User reviews

Not a great film but a very entertaining one with some wonderful performances from a cast of pros.

Gable holds the spotlight effortlessly as the gambling house owner at a crossroads ably assisted by some of the best character actors working at MGM at the time. Used as both a launching pad for some actors just starting out, Wendell Corey and Barry Sullivan, and a chance to see many wonderful character actors with years of experience, Lewis Stone, Frank Morgan etc. all get their moment in the spotlight.

It's hard to pick best in show with so many marvelous players but some that stand out are: Mary Astor is a nice cameo as a lonely woman with a longstanding yen for Clark who through the years has settled for friendship. Both Stone and Morgan add pathos to their individual roles as does Audrey Totter as Alexis Smith's worn down sister. Marjorie Rambeau is an absolute joy as a rambunctious dowager who swoops right in and steals her scenes without breaking a sweat. Lastly Alexis Smith who often was wasted in decorative roles bites into her role as Gable's tough wife. She initially seems a complacent and docile homebody but when the chips are down she emerges as somewhat of a tigress in a terrific performance.

As might be apparent from the long list of excellent work turned in, the film has many plot lines; really too many and that's its main weakness. Director Mervyn LeRoy juggles all the various happenings effectively but a bit of trimming would have sharpened the film's focus.

I like that Clark Gable plays the logical extension of the characters he so often played in the 1930s and 40s. So often he played the likable rogue who made his living just skirting the border between good and evil--playing gamblers, mercenaries or con-men. However, in each film you almost never see what this same character would have been like had the film followed him into mid-life. Well, ANY NUMBER CAN PLAY is such a film. Gable plays an older rogue who owns a gambling house but also has a wife and older son. And, instead of being firmly in control of his life, you can see it slowly crumbling--at least around the edges. This role took some guts to play as he was more vulnerable and Gable COULD have just continued playing "fluff roles". Give it a try and see an adult drama.

With an interesting subject that is very much relevant today, a more than capable director who has done some decent and more films and it is hard to go wrong with talent like Clark Gable, Mary Astor and Frank Morgan, have fondness for all three. Seeing them individually in different films is always great, seeing them in the same film together is even more of a treat.

'Any Number Can Play' is certainly an interesting film and does quite a good job with its serious subject. In terms of quality, everybody involved did much better in other things, especially previously, but mostly they are served well and 'Any Number Can Play' is a more than watchable and actually decent film in its own way. Some flaws here but also a lot of strengths, the film does try to do too much but the performances more than make up for it.

Like said above, 'Any Number Can Play' would have been better if it tried to do less. It can have too much going on that it's occasionally a bit hasty and muddled. It would have benefitted from not having as many characters and fleshed out some of the characters more.

Mary Astor and Audrey Totter should have had more to do. Astor deserved more than a cameo, but actually comes off better but she is quite touching here. Didn't really get very much from Totter, who is rather bland and her role fairly underwritten.

Clark Gable however is excellent in the lead role, charming yet hard-edged. Frank Morgan, Marjorie Rambeau and particularly Lewis Stone are more than solid in support, Rambeau is a delight and Stone is quite affecting and understated. Morgan has a knack for stealing scenes without over-egging. Alexis Smith is fetching and has charm.

The film is nicely shot and while the settings are few they are hardly ugly. The music doesn't intrude yet has enough presence to stop it from being bland. Mervyn Le Roy may have bring the most distinguished of all directing jobs but he keeps things moving and doesn't undermine the cast in any way.

Overall the script is thoughtful and taut and the story may have its faults but the intrigue factor is high and it does a good job showing the dangers and horrors of gambling and how it affects the family without trivialising or overdoing. Didn't think that the moral was a weird one at all.

In summation, interesting and worthwhile but with room for improvement. 7/10 Bethany Cox

This postwar movie was one of Clark Gable's last for the studio that made him a star--MGM. Gable is older, perhaps wiser, but here fully capable of playing this role with all of the insight into life that his 49 years have earned him. One has the feeling that after the great '30s roles such as Rhett Butler, after the death of Carole Lombard, and after the war, Gable was perfect for the world-weary professional gambler that he plays here--the part fits him like a glove. And he's surrounded by great character actors such as Frank Morgan, Lewis Stone, and Mary Astor, to name a few.

I don't agree with the other review that said this was a totally unrealistic, if watchable film: I grew up in a small city that had a gambling house similar to the one depicted here. It was well run, had many regulars, and was quite well known to the authorities. In any case, this movie is well worth a view, if you're not a Gable fan, you might be after viewing this one.

This film focuses wisely more on the risks of individuals with a gambling habit regardless of their economic wealth or lack there of, and not on the dashing film career of the handsome actor Clark Gable. Rather Clark Gable is portrayed as a tough guy who made it through sheer hard work and personal sacrifices to own an illegal gambling den and although the income he and his extended family derive from the profits of their gambling den it leaves him little time for his family or any friends.

The story becomes more about how Clark Gable grapples with his strained relationship with his teenage son and the long line of people who want a share of Gable's wealth even if they have to cheat to get a chunk of the betting profits, or rob him.

In the end the story of how so many lives are crumbled by a fierce and endless gambling habit, and as we all know, the house will always win in the end. In this case there is an unexpected twist at the end that I did not see coming but is worth the price of admission.

I give Gable's performance as well as a number of his co-stars a 7 out of 10 IMDB rating for both good acting and a very good lesson to be learned about gambling habits and knowing when to show them, and when to fold them.

Believe it or not, Any Number Can Play was one of the few non-musicals produced by Arthur Freed over at MGM. To show you it was a Freed film, please note that the background music includes such Freed tunes as This Heart of Mine and Should I.

Richard Brooks who would soon get a big directing break in another Freed produced non-musical, Crisis, wrote a very fine story that Mervyn LeRoy directed with class and finesse. LeRoy got a stellar cast together and really mixed the ingredients well.

Clark Gable is perfect as an aging gambler with a lot on his plate. He's just been told by Dr. Leon Ames that he's got angina pectoris and for the sake of his health he'd better give up a very high stress profession. He's got a loving wife in Alexis Smith and a rebellious teenage son in Darryl Hickman who he barely knows. Living with them is her sister Audrey Totter and her husband Wendell Corey. Gable employs Corey at his gambling establishment where Corey does a little chiseling on the side and he's also into racketeers Richard Rober and William Conrad for some big bucks. They've got ideas how to cancel the debt. And Totter measures her own husband against Gable and finds Corey quite wanting.

That's just in his own household. Gable's got a lot of friends and enemies playing at his high class establishment which the police all know about, but do nothing because half the town's establishment is in the place on a given night. Such habitués might include Frank Morgan, Marjorie Rambeau, and Mary Astor a divorcée also carrying a huge torch for MGM's king.

The story involves all these issues and how they're resolved over one 36 hour period. What makes Any Number Can Play such a good film is that even the smallest characters do have their moments. Art Baker plays the owner of a country club where Hickman gets in a fight over his father. Note how in his brief moments, Baker tries oh so hard to keep Gable out of it when he discovers who Hickman is. Astor has only one real scene, but it's a beauty involving Gable having an angina attack and then with minimal dialog the two of them talking about a lost love of many years ago. Staged brilliantly, I might add.

One thing about Any Number Can Play that is frighteningly real are those angina attacks, remembering just how Gable died as the result of doing some very high stress stunt work on The Misfits. Absolutely eerie.

Any Number Can Play is one of Gable's best post World War II films and not to be missed by any of his fans. And if you're not a Clark Gable fan, you might become one after seeing this.

Clark Gable's immediate post-war films were the weakest of any of the returning stars. For one thing, his wife had died; for another, unlike many of the other actors, he was in his forties. "Any Number Can Play" is a good example of the kind of movie he made. In it, he plays the owner of a gambling house who has developed angina pectoris and is advised to give it all up for a more peaceful life. His son hates him, one of his employees is stealing from him, and a gambler gets on a roll that threatens to bankrupt the house.

The stars - Gable, Alexis Smith, Audrey Totter, Darryl Hickman, Marjorie Rambeau, Wendell Corey, Frank Morgan, William Conrad et al. are not at fault, but the script of "Any Number Can Play" is. It's difficult to pin down what the film is actually about - one waits for a definitive clue either in the gambling house or at home. Is it about a dysfunctional family, a sick man, or the activities of a gambling establishment? Hard to tell, as the director, Mervyn LeRoy, seems to focus the film in all three directions.

Nevertheless, there are some exciting scenes, particularly Frank Morgan's gambling run. The acting is uniformly excellent, although Audrey Totter is wasted - she plays Alexis Smith's sister - and Mary Astor has what amounts to a cameo. Marjorie Rambeau stands out as a dowager who gambles at the club. Gable, however, is not just the nominal star but the true one. Ruggedly handsome with that beautiful smile, he is wonderful as the world-weary but compassionate Charley. He had such a great presence and charm - fortunately, the quality of his post-war films was to improve.

Dull patches but probably worth seeing for the acting.

Clark Gable is a casino owner who has tried to give all he can to his wife and son, but maybe all they needed was his time. Alexis Smith and Dwayne Hickman is his wife and son, and the movie is peppered with great supporting actors like Frank Morgan, Wendell Corey, Mary Astor and Marjorie Rambeau. The film begins rather slow, but is rewarding to those who like character studies and get into family dynamics. This seems to be the type of film that doesn't rely so much on active plot but on the way the characters relate to each other, which in some ways, puts it ahead of its time. While others may find fault with the film and I do admit it has its faults, I thoroughly enjoyed it and appreciated what it was trying to convey, that in life we have to give a second chance not only to others but also to ourselves. A new beginning is always the best perspective. Watch Any Number Can Play and see what you get out of it.

It's one stormy night. Workaholic casino owner Charley Enley Kyng (Clark Gable) gets a bad heart diagnosis and has to take it easy. He deals with high stress situations all day and all night. Lon Kyng (Alexis Smith) is his wife and his son feels abandoned. He also supports his sister in-law Alice (Audrey Totter) and her no-good husband Robbin Elcott (Wendell Corey). Robbin works as a dealer and is in $2k debt. He rails against Charley despite the help. The debt collectors offer him a way out by cheating Charley.

I like these one night movies. The casino is an interesting backdrop for a story. I would like more Clark Gable. I want the camera to follow him in more scenes. It needs some more daring in the camera and the story. It does need to build more tension. All in all, this is a good watch especially with Clark Gable as the lead.

Clark Gable stars as owner of a legal, small-town gambling house but his heart condition is about to make him quit. It's then he realizes that he's alienated his wife (Alexis Smith), who has retreated to a "memory room," and his son (Darryl Hickman) who is ashamed of how he has become rich.

He's also got a sneaky brother-in-law (Wendell Corey) who is married to his wife's sister (Audrey Totter). But he also has loyal employees (Barry Sullivan, Edgar Buchanan, Caleb Peterson), and some women who are quite fond of him (Mary Astor, Marjorie Rambeau).

Stealing the film are two longtime MGM players. Franks Morgan plays the gambler who may break the bank, and Lewis Stone plays the has-been who's about to play his last hand. Each is excellent.

Others include his doctor (Leon Ames), a couple of thugs (William Conrad, Richard Rober), and dejected woman gambler (Dorothy Comingore), and Art Baker as the nightclub owner.

Scotty Beckett was originally signed to play the son and his picture is on Gable's desk, but he was replaced by Hickman.

Frank Morgan and Lewis Stone turn in terrific performances, and this ranks as one of Clark Gable's best post-war performances.

This is a solid Gable movie with superb supporting actors. You've got a star cast with many cameos, and some strong performances.

There are rich storylines: Gambling and the psychology of it How to keep a successful long-term marriage Father-son issues Stealing and the principles against it - moral lesson An attempted robbery and more!

Many of the star cast - Wendell Corey, Mary Astor, Barry Sullivan - you wanted to understand more and to know more. But then the movie might have been too long. Perhaps the writing could have explored one side line/side story a little more.

We wanted more backstory from all these stars. Wendell is a timid man who is conned and cheats Gable - where does he come from? Why does Gable employ/trust him? Is it just family loyalty? Alexis' sister is jealous and we want to know why she and her husband and living with her.

Barry Sullivan is an excellent actor and we want to know more about his partnership with Gable. He's exciting and compelling to watch. You have the guy from the Wizard of Oz try to take Gable for all he's worth. What's his backstory.

It's amazing to have all these stars, but not have for them more writing/depth on their characters.

Still, Gable, and Alexis are compelling, and it's a compelling story about family development, life choices, high stakes life. These are many issues we face in our day-to-day lives, and we get to see how they navigate them.

I enjoyed this movie and recommend it for viewing once.

Who doesn't love a clark cable film? and mary astor. and the Wizard, Frank Morgan, ten years later. Lewis Stone, Darryl Hickman. Leon Ames. so many fun names. and of course, wise old Ed Buchanan was in every western ever made. So, Doc tells Charley (Gable) to take it easy, or he'll push his heart over the edge. Charley wants to take the family on vacation, but as owner of a gambling house, he'll have to wrap up some business first. and an old flame shows up out of the blue, complicating things even more. and now his kid and wife don't want to go away. the night is going downhill fast. it's a really good study of relationships. and casinos. a shame that Ed Buchanan didn't have a larger part. he was such a fun character in movies. directed by Mervyn LeRoy. did Gypsy, Wizard of Oz, Random Harvest. Really good film. shows on Turner Classics about twice a year.

One of the great opening scenes of any Hollywood movie projects a kind of cinematic/theatrical authority in a league with O'Neill or Odets, first we see the black man, filled with jolly self denial, buffing the crap tables, his tragedy is implicit from the first moment, believing in his heart that he is on a social par with the other white employees... and with quick, methodical grace the other supporting characters are sharply introduced - they're waiting for lefty, or godot,or the Iceman, or their savior,who happens to be Gable in one of his greatest roles...this is the refined essence of that great personality on screen...the man could simply manufacture chemistry not only with his leading ladies but with other men as well...too bad the crisp, exciting climax at the crap table does not quite live up to this glorious existential opening but it's still an eminently enjoyable Hollywood wrap up..one of the most underrated MGM movies.

Richard Brooks is the script writer of this film, which is the most interesting aspect of it. It's a chamber drama all happening whithin one day and night, and although nothing really happens, the suspense and tension is gradually and relentlessly increased until the very last moment. Clark Gable as the honest gambler has a successful gambling joint, while his son objects to the questionable morals of his profession, and his wife, Alexis Smith as noble as ever, tries to hold on to some decency of a regular family life in constantly proving his better half. There are other women around him as well, Mary Astor makes an impression in an important scene, and there is his miserable brother-in-law who does what he can to wreck the family and Clark's honest business, while Clark is only bored by his tricks, which he sees through immediately while just letting them drop, being too used to dirty tricks that don't touch him any more. Of course, there are some villains also, there is a tremendous gambling duel setting the finale, there is even some gunfire and an attempted suicide, but the most dramatic factor is Clark's health condition. He suffers from Angina Pectoris, he asks his doctor how many years he has left which he refuses to answer, and he gets his attacks, always in crucial moments. There is also a great restaurant brawl, and it all adds to a brilliantly scripted film, which the main actors live up to more than well and gives a fascinating and eloquent inside view of the professional gambling world.

A much underrated film from the late forties, it features a middle-aged Clark Gable as the owner of a gambling house, where he plays host to a variety of colorful characters. The plot is fairly foolish but at least two of the actors, Barry Sullivan and Wendell Corey, are quite good, and cast somewhat against type.

Mervyn LeRoy directed, and either he or the studio bosses decided that the characters would scarcely venture out of doors for the entire run of the picture. As a result we get to explore the casino, Gable's office and home, a restaurant, a hallway, and a few other places, most of them nicely paneled and well appointed, with no sense of urgency regarding action, as we know that the next scene will also be indoors, perhaps upstairs this time, where we will have an opportunity to observe a lamp or a fine mahogany desk. LeRoy moves his people around nicely, and wisely emphasizes the film's geographical limitations (agoraphobic? agoraphilic more likely)--one might even say he revels in them.

There's no sense of reality to the story, which is never the least bit convincing. Yet it has a kind of authority, due largely to the admirable professionalism of the people responsible for giving the film its look. One never mistakes such Hollywood stalwarts as Frank Morgan, Marjorie Reambeau or Lewis Stone for real people. William Conrad, in a small role as a hold-up man, does not seem the least bit menacing. I found myself smiling when he turned up. Good old Cannon.

Yet for all its faults the movie has going for it something that many a larger budgeted and more realistic film doesn't have: it is watchable. One likes the people in it. There's a confidence in the way it's done; and a fine sheen to the finished product. While it fails at drama and psychology, it succeeds in being an extremely well-crafted piece of work.

MGM shows its age in this mid century story about a low key casino and it's owner in failing health. Recruiting a handful of its 30s stars it is a tired, dull telling wrapped in Cedric Gibbons set design of basically a two setting film.

Charly Kyng (Clark Gable) is stressed out. His doctors inform him he has a bad ticker probaly due to the pressures of running his casino as well as smoking and drinking to much. In the process he has distanced himself from his family, one that includes a dirt bag brother in law (Wendell Corey) out to burn the casino for thugs he owes money. All of this is confronted one night at the club and it could mean life or death for Kyng.

Any Number Can Play has a morose feel about it from the outset with nearly every character in a state of funk. Characters and performances come across fatigued and perfunctory while the editing takes on a soap opera like style of jumping from one banal conversation to the next.

Gable looking well beyond his 48 years is sympathetically convincing but canonization by his customers and employees is a bit hard to swallow. Lewis Stone as the former club owner also registers but thirties mainstays Marie Astor, Frank Morgan and Marjorie Rambeau only offer flickers from their fading star. Mervyn LeRoy's direction is lethargic and not helped by the sedate and funereal feel of the casino atmosphere with the optimistic fresh air finale too late to stifle the overall enervated feel of the picture.

ANY NUMBER CAN PLAY (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1949), directed by Mervyn LeRoy, stars Clark Gable in one of his better roles, next to THE HUCKSTERS (1947) of the latter portion of his career. What makes this drama stand apart from the other Gable movies of the past is this time he plays a family man with a lovable wife and teenage son as opposed to he typically trying to win the girl and becoming a father to either an infant or young child by the film's end. His goal here is not to try to get the girl, but win the love and respect of his son. Another added bonus to the proceedings is the assortment of screen veterans in smaller but crucial roles as Frank Morgan, Mary Astor, Lewis Stone and Marjorie Rambeau (in a performance reminiscent to Ethel Barrymore).

The story focuses on Charley Enley Kyng (Clark Gable), a former bartender who worked his way up to gambling casino owner of 15 years now with a cardiac condition. He is advised by Doctor Palmer (Leon Ames) to give up his establishment for a better but restful life . An expert fisherman, Kyng is unable to give up his life of smoking and stressful living. Though he is well liked and admired by his employees, Tycoon (Barry Sullivan), Ed (Edgar Buchanan), Sleigh (Caleb Peterson), along with friends and gambling attendees as Jim Kurtstyn (Frank Morgan), Ada (Mary Astor), a four-time divorcee; Ben Gavery Sneller (Lewis Stone) and grand dame Sarah Calbern (Marjorie Rambeau), and his wife Lon (Alexis Smith), Kyng would want nothing more than to have the love and respect from his teenage son, Paul (Darryl Hickman). Also living in his household are Alice (Audrey Totter), Lon's sister, and her worthless husband, Robbie (Wendall Corey), who owes $2,000 in gambling debt to gangsters, Augie Debretti (Richard Rober) and Frank Sistina (William Conrad). Because Robbin works for Charley, he is blackmailed into having him fix a crap game with loaded dice so they can win what's owed them. After Paul is arrested for a brawl while out on a date, he refuses to have his father bail him out. After his mother arranges for his release, she intends on taking Paul to the casino to have him get reacquainted with his father. Co-starring Dorothy Comingore, Art Baker, Mickey Knox, Douglas Fowley and Isabel Randolph.

With the gambling proceedings being a reminder of Humphrey Bogart in CASABLANCA (Warners, 1942), Gable, who has played gambling casino owners before (MANHATTAN MELODRAMA (1934) immediately comes to mind), he fits his role perfectly, now being older with health issues. His father and son angle of the story, where father is ashamed of his son for not fighting back when struck while son is ashamed of his father for what he is, makes an interesting subplot that involves mostly gambling with film noir touches. Though THE GREAT SINNER (MGM, 1949), the studio's other participation to gambling, starring Gregory Peck, failed at the box-office, ANY NUMBER CAN PLAY holds up well with better story.

It's a wonder how the movie might have turned out had Gable's wife been enacted by Mary Astor (who was the right age for a woman with a teenage son and closer to Gable's age range as well) as opposed to the much younger Alexis Smith, with possibly a Claire Trevor or Joan Blondell in the Astor role instead? While Astor was type-cast playing mostly mothers for MGM, this role might have been more worthy and more substantial for her talent as well.

Regardless of lulls in the 103 minute production, ANY NUMBER CAN PLAY is fine just the way it is. Available on video cassette and DVD, ANY NUMBER CAN PLAY often shows on Turner Classic Movies cable channel, a best bet for Gable fans (*** chips)

This overlooked gem is just the kind of polish that only the studios in their golden days could pull off. The casting is one of the greatest strengths of this very strong picture.

They're aren't many actors who could have carried the lead the way that Clark Gable, the King of Hollywood, did. Maybe Bogart (but to have him as the owner of another gambling joint would have drawn comparisons to "Casablanca"), maybe Spencer Tracy, but Gable as the hard-as-concrete lead with a heart of gold and a strong moral compass was his specialty.

Up and down the cast we see similar custom fit parts and spot-on performances. Alexis Smith as the longtime wife (even though she was 28 when the movie released) . . . Wendell Corey as the spineless brother-in-law (even though he's usually cast as a cop) . . . Frank Morgan, Audrey Totter, Mary Astor, Lewis Stone and often overlooked actors like Marjorie Rambeau and Leon Ames, were perfect in their parts.

Combine this with great direction by Mervyn LeRoy, a great script by Richard Brooks, and subtle and compelling cinematography by Harold Rosson and you've got a great movie.

This collision of talent could only have happened in the studio era. After seeing this excellent picture I miss that era all the more.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this film. The story is rather simple, but it has a big payoff in the end. No pun intended.

Clark Gable is Charley Kyng, a casino owner who won the establishment with a fortuitous hand in cards. He is successful, but he realizes that a turn in luck could spell the end of his establishment on any given night. On the home front, his wife is used to entertaining herself while he works overnight. But his teenage son feels the public scrutiny and condemnation of those who disparage gambling houses. A deadbeat brother-in-law also lives in the house and enjoys a job at the casino thanks to Charley.

When Charley realizes he has a medical problem, it feels like the cards are stacked against him. The cumulative effect of his stresses can trigger an incident, and just knowing that also ratchets up the stress. Maybe he needs to make some changes.

As mentioned, the ending is strong. It comes after some weighing of options and some declarations of esteem.

Gable fits this role well. Alexis Smith, as Mrs. Kyng, has a fairly small part but is enjoyable. Also, watch for William Conrad and Lewis Stone. And yes, that is Darryl Hickman who plays the son.