The Luckiest Guy in the World
1947 | 21m | English
Popularity: 0.5 (history)
| Director: | Joseph M. Newman |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Doane R. Hoag, Emile C. Tepperman |
| Staring: |
| In this MGM Crime Does Not Pay series short, a man destroys his life through gambling debts and stealing company funds. | |
| Release Date: | Jan 25, 1947 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Joseph M. Newman |
| Writer: | Doane R. Hoag, Emile C. Tepperman |
| Genres: | Crime, Drama |
| Keywords | gambling debt, accidental death, embezzlement, short film, crime does not pay |
| Production Companies | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Jan 30, 2026 Entered: May 11, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Barry Nelson | Charles Vurn |
| Eloise Hardt | Martha Vurn |
| George Travell | John the Hired Driver |
| Milton Kibbee | Mr. Ashland |
| Harry Cheshire | Mr. Mossley |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Doane R. Hoag | Screenplay |
| Emile C. Tepperman | Original Story |
| Charles Salerno Jr. | Director of Photography |
| Chester W. Schaeffer | Editor |
| Max Terr | Music |
| Harry McAfee | Art Direction |
| Joseph M. Newman | Director |
| Name | Title |
|---|
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2024 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2024 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 2024 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 2024 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| 2024 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 1 |
| 2024 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2024 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| 2024 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Trending Position
“Vurn” (Barry Nelson) is $150 in the hole to his bookie and so borrows the proceeds of his insurance job to settle the debt and back some horses. He regularly fobs off his boss (Milton Kibbee), but this time he wants the cash - and next day, too. Luckily, his wife (Eloise Hardt) has a nest-egg from ... her late mother, but she isn’t about to hand it over to this wastrel and so a scuffle ensues with tragic consequences. Rather than face up to those, he decides to abscond but before he can board the bus he realises that there might just be a better, and much more lucrative, solution - but what chance he can get away with it all? You do have to suspend reality a bit with “Vurn” as he acquires some rather unpleasant skills a bit too readily and the story becomes just a little too contrived so as to tee up the denouement, but on that front he does rather prove the point of all of the previous editions of this “Crime Does Not Pay” series and I did find the ending really quite fitting.