Never Trust a Gambler

Never Trust a Gambler
Never Trust a Gambler
Directed by	Ralph Murphy
Screenplay by	Jesse Lasky Jr. (as Jesse L. Lasky Jr.); Jerome Odium;
Story by	Jerome Odium
Produced by	Louis B. Appleton; Monty Shaff;
Starring	Dane Clark; Cathy O'Donnell; Tom Drake;
Cinematography	Allen G. Siegler
Edited by	Al Clark
Music by	Arthur Morton
Color process	Black and white
Production; company	Columbia Pictures
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date	July 13, 1951;
Running time	79 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Never Trust a Gambler is a 1951 American film noir crime film directed by Ralph Murphy and starring Dane Clark, Cathy O'Donnell and Tom Drake.

Plot

Steve Garry, insisting he has quit gambling, asks his ex-wife Virginia Merrill if he can lie low at her Los Angeles house while avoiding testifying 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 grabbed 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

External links

Never Trust a Gambler at IMDb
Never Trust a Gambler at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
Never Trust a Gambler at the TCM Movie Database

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