It’s odd how there can be somebody who has been in the credits for a great many movies you’ve seen, but never noticed it until a different form of media makes you aware of them. For example, I never really noticed the wealth of movies Edith Head worked on until the They Might Be Giant’s song “She Thinks She’s Edith Head”.
Similarly, I never noticed how many movies Bud Westmore did make-up for until reading Mallory O’Meara’s book The Lady from Black Lagoon, and learning what a complete piece of work this guy was. He stole the credit from Milicent Patrick for the design of the creature for Creature from the Black Lagoon and then ensured she never worked in Hollywood again.
So, I cringed when I saw his name in the opening credits of 1953’s The Mississippi Gambler. Admittedly, I don’t think there was much he could have done here that couldn’t have been done by another makeup artist. That is, unless a young Piper Laurie somehow looked hideous and he had to do some sort of extensive special effects work. Somehow, I doubt that.
She is the object of the affections of Tyrone Power, a riverboat gambler who returns to her a necklace her brother (John Baer) lost to him in a poker game. It was a family heirloom, her mother’s and first her grandmother’s, but she is too proud to accept it.
Power is a rarity among such gamblers, only ever playing an honest game. Needless to say, this results in him making new enemies all the time, as he calls people out on their attempts to scam others. He also has made an enemy of Baer, who will eventually challenge him to a duel. The way that turns out is surprising.
The men faced off with pistols, which was a decision made by Power. Everybody is startled by that choice, as the man is widely known for his acumen with the sword and not so much with firearms. Don’t worry—the film will have the actor do some fencing, because you have to do that when your films stars the guy who was so great in The Mark of Zorro.
Also thrown into the mix is Julie Adams (star of Creature from the Black Lagoon, coincidentally) as the sister of an impossibly young and, uncredited, Dennis Weaver. Unfortunately, he won’t be in the film for very long. He had just lost all his money in a poker game Power was in. As the young man is walking away from the table, I said, “I wonder how long before he kills himself”. And then he shot himself, right on cue.
Power rescues Adams, though his interests appear to be platonic. That doesn’t stop her from crushing on him hard, despite him being only interested in Laurie, who seems most interested in spinning around in giant hoop dresses and coming dangerously close to going “Well, fiddle dee dee” at any moment. Oh, and Baer is gaga over Adams, and so on.
Poor old John McIntire doesn’t seem to have anybody who loves him, but he appears to be doing alright. He is the right-hand man to Power, a veteran gambler who tries to con with him with three-card monte the first time they meet. Power correctly calls the right card as having been palmed and neither man seems offended. This is yet another movie where I wish it was all about a minor character. Or, at least I would have probably enjoyed a movie with just these two better than all this melodrama.
You might have noticed I really didn’t mention the plot of The Mississippi Gambler and that’s because this is just a soap opera. Things are always happening in this picture, but I wouldn’t exactly say it is rich in story. Characters fall in and out love, make and lose fortunes, have duels and whatnot. Even after the end credits, I suspect the lives of these characters simply continued in the same fashion and the movie just doesn’t bother following them beyond that point. Overall, not too bad of a picture of this kind, but this New Orleans set film just wasn’t my cup of gumbo.
Dir: Rudolph Maté
Starring Tyrone Power, Piper Laurie, Julie Adams, John McIntire
Watched on Kino Lorber blu-ray