There's lots of lost weekends for gambling addict Don Ameche, starting off simply as the owner of an adorable colt who ends up becoming a racing horse champion. Ameche happened to meet future wife Cathy O'Donnell on Christmas Eve, homeless and needing to find a place for the feisty young horse to keep warm, and in a bit of comedy, O'Donnell mistakingly agreed to take him in.
But that's pretty much all for the comedy, even with Roscoe Karns as their wisecracking taxi driver pal in fantastic support. It's Karns who keeps trying to slap some sense into Ameche who starts off as a loving husband but is changed quickly by success. He's not there when his wife gives birth to their son, and when he does show up, it's to present her with dirt from outside the mansion in Beverly Hills he's just won from gambling.
A powerful drama that takes a different kind of addiction and presents it from the point of view of success rather than failure, and Ameche plays the role to the hilt. O'Donnell is great too, strong enough to stand up to Ameche for not being there and being the strength of a shaky home, especially when the son takes ill. Karns gets the best role however, not afraid to let Ameche have it when he needs to hear the truth, but completely sympathetic to the situation without being judgmental. A beautiful big budget A film from Republic smartly directed by the legendary Frank Borzage.
But that's pretty much all for the comedy, even with Roscoe Karns as their wisecracking taxi driver pal in fantastic support. It's Karns who keeps trying to slap some sense into Ameche who starts off as a loving husband but is changed quickly by success. He's not there when his wife gives birth to their son, and when he does show up, it's to present her with dirt from outside the mansion in Beverly Hills he's just won from gambling.
A powerful drama that takes a different kind of addiction and presents it from the point of view of success rather than failure, and Ameche plays the role to the hilt. O'Donnell is great too, strong enough to stand up to Ameche for not being there and being the strength of a shaky home, especially when the son takes ill. Karns gets the best role however, not afraid to let Ameche have it when he needs to hear the truth, but completely sympathetic to the situation without being judgmental. A beautiful big budget A film from Republic smartly directed by the legendary Frank Borzage.