The Cincinnati Kid (1965)

Director:

Norman Jewison

Writers:

Richard Jessup (novel)
Ring Lardner Jr. (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

15 October 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

A RAMBLING - GAMBLING MAN ... ! !

Plot:

An up-and-coming poker player tries to prove himself in a high-stakes match against a long-time master of the game.

Plot Keywords:

Poker | Poker Player | 1930s | Stud Poker | Cemetery

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 wins

Cast

Steve McQueen	...	The Cincinnati Kid
Edward G. Robinson	...	Lancey Howard
Ann-Margret	...	Melba
Karl Malden	...	Shooter
Tuesday Weld	...	Christian
Joan Blondell	...	Lady Fingers
Rip Torn	...	Slade
Jack Weston	...	Pig
Cab Calloway	...	Yeller
Jeff Corey	...	Hoban
Theodore Marcuse	...	Felix (as Theo Marcuse)
Milton Selzer	...	Sokal
Karl Swenson	...	Mr. Rudd
Émile Genest	...	Cajun (as Emile Genest)
Ron Soble	...	Danny
Irene Tedrow	...	Mrs. Rudd
Midge Ware	...	Mrs. Slade
Dub Taylor	...	Dealer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Andy Albin	...	Referee (uncredited)
William Challee	...	Old man (uncredited)
Mimi Dillard	...	Slade's girlfriend (uncredited)
Robert DoQui	...	Philly (uncredited)
Larry Duran	...	Gambler, First Game (uncredited)
Donald Elson	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Sweet Emma	...	Blues singer (uncredited)
Ken Grant	...	Shoeshine Boy (uncredited)
Claude Hall	...	Gambler (uncredited)
Virginia Harrison	...	Employee (uncredited)
John Hart	...	Poker player (uncredited)
Harry Hines	...	Old man in pool hall (uncredited)
Brenda Howard	...	Cajun's woman (uncredited)
John Indrisano	...	Gambler, First Game (uncredited)
Colin Kenny	...	Spectator at cockfight (uncredited)
Sandy Kevin	...	Poker player (uncredited)
Gregg Martell	...	Danny's henchman (uncredited)
Pat McCaffrie	...	Poker player (uncredited)
Burt Mustin	...	Old man in pool hall (uncredited)
Barry O'Hara	...	Eddie (uncredited)
Brett Pearson	...	Gambler, First Game (uncredited)
Joyce Perry	...	Mrs. Hoban (uncredited)
Christopher Riordan	...	Railroad Worker (uncredited)
Olan Soule	...	Desk clerk (uncredited)
Robert Stevenson	...	Gambler, First Game (uncredited)
Joseph B. Stewart	...	White man at funeral parade (uncredited)
Hal Taggart	...	Bettor (uncredited)
Paul Verdier	...	Second Bettor (uncredited)
Charles Wagenheim	...	Old man (uncredited)
Jesse Wayne	...	(uncredited)
Howard Wendell	...	Charlie (uncredited)
Harry Wilson	...	Spectator at Cockfight (uncredited)
Dick Winslow	...	Second Player (uncredited)
Bill Zuckert	...	Poker player (uncredited)

Directed by
Norman Jewison

Writing credits
Richard Jessup		(novel "The Cincinnati Kid")
Ring Lardner Jr.		(screenplay) and
Terry Southern		(screenplay)

Produced by
John Calley	....	associate producer
Martin Ransohoff	....	producer

Original Music by
Lalo Schifrin

Cinematography by
Philip H. Lathrop

Film Editing by
Hal Ashby

Art Direction by
Edward C. Carfagno		(as Edward Carfagno)
George W. Davis

Set Decoration by
Henry Grace
Hugh Hunt

Costume Design by
Donfeld

Makeup Department
Sydney Guilaroff	....	hair stylist
William Tuttle	....	makeup artist
Jay Sebring	....	hair designer: Steve McQueen (uncredited)

Production Management
Austen Jewell	....	unit production manager
Lindsley Parsons Jr.	....	assistant production manager: MGM (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kurt Neumann	....	assistant director
Lynn Guthrie	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Franklin Milton	....	recording supervisor

Stunts
Archie Butler	....	stunts (uncredited)
Larry Duran	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bud Ekins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bob Herron	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Moio	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Leonard J. South	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Music Department
Robert Armbruster	....	conductor: orchestra
Bob Bain	....	musician: guitar (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (presents) (as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• Filmways Pictures (producer) (as Filmways)
• Solar Productions (producer) (as Solar)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1965) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1970) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Warner Bros. (2005) (Argentina) (all media)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (????) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Cincinnati Kid (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Cincinnati Kid (Italy) [it]
Cincinnati Kid (Sweden) [sv]
Cincinnati Kid (Poland) [pl]
Cincinnati Kid (Denmark) [da]
Cincinnati Kid und der Pokerkönig (West Germany) [de]
El gran desafío (Venezuela) [es]
El rey del juego (Spain) [es]
Kumarbazlar krali (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Le Kid de Cincinnati (France) [fr]
O Aventureiro de Cincinnati (Portugal) [pt]
O hartopaiktis (Greece) [el]
Täyskäsi-Kid (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Iceland:L | UK:AA (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (1993) | Germany:12 | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Mitzi Gaynor campaigned for the role of "Lady Fingers", but it ended up going to Joan Blondell. Rumors are abound as to why Blondell got the role, with the most common being that Gaynor and Ann-Margret did not quite get along.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the final hand, Lancey overlaps his exposed cards similar to a solitaire row, the Queen of diamonds is the top card while everyone is discussing if he has the Jack or not. A few seconds later, the cards are reversed and the Queen is the bottom card.

Quotes:

Melba: [Cincinatti Kid slaps her butt] Ouch. You Bastard!
Cincinnati Kid: Cheers baby.
Melba: I hope you lose.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The O'Reilly Factor: (2008-04-15)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

I've Got You Under My Skin

One cool (and good) movie.

Like the rest of the English-speaking world, I've recently succumbed to poker-mania, and started wasting some of my spare cash in amateur Texas Hold 'Em games.

Due to my newfound interest in card-playing, and my appreciation for old movies, I picked up "The Cincinatti Kid" on DVD. And I sure wasn't disappointed. The movie's awesome, on so many levels. As you might expect, the poker scenes are incredibly tense and, from what little I know of the game, they're pretty realistic. But other aspects of the film are great, too.

The New Orleans location shooting is gorgeous. You get to see a lot of the city, so I imagine the crew must've spent a fair amount of time there. There's plenty of cool jazz numbers and some nice French Quarter atmosphere. Director Norman Jewison manages to imbue New Orleans, and the movie as a whole, with an atmosphere that's both sleazy and glamorous at the same time.

The strong cast is another highlight. Steve McQueen is understated yet compelling, while Joan Blondell hams it up in a highly entertaining fashion (I love how she keeps teasing Lancey Howard about his age). Edward G. Robinson, one of my favorite character actors, radiates class and even a little menace as Howard. And - this is the best part - the movie also features the sweetly beautiful Tuesday Weld and the painfully sexy Ann-Margret. You just can't lose with a multi-generational cast of stars (and babes) like that.

Some commentators have complained that "The Cincinatti Kid" is slow, particularly during the scenes that don't feature poker. I can't say that I agree. The McQueen-Weld romance is sweet, and it doesn't really take up that much screen time. Sure, the movie may seem a little plodding if compared to contemporary films, but then again even "Aliens" is plodding compared to contemporary films.

The theme song's catchy, too. What more do you need? This movie's a mini-classic.