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A Big Hand For The Little Lady - Starring Henry Fonda and Joanne Woodward
You would be forgiven for thinking that “A Big Hand For The Little Lady” is a Western, but with no gunfights, sheriffs or saloon brawls, this one has a few tricks up its sleeve. Described best as a western comedy, A Big Hand For The Little Lady contains non-stop twists and turns, with some more expected than others…
The story begins with Meredith (Henry Fonda), a stranger to the town of Laredo, getting seduced into joining a high-stakes poker game with a number of wealthy cattlemen. Meredith has already promised his wife Mary (Joanne Woodward) that he would give up gambling, not least of all because he isn’t very good at it! Inevitably, of course, Meredith cannot resist the urge to join in the action, much to the distress of his wife, and throws in every last dollar he has to sit in.
Despite her best efforts, Mary cannot convince her husband to walk away from the game and inevitably Meredith bets far more than he can possibly afford.
However, having been dealt a hand he firmly believes cannot lose, Meredith suffers a heart attack, leaving his entire worth in the pot and a hand of a lifetime on the table. Rather than disturb play, Mary pluckily steps in and takes her husbands place, after all, the entire family’s savings are on the table. There is just one slight problem – Mary doesn’t know how to play poker!
With over $20,000 on the table, Mary has to trust her husbands judgement or risk walking away with nothing. Will Mary be able to somehow win back the family savings or will Meredith’s foolish gambling spell the end for his family?
It is worth noting that “A Big Hand For The Little Lady” was initially written as a television show called “Big Deal in Laredo”, and was subsequently extended by some forty minutes when it was decided it was to be a film. The plot remained largely unchanged however, hence many scenes within the film were extended. The only real criticism of the film stems largely from this fact, as many scenes felt long and drawn out, particularly as the majority of the film was based around a single game of poker.
Like many other gambling films of the 1960’s, A Big Hand For The Little Lady featured an impressive cast. Aside from the two superb lead roles, we also saw characters played by Jason Robards, Paul Ford, Charles Bickford and Burgess Meredith just to name a few.
In short, “A Big Hand For The Little Lady” is a film you cannot help but like. It’s ingenious plot, superb acting and twists at every turn keep you intrigued throughout the film. I wouldn’t say it is one of the greatest gambling films ever, but it is certainly one of the quirkiest and definitely worth a watch should you be lucky enough to catch it on television or get hold of it on VHS.
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