The Big Gamble opens on New Year's eve, with a broke gambler trying to figure out how to work his way out of debt. Alan Beckwith (Bill Boyd) gets local thug Andrew North (Warner Oland) and Beverly Ames (Dorothy Sebastian) involved in a scheme to come up with money fast. Viewers will recognize Warner Oland as the lead in all the Charlie Chan movies in the 1930s. Also keep an eye out for James Gleason as Squint Dugan, small time crook. He will go on to play the ultimate slow-witted New York police lieutenant in just about every film made in the 1940s. Zasu Pitts plays Dugan's wife, maid to the Beckwiths. Sound and light quality are a little iffy, but that can be forgiven, since it was the early days of talkies. The dialogue is all a bit stilted and hesitating, apparently since everyone was new to the live sound track. Director Fred Niblo only made two more films after this one. Niblo had an interesting history; his brother- in- law was George M. Cohan, and Niblo was one of the founders of the Academy of Motion Pictures. Not the strongest script or acting, but its a fun, low-key film. Even a couple surprises.
9 Reviews
Still In The Silent Era
boblipton12 January 2009
William Boyd is willing to kill himself for enough insurance money to pay off his debts, but crime boss Warner Oland raises the stakes: a year and a day, and the money will nominally be paid to wife-for-hire Dorothy Sebastian. But a lot can happen in a year...
Shot beautifully by under-rated DP Hal Mohr, this movie, with a newly mobile sound camera is very good visually. Unfortunately, leads Boyd and Sebastian are not quite out of the silent era and director Fred Niblo is not so good at directing the dialogue -- nor does the depression that the leads evince for the first half of the movie, help things much. James Gleason and Zasu Pitts are, of course, excellent, but, despite an excitingly shot finale,the acting prevents this from being more than an averagely good picture.
Shot beautifully by under-rated DP Hal Mohr, this movie, with a newly mobile sound camera is very good visually. Unfortunately, leads Boyd and Sebastian are not quite out of the silent era and director Fred Niblo is not so good at directing the dialogue -- nor does the depression that the leads evince for the first half of the movie, help things much. James Gleason and Zasu Pitts are, of course, excellent, but, despite an excitingly shot finale,the acting prevents this from being more than an averagely good picture.
Intriguing movie that could have been even better
mgconlan-113 January 2009
"The Big Gamble" has one of the most provocative premises ever cooked up for a movie. World-weary gambler Alan Beckwith (William "Hopalong Cassidy" Boyd in a surprisingly despairing modern-dress role) is tired of life. Owing $5,000 to the sinister Andrew North (Warner Oland) and $2,500 to a former servant, Beckwith cooks up the idea of having North take out an insurance policy on his life, then killing himself. North insists that the policy be for $100,000; that a North-hired hit man do the actual killing (since if Beckwith commits suicide, the policy becomes invalid); that Beckwith live a year and a day after taking out the policy; and that Beckwith's wife be the beneficiary. When Beckwith protests that he doesn't have a wife, North supplies him one: Beverly Ames (Dorothy Sebastian), who's under North's influence because her brother Johnny (William Collier, Jr.) is also on the hook to him. The good news is in the striking performances of both leads - and of James Gleason and ZaSu Pitts as a comic-relief couple (though I have a hard time watching Pitts in comic roles without thinking of how Hollywood wasted her talent as a dramatic actress despite her incandescent performance as Trina in Stroheim's "Greed," which should have done for her what "Sybil" and "Norma Rae" did for Sally Field 50 years later) and some intriguingly proto-noir compositions by cinematographer Hal Mohr.
The bad news is Fred Niblo's surprisingly slow, stodgy direction - by 1931 virtually no one was still having the actors pause between hearing their cues and speaking their own lines, but Niblo directs like it was still 1929 - Mohr's mostly plain, uncreative cinematography (which doesn't sustain the marvelous atmospherics of the opening scenes), and some dubious performances by the supporting players. William Collier, Jr. comes off way too queeny as Johnny - we can't muster much sympathy for someone this wimpy - and Warner Oland, though playing a character with an Anglo name, inexplicably not only wears his Charlie Chan makeup but speaks in his Charlie Chan voice. Though a previous silent version of this story was made, "The Big Gamble" really should have been filmed a third time in the 1940's; its plot would have been a natural for film noir.
The bad news is Fred Niblo's surprisingly slow, stodgy direction - by 1931 virtually no one was still having the actors pause between hearing their cues and speaking their own lines, but Niblo directs like it was still 1929 - Mohr's mostly plain, uncreative cinematography (which doesn't sustain the marvelous atmospherics of the opening scenes), and some dubious performances by the supporting players. William Collier, Jr. comes off way too queeny as Johnny - we can't muster much sympathy for someone this wimpy - and Warner Oland, though playing a character with an Anglo name, inexplicably not only wears his Charlie Chan makeup but speaks in his Charlie Chan voice. Though a previous silent version of this story was made, "The Big Gamble" really should have been filmed a third time in the 1940's; its plot would have been a natural for film noir.
Far from perfect script, but saved by a taut and exciting finale
planktonrules28 January 2009
The film begins with William Boyd (later known to the world as Hopalong Cassiday) meeting Warner Oland in a restaurant. It seems that Boyd owes gangster Oland $5000 and instead of paying him back, he has an intriguing proposition--he'll kill himself and make it look like an accident to that Oland gets his money. Oland likes the idea but isn't interested in just a paltry five grand, so he modifies the idea. Since most policies won't pay off for the first year, Oland will arrange a sham marriage and support Boyd and his new bride for one year--then an "accident" will occur. And, to make sure that nothing happens to Boyd in the meantime (such as cold feet), Oland arranges to have gunman James Gleason follow him and make sure nothing happens during that year. Now too surprisingly, suicidal Boyd actually falls in love with this arranged wife and by now it's too late--Oland won't let him out of the deal.
This plot is very tough to believe and needlessly complicated. Arranging for a wife as well as Gleason seems a bit like overkill. Simply having Oland be the beneficiary seems to make far less sense--but, of course, this changes the plot and then there's no reason for Boyd to change his mind. Despite this rather substantial plot hole and a slow first half of the film, it all managed to pull itself together in the second half--and culminating with a very well-staged chase scene where you DON'T have cheap rear-projected shots and you have some very violent and realistic elements (making it perhaps the best car chase of the era). No cheap stock footage here or a crash that looks ridiculous--it's very well done and made my heart race.
Overall, this is a B-movie with some serious flaws, but provided you can just watch the film without questioning them, you'll be very pleasantly surprised by the end--nearly earning this film an 8. A good job of acting by all except Oland--whose delivery, unfortunately, isn't too much better than his Charlie Chan character in other films!
This plot is very tough to believe and needlessly complicated. Arranging for a wife as well as Gleason seems a bit like overkill. Simply having Oland be the beneficiary seems to make far less sense--but, of course, this changes the plot and then there's no reason for Boyd to change his mind. Despite this rather substantial plot hole and a slow first half of the film, it all managed to pull itself together in the second half--and culminating with a very well-staged chase scene where you DON'T have cheap rear-projected shots and you have some very violent and realistic elements (making it perhaps the best car chase of the era). No cheap stock footage here or a crash that looks ridiculous--it's very well done and made my heart race.
Overall, this is a B-movie with some serious flaws, but provided you can just watch the film without questioning them, you'll be very pleasantly surprised by the end--nearly earning this film an 8. A good job of acting by all except Oland--whose delivery, unfortunately, isn't too much better than his Charlie Chan character in other films!
RKO programmer has an exciting finish
AlsExGal25 February 2022
Gambler Alan Beckwith (William Boyd) wants to make a deal with gangster Andrew North (Warner Oland) to whom he owes five thousand dollars in gambling debts. He wants to take out a life insurance policy on himself for the amount he owes and then commit suicide. He's tired of life. North agrees but modifies the deal. Instead he will pay for a policy for a hundred thousand dollars in life insurance on Beckwith, but Beckwith needs to wait a year and a day to kill himself so that the policy will pay off on suicide. In return, North will pay for Beckwith to have a nice lifestyle while he waits out the year. Also, Beckwith has to marry a woman of North's choosing - Beverly (Dorothy Sebastian) who will be the technical beneficiary of the policy so that North can keep his name out of it. For some reason North, who trusts nobody, trusts that this woman will just hand over the money to him after Beckwith's death. Also, Beckwith and his wife in name only know nothing of each other's situation and relationship to North. Watch and find out how this plays out.
Husband and wife William Boyd and Dorothy Sebastian were in a couple of silents together - that's how they met - but this is the only sound film in which they appeared together. It would be interesting if only for that. I can't help but think this film had some of the melodramatic portions rushed so that there was more time at the end for the big car chase which is very well done considering RKO's budget and that this is early sound. For example, at some point during the year, Beckwith manages to get appointed as head West Coast salesman for a development company and his wife becomes an executive secretary for another big company, during the Great Depression! Why didn't these two show this kind of hustle and initiative before?
As the comic relief, Zasu Pitts and James Gleason play a maid and a henchman of North's who are a married couple, but they are actually something other than what they appear to be.
Husband and wife William Boyd and Dorothy Sebastian were in a couple of silents together - that's how they met - but this is the only sound film in which they appeared together. It would be interesting if only for that. I can't help but think this film had some of the melodramatic portions rushed so that there was more time at the end for the big car chase which is very well done considering RKO's budget and that this is early sound. For example, at some point during the year, Beckwith manages to get appointed as head West Coast salesman for a development company and his wife becomes an executive secretary for another big company, during the Great Depression! Why didn't these two show this kind of hustle and initiative before?
As the comic relief, Zasu Pitts and James Gleason play a maid and a henchman of North's who are a married couple, but they are actually something other than what they appear to be.
Let Me Fix This Plot
view_and_review23 August 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I don't know who William Boyd knew in Hollywood, but he must've been someone's son. He wasn't even convincing as a cowboy in "Painted Desert," so how was he going to cut it as a city slicker in "The Big Gamble"? The guy is plain, stiff, and devoid of character.
In "The Big Gamble" he played Alan Beckwith, a man indebted to Andrew North (Warner Oland). At the beginning of the movie he tells North that he doesn't have the $5000 he owes him, but he was going to kill himself and then North could get the money from his life insurance policy. North had a better, more profitable idea. North would take a $100,000 policy out on Alan, force him to marry a woman named Beverly (Dorothy Sebastian), then after a year he would kill Alan, Beverly would collect on the policy and hand it over to him. It may have sounded like a good plan, but any plan involving forcing two people to be married for a year is not good. In a year's time they'd be in love and Alan wouldn't want to go through with the plan.
And that's exactly what happened.
Alan had something to live for after about six months with his forced bride. He saved up what he thought was enough money to pay North off. He gave North the $7500 he now owed him, plus the money North spent on him and Beverly, plus a little extra for his trouble.
It didn't take a genius to realize how dumb this idea of Alan's was. He was giving a man about 10,000 or so dollars when he was worth ten times that dead. Why would North accept $10,000 when he could wait a few days, kill Alan, and be $100,000 richer?
With a movie like this you knew that the only solution was to kill North, but I would proffer that the movie focused on the wrong person.
Let me fix this plot. Try this on for size.
North is a hardworking 'hood who got to his position by being smart and tough. A gambling addict got in over his head and fell into debt with North. Now, North would like to be generous and forgive the debt, but if he did that then no one would pay him. So, he has to collect or make the debtor suffer. It's just business.
The debtor, Alan, proposes killing himself to square off his debt. North says, well, if you're going to kill yourself anyway, you may as well help two people: yourself and this other kid. Plus, I'll give you a year to live. Alan agrees to the deal like an honest gentleman, and after a year he wanted to welch on the deal.
Now, you see who the bad guy is? Not North, who is trying to run a business--it's people like Alan who get into debt and then want to blame North for their troubles. So, I'm not buying the good guy act from William Boyd the slow-talking cowpoke. North was wronged and you can't convince me otherwise.
Free on YouTube.
In "The Big Gamble" he played Alan Beckwith, a man indebted to Andrew North (Warner Oland). At the beginning of the movie he tells North that he doesn't have the $5000 he owes him, but he was going to kill himself and then North could get the money from his life insurance policy. North had a better, more profitable idea. North would take a $100,000 policy out on Alan, force him to marry a woman named Beverly (Dorothy Sebastian), then after a year he would kill Alan, Beverly would collect on the policy and hand it over to him. It may have sounded like a good plan, but any plan involving forcing two people to be married for a year is not good. In a year's time they'd be in love and Alan wouldn't want to go through with the plan.
And that's exactly what happened.
Alan had something to live for after about six months with his forced bride. He saved up what he thought was enough money to pay North off. He gave North the $7500 he now owed him, plus the money North spent on him and Beverly, plus a little extra for his trouble.
It didn't take a genius to realize how dumb this idea of Alan's was. He was giving a man about 10,000 or so dollars when he was worth ten times that dead. Why would North accept $10,000 when he could wait a few days, kill Alan, and be $100,000 richer?
With a movie like this you knew that the only solution was to kill North, but I would proffer that the movie focused on the wrong person.
Let me fix this plot. Try this on for size.
North is a hardworking 'hood who got to his position by being smart and tough. A gambling addict got in over his head and fell into debt with North. Now, North would like to be generous and forgive the debt, but if he did that then no one would pay him. So, he has to collect or make the debtor suffer. It's just business.
The debtor, Alan, proposes killing himself to square off his debt. North says, well, if you're going to kill yourself anyway, you may as well help two people: yourself and this other kid. Plus, I'll give you a year to live. Alan agrees to the deal like an honest gentleman, and after a year he wanted to welch on the deal.
Now, you see who the bad guy is? Not North, who is trying to run a business--it's people like Alan who get into debt and then want to blame North for their troubles. So, I'm not buying the good guy act from William Boyd the slow-talking cowpoke. North was wronged and you can't convince me otherwise.
Free on YouTube.
pre-Code crime drama
SnoopyStyle14 July 2022
Alan Beckwith owes a large gambling debt to gangster Andrew North. Alan agrees to take on an $100k life insurance policy. He also agrees to marry Beverly who is under North's control. After the mandatory one year wait, he will kill himself and leave the money to Beverly. North assigns Squint Dugan to watch over the couple.
This is a pre-Code crime drama from RKO. The staging is a bit play-like. It's early filmmaking. I do like the premise. It has potential to go down differing paths. There is an obvious flaw with North's plan. Alan is a gambler and he's got nothing to lose as he gets closer to the one year mark. He's going to gamble. If he makes a lot of money, he's going to try to buy his way out. If he loses a lot of money, it doesn't matter to him anyways. The comedic touches don't really work. After a slow-moving two thirds, the movie does rise up in tension culminating into a good fast-pace car chase.
This is a pre-Code crime drama from RKO. The staging is a bit play-like. It's early filmmaking. I do like the premise. It has potential to go down differing paths. There is an obvious flaw with North's plan. Alan is a gambler and he's got nothing to lose as he gets closer to the one year mark. He's going to gamble. If he makes a lot of money, he's going to try to buy his way out. If he loses a lot of money, it doesn't matter to him anyways. The comedic touches don't really work. After a slow-moving two thirds, the movie does rise up in tension culminating into a good fast-pace car chase.
Charlie Chan Meets Hopalong Cassidy
kapelusznik186 July 2016
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS**** Depressed and unable to pay gangster Andrew North, Warner Oland, the $5,000.00, that's at least $100,000.00 in 2016 dollars, he owes him Alan Beckwith, Bill Boyd, plans to off himself after making out a $5,000.00 insurance policy with North as the only recipient. So far so good but it will take a year for the policy to become effective and Alan Beckwith will have to be married for it to be worked out! On top of all that North not satisfied with just the $5,000.00 ups the policy to $100,000.00 in order to get his monies worth!
Having a shot gun marriage with Beverly, Dorothy Sebastian, who's kid brother Johonnie, William Collier Jr,is also in debt to North all Alan has to do is wait out the year and on New Years Day 1932 get himself killed in a staged accident and all his troubles will be over! Or so he thought! Playing the stock and real estate markets Alan not only makes enough money to pay North $5,000.00 debt off but also falls in love with his wife Beverly with now getting himself killed the very last thing on his mind!
***SPOILERS*** The movie goes into overdrive with North and his boys out to murder both Alan & Johnnie just for making him look bad as a both a gangster and businessman. This after Alan gets the other $100,000.00 that North wanted in a card game and thus had Johnnie kidnapped by North's men after he came to his pad to off him himself and ended up getting kidnapped by him. This leads to as wild car chase with Squint Dugan, James Gleason, one of North's goon but really an undercover US Government Treasurer Agent behind the wheel.As for North he gets his when placed under arrest and about to be driven to the nearest police station to get booked for attempted murder and kidnapping, as well as racketeering, tries to make a run for it and is crushed by, after jumping out of the car, oncoming traffic! Now with all his troubles behind him Alan and Beverly get married for the second time and this time it's not for a year but for keeps.
Having a shot gun marriage with Beverly, Dorothy Sebastian, who's kid brother Johonnie, William Collier Jr,is also in debt to North all Alan has to do is wait out the year and on New Years Day 1932 get himself killed in a staged accident and all his troubles will be over! Or so he thought! Playing the stock and real estate markets Alan not only makes enough money to pay North $5,000.00 debt off but also falls in love with his wife Beverly with now getting himself killed the very last thing on his mind!
***SPOILERS*** The movie goes into overdrive with North and his boys out to murder both Alan & Johnnie just for making him look bad as a both a gangster and businessman. This after Alan gets the other $100,000.00 that North wanted in a card game and thus had Johnnie kidnapped by North's men after he came to his pad to off him himself and ended up getting kidnapped by him. This leads to as wild car chase with Squint Dugan, James Gleason, one of North's goon but really an undercover US Government Treasurer Agent behind the wheel.As for North he gets his when placed under arrest and about to be driven to the nearest police station to get booked for attempted murder and kidnapping, as well as racketeering, tries to make a run for it and is crushed by, after jumping out of the car, oncoming traffic! Now with all his troubles behind him Alan and Beverly get married for the second time and this time it's not for a year but for keeps.
First-rate cast needed a little more script
morrisonhimself3 May 2009
Someone wrote here "could have been better." There probably has never been a movie of which that couldn't have been said. Nevertheless, it is true here: The story needed to be fleshed out, with more details of how the good guys almost got out of their mess.
The cast names bespeak a quality production; the director was a good one; the editor, Joseph Kane, did a great job with what he had, and, as an aside, it's interesting that he, as so many other editors, later became a crackerjack director himself.
Bill Boyd was a great favorite with audiences, especially in his "Hopalong Cassidy" days, and with, especially, Cecil B. DeMille. He was a good actor, but was even more a strong personality.
Dorothy Sebastian was a beautiful woman and, especially in this movie, a good, intense actress. She died awfully young, and in her last roles didn't even get screen credit. That seems a shame.
Prolific James Gleason got second billing, even over the female love interest, and made his usual hit. He was around a long time, but we could use a character actor like him today.
Other cast members deserve praise too, as does the stunt work. All in all, this is a good movie, perfect for a relaxing watch.
The cast names bespeak a quality production; the director was a good one; the editor, Joseph Kane, did a great job with what he had, and, as an aside, it's interesting that he, as so many other editors, later became a crackerjack director himself.
Bill Boyd was a great favorite with audiences, especially in his "Hopalong Cassidy" days, and with, especially, Cecil B. DeMille. He was a good actor, but was even more a strong personality.
Dorothy Sebastian was a beautiful woman and, especially in this movie, a good, intense actress. She died awfully young, and in her last roles didn't even get screen credit. That seems a shame.
Prolific James Gleason got second billing, even over the female love interest, and made his usual hit. He was around a long time, but we could use a character actor like him today.
Other cast members deserve praise too, as does the stunt work. All in all, this is a good movie, perfect for a relaxing watch.
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