The stars here are greater than the rather pedestrian story about a horse race and betting.
Seems a horse owner (Henry Kendall) has a dandy of an entry for "the big race," but his faithless wife (Enid Stamp-Taylor) blabs about the horse's running trials to her snarky boyfriend (Guy Middleton). What should have been a real dark horse suddenly becomes the favorite, throwing all the bookies into a frenzy because they've taken big bets they'll have to pay off.
Into this mess comes Alastair Pallavant (Claude Hulbert), a famous handicapper. He coerced by a group of bookies into ensuring that the horse, named Take a Chance, is scratched from the race. But he gets involved with a young woman (Binnie Hale) who own a sweepsstake ticket for Take a Chance and has sold a half share in the ticket to make some quick cash.
This all sounds like a screwball comedy, but it plays too slowly and the film never quite builds to the frantic, frenzied ending it needs. Part of the problem is that much of the dialog is undecipherable.
Hulbert and Hale were major stage stars of the era, and each had so-so careers in films in the 1930s and 40s. This film just screams for them to let loose and be funny, but it never quite happens. Co-stars include Gwen Farrar as Emily, Harry Tate as the dumb copper, Jack Barty as the bookie, Knyaston Reeves as Blinkers, and Terry-Thomas as an extra at the race track.
Seems a horse owner (Henry Kendall) has a dandy of an entry for "the big race," but his faithless wife (Enid Stamp-Taylor) blabs about the horse's running trials to her snarky boyfriend (Guy Middleton). What should have been a real dark horse suddenly becomes the favorite, throwing all the bookies into a frenzy because they've taken big bets they'll have to pay off.
Into this mess comes Alastair Pallavant (Claude Hulbert), a famous handicapper. He coerced by a group of bookies into ensuring that the horse, named Take a Chance, is scratched from the race. But he gets involved with a young woman (Binnie Hale) who own a sweepsstake ticket for Take a Chance and has sold a half share in the ticket to make some quick cash.
This all sounds like a screwball comedy, but it plays too slowly and the film never quite builds to the frantic, frenzied ending it needs. Part of the problem is that much of the dialog is undecipherable.
Hulbert and Hale were major stage stars of the era, and each had so-so careers in films in the 1930s and 40s. This film just screams for them to let loose and be funny, but it never quite happens. Co-stars include Gwen Farrar as Emily, Harry Tate as the dumb copper, Jack Barty as the bookie, Knyaston Reeves as Blinkers, and Terry-Thomas as an extra at the race track.