Wine, Women and Horses

W.R. Burnetts's Dark Hazard gets remade inside the world of horse racing with journeyman character actor Barton MacLane amiably filling the shoes of Edward G. Robinson, aided and abetted by the charms of then-rising star Ann Sheridan. Jim Turner (MacLane) loves wine, women and horses, though not always in that order, content with his riches-to-rags lifestyle and the company of feminine fellow travelers like the down-to-earth Valerie (Sheridan). During a stopover in a small town inside the heartland, Jim takes local boy George Mayhew (Dick Purcell) in a game of horseshoes. The two men strike up a fast friendship, and George invites Jim over for dinner, where Jim becomes smitten by George's sister Marjorie (Peggy Bates). The staid and upright Marjorie returns Turner's affections -- provided he gives up gambling. Jim does his best to tread the straight and narrow, but a special horse soon sends him back to the racetracks -- and Valerie!

• drama