''The Winning Ticket'' is a 1935 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 ol ...

directed by

Charles Reisner Charles Francis Reisner (March 14, 1887 – September 24, 1962) was an American film director and actor of the 1920s and 1930s. The German-American directed over 60 films between 1920 and 1950 and acted in over 20 films between 1916 and 1 ...

and starring

Leo Carrillo Leopoldo Antonio Carrillo (; August 6, 1880 – September 10, 1961), known professionally as Leo Carrillo, was an American actor, vaudevillian, political cartoonist, and conservationist. He was best known for playing Pancho in the television ...

Louise Fazenda Louise Fazenda (June 17, 1895 – April 17, 1962) was an American film actress, appearing chiefly in silent comedy films. Early life Fazenda was born in her maternal grandparents' house in Lafayette, Indiana, the daughter of merchandise bro ...

, and

Ted Healy Ted Healy (born Charles Ernest Lee Nash; October 1, 1896 – December 21, 1937) was an American vaudeville performer, comedian, and actor. Though he is chiefly remembered as the creator of The Three Stooges and the style of slapstick comedy th ...

. It was released by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

Plot summary

Poor Italian-American barber Joe Thomasello (

) purchases a sweepstakes ticket at the urging of his brother-in-law Eddie Dugan (

). Joe's wife Nora (

) is against gambling. The ticket turns out to be a $150,000 first prize winner. Joe remembers that he gave the ticket to his lawyer Tony (

Luis Alberni Luis Alberni (October 4, 1886 – December 23, 1962) was a Spanish-born American character actor of stage and films. Early years Alberni was born in Barcelona, Spain, on October 4, 1886. He acted in stock theater for four years in Marseille ...

) to hold. The three men realize that Joe's baby, Mickey ( Roland Fitzpatrick) was the last one seen with the ticket. When they ask the baby where the ticket is, the baby points to a loose board on the floor. The three men tear up the floor and dig a hole looking for the lost ticket to no avail. Tony, who has huge debts decides that the best thing to do is go to Ireland by boat and try to convince the sweepstakes officials that Joe was the actual sweepstakes winner. Eddie has a fear of ships and is tricked by the other men into making the voyage. All the men are eventually kicked off the ship when Eddie is accused of being a stowaway. After this, the men witness baby Mickey stuffing paper into the mouth of one of his father's many ceramic parrots, which leads them to believe the baby had put the winning ticket into one of the birds. Mr. Powers (

Purnell Pratt Purnell Pratt (October 20, 1885 – July 25, 1941) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 110 films between 1914 and 1941. He was born in Bethel, Illinois and died in Hollywood, California. Partial filmography * ''The Great ...

) has the men arrested after they destroy some of his ceramic birds. Nora, with baby Mickey visit Joe in jail and they present him with his guitar to help him pass the time. Nora and Joe end up in an argument and the guitar gets broken over Joe's head which exposes the winning ticket which was put into the guitar by Mickey earlier.

Cast

as Joe Tomasello *

as Nora Tomasello *

as Eddie Dugan *

Irene Hervey Irene Hervey (born Beulah Irene Herwick; July 11, 1909December 20, 1998) was an American film, stage, and television actress who appeared in over fifty films and numerous television series spanning her five-decade career. A native of Los Angeles ...

as Mary Tomasello *

James Ellison James Ellison may refer to: * James O. Ellison (1929–2014), U.S. federal judge * James T. Ellison (1862–1920s), New York gangster *James Ellison (actor) (1910–1993), American film actor *James Ellison (footballer, born 1901) (1901–1958), En ...

as Jimmy *

as Tony *

as Mr. Powers * Akim Tamiroff as Giuseppe * Betty Jane Graham as Noreen Tomasello * Billy Watson as Joey Tomasello Jr. *

John Indrisano Johnny Indrisano (November 1, 1905 — July 6, 1968) was an American welterweight boxer whose career spanned the period from 1923 to 1934. He later became a film stunt performer and bit-part film and TV actor. Career Indrisano was born in Bo ...

as Lefty Costello * Roland Fitzpatrick as Mickey Tomasello *

Clara Blandick Clara Blandick (born Clara Blanchard Dickey; June 4, 1876 – April 15, 1962) was an American character, film, stage and theater actress. She played Aunt Em in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's '' The Wizard of Oz'' (1939). As a character actress, sh ...

as Aunt Maggie *

Sam Flint Sam Flint (born Samuel A. Ethridge; October 19, 1882 – October 17, 1980) was an American actor. Flint appeared in more than 230 films, often as a "judge, lawyer, military officer, senator, sheriff, chief of police, or doctor." Flint was ...

as Captain (uncredited) * Al Hill as Bookie (uncredited) *

Wilbur Mack Wilbur Mack (born George Frear Runyon, July 29, 1873 – March 13, 1964) was an American film actor and early vaudeville performer from the 1920s through the 1960s. His film acting career began during the silent film era. Biography Mack w ...

as Banker (uncredited) * Frank Moran as Bartender (uncredited) *

Lee Phelps Lee Phelps (born Napoleon Bonaparte Kukuck; May 15, 1893 – March 19, 1953) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 600 films between 1917 and 1953, mainly in uncredited roles. He also appeared in three films that won the Acade ...

as Bookmaker (uncredited) * C. Montague Shaw as President of Insurance Company (uncredited) *

William Stack William Stack (March 5, 1882 – January 15, 1949) was an American actor who began his acting career in Great Britain. Over the course of his career he appeared in over 50 films in the U.S. and the U.K, including such notable films as Mary of S ...

as Jeffries (uncredited) *

Larry Steers Lawrence Wells Steers (February 14, 1888 – February 15, 1951) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 550 films between 1917 and 1951. He was born in Indiana, and died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. Partial filmography * ...

as Traveler (uncredited) * Clarence Wilson as Dolan (uncredited)

Crew

Cedric Gibbons Austin Cedric Gibbons (March 23, 1890 – July 26, 1960) was an Irish-American art director for the film industry. He also made a significant contribution to motion picture theater architecture from the 1930s to 1950s. Gibbons designed the ...

- Art Director * David Townsend - Associate Art Director * Edwin B. Willis - Associate Art Director * William Axt - Composer: stock music (uncredited) *

Douglas Shearer Douglas Graham Shearer (November 17, 1899 – January 5, 1971) was a Canadian American pioneering sound designer and recording director who played a key role in the advancement of sound technology for motion pictures. The elder brother of ac ...

- Recording Director *

- Co-Producer

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Winning Ticket, The 1935 films 1935 comedy films 1930s English-language films American comedy films American black-and-white films Films directed by Charles Reisner Films set in New York City Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films 1930s American films Films with screenplays by Richard Schayer