Bret Maverick: The Lazy Ace (1981)

Bret Maverick (James Garner) arrives in Sweetwater for an all-star poker match at Mandy Packer’s saloon.

He wins the saloon and a small fortune. But the fortune is soon stolen from the local bank.

And it turns out there’s a $50,000 mortgage on the saloon, held by money-grubbing banker Elijah Crow.

What’s more, Sweetwater’s ready to turn civilized. So there aren’t too many people happy to have Maverick around.

Helping Maverick in his quest to recover his money are Sheriff Tom Guthrie (Ed Bruce), who’s also outdated by Sweetwater standards; newspaper woman Mary Lou Springer (Darleen Carr), who’d just like to get Maverick in at least one of her photos; and Indian scout Philo Sandeen (Stuart Margolin), who hid during Custer’s Last Stand so someone would survive to tell the story.

The suspected culprits: A group of miners hired to build a new outhouse for the town. You see, someone burrowed their way into the bank from below.

The suspected man behind the theft: Ramsey Bass, one of the well-known poker players Maverick cleaned out during that all-star match.

James Garner as Bret Maverick, annoyed by the turn of events after he wins an all-star poker match in Bret Maverick, The Lazy Ace (1981)

Ed Bruce as Sheriff Tom Guthrie, watching to make sure a poker game doesn’t devolve into a shootout in Bret Maverick, The Lazy Ace (1981)

Review:

Not as much fun as one would expect from a Maverick flick, but not bad. Garner had starred as Maverick in a TV series by that name from 1957-1962.

This TV film was the pilot for a new series, “Bret Maverick” that aired for one season (18 episodes, including the pilot) on NBC.

Garner, Bruce and Carr were all regulars on the series as Maverick decides to buy a ranch, settle in Sweetwater for a while and take on Bruce as a partner in his saloon.

The drawbacks to the pilot: The all-star poker match concept has become cliche, the comedy too often spills over into silliness, especially when Indian scout Philo Sandeen, aka Standing Bear, is in the scene.

And, yep, that’s James Garner’s voice you hear on the theme song, “Maverick Didn’t Come Here to Lose.” The other singer is none other than co-star Ed Bruce.

Garner also had a role in the 1994 remake, “Maverick,” starring Mel Gibson in the title role; Garner played Marshal Zane Cooper.

Darleen Carr as Mary Lou Springer, the lady photographer and newspaperwoman trying to interview Maverick in Bret Maverick, The Lazy Ace (1981)

Bill McKinney as Ramsey Bass, a gambler not happy with the way the game is going and determined to get even with Maverick in Bret Maverick, The Lazy Ace (1981)

Directed by:
Stuart Margolin

Cast:
James Garner … Bret Maverick
Ed Bruce … Sheriff Tom Guthrie
Ramon Bieri … Elijah Crow / banker
Richard Hamilton … Cy Whittaker
John Shearin … Sheriff Dowd
David Knell … Rodney Catlow
Darleen Carr … Mary Lou Springer
Janis Page … Mandy Packer
Bill McKinney … Ramsey Bass
John McLiam … Doc Holliday
Stuart Margolin … Philo Sandeen / Standing Bear
Billy Keer … Blue-Eyed Kid
Jack Garner … Jack
Luis Delgado … Shifty Delgrado
Ed Bakey … Lyman Nickerson

Runtime: 98 min.

Theme song:
“Maverick Didn’t Come Here to Lose”
performed by Ed Bruce and James Garner

Ramon Bieri as Elijah Crow, the banker who holds the mortgage on the saloon Maverick won and the ranch he hopes to buy in Bret Maverick, The Lazy Ace (1981)

Janis Page as Mandy Packer, betting the deed to her saloon without telling anyone about the mortgage on it in Bret Maverick, The Lazy Ace (1981)

Memorable lines:

Young boy: “You gonna win, Maverick.”
Maverick, smiling back at him: “I didn’t come all this way to lose, son.”

Mandy Packer: “I tell you, boys, times are changing faster than a new girl on Saturday night.”

Maverick: “I want to remind you, I was minding my own businss.”
Lucas, a drunk, having pulled a gun: “You’re just about to get your damned business blown off.”

Bret Maverick: “It’s getting bad when you have to con your own horse for a ride.”

Bret Maverick: “What’s she doing out here?”
Sheriff Guthrie: “I made the mistake of telling her she couldn’t come.”

Sheriff Guthrie to Bret Maverick: “Dammit, you’ve sure got a hair trigger on that tall tale of yours.”

Stuart Margolin as Philo Sandeen, aka Standing Bear, convincing Maverick to hire him as a tracker in Bret Maverick, The Lazy Ace (1981)

John McLiam as Doc Holliday, dreaming of retirement in Paris is he can win just one big poker game in Bret Maverick, The Lazy Ace (1981)

John Shearin as Dowd, campaigning to become the next sheriff of Sweetwater in Bret Maverick, The Lazy Ace (1981)

James Garner as Bret Maverick, envisioning life as a ranch owner in Sweetwater in Bret Maverick, The Lazy Ace (1981)