''A Lady Takes a Chance'' is a 1943 American

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

film directed by

William A. Seiter William Alfred Seiter (June 10, 1890 – July 26, 1964) was an American film director. Life and career Seiter was born in New York City. After attending Hudson River Military Academy, Seiter broke into films in 1915 as a bit player at Mack Senne ...

and starring

Jean Arthur Jean Arthur (born Gladys Georgianna Greene; October 17, 1900 – June 19, 1991) was an American Broadway and film actress whose career began in silent films in the early 1920s and lasted until the early 1950s. Arthur had feature roles in three F ...

and

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...

. Written by

Robert Ardrey Robert Ardrey (October 16, 1908 – January 14, 1980) was an American playwright, screenwriter and science writer perhaps best known for ''The Territorial Imperative'' (1966). After a Broadway and Hollywood career, he returned to his academic tr ...

and based on a story by Jo Swerling, the film is about a New York working girl who travels to the American West on a bus tour and meets and falls in love with a handsome rodeo cowboy. The film was produced for

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orphe ...

by Frank Ross, who was Arthur's husband at the time. The supporting cast features flamboyant comedian

Phil Silvers Phil Silvers (born Phillip Silver; May 11, 1911 – November 1, 1985) was an American entertainer and comedic actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah". His career as a professional entertainer spanned nearly sixty years. Silvers achieved major popu ...

Hans Conried Hans Georg Conried Jr. (April 15, 1917 – January 5, 1982) was an American actor and comedian. He was known for providing the voices of George Darling and Captain Hook in Walt Disney's ''Peter Pan'' (1953), Snidely Whiplash in Jay Ward's ''Dudle ...

(without his stentorian Barrymoresque voice),

Charles Winninger Charles J. Winninger (May 26, 1884 – January 27, 1969) was an American stage and film actor, most often cast in comedies or musicals. Life and career Winninger was born in Athens, Wisconsin, the son of Rosalia (Grassler) and Franz Winninger ...

and

Mary Field Mary Field (born Olivia Rockefeller; June 10, 1909 – June 12, 1996) was an American film actress who primarily appeared in supporting roles. Early life She was born in New York City. As a child, she never knew her biological parents; ...

. The film earned a profit of $582,000.Richard B. Jewell, ''Slow Fade to Black: The Decline of RKO Radio Pictures'', University of California, 2016.

Plot

Three of her suitors protest when Molly J. Truesdale, on a whim, boards a bus in New York City to find out what life in the American West is like. Molly goes to a rodeo, where a bucking bronco tosses rider Duke Hudkins right into her lap. Duke buys her a beer afterward and then Molly brings him luck while gambling, but his partner Waco warns her that Duke is not the right guy for her. In a campfire, more worried about his horse than about her, Duke discovers his horse Sammy's blanket has been borrowed by Molly and is furious with her when Sammy catches cold. Giving up, Molly goes home to New York and her waiting suitors, who are astounded when a tall cowboy suddenly shows up and carries Molly away.

Cast

as Molly J. Truesdale *

as Duke Hudkins *

as Waco *

as Smiley Lambert (bus tour director) *

as Florrie Bendix *

Don Costello Eldon Lawrence "Don" Costello (September 5, 1901 – October 24, 1945) was an American actor of stage, screen and radio. Background Costello was born in New Orleans on September 5, 1901. He was the son of James J. Costello and Mary E. Cos ...

as Drunk * John Philliber as Storekeeper *

Grady Sutton Grady Harwell Sutton (April 5, 1906 – September 17, 1995) was an American film and television character actor from the 1920s to the 1970s. He appeared in more than 180 films. Early years Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Sutton was raised ...

as Malcolm Scott * Jean Stevens as "Jitterbug" *

Grant Withers Granville Gustavus Withers (January 17, 1905 – March 27, 1959) was an American film actor who acted under the screen name Grant Withers. With early beginnings in the silent era, Withers moved into sound films, establishing himself with a lis ...

as Bob Hastings *

as Gregg Stone * Ariel Heath as Flossie * Sugar Geise as Linda Belle * Joan Blair as Lilly *

Tom Fadden Tom Fadden (January 6, 1895 – April 14, 1980) was an American actor. He performed on the legitimate stage, vaudeville, in films and on television during his long career. Early life Fadden was born in Bayard, Iowa, on January 6, 1895; his fathe ...

as Mullen * Dorcas McKim as Beggar Woman (uncredited)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lady Takes A Chance, A 1943 films 1943 romantic comedy films 1940s Western (genre) comedy films American black-and-white films Films scored by Roy Webb American Western (genre) comedy films American romantic comedy films Films directed by William A. Seiter RKO Pictures films Films with screenplays by Robert Ardrey 1940s American films