MR. LUCKY

Mr. Lucky was a popular 1943 movie (based on a story "Bundles for Freedom" by Milton Holmes) starring Cary Grant as the title character and Lorraine Day as the wealthy socialite who falls for him.  Grant plays a professional gambler and grifter who has managed to lie his way out of the draft in the early days of World War II.  He scams a local War Relief Board into allowing him to run a "charity" casino, the profits of which (supposedly) would be used to purchase a relief ship.  Lorraine Day plays a Relief Board officer who soon falls for Grant's charms.  Grant, of course, sees the light and attempts to stop the plot to steal the money from the charity.  All ends well.

Blake Edwards turned the title character and the idea of a gambling boat into the 1959 television series of the same name.  Edwards directed and co-wrote the first episode.  Jack Arnold, a well-known producer and director served as the series producer and also wrote a number of episodes.  Henry Mancini wrote the music; the theme song reached number 22 on the charts and spawned two popular albums for Mancini.  John Vivian played Mr. Lucky, with Ross Martin co-starring.  The major link between the film and the television show was that the title character was very suave.  Even the gambling theme was changed soon into the television show's first (and only season) -- Lucky's gambling ship soon became a floating restaurant.

Shortly after the release of the movie and long before the television show began was an hour-long adaptation of the the film for Lux Radio Theater on October 18, 1943, with Grant and Day reprising their original roles.  And that's what I have for you today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXLthmtbXdA