Lucky Night (1939) User Reviews

First part is a hoot!

[free101girl · 6/10 · 12 September 2004]

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.

What happened?

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 2 August 2006]

Schizophrenic writing dominates "Lucky Night," a 1939 film starring Robert Taylor and Myrna Loy. Loy is Cora, an heiress who gives it all up for the excitement of looking for a job and living on her own; she meets up with unemployed and flat broke Dick (Taylor). The two of them embark on a wild night of gambling and winning, where everything they touch turns to gold. Pretty soon they're in love and, to the horror of Loy's father, tie the knot.

This film starts out like gangbusters, like a lost treasure - a fast- paced, deft comedy with wonderful dialogue and the two Golden Age stars playing off of each other beautifully. Suddenly, it all stops and gets very serious with bizarre dialogue. Cora wants to be safe and happy with home and hearth; Dick still craves the excitement. She leaves him.

The film picks up a little toward the end, but what a disappointment. Perhaps the marital problem storyline would have been fine, but not after the way this film started; it's too much of a let-down. Not only that, but Taylor's character starts talking in absolute riddles. Somebody at MGM was asleep at the wheel. This is the type of thing that under Thalberg would never have been released as it was.

Like Tyrone Power, Taylor gets short shrift in his acting because of those amazing looks, but jealous critics (mostly men probably) failed to notice that, like Power, he had a beautiful, rich speaking voice and loads of charm. Less ambitious and less complicated than Power, Taylor pretty much took what MGM handed him. "Lucky Night" is one example. Despite the script, he shows his affinity for comedy. Loy is lovely as the heiress, but thankfully, both these actors appeared in better films.

"Lucky Night" coulda been a contender; instead, it's that rarity in film history - a bad movie from the magic year 1939.

1939 may have been the best year for movies but this ain't one of them!...

[Doylenf · 5/10 · 7 April 2010]

MYRNA LOY and ROBERT TAYLOR play a couple of flighty characters who think they can live on love alone. They only sober up after hubby gives up his $35 a week job in order to put some excitement back into his life. This notion doesn't sit well with Loy, who by then has become accustomed to the security of a paycheck and making it on her own without the help of her wealthy father.

That's about it for the plot. The stars do what they can to make this dreary story work--and for awhile I thought they were going to succeed. The first fifteen minutes show possibilities that are never reached in the rest of the script. How and why Metro didn't turn this into a workable enough story for their two stars is a mystery to me.

None of it makes much sense, but both stars give it their all. Taylor is relaxed and casual about everything for awhile and actually shows a bit of a flair for light comedy that was never capitalized on for most of his career. Loy is a delight, even when the muddled script makes her appear foolish and downright sappy.

It's just another one of those trifles from the '30s that fans of the stars may want to look at, but as entertainment it falls far short of the mark.

A funky and flirty love story

[lgoodson-1 · 4 August 2004]

I first saw this movie on Turner classic movies, and really enjoyed it. It was a fun, flirty and wild (as wild as you could be in the movies of the 30's) story of two people who hit it off and had a crazy life together. Not a brain teaser of a movie, nor was it made to make you think or entertain your brain. In the course of this movie, the two love birds accidentally marry each other, get drunk, beg for a quarter, get rich, and buy a car - all in one night! For a girls' night, or a veg-out session, Myrna Loy is entertaining and fun in this film. Turner should play this more often as an option to the tired and repetitive movies they sometimes show. If you haven't seen this movie, give it a try!

love that night

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 13 July 2019]

Wealthy heiress Cora Jordan (Myrna Loy) can't seem to find love. Her father suggests getting a job and she insists on not getting any help from him. She has a tough time and meets Bill Overton (Robert Taylor) on a park bench who is also hopelessly unemployed. She tells him that she's been disowned by her rich father. It's a crazy drunken night and they wake up to discover that they've been married. He rejects her father's job offer. They get a small apartment and he gets a regular job. He remains restless with his safe life.

I love the first night. The movie somewhat flattens after that. Loy and Taylor do have good chemistry. Loy shines and Taylor is great support. I don't find their struggle that much fun or compelling. Basically, he would rather be a drunk and I'm not with that. Instead of trying to enlighten a domestic conflict, it should simply have Cora trying to annul the marriage and Bill trying to win her back. The movie can end when they walk into the sunset together. The second half is flawed.

Script Fails the Stars

[michele866 · 4/10 · 14 February 2005]

This comedy has about 15 minutes of charming banter between Myrna Loy and Robert Taylor. For a time, she displays some of the same light-hearted romping spirit that made her famous in the Thin Man movies. But the plot, which is silly to begin with (heiress decides to make it on her own, leaves wealthy home, meets a bum and they gamble and sweet talk their way into great fun), takes a somewhat dramatic ("is that all there is") turn in the end.

Actually, for 1939, the script identifies a pretty mature marital conflict: she longs for security and he longs for the spontaneous, irresponsible thrills that made them fall in love in the first place. How do you compromise? Well, after raising the question, this movie sure doesn't tell us! It should have stuck to the levity and the lunacy. Still, if you're a fan of Taylor or Loy, it's worth 90 minutes of your time.

Bing Would Have Made It Gel

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 7 April 2010]

Back in the Thirties every studio was making a film or three a year about an heiress and the guy she eventually would marry in the film. Probably the actresses most identified with playing heiresses were Carole Lombard and Myrna Loy. In Lucky Night Myrna Loy teamed for the one and only time with Robert Taylor where she is another madcap heiress that movies loved back in those Thirties.

Probably the genre was overdone by the time Lucky Night came out because there certainly isn't anything original about it. It probably could have been put over a lot better had they done this at Paramount with Loy lent out over there to appear with Bing Crosby. With a couple of songs this film might have worked better because the part that Taylor has here, the footloose and fancy free charmer was something Crosby could do in his sleep.

As it is Loy is bored with the stuffed shirts that she sees in her social set, none of them quite do it for her including the last one Joseph Allen. So she meets Robert Taylor sitting on a park bench and the two have a madcap evening and wind up the next day hung over and married. That doesn't please Loy's father Henry O'Neill a bit.

It's when they try to make a go of it as an ordinary 9 to 5 average American couple that the film just bogs down. And it never really gets back on track by the time it ends.

In the Citadel Film series book on The Films of Robert Taylor Lucky Night is described as the first of three dud films that Taylor made, the others being Lady Of The Tropics and Remember. It's not that Lucky Night was as bad as the other two, but it never does gel after the first third is over. It certainly created no demand to team Loy and Taylor again.

Pretty Good Movie

[Remington330 · 10/10 · 26 May 2005]

Myrna Loy and Robert Taylor are cute together. This movie is about two people that meet and have one lucky night together and decide to try and make their luck last a life time. I saw this movie on cable one night and enjoyed it a lot. I would like to have it on DVD but can't even find it on VHS. Check out some of Myrna Loy's films you wont be sorry, watch The Thin Man collection, and The Best Years Of Our Lives. They are all great movies. If you have time watch Robert Taylor in Ivanhoe. Why can't Hollywood make them like they did back in the day when there were real "MOVIE STARS" in Hollywood. Where did the Class go in Hollywood. No more greats like Katherine Hepburn or Cary Grant, we are left with these mild at best actors. George Clooney which is one of the best ones we have now days is still not up to Cary Grant league.

Despite two great stars, the film never really clicks.

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 6 June 2010]

"Lucky Night" begins with rich girl Myrna Loy feeling very bored. Despite having a fiancé who seems to be perfect, she doesn't love him and wonders if there is more to life. So, she decides to leave her father and his money and try to make her way in life alone. But, things weren't as easy as she thought and getting a job isn't easy--and she soon finds herself broke.

Eventually, she meets up with a guy who is down on his luck (Robert Taylor) and something odd happens. When they are together, good luck seems to come to them again and again. They make a nice bundle at a casino and when a crook tries to kidnap them and their new car won at the casino, he is captured and they get the reward money. So far, so good. However, during their ensuing celebration, they get very drunk and wake up very married!! Now they both feel ashamed of themselves--this certainly is NOT the way to act or to find a life partner! While they both plan on a quick annulment, the more they talk about this the more they are convinced that maybe they can make a go of it. So Taylor goes out to find a job and they live very, very frugally and seem quite happy. The only problem is that down deep, Taylor is still a very irresponsible man--and takes an amazingly cavalier attitude towards his job and future. But, this IS the sort of man Loy married. It's cute at first, but eventually this brings tension into the marriage. Can the couple somehow work through all this?

Overall, this is a rather sub-par film. While it has some nice MGM gloss, there are several problems with it. First, the chemistry between the two leads seemed a bit forced--like the harder they tried, the more chance it had that it would work. Second, the film seemed very rushed and the conclusion very incomplete. Somehow magically everything works out--though their marriage is clearly facing huge obstacles. Third, the script was filled with goofiness but never seemed to really work--it was flat and uninspired despite a very good start. The bottom line is that classic Hollywood film buffs who love Loy and Taylor may forgive a lot...but there is just too much to overlook here. I can why this film is one of the more obscure films the two actors made. It's watchable but no more.

a gem

[bonefork · 2 December 2006]

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

Ode to irresponsibility

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 4/10 · 6 January 2017]

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.

Not great, but entertaining!

[Pat-54 · 5/10 · 23 July 1999]

Okay, this is a dumb movie. But with a cast that includes Robert Taylor and Myrna Loy, it's still an entertaining film.

Wonderful and smart

[misshambone-581-998467 · 10/10 · 26 August 2013]

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.

Great Cast

[sxct · 5/10 · 22 May 2022]

Great cast, dumb movie. I'm not sure what the point of this film was supposed to be, but I will be darned if I can figure it out. Myrna Loy and Robert Taylor are strong enough to keep your interest, but I felt some happiness when it finally ended.

Swell view of life

[awdude · 9 December 2003]

This movie presents some good ideas about the manner of living life. The characters ably portrayed the pulls and tugs of living safely versus serendipity. It also demonstrates a good working relationship between people in a marriage who are working together as a team. How often is honesty between people present in real life?

Cinematography, costumes, and sets rate at least a B if not higher, so I can not imagine the source of disapproval unless it is with the ideas presented. But of these things, even the millionaire steel company owner approved. Whether or not other reviewers saw these things, I can not tell.

45 Good Minutes

[bbrebozo · 5/10 · 30 July 2022]

Here's my theory: The writers found out that they only had 45 solid minutes worth of script, panicked, and started slamming random words together. Take this example, from Myrna Loy, when the writers were apparently desperate and the two lead characters seemed to be having some kind of a nervous breakdown:

"Buy it? The very word. The word even. That awful word. Idea, idea, idea. All day long. You know what you look like when you say it? Like a foolish fellow with as much character as a lamppost. A lamppost fits it perfectly, Bill. It's very imposing when it's lit at night, but when it's daytime, it just goes out and looks like a silly lamppost. I'm sorry dear. I really am. That was silly of me."

The evil-looking Douglas Fowley was badly miscast as good-natured George, and Marjorie Main was wasted in an unnecessary and somewhat confusing role as a landlord. (Was she supposed to have had a crush on Robert Taylor?)

In fairness, Loy and Taylor pull out all their acting chops to try to sell the incoherent script. Blonde and Blackie, the two sales clerks, were very cute. Myrna Loy is an adorable drunk. And Charles Lane always seemed to do a great job of playing a crotchety old man, even when he was young.

If that's enough to carry you through to the abrupt and absurd ending, then go for it.

Cute beginning, poor message

[HotToastyRag · 4/10 · 17 August 2023]

Lucky Night had such an adorable start to it, and Myrna Loy and Robert Taylor made a great onscreen couple - but as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Unfortunately, the end came before the end of the movie, and the overall message of the film was pretty distasteful. I don't know if it went over well back in 1939, but for modern audiences, the meek "stand by your man" mantra really rubs a lot of women the wrong way.

Robert starts off as a bum. He has no money, no job prospects, no home, and no luck. Then he bumps into society dame Myrna Loy and his luck immediately changes. He doesn't want to get rid of his good luck charm, so they paint the town red with one unbelievably lucky turn after another. They sweet talk policemen, run up a crazy gambling streak, and pay off mobsters. Is it just a sense of adventure that bonds them together, or is it love?

It was fun for me to see character actor Henry O'Neill letting his hair down in this unusual role. He plays Myrna's dad, and when he gets under Robert's influence, he gets drunk and has a ball!

You can check this one out if you want to; it won't hurt you to spend an evening watching it. Parts are very cute, but just take the dated tone with a grain of salt. Nowadays, women who put themselves down to build a man up are looked at as having low self-esteem and in need of therapy. If this were just light-hearted fare like It Happened One Night, it would have been more enjoyable. Then again, if modern feminists analyze that one, they'd probably find a lot wrong with the message as well.

From down and out to luck and love in this very good comedy

[SimonJack · 8/10 · 24 January 2022]

"Lucky Night" is a very good comedy romance that pairs Myrna Loy and Robert Taylor in the leads as Cora Jordan and Bill Overton. The fact that the U. S. and world were not yet out of the Great Depression is present in this story. Taylor's Bill Overton is man out of work who nevertheless has an overly happy attitude about life. Loy's Cora Jordan has just spent a day in lines for jobs at numerous places, when they meet on a park bench that evening. In reality, though, she's the daughter of a very rich man, Calvin Jordan; but she's fed up with her life amidst the wealthy and frivolous younger set of silver-spoon heirs. So, she has left home to defy her dad by making it on her own.

As others have noted, the runaway heiress is a much used plot outline for Hollywood comedies. It became a particularly favorite base after the 1934 Academy Awards when "It Happened One Night" ran away with the Oscars - best picture, best director, best actor (Clark Gable) and best actress (Claudette Colbert). So, such plots were the basis for many a motion picture over the next couple of decades. And Hollywood continued to use the plot for an occasional film after that even into the 21st century. I've enjoyed most of those films that were made through the mid-20th century, if for no other reason than the variety of very good actors and actresses who played the leads, with often top caliber supporting casts. Each story has enough variation to make the comedies, at least, entertaining.

Well, this only pairing of Loy and Taylor has a very unusual twist to the plot. And, it's all about a couple meeting and clicking and having a night of super luck at gambling and chance and fun. It's not a hedonistic thing, but a sort of spur of the moment carefree venture that is filled with only lucky instance after instance of the couple coming into money. They wind up married, and the story takes a predictable turn toward the end, with a good conclusion. But the comedy in this story is in a screenplay with a script that has some very amusing scenes and very funny dialog.

I think Loy and Taylor hit it off with a smashingly good comedy in this picture. MGM had great hopes and publicity in promoting the film with this pair. And, the movie was well liked and did okay at the box office. But, one must recall that this was the year that many historians and movie buffs (me included, in the latter group) consider the greatest year in Hollywood's history. Well into the 21st century, no single year has produced so many top movies that continue to be watched and enjoyed by succeeding generations. At the top of that list are "Gone with the Wind," "The Wizard of Oz," "Stagecoach," "Wuthering Heights," "Dark Victory," "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," "Ninotchka," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "Goodbye, Mr. Chips," "Beau Geste," "Gunga Din," "Of Mice and Men," and then a slew of comedies, mysteries and other films interspersed with more dramas, adventure, Westerns and musicals.

And one of those top comedies would be the comedy mystery, "Another Thin Man," that stars Loy and William Powell - in their third pairing in the very popular series of film that would continue for three more through 1947. "Lucky Night" came out in May of 1939, and both Loy and Taylor had more films that year. Besides the next Thin Man picture in November, Loy would star in the September release of "The Rains Came," with Tyrone Power and George Brent. Taylor had finished a Western, "Stand and Fight," that was released in January, and he would be in a drama, "Lady of the Tropics," with Hedy Lamarr that came out in August, and finish the year with another comedy romance, "Remember," with Greer Garson and Lew Ayres, released in December.

"Lucky Night" is my second favorite comedy of 1939, after "Ninotchka." Here are some favorite lines from this film.

Bill Overton, "We love you, George." George, "Really?" Bill, putting an arm through George's, "Really. We think you're sweet, George." George, "Oh, well, that's fine." Cora Jordan, "Do you love us, George?" George, "Sure, you bet." Cora, putting an arm through George's other arm, leaning against him, and looking at Bill, "Isn't that beautiful? I love you and you love me, and we love George and George loves us." Bill, "Beauuuuutiful."

George, "You wouldn't want me to give up my business entirely, just to look after you two?"

Bill, "It's a tribute to you, George - a tribute. Always remember, those who ask you for favors love you the dearest." George, "You must be crazy about me."

Calvin Jordan, "Is it worth something to build a bridge across a river?" Bill Overton, "Is it?" Jordan, "How else do you get across?" Bill, "Whaddaya do after you get there?" Jordan, "Go where you wanna go, you fool." Bill, "Oh, I've been across a lot of bridges, but I've never found anything on the other side that wasn't on this side."

Bill, "Of course, that's a matter of opinion, Mr. Jordan -- and shared mostly by me, alone."

Bill, "I'd just as soon have an anchor tied to me and drag it around."

Before he puts a wedding ring on Cora's finger, Bill looks up and says, "I promise, dear God, that I know very well what you dropped from the sky into my hands, and that a star is missing."

Bill, "We ain't gonna lose the apartment, pal. We just ain't gonna get lost in it.

An unspeakable turkey

[aberlour36 · 24 February 1999]

This may be the golden age of movies, but now and then (e.g. Penny Serenade) MGM could produce a certified turkey. This gets almost as bad as it gets. And it's 1939, the best year ever for films. Whew.

A refreshing story about the ups and downs of romance

[lsda-80381 · 10/10 · 2 February 2023]

I was totally surprised by this film......Based on other reviews I thought it would be tedious. But, I thoroughly appreciated Loy's Cora. She wanted to be her own person, at least in the beginning of the film. By chance she meets Bill Overton, Robert Taylor. Taylor is great in this film doing one of his best Peter Pan roles. These two look marvelous together. And have a lot of fun together. However, the real story begins following their commitment to each other. Unlike most Hollywood films where the romantic relationship is based only on mutual attraction, this couple gives us an insight into the day to day reality of life and their discovery about who each if them really is. . The ending was poorly done but there is a message to be taken from this film. Zi l.