User reviews

Mary is in Shanghai when she notices a poster for a singing star, Happy Jack Cole (Phil Regan). The man appears to be her long-lost husband--a military pilot who supposedly was lost in a plane crash in the Pacific. This means, if it is him, he's a wanted man for going AWOL and he's a jerk. But Happy Jack insists he isn't this man and Mary assumes he just have amnesia from the crash. And, she vows to help him regain his memory and clear his name. As for everyone else, they think he's either insane or a crook!

Despite some nice singing, this is a silly film and the gimmick wears a bit thin after a while. It's not exactly bad but overdone and could have used a bit more subtlety and finesse. A time passer at best.

Phil Regan was handsome, had a great voice, a pleasing on-screen personality, and could act well enough for this kind of stuff, but, unfortunately, his films were all made for Monogram and Republic and not MGM. "Happy Go Lucky" has a somewhat different plot than usual -- is that singer, "Happy Jack," in a Shanghai nightclub Evelyn Venable's missing fiancé, Bill, or is he just a lookalike? -- but it still doesn't amount to much. Jed Prouty of the Jones Family series is on hand as Venable's father, and we've also got Jonathan Hale, who was Robert Walker's father in "Strangers on a Train," as a family friend. The highlight of the film is Regan singing "Right or Wrong."

Although the mostly plotless nature of the film might turn away some viewers, Happy-Go-Lucky is a gleefully fun and energetic feel-good movie driven by a wonderful Sally Hawkins, who plays the protagonist Poppy with an endless amount of charm and likeability. This is among the most cheerful films I've ever watched, and its happiness is very contagious. If you're looking for an exciting story, this might not be for you. However, if you give this movie a chance, your adoration for Poppy will more than likely keep you glued to the screen, if only to see what she says or does next. James Welch Henderson Arkansas 5/17/21.