Sweepstakes (1931) User Reviews (2)

Enjoyable Programmer

[boblipton · 6/10 · 12 March 2013]

In this decent little programmer, Eddie Quillan plays a jockey who throws a race under the influence of Marian Nixon and shady operator Lew Cody.

Director Albert Rogell handles the story well; Eddie Quillan, who never impressed me when he was working for Sennett, is good enough in his role, but, as might be expected, James Gleason as his trainer and Lew Cody as the bad guy own the scenes they are in.

The onsite sequences, including racetracks and stables, lend this one an air of realism. If the occasionally poor sound of the version TCM runs and hackneyed plot don't put you off, you should find this a pleasant early sound picture.

Tiresome.

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 20 March 2013]

Buddy (Eddie Quillan) stars as an incredibly successful but terribly stupid jockey. He is longing for some fun, but his boss, 'Pops', wants him to keep to a strict regimen. However, when he meets up with a pretty lady (Marian Nixon), he's blind to the fact that she's no good. And, using her, an evil gambler (Lew Cody) uses Buddy. However, and here's where Buddy seems REALLY dumb, to help Pops and try to undo his stupidity, he throws a race--and is banned for life! Way to go, Buddy! Can he somehow redeem himself? And, given that the film is very clichéd and dull, will anyone care?! There are two main problems with the film. The main one is the writing. The film never seems real and is cliché-ridden. The characters, as a result, seem more like caricatures. The other problem is that Quillan has the same charisma as a piece of cheese. Overall, tedious to say the least.