Wednesday, March 9, 2011

High stakes for Dean Martin and Robert Mitchum in Five Card Stud (1968)

Dean Martin  ...  Van Morgan
More of a mystery than a western but it does take place in the Old west times. When a card cheat is caught in a high stakes poker game, he is hanged by a lynch mob of the other card players. Dean Martin is the one player who tries to stop it but to no avail. Weeks past by when those same men are mysteriously killed one by one and Dean has to try and solve who's the killer before it's too late. Robert Mitchum comes in as a wandering preacher hoping to save the lost souls of this small town. Him and Dean have great chemistry together. Roddy McDowall is perfect as a weasel and card player who hates Dean for trying to date his sister. McDowall, even with that stiff British accent is quite good in a western. He plays a low down sniveling weasel pretty good. Inger Stevens is on hand as owner of a barber shop. Said barber shop also gives more than shaves and haircuts, if you know what I mean. I liked Five Card Stud, since it was more than just a western. Dean is super cool as usual as the gambler with a conscience. And also Yaphet Kotto in one of his first roles as a bartender and friend to Dean. Look out for a good performance by Katherine Justice as McDowall's love lorn sister.
Robert Mitchum  ...  The Rev. Jonathan Rudd
Robert Mitchum as The Reverend Jonathan Rudd

Inger Stevens  ...  Lily Langford
Dean Martin as gambler Van Morgan and Inger Stevens as Lily Langford

Yaphet Kotto
Yaphet Kotto as Little George and Dean Martin

Katherine Justice ... Nora Evers
Katherine Justice as Nora Evers and Dean Martin

Robert Mitchum  ...  The Rev. Jonathan Rudd
Robert Mitchum

2 comments:

dino martin peters said...

Hey pallie, thanks ever so much Monty for liftin' up the name of our Dino in this way...very cool review of this amazin' Dino-classic...know that your Dino-devotion is bein' shared this very Dino-day at ilovedinomartin...keeps lovin' our Dino!

Dawn said...

Monty, I have not seen this film.. Thank you for the review.