The Lady’s from Kentucky starring George Raft and Ellen Drew was released on April 28, 1939. This drama/romance featured a character with whom George was very familiar, an easy-going if down on his luck gambler who wins half interest in a racehorse co-owned by a beautiful woman. To be sure there are some twists and turns, but this was a late 1930s film, so audiences wanted George to cross the finish line as an admirable man who wins the love of his leading lady. Shouldn’t life always turn out that way?
The New York Times said the film “affirms the old Hollywood faith in good breeding, two-legged and four, by demonstrating once again that the New York gambler turned loose to graze in the Bluegrass inevitably comes a spiritual cropper and awakens a new and better man” conceding that “the picture moves briskly enough”. Variety said, “Raft is in his element”, but found weaknesses in both the script and direction. Those are difficult obstacles to overcome by even the best actors. The box office of $210,339 (the equivalent of nearly $4.5 million today) was its total take.
This was George’s final film under contract to Paramount Pictures. It is now owned by Universal and not currently available either for streaming or broadcast. If that should change, I will let you know.