Showing posts with label King of Gamblers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label King of Gamblers. Show all posts

Sunday, April 23, 2023

King of Gamblers was released on this day in 1937

King of Gamblers was released on this day in 1937. The film is a stylish low-budget crime drama about a slot-machine racket and the crusading reporter who uncovers it. Though a “B” picture, this almost noir was given an “A” treatment by director Robert Florey. Louise Brooks’ role as Joyce Beaton, love interest of the reporter, was cut from the film’s final release. More about the film can be found on the Louise Brooks Society filmography page.

The film was part of an unofficial Paramount series based on crimes and criminals suggested by the J. Edgar Hoover book, Persons in Hiding. Despite its source material, the film’s gritty realism shocked some. The Christian Science Monitor stated “Sociological aspects of the theme are quite overshadowed by melodramatics which may prove too violent for the more sensitive.” Fox West Coast Bulletin said the film was “Not wholesome. Waste of time.” Motion Picture Review wrote “Such a picture as this has no constructive social value.” The Kansas City Star added “. . . the subject hardly can be recommended to the attention of the youth and future glory of the land.” While Mae Tinnie, the onomatopoeically named film critic of the Chicago Tribune, suggested “If you like a grisly little programmer, King of Gamblers is that.”

Though considered a B-movie (typically shown as part of a double bill), the film received very good notices from both exhibitors and the public alike. The manager of the Cory Theater in Winchester, Indiana stated, “I thought when I showed Night Key I had given my patrons the best picture ever made, but this King of Gamblers is even better than that. Played last two days of week to big business.” Other exhibitors agreed: comments published in Motion Picture Herald included “Excellent entertainment in any spot. Well liked by all,” and “Was afraid of this one, but found it packed with suspense and action.”

In reviewing the film’s New York City opening, Irene Thirer of the New York Post wrote “Criterion goers are clutching their chairs these days, because this is probably the most blood-thirsty picture in several seasons. . . . Supporting the principals (and Lloyd Nolan’s job as the reporter in corking), are Larry Crabbe, the late Helen Burgess (who strangely met her untimely death immediately after she had died in this picture via script requirements), Porter Hall, Harvey Stephens, a couple of walloping shots of the capable Evelyn Brent, and others. Robert Florey directed – which accounts for the picture’s unusual camera angles.” 

The Washington Post had a similar sentiment. “The cold chills and icy thrills of King of Gamblers make the Metropolitan air-conditioning quite superfluous. If you are one for hard-boiled homicides mixed in with your entertainment, this show will give you a good time and a half.”

The film reunited Brooks with Evelyn Brent. The two actresses had first appeared together in Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em (1926), when each were emerging stars. For the two faded stars, King of Gamblers was seen as a comeback opportunity. And indeed, studio publicity promoted their appearance as such. Around the time of the film’s release, the Los Angeles Times ran a picture of Brooks and Brent under the headline, “Two actresses resume screen career.” The caption noted their “return to the silver sheet.” Brooks’ scene and character were cut from the film before its release.

Under its American title, documented screenings of the film took place in Australia (including Tasmania), Bermuda, Canada, China, Dutch Guiana (Surinam), Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, The Philippines, and the United Kingdom (including England, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, and Scotland). On a few occasions, the film was shown in the United States under the title Czar of the Slot Machines. In the United States, the film was also promoted about under the title El Rey de los Jugadores (Spanish-language press).

Elsewhere, King of Gamblers was shown under the title L’homme qui terrorisait New-York (Algeria); O Amor é como Jogo (Brazil); El Rey de los jugadores (Cuba); Král hazardních hrácu (Czechoslovakia); Storbyens sjakaler (Denmark); El Rey de los Jugadores (Dominican Republic); L’homme qui terrorisait New-York (France); O tromokratis tis Neas Yorkis (Greece); Rándyr stórborgarinnar (Iceland); 犯罪王 or Hanzai-ō (Japan); L’homme qui terrorisait New-York (Morocco); Król graczy (Poland); El Rey de los jugadores (Spain); L’homme qui terrorisait New York and Der König der Spieler (Switzerland); NewYorku' Titreten Adam (Turkey); and El Rey de los jugadores (Uruguay).

 


SOME THINGS ABOUT THE FILM YOU MAY NOT KNOW:

 — Director Robert Florey hoped to use Louise Brooks in an earlier film, Hollywood Boulevard (1936), but it didn’t work out.

— An opening sequence with “Jim Adams” (Lloyd Nolan) being jilted by “Joyce Beaton” (Louise Brooks) was shot but eliminated from the final cut. Prints of the film which include Brooks’ may have been sent overseas, as Brooks is included in advertisements for the film in at least two countries.

— Helen Burgess, a promising 18 year old actress who had the second female lead in the film, died shortly after its completion on April 7, 1937 (and just five days before this film’s preview). Discovered by Cecil B. De Mille, the demure actress was cast by the famous director in his epic western The Plainsman (1936). While working on her fourth film, Night of Mystery (1937), Burgess caught a chill that resulted in a serious cold, which in turn developed into pneumonia. An article at the time of her death noted that the Hollywood High School graduate had recently been picked for stardom by a vote of the Paramount film editors.

— The film was previewed at the Alexander theater in Glendale, California. This first ever showing took place on April 12, 1937. King of Gamblers was paired with Swing High, Swing Low – a romantic drama starring Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray. Advertisements in the local paper noted stars of the unnamed preview film would be in attendance. Motion Picture Herald reported “The audience, which had been watching Swing High, Swing Low, found in the added attraction a contrast that caused it to pay strict attention. Several times it broke into applause.”

— In Los Angeles, King of Gamblers played at the Orpheum Theater, a prominent downtown venue. The film was also shown at the neighborhood theaters like the Beverly (now owned by Quentin Tarantino), Egyptian, and Village, as well as the Figueroa and Larchmont, where the film was paired with Go-Getter, a Busby Berkeley film whose stars were coincidentally listed as Brent – Louise (George and Anita).

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2023. Further unauthorized use prohibited. 

Sunday, August 7, 2022

The Unlikely Louise Brooks, number 1 in an occasional series

This post is the first in an occasional series focusing on unusual finds, unusual material, and unusual connections all related to Louise Brooks - even if only tangentially. I run across these sorts of things regularly... and this a way to share them with my few readers.

Motion Picture Reviews was one of a handful of small-time publications which reviewed films back in the day. It was issued by the Motion Picture Committee of the Women's University Club, which was the Los Angeles Branch of the American Association of University Women. (Did other branch's around the country issue printed reviews? I don't know.) Well anyways, this slight, unillustrated and rather plain monthly publication was aimed at parents who wanted to know which films were "best" for children. Here is their statement of purpose from their first issue, which is dated January 1930. 

And here is a statement from their third issue, which states that the films they reviewed were shown to them by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences courtesy of the Association of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. All of which suggests that as a group, they had some credibility. 


I read a number of scattered reviews, and must admit that they contain little of interest -- EXCEPT WHEN THEY THREW SOME SHADE,which they occasionally did, as in the write up for The King of Gamblers, shown below. Sounds like a real recommendation to me. Below is a page of reviews from 1930. The review of the Lon Chaney reissue, The Phantom of the Opera, caught my eye. As did the write-up for Playing Around (1930), an Alice White film. It sounds fun. I wonder what they said about Dracula (1931), or Frankenstein (1931). Check out the run of the magazine HERE.

As far as I can tell, the publication ran from 1930 to 1944, which puts it somewhat out of range as far as Louise Brooks' primary career is concerned. But still, I found a few things of interest. Brooks three films from 1931, It Pays to Advertise, God's Gift to Women, and Windy Riley Goes Hollywood, were all covered. It is interesting to me that Brooks was not mention in the piece on Windy Riley; certainly, she was a bigger name than Jack Shutta, who played the title role?

Motion Picture Reviews did not review Brooks' sole 1936 film, Empty Saddles, but they did cover the the two films from 1937 which are part of her filmography, When You're in Love, and The King of Gamblers. The latter is a doozy. BTW, this publication also didn't bother writing up the other Louise Brooks' western, Overland Stage Raiders (1938). Who knows? Perhaps they didn't care for cowboy flicks, or westerns, or serials? Which is odd, because kids sure did.


This blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2022. Further use prohibited.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Robert Florey, the French Expressionist by Brian Taves

Here is a book well worth recommending, Robert Florey, the French Expressionist by Brian Taves. Originally published in hardback by Scarecrow Press in 1986, Taves groundbreaking work was reissued last year in softcover by BearManor Media.

Florey is a director of great accomplishment perhaps best known to fans of Louise Brooks as the director of King of Gamblers (1937), a terrific little proto-noir crime film in which Brooks had a small role. (Her part was later cut).

King of Gamblers is a low-budget gangster film in which Akim Tamiroff takes an unusual featured role as a slot-machine racketeer whose bombing of an uncooperative barber shop leads to a murder charge. (The film was also known as Czar of the Slot Machines.)

By her own account, Brooks accepted a bit part in the film because the director "specialized in giving jobs to destitute and sufficiently grateful actresses," referring both to herself and to Evelyn Brent , who also had a role. King of Gamblers is extensively discussed in Taves' book. (During his career, Florey also worked with actress Anna May Wong. That's her on the cover.)

From the publisher: "Discover the remarkable film career of Robert Florey, in Robert Florey: The French Expressionist by Brian Taves. During almost a half-century in the movies, from 1916 to 1963, Robert Florey directed sixty five features and 220 television films at most of the major studios. His greatest success came in thrillers, scripting the original Frankenstein and directing such horror classics as Murders in the Rue Morgue with Bela Lugosi and The Beast with Five Fingers with Peter Lorre.


Robert Florey (far left) looks over Louise Brooks shoulder,
as Evelyn Brent (far right) looks on.

Displaying skill in many genres, Florey also co-directed two renowned comedies, The Cocoanuts with The Marx Brothers and Monsieur Verdoux with Charlie Chaplin. Florey was always known as an artist, gaining fame first through his experimental avant-garde shorts, such as The Life and Death of 9413 - a Hollywood Extra, and he is renowned for directing episodes of The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents television series.

His features remained distinctive for integrating European filmmaking styles into the Hollywood studio system. Author Brian Taves takes advantage of numerous primary sources, including studio archives, interviews with associates, and access to all of Florey's papers. Taves thoroughly analyzes and locates Florey's films within the context of the times, relating them to such topics as the influence of expressionism and other techniques, the realm of the "B" film, the position of the contract director in the studio system, and the transition of movie talent to television.

This new edition of a book out of print since 1995 delves more deeply into Florey's remarkable career. In addition to a Bibliography, the book contains several appendixes, including a Filmography, a Television Filmography, and "Charles Chaplin's Tirade Between Takes of Monsieur Verdoux" (transcribed by Robert Florey), as well as an Index."

"A book on Florey is long overdue… Now the job has been done, and done magnificently…. I’ve already used the book in one of my film history courses, and I hope it’ll find is way on to a lot of university shelves. And for the film history enthusiast, it’s a must…. Worth every penny…” -- William K. Everson, Films in Review

 "A crucial biography in the study of film history. Robert Florey, the French Expressionist reveals deep insight about the important director thanks to skilled writing and access to rare archival materials." -- Gary Rhodes, Film historian and Bela Lugosi biographer

“One of the most ambitious studies of a director who worked largely in B filmmaking…” -- Kristin Thompson, University of Wisconsin-Madison

“Essential…. An epic work that every horror fan should own…. The depth of interpretation of Florey’s style, his background, his detailed film career as recreated by Taves is simply gripping in its detail.” -- Gary J. Svehla, Midnight Marquee



About the author: Brian Taves is author of a range of books on film history and popular culture, from the silent cinema to the era of television, on genres from science fiction to historical adventures. Taves earned his doctorate in Cinema-Television Critical Studies at the University of Southern California in 1988 and has been a film archivist with the Library of Congress since 1990.

The newest book by Taves, Hollywood Presents Jules Verne, chronicles more than a century of adaptations of the science fiction pioneer's stories to the screen. Taves has been the author of countless articles on Verne over the last thirty years, and edited and coauthored The Jules Verne Encyclopedia (1996), a Locus nominee for Best Nonfiction Book. Taves is currently editing the Palik Series, stories and plays by Verne never before translated into English, for the North American Jules Verne Society, published by BearManor Fiction.

Taves wrote the first biography of the acclaimed silent movie producer, Thomas Ince: Hollywood's Independent Pioneer (University Press of Kentucky, 2011) , a volume named to the "ten best" film books of 2011 on Huffington Post, and chosen by Turner Classic Movies channel (TCM) as their "book-of-the-month" for January 2012.

Examining different film making professions, Taves wrote his first book on director Robert Florey. Taves explored the career of P.G. Wodehouse as a screenwriter, commentator on Hollywood, and the source of numerous screen adaptations (McFarland, 2006).

In a series of volumes, Taves offered the first scholarly examination of the historical adventure genre. He examined the genre first in film and television, in The Romance of Adventure (University Press of Mississippi, 1993), then delineated one of its most distinctive authors, Talbot Mundy, Philosopher of Adventure (McFarland, 2005), following it with a critical anthology of Mundy stories, articles, and poems which had never appeared in book form before, Winds From the East (Ariel Press, 2006).

Saturday, May 3, 2014

King of Gamblers - A round up of reviews

King of Gamblers was officially released on this day in 1937. The film is an underworld crime drama about the slot-machine racket and the crusading reporter who uncovers it. The film was sometimes referred to and was shown under the title Czar of the Slot Machines. [This 1937 film should not be confused with a later release, King of the Gamblers, from 1948.]

The film stars Claire Trevor (as nightclub singer Dixie Moore), Lloyd Nolan (as reporter Jim Adams), Akim Tamiroff (as gangster Steve Kalkas), Buster Crabbe (as Eddie), Helen Burgess (as Jackie Nolan), Evelyn Brent (as Cora), and Natalie Moorhead (as woman at table). Scenes with Louise Brooks playing the role of Joyce Beaton were cut, and it is not known if they still exist.

Though only a "B" picture from Paramount, King of Gamblers was given "A" treatment by noted director Robert Florey. The film was based on a story by Tiffany Thayer, who is best known today for his novel Call Her Savage, the basis for the 1932 Clara Bow film, as well as for being a founder of the founder of the Fortean Society. King of Gamblers was scripted by Doris Anderson with uncredited contributions by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur.

With its expressionist flourishes, King of Gamblers might be considered an early example of film noir (attention Eddie Muller). When first released, the film was both praised and condemned. Some noted its realism, while others thought it too violent. Here is a round up of magazine and newspaper reviews and articles drawn from the Louise Brooks Society archive.

Evelyn Brent and Louise Brooks pose for a
publicity photo for King of Gamblers

author unknown. Hollywood Reporter, April 13, 1937.
--- "This is an excellent crime melodrama on the program level that, without departing radically from established plot elements, progresses by so much fresh and believable episode and builds for such high suspense that it will win general approval."

author unknown. Box Office, April 24, 1937.
--- "Given the benefit of superior production, this film is meaty but highly entertaining fare."

author unknown. Motion Picture Review, May, 1937.
--- "Such a picture as this has no constructive social value."

anonymous. "Monitor Movie Guide." Christian Science Monitor, May 1, 1937.
--- "Sociological aspects of the theme are quite overshadowed by melodramatics which may prove too violent for the more sensitive."

author unknown. Philadelphia Exhibitor, May 1, 1937.
--- "Above average racketeer story, this is packed with fast action, suspense."

Southern California Council of Federated Church Women. Fox West Coast Bulletin, May 8, 1937.
--- "Not wholesome. Waste of time."

anonymous. "King of Gamblers Exciting Film On Screen At Allyn." Hartford Courant, May 21, 1937.
--- "Three personalities who until a short time ago were among the obscurities of filmdom but are now definitely headed for the peaks of stardom, appear in the principal roles in King of Gamblers, the exciting, at times startling and occasionally almost too brutally realistic. . . ."

author unknown. National Council of Jewish Women, May 25, 1937.
--- "Excellent direction of a well chosen cast adds materially to this interesting expose of 'slot machine' racketeers."

C(risler), B. R. "At the Criterion." New York Times, July 3, 1937.
--- "Unscrupulous editing and the conscienceless substitution of camera angles and mechanical dissolves for ideas and genuine suspense have made a superficially presentable melodrama out of King of Gamblers at the Criterion."

Lusk, Nobert. "Unheralded Film Lauded by Broadways." Los Angeles Times, July 10, 1937.
--- "An unpretentious picture that tops in interest and appeal those which arrive on Broadway with benefit of ballyhoo."

anonymous. "A Brisk Drama Of Gamesters Clicks at Met." Washington Post, July 31, 1937.
--- "The cold chills and icy thrills of King of Gamblers make the Metropolitan air-conditioning quite superfluous. If you are one for hard-boiled homicides mixed in with your entertainment, this show will give you a good time and a half."

author unknown. "King of Gamblers, by Thayer, Racket Expose, Is at the Capitol." Atlanta Constitution, August 1, 1937.
--- "Tiffany Thayer, one of America's outstanding writers on crime and rackets, comes through with another winner in King of Gamblers, a during story of the slot machine racket as it exists in many cities, which opens a week's engagement at the Capitol theater...."

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

King of Gamblers star subject of new book

(adapted from my article on examiner.com)

King of Gamblers was one of the last films in which Louise Brooks had a role. Unfortunately, her small part – as the fiancé to a character played by Lloyd Nolan - was cut at the time of the film’s release. Nevertheless, this 1937 Paramount drama - an underworld crime story about a slot-machine racket and the crusading reporter who uncovers it – is a terrific “B” movie given “A” treatment at the hands of director Robert Florey. Should you ever have a chance to see it, you won’t be disappointed. [Duped copies of the film sometimes show up on eBay. it has never been officially released on either VHS or DVD.]

The film stars Akim Tamiroff as a syndicate boss. However, it’s the crusading reporter in King of Gamblers, played by Nolan, who steals the show.

Nolan, a venerable character actor whose career spanned 50 years, is the subject of a new book by broadcaster Joel Blumberg and writer Sandra Grabman. The 294-page Lloyd Nolan: An Actor's Life With Meaning has just been published by BearManor Media. The book is a good read, contains a few bits about King of Gamblers, and is worth checking out.

Joel Blumberg and writer Sandra Grabman’s Lloyd Nolan: An Actors Life With Meaning (BearManor Media) is available through amazon.com and Indiebound.
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