Yours for the Asking

George Raft has come up from the gutter, dragging his pals, James Gleason, Lynn Overman, and Edgar Kennedy with him. Now he's running a gambling joint in Palm Beach. When broke heiress Dolores Costello (credited as "Dolores Costello Barrymore") tries to pawn her jewels in a last effort to break the house, Raft thanks her kindly and takes her into partnership, converting her house into a swanky casino, with Mrs. Barrymore to offer some class.

The pals, however, think Raft is going daffy for the dame, and going high hat. So they hire confidence trickster Ida Lupino and Reginald Owen as her uncle to distract them. However, Owen and Miss Lupino have their own ideas as to how to play this mark.

This typically well cast and funny Paramount comedy runs along its tracks at a good clip. It's not just that I am fond of the players -- I've recently read a book about the Costello family -- and always ready to enjoy the layered performances in a good movie about confidence players. Screenwriters Eve Greene and Philip MacDonald have crafted a superior script, and Alexander Hall shows his usual dab hand at directing comedy. Edgar Kennedy gets to do a slow burn twice!

George Raft is gorgeous in anything. He just can't go wrong.

Yours For The Asking has George Raft running a gambling club on the QT in Miami and one night society woman Dolores Costello has run out of her old money and can't settle up. But Raft takes a shine to her and strikes up an arrangement where she fronts for a swanky upscale type establishment.

The three guys who are Raft's staff are a trio of Damon Runyon type characters James Gleason, Lynne Overman, and Edgar Kennedy who don't see themselves as being around for long in an upscale place. They hire a pair of grifters played by Ida Lupino and Reginald Owen to break up Costello and Raft. But Lupino and Owens are after bigger game.

The problem I see in Yours For The Asking is that Raft is too streetwise to ever cast well as a chump. And Costello beautiful as she is lacks a spark in her performance.

The film is really carried by Gleason, Overman and Kennedy. Paramount should have done a feature with these three they worked very well together.

Yours For The Asking right out of the screwball comedy era of the 30s should have been a bit screwier.

This was a real treat...to catch George Raft and Ida Lupino and one of the best supporting casts I have ever seen, including the little poodle.

Even the names of the characters - one, because of his impeccable English is called "Dictionary" and another "Bicarbonate". The plot is excellent and revolved around the friendship between a shady and illegal casino owner and an impoverished society woman. This evolves into a partnership. Considering this was 1936 (and pre-Hayes) there are some risque lines as when the society woman says to the crook as he drops her off after a night at the casino "what would you like for breakfast?" There are lots of terrific fun turns in this movie and the 3 henchmen are not to be missed. A treasure of a movie. I give it 8 out of 10.

Johnny Lamb (George Raft) runs a very successful gambling hall. However, when he meets a classy lady, Lucille (Delores Costello), Johnny's friends were scared, as they assumed class AND dames would ruin Johnny. So, they hire a couple of grifters (Ida Lupino and Reginald Owen) to distract Johnny from Lucille. But the problem goes too well...he falls for the new woman AND the two grifters use this as a chance to fleece Johnny out of everything they can get! In other words, Lucille could NEVER be THIS bad for Johnny! So what's next? Watch the film.

This is a cute but inconsequential film. In other words, it's enjoyable and worth seeing BUT not exactly a must-see either. It's made a bit better due to some nice supporting actors (Lynne Overman, James Gleason and Edgar Kennedy) and a light, enjoyable script. Fun.