Never Trust a Gambler

Dane Clark, Cathy O' Donnell, Jeff Corey, and Tom Drake with Good Support seek to Make this Pedestrian Picture Rise Above its Pedigree.

Almost but Not Quite.

The Movie is a One-Note Song about a No-Good Ex-Husband Preying on His Sweet Ex-Wife.

An Annoying Lech of a Police Sgt. Bullys the Mrs. In a Hard-to-Watch Scene and a Nosey Neighbor Irritates as well

O' Donnell is a Sweetie-Pie and the Detectives on the case are a Match for the Career Criminal Clark.

Some Suspense Ensues as the Police Close-In at a Ship-Yard Finale that is the Best this Effort can Offer.

Even the Title Gives the Thing Away.

It's an Unremarkable Straight-Forward Cops and Robbers Yarn that might Masquerade in Promotions as a Film-Noir. It Ain't.

The Good Actors and a Scene or Two that Stand-Out can't Rise the Movie Above Average.

A Rather Ho-Hum B-Movie, but for Die-Hard Crime Genre Fans...

Worth a Watch.

Gambler-fugitive seeks refuge with ex-wife, even as police close in.

Except for the cleverly staged finale—a giant crane on the LA loading docks—it's a pretty pedestrian crime story. Despite the poor ratings from the professionals, I tuned in because of the cast. Clark makes an excellent tough-guy-with-soul as in Deep Valley (1947) and Moonrise (1948), while O'Donnell is enough to make a grown man cry in the transcendent They Live by Night (1948). What this film crucially lacks, however, is mood. It's filmed in straightforward unimaginative style, much like a TV episode. As a result, there's no complementary atmosphere to frame the twosome's particular talents, thereby largely wasting them. Too bad, because the film would likely do just as well with any number of lesser talents in the leads.

It doesn't help that the screenplay is unexceptional with few surprises, except maybe for the randy cop (Williams). Still, you wonder how such a crude guy could possibly stay on the force, let alone as a sergeant. It's also a cheaply produced programmer with two or three basic sets. At least, Columbia knew something more was needed, hence the scenic finale. All in all, the movie's a routine programmer, at best.

A moderately entertaining crime flick starring Dane Clark as a fugitive gambler who finds shelter in the home of his ex. More police procedural (as the detective in charge of the case follows Clark's trail) than film noir, and not even a very suspenseful one at that. Tom Drake turns in the film's best performance as the cop, and Clark is fine, but Cathy O'Donnell--who could have stolen the whole damn movie as the pretty but gullible Virginia--spends most of her time looking either indecisive or worried, and not much else. A genuine character study of a woman trapped--now THAT would have been something to see.

Steve Gerry is a small-time gambler on the run from the law. He shows up at his sweet innocent school teacher Ex-wife's house giving her a story about needing to avoid the law because he friend is on trial for killing his wife, only he knows his friend didn't do it...but that he would have to testify that they fought "and that would look bad". He also gave evidence of him mending his gambling ways by saying he and his friend were in the boat business together and he showed her his bank book with $600 monthly deposits as evidence.

Our sweet and naïve school teacher, Virginia, takes him in and says he can stay for one night. She goes to get groceries and is hassled and then followed by cop and lecherous drunk friend of her former roommate. He forces his way in to her house and tries to take advantage of her...Steve steps in to intervene and in the tussle kills the cop.

This brings police Sargent Ed Donovan (played by handsome Tom Drake) and partner to Virginia's door.

In the end there is a great classic noir chase involving cranes at the shipyard. Great investigation with appropriate moments of waiting and interviews. I loved the women's response to the news that the lecherous cop is dead!

"Bachelors never sleep."-Cop #1

If you are fan of noir or police procedures, you should watch this film.

...but in the end it falls flat. Steve Garry (Dane Clark) is on the run from the police because he is a material witness in the murder trial of a friend of his who is accused of murdering his wife. The problem is that anything Garry would say would implicate his friend, not clear him. He runs to the home of his ex-wife, Virginia (Cathy O'Donnell), to hide out. She divorced him because he was a gambler and not trustworthy. But before he can move on from her house she is followed home by a lecherous cop who is planning to assault her when he is confronted by Garry, who accidentally kills him in a fight. Garry disposes of the body trying to make it look like a drunk driving accident. So now Garry and his ex wife have real trouble on their hands.

The cast is excellent - I have always believed Dane Clark was underrated and underused, especially in his time over at Warner Brothers. But the direction is really uninspired. And then there are all of those annoying supporting players who usually make little crime films like these. There is Virginia's annoying elderly neighbor who - comes over to borrow two dollars??? That would be 40 dollars in today's money. Who does such things? I don't remember her returning it either. Then there is the night shift bus driver who has to have a job he hates, or is at least bored by it, who remembers everybody who was on the bus the night before with perfect clarity. And his wife - who can't shut up about how dishonest he is to the cops - She may hate living with the guy, but he is her bread and butter and yet she acts like she wants him arrested. Cathy Donnelly's doe-eyed act was great in "They Live By Night" but here it just outstays its welcome. And it looks odd in contrast to all of the other 20 something women in the cast who look and sound like they are doing Virginia Mayo imitations from White Heat.

It has a great twist in the end, but overall it cries out for a script rewrite and better direction.