, converting her house into a swanky casino, with Mrs. Barrymore to offer some class.
The pals, however, think Raft is going daffy for the dame, and going high hat. So they hire confidence trickster Ida Lupino and Reginald Owen as her uncle to distract them. However, Owen and Miss Lupino have their own ideas as to how to play this mark.
This typically well cast and funny Paramount comedy runs along its tracks at a good clip. It's not just that I am fond of the players -- I've recently read a book about the Costello family -- and always ready to enjoy the layered performances in a good movie about confidence players. Screenwriters Eve Greene and Philip MacDonald have crafted a superior script, and Alexander Hall shows his usual dab hand at directing comedy. Edgar Kennedy gets to do a slow burn twice!
The pals, however, think Raft is going daffy for the dame, and going high hat. So they hire confidence trickster Ida Lupino and Reginald Owen as her uncle to distract them. However, Owen and Miss Lupino have their own ideas as to how to play this mark.
This typically well cast and funny Paramount comedy runs along its tracks at a good clip. It's not just that I am fond of the players -- I've recently read a book about the Costello family -- and always ready to enjoy the layered performances in a good movie about confidence players. Screenwriters Eve Greene and Philip MacDonald have crafted a superior script, and Alexander Hall shows his usual dab hand at directing comedy. Edgar Kennedy gets to do a slow burn twice!