The actor Stuart Margolin would make two movies in Yugoslavia that came out in 1970. The bigger title was Kelly’s Heroes with Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas and Donald Sutherland. But the film that was more valuable for his career was the little know The Gamblers. Why? Because in we get a taste of Angel from The Rockford Files. It’s almost like an early adventure before the hustler ended up serving time with Jim Rockford in the joint. It would be another four years before actor Stuart Margolin would play the iconic role (that would win him two Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actor). The roots of the character can be found in The Gamblers. Goldy is like Angel in that he’s providing information and support to the main character. He’s also the cause of a little bit of trouble for his pal. It’s easy to believe that when Margolin walked into the room to audition for Angel, he sank back into his performance in The Gamblers.
Rooney (Bullitt‘s Don Gordon) seems like the ultimate cheapskate vacationing American in Europe. Not only does he steal the hotel soaps and sugar packets, but he’s also willing to unscrew lightbulbs to smuggle them in his luggage. There’s an old joke about a husband outside a Vegas casino begging a man for money in order take his wife to a hospital. “You’re not going to take my money inside the casino and bet it?” “Heck, no!” the husband promises, “I’ve got gambling money!” As cheap as he looks, Rooney does have a bag full of gambling money. He’s also got his assistant Goldy (Margolin) securing tickets on a cruise ship to Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia (now Croatia). Word has spread how Cozzier (Camelot‘s Pierre Olaf) and Broadfoot (Four Weddings and a Funeral‘s Kenneth Griffith) have been playing marathon Poker games on the ship and winning big. Rooney has Goldy get info out of their assistant Koboyashi (Winners & Sinners‘ Richard Ng). Rooney doesn’t take chances as he lines up how to hustle the duo into playing a crooked card game. He’s got a plan with a hard schedule. What he doesn’t count on is fellow passenger Candance (The Bird With the Crystal Plumage & Torso‘s Suzy Kendall) taking a liking to him. But he is a man with a mission and a marked deck of cards. After Rooney swipes all of their money, Cozzier and Broadfoot let him in on their big plan to go after a really rich VIP in Dubrovnik. Is he going to join them on the whale hunt? Or will he get distracted by Candance?
This is an interesting movie since the three assistants to the gamblers went on to big careers. First we have Margolin who became iconic on The Rockford Files. Richard Ng had long career in Hong Kong working with Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung in quite a few films including My Lucky Stars and Wheels On Meals. Anthony Chinn plays the VIP bodyguard. He ended up in small roles for the James Bond films including Dr. No, Goldfinger, You Only Live Twice and A View To A Kill. He even appears in Raiders of the Lost Ark. We get a martial arts fight between Ng and Chinn before the Bruce Lee explosion.
Another familiar supporting element is the old part of Dubrovnik since decades later, it was a main location used in Game of Thrones. You might spot a few of the areas where dragons once lurked. There’s no
Don Gordon does well stepping up to the star role after being more of a supporting actor in his Hollywood films. He looks like the kind of guy who would be hustling card games in Eastern Europe. He’s not to handsome or suave. He seems grateful that someone like Candance is attracted to him. Suzy Kendall is great since she’s able to make us think that someone she’s also playing a con on the various characters especially when she is the first to suggest playing cards before Rooney’s hustle starts. Is everyone hustling on the screen?
A major plus for The Gamblers is that we’re not stuck watching a lot of Poker game footage. The key to this film is all the stuff that happens around the Poker games since we know once they break out the cards, the game is rigged. You don’t have to know the rules of the game to follow the action. You just have to know the rules aren’t going to matter at the table. You have to follow the players. The essential part of the film is getting to see Stuart Margolin give us a taste of Angel before The Rockford Files. The Gamblers is a fine film to revive.
The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The 1080p image brings out the details of living the good life in Yugoslavia and cruising the sea. You’ll see the faux-Beatles outfits worn by the ship’s rockin’ band. The Audio is LPCM 2.0. Things sound clear as you watch the crooked card games. The movie is subtitled in English.
Audio Commentary by Robert Kelly, film historian. He enjoys the charming caper film. He points out that film composer John Morris worked on numerous Mel Brooks films and even David Lynch’s The Elephant Man. He gives a background on the city. He couldn’t track down any newspaper reviews from the original version. He also corrects that that film is based on Nikolay Gogol’s play The Gamblers and not Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s The Gambler.
VCI Entertainment presents The Gamblers. Directed by Ron Winston. Screenplay by Ron Winston. Starring Suzy Kendall, Don Gordon, Pierre Olaf, Kenneth Griffith, Stuart Margolin, Richard Woo & Massimo Serato. Running Time: 92 minutes . Rating: Rated G. Release Date: November 7, 2023.
