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(1951) Jack LaRue, Linden Travers, Lili Molnar, Hugh McDermott, Walter Crisham. One great gangster film! Travers is a gorgeous society dame who wants to get away from it all. She’s kidnapped by two small-time thugs, one of whom sounds just like Leo Gorcey. LaRue gives the best portrayal of his life as a bigtime gangster who, along with his Ma-Barkerish mother, owns the Black Dice Club, a classy spot filled with rich suckers, showgirls, and illicit types. When his boys hear of Travers’ kidnapping, they swoop in and nab the girl for themselves. But something unexpected occurs, Travers, who admires LaRue’s macho style, melts his gangster heart and they fall for each other. What follows is one of the best crime movies of the ‘40s, filled with tough talk, ruthless gangsters, sexy dames, classy musical numbers, and taut action. It is a very violent movie for its time, with women being slapped around, merciless beatings, and people being shot down left and right. And what an ending! It caused a huge ruckus in the UK, where it was released in ‘48 as No Orchids for Miss Blanndish; it was then released state-side in ‘51 as Black Dice. This movie showed that LaRue was just as good in tough guy roles as Bogart, Cagney, etc. Don’t miss this great film 16mm.
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