Returning to New Orleans, following four years of army service in Texas in the 1840s, Captain Vance Colby finds his father, a professional gambler, has been killed. The police tell him his father was killed while caught cheating in a card game by Andre Rivage, an arrogant young dilettante. Vance protests that his father was an honest gambler and never used marked cards, but the police inspector tells him there were witnesses. Aided by a riverboat owner, Captain Barbee, and his daughter, Melanie, Vance sets out to clear his father's name and avenge his death. In New Orleans, discharged army Captain Vance Colby learns of his father's killing done by three local Creole gents at a card game, and he sets out to punish the killers. Dale Robertson plays a pre-Civil War soldier and gambler(Vance),whose father is a famous gambler, widely accused of being a cheat. The plot is rather similar to that in "The Mississippi Gambler", released just the year before. Our hero gambles fairly, in contrast to some of his competition, and desires to build a gambling establishment where winners have better skill or luck, rather than illegal tricks. <br/><br/>In the romance department, in both films, the hero has two gorgeous women to choose from: one an aristocrat, while the other is a commoner. In "The Mississippi Gambler", Ty Power chooses the stubborn aristocratic one, while in the present film, Vance chooses the barefoot river girl, Melanie(Debra Paget),who practically throws herself at him. In both cases, the younger ingénue is chosen. In the present film, we were not absolutely sure who Vance would choose until the ending. The very different personalities of the two ingénues is a big factor in making this film a more pleasant viewing experience(at least for men). I'm sure a significant factor in Vance's choice of Melanie over Ivette(Lisa Daniels),was the fact that Melanie saved his life twice from assailants. Besides, she was a real Barbee doll, as Captain Barbee, her father, would agree. <br/><br/>As in "The Mississippi Gambler", there are 3 main villains, 2 of whom relate to Ivette: her brother Andre, and her fiancé, Claude St. Germaine. Also, Nicholas Cadiz, owner of a large casino. In addition, there is a German gambler who is angry that Vance won all his money. He picks a fight with Vance, and is about to stab him in the back with a meat hook when Melanie lands a frying pan on his head.<br/><br/>So, how did Vance, who originally had no financial interest in either the steamboat Baton Rouge(BR) or the property Araby(where Ivette and family lived), wind up owning both in full? It's a rather complicated story. Thus, I will summarize it as I understand it:<br/><br/>Vance's father, often called 'Chip', invested a 25% interest in the boat BR, as did each of the following: Andre Rivago(Ivett's brother), Cadiz and Claude(Ivette's fiancé). Chip wagered with Andre their 25% shares in BR, and won. Next, Chip wagered his 50% interest in BR against the Rivago estate: Araby, and won. Andre became enraged and shot Chip dead, placing some doctored cards in his hand, thus negating his winnings. Hence, Vance inherits Chip's original 25% interest in the BR. <br/><br/>Later, Cadiz challenges Vance to a pistol duel for causing the gaming commissioner to close his casino, due to house cheating. Vance wins Cadiz's 25% interest in the BR by winning the duel, giving him a total of 50% interest in the BR. He now bets his 50% interest against Andre's 50% interest(Apparently, Andre obtained Claude's 25% interest, either in a wager I missed, or somehow after Claude was killed). Andre loses the wager. He now bets the Araby estate against Vance's full ownership of the BR, and loses. Andre becomes enraged and tries to kill Vance, but himself is mortally wounded. Thus, all of the 4 original partial owners of the BR are dead, and Vance is now the full owner of the ship and estate. However, he signs the Araby estate over to Ivette, since his quarrel was with her brother, not her. She invites him to share the estate with her, but he declines, saying his heart belongs with the Baton Rouge and Melanie. <br/><br/>In all, I found this obscure film to be of greater interest and enjoyment than "The Mississippi Gambler" or, indeed, most films of that era. You can see it on YouTube. I have one major caveat: How did the waiter manage to see and remember all the details of the card playing leading up to Chip's assassination? Dale Robertson stars in the title role as The Gambler From Natchez who has come home after a furloughed leave to join Sam Houston in Texas. Which would put the year at around 1836 in the ante-bellum south and in New Orleans. <br/><br/>Robertson has come home to visit his father whom he finds out has been killed. His father was a gambler by trade and he was murdered with all the proprieties of the Creole code covered. Robertson himself is a gambler and good one.<br/><br/>He identifies three men Kevin McCarthy, Douglas Dick, and John Weingraf, as the perpetrators and he's marked them in his little black book of revenge.<br/><br/>The comparisons of The Gambler From Natchez with films like Mississippi Gambler and The Iron Mistress are rather obvious. But a very astute previous reviewer saw the elements of The Count Of Monte Cristo here and I salute that person.<br/><br/>The most harrowing scene in the film is Robertson with a knife in his back eluding the people pursuing through the shore marshes of the Mississippi. Those pursuers included the overseer who put said knife in his back and some of his slave charges. I'm sure it was with a great sense of irony that 20th Century Fox filmed black people pursuing a white runaway in the swamp.<br/><br/>Later on said overseer meets a most timely end at the hands of Woody Strode. How many times did black man kill a slave overseer and suffered no consequences.<br/><br/>Aiding and abetting Robertson's cause is riverboat captain Thomas Gomez and daughter Debra Paget. McCarthy has a fetching sister in Lisa Daniel who also intrigues Robertson. You never know on which side she will fall.<br/><br/>The Gambler From Natchez is not as good as the other cited films, but it certainly holds its own in the entertainment department.
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295 weeks ago