By Violet LeVoit
Sweepstakes Winner
Brief Synopsis
A scatterbrained waitress invests her inheritance in a broken-down race horse and a sweepstakes ticket.
Cast & Crew
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William Mcgann
Director
Marie Wilson
Jennie Jones
Johnnie Davis
Mark Downey
Allen Jenkins
[Xerxes] "Tip" Bailey
Charley Foy
"Jinx"
Jerry Colonna
Nick
Film Details
Genre
Comedy
Release Date
May
20,
1939
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
59m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Film Length
7 reels
Synopsis
Bequeathed a thousand dollars and an old nag named "Firefly" by her grandfather's will, gullible Jennie Jones, a waitress from Athens, Nebraska, travels to the big city, where she plans to race the horse. Before she can realize her dreams, however, Jennie is fleeced of her inheritance by Xerxes "Tip" Bailey and "Jinx," two con men who convince her to bet her money on a sure-winner at the race track. Just as Bailey is about to place the bet at the window, he is touted off on another horse. When Jennie's horse finishes first, they lose everything. Jinx and Bailey try to hide the loss by giving Jennie a "Michigan bankroll," which consists of one-dollar bills disguised as a bundle of century notes. Before Jennie can count her winnings, however, a holdup, arranged by the two con men, takes place and the cash disappears. Destitute, Jennie is forced to sell her horse and take a job waiting tables at Downey's restaurant, where Bailey tries to sell her a ticket to the Irish Sweepstakes. Soon after Jennie learns that she has won $15,000 and can qualify for the jackpot of $150,000 if her horse wins the sweepstakes race, the unscrupulous Mr. Simpkins offers her cash for the ticket. Jennie refuses the offer and, fearful that her ticket may be stolen, hides it in the lining of the curtains in her room. Later, when Jennie learns that her landlady sent the curtains away to be cleaned, she ransacks the cleaners and finds the ticket. To everyone's surprise, Jennie wins the jackpot and buys back "Firefly." When Jennie meets Chalky, a trainer, he tells her that the secret to racing "Firefly" is to make siren noises while she runs. Meanwhile, Jinx and Bailey make an offer to Blake, the owner of a horse named "Battlecry," to bet $20,000 of his money on his horse if he will fix the race by replacing "Firefly's" rider with one who will ride the horse to lose. Blake consents to the scheme, but when Jennie is informed of the plan, she spurs "Firefly" to an easy win by making siren noises herself.
Director
William Mcgann
Director
Cast
Marie Wilson
Jennie Jones
Johnnie Davis
Mark Downey
Allen Jenkins
[Xerxes] "Tip" Bailey
Charley Foy
"Jinx"
Jerry Colonna
Nick
Frankie Burke
Chalky Williams
Vera Lewis
Mrs. McCarthy
Granville Bates
Pop Reynolds
Eddie Kane
Blake
Bert Hanlon
Poolroom guard
George Lloyd
Dutch
Sidney Bracy
Mr. Simpkins
Sam Mcdaniels
Mose
Bernice Pilot
Martha
Charles Irwin
English announcer
John Harron
Announcer
Reid Kilpatrick
Announcer
Ken Niles
Announcer
Billy Wayne
Horseplayer
Cliff Saum
Bartender
Al Lloyd
Cigar man
Jack Goodrich
Ticket seller
Paul Panzer
Hutch
Crew
Milo Anderson
Gowns
Hugh Cummings
Story
Albert Demond
Screenwriter
Albert Demond
Story
Arthur Edeson
Photography
Stanley Fleischer
Art Director
Bryan Foy
Associate Producer
Les Guthrie
Assistant Director
John Krafft
Screenwriter
Robert B. Lee
Sound
Frank Magee
Editing
Harry Seymour
Dialogue Director
Milton Shubert
Producer
Jack L. Warner
Executive Producer
Film Details
Genre
Comedy
Release Date
May
20,
1939
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
59m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Film Length
7 reels
Articles
Sweepstakes Winner -
Few actors are awarded a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, but Marie Wilson was lucky enough to be honored with three - for film, television and her long-running role on radio's "My Friend Irma". Her combination of a bombshell figure and a sweet, goofy, everygal persona made her popular with audiences in daffy comedies like this one. Here, flaky waitress Jennie Jones (Wilson) who's come into a dubious inheritance from her grandfather gets swindled by some racetrack sharks (Allen Jenkins and Charley Foy). But even when Jennie's forced to go back to waiting tables, she gets the last laugh when her fortune reverses. Warner Brothers publicity department boasted about how Wilson's screen outfits were inspired by a focus group of waitresses brainstorming about what they'd most like to wear if they hit the big time.
By Violet LeVoit
By Violet LeVoit
Sweepstakes Winner -
Few actors are awarded a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, but Marie Wilson was lucky enough to be honored with three - for film, television and her long-running role on radio's "My Friend Irma". Her combination of a bombshell figure and a sweet, goofy, everygal persona made her popular with audiences in daffy comedies like this one. Here, flaky waitress Jennie Jones (Wilson) who's come into a dubious inheritance from her grandfather gets swindled by some racetrack sharks (Allen Jenkins and Charley Foy). But even when Jennie's forced to go back to waiting tables, she gets the last laugh when her fortune reverses. Warner Brothers publicity department boasted about how Wilson's screen outfits were inspired by a focus group of waitresses brainstorming about what they'd most like to wear if they hit the big time.
By Violet LeVoit
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Hollywood Reporter pre-release news items indicate that Terry Morse was originally slated to direct this film. Although Hollywood Reporter production charts list actor Maxie Rosenbloom in the cast, his appearance in the released film has not been confirmed. According to the Warner Bros. pressbook, Marie Wilson's wardrobe design was based on the results of a poll conducted by the studio, in which twenty-five waitresses employed at the Warner commissary were asked what kind of clothes they would buy if they were sweepstakes winners. The studio records also note that the "Xerxes Bailey" character was given the nickname "Tip Bailey" because Marie Wilson had difficulty pronouncing "Xerxes," often pronouncing it "Jerky."
