A Natural Born Gambler (1916)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Bert Williams

Writer:

Bert Williams (writer)

Release Date:

24 July 1916 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Comedy

Plot:

A lovable scoundrel is busted for gambling and thrown into jail, where he dreams of playing poker - but even in his dreams, he loses.

Cast

Bert Williams

...

The Hon. Bert Williams, walking delegate

Runtime:

22 min

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Company:

Biograph Company

Trivia:

In an unprecedented move for its day in 1915, Biograph Company executives hired actor Bert Williams to star, produce, direct, and write his own films, having full control, the first time a Black-American ever had such control given by a mainstream movie company. The two films made for Biograph were "A Natural Born Gambler" 1916, and Fish (1916).

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Broadway: The American Musical" (2004)

90 years old and still laugh-out-loud funny

Ignore the horrendous dialog cards -- that sort of "dialect" speech was offensive then and it's nearly unbearable now. But do not, do not, DO NOT miss seeing the immortal Bert Williams doing one of his most famous pantomimes -- it's giving nothing away to tell you it's the bit at the end, as contemporary audiences were enticed to the movie with the promise of seeing this routine from the 1911 Ziegfield Follies. Mr. Williams was born into a terrible era and we lost him way too soon; I'm glad that the effort was made to preserve this film (and well preserved, too; the Slapstick Encyclopedia seems to have a complete copy with remarkably little image deterioration) and wonder what sort of wonderful things he might have done had he lived longer.