Aces and Eights (1936)

A cardsharp comes to the aid of a Mexican family.

Director:

Sam Newfield

Writers:

George Arthur Durlam (story), Joseph O'Donnell (screenplay)

Stars:

Tim McCoy, Luana Walters, Rex Lease

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tim McCoy	...	'Gentleman' Tim Madigan
Luana Walters	...	Juanita Hernandez
Rex Lease	...	Jose Hernandez
Wheeler Oakman	...	Ace Morgan
J. Frank Glendon	...	Amos Harden (as Frank Glendon)
Charles Stevens	...	Captain Felipe de Lopez
Earle Hodgins	...	Marshal Tom Barstow (as Earl Hodgins)
Jimmy Aubrey	...	Sidekick Lucky
Joseph W. Girard	...	Don Hernandez (as Joseph Girard)

Storyline

Harden and Morgan are after Hernandez's rancho. They lend money to his son Jose which is then won back in a crooked poker game. But the notorious card sharp Tim Madigan now posing as Tom Harrington steps in to help Hernandez.

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Plot Keywords:

gambler | murder | son | saloon | cardsharp | 

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Taglines:

Gentleman Tim Deals A Death Hand In A Crooked Game!

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 June 1936 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Walker Ranch - 19152 Placerita Canyon Road, Newhall, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Puritan Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

62 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

The bartender in two separate saloon scenes, can be heard asking patrons "another one?" every five seconds.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: Wild Bill Hickok was a gunfighter who almost triumphed over death. His gun was drawn, his thumb had cocked the hammer, his cards were neatly stacked. It held two pair. And so it was from then on, aces and eights were called "the death hand." Cast in the same mold was another who, unlike Wild Bill, never carried a six-shooter, preferring to let agile fingers do his talking. From the Missouri to the Rockies he was known as Gentleman Tim Madigan and the aces and eights that spelled ...

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Soundtracks

"Evening Melody"
(uncredited)
Music by Floyd St. Clair

User Reviews

"Mister, when you dealt yourself that pair of aces you forgot and dealt me three"

This low-budget oater opens with a brief prologue featuring Wild Bill Hickok (Karl Hackett), who was shot in the back and killed while holding a poker hand of a pair of aces and a pair of eights, before showing our hero Gentleman Tim Madigan (Tim McCoy) winning a game with the very same hand. Madigan is a somewhat ambiguous hero who dresses sharply and knows all the card sharp's tricks. He can also tear a pack of cards into four, which is pretty impressive. He also never uses a gun, choosing instead to simply disarm anyone who aims one at him.

Together with his sidekick Lucky (Jimmy Aubrey, probably the only Liverpudlian you're ever likely to see in a western), Gentleman Tim gets involved in foiling a plan by a local bar owner and his partner to swindle a Spanish ranch owner out of his property. The film is fairly good for a low budget effort, with decent acting from the leading man. The modest nature of the budget shows through every now and then, though; for example, the background crowd noise during the final poker game between Tim and the bar owner is clearly a loop which repeats every five seconds or so. Despite this, the film is reasonably enjoyable, with the only drawback being the wooden acting of the female lead Luana Walters, who fortunately only has about five minutes screen time. Walters went on to feature in a further sixty films over the next twenty-four years, though, so I guess she must have had something going for her.