In their first of four big screen appearances (not to mention countess on TV), Bob Hope and Lucille Ball go into Damon Runyeon territory and are almost upstaged by a little girl. Ball had gone down Runyeon territory before with "The Big Street" and Hope would follow this up with "The Lemon Drop Kid". This remake of "Little Miss Marker" is almost better thanks to the less overly sweet performance of Mary Jane Saunders, compared to Shirley Temple's in the 1934 version. She is simply just a little girl, not too coy or perky, and totally natural. As the orphaned young girl (left with Hope by her soon-to-be murdered father), Saunders brings heart into the film, giving Hope more humanity as a tragic accident leaves her life in the balance. Ball, as a nightclub singer who obviously has motherly instincts, is given her share of wisecracks along with Hope, and together they are a fun team.
Bruce Cabot and Tom Pedi are a believable team of mobsters, Pedi in particularly funny as a slightly older variation of Leo Gorcey. The future "Uncle Charlie" of "My Three Sons", William Demarest, is very funny as Hope's crotchety partner at the bookie joint he runs. There are many light-hearted moments between Saunders, Hope and Ball, and the scene where Hope tries to get a race horse put under Saunders' name into the hospital, is both funny and touching. The mix of sentiment and comedy makes this remake most worth watching, not just for Lucy and Bob fans, but everybody who simply wants to see a good story where seemingly not so noble characters prove that they actually have a heart, gangsters who seem dumb (but actually aren't as dumb as they seem) and a little girl who can steal your heart without giving you diabetes in the process. This was remade two more times after this in OK versions that aren't as classic as this and the original, somewhat lacking the heart, particularly the one that this version displays.
Bruce Cabot and Tom Pedi are a believable team of mobsters, Pedi in particularly funny as a slightly older variation of Leo Gorcey. The future "Uncle Charlie" of "My Three Sons", William Demarest, is very funny as Hope's crotchety partner at the bookie joint he runs. There are many light-hearted moments between Saunders, Hope and Ball, and the scene where Hope tries to get a race horse put under Saunders' name into the hospital, is both funny and touching. The mix of sentiment and comedy makes this remake most worth watching, not just for Lucy and Bob fans, but everybody who simply wants to see a good story where seemingly not so noble characters prove that they actually have a heart, gangsters who seem dumb (but actually aren't as dumb as they seem) and a little girl who can steal your heart without giving you diabetes in the process. This was remade two more times after this in OK versions that aren't as classic as this and the original, somewhat lacking the heart, particularly the one that this version displays.