Any Number Can Play (1949)

A casino owner (Clark Gable) is faced with failing health, crooks seeking a big score from his posh establishment, pressure from his wife (Alexis Smith) to retire and a son (Darryl Hickman) who resents him. Based on the novel by Edward Harris Heth and directed by Mervyn LeRoy (QUO VADIS). A solid screenplay by Richard Brooks (who would soon direct his own films) and Gable stepping slightly out of his comfort zone as an actor makes for an engrossing melodrama. All taking place within a 24 hour period, the film allows a stellar supporting cast (some of who have only one scene) to shine. Even the domestic scenes which usually drag a movie down contribute to the film's tension. If the end is predictable, I found the journey worth taking. Gable doesn't play his usual macho character. Here, he's a man who realizes he's failed his son as a father and is suddenly faced with his own mortality. A 28 year old Alexis Smith is too young as Gable's wife. In the movie, they've been married 20 years (which means she would have been 8 when they married) and the mother of a 17 year old son (which means she was 11 when she gave birth). She and Mary Astor (as Gable's old flame) should have switched roles. But that's a minor complaint. Acting wise, she's fine and it's a well constructed film. The excellent supporting cast includes Wendell Corey, Audrey Totter, Barry Sullivan, Frank Morgan, Lewis Stone, Marjorie Rambeau, Dorothy Comingore, Leon Ames and Caleb Peterson.