Ace in the Hole (1951)

Big shot reporter Chuck Tatum (Kirk Douglas) must resort to working for a small-time newspaper in Albuquerque to crawl his way back to the top. Nothing breaks for him until he stumbles upon a story he can sink his teeth into. A man is trapped in an Indian cave and Chuck manipulates the sheriff, the townsfolk, even the man’s wife (Jan Sterling) to turn the story into a personal gold mine.

O’ll Chuck may be our main character but he is not a good guy. He is unabashed in his ambition to exploit a bad situation. He even brings the cub reporter along for the ride. Still, I found myself rooting for him a bit. But as he transitions from taking advantage of a desperate situation to taking control, his truer nature is revealed.

Sterling was no stranger to genre pictures, but this was a rare leading role for her. She played the self-involved ditz pretty well. Frank Cady played an early arrival at Chuck’s carnival. He was a recognizable character actor in many films, but will forever be remembered as Sam Drucker from Green Acres. It’s the place to be.

Native peoples are featured, somewhat in the background, but respectfully considering the day. Chuck calls a native man ‘chief’ but this informs us of Chuck’s character. That native was Iron Eyes Cody himself, the litter-hating Indian from my youth. Keep America Beautiful. His real name was Espera DeCorti. Speaking of bit parts, Timothy Carey may have had a bit part as a construction worker. It is unconfirmed. Remember him from Kubrick’s The Killing and Paths of Glory. He was a weirdo.

Ace in the Hole takes a bleak, cynical look at human nature. Chuck is the circus ring leader, but almost everyone is willing to jump through his hoops. Maybe not quite as much ironically hilarious dialog as one expects from Billy Wilder, but it is among his more important films. AMRU 4.

“Bad news sells best. ‘Cause good news is no news.”