Really Surprised!

Highly Overrated But Still Good

A Masterpiece!

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Clark Gable stars as owner of a legal, small-town gambling house but his heart condition is about to make him quit. It's then he realizes that he's alienated his wife (Alexis Smith), who has retreated to a "memory room," and his son (Darryl Hickman) who is ashamed of how he has become rich.He's also got a sneaky brother-in-law (Wendell Corey) who is married to his wife's sister (Audrey Totter). But he also has loyal employees (Barry Sullivan, Edgar Buchanan, Caleb Peterson), and some women who are quite fond of him (Mary Astor, Marjorie Rambeau).Stealing the film are two longtime MGM players. Franks Morgan plays the gambler who may break the bank, and Lewis Stone plays the has-been who's about to play his last hand. Each is excellent.Others include his doctor (Leon Ames), a couple of thugs (William Conrad, Richard Rober), and dejected woman gambler (Dorothy Comingore), and Art Baker as the nightclub owner.Scotty Beckett was originally signed to play the son and his picture is on Gable's desk, but he was replaced by Hickman.Frank Morgan and Lewis Stone turn in terrific performances, and this ranks as one of Clark Gable's best post-war performances.

"I happen to be involved in a high-class crap game!" So says blowzy Marjorie Rambeau, the Sophie Tucker like matron, the last of the gambling red hot mama's. It is her acerbic wisdom which brings heart to this tale of the joint's troubled owner, Clark Gable, who has domestic and financial issues and a group of regular clients who involve him in their individual dramas. Then there are the first-time customers who either plead for a cancellation of their debt or threaten him with legal action. One client attempts suicide, another offers herself to him as his mistress. Wife Alexis Smith considers leaving him while her family obviously exploits their relationship. Darryl Hickman, as their son, proceeds to get into trouble which leads to turning points for the family as well as the future of the business.Too many characters are the major issues of this soap opera which could have benefited from a little trimming. This leads to less screen time for the more interesting characters, particularly Rambeau and Mary Astor as the woman who greatly desires Gable's love. She has a truly degrading declaration of love, making her cameo truly heartbreaking. It is sad that she didn't share a scene with Smith who could pass as her younger sister. Among the others, Frank Morgan and Lewis Stone are also worth mentioning.

One of the great opening scenes of any Hollywood movie projects a kind of cinematic/theatrical authority in a league with O'Neill or Odets, first we see the black man, filled with jolly self denial, buffing the crap tables, his tragedy is implicit from the first moment, believing in his heart that he is on a social par with the other white employees... and with quick, methodical grace the other supporting characters are sharply introduced - they're waiting for lefty, or godot,or the Iceman, or their savior,who happens to be Gable in one of his greatest roles...this is the refined essence of that great personality on screen...the man could simply manufacture chemistry not only with his leading ladies but with other men as well...too bad the crisp, exciting climax at the crap table does not quite live up to this glorious existential opening but it's still an eminently enjoyable Hollywood wrap up..one of the most underrated MGM movies.

This postwar movie was one of Clark Gable's last for the studio that made him a star--MGM. Gable is older, perhaps wiser, but here fully capable of playing this role with all of the insight into life that his 49 years have earned him. One has the feeling that after the great '30s roles such as Rhett Butler, after the death of Carole Lombard, and after the war, Gable was perfect for the world-weary professional gambler that he plays here--the part fits him like a glove. And he's surrounded by great character actors such as Frank Morgan, Lewis Stone, and Mary Astor, to name a few. I don't agree with the other review that said this was a totally unrealistic, if watchable film: I grew up in a small city that had a gambling house similar to the one depicted here. It was well run, had many regulars, and was quite well known to the authorities. In any case, this movie is well worth a view, if you're not a Gable fan, you might be after viewing this one.