Two Dollar Bettor (1951)

Strong and Moving!

Sadly Over-hyped

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Steve Brodie may be the nominal star but since he only makes his appearance 15 minutes before the film's end, it may be said that John Litel owns this movie. He plays widower John Hewitt, almost too devoted to his two daughters and who is dazzled by his first trip to the race track. By the time he gets home he is hooked - courtesy of a lucky tip given to him by his brother-in-law. Not a lot of time given to character study, John becomes hooked fast and while keeping up the façade of "father of the year" and enduring occasional pieces of advice from his mother about the advantages of remarrying he is drawn into the murky morass of gambling addiction. He thinks he has found a sympathetic woman - Mary Slate (slinky Marie Windsor, obviously John hasn't seen any of her movies). She is the go between who meets John to exchange his wins and losses from the bookies but she is not who she appears and toward the end introduces him to her "brother" Rick (Brodie) so they can set him up for a $20,000 fall.This was a 1950's "problem" picture and a lot better than most helped enormously by John Litel's compelling performance. Steve Brodie's appearance instantly gives the film an edginess and pushes it into noir territory and Marie Windsor, while she has to play a nice girl (on the surface), is always great. Also seen is Carl Switzer (Alfalfa in "Our Gang") as one of the daughter's persistent suitors and Barbara Billingsly ("Leave It to Beaver") as John's secretary and the one he should have taken an interest in all along.Recommended.

And The Agony of Defeat. I've been an avid horse player for the last forty years and this film is an old style but truly realistic portrayal of what can happen to an addictive personality coupled with a big win the first time a man places money on a horse. It can work for any type of gambling but using horses as the money pit gives that little added class. The film is not the greatest piece of acting and writing but it is indeed a realistic look at the Easy Money syndrome Gamble sensibly. Gamble for fun, but never borrow money to gamble. Stay in touch with yourself...the film's message is clear and the minor faults of an early 50's plot are overlooked by this viewer. A hell of a rush to win but...

Watching a mediocre print of this movie was like seeing "Detour" for the first time. The movie has a terrible, pedestrian title. The stars don't promise much. Well, of course Marie Windsor is always good and Steve Brodie is a noir staple. But John Litel, as the central figure -- which he is? It's the very suspenseful story of a decent guy getting dragged down into a whirlpool of crime and deceit.Litel is what today would be called a middle-manager. He has an OK job and works hard. He has two daughters in their late teens, whom he adores. He lavishes everything he can afford on them. And, it turns out, more than he can afford.Urged to bet a horse to show at the races, he slowly gets bitten by the gambling bug. From small bets he moves on to a bookie. And who does the bookie send to collect his money but -- Marie Windsor.Far be it from me to say exactly what role her character plays in the story. She looks great, as always. This is all I'm saying. But the Litel character is very likable. The money he wants to win is truly only to continue pampering his daughters. And seeing his decline is painful. (And its shocking.)Though the film seems to have been made on a very low budget, its plot and character development are nuanced. I'm eager to see it again.

Or..."Post Time for Topper". You won't see Ward, Wally or The Beaver. But you DO get to see Barbara Billingsly (June) as the fall guy's secretary. AND Carl (Alfalfa) Switzer as his younger daughter's dizzy boyfriend. This is the story of an honest, widowed family man and bank officer who becomes addicted to offtrack horse betting, loses large sums of money, and is lured deeper into the abyss by his bookie's vampish courier, Marie Windsor-----Filmland's best, sexiest, and probably most prolific villainess.The rare contrast of authentic noir and sappy "back at the homestead" scenes provides for some unintentional humor, giving the movie the flavor of a high school dope-scare film from the 60s. However, this film isn't in the "so bad it's good" category. The performances and scripting are top notch, even though some of the melodramatic plot elements are quite implausible and even a bit ridiculous. Nevertheless, the film is effectively paced and truly suspenseful. Plenty of thrills....and a few giggles.Highly entertaining