This Martin-Lewis film gets off to a marvellous start – based on a Damon Runyon story, it’s set in 1930 and we’re plunged into a world of wacky gangsters and street characters with bright colours and scene sets (this was the duo’s first movie in colour – in 3D too - and it looks wonderful).
They set up an interesting story with Dino as a gambler who gets in hock with the mob and Jerry as his cousin, an aspiring vet who might be able to hobble a horse that enables Dino to pay them back… but then having set up all this terrific atmosphere they move the film out to Maryland. Where it could have been set in any year, really – period detail is thrown out the window.
It’s a real shame; there are some laughs (I always enjoy it when Jerry spoofs a mature person), it is colourful (there’s this rich Arab I think who’s based on King Farouk who has a harem that I got the feeling was added for production value), it’s good to have the gangsters come back at the end, there’s a fun horse race. Also Marjie Millar and Pat Crowley are pretty, engaging female leads for Martin and Lewis. Oh and Dino sings ‘I Only Have Eyes for You’.
Actually come to think of it this isn’t a bad film, I just wish it had all been set in New York and there were more colourful Runyon characters, it could have been a minor classic.
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