The Las Vegas Story (1952)

The arrival in Las Vegas of a businessman and his glamorous wife creates a complex web of murder and deceit.

Director:

Robert Stevenson

Writers:

Jay Dratler (story), Earl Felton (screenplay)

Stars:

Jane Russell, Victor Mature, Vincent Price

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jane Russell	...	Linda Rollins
Victor Mature	...	Lt. Dave Andrews
Vincent Price	...	Lloyd Rollins
Hoagy Carmichael	...	Happy
Brad Dexter	...	Tom Hubler
Gordon Oliver	...	Mr. Drucker
Jay C. Flippen	...	Capt. H.A. Harris
Will Wright	...	Mike Fogarty
Bill Welsh	...	Mr. Martin
Ray Montgomery	...	Desk Clerk
Colleen Miller	...	Mary
Robert J. Wilke	...	Clayton (as Robert Wilke)

Storyline

Investment broker Lloyd Rollins, insisting to his wife Linda that they stop at Las Vegas on their trip from Boston, begins to gamble heavily. Linda visits the Last Chance, a casino where she used to sing, and where she meets police lieutenant Dave Andrews, with whom she had a brief affair some years earlier. Insurance investigator Tom Hubler soon arrives to keep an eye on Linda's valuable necklace for his company, unaware that Rollins hocked the necklace with Clayton, owner of the Last Chance. Lt. Andrews, rebuffed by Linda, learns that Clayton has been murdered. He deduces the killer's identity and begins a deadly chase when he learns the killer has taken Linda hostage and fled into the desert.

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Taglines:

GAMBLING palaces lure thrill-seekers to a world of wild gaiety and revelry!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 August 1952 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Die Spielhölle von Las Vegas

Filming Locations:

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The helicopter Andrews uses for the chase is a Bell 47G. It was the first helicopter certified for civilian use. Introduced in 1946, it was built until 1974 and over 5,600 of all variants were made. The military version was known as the H-13 Sioux.

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Goofs

When Linda goes to see the Last Chance, where she used to sing, she starts out riding in one cab and then is shown arriving in a different cab. Note the first has the word "Plymouth" above the grill and no number above the windshield.

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Quotes

Mary: I guess it would be only fair if you were to kiss Bill.
Linda Rollins: If I kissed Bill there wouldn't be anything fair about it.

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Connections

Referenced in Hollywood the Golden Years: The RKO Story: Howard's Way (1987)

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Soundtracks

The Monkey Song
Music and Lyrics by Hoagy Carmichael
Performed by Hoagy Carmichael (uncredited)

User Reviews

"Samson" & "The Outlaw"

(Minor Spoilers) On their way to L.A from Boston Mr Llyod Rollins, Vincent Price,insists to his wife Linda, Jane Russell,on stopping at Las Vages to relax and play at the dice table in the Fabulous Casino/Hotel. A stock broker/investor Rollins has been embezzling his clients for some time and now needs money desperately to re-pay them or end up behind bars.

Getting $100,000.00 in credit from the Fabulous Casino/Hotel management Rollins blows it all on the crap-table before the night is over. Meanwhile Linda runs into an old flame Dave Andrews, Victor Mature, who she left when he was sent to the Pacifice during WWII.

Dave, to Linda's surprise and regret, is not only living in Vages where she met him when she was a singer at "The Last Chance" casino but he's an officer in the Las Vegas police Dept and in charge of the Vegas Strip where the casinos are located.

Both Linda and Dave are at odds with each others when they first meet. Dave feeling that he was let down by Linda for not coming back to him after the war and Linda a bit taken up by Dave's obsession with her that doesn't seem to have ended now some ten years after they last saw each others. Meanwhile Linda's husband Llyod hocks her $50,000.00 diamond necklace for a measly $10,000.00 to continue gambling; this time in the "Last Chance" casino to it's owner Clyton, Robert J. Wilke. Unknow to both the Rollins' their being tailed by insurance instigator Tom Hubler, Brad Dexter. Who's job it is to make sure that Linda's necklace is safe and sound being that it's insured for $150,000.00 by the company that he works for.

All these stories come together when Clyton is later found murdered at the his place with the casino's daily cash profits missing. The murder of Clyton has Llyod Rollins name all over it with him needing money, which Clyton refused to advance him,to keep on gambling to make up what he already lost plus the money he stole from his investors.

Standard 1950's police/drama thats really uplifted a few notches with an incredible helicopter/car chase in the Navada desert as Dave and the pilot Tobey Riggs corner Clyton's killer in a restricted US Military base; could that have been what later became known as area 51? After the killer shot and wounded Tobey Dave chases him on to an army watchtower where after knocking him down Dave shoots the fugitive as he tries to go for his gun as he falls to his death.

There was a nice little sub-plot in "The Las Vages Story" involving two young would-be newlyweds Bill & Mary, Chester Marshall & Colleen Miller. Mary's dad, Ray Walkers, didn't want them to get married because his daughter was under age and refused to give her his consent. Bill about to be drafted in the Army and Mary having to wait for him to serve out his two years was a mirror image of what happened between Dave and Linda ten years earlier. In this case the ending was a lot more cheerier: Dave talked Mary's father into letting the two lovebirds tie the knot.