a brilliant russian émigré devise the stanislavsky system for win at contract bridge which make him and his beautiful wife the grand slam sweetheart of america . what could have be just another silly soap opera be elevate by fine production value and excellent act to the status of a very enjoyable little comedy . a few unexpected touch be throw in to keep the viewer attention engage the way in which the principle cast be introduce a face on a deck of card while the introduction of a zany acrobat into the plot for no other reason than to enjoy a bit of lunacy while and the way in which a wide variety of different kind of american be show to be transfix by listen to the broadcast of the concluding game . paul lukas and loretta young do very well a the bridge sweethearts lukas suave and sophisticated and miss young passionately loving and beautiful ( even if the script keep her puffing on a cigarette a bit too much ) . they be fun to watch and even when their behavior be not always the most believable or compelling . frank mchugh give another good performance a a relentlessly cheerful ghost writer who adore miss young . the delightful glenda farrell eschew her customary wisecracking persona in a small role a mchugh ditsy gal pal . roscoe karns handle the fast talk dialogue a a brash radio announcer . diminutive ferdinand gottschalk be wonderful a a snobbish bridge expert . movie maven will recognize dewey robinson a a belligerent nightclub patron while emma dunn a a sob sister reporter while paul porcasi a the owner of the russian nightclub while charles lane a a russian waiter while and jimmy conlin a a kibitzer at the final bridge game all uncredited . the film take advantage of the fad for contract bridge which have sweep across the country since it development in the 1920 . it expect the viewer to have a basic knowledge of the intricacy of the game and make no attempt to explain anything to the uninformed .