TCM celebrated director William Dieterle’s birthday. I watched Grand Slam. I have to admit how can you make a film about a Bridge player and card games? The answer as you watch this film is by treating the card came and players like boxers. This is a very fast paced film. I will even go as far as stating it is a parody of boxing. I don’t know anything about Bridge other than what I have seen on I Love Lucy.

Loretta Young plays a hat check girl. Paul Lukas plays a Russian waiter. They fall in love and marry. Loretta Young and friends teach Paul how to play Bridge. Paul is a writer and interested in travel whose job as a waiter pays the bills. One night Paul is reading a book and playing Bridge. He briefly looks at his cards and his opening bid is 7 Spade. The others give him a hard time. He is called in to work as a waiter at a Bridge party. He is asked to make up a 4th and once again opening bid is 7 Spade. He also states that Bridge is childish. One of the players at the table is Van Dorn a Bridge expert. After a while everyone is around that table as Paul completes that came. Loretta is meeting Paul after work and meets up with her old friend Frank McHugh. He has become an author. The next day there is a story in the paper about Paul beating Van Dorn. Paul describes Van Dorn as “Jackie Cooper with a beard”. Frank tries to convince Paul to write a book, but he doesn’t want to so Frank will write it for him under Paul’s name, Stanislavsky. Frank then creates a brand name. Loretta asks Paul to give it a year, which he agrees. During an interview the writer calls Paul and Loretta America’s Bridge Sweethearts since they don’t fight. Bridge is supposed to keep husbands and wives together. There are radio broadcasts of the Bridge games. While radio spots are on, families are shown playing Bridge.

They go on a cross country tour playing Bridge. They start to argue, mainly about Bridge playing. Due to the fame, Paul becomes in demand by females for personal tutoring on Bridge. One night Paul goes to a woman’s apartment for lessons. Frank states “Every town he has to buy a bigger hat”. Loretta jealous asks Frank to take her out, which he does. She goes to the woman’s apartment at midnight and is told that he left an hour before. The taxi has battery problems and can’t leave. Paul comes out of the apartment house. Loretta leaves Paul. Paul goes to Frank to find her, but he wont talk. Frank decides to tell the press the real story and there is a scandal. Paul decides to quit and his backers state they are out money. Paul goes to Van Dorn who was an Indian in a medicine show. Paul asks Van Dorn to publicly challenge him to a game.

The night of the Bridge game a table is set up surrounded by ropes. There a coast to coast radio broadcast with an announcer who gives a play of the action. The contenders shake hands and when the word “play” is said the world literally stops and there is a montage of action stopping in the middle of the motion. They don’t have any cards. A reporter has give someone a dollar to get a couple of packs of cards. While waiting a reporter tells Paul that his wife is in Reno and will file for a divorce in the morning. The cards arrive and Paul, distracted ends up 15,000 points down at the end of the first night. During the game there are shots of the crowds reacting to the plays called. The next night Paul can’t get a partner and a fellow card playing waiter becomes his partner. During the game there is a to do and the partner is taken out of the game. Loretta has come in to watch the game and becomes his partner. After the announcer states America’s Bridge Sweethearts the world starts to spin again and the action that was stopped earlier is back in action. After playing a while Van Dorn concedes. The crowds cheer. The couple back together get away and decide no more bridge.