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Any Number Can Play

  • 19491949
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 52m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
944
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Clark Gable, Alexis Smith, and Audrey Totter in Any Number Can Play (1949)
Watch {VideoTitle}
Play trailer2:41
1 Video
18 Photos
  • Drama
  • War
Gambling-house owner finds himself estranged from his wife and son.Gambling-house owner finds himself estranged from his wife and son.Gambling-house owner finds himself estranged from his wife and son.
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
944
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Mervyn LeRoy
  • Writers
    • Richard Brooks(screenplay)
    • Edward Harris Heth(based on novel by)
  • Stars
    • Clark Gable
    • Alexis Smith
    • Wendell Corey
Top credits
  • Director
    • Mervyn LeRoy
  • Writers
    • Richard Brooks(screenplay)
    • Edward Harris Heth(based on novel by)
  • Stars
    • Clark Gable
    • Alexis Smith
    • Wendell Corey
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 24User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:41
    Trailer

    Photos18

    Clark Gable, Alexis Smith, and Audrey Totter in Any Number Can Play (1949)
    Clark Gable and Alexis Smith in Any Number Can Play (1949)
    Clark Gable and Alexis Smith in Any Number Can Play (1949)
    Clark Gable and Alexis Smith in Any Number Can Play (1949)
    Clark Gable, Alexis Smith, and Audrey Totter in Any Number Can Play (1949)
    Clark Gable, Alexis Smith, and Audrey Totter in Any Number Can Play (1949)
    Clark Gable, Alexis Smith, and Audrey Totter in Any Number Can Play (1949)
    Clark Gable, Alexis Smith, and Audrey Totter in Any Number Can Play (1949)
    Clark Gable, Alexis Smith, and Audrey Totter in Any Number Can Play (1949)
    Clark Gable, William Conrad, Wendell Corey, Frank Morgan, and Richard Rober in Any Number Can Play (1949)
    Clark Gable, William Conrad, Edgar Buchanan, Darryl Hickman, Mickey Knox, and Caleb Peterson in Any Number Can Play (1949)
    Clark Gable and Audrey Totter in Any Number Can Play (1949)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Clark Gable
    Clark Gable
    • Charley Enley Kyngas Charley Enley Kyng
    Alexis Smith
    Alexis Smith
    • Lon Kyngas Lon Kyng
    Wendell Corey
    Wendell Corey
    • Robbin Elcottas Robbin Elcott
    Audrey Totter
    Audrey Totter
    • Alice Elcottas Alice Elcott
    Frank Morgan
    Frank Morgan
    • Jim Kurstynas Jim Kurstyn
    Mary Astor
    Mary Astor
    • Adaas Ada
    Lewis Stone
    Lewis Stone
    • Ben Gavery Snelerras Ben Gavery Snelerr
    Barry Sullivan
    Barry Sullivan
    • Tycoonas Tycoon
    Marjorie Rambeau
    Marjorie Rambeau
    • Sarah Calbernas Sarah Calbern
    Edgar Buchanan
    Edgar Buchanan
    • Edas Ed
    Leon Ames
    Leon Ames
    • Dr. Palmeras Dr. Palmer
    Mickey Knox
    Mickey Knox
    • Pete Sentaas Pete Senta
    Richard Rober
    Richard Rober
    • Lew 'Angie' Debrettias Lew 'Angie' Debretti
    William Conrad
    William Conrad
    • Frank Sistinaas Frank Sistina
    Darryl Hickman
    Darryl Hickman
    • Paul Enley Kyngas Paul Enley Kyng
    Caleb Peterson
    • Sleighas Sleigh
    Dorothy Comingore
    Dorothy Comingore
    • Mrs. Purcellas Mrs. Purcell
    Art Baker
    Art Baker
    • Mr. Reardonas Mr. Reardon
    • Director
      • Mervyn LeRoy
    • Writers
      • Richard Brooks(screenplay)
      • Edward Harris Heth(based on novel by)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Writer Richard Brooks was originally penciled in to direct but was taken off the picture after Clark Gable was cast. He recalls he was told, "Well, now it's a Gable picture, and you can't expect to direct Gable.
    • Goofs
      Around the 51 minute mark, in the conversation with Charley (Clark Gable), Ada (Mary Astor ) has two sentences that are dubbed (she clearly says something else than what it's heard).
    • Quotes

      Charley Enley Kyng: [to prostitute] Unless I hire people, i don't like them workin' here.

    • Connections
      Featured in Some of the Best: Twenty-Five Years of Motion Picture Leadership (1949)
    • Soundtracks
      You Are My Lucky Star
      (uncredited)

      Music by Arthur Freed

      Lyrics by Nacio Herb Brown (1936)

      Hummed by Edgar Buchanan and Caleb peterson

    User reviews24

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Even The House Loses If It Plays Long Enough
    Believe it or not, Any Number Can Play was one of the few non-musicals produced by Arthur Freed over at MGM. To show you it was a Freed film, please note that the background music includes such Freed tunes as This Heart of Mine and Should I.

    Richard Brooks who would soon get a big directing break in another Freed produced non-musical, Crisis, wrote a very fine story that Mervyn LeRoy directed with class and finesse. LeRoy got a stellar cast together and really mixed the ingredients well.

    Clark Gable is perfect as an aging gambler with a lot on his plate. He's just been told by Dr. Leon Ames that he's got angina pectoris and for the sake of his health he'd better give up a very high stress profession. He's got a loving wife in Alexis Smith and a rebellious teenage son in Darryl Hickman who he barely knows. Living with them is her sister Audrey Totter and her husband Wendell Corey. Gable employs Corey at his gambling establishment where Corey does a little chiseling on the side and he's also into racketeers Richard Rober and William Conrad for some big bucks. They've got ideas how to cancel the debt. And Totter measures her own husband against Gable and finds Corey quite wanting.

    That's just in his own household. Gable's got a lot of friends and enemies playing at his high class establishment which the police all know about, but do nothing because half the town's establishment is in the place on a given night. Such habitués might include Frank Morgan, Marjorie Rambeau, and Mary Astor a divorcée also carrying a huge torch for MGM's king.

    The story involves all these issues and how they're resolved over one 36 hour period. What makes Any Number Can Play such a good film is that even the smallest characters do have their moments. Art Baker plays the owner of a country club where Hickman gets in a fight over his father. Note how in his brief moments, Baker tries oh so hard to keep Gable out of it when he discovers who Hickman is. Astor has only one real scene, but it's a beauty involving Gable having an angina attack and then with minimal dialog the two of them talking about a lost love of many years ago. Staged brilliantly, I might add.

    One thing about Any Number Can Play that is frighteningly real are those angina attacks, remembering just how Gable died as the result of doing some very high stress stunt work on The Misfits. Absolutely eerie.

    Any Number Can Play is one of Gable's best post World War II films and not to be missed by any of his fans. And if you're not a Clark Gable fan, you might become one after seeing this.
    helpful•39
    0
    • bkoganbing
    • Jun 29, 2007

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 15, 1949 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Sista given
    • Filming locations
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,363,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 52 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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