JohnHowardReid Earl Baldwin's screenplay of this Damon Runyon tale preserves much of the inimitable flavor of the original – as well as the clever way in which the plot works out! Although he does not have as many humorous opportunities as usual, Joe E. Brown fits well into the title role. The accent is on plot rather than repartee, but director Lloyd Bacon keeps it moving briskly along, assisted by good camera-work by Ira Morgan.Sets and costumes, alas, are on the drab side, but admittedly this does certainly suit the movie's overall tone and atmosphere.Among the supporting cast, it's a thrill to see my favorite songwriters, namely Harry Warren and Al Dubin, playing themselves, although it's mighty strange to find Paul Hurst (who usually has a major role in the action) as a guest in the party scene.

MartinHafer "A Very Honorable Guy" is a very dark comedy--and very little in it is all that funny. Still, despite this, it was enjoyable mostly because it was such a strange film and a welcome change of pace for Joe E. Brown.When the film begins, 'Feet' Samuels (Brown) is having a long run of very bad luck. He owes everyone and his life is on the skids. So, because he was so honest, instead of not paying off his bets he comes up with a bizarre solution--to offer his body to any scientist who wants it IF they give him $1000 so he can settle his affairs. In a weird twist, however, suddenly the guy has amazingly good luck- --so much that his life should be terrific. But, he STILL has a contract with Dr. Snitzer--and the local gambling boss has guaranteed that the contract WILL be honored! As I mentioned, this is very dark. But the film was enjoyable and I liked its strangeness. Worth seeing and a bit better than usual for Brown.

vincentlynch-moonoi Perhaps a bit darker than the typical Joe E. Brown comedy. Here, Brown plays a down-and-out gambler who decides to sell his body to get out of gambling debt and make a clean slate of it. Of course, just before he has to knock himself off to collect from a doctor (who is also courting his girl friend), his luck changes and he is suddenly in the dough. He gets out of the deal through a fairly clever plot twist near the end of the film...one at least I didn't see coming.This is very much Joe E. Brown's film. I can't say much for his girlfriend in the film -- it was about this time that a scandal ruined her career. It was interesting to see "thug" Harold Huber here; a classic character actor who was sadly totally typecast.Although it's a clever concept, the plot is thin. More could have been done with it. Maybe it was just that First National was the poor sister to Warner Brothers. It's okay, and not too long. The print shown on TCM seemed to have a faulty soundtrack, both in terms of some distortion and some places where the moving lips didn't perfectly match the words. Nevertheless, it's fun to watch Joe E. Brown in a Damon Runyon story.

data-25 O.K., so this not the best Joe E. Brown vehicle. The script is weak and the laughs few. But it did have some amusing moments, such as the scene in Mindy's, when Robert Barrat pours just about every condiment into his coffee and Alan Dinehart looks on in disbelief. Or the tear gas scene. The capable cast tries hard but apart from a couple of funny scenes, they can do little with inferior material. Still, I thought it was kind of cute. Joe E. Brown fans should enjoy it.