Get the original film, The Mississippi Gambler (1929), and the remake, The Mississippi Gambler (1953) for 20% off their individual prices!
THE MISSISSIPPI GAMBLER (1929)
Starring Joseph Schildkraut, Joan Bennett, Carmelita Geraghty, Alec B.
Francis, Otis Harlan
Directed by Reginald Barker
Print: black/white
Runtime: 57 min.
Genre: drama
Print quality: C
Adopting a surprisingly effective Southern accent, Vienna-born Joseph
Schildkraut plays the title role in Mississippi Gambler. Schildkraut is cast
as ruthless but basically decent cardsharp Jack, whose latest sucker is
old man Blackburne. To save the honor of Blackburne's lovely daughter
Lucy (Joan Bennett), Jack purposely loses the climactic poker game.
Many of the sets and background extras in the film had previously been
seen in Universal's Show Boat, which also featured Schildkraut.
THE MISSISSIPPI GAMBLER (1953)
Starring Tyrone Power, Piper Laurie, Julie Adams, John McIntire, Paul
Cavanagh
Directed by Rudolph Mate
Print: color
Runtime: 99 min.
Genre: adventure
Print quality: A
Mark Fallon, with partner Kansas John Polly, tries to introduce honest
gambling on the riverboats. His first success makes enemies of the
crooked gamblers and of fair Angelique Dureau, whose necklace he won.
Later in New Orleans, Mark befriends Angelique's father, but she still
affects to despise him as his gambling career brings him wealth. Duelling,
tragedy, and romantic complications follow.
The Mississippi Gambler is one of the best movies of Tyrone Power. The Mississippi Gambler is the story of Mark, a gambler who arrives in Mississippi and meets Kansas John Polly, a gambler who tries to cheat Mark and fails. He states rich Montague Caldwell is a person who cheats at cards and will definitely be competitive to Mark as well. Mark soon meets Angelique Dureau who comes to town with her brother, Laurent and rejects Mark’s offer of help in controlling her horses. The same night, Mark plays poker with Laurent and Caldwell. Mark wins so much money that Laurent must pay him with Angelique’s family necklace. Caldwell threatens him as well, but Mark is not bothered. Next day, Mark tries to return the necklace to Angelique but she refuses to take it back. Soon, Polly informs Mark that Caldwell and his men will try to harm him and both of them board a ship to New Orleans. Both of them escape an assault by Caldwell’s men. Soon, Mark and Polly reach New Orleans, which Mark loves to stay at. He meets Edmond Dureau, the club’s most respected fenceman. Mark reveals to Edmond that he has incurred the wrath of his son and daughter. Edmond brushes this aside and invites him to his house stating that he had always admired Mark’s father.
Angelique is unsure whether she should marry banker, George Elwood and repeatedly spurns Mark. He then notices a portrait of her mother wearing the necklace and returns the necklace to Edmond, who realizes that Mark loves Angelique. He tries to arouse the jealousy in Angelique. Later at the Governor’s ball, Mark dances with Angelique and informs that he is aware that she is interested in him but she must come to him of her own will. Soon, Mark spends his time gambling as he wishes to build a casino and restaurant of his own. A young man, Julian Conant plays poker with Mark and loses the game. He then shoots himself. Because of this, Mark informs Julian’s sister, Ann and he and Polly help her and also put money in her account as well. Laurent upon seeing Ann falls in love with her but she rejects him by stating that she loves Mark. He then states that Mark has deep feelings for Angelique but she is stubborn and rejects him. He gets angry and later challenges Mark to a duel. Angelique learns about the duel and visits Mark’s room. She also is thankful that he has chosen pistols and not swords. He informs her that she is avoiding her true feelings for him because she is haunted by her mother’s death. She gets angry with him and leaves his room. Mark wins the duel and Edmond is humiliated at the event. He asks Laurent to leave his house and Angelique goes out as well with her brother.
Later, she decides to marry George and also wants to protect her brother who feels like an outcast socially. She visits her father who urges Mark to stop her wedding and agrees with him that she is still not sure of her feelings. She gets married to George, but her brother disappears from the town. Once, a man refers to Ann as Mark’s mistress and challenges him to a duel which he loses. The same night, Laurent shows up at a bar and attacks Mark, but he dies himself. When Mark relates the news to Edmond who is on his death bed, he requests him to watch Angelique. Soon, George’s bank falls into ruin and he runs away with the money. Mark now has to go back to gambling to earn money. Ann lets him go but she is heartbroken. Angelique’s marriage is annulled and she moves back into her father’s home. She looks at her mother’s portrait and realizes the truth. She jumps on board the ship before it sails and conveys her feelings to him.
The Mississippi Gambler was released in the year 1953 and was directed by Rudolph Mate and stars Tyrone Power and Piper Laurie in the lead roles. This movie is a remake of an earlier version that was released in 1929 that starred Joseph Schildkraut and Joan Bennett in the lead roles.
