Movie Review: Lucky Losers (1950)

Synopsis: Slip and Sach have a job working on Wall Street they enjoy. When their boss is found dead, the police rule it a suicide, but Slip suspects a murder in connection with a local crooked casino. After taking crooked gambling lessons from a street hustler, they infiltrate the casino to investigate.

Who's in it? The movie stars Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Gabriel Dell, Lyle Talbot, Hillary Brooke and Joe Turkel.

Review: I was struggling to decide on a movie to watch this morning and once again settled on a Bowery Boys film just because of the familiarity. I wasn't sure what to expect from Lucky Losers, but it turned out to be an OK choice.

I thought the plot was an intriguing one. Their boss's (Selmer Jackson) death was sudden, unexpected and there was no evidence of murder. As a result, Slip's (Gorcey) hunch it had something to do with the casino run by Countess Marie Duvarre (Brooke) and Bruce McDermott (Talbot) was arguably the longest of longshots. There wasn't even a clear motive so, even if he was right, it wasn't clear how he'd ever get evidence to prove it.

This also created an unknown element of danger because it was unclear if the boys were dealing with trigger-happy criminals or if they were dealing with people who were more cunning and careful with how they killed people. If it was the latter, there was a good chance they were being played and led into their potential demise.

Slip's plan was also surprisingly clever, taking the time to learn how to gamble and, more importantly, how to recognize when the casino was trying to cheat. It was a step that made sense and made his ability to infiltrate the casino more believable while adding a wildcard in their teacher, Buffer McGee (Harry Tyler) who could either help or potentially hurt them, though the improvised Louie (Bernard Gorcey) substitution wasn't unexpected either.

While the plot itself was relatively serious, the movie didn't forget it was a comedy. The scenes involving Sach (Hall) were particularly funny, showing his goofiness and lack of awareness even as Slip was carrying out his plan. I especially liked how he was confused by the concept of poker chips, making him angry when he wasn't being paid in nickels even as he and Slip were raking in hundreds of dollars. It was one of those things that made me laugh but also wonder if he would screw things up.

One understated thing I also appreciated was how the gang never forgot they were the good guys. For example, that scene involving Whitey (William "Billy" Benedict) posing as a blackjack dealer and making sure two elderly ladies didn't lose all their money was heartwarming. In contrast, had he cleaned them out just to maintain appearances, I probably wouldn't have liked him as much.

Final Opinion: It's a good movie with an interesting and unpredictable plot and a good mix of comedy. It was a last second choice but one I was glad I made.

My Grade: A

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Here are some reviews of other movies from 1950:

Movie Review: So Long at the Fair (1950)

Movie Review: The Tattooed Stranger (1950)

Movie Review: Mystery Street (1950)

Movie Review: Two Flags West (1950)