Poker In Cinema: The Gambler From Natchez

by Bodog Poker | Dec 21 2010

We get in the way-back machine and visit a golden oldie from 1954 in our regular look at poker in movies and on the screen!

The posters for The Gambler From Natchez (which I actually saw long before the film) promote the film as having "Gambling casinos! Creole beauties! Highborn ladies! Flashing swords! Thundering fists!" and being as "Bold and bawdy as the mighty Mississippi! Lusty and gusty as its fiery women! Rousing as the times that inspired it!"  These may be over-the top exaggerations of the film, but there's certainly enough action and romance to keep even a jaded modern audience member engaged, even if the b-list performances by actors whose names now means less to us than a quarter of a Kardashian occasionally sag a bit.

The Gambler From Natchez stars Dale Robertson as Vance Colby, the titular player. The movie kicks off with Vance on his way home from a stint in the army, eager to reunite with his family and his father in particular. He's accompanied by the family attorney, Pierre Bonet.  Bonet loses a game of poker against Gottwald, a typically German sort who proceeds to lay grief upon Bonet.  Vance says “Hang on there, let me try to win his money back" and one hand later, has Bonet's funds safely back in his wallet.  This, of course, does not go over well and Vance is accused of cheating just like his father and a fight breaks out. One thing leads to another and the riverboat's captain's daughter, Melanie, falls for the man.

The plot from this point is pretty by the numbers: Vance and Pierre meet a woman named Yvetta Rivage who's interested in starting her own gambling boat. Despite the fact that they rescue her from the side of the road, she decides to have Vance killed for being the son of a man who was so good at poker that people presumed he was cheating.  The murder attempt fails and Vance is rescued by Melanie and Antoine, who also serves on her father's ship. We find out that Vance's father Chip saved their boat from falling victim to a cardsharp years ago and they've always been fans of the Colby's.

They make their way to New Orleans just to find out that Vance's father has been murdered by Andre Rivage after being accused of cheating in a card game. Even with two witnesses, Vance knows that his father was murdered in cold blood for being a good card player and with the unofficial approval of the local constabulary, goes after Rivage.  We see Vance and Antoine working their way through the gambling dens and gaming boats of New Orleans, playing poker, blackjack and other games up until they finally corner Rivage.  A fight ensues, a man is killed, and The Gambler From Natchez's family reputation is restored.

It's thoroughly old-fashioned, but any movie that features poker and swords has to work pretty hard to not keep me engaged throughout, and there's a charm that makes up for shortcomings on the part of the actors and direction.  Well worth watching if you see it coming across the ticker on your cable TV.

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