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the owner of the Cattle and
Merchants' Bank, C. P. Ballinger. After she shows him her hand, Ballinger suggests she is playing a practical joke. When he is told otherwise, he lends her $ 5,500 (at 6% interest) and makes a $ 5,000 raise for her. The other players, aware of Ballinger's tightfisted, cautious nature, all reluctantly fold. Mary collects her sizable winnings and pays Ballinger back with interest. The game then breaks up, no one ever having seen the winning hand.
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performance of the lot". He observed, "Lee Garmes, (is) one of the master camera hands of the West, and the roving camera eye of Mr. Garmes and company provides some of the film's best moments." Alden adds: "The mixing of comedy and tragedy is sometimes uncomfortable for an audience" seeing it for the first time. However, the "delightful surprise ending ... makes the feast worthwhile".
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402:, when a wheel on their wagon breaks. They wait at Sam's while the local blacksmith repairs it. Meredith, a recovering gambler, learns of the big game and asks Habershaw if he can watch. Struck by Mary’s looks, Habershaw invites Meredith to the table and Meredith eventually buys into the game. He stakes all of the family savings, meant to pay for a home.
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Robert Alden enjoyed the film, praising the "seasoned set of actors" in the cast: "They are a skillful bunch, and it is a pleasure seeing real film professionals having at each other. A foxier bunch of artful poker rascals would be hard to find," crediting
Meredith with "perhaps the most memorable
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The situation is explained to her: if she cannot match the last raise (and any others that may follow), she will be out of the hand. Despite the men's protests, she leaves the room to borrow additional funds. With Jackie and four of the players trailing behind, Mary crosses the street and talks to
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The game builds to a climactic hand; the gamblers raise and reraise until more than $ 20,000 is in the pot. Meredith, out of cash, is unable to call the latest raise. Under the strain, he collapses. The town physician, Joseph "Doc" Scully, is called to care for the stricken man. Barely conscious,
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game. The high rollers let nothing get in the way of their yearly showdown. When undertaker Tropp calls for them in his horse-drawn hearse, cattleman Henry
Drummond forces a postponement of his daughter's wedding, while lawyer Otto Habershaw abandons his closing arguments in a trial, with his
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The lady's determination earns her the admiration of the men. Drummond is so touched that when he returns home to the waiting wedding ceremony, he talks privately to his weak-willed, prospective son-in-law, gives him some money, and orders him to run away and find himself a better wife.
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on the other poker players, who had swindled the banker in a real-estate deal 16 years before. "Mary" is actually
Ballinger's mistress, Ruby. She promised him she would give up gambling after the caper, but she sits down to another poker game, much to Ballinger's dismay.
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Meredith signals for his wife to play out the hand. Taking his seat, Mary asks, "How do you play this game?" At this, the other players object loudly, but eventually give in.
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client's life hanging in the balance. They are joined by Wilcox and Buford in the back room of Sam's saloon, while the curious gather outside for occasional reports.
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659:"Screen: Good Poker Tale:Little Lady's Big Hand Opens at 3 Houses (Published 1966)"
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The film was produced and directed by
Fielder Cook from a screenplay by
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From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
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844:How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life
111:Learn how and when to remove this message
630:"A Big Hand for the Little Lady: Awards"
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1007:English-language Western (genre) films
554:Joanne Woodward was nominated for the
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49:adding citations to reliable sources
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60:"A Big Hand for the Little Lady"
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997:Films based on television plays
900:I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
558:for Female Comedy Performance.
374:. The original TV play starred
36:needs additional citations for
972:Films directed by Fielder Cook
957:American Western (genre) films
828:A Big Hand for the Little Lady
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729:A Big Hand for the Little Lady
718:A Big Hand for the Little Lady
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696:A Big Hand for the Little Lady
657:Alden, Robert (June 9, 1966).
585:List of American films of 1966
324:A Big Hand for the Little Lady
126:A Big Hand for the Little Lady
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349:, adapted from their TV play
977:Films scored by David Raksin
962:1960s English-language films
735:AFI Catalog of Feature Films
356:The DuPont Show of the Week
333:, since the film is set in
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952:1966 Western (genre) films
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499:James Kinney as Sam Rhine
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16:1966 film by Fielder Cook
967:Films about con artists
876:Miracle on 34th Street
820:The Philadelphia Story
451:as Henry P.G. Drummond
330:Big Deal at Dodge City
280:May 31, 1966
852:Prudence and the Pill
502:Allen Collins as Toby
337:) is a 1966 American
256:Eden Productions Inc.
1002:1960s American films
520:as Old Man In Saloon
469:as Doc Joseph Scully
45:improve this article
556:Golden Laurel Award
992:Warner Bros. films
982:Films set in Texas
782:Films directed by
723:TCM Movie Database
663:The New York Times
568:The New York Times
351:Big Deal in Laredo
167:Big Deal in Laredo
987:Films about poker
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674:. Retrieved
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491:Percy Helton
445:as Mary/Ruby
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343:Warner Bros.
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296:Running time
273:Release date
266:Warner Bros.
232:David Raksin
187:Fielder Cook
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147:Fielder Cook
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43:Please help
38:verification
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676:January 24,
550:Nominations
485:John Qualen
437:Henry Fonda
419:card sharps
400:San Antonio
364:Henry Fonda
242:Technicolor
196:Henry Fonda
184:Produced by
143:Directed by
137:film poster
947:1966 films
941:Categories
591:References
544:as Sparrow
524:Mae Clarke
300:95 minutes
284:1966-05-31
249:Production
214:Lee Garmes
153:Written by
71:newspapers
836:Brigadoon
671:0362-4331
614:March 22,
562:Reception
542:Noah Keen
530:Ned Glass
506:Jim Boles
455:Paul Ford
359:in 1962.
220:Edited by
804:Patterns
712:AllMovie
639:July 19,
579:See also
388:Old West
313:Language
228:Music by
192:Starring
174:teleplay
163:Based on
916:Why Me?
732:at the
721:at the
508:as Pete
386:In the
339:Western
316:English
305:Country
282: (
251:company
85:scholar
927:(1986)
919:(1984)
911:(1981)
903:(1979)
895:(1979)
887:(1975)
879:(1973)
871:(1973)
863:(1972)
855:(1968)
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807:(1956)
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392:poker
170:1962
92:JSTOR
78:books
701:IMDb
678:2021
667:ISSN
641:2023
634:IMDb
616:2020
430:Cast
423:scam
382:Plot
370:and
64:news
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176:by
172:NBC
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