Lady Luck and The Verdict

Of the diversified fare offered at the local lyceum, "Lady Luck" comes off as the more entertaining of the lightweight screenings. A sly yarn about the gambler who combined good luck at the board with a full house in the boudoir, the film moves smoothly along paced by the tangy dialogue taken straight from the gaming tables. Some of the best scenes involve Jimmy Gleason, Hollywood's finest con-man, bluffing Frank Morgan, no sucker himself--while various types of bait get their just dues.

While the main characters cavort in the back room, a love story goes on in front. Robert Young and Barbara Hale manage to combine good looks with meaningless going-on in a bedroom chase that alternates with under-the-table larceny. Miss Hale is pretty enough to twist the arm of any card-sharp, which she manages to do with great proficiency. "Lady Luck" won't teach you any new tricks, but it's fun watching other suckers suffer on the screen.

The other feature, "The Verdict," is taken out of that turn-of-the-century period when London was the haven of swarms of frock-coated, fog-surrounded gentlemen crooks. A combination of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Peter Lorre might be a treat for detective-story fans. As it is, "The Verdict" can boast of only the latter two, and the resultant weaknesses in the plot dilute a pair of top chiller performances. The mystery is weak, the logic strained and the outcome unfair to those connoisseurs who want their murder mysteries to be more than gory fairy tales.