Take a Chance
Cast & Crew
Monte Brice
James Dunn
June Knight
Lillian Roth
Cliff Edwards
Lilian Bond
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Tired of performing striptease for small-town carnivals, Wanda Hill leaves her pickpocket boyfriend, Duke Stanley, and his partners, Louie Webb and Toni Ray, and heads for Broadway. Wanda advises Toni to drop her crooked partners, but they promise to "go straight," and become card dealers at Mike Caruso's club in Greenwich Village. Toni gets a job singing at Caruso's and all three split their earnings. Wanda brings her theatrical producer, Kenneth Raleigh, to the club to see Toni perform, and he immediately falls for her. Ken's father Andrew is backing his musical revue, Humpty Dumpty . That night, Caruso orders Duke and Louie to use loaded dice against Ken, and after Toni innocently suggests he play dice, Ken loses $600. Toni is mortified, but returns the money and regains Ken's admiration and a part in the revue. Duke and Louie then audition, but make fools of themselves. At a charity gala for homeless dogs hosted by Andrew, Ken proposes to Toni. Caruso arrives and scares Duke and Louie into paying off Toni's wardrobe debts and returning Ken's $600. To save Toni's romance, Duke and Louie stage a fixed raffle in which Wanda wins her own diamond brooch. When Wanda exposes the gag to Ken, he agrees to let them keep the money if they promise never to see Toni again. Raleigh then accuses Toni of being "in on the take," and she disappears before the revue's opening night. Duke and Louie retrieve Toni in time for her big number with Ken, and she and Ken kiss. An accident backstage during intermission wounds three actors, and Duke, Louie and Ken's little sister must stand in for them. Duke and Louie's hilarious performance turns a historical drama on Daniel Boone into slapstick. The press raves about the revue's unknown actors, and Duke and Louie finally win Ken's favor. Ken then builds a beach set for his and Toni's honeymoon. On the "beach," Duke kisses Wanda.
Cast
James Dunn
June Knight
Lillian Roth
Cliff Edwards
Lilian Bond
Dorothy Lee
Lona Andre
Chas. "buddy" Rogers
Charles Richman
Robert Gleckler
George Mckay
Crew
Louis Alter
Harold Arlen
Monte Brice
Monte Brice
Nacio Brown
Bobby Connolly
Buddy Desylva
Roger Edens
Jay Gorney
E. Y. Harburg
Herman Hupfeld
Charles Le Maire
Billy Rose
Herman Rosse
William Rowland
Laurence Schwab
Laurence Schwab
Robert R. Snody
William Steiner
Arthur Swanstrom
C. A. Tuthill
Joseph Valentine
Richard Whiting
Vincent Youmans
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
According to the film's pressbook, scenes of the charity bazaar were shot on the estate of Charles E. Proctor near King's Point, Great Neck, Long Island, NY. In July 1933, Hollywood Reporter and Motion Picture Daily reported that a screen adaptation of the stage musical was going to be produced by Rowland-Brice for Universal and that Lawrence Schwab, the co-producer of the stage version, was going to direct, but that Universal had called off the project because of insufficient story. Reportedly, the project was then considered and dropped by Fox. The onscreen credits on the viewed print did not include a screenwriter. According to a news item in Hollywood Reporter on September 21, 1935, this film was rejected by censors in Johannesburg and was banned for South African release. Reportedly, no reason was given for the ban. Hollywood Reporter noted that the incident marked the first time a musical had been banned in Johannesburg. Contemporary sources disagree on several of the film's credits. Copyright records give directing credit to songwriter Buddy De Sylva along with Brice and Schwab, although none of the reviews or the film credits De Sylva with direction. Both Film Daily and Variety credit William Steiner with photography, although he is not credited on the film. Hollywood Reporter reported on June 5, 1933 that Sid Silvers had left the cast to be in My Weakness, a 1933 Fox film produced by De Sylva. On July 14, 1933, Hollywood Reporter announced that Lillian Roth had replaced Ethel Merman in the cast. Hollywood Reporter also announced on 11 July that Joan Marsh was to be in the cast, although she receives no credit on the screen.
