The professional gambler Ross Hadley is the owner of a posh gaming establishment in the heart of New York. Hadley's main antagonist is his childhood friend Mike McGlennon who is determined t... Read allThe professional gambler Ross Hadley is the owner of a posh gaming establishment in the heart of New York. Hadley's main antagonist is his childhood friend Mike McGlennon who is determined to stop the gambling activities of Ross.The professional gambler Ross Hadley is the owner of a posh gaming establishment in the heart of New York. Hadley's main antagonist is his childhood friend Mike McGlennon who is determined to stop the gambling activities of Ross.
Steve Brown
- Boy
- (uncredited)
Jimmy Conlin
- Nicky
- (uncredited)
Clancy Cooper
- Tim Riley
- (uncredited)
Joseph Crehan
- Toby
- (uncredited)
Dick Curtis
- Mr. Hadley
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe failure of the original copyright holder to renew the film's copyright resulted in it falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of the film. Therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market are either severely (and usually badly) edited and/or of extremely poor quality, having been duped from second- or third-generation (or more) copies of the film.
- Crazy creditsFor the opening credits, the film title is spelled out in actual playing cards Is dealt by a dealer's hand across the screen. The star's names are uncovered when poker chips are swept away by a hand. The rest of the opening titles are spelled out on a gambling table.
- SoundtracksThe Sidewalks of New York
Music by Charles Lawlor
Lyrics by James W. Blake
Played during the opening credits and occasionally in the score
Also sung by Nancy Kelly
Featured review
Predictable but competent period piece set in New York City, circa 1911
Gambler's Choice is the kind of movie where halfway through, you're trying to guess how it's going to end. Why? Because the plot is so familiar and you've already wracked your brains trying to remember how it ended when Cagney and O'Brien and Gable and Powell and them were in it. –No, Gambler's Choice is not especially original; perhaps oddly, it's still quite watchable.
Three childhood friends are reunited after many years apart: Chester Morris has grown up to become a charismatic but crooked casino owner; Russell Hayden is an honest cop in a city of corruption; and Nancy Kelly is the nightclub singer who loves them both. Which one will she eventually choose? and what will happen when Lucky and Blackie—er, Hayden and Morris—inevitably clash?
Of the supporting cast, Sheldon Leonard as the rival casino owner looks most like he's enjoying himself, but his is only one of several familiar faces (Tom Dugan, Lloyd Corrigan, even Lyle Talbot). Morris does well in the second half but seems somehow unnatural in the early going. Hayden is okay but isn't given a lot to do that's really interesting. Kelly could also have been more interesting; again, there's not a lot that she does or says that remotely surprises. The performances are all fine, but the actors just aren't given much to work with.
So it's corny and unoriginal, but hand it to the filmmakers for trying. Halfway through the picture, there's a scene where the three main characters gaze out a window over the growing city. "There it is, Mike," says Morris. "Little old New York .And it's all ours. Just like we dreamed about when we were kids." --A film that's strictly a quickie with no ambition doesn't pause for philosophical musings, corny or not. It's brief, but just for an instant there you get the feel of that epic moment that "big" movies shoot for.
The last fifteen minutes—when things really start popping—are exciting, even tense, and satisfying. I was glad I stuck around to find out what happens.
Funny scene: the horseless carriage chase. Even in 1911, apparently, you sometimes needed to lose someone following your auto in his own.
Three childhood friends are reunited after many years apart: Chester Morris has grown up to become a charismatic but crooked casino owner; Russell Hayden is an honest cop in a city of corruption; and Nancy Kelly is the nightclub singer who loves them both. Which one will she eventually choose? and what will happen when Lucky and Blackie—er, Hayden and Morris—inevitably clash?
Of the supporting cast, Sheldon Leonard as the rival casino owner looks most like he's enjoying himself, but his is only one of several familiar faces (Tom Dugan, Lloyd Corrigan, even Lyle Talbot). Morris does well in the second half but seems somehow unnatural in the early going. Hayden is okay but isn't given a lot to do that's really interesting. Kelly could also have been more interesting; again, there's not a lot that she does or says that remotely surprises. The performances are all fine, but the actors just aren't given much to work with.
So it's corny and unoriginal, but hand it to the filmmakers for trying. Halfway through the picture, there's a scene where the three main characters gaze out a window over the growing city. "There it is, Mike," says Morris. "Little old New York .And it's all ours. Just like we dreamed about when we were kids." --A film that's strictly a quickie with no ambition doesn't pause for philosophical musings, corny or not. It's brief, but just for an instant there you get the feel of that epic moment that "big" movies shoot for.
The last fifteen minutes—when things really start popping—are exciting, even tense, and satisfying. I was glad I stuck around to find out what happens.
Funny scene: the horseless carriage chase. Even in 1911, apparently, you sometimes needed to lose someone following your auto in his own.
helpful•31
- csteidler
- Nov 9, 2011
Details
- Runtime1 hour 6 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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