Frontier Gambler (1956)

A who-dunit out West, with John Bromfield as Curt Darrow, the deputy marshal sent to investigate the murder of Sylvia Melbourne (Coleen Gray), a wealthy and lovely young businesswoman and gambling house owner in the town of Fairweather.

And this is a most interesting case. Sylvia was shot, then her body was burned in a subsequent fire. The lead suspect is a gambler named Duke Chadwick.

He found Sylvia hiding in a shallow grave when she was a young girl; her parents had been killed by Indians.

Adopting her, he molded Sylvia in his own image. But he also controlled her, telling her what to read, telling her what to wear, telling her how to act.

Now that she’s grown into a lovely woman, he’d like her love in return. But the feeling of romance is far from mutual.

But if Chadwick is the lead suspect, he isn’t the only one. There’s also Francie Merritt, owner of the Lazy M Ranch. She loves a gunslinger named Tony Burton; he loves Sylvia.

And there’s newspaperman Tom McBride. He’s launched a crusade against the gambling houses in Fairweather. Now Sylvia has bought the loan on his newspaper in an attempt to control what he prints.

Just as Darrow thinks he’s making progress on the case, Sylvia shows up, lovely as ever. And very alive.

Coleen Gray as Sylvia Melbourne, aka The Princess, having an argument with Duke Chawick in Frontier Gambler (1956)

John Bromfield as Curt Darrow, interviewing a suspect in a murder investigation in Frontier Gambler (1956)

Review:

Interesting but flawed low-budget Western. Interesting because the plot is rather unique, especially having the victim of a murder show up alive midway through the film.

Flawed because of little details that don’t add up. Darrow shows up to investigate the murder the day after it happens. By horseback, in the Wild West?

Tony, the gunslinger, is supposed to be marrying Sylvia. But he greets Francie with a kiss when he returns from a day on the range. And Francie is supposed to be quite jealous of Sylvia, yet they’re sitting together at a dining room table in another scene, just like old friends.

Bromfield gets top billing, but Coleen Gray and Kent Taylor are the stars of this show. Taylor has the most interesting part, as the older man who adopted Sylvia and can’t stand the thought of anyone else being her lover. You have to wonder how much better the film would have been with that part in more capable hands.

Kent Taylor as Duke Chadwick, the man who rescued Sylvia, molded her and now wants to be her love in Frontier Gambler (1956)

Jim Davis as fast gun Tony Burton, under questioning for shooting a man in self defense in Frontier Gambler (1956)

Directed by:
Sam Newfield

Cast:
John Bromfield .. Curt Darrow
Coleen Gray … Syliva Melbourne
Kent Taylor .. Duke Chadwick
Jim Davis … Tony Burton
Margia Dean … Gloria Starling
Roy Engel … Tom McBride
Tracey Roberts … Helen McBride
Veda Ann Borg … Francie Merritt
John Merton … Shorty
Nadine Ashdown … Sylvia as a child

Runtime: 71 min.

Veda Ann Borg as Francie Merritt, the ranch owner who hired Tony and planned to marry him, until he fell for Sylvia in Frontier Gambler (1956)

Tracey Roberts as Helen McBridge and Roy Engel as her husband Tom, upset because Sylvia has bought up all the debt on their newspaper in Frontier Gambler (1956)

Memorable lines:

Chadwick: “I’ve had only two passions in my life — the fall of the cards and the princess. I’ve been true to both of them. We don’t kill the things you love.”
Darrow: “Cards can turn against you. And a woman can marry someone else.”

Sylvia to Chadwick: “You’ve never asked or demanded anything. But whatever you do or whatever you say, even just the way you look at me, implies that you expect everything.”

Sylvia: “I’m marrying Tony, in spite of anything you say or do.”
Chadwick to Sylvia: “No you won’t. You haven’t the right. You were nothing when I found you. Dirt. Dirt. I created you. You have the right to throw yourself away on a worthless, philandering degenerate throwback with a trigger finger instead of a brain.”

John Merton as Shorty, the mute miner Sylvia Melbourne stakes, being questioned by Curt Darrow in Frontier Gambler (1956)

Margia Dean as Gloria Starling, the saloon singer Tony Burton sneaks around with behind Sylvia’s back in Frontier Gambler (1956)

John Bromfield as Curt Darrow, admiring a photo of presumed murder victim Sylvia Melbourne in Frontier Gambler (1956)

Kent Taylor as Duke Chadwick and Coleen Gray as Sylvia Melbourne, in a disagreement over the man she intends to marry in Frontier Gambler (1956)