TV and Movies

[Oznell]

12:00 a.m. Eastern wee hours Thursday TCM:   "The Lady Gambles"  Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Preston, Stephen McNally, Edith Barrett, John Hoyt, Elliott Sullivan, Leif Erickson, Houseley Stevenson, Tony Curtis

Barbara Stanwyck ignites a gritty melodrama.   Happily married to Robert Preston, a reporter following a story in Las Vegas, Babs gets drawn into the gambling world, and turns out to be compulsive.  She soon gets approached by unscrupulous but charismatic casino owner Stephen McNally, and her addiction starts torpedoing everything that's good in her life, including her relationship with Preston...

This may be technically a "B" picture, but it has all the ingredients for a great watch tonight, the intense Stanwyck being foremost.  The rest of the cast is good--  it's fun to see a young, attractively tousled Robert Preston, and noir veteran Stephen McNally brings his mesmerizing, dangerous charm...

[Oznell]

Hmmmm.  I stumbled upon the radio production of "The Lady Gambles".   Am thinking that it was made AFTER the film's release.  It's shorter, so more compressed, with just the audio, of course.   But it still has Stanwyck, so presumably of worth.  

I love old radio shows.  And if you can't get TCM, this radio broadcast might be fun to check out.   Here is this condensed audio version, streaming free on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3C_PYp1Qdo

[BoopOMatic]

Oh I love Barbara Stanwyck!