The Gambler and the Lady (1952)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Directors:

Patrick Jenkins
Terence Fisher

Writer:

Sam Newfield (writer)

Release Date:

26 December 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

A greedy but successful professional gambler wants to join the British Establishment when he falls in love with a blue-blooded lady...

Plot Keywords:

Gambling

Cast

Dane Clark	...	Jim Forster
Kathleen Byron	...	Pat
Naomi Chance	...	Lady Susan Willens
Meredith Edwards	...	Dave Davies
Anthony Forwood	...	Lord Peter Willens
Eric Pohlmann	...	Arturo Colonna
Enzo Coticchia	...	Angelo Colonna
Julian Somers	...	Licasi, club manager
Anthony Ireland	...	Richard Farning
Thomas Gallagher	...	Sam
Max Bacon	...	Maxie
Mona Washbourne	...	Miss Minter
Jane Griffiths	...	Lady Jane Greer
Richard Shaw	...	Louis
George Pastell	...	Jacko Spina

Runtime:

72 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England, UK

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

A Gamble with modest returns

In 1950, American producer Robert Lippert formed a business alliance with Hammer studios. Under the agreement, Lippert would provide American acting talent - frequently shop-worn stars or just supporting actors who fancied a profitable trip out of the country - while Hammer would supply the rest of the cast and the production facilities. Together they would split the profits. Famous for his concern with the bottom line, Lippert produced over 140 films between 1946 and 1955, characteristically genre pieces such as I Shot Jesse James or Rocketship XM. For the British deal, most of the films were noir-ish thrillers - and include this title.

Dane Clark, who appeared in several of these productions, plays the doomed gambler in question: a self made man, running a profitable London set up into which rudely intrudes his aspirational love life and the aggressive ambitions of some Italian gangster interlopers. His social climbing ultimately proves the straw that breaks the camel's back. Many of the British noirs interestingly import class considerations into the dramatic mix, concerns that are usually absent in the American model, and they are seen most strongly in this title. The gambler's end is ultimately determined by the suckering in of social mobility as much as the machinations of fate - but not before there is some effective sniping at the rudeness and untrustworthiness of the British ruling classes. Clark cuts a suitably doomed and somewhat pathetic figure as he struggle to gain acceptance.