''Tip on a Dead Jockey'' is a 1957 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

directed by

Richard Thorpe Richard Thorpe (born Rollo Smolt Thorpe; February 24, 1896 – May 1, 1991) was an American film director best known for his long career at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Biography Born Rollo Smolt Thorpe in Hutchinson, Kansas, Richard Thorpe began his ...

and starring Robert Taylor and Dorothy Malone. It is based on ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' 1954 short story by

Irwin Shaw Irwin Shaw (February 27, 1913 – May 16, 1984) was an American playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and short-story author whose written works have sold more than 14 million copies. He is best known for two of his novels: '' The Young Lions'' ...

Plot

Phyllis Tredman is shocked when her husband Lloyd, a decorated

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

U.S. Air Force pilot, sends word to her after his discharge from military service requesting a divorce. She tracks him down in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, Spain, where it turns out Lloyd is drinking and gambling heavily. He is tormented by having ordered so many Air Force pilots to their deaths on dangerous missions. He also is strangely attracted to Paquita, the wife of his friend and fellow pilot Jimmy Heldon. A mysterious man named Bert Smith, aware that Lloyd is down on his luck, offers him $25,000 to do something illegal and dangerous—smuggling currency from

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metr ...

to Madrid, dropping the box of cash in mid-air. Lloyd has wagered his last $1,000 on a horse race. He says if the horse wins, he won't need Smith's offer, but the race ends tragically with the jockey killed. Lloyd suspects foul play. Jimmy takes the job after Lloyd refuses. He ends up missing and Paquita blames Lloyd, calling him a coward. It turns out to be a test run from which Jimmy returns late but safely. He intends to go through with the crime, risking everything, but Lloyd knocks him out and pilots the plane himself. Steadying himself after first being paralyzed with fear, Lloyd's flight goes badly when a propeller is damaged. Authorities are put on alert and

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cr ...

agents begin tracking the plane. Lloyd tries to hide the money, only to discover narcotics are being smuggled by Bert as well. He drops the box from the sky as planned, but notifies Interpol and gets Bert arrested at the scene of the crime. The thankful authorities elect not to punish Lloyd, who returns to Phyllis' open arms.

Cast

* Robert Taylor as Lloyd Tredman * Dorothy Malone as Phyllis Tredman *

Marcel Dalio Marcel Dalio (born Marcel Benoit Blauschild; 23 November 1899 in Paris – 18 November 1983) was a French movie actor. He had major roles in two films directed by Jean Renoir, '' La Grande Illusion'' (1937) and '' The Rules of the Game'' (1939) ...

as Toto del Aro * Martin Gabel as Bert Smith * Gia Scala as Paquita Heldon * Jack Lord as Jimmy Heldon * Hayden Rorke as J. R. Nichols * Joyce Jameson as Sue Fan Finley

Production

At one stage,

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

was going to direct the film. It is also the first MGM film to open with the current roaring lion in the studio's logo.

Reception

According to MGM records the film earned $400,000 in the US and Canada and $650,000 elsewhere resulting in a loss of $886,000.

References

External links