Get the MovieNight app
Add it to your home screen — faster & full screen
Samuel Goldwyn Productions
Not part of a collection.
Love was a gamble she couldn't afford to lose.
Mary Rutledge arrives from the east, finds her fiancé dead, and goes to work at the roulette wheel of Luis Chamalis' Bella Donna, a rowdy gambling house in San Francisco in the 1850s. She falls in love with miner Jim Carmichael and takes his gold dust at the wheel. She goes after him, Chamalis goes after her with intent to harm Carmichael.
CinemaSerf
Jun 19, 2022 · via TMDB
It's quite interesting to see Edward G Robinson ("Louis Chamalis") in this period melodrama sets in a largely lawless San Francisco of the 1850s, but charismatic as he certainly is - even with his coiffured hair and frilly shirts - he cannot really raise this mediocre effort. Miriam Hopkins is "Swan" - a woman who arrives from New York to marry a miner who has fallen foul of the drink/gambling and gunmen. Determined to stay, she alights on the local casino owner (Robinson) and is soon part of the fabric of his place. When one day she goes riding and gets caught in a storm, she shelters with the rather decent "Jim Carmichael" (Joel McCrae) who has made a bit from his claim and wants to head back to New York. Fog sets in, his sailing is delayed and next thing he is led to their den of iniquity by Walter Brennan and you can guess what happens next. It's set at a time when the upright citizens were starting to take a stand against the corruption that was governing their lives in their so called "vigilante" phase, but this unrequited love story is so light and fluffy that by the ending, the plot has long since run out of steam and the actions of the "respectable" townsfolk come across as far more horrific than anything done by the hoodlums.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
Amazon Video
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Amazon Video
Miriam Hopkins
Mary 'Swan' Rutledge
Edward G. Robinson
Luis Chamalis
Joel McCrea
Jim Carmichael
Walter Brennan
Old Atrocity
Frank Craven
Col. Marcus Aurelius Cobb
Brian Donlevy
Knuckles Jacoby
Clyde Cook
Oakie
Harry Carey
Jed Slocum
Matt McHugh
Broncho
Donald Meek
Sawbuck McTavish
Rollo Lloyd
Wigham
David Niven
Cockney Sailor Thrown Out of Saloon (uncredited)
Hank Worden
Barfly / Townsman (uncredited)
J.M. Kerrigan
Judge Harper
Wong Chung
Ah Wing
Jim Thorpe
Janitor (uncredited)
Howard Hawks
Director
Samuel Goldwyn
Producer
Alfred Newman
Original Music Composer
Ben Hecht
Writer
Oct 13, 1935
© 2025-2026 MovieNight. All rights reserved.
Versus
Sign in to play →
That Strange Person
1998
blink-182 - Never Miss A Beat
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
What is your favorite movie genre?
Versus
Sign in to play →
That Strange Person
1998
blink-182 - Never Miss A Beat
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
What is your favorite movie genre?
We use essential cookies to run MovieNight, plus analytics (Google Analytics) and advertising (Google AdSense) cookies. By continuing to browse, you agree to this — or click No and we won't. See our Terms & Privacy Policy to learn more.