Evening star., 1934-04-07
POKER AND
OTHER FORMS
OF GAMBLING
AU Haze Large
Part in Earle's
Ne,U Film.

One popularity shared by most films
about gambling is their common fail
ure to prove in any way that the
great take-a-chance boys and girls
depicted in the story actually know
enough of the sport to win two hands
an evening in the penny-ante game at
the general store. Every time we see
the heroes or heroines of these sagaS
either they are tossing down straight
flush and dragging in the scratch or
holding something distinctly akin to
the last five cards in bridge hand
and morosely losing their wearing
apparel.
Gambling Lady" at the Earle this
week, shares that fault of its prede-
cessors, but somehow manages to be
a satisfactory program picture, at
that. However unhappy the poker
fans may become during the sequences
in which Lady Lee Barbara STAN
wyck) is demonstrating her invarlable
improbable good luck on the green
felt, they and their fellow citizens
doubtless will be diverted by the
rather fresh premise of the film.
Without further grousing about the
technicalities Of the table, you may
be told that Gambling Lady" is the
story OF a young lass whose father
was a. professional gambler, and an
honest one at that, Not without honor
among certain inhabitants in the land,
he finds himself frozen out by a
syndicate of crooked gamblers who
want him to play their game. Dis
consolate, broke and too fond OF his
daughter, he checks out of the game
and leaves her his life insurance as a
stake.
Knowing no other pasttimes, Lady
Lee spends her evenings playing
poker, when, as she puts it, she does
not spend them playing blackjack.
At one game she meets wealthy lad
named Gary Madison (Joel McCrea)
who, because it is written in the
cards, as you might say, becomes
enamoured of her They are married
and not long after the trouble starts
On a trip to Monte Carlo Gary meets
the female menace, blonde and
conscientiously unpleasant damsel, who
was once an acquaintance and WOULD
have liked to be more.
Lady Lee steers her man back to
America and promptly becomes en-
broiled herself because she balls out a
sporting friend of the old days named
Charlie (Pat O'Brien). There is pub
licity and the Madisons, sub, resent
1t. In order to get bond for Charlie
Lady Lee pawns some jewels she won
from Sheila in a card game. When
the gambler is out of Jail he promptly
takes the pawn ticket to redeem the
baubles and Gary, more angry than
ever about this, goes galloping out to
recover the ticket. The next morning
Charlie is found shot to death. To
tell the rest Of the tale would be deal
ing off the bottom, but we assure you
1t twists and turns eXcitingly before
the end.
The stage show this week is con-
sistently good. Ozzie Nelson, his
band. a trio and a girl crooner are
billed as the feature act on the pro-
gram, and they toss forth a stream OF
pleasant syncopations, but an imper-
senator named Bill Aronson seems to
have the edge as the best number in
the list. His limitations of radio
celebrities were both deft and funny.
Also recommended to the last drop
are the Du Points Study in Foolish
ness" and the "Mattison Rhvthms" of
eight energetic dancers. The Earle
bill is completed by Freddie Clarks
arrangement Of "Neopolitan Nights. y
a newsreel and Broadway brevity
entitled Let's Play Post Office"
R. B. P. JR.