Wine, Women and Horses

"Wine, Women and Horses" is one of the odder B-movies I've seen....not bad...just odd.

The film stars Barton MacLane as Jim Turner. And, in an unusual twist, he plays a very likable guy! He's a professional gambler and is most unusual because he generally DOES win and because he's such a swell fellow despite his circumstances. However, it's odd that he falls for a woman who is dead set against him doing ANY gambling...none whatsoever. But to hook her, he agrees not to gamble and get a normal job...which lasts for a while. However, as you'd expect, the lure of the race tracks and gambling soon turn Jim's head...and ruin the marriage. What's next? See the film.

This is a different sort of movie in that although Jim clearly is a gambling addict, he generally suffers very little...unless he ISN'T gambling. How this is all resolved with the wife, well that caught my by surprise!

Overall, the acting was good and the story kept my interest. It's certainly no classic but is fun and worth seeing.

By the way, the film is a product of its times. Black people are occasionally referred to with disparaging nicknames...which I won't repeat. The strange thing is that for the 1930s, Jim does treat black men well...and his character, you assume, wouldn't want to hurt anyone...despite using this slang.