''Sweepstakes Winner'' is a 1939 American
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...
directed by
William C. McGann, written by John W. Krafft, and starring
Marie Wilson,
Johnnie Davis,
Allen Jenkins
Allen Curtis Jenkins (born Alfred McGonegal; April 9, 1900 – July 20, 1974) was an American character actor and singer who worked on stage, film, and television.
Life and career
Jenkins was born on Staten Island, New York, on April 9, 1900. ...
,
Charley Foy,
Jerry Colonna and
Frankie Burke
Frankie Burke (June 6, 1915 – April 7, 1983) was a Hollywood actor, best known for his appearance as a member of The East Side Kids.
Early life
Burke was born Frankie Vaselle and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. His name was changed when ...
.
It was released by
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
on May 20, 1939.
Plot
A naive girl, Jennie, inherits $1,000 from her grandfather, who tells her to buy a particular racehorse with it. His instructions send her to two broke bookies. They tell her she need $5,000 to buy the horse and offer to bet it for her on a 5 to 1 horse in a race that day. That horse wins, but one of the bookies, Jinx Donovan, followed a bad tip and instead bet $500 on a loser. Rather than admit he lost the money, he arranges to have her robbed just after he returned the remaining $500 to her in a wad to look like the $5,000. Down to her last few dollars, Jennie gets a job as a waitress. The bookies eat a meal at the restaurant. Too broke to pay for it, they sell her an Irish Sweepstakes ticket for $10 and the meal. The ticket wins the first round, meaning she would win a huge cash prize if her horse won the sweepstakes race. She is offered cash for the ticket, but decided to rely on her luck instead.
Cast
*
Marie Wilson as Jennie Jones
*
Johnnie Davis as Mark Downe
*
Allen Jenkins
Allen Curtis Jenkins (born Alfred McGonegal; April 9, 1900 – July 20, 1974) was an American character actor and singer who worked on stage, film, and television.
Life and career
Jenkins was born on Staten Island, New York, on April 9, 1900. ...
as Xerxes 'Tip' Bailey
*
Charley Foy as 'Jinx' Donovan
*
Sam McDaniel
Samuel Rufus McDaniel (January 28, 1886September 24, 1962)Tanner, Beccy (November 7, 1991)"McDaniel Opened Doors; 'Gone With the Wind' Was Actress' Most Famous Film" ''The Wichita Eagle''. Retrieved January 3, 2021. was an American actor who ap ...
as Mose
*
Jerry Colonna as Nick
*
Frankie Burke
Frankie Burke (June 6, 1915 – April 7, 1983) was a Hollywood actor, best known for his appearance as a member of The East Side Kids.
Early life
Burke was born Frankie Vaselle and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. His name was changed when ...
as Chalky Williams
*
Vera Lewis
Vera Lewis (June 10, 1873 – February 8, 1956) was an American film and stage actress, beginning in the silent film era. She appeared in more than 180 films between 1915 and 1947. She was married to actor Ralph Lewis.
Biography
She was b ...
as Mrs. McCarthy
*
Granville Bates as Pop Reynolds
*
Eddie Kane
Eddie Kane (August 12, 1889 – April 30, 1969) was an American actor who appeared in over 250 productions from 1928 to 1959.
Biography
Kane was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His early career was in vaudeville as a member of the two-man te ...
as Mr. Blake
* Bert Hanlon as Poolroom Guard
*
George Lloyd as Dutch
*
Sidney Bracey
Sidney Bracey (born Sidney Bracy; 18 December 1877 – 5 August 1942) was an Australian-born American actor. After a stage career in Australia, on Broadway and in Britain, he performed in more than 320 films between 1909 and 1942.
Early li ...
as Mr. Simpkins
* Charles Irwin as English Radio Announcer
*
Bernice Pilot
Bernice Pilot was an American actress. She appeared in numerous films including as the female lead in the 1929 film ''Hearts in Dixie''. In most of Pilot's film roles, she portrayed maids.
Pilot was born in Pawnee, Oklahoma in 1897. She died in Sa ...
as Martha (
Uncredited)
References
Sources
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External links
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1939 films
1939 comedy films
American black-and-white films
American comedy films
Films directed by William C. McGann
American horse racing films
Warner Bros. films
1930s English-language films
1930s American films
English-language comedy films
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