The Jackpot

Starring: James Stewart, Barbara Hale, James Gleason, Fred Clark, Natalie Wood, Alan Mowbray
Directed by: Walter Lang
Rating: Passed
Comedy
1950

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A man (James Stewart) wins a plethora of prizes from a radio show. When he realizes he needs to pay income tax on his winnings, his blessing soon turns into a curse and complicates his relationship with his wife (Barbara Hale).

Review:

Tim: While The Jackpot will never be one of James Stewart's best or best known films, it's still an enjoyable little comedy. I had fun watching the movie and consider this a worthwhile film. The set up is pretty simple, but it's incredibly appropriate for the time frame in which it was released (the early 1950s).

The story is about a man who wins a radio contest and then struggles to figure out how to pay the taxes on it. What surprised me was how long it took for him to win the radio contest. I mean this in a good way- whereas other films might rush to get to this point, The Jackpot takes its time setting up the characters and the radio contest. I was actually shocked how long it took for the contest itself to take- however, it also offered many of the film's funniest moments. Whether that's Stewart getting knocked unconscious or the zany antics of waiting anxiously to see if they won, those scenes were some of the best in the film. Stewart is always such an incredible actor, and it's in these early scenes where he shines the brightest. The radio contest is easily the highlight of the film.

Once that's over, the film slowly decreases in quality, but not substantially. It does take on a more slapstick feel. Our protagonist family is excited, then overwhelmed by the deliveries of all the contest winnings. It makes for fairly humorous dealings, although it might feel a little bit unrealistic. The crazy thing is that this film is based on a true story, of a Rhode Island man who won $24,000 worth of merchandise from a radio program. I had to keep that in mind during the film's crazier scenes- that while they were obviously given a Hollywood spin, the basic facts of the film actually happened.

Stewart is clearly the best part of the film and I had fun watching his performance here. He gets the most screen time and doesn't disappoint. It was fun to see Natalie Wood in an early career role as Stewart's daughter. Barbara Hale was fine- she has a few good moments here and there, but it didn't feel like she was quite up to Stewart's level. The supporting cast is fine, although there aren't any real standouts.

Once the family gets the merchandise, the film does bog down. It's still entertaining, but it feels like it takes a long time to work through the slow decent before Stewart's character hits rock bottom. I found the last half of the film less effective than the first half. It's never a bad movie, but the latter half can't reach the heights of the first. Luckily, the first half is so funny and entertaining that it doesn't feel like too much of a chore getting to the end of the film.

The Jackpot is certainly a movie that is forgotten by most of today's audiences. Stewart is good in it, but you never hear it mentioned. Some of the reason for that is obvious- Stewart made so many better films than this. However, The Jackpot is still an enjoyable (albeit lightweight) comedy. It's worth seeing.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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