‘The Lady Gambles’ 1949 Movie Review
A story starring one of the top box office draws of the 1940s, Barbara Stanwyck, showing a female reporter allured by the Las Vegas Strip’s compelling atmosphere. Following a lead undercover gets her exposed. That ambitious project leads her inside a casino over to a roulette table. The Lady Gambles 1949 movie review we have prepared for you reveals what happens after the casino manager catches Joan. Each intriguing detail around her fatal step of placing a minor wager on a roulette wheel, the reason, the consequences, follows in The Lady Gambles movie review.
‘The Lady Gambles’ Movie Review – The Details
The Lady Gambles movie review expresses the nature of Universal Pictures’ cinematic masterpiece. Directed by Michael Gordon, the project was not a massive success like the rest of the studio’s projects, even when he managed to flawlessly execute a myriad of Film Noir elements into a heavy drama wrapped around an ordinary housewife from Chicago. The breathtaking scenes and superb cinematography are result from using the impressive locals of Las Vegas.
| Release Date: | 8th of July, 1949 (Mexico) |
| Director: | Michael Gordon |
| Writers: | Roy Huggins (screenplay), Halsted Welles (adaptation) |
| Runtime: | 99 minutes |
| Genre: | Drama, Film-Noir |
| IMDB score: | 6.6/10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes: | 15% critics, 36.8% audience positive score |
| Awards: | N/A |
The Lady Gambles combines screenplay by Roy Huggins, an adaptation of Lewis Meltzer and Oscar Saul’s story. It was directed by Michael Gordon and produced by Michel Kraike for Universal-International. The Lady Gambles 1949 movie shows the often played scenario of a casual meeting between a regular visitor and the gambling world at first, which soon leads to addiction and plenty of problems.
‘The Lady Gambles’ Movie Trailer & Plot – A Film-Noir Drama
The Lady Gambles movie plot wraps around Joan Boothe (Barbara Stanwyck) and the work trip with her fiancé David Boothe (Robert Preston) to Hoover Dam. They both stayed at the Las Vegas Hotel, which will become a resort at the now famous Las Vegas Strip. As a resourceful photo-journalist, Joan went into the hotel’s casino with a concealed camera to break a story on gamblers’ habits. Meanwhile, Horace Corrigan (Stephen McNally), the casino manager, spots her attempts.
The shifty casino manager plays it sneaky by handing her some chips. That way, she might get a better personal perspective on the subject of her material. That is all it took – a handful of chips! From that moment on, her character is set on a path to be ruined by the roulette wheel’s rush.
Joan Boothe is easily swayed by the thrill of the risk and starts making sudden excuses to get out of other appointments to gamble. She even starts lying to her husband and uses his and other people’s money for bets until she ends up in a ditch beaten up by gangsters after tricking them on a dice game in a dark back alley. To get a better idea of the movie, check The Lady Gambles movie trailer:
The Lady Gambles watch online possibility gave viewers easier access to this classic. They say the film had captured the time and atmosphere but implementing one significant misfit. Barbara Stanwyck was first a smart, independent, resourceful woman and quickly ended up as a moral deviant. The plot and character development are in contradiction. That is easily spotted even in the poster later used as one of The Lady Gambles movie quotes – ‘Once she was someone’s wife. Now she’s just someone’s luck!’.
Even so, the plot tries to give Joan some depth. Even if she was a professional reporter, she had some skeletons in her closet, leading to her addictive personality nuances. Many opinions rank the plot as not quite Film-Noir. It lacks sharper and more amoral characters. The grey areas are not enough, and only great cinematography is not enough. Nonetheless, The Lady Gambles movie swiftly represents the Las Vegas casino atmosphere back in the 1940’s adding great quotes from that time like the one below.
If you’re looking for bargains, go to a department store. Don’t come to a track unless you want to get hurt. The Lady Gambles movie quotes: Corrigan to Joan Boothe
‘The Lady Gambles’ 1949 Movie Cast
The Lady Gambles 1949 movie cast places some top actors of the 40s in one storyline, performing incredibly. Characters like Joan Boothe, played by Barbara Stanwyck in one of her most commendable performances, come to life with passion. She was adaptive and easily related as the greatest actress to ever grace the silver screen. Her role was executed and performed flawlessly.
Each of the Film Noir elements and extreme situations pealed the characters, and they did a stellar performance by transforming. In particular, with her heightened emotions, Joan delivers a fascinating metamorphosis from a supportive wife to a victim of an extreme gambling obsession, which can be easily seen in The Lady Gambles movie trailer. The broad spectrum of fantastic actors partnering with Stanwyck introduces graceful switches between roles.
| 🙎 Actor | 🎭 Role |
|---|---|
| Barbara Stanwyck | Joan Phillips Boothe |
| Robert Preston | David Boothe |
| Stephen McNally | Horace Corrigan |
| Edith Barrett | Ruth Phillips |
| John Hoyt | Dr. Rojac |
| Elliott Sullivan | Barky |
| John Harmon | Frenchy |
| Philip Van Zandt | Chuck Benson |
| Leif Erickson | Tony |
| Curt Conway | Bank Clerk |
| Frank Moran | Murphy |
| Esther Howard | Gross Lady |
| John Indrisano | Bert |
| Don Beddoe | Mr. Dennis Sutherland |
| Nana Bryant | Mrs. Dennis Sutherland |
| Tony Curtis | Bellboy (as Anthony Curtis) |
| Peter Leeds | Jack Harrison, Hotel Clerk |
The Lady Gambles movie and its director present the leading actress Barbara Stanwyck as adaptive and brilliant. Her role was so successful, thanks to the rest of the crew as well. On top of that, the business people of Las Vegas lent their full support to the film. Vegas wasn’t a big city in 1949 like now, but gambling was always at its centre. From bellboys to casino managers and gangsters not feeling gentlemanly after being beaten by a woman at a game of dice – you get it all.
Go to bed, Mrs. Boothe. If you have to have bad dreams, have them there. They do less damage. The Lady Gambles movie quotes: Horace Corrigan
‘The Lady Gambles’ 1949 Movie Reception
The movie was not as big a hit as the director, and the cast hoped for. Some say it is because The Lady Gambles contains more drama than Film Noir elements. Back in the 40s, the powerful gangsters and violent moments were more recognisable. However, more fans than critics commented on the movie. That lead to a positive score of 6.6/10 on IMDB. The misfit female role captured the attention of many. The Lady Gambles watch online is still possible on various platforms.
Amazon and Youtube offer good versions of the movie. Enjoy this forgotten masterpiece revealing how trauma from the past can turn a successful woman into a gambling addict after a vacation in Las Vegas. If you want to see what made Joan Boothe throw the first bet, check some of the best real money online roulette sites.
‘The Lady Gambles’ Trivia – Fun Facts and Summary
The Lady Gambles movie review continues with a short trivia section. There are some intriguing facts related to the movie and its characters. For example, Howard Unruh had stated in front of the police interrogators that the idea for committing 13 murders came after seeing the double feature “The Lady Gambles/I Cheated the Law” three times.
His crime occurred in September 1949. Unruh claims that Barbara Stanwyck’s character reminded him of one of his intended victims. One year later, in December 1950, the “Screen Director’s Playhouse” did a 60-minute radio adaptation of the movie. They invited Barbara Stanwyck and Stephen McNally to reprise their film roles.
The cure – six weeks in the Nevada sunshine, and you rid yourself of whatever ails you. You know, lumbago, matrimony, the common cold. The Lady Gambles movie quotes: Horace
‘The Lady Gambles’ Movie FAQ
Our The Lady Gambles movie review reveals details and provides answers. We also added a short additional trivia with some spicy facts. Movies back in the 40s were obviously a bit complicated to produce. Those titles can sometimes be challenging to grasp, or the available information might be insufficient. That is where our FAQ section comes in. Please have a look at it and enjoy the film to its fullest.
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