The Cincinnati Kid (1965)

Director:

Norman Jewison

Writers:

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

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

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:

Spencer Tracy was originally cast as Lancey Howard but poor health forced him to withdraw and he was replaced by Edward G. Robinson.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene where the Kid is playing a card trick with Christian's father, the deck changes positions between camera angles.

Quotes:

Lancey Howard: [thinking on what he said to Lady Fingers] No, Lady; he hasn't gotten to me. Not yet; but he might, he just might.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Cincinnati Kid

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.