Mister Cory was Tony Curtis' 16th film but it still served as a bit of a breakout picture for the then 32-year-old Curtis. It marked the first in a string of excellent leading roles (Sweet Smell of Success, The Vikings, Kings Go Forth, The Defiant Ones, culminating with Some Like it Hot 2 years later.
Mister Cory is also a relatively early film for director/writer Blake Edwards. The story is deceptively simple - a Chicago kid from the wrong side of the tracks desires all the trappings of the good life using his good looks and perchance for gambling to get there. It rises above its melodramatic plot with the inclusion of a rock-solid Curtis in the lead role and a stellar cast of charactor actors. Mister Cory is engaging and satisfying (surprising for a film that doesn't rate terribly well).
It's a little lightweight at times but the story arc and the performances more than compensate. On a side note, the perky and stunning Kathryn Grant who plays the younger sister married Bing Crosby a year later and returned to acting only sporadically thereafter. Too bad, she nearly steals this picture.
A solid 7.2/10 for Curtis, the strong cast, and deft direction from a young Edwards.
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