The Big Boodle

Plot synopsis:
Ned Sherwood, a blackjack dealer in a Havana casino, is given some counterfeit peso bills by a woman. He confronts the woman with the fact they are counterfeit, but she denies it and leaves.
That night, on his way home, two thugs attack Ned but run off when the police are summoned. Guillermo Mastegui, Chief of the Secret Section of the Cuban National Police, interrogates Ned about the attack and accuses him of being involved in a plan to flood Cuba with worthless currency. Mastegui and a U.S. Treasury agent plan to have Ned followed in the hope that he will lead them to the head counterfeiter.
Ned loses his job and can't leave Cuba. He meets with a young woman, Anita Ferrer, who believes that he has the bills, as well as the engraving plates they were made from, and offers to buy them. Anita takes him to meet her father, who is president of the Bank of Cuba.
Señor Ferrer explains to Ned that Mastegui suspects that three million counterfeit pesos, manufactured in Chicago, are about to be laundered through the bank. Because this act would destroy confidence in the bank and in the government, Ferrer is anxious to discover who is behind the plot. Ned tells Ferrer that he knows nothing about the matter and is about to leave when Ferrer's other daughter, Josefina, returns home and Ned recognizes her as the woman who passed him the notes in the casino, but says nothing.
When "Fina" agrees to a meeting with Ned, she again denies any involvement in the counterfeiting, but offers to be seen with him in the hope of having the ringleaders show their hand.
After visiting several nightclubs, Fina admits that she took the counterfeit money from the pocket of Carlos Rubi, her sister's boyfriend.
Upon leaving a club, Ned and Fina are kidnapped by Miguel Collada, a trusted banking aide of her father, and his henchman Chuchu. Collada reveals that he is behind the scheme to substitute the counterfeit bills, which have now been chemically aged, for bundles of old, withdrawn bills that are to be burned under his supervision. He will then keep the genuine, old currency, but fears that his associate, Rubi, may have stolen the plates, which could connect him to the swindle.
To help Ned, with whom she is falling in love, Fina suggests to Collada that Rubi may have hidden the plates in El Morro Castle where Rubi, she and Anita used to play as children. Meanwhile, Anita meets with Rubi to try to extricate themselves from Collada's scheme in which they became involved in order to pay off substantial debts.
After Collada and Fina depart for El Morro, leaving Chuchu to guard Ned, Rubi comes to the house intending to kill Collada, but is shot and killed by Chuchu.
Ned escapes, alerts Mastegui, then goes with Anita to El Morro. When they catch up with Collada and Fina, Collada uses Fina as a shield during a gunfight. Anita tries to bargain with him, but is killed by Collada. Ned jumps on Collada and they fight on the castle's parapet until Collada falls, with the plates, into the sea and is eaten by sharks.
To protect Ferrer from the knowledge of Anita's wrongdoing, Mastegui declares that she has died a hero and considers the case closed. Ned and Fina walk off together.

Tags: violence, murder

Review:
A reluctant actor from 1953 on, Flynn roused himself for this unremarkable film.
This 1957 film arguably got his attention because as well as giving him a much needed pay cheque, it was also filmed on location in Havana.
The location work is it's best feature.
The Black and White photography adds to the Havana experience.
The film is also helped by a good support cast, plus a plausible turn from Errol Flynn.
The story, what there is of it, is about a world weary Croupier Ned Sherwood (Flynn) whose life gets almost fatally complicated "one night" when he finds himself with counterfeit Pesos.
Pedro Armendariz is a delight as a crafty Colonel who doesn't believe or disbelieve Sherwood's story.
Faced with no help from the Police Sherwood follows the funny money trail and uncovers some dislikable characters plus a larger plot.
He also meets up with a mysterious blonde (Rossana Rory.)and Gia Scala (From Guns of Navarone).
Despite the premise, location and likeable cast, the film is only just watchable.
Flynn is worth seeing in one of his later roles, with Black and White allowing Flynn's hardening features a creditable rugged handsomeness..
Great Errol Flynn Classic.
It was great seeing Errol Flynn play the role as Ned Sherwood who gets himself involved in a counterfeit ring of gangsters in Havana, Cuba during the Pre-Castro Cuba days.
This film is entirely filmed in Cuba and there is plenty of running around the famous Morro Castle and the Cuban Lighhouse.
Rosanna Rory, (Fina Ferrer) plays a very sexy blonde gal who is fully stacked and simply loves Ned Sherwood.
Gangster's beat up Ned quite often and he is hounded by the Cuban police and also has the attention from another gal who is Rory's sister.
Rory's father is a banker in Cuba and is getting upset with all the counterfeiting going on, so his two daughter's manage to get the printing plates hidden in different locations and the gangster's are hot after Ned and Rory.
This is a great black and white film and does cover up the features of Errol Flynn's face from all the booze and hard living he had done in his past.
A good Errol Flynn movie in Cuba.
"The Big Boodle" (1957)I love movies about Cuba; "Godfather II", "Havana", "Our Man in Havana", and "Cuba".
Of course, if you were a resident, it must have been a totally different kind of place, and you could understand how Castro could get it's citizens to revolt from the powers-that-be."The Big Boodle" takes place in Havana, Cuba before Castro came to power.
It's a suspenseful mystery movie that showcases the tropical beauty of Cuba.Italian actress Rosanna Rory plays Fina Ferrer who passes some counterfeit (Boodle) money at the blackjack table to Ned Sherwood, played by Errol Flynn.
Ned is a down-on-his-luck croupier, working at a Cuban casino.
Normally a croupier is SOL if he gets bogus bills, and, as Ned says, they can only press it into their scrap book.
Ned tries to give the money back to Fina without success.That night Ned gets mugged by a bunch of thugs outside of his apartment, and when the cops question him, they find the Boodle in his pocket.
The police Colonel Mastegui, played by Pedro Armendáriz ("From Russia With Love" and "The Three Godfathers") thinks that he's the counterfeiter, or at least he can help them find the counterfeiters.Surprisingly, Ned is bailed out of jail by an anonymous benefactor.
Now he finds that he's the target of the police, the counterfeiters (who think that he's got the printing plates) and other assorted characters.
At 48 years old, Errol Flynn looks kind of burnt out.
You can obviously tell when they bring in the stunt double to do his fight scenes, but other than that, he still seems in good enough physical shape to do this movie.
He is playing a down-trodden character in a film noir movie, so he's playing it like we see it.
Of course one of the biggest stars of this movie is Havana itself.
The sound wasn't the best on the movie that I watched on Turner Classic Movies, but the music was great.
Errol Flynn's character does a little bar-hopping, and you get to hear some of the old Cuban Jazz, Mambo, Conga, ChaChaCha; the salsa/reggaeton of the 50s.
That was great!Over all, it's a nice little film.
It wasn't a real fast-paced actioner, but a nice little noir movie that showcases a paradise that we might be able to see again some day.
An entertaining film.
An entertaining film.
I recorded "The Big Boodle" when it played on TCM and expected to see a "train wreck" of a movie based on articles and books I have read.
I was most pleasantly surprised to see a very entertaining film.
I thought that Errol Flynn and the supporting cast were uniformly good.
Errol again showed what a great star and actor he really was.
The plot was plausible and the pace of the movie moved right along.
"The Big Boodle" is a more substantial film than many more critically acclaimed films...
Errol brings a worldly weariness appropriate to his role.
I believe that he would have been magnificent as Rhett Butler in "Gone With The Wind" which he lost reportedly, due to Betty Davis' refusal to make that movie with him in the leading role.
"The Big Boodle" shows what a serious and outstanding actor he was in even a modestly budgeted film.
An unexciting story held afloat by a soild Flynn and excellent Garmes with the camera.
The Big Boodle (1957)Errol Flynn is most known for his swashbuckling pizazz in the 1930s, of course, but as his career dwindled he became embroiled in all kinds of controversies, including sleeping with underage girls, sympathizing with the Nazis, and becoming drinking buddies with Fidel Castro.The last of these matters here, for "The Big Boodle" might be the first film made entirely in Cuba by a US film company, and Flynn is clearly at home.
Two years later he would make a now famous odd film, "Cuban Rebel Girls," where he befriends the rebels in their uprising.
It's a crime film with shades of a late film noir infecting most of it.
Flynn plays an American who gets in trouble, and has to go it alone with a couple of dangerous women around him.
But of course it's late in the cycle, just before "Touch of Evil" which is the symbolic end to the classic noir era.So there are lots of scenes outside in Havana (great architecture and American cars), some cuban music (nothing totally memorable), and a general mood of that amazing pre-Castro era where Americans and Cubans mixed like oil, water, and rum.
But it's worth saying the Flynn is actually terrific in his role as a tired but determined American out to clear his name and save his life.The other key player in this whole enterprise (a low budget movie with big budget looks) is the cinematographer Lee Garmes, a true veteran and the man who shot "Detective Story" and "Caught" which are both cinematically brilliant.
Garmes and Flynn make an unlikely collaboration (and I have no idea whether they were friends) but they make this movie actually rather workable.
Even the final climax at a famous old fort above town is more about the photography and movement of characters than any sense of who might shoot who.
1950's B-movie features authentic Havana locales.
For a touch of exotic atmosphere only 90 miles from the shores of the USA in a part of the world that shares a common Spanish Colonial heritage with much of the United States, you can view "The Big Boodle".
The movie lacks depth but the atmospherics and locales of 1957 Havana are effective, and filmed with fine black and white cinematography.Errol Flynn stars and looks every inch the movie star, although he appears thin and tired.
Nevertheless he summons enough energy to move at a good pace- in fact the overall action moves at a rather fast pace, especially toward the end.
Flynn's star quality was still intact although fading rapidly, and he is able to function well enough to carry the film.Flynn portrays a croupier with a sketchy past who is thrust into some really heavy criminal goings-on.
He is believable in the role and his acting (as always) is good.
Ms.Scala was one of the most remarkably beautiful women ever on film- its regrettable that her startling eyes cannot be shown here in color.
Pedro Armendariz is perfect as the cagey police chief.
He was one of the finest screen actors ever and he is superb in this movie.
Leading man type Carlos Rivas who you might recognize from the classic 50's monster film "Giant Scorpion" is also well-cast as a reckless and ambitious young Cuban.Authentic atmospherics of pre-Castro Cuba, some decent acting, and the brisk pace will probably overcome any reservations you may experience from Flynn's obvious weariness and the B-movie nature of this film.
I found it to be an entertaining departure into the long lost era of Errol Flynn and of late-50's Cuba..
A very tired film featuring an even more tired Errol Flynn.
For fans of Errol Flynn, this is a rather tough film to watch.
That's because after a lifetime of wild living and booze, the once handsome actor looks pretty lousy for a 48 year-old.
Here, he's just "phoning it in" in a low-budget and rather dull film and it's only of much interest to fans with morbid curiosity or who want to see every film this star made.The story has Flynn playing a lowly blackjack dealer in a Cuban casino--quite a comedown compared to other characters he'd played in the past.
While it is interesting to see street scenes of pre-Castro Cuba, the rest of the film is a dull affair concerning Errol being tossed, quite innocently, into a bunch of murderous counterfeiters.
The best fight for him is at the end when he barely manages to beat up a doughboy-like villain.
Not exactly CAPTAIN BLOOD or ROBIN HOOD--it's really a shame Flynn's final films are generally of this low quality..
Errol Goes Noir In Cuba.
The prospect of tropical nights in Havana and some income that he wouldn't have to pay entirely to all Uncle Sam in back taxes must have persuaded Errol Flynn to do The Big Boodle.
Shot entirely in Havana, I'm sure Errol enjoyed the night life if nothing else.Flynn plays a croupier in a Havana casino, another of those American expatriates.
One night a woman passes some counterfeit pesos to him at the blackjack table.
Then after leaving work, he gets assaulted by two thugs and when the police find the phony money on him.The police aren't any help, the police inspector Pedro Armendariz treats Flynn like a criminal and to be fair he does have the phony currency on him.
Still he's left to his own devices to pursue the investigation and it leads to a pair of high living sisters in Gia Scala and Rosanna Rory and a number of their acquaintances.The best thing about The Big Boodle is the location photography.
Of course color would have been nice, but it is in fact a noir type film, Errol's only venture into that genre.
The final scene is a running gun battle in Havana's famous Morro Castle with Flynn and villain Jacques Aubuchon.Errol looks at least 15 to 20 years older than his actual age of 48 when The Big Boodle was made.
He wanders rather listlessly through the role, maybe he'd have liked to have done some noir features back in his prime.
He's clearly too old to be believably buckling any swashes.Beyond the final scene, The Big Boodle moves at a snail's pace, a really sad project for Errol Flynn to be involved with..
Sad, Sad late Errol Flynn movie.
In his prime, Errol Flynn was one of the most charismatic men to ever grace the silver screen.This movie was not made in his prime.
If you watch this film, having never seen The Adventures of Robin Hood, Captain Blood, or any of his other films pre-1950, you might find something to like here.
The shots of pre-Castro Cuba are interesting if for no other reason, historical value.If, however, you've seen what Flynn was capable of.
Even in 1957 Flynn was a fit man, a scene with his shirt off shows that, but his face tells another story.
His face has the look of a man waiting to die or already with one foot in the grave.
He looks ghastly.The plot of the film is nothing great or even good.
Just a simple, cheap film about some money counterfeiters.
The plot is immaterial.Watch this film if you absolutely have to see every Errol Flynn movie, but don't act like I didn't warn you.
Viewers interested in Cuba might find something to enjoy.
At least it was filmed on location..
I'm a huge Errol Flynn fan even buying and reading his out of print autobiography "My Wicked, Wicked Ways".
I can definitely say that this movie is one of his worse.
I think it has to do with it being the end of his career, not much money put toward his projects, and the lack of patience movie companies would have with him.
Sorry to say but all that shines thru in this movie, which is a shame.
He went from Robin Hood and Captain Blood to a B-rated movie like this.
W/ his diminishing good looks and his "off screen" antics, Errol Flynn no longer got his pick of screen plays to read.
I think some of his last movies were more for the paycheck than his love of acting..
Sour Face Flynn.
Mr. Flynn is sour looking throughout most of the film.
Aside from all that, he is entertaining enough where a fan can at least get through watching this nothing special movie.
One interesting note is that the viewer can see a pre-Castro Cuba..
Flynn's Film Noir.
*Spoiler/plot- The Big Boodle, 1957.
An American casino card dealer in Cuba gets involved in accidental passing of 'funny money'.
He doesn't want to be included and does his best to protect himself.*Special Stars- Errole Flynn, Rossana Rory, Pedro Armendariz, Jacques Aubuchon.*Theme- Sometimes life takes you for a ride despite your protests.*Trivia/location/goofs- Film Noir, B&W.
Second to last Flynn film made before his early death at 50 years old.
Filmed entirely in pre-Castro Cuba.*Emotion- Film Noir was all the rage in Hollywood and so was Cuba as a exotic island film location.
Mr. Flynn wad his sailing boat and some homes in the local are around Cuba.
The script is extremely well written, acted, and casted with Mr. Flynn.
This film is a gem despite it's strange title..
Australian release: 5 September 1957.
U.K. and Australian release title: a Night in Havana.
SYNOPSIS: A dealer in a Havana casino (Errol Flynn) has some counterfeit money passed to him by the daughter (Rossana Rory) of a prominent Cuban banker (Sandro Giglio).
The chief of police (Pedro Armendariz) suspects the dealer, but it is the banker's other daughter (Gia Scala) who has been involved in the counterfeiting racket.
NOTES: A smash hit in some sections of Australia, where, even at the tail end of his career, Errol Flynn could do no wrong.
Of course, part of his appeal was that of a local boy who made good.
Although he was actually born in Ireland, Flynn was raised in the Australian state of TasmaniaCOMMENT: Actually filmed in its entirety on location in Havana (with the co-operation of the Cuban government and its agencies), this is a routinely-plotted whodunit which has considerable value as a curiosity.
Besides the interesting line-up of players (Flynn had only four more films to go, but though tired and jaded, he still carries conviction here as the rugged hero; Gia Scala and Rossana Rory make attractive foils while Pedro Armendariz is up to his old tricks as a police official)) there is the background - the streets and plazas of pre-Castro Havana, the seedy nightclubs, the gambling dens and various historical monuments including the climactic chase and shoot-out in the ruins of Morro Castle.
Wilson is just feeling his way here, but he has a good eye for locations..
Errol Flynn knew that Hitchcock would not film in Havana .
Not yet fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with the Castro Boys as he shot his final flick, CUBAN REBEL GIRLS, a few months later, Flynn plays a patsy or pawn of a bigger game throughout THE BIG BOODLE.
As Mr. Flynn settles for a screen lover slightly older than his 14-year-old Real Life preference, he appears oblivious to the fact that shadowy figures were beginning to coalesce around him off-screen, in an eerie parallel to the men constantly tailing his "Ned Sherwood" character from the start to the finish of BOODLE.
But Errol seems to focus on Ned's problems here, clueless to the fact that In-Like-Flynn did not appeal to I-Like-Ike Americans, who'd prefer Out-Like-Flynn..
Havana Boodle.
Boodle?
What a silly word to use for a movie.
Anyway, Errol is a casino dealer in Havana when someone passes counterfeit dough at his table and then he gets beat up for it and the cops think he's the counterfeiter and then people try to kill him and then enter two femmes and some action and smart Alic dialogue and chases and fight and more wise cracking and some sentimental stuff and red herrings tossed in here and there but all the way Errol has a nice suit and tie and band-aid over his eye but soon all the good guys and bad guys converge on the old fort in old Havana and naturally the final fight has to take place at the railing above the sea where the sharks are circling and Errol wins and walks away into the sunrise with the hot chick.