Street of Chance (1930)

Yes, some of the acting here is about as wooden as the sets - but it comes together with quite a poignantly moral twist at the end, and Wiliam Powell was always capable of putting just a little class into his characterisations too. Here he is a skilful gambler nicknamed "Natural" who insists that he will not cheat and that he will not tolerate others to do that to him either. Perhaps surprisingly, that has earned him quite a positive reputation amongst his fellow poker players and so they are actually all quite reasonable when he fleeces them time and time again and then when he annouces that he is permanently passing the shoe. Why? Well his marriage to "Alma" (Kay Francis) has been on the edge of a cliff for years and so now, slightly reinvigorated, they have decided to move east and start again. The night before their departure, though, his newspaper selling pal "Tony" (John Risso) alerts him to a stranger in town who wants an high-stakes game. He wants nothing to do with the man until they meet and he realises that it is noneother than his brother "Babe" (Regis Toomey) who has amassed a decent poke but wants to win big so he, too, can set off for a new life with his wife "Judith" (Jean Arthur). Determined that his brother will learn the hard way, "Natural" tries to set things up so "Babe" leaves with his tail between his legs and certain never to play again. Will things go to plan? This fairly quick-fire production is a little basic and at times somewhat theatrical, but there are a few scenes with both Francis and Powell that capture quite effectively the effects of the ups and down life of and with an addict and the conclusion is definitely not quite what I was expecting.