The writing team of Gwen and John Bagni are responsible for many episodes of Four Star Playhouse, and have a knack for crafting crisp, concise and suspenseful short stories. This one is a fine vehicle for Charles Boyer.
He plays an owner of a small, independent casino in Reno who is down on his luck -usually a condition reserved for the customers (though of course Trump flopped and went bankrupt as a casino owner in Atlantic City). John Hoyt is cast as an instantly recognizable villain, anxious to buy out Boyer, while Chuck's girlfriend Virginia Grey is not supportive of him, rather urging him to sell out. Horace McMahon is well-cast as his no-nonsense, loyal aide in the casino business.
The story swiftly builds to a climax with Boyer mano a mano playing black jack with a high roller who happens to be his estranged son, with a big grudge against his dad. Boyer lost custody to the kid's grandma when his wife died, and she left a big inheritance to the boy. Chuck's been cold and heartless ever since.
The Bagnis have an amazing, unpredictable ending to the story that actually paints a moral lesson. Acting is fine, all except the weak casting of Robert Arthur as the son - a wimpy performance that makes the confrontation with Boyer way too one-sided in favor of our great actor and presence Chuck. I was surprised after watching the show to read in IMDb's credits that Arthur ended up his career playing NonSex roles in a series of hardcore Gay Porn movies, a fate far worse than the Bagnis concocted for his fictional character here.
