Mr. Lucky

I wouldn't do that if I were you.

Wouldn't you? Thanks for the advice.

But how do I know she ain't gonna jump?

She's alright. She's not gonna do anything.

Just gonna stand there.

'Then she's gonna walk up and down'

"and then she'll go and lean against that bollard'

'and just stand there and look out to sea.'

She ain't got no right to be out there without a pass!

Brother, she'll have a pass.

She could have a pass to the White House if she wanted it.

You start pushing around, you're going to get yourself

into trouble. She's a somebody.

Speakin' of passes, where's yours?

Oh.

You're new here, aren't you?

Ship's master, huh?

I came ashore on a dinghy.

It's tied up down there at the end of the pier.

There, you see?

- Told you she was alright. - 'What's she gonna do now?'

Just look. She's watching for a ship to come in.

Only it's sitting at the bottom of the Atlantic.

What ship is that?

Used to be called the Fortuna.

Oh, yeah, that gamblin' ship.

She used to be sitting right here at this dock...

- That's right. - You know, I was on Pier 27...

Yeah, I know, I know.

It was owned by a boss gambler called Joe the Greek.

- You ever hear of him? - Oh, sure, I did.

Everybody read the newspapers and, uh..

- You know him? - Yep.

- I was master of the Fortuna. - Eh..

Say, tell me, was he, was he really a Greek?

Nobody ever knew what he was, except tough.

And, brother, you got to understand

he wasn't just ordinary tough, he was double tough!

And too smart for his own good.

Oh, huh.

- Crossed you up, huh? - Oh, no.

Crossed himself up.

How?

That's how.

'Right here on this pier was the last time'

she ever saw him.

When was that?

Back a ways when we had the Fortuna tied up here.

We weren't operating then.

We were broke and full of trouble.

One day Joe comes breezing in

with his face full of fine and dandy

and his heart full of ice water.

You see, we had been driven off the west coast by the law.

Put in here to raise a bankroll

so we could operate in Havana.

Joe was kind of up against it.

There was a Greek sailor on board

at that time, a guy named Bascopolous.

- How's Bascopolous? - Huh.

Looks like he's gonna join Barnum and Bailey, Joe.

What did the doc say?

Well, according to the doc, he's already gone.

Said he wouldn't last over an hour two hours ago.

All gone inside.

- How'd it go uptown today? - Swell. Thanks, Swede.

I got the plaster taken off the boat. We can sail anytime.

Good, you know those mugs of yours

have been getting kinda restless.

Oh, yeah?

- Let me know when he goes. - Right.

Hey, Blubber. Fix this thing!

- Something wrong, boss? - It paid!

There ain't no customers, Joe.

There's gonna be customers where we're goin'.

- Fix it! - Okay.

Hello, boys. Well, I got it.

Cost me ten grand, but it was worth it.

Look at that, signed by His Honor

the superior court judge.

Took seven lawyers to write it, and Joe to do the fixing.

Put it in the safe, Zepp.

Boys, we're sailing for Havana

as soon as Bascopolous kicks off.

Forget it, Joe. This ship ain't goin' nowhere.

- Who says so? - 'Your Uncle Sam.'

- What is this? A rib? - Yeah.

Take a gander at those kites.

"J. Bascopolous, G. Zepp, J. Adams, eh.."

1-A? They can't do this to me, I'm a civilian.

'That's what you think.'

Take a look at mine, I got the same thing.

1-A!

They don't even give you time to cut off a leg.

How do you juice your way out of the army?

'You don't.'

Listen, this is my war, I had my war

crawling out of the gutter the hard way.

- I won that war. - Yeah?

Well, it looks like you're gonna help win this one.

Go on, I don't recognize any other war.

It's okay, chief. Don't worry.

- I got it all fixed, Joe. - Yeah?

We can hop a plane out of here for Mexico City in two hours.

- What? - Yeah.

And from there, we can catch a plane to Rio.

You can work South America until this

soldier business blows over.

Yeah, take it easy, Crunk.

There's a lot of guys with big dough down there, Joe.

Yeah, well, relax. Thanks, Crunk.

Look, you think I'm gonna give up the boat

on account of this card?

None of you other guys got one, huh?

That's what you get for using your own name.

Change it once a month the way we do.

Who says it's my own name?

"J. Bascopolous." ” What did he get?

"4-F?" What's that?

It means they don't want him. He's physically unfit.

- Uh, lucky stiff. - Yeah.

He's physically unfit alright.

Or is he?

Alright, boys, get lost.

One of us is out of the army, Joe.

Who declared you in?

Well, we're partners, ain't we?

'That's a 50-50 proposition in my book.'

What do you want, half the card?

I'll trade you my half of the boat for the card, Joe.

What good would a boat do me in the army?

The one who gets the card gets the boat along with it.

'Who gets it, Joe?'

Wanna cut for it?

Poker dice.

'You got a deal.' - I'll get the box.

Wait a minute.

Can't you wait and make the thing legal?

'What's wrong with poker dice?'

Not a thing. Only the guy ain't dead yet.

I never took anything off a pal in my life.

After he joins the circus, that's different.

Come on.

Nervous.

Take your best shot, Zepp.

Three kings, Joe.

Have a smoke, Crunk.

'Four kings, Joe.'

In two rolls.

Beat it!

Can you hold it a minute, chief?

Shoot.

Three aces.

What did you think this was? Amateur night?

I don't get you, Joe.

Didn't you see an elephant walk

across the table with muddy feet?

Oh, I didn't pull a switch on you, Joe.

Didn't you?

Then blow on it for luck.

Go on, blow!

'I wouldn't shuffle around my own partner.'

Sure, you wouldn't.

One more ace, that's it.

Yeah, that's it.

There it is.

Well, looks like the army needs men like you, Zepp.

Take good care of yourself.

I'll have a nice big service flag

with a single star on it hangin' in my office.

Just for you.

- Swede, see you later. - Where you going, Joe?

Uptown, raise a bankroll so we can sail.

I thought you told me you lifted the plaster.

Sure, but that took everything we had.

We need 50 grand before we can start operatin'.

- Where you gonna get it? - Oh..

I can raise that kind of wind

in one afternoon.

Oh, uh, Swede, shake hands

with the new Joe Bascopolous.

- Alright. - Here, uh, Swede.

Take this dough and give Joe Adams in there

a swell funeral, lots of nice white flowers.

Always thought the guy had a lot of good in him.

- What's he talking about? - You explain it to him, Crunk..

While I get a fresh tie and change my fiddle. Go on.

Well, I guess that's enough of that.

Yup.

You anxious to get in the service?

You don't know what it cost me, doc.

That's too bad. Your blood pressure is 210.

- We can't use you. - Well, you can't use..

I said we can't use you. I-I'm sorry.

Will it hurt if I get drunk?

Well, it-it won't do you any good.

Well, I am gonna get drunk and I am gonna stay drunk.

Too bad. A fine, patriotic fellow.

It's been a shock to him.

Hey, come on. Throw that thing away.