"Mr. Soft Touch" may seem familiar to anyone who has seen RKO's 1943 film, "Mr. Lucky." That's because it's based on the same story, but with enough changes in the plot, characters and setting, that it can't be called a remake.
The earlier film takes place just before the U.S. entered World War II. This one is set shortly after the war. Both film's heroes were gamblers. Cary Grant's Joe Adams owned a floating casino that plied ports up and down the Atlantic Coast. Glenn Ford's Joe Miracle was the co-owner of a casino in Los Angeles.
Grant's "Mr. Lucky" sets out to find a stakeholder for his casino's next port of entry. Ford's "Mr. Soft Touch" robs his casino that had been taken over by the mob while he was off at war. Both movies have slowly developing love stories. Laraine Day is Dorothy Bryant, a society woman who eventually catches Grant's heart, and vice versa. She has been helping coordinate volunteer war relief for the British population of England which had been at war for more than a year. Ford's Mr. Soft Touch eventually falls for Evelyn Keyes' Jenny Jones. She grew up as an abused child and now works as one of the head staff of a large inner-city orphanage.
Both films have elements of crime and capers. Viewers see how Mr. Lucky deals with coin tosses and tricks of the trade to win things for the British War Relief Society. But we see just one example of Ford's Mr. Soft Touch winning goods for the orphanage. Yet donations, a baby grand piano and supplies keep showing up at the orphanage after Joe Miracle has been out making calls. While both films have drama, the first one has enough comedy to be billed as such by Hollywood. But the stakes, surroundings and people of "Mr. Soft Touch" are more serious and quite dour.
Adding to the considerably brighter atmosphere of the first film was its cast. From the stars to the sizable supporting cast, it was peopled with the best known of the day. And several of the cast had meaty roles with several lines in scenes throughout. "Mr. Soft Touch" has other known actors of the day, but most weren't of the stature of the cast members of "Mr. Lucky." Most have short time on screen with lines. Evelyn Keyes gives a fine performance as the female lead in this film. She had played opposite Ford in the 1948 comedy, "The Mating of Millie," and had been in a few other films with Ford in lesser roles. And she would have more leads and supporting roles over the next decade plus. But Keyes was tied to Columbia Pictures, which was not one of the Big Five of Hollywood's golden era. So, she never achieved the star status that the leading ladies of the biggest studios did.
RKO was one of the golden era Big Five of Hollywood, and one can tell by the screenplay, sets and camera work that "Mr. Lucky was a first-class production from start to finish. "Mr. Soft Touch, on the other hand, had a screenplay with holes. It wasn't tightly knit and coherent. The direction and editing appear very weak. On the other hand, the camera work is quite exceptional in this film, as it captures the mood of a noir atmosphere in the orphanage and street settings. That may have had something to do with the revisions in the story plot, so that the lower side of life on the streets could get by with much less cost for sets, costumes and design.
The endings to the two films are very good twists, and very different. But, for Mr. Soft Touch, the audience isn't quite sure of the final outcome as the film comes to a close. One other thing is worth noting about "Mr. Soft Touch." It's opening has a very good and rather long scene of a car chase.
This is a good movie with an interesting, if somewhat incomplete story, but mystery film buffs should enjoy it. This review begged comparison with "Mr. Lucky" because of the same story source and the very revisions of characters and plots. And, for those who have seen the earlier film, but not yet this one, it's to help the enjoyment of "Mr. Soft Touch" by dispelling any expectations that it might match the earlier film.
