Somehow I missed A Big Hand For the Little Lady when it hit the theaters in 1966. This western has an amazing cast: Joanne Woodward, Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, Burgess Meredith, Charles Bickford, Kevin McCarthy, Robert Middleton and Paul Ford. The action centers on a high stakes poker game. Henry Fonda, a compulsive gambler, manages to get into the game with the money he and his wife saved over a decade. The money was supposed to go to buy a farm outside San Antonio, but Fonda can’t resist the call of the cards. At a critical moment in the game, Fonda suffers a heart attack. His wife, Joan Woodward, decides to play her husband’s hand–even though she doesn’t know how to play poker! There are some nifty twists and turns in A Big Hand For the Little Lady that will keep you guessing. I suspect A Big Hand For the Little Lady shows up on Turner Classic Movies from time to time. I borrowed this DVD from my local Library. Very entertaining! GRADE: B+
It always struck me as the kind of movie that would have made a god stage play.
Dan, I completely agree. The movement of the plot would on a stage would highlight the drama.
I’ll watch TCM for it. It’s possible I’ve seen it and don’t remember it, but I don’t think so and it sounds good.
Maggie, I think you would really like A BIG HAND FOR THE LITTLE LADY. Great cast!
Sure that I saw it. I wish I still had a DVD player so I could take advantage of the library’s stock.
Patti, you and Phil might want to consider an Apple Superdrive. You just plug it into your computer’s USB port and you can listen to music CDs and play movies. It’s about $80 at BEST BUY, cheaper online.
You can buy a decent blu ray player for under a hundred dollars.
Saw this movie quite a few years ago. Remember it as being likable but nothing special. Kind of in the vein of Support Your Local Sherriff.
Steve, I somehow missed A BIG HAND FOR A LITTLE LADY until someone at the pool I go to every day mentioned it. I ordered a copy from the local Public Library the same day.
Actually, there was an anthology series on NBC on Sunday Night at 10 p. m. that was the source of the movie. It did an hour long version of the story called BIG DEAL IN LAREDO. The only cast member I remember was John McGiver as the banker.
Ray, thanks for the additional information on the origins of A BIG HAND FOR THE LITTLE LADY. Sadly, anthology series are pretty much gone from network TV. They do show up on Netflix from time to time.
Big Deal At Laredo aired on The DuPont Show Of The Week, on NBC on Sunday night October 10, 1962.
The farmer and his wife were played by Walter Matthau and Teresa Wright.
The other gamblers, in addition to John McGiver, included Zachary Scott and Roland Winters.
Fielder Cook, who produced and directed the TV show, and Sidney Carroll, who wrote it, kept the property and also filled those functions on the movie.
If memory serves, the movie got rave reviews when released – and none of the “film critics” were even aware that they were watching a reboot of a mere “TV show”.
So There Too.
Mike, thanks for those details! I was 13-years-old in 1962 so I’m sure my parents would not have let me stay up to watch THE DUPONT SHOW OF THE WEEK on a School Night so I didn’t see it then.
I prefer SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF, a movie I watch fairly regularly.
Jeff, I’m a fan of SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF, too.
I like support your local sheriff Support your local gunfighter was ok, not nearly as good as sheriff, though
Maggie, SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF shows up on TV on a regular basis.
Saw it on TCM years ago, entertaining use of a couple hours (probably less)..
Rick, I’m sure fans of TCM would enjoy A BIG HAND FOR THE LITTLE LADY.
Best Buy sucks! Boycott Best Buy!