Never Trust a Gambler
Never Trust a Gambler is a 1951 film noir crime film directed by Ralph Murphy starring Dane Clark, Cathy O'Donnell and Tom Drake.
| Never Trust a Gambler | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Ralph Murphy |
| Produced by | Louis B. Appleton Monty Shaff |
| Screenplay by | Jesse Lasky Jr. (as Jesse L. Lasky Jr.) Jerome Odium |
| Story by | Jerome Odium |
| Starring | Dane Clark Cathy O'Donnell Tom Drake |
| Music by | Arthur Morton |
| Cinematography | Allen G. Siegler |
| Edited by | Al Clark |
Production company | Columbia Pictures |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 79 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
Steve Garry, insisting he has quit gambling, asks his ex-wife Virginia Merrill if he can lay low at her Los Angeles house while waiting to testify in a murder trial. She reluctantly consents, unsure whether she can trust him, and hides him from nosy neighbor Phoebe.
At a market buying Steve food and liquor, Virginia runs into a police sergeant, McCloy, who dated Dolores Alden, her former roommate. McCloy won't go away, escorting Virginia home, then making a drunken pass at her. Steve emerges from hiding and hits McCloy with a chair, accidentally killing him.
Sgt. Ed Donovan has been out looking for Steve, who is actually a suspect in that murder case coming to trial. Donovan is called to the scene when McCloy's body is found near a car that's gone off a cliff. Steve pushed it there, hoping to make it look like the cop drove drunk and caused his own death. McCloy's partner Lou Brecker investigates as well. Donovan finds the name of Dolores on the body and questions her, which in turns leads him to her friend Virginia.
Steve flees, taking Virginia along by force. While avoiding roadblocks, they pull into a gas station, where Virginia leaves a note for an attendant to find. As the cops close in, Steve takes off on foot, climbing a crane and wounding Donovan with a gunshot. As he tries to descend, Steve is tripped by Donovan and plummets to his death.
Cast
- Dane Clark as Steve
- Cathy O'Donnell as Virginia
- Tom Drake as Sgt. Donovan
- Jeff Corey as Lou Brecker
- Myrna Dell as Dolores
- Rhys Williams as Sgt. McCloy
- Kathryn Card as Phoebe