A Big Hand for the Little Lady (1966)
The old west is to the gambling industry what Camelot is to British Royalty. There is much more romance and adventure ascribed to it than with the reality we live today. This 1966 film uses the colorful backdrop of the American western saloon to tell a very funny tale about a certain promise made to a particular wife, and how it all went horribly wrong.
Henry Fonda plays a Meredith stranger in town who finds the irresistible draw to a poker table as hard to ignore as a suicidal moth might find the deadly glow of a bug zapper. Despite an addiction to cards, Meredith has promised his wife, Mary (played by Joanne Woodward), that he would never play another hand. Saying your on the wagon is one thing, staying there is another. Meredith is lured into a high stakes game of poker against a wealthy cattleman, and things go downhill from there.
Henry Fonda, as he has in so many other films, plays his part excellently. He takes a role that would normally be almost a straight comedic piece and not only shows some wonderful comedy chops and timing, but also conveys a depth to the character that the scriptwriter may not have envisioned.
The only drawback to this film is the visual style. It was obviously shot by somebody who is used to work in the medium of television, and not with motion pictures. This can be forgiven though, and takes very little away from what is generally a very enjoyable movie.
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