Gambling Lady

Gambling Lady (1934)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Warner melodrama has a poker player (Barbara Stanwyck) going to the other side of the tracks by marrying a social boy (Joel McCrea) but she can't get away from her bookie friend (Pat O'Brien). This is a decent little film that only runs 66-minutes so if you're needing time to kill then this movie can fill that void. The movie has a very familiar story and I'm convinced that Warner just re-used this story over and over and just changed the character names. If you've seen one film about a bad girl switching sides then you won't find any shocks here but the three leads keep the film moving well. Stanwyck is once again good in her role as is McCrea but the film certainly belongs to C. Aubrey Smith who plays McCrea's father. His comic timing and mature performance certainly sticks out among the major cast. O'Brien adds nice support in his small role as does Claire Dodd as the woman after McCrea. Again, this quickie really doesn't offer anything new but if you've got time to kill and enjoy the cast it isn't too bad.