Hot Tip (1935) User Reviews

A Family Affair

[boblipton · 5/10 · 26 September 2016]

Jame's Gleason's daughter, Margeret Callahan, wants to get married to Russell Gleason (his real life son), but they need money, so Gleason offers to pick out a winner at the racetrack with Russell's money. He does, much to the youngsters' delight, but loses the money. Complications ensue.

This highly competent cast (including Zasu Pitts as Gleason's wife) never quite hits the mark, due to an unsuccessful attempt to merge a crazy comic plot with some realistic characterizations. There are a couple of small moments between Gleason and Pitts that are quite charming, but co-directors Gleason and Ray McCarey never quite manage to meld the two strands in this RKO B movie.

I was expecting more from this film...

[AlsExGal · 5/10 · 9 October 2016]

... given that two of the great comic character actors of the 1930s were in starring roles - James Gleason and Zasu Pitts as Jimmy and Belle McGill, middle class married couple and owners of a diner where Jimmy happily presides every day. They have a daughter, Jane (Margaret Calahan) who is in love with a guy who works at the car wash. Oddly they call it an "auto laundry", which was maybe another name for it 80 years ago.

At any rate, the McGills don't want their daughter to marry a fellow who is just working at a car wash. Jane says he intends to buy the place, and they give their blessings if that happens. The problem is, he only has 200 dollars of the 2000 he needs. Now this is where two problems collide. Jimmy has a thing for horse racing. He's not a compulsive gambler as much as he is just fascinated with the entire endeavor. So Jimmy promises their daughter's fiancé that if he gives him the two hundred he has, he'll find a sure thing at the track, bet the money, and run the two hundred into the two thousand he needs.

Now Jimmy does this like an exact science. He isolates himself off in a room, lays out papers and research on the horses and comes to a decision. His decision is right...BUT, at the last minute he ignores his instincts and bets on another horse. His original choice that he did not bet on wins. So now he feels obligated to use his own money since he lost the money of his future son in law. This is where the hijinks begin.

For two days, Jimmy is doing all sorts of things to get the money he needs to bet on Honey Girl, a new horse running at the track. Problem is Honey Girl's owner isn't exactly good with money, and debtors keep putting a lien against the horse, keeping her from running, so Jimmy is having to cover those financial problems too. It isn't long until he is involved in mortgaging everything he owns - sometimes twice - and writing bad checks to get this horse and his money into the race. If he succeeds - prosperity. If he fails - prison.

Now this sounds like the stuff of tragedy, but everybody involved is so ridiculous and farcical it comes off completely as comedy. The other big problem? Jimmy never bothered to tell his wife about any of this - the original bet, the larceny to recover the original money, nothing. As a result he doesn't come home for two days and his wife is ready to divorce him. How will this all work out? Watch and find out.

Why did I give this only a five? Because Zasu is off by herself being as funny as she can be given the situation, but she really doesn't have that many comic moments to play off of. Likewise, James Gleason is funny, but would have been funnier if he had someone of comparable talent - like Zasu - to play off of. The script just doesn't give him that opportunity since the two are apart for most of the film.

If you like the actors I'd recommend it. Otherwise it is probably a fifty fifty proposition that you'll enjoy it.

And their off and running

[kapelusznik18 · 5/10 · 30 September 2016]

***SPOILERS*** Little known horse racing movie released in 1935 the year that Ohmaha the son of 1930 triple crown winner Gallent Fox won the triple crown, and get's mentioned in the movie, that's about this self styled master handicapper, who didn't have a winner in months, Jimmy McGill,James Gleason, who tries to to help out his daughter Jane's, Margaret Callahan, boyfriend Ben Johnson played by Russell Gleason-who fell to his death, after partying all night, out of a 12 floor window from the Sutton Hotel the day after Christmas 1945- become financially independent by buying the car wash business that he works for.

After studying the Daily Racing Form all night burning the midnight oil Jimmy comes up with a sure winner "Lead Pipe" for Ben to put his, all $200,00 worth, money on. As it turned out "Lead Pipe"-A "Led Pipe" cinch- did win the race but at the very last moment Jimmy went off him for a 35 to 1 shot "Sand Blast" who finished up the track together with Ben's $200.00 or as it turned out $185.00!

Not having the nerve to tell Ben and Jane that he screwed up their bet Jimmy now tries to win their money back by betting his entire life savings as well as the keys to his coffee diner on a horse called "Honey Girl" whom he nickname his wife Belle, Zasu Pitts, thinking the horse will bail him out of his troubles as well as becoming part owner of the horse who's to run the next day in a $20,000.00 stake race, That's about $250,000.00 in 2016 dollars, at the track!

***SPOILERS*** With "Honey Girl" about to be scratched from the race in it's owner not paying its feed bills Jimmy comes up with the cash to get her in the race which she easily wins going away and not only saves his diner from being foreclosed but has Ben get total control of the car wash business that he works, at $15.00 a week, for. With his horse playing days now behind him Jimmy can get back to pouring coffee and flipping pancakes for his customers without his wife worrying about from where the next buck will come from!

Marriage is a gamble enough. Stay away from the horses.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 23 February 2019]

That's something that daughter Margaret Callahan should have told pop James Gleason as he put down a bet on a horse that ended up falling, giving mom Zasu Pitts ammunition against dad for years. Now Callahan is engaged to car wash owner Russell Gleason and pop wants to win on a sure thing (or so he believes) but he must get through mom to get to the betting booth. Pop Gleason (in real life, the father of on-screen son-in-law-to-be) changes his tune at the very end and must go out of his way to make up for the loss, getting himself into trouble with the community and dealing with a pair of crooks who have somehow intermingled themselves into Gleason's good graces.

Two fine leads (the elder Gleason and Pitts) are a perfect match, but unfortunately the script for this film is very weak and doesn't sustain interest in spite of a short running time. Pitts has little to do really other than worried with her fidgety hands (per usual) and nag Gleason (which she does hysterically), but Gleason, whom the majority of the action revolves around, plays a very irresponsible character which makes rooting for him difficult. Callahan and the younger Gleason do what they can with rather undefined parts, but are overwhelmed by the ridiculous contrivance of the main plot. My hot tip for this movie? Watch it to see the two stars, and don't expect much.