La fortuna è femmina

This is the first of two pairings of Robert Young and Barbara Hale as romantic leads in a comedy. This, however, takes a slightly more serious tone than the other ("And Baby Makes Three", made three years later), although both films deal with serious subjects (gambling here, divorce there) in a lighthearted way. (The films are not related in either characters or subject.)

Hale's character, Mary Audrey, comes from a long line of "Mary Audreys" whose elder male relative (grandfather William Audrey, played in his typical lovable way by Frank Morgan) has always had a gambling problem. This is delightfully illustrated in the opening sequence depicting the gambling Audreys down through the ages. Thus, Mary despises the practice and won't have anything to do with gamblers, except, of course, her grandfather, whom she loves dearly.

Enter dashing Larry Scott (Robert Young), who unbeknown to Mary is a master gambler. Naturally, they fall in love; and when Larry learns how Mary detests gamblers, he vows to abandon his ways and proposes marriage. Mary, meanwhile, learns of his profession, but rather than reject him outright, she makes him prove his reformation before accepting his proposal. That roadblock out of the way, they go to Las Vegas to get married, and the title hints at the events that ensue.

Populated with a number of esteemed character actors of the day, most notably James Gleason, Harry Davenport, Lloyd Corrigan, and the aforementioned Frank Morgan, this film provides a delightful diversion. All in all, however, I have to admit a slight preference for Young and Hale's other flick (even though here they actually kiss).