Given how much of a staple Grant's movies were in my home, growing up, it's a bit of a surprise that it's taken me this long to get to this one, Mr. Lucky (1943). I can imaging Dad seeing this in between shifts at the aircraft factory he worked at during the war.
This movie fits Cary Grant's natural acting style like an old shoe; he really does convince as a charming con man. There are some unavoidable wartime propaganda aspects that bog things down in the last third of the movie, but it mostly works. Normally, the predicable character turns would be tough to swallow but Grant sells them well and Laraine Day's love interest character proves to be up to taking on Grant's smooth deceptions; she's actually pretty good here and has some depth of character.
The film lacks some of the crackling dialogue that we got in Grant's best movies but the charm and overall good feelings smooth over the cracks. I'm grading this one on a bit of a curve due to the time it was made.
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