Lady Luck Review: A Charming, If A Little Dusty, Old Mystery

Alright, so Lady Luck from way back in 1936. Is it worth digging up and giving a watch today? 🤔 If you like your old-school mysteries, the kind where everyone’s got a secret and a snappy one-liner, then yeah, maybe. It’s got a certain charm.

But if you need high-octane thrills, super complex twists, or really deep character studies, you’ll probably want to skip this one. It’s for a specific mood, you know? Like a rainy Sunday afternoon when you just want something simple.

The Setup

The story kicks off with Gloria (Patricia Farr), she's this aspiring actress, just trying to make it big. She’s got a winning ticket for a big horse race, the one that Lady Luck, the champion horse, wins. Sounds like a good day, right? 🐎

Then things take a sharp left. A slimy sportsman turns up dead, shot. And guess what? The gun is found in Gloria’s hand. Talk about bad luck! You can almost feel the movie trying to convince you this moment matters. It really does set the stage for her predicament.

Enter our sharp reporter, Ted, played by Edward Thomas. He’s the type who just won't quit, always poking around, trying to figure out who really pulled the trigger. He’s got that classic reporter swagger, a bit rough around the edges.

Watching It Unfold

The dialogue, sometimes it’s a bit… on-the-nose. Like, characters just say exactly what they’re thinking, no subtlety. But hey, it was the '30s, right?

Patricia Farr as Gloria, she does a decent job playing the flustered ingenue. She spends a lot of the movie looking worried, which is fair, considering. There’s a scene where she’s just staring at the gun, and you can practically see her brain scrambling. It lingers for a beat or two, just long enough to make you feel her panic.

One thing that kinda stood out was the crowd scenes during the race. They have this oddly empty feeling, like half the extras wandered off for a coffee break. It pulls you out a little, if you’re looking closely.

Joe Barton plays the slimy sportsman, and honestly, you don't feel bad when he's gone. He’s just that good at being unlikeable. His whole presence is just… 🤢.

The movie gets noticeably better once it stops taking itself too seriously about the murder mystery and just lets the reporter do his thing. Ted’s investigation is the fun part. He’s always asking questions, annoying everyone. You kinda root for him.

There’s this one minor character, a sort of tough-guy henchman type, who just disappears from the plot halfway through. Like, did he go home? Did he get another job? We never find out. It’s a small thing, but it always makes me chuckle.

Little Bits and Bobs

• The horse race itself is actually kinda energetic for a film this old, even if it’s mostly quick cuts and some footage you just know is B-roll. Still, makes you wanna bet!
• The whole idea of "Lady Luck" the horse being tied to the plot… it’s a neat concept, but it kinda gets lost in the shuffle as the murder takes over.
• Keep an eye out for Vivien Oakland as Mrs. Barton. She’s got some great moments, delivering lines with a real bite. She’s not afraid to speak her mind, that one.
• There’s a moment when Ted finds a clue in a really obvious spot, and you just think, how did no one else see that? Classic.

“Sometimes you gotta make your own luck,” someone says at one point. It’s a bit cheesy, but it fits the whole vibe of the film.

It’s one of those films where the bad guy is pretty obvious, but you still enjoy the ride to get there, and the way they try to throw you off, it's cute. It reminds me a bit of earlier films like The Mystery of the Poison Pool, where the focus is more on the journey than a truly shocking reveal.

Don't go into Lady Luck expecting a masterclass in cinema, just expect a pleasant, quick diversion. It’s not gonna change your life, but it’ll fill an hour with some good old-fashioned mystery fun. ✨