Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Fantastic!

A Disappointing Continuation

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Some fun names in this one... Chester Morris (Boston Blackie) , Lloyd Corrigan (who doesnt seem to be related to Ray, but they DID make a film together), Lyle Talbot, and a young Nancy Kelly. Even Dick Elliot, the mayor from Andy Griffith. In Gambler's Choice, a group of kids that grew up together, running scams here and there, meet up again as adults. Except that now, Mike is a cop, and the others still aren't grown up yet, running gambling shops and helping a friend throw the election the right way. When people start getting shot dead, the cops vow to track down the killers. Gambling houses are raided. It's all pretty formula. Good guys against the organized crime guys. All done in 66 minutes. Directed by Frank McDonald, king of the old westerns. It's okay.... i caught this one on Midnight Movies channel. Not bad.

The movie never rises above programmer status, but it's a good lively cast that gets the most out of clichéd material. Three childhood friends meet up as adults. Ross (Morris) has become a big time gambling house owner while Mike (Hayden) is now a police lieutenant and Mary, a stage entertainer. The boys become friendly rivals over Mary; at the same time, Mike's friendship gets compromised by Ross's sometimes shady operations. Sound familiar. That's because this sort of theme was common during the 30's, from Cagney to Gable, that is, childhood friends graduating into different sides of the law and becoming friendly enemies. What did surprise me here was Russell Hayden as Mike. I'd only seen him as the happy-go-lucky Lucky in the Hopalong Cassidy series. Here, sporting a mustache, he plays a more dramatic role in fine fashion. Otherwise, the movie's a decent little time-passer.

This Chester Morris vehicle is superior to AERIAL GUNNER (1943) – it's made by practically the same people – but still emerges as nothing special. The film follows the familiar plot line of MANHATTAN MELODRAMA (1934) – two childhood friends grow up to be on opposing sides of the law, one a cop (Russell Hayden) and the other a gambler (Morris); of course, they both happen to love the same girl (Nancy Kelly, whom I should be watching soon in her most important – and Oscar-nominated – role in THE BAD SEED [1956]) and, by the end of it, Morris has seen the error of his ways and gives his life – and gal – for his best pal.Actually, the early 20th century New York atmosphere is vividly recreated on a shoestring – and Morris struts in clear imitation of James Cagney (who starred in the similar ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES [1938]); his character's epitaph, then, is borrowed from another Cagney vehicle – THE ROARING TWENTIES (1939). Featured in the colorful supporting cast are Sheldon Leonard (as Morris' business rival), Tom Dugan (as Morris' right-hand man), Lee Patrick (as Morris' financier), Lloyd Corrigan (as Kelly's politician father) and, in minor roles, Jimmy Conlin, Lyle Talbot and Dewey Robinson. Interestingly enough, the script was a combination of the writing talents of James Edward Grant, Irving Reis and Maxwell Shane (who also had a similar credit on AERIAL GUNNER).

Pine and Thomas were known around Paramount as 'The Dollar Bills' because they were both named William and they could turn out a watchable second feature that would turn a nice profit on the cheap. For a decade or so they prospered, giving B talent a chance to shine in decently-written movies with good production values.Here Chester Morris, Nancy Kelly and Lyle Talbot -- a decade past their primes -- are enjoyable in the sort of movie that W.S. Van Dyke used to direct people in a decade earlier -- MANHATTAN MELODRAMA and SAN FRANCISCO, where the two male leads grew up together, one became a gambler -- usually played by Clark Gable -- and the other became a priest or a lawyer -- that could be Spencer Tracy or William Powell -- and they both love the same girl, of course. And that's the beginning, middle and end, with, of course, an interesting run of good character actors, of which Hollywood had a plethora in the 1940s. So don't expect anything startlingly original, but do expect a pleasant ninety minutes.