Search
What's Hot
Day-by-Day Fall Schedule
Idol Winner Speaks!
Jim Parsons Comes Out
Game of Thrones Star's Sex Stare

The Lady Gambles

1949, Movie, NR, 98 mins

The Lady Gambles: Review

starstarstarstar
Nobody suffers as well as Stanwyck can. This is another of her nine films with the word "lady" or "ladies" in the title and is the story of addiction: not to drugs or alcohol, but to the gambling bug. Stanwyck is the happily married wife of Preston, a writer on assignment in Nevada, where he is doing a story on the huge Boulder Dam. She accompanies him and has lots of time on her hands so she tries a little gambling at a casino and soon is hooked. She loses a fortune, hocks some of her goods, and lies about it to Preston. The marriage ends unhappily and she goes to work as a B-girl in the casino to support her habit. She's taken under McNally's wing. He's a tough casino operator who wants to use her to make a few bucks, but she soon screws that up. Desperate and depressed, she climbs out on a window ledge to jump and is talked down by Preston, psychiatrist Hoyt, and Barrett, her sister. The picture stops short of truth by offering some specious mumbo-jumbo about a guilt complex being the reason for her gambling mania. It was similar to, but not nearly as effective as, THE LOST WEEKEND. Many films have been made about the subject (THE GAMBLER; CALIFORNIA SPLIT, etc.) though none has ever really captured the psychological need to lose everything that most gamblers have. McNally was excellent in his role although that may have been due to the fact that he had the sharpest dialog. Look hard for Tony Curtis (while he was still billed as "Anthony") as a hotel bellhop. This picture was shot many years before Las Vegas became as garish as it is now and the town appeared to be a very pleasant place to spend a holiday, if you could avoid the tables. leave a comment
Are You Watching?
The Lady Gambles
Loading ...
Advertisement

Our Partners

Advertisement

Related Websites

You might be also interested in the following websites:

Most Popular TV Shows

  1. American Idol
  2. NCIS
  3. Big Bang Theory
  4. Voice
  5. Person of Interest
more popular tv shows

Most Popular Celebrities

  1. Jessica Simpson
  2. Khloe Kardashian
  3. Kate Middleton
  4. Maria Menounos
  5. Kim Kardashian
more popular celebrities

Most Popular Movies

  1. Avengers
  2. Battleship
  3. The Dictator
  4. Dark Shadows
  5. What To Expect When You're Expecting
more popular movies

Top Videos

  1. Revenge
  2. The Big Bang Theory
  3. Modern Family
  4. Days of our Lives
  5. Young and the Restless
more top videos