A fairly basic plot where a respected bank clerk Ernest Draper (Frederick Leister) is asked by the board to front a new "hundred pound Tote window" at Brae Park racecourse - one of his clients John Humphries (Claude Bailey) wins big at the first meeting and invites everyone to a celebration at the Cucaracha Club where Ernest Draper runs up a huge debt in the club casino causing his life to go in a downward spiral. Ernest Draper and his wife Millie (Mary Clare) both come across really well in the film but the rest of the acting is pretty dull and I didn't like David Attenborough's role as their son Tommy Draper, an immature aeronautical engineer trying to gain a scholarship to invent a new propeller.

The racecourse featured in the film is referred to as "Brae Park" but judging by the close up of the stands and track and the fact that people also travelled there by boat I'm pretty sure this is Windsor racecourse. An old Pathe film of the racecourse from the same year seems to back up my hypothesis (You Tube). Ernest Draper is given a guided tour of the racecourse when he first gets the Tote job which was a nice touch but there weren't many shots of the course and stand and the poor film quality of my copy didn't help either. There is a short racing sequence with some good close up shots in which the 3/1 FAV wins comfortably and gives John Humprhies a nice return on his £1000 investment.

This Warner Brothers film was originally on the "lost" list but luckily a film collector discovered a 16mm print from which copies were made. I managed to get hold of a copy from a dealer in America and even though quality is quite poor I'm still glad that I bought it. The stoyline is fairly week and I don't like the character played by Richard Attenborough but it was good to see old views of Windsor racecourse and the operations of the Tote back then. (Rating 3/10)

Millie Draper: "Ernest Where have you been?"