It's a paradox that "The Love Lottery" is a delightful comedy largely without laughs (except for one very big one at the end which I won't reveal, though it's worth the wait).
A statistician (Herbert Lom, later to become the hilarious eternal foil of Inspector Clouseau) approaches Errol Flynn-esque film star Rex Allerton (David Niven, who knew Flynn personally) with the notion of raffling himself off as a groom to marry the lucky winner.
Niven's character, troubled by dreams of a beautiful young woman he's never met (Peggy Cummins) thinks the idea ludicrous until Lom's colleague Jane helps seduce the actor into playing along.
While Cummins' star-struck character (Sally) stocks up on lottery tickets Rex and Jane begin falling for each other. Will they find married bliss together, or will the fear of jilting a quarter of a million ticket holders keep Rex from tying the knot prematurely?
The most amusing scenes are the ones reminiscent of Buster Keaton's "Seven Chances." And if you don't know what I mean, look it up.
The most notable feature of the movie is the brief appearance of rising talents: Gordon Jackson, Theodore Bikel and Sebastian Cabot, all destined to varying degrees of international fame in the 1960s.
A statistician (Herbert Lom, later to become the hilarious eternal foil of Inspector Clouseau) approaches Errol Flynn-esque film star Rex Allerton (David Niven, who knew Flynn personally) with the notion of raffling himself off as a groom to marry the lucky winner.
Niven's character, troubled by dreams of a beautiful young woman he's never met (Peggy Cummins) thinks the idea ludicrous until Lom's colleague Jane helps seduce the actor into playing along.
While Cummins' star-struck character (Sally) stocks up on lottery tickets Rex and Jane begin falling for each other. Will they find married bliss together, or will the fear of jilting a quarter of a million ticket holders keep Rex from tying the knot prematurely?
The most amusing scenes are the ones reminiscent of Buster Keaton's "Seven Chances." And if you don't know what I mean, look it up.
The most notable feature of the movie is the brief appearance of rising talents: Gordon Jackson, Theodore Bikel and Sebastian Cabot, all destined to varying degrees of international fame in the 1960s.