jacobs-greenwood
Directed by Robert Florey, with story and screenplay by Isabel Dawn and Boyce DeGaw, this short (less than an hour) comedy starring Warren William is a lot of fun, a delightful little movie with rich characterizations which should entertain most, especially those fans of the stylish actor. Though you probably won't find yourself laughing out loud, you should enjoy spotting several familiar faces throughout this film (including a cameo by Errol Flynn, in one of his first pictures).'Odds' Owen (William) is the best known bookie in town (New York?), setting the odds and taking bets from sports gamblers of nearly every sport at his thriving business offices. His staff includes: Numbers (William Gargan - They Knew What They Wanted (1940)), who calculates the odds using statistics, etc.; Doc (Spencer Charters), who examines horses at the track; Steve (Eddie Shubert), a detective for Odds; and Brains (Vince Barnett), who's a gopher ("go for this, go for that") for the other things Odds may need, or need done. The recognizable Mary Treen plays his office secretary. When a man comes in and places a $2,500 bet on a 20-1 horse, Numbers has Steve follow him and then tells Odds. Odds calls Brains & Doc at the track, for more information, and then listens on the radio as the long-shot comes in (wins the race). Odds then asks Doc to check to see if the horse had been doped. When he finds out that it was, Odds takes the certified results to the person Steve found out made the bet, T. Everett Markham (Clay Clement), the horse's owner and a successful lawyer downtown. Odds gives Markham the choice of taking the results or his $50,000 in winnings and Markham chooses the incriminating evidence. Odds gives Markham his $2,500 back and makes it clear that Markham should sell his stables, or else. Later, Markham tells his Broadway star actress girlfriend, Marilyn Young (Claire Dodd), that he's left the horse racing business because it's infiltrated with gangsters.Though happy with himself for coming out on top, Odds tells his staff that they are getting out of the gambling business and going into the insurance business. He tells them that it's pretty much the same business after all and that, since there is no equivalent to Lloyds of London in the U.S., they will write unique policies and collect premiums for "freak" occurrences. One of their first clients is Philbert Slemp (Hobart Cavanaugh), a homely little man who wants to insure that his wife doesn't have twins, even though they run in the family. Against his staff's advice, Odds takes the bet anyway, based on the man's lack of sex appeal. Another bet he takes is from Mousy Slade (Jack Norton), who manages "husband caller" (you have to see this, to believe it - evidentally it was, or still is, something that's done at state fairs) Little Ellen Purdy (Maude Eburne), and wants to insure his client against losing her voice. Though Numbers is against it, Brains convinces him that it's what Odds wants.One day, when Markham is visiting Marilyn, he learns that she's engaged to Dwight Boardman (Walter Byron), who arrives professing he is suffering from some ailment and that his doctor has advised him not to catch a chill; he's wearing his coat and scarf indoors. Markham, who has been reading about Odds's new success in the papers, gets an idea. So, he visits Marilyn's father, Colonel Jefferson Davis Youngblood (Guy Kibbee), who's trying to write a book about how the South really won the Civil War. After reminding the Colonel that Boardman is a Yankee, Markham tells Marilyn's father that, if she marries Boardman and quits the stage, he'll lose his income from her. Therefore, he convinces the Colonel to take out a policy which pays $50,000 if his daughter gets married, so that he'll have enough to complete his book if she does. Of course, Markham intends to marry Marilyn himself, to get even with Odds. Again, against the advice of Numbers, Odds takes the Colonel's bet for $100 week over the policy's term, 3 years. When Numbers shows Odds that the paper says Marilyn is practically engaged to Boardman, he and his staff, Doc really, conspire to convince the hypochondriac Boardman that marriage could be fatal, and that he should spend the next 3 years abroad. Odds has Steve monitor Marilyn's dating habits, and he & his staff establish a three (strikes and you're out) date rule - anyone who dates her more than 3 times is "eliminated". The first to invoke this course of action is David Van Dusen (Errol Flynn), who is made to appear to be a gangster during his fourth date with Marilyn.When Marilyn recognizes Odds at the "demise" of her second suitor, they begin dating. Though he has really fallen for Marilyn, Odds tells his staff that he is "keeping her out of circulation". When Marilyn visits him at his (now) insurance offices, she sees her father come in to make a payment on his policy. Later, after getting the Colonel drunk on mint juleps, she learns about the policy and thinks Odds is just protecting his investment. She decides to ensure that he falls in love with her in order to break his heart.I've given away a good portion of this short movie's plot, given its length, so I think I'll stop here. Of course, Markham will enter into the picture again and you might have figured out where things are going anyway.
MartinHafer
The fact that this was the last film Errol Flynn made before he became a mega-star is reason enough to watch this movie. Just after completing "Don't Bet on Blondes", he starred in "Captain Blood"-- one of the biggest hits he ever made and which led to one of the fasted rises to stardom in Hollywood history.Apart from the Flynn angle (and he's only a relatively minor character), the film is still worth seeing--though I'll admit that the plot is incredibly weird and just plain wacky! Warren William stars as 'Odds' Owen, a professional gambler and bookmaker. However, he's tired of taking bets on horse races...especially since races can and are rigged. So he decides to try something similar but a surer thing...insurance! He plans on insuring bizarro things much like Lloyds of London was famous for at the time (such as insuring that actor Ben Turpin's eyes remain crossed)...especially since the odds of ever having to pay off are slim.One of the crazy policies he takes is NOT one that is so easy...and Odds shouldn't take it but he did. A goofball author (Guy Kibbee) announces he wants a policy AGAINST his daughter marrying during the next three years! But to make sure that Odds doesn't have to pay off, he sets out to interfere with the young lady's love life! In one case, a poor sap (Flynn) is set-up to make it appear as if he's some sort of gangster and eventually Odds decides the best thing to do is just date her himself! What's next? See the film.Why does this silly plot manage to work? Warren William! He was a wonderful actor and although mostly forgotten today, he was wonderful and often made ordinary films amazing films. While he's not the sleazy jerk he often played so well in earlier films due to the new Production Code, he IS enjoyable to watch...and is still a bit of a jerk...and he played jerks so very well.
