Gambling is a risky business. No gambler, no matter how good, stays on top forever. John Marsden aka Jack aka J. B. aka Natural Davis (William Powell) was an ace gambler. He was so lucky he could win at any game of chance. He fronted as a bonds trader to make his huge bankroll seem legitimate.
His wife, Alma (Kay Francis), wanted nothing more to do with Jack and his gambling and his lies. She wanted a straight-laced husband, one she could go to dinner with, one whose friends she could meet, one who was on the right side of the law, and one who wasn't always lying to her.
John was all set to get out of the gambling racket and leave town with his wife until his brother whizzed into town. His brother, Allan 'Babe' Marsden (Regis Toomey), was a good gambler too and he wanted to bolster his wealth by playing the great Natural Davis. Natural, however, was determined to make sure Babe left gambling alone for good, even if that meant forestalling his wife and potentially losing her.
It reminded me of another Kay Francis movie, "The House on 56th Street," when Kay was an ace gambler and she wanted to stop her daughter from getting into gambling.
What Babe didn't know was that Natural Davis was his own brother. And he also didn't know that Natural would go through almost any lengths to make sure he went back home to San Francisco broke and cured of gambling.
"Street of Chance" ended up being a pretty intense movie. I didn't quite expect the suspense at the end. I liked it. It was different and different can be good at times. I got to see William Powell as other than the uber-cool character he always is.
Free on Odnoklassniki.
His wife, Alma (Kay Francis), wanted nothing more to do with Jack and his gambling and his lies. She wanted a straight-laced husband, one she could go to dinner with, one whose friends she could meet, one who was on the right side of the law, and one who wasn't always lying to her.
John was all set to get out of the gambling racket and leave town with his wife until his brother whizzed into town. His brother, Allan 'Babe' Marsden (Regis Toomey), was a good gambler too and he wanted to bolster his wealth by playing the great Natural Davis. Natural, however, was determined to make sure Babe left gambling alone for good, even if that meant forestalling his wife and potentially losing her.
It reminded me of another Kay Francis movie, "The House on 56th Street," when Kay was an ace gambler and she wanted to stop her daughter from getting into gambling.
What Babe didn't know was that Natural Davis was his own brother. And he also didn't know that Natural would go through almost any lengths to make sure he went back home to San Francisco broke and cured of gambling.
"Street of Chance" ended up being a pretty intense movie. I didn't quite expect the suspense at the end. I liked it. It was different and different can be good at times. I got to see William Powell as other than the uber-cool character he always is.
Free on Odnoklassniki.