The Las Vegas Story (1952)

One of my all time favorites.

Crappy film

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

Dull crime film is greatly elevated by glamorous the Jane Russell as a former torch singer returning to Las Vegas with her rich husband, a charming Vincent Price, only to encounter her old flame, police detective Victor Mature, who both run afoul Vegas thug Brad Dexter. The film's plot mostly hinges on a murder mystery that's barely interesting. Some of the best scenes are between Russell and her old piano player, Hoagy Carmichael. "The Las Vegas Story" was produced by Howard Hughes at RKO (who famously produced Russell's scandalous western "The Outlaw") and was directed by journeyman director Robert Stevenson, who later directed a number of pictures at Disney including classics like "Mary Poppins" and "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" to lesser Disney fare like "The Gnome-Mobile" and "In Search of the Castaways," so it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that this film lacked any real creative spark. I was hoping to see lots of period footage of 1950s Vegas, but it's all sets and stock footage, so this film doesn't even offer a vintage travelogue appeal. Besides Russell, Dexter is quite good as the steely eyed villain. I've never understood the appeal of Victor Mature as a lead actor, but he's serviceable in his part. Overall, "The Last Vegas Story" does offer an exciting climax involving a helicopter chasing a car and a shootout at an airport hanger, but other than that, it's all quite bland (outside of the never bland Ms. Russell).

Shady business man and compulsive gambler Vincent Price and luscious wife Jane Russell get off the trans-continental train they're on on their way to LA to do some gambling in Las Vegas. They stay at the Fabulous Hotel where Price convinces the management to extend him $100,000 in credit so he can have money to gamble with. The movie has a somewhat interesting back story about Price and a ruined business partner in Boston. As well there is another back story about Russell and Las Vegas detective Victor Mature, who seem to have met a while ago when she was a singer at a casino where Hoagy Carmichael is the long time pianist and band leader. He (Carmichael) does a great number about a little over half-way through the film that must be seen. As well, Russell is wearing a super expensive diamond bracelet that is the object of an aggressive insurance investigator. For my money, Price, Carmichael, and the vintage Vegas scenes are the only really compelling reasons to watch, except for a decent chase between a helicopter and a Mercury woody across the desert which leads to an interesting fight in an abandoned military base.

Jane Russell, (Linda Rollins),"Outlaw", was very pretty in 1952 and gave an outstanding performance as well as a singing act performed with Hoagy Carmichael (Happy) at the piano. Linda is married to a gambling con-artist named Lloyd Rollins, (Vincent Price) who is hitting rock bottom with large gambling debts and tries for a big break at the Casion's in Las Vegas. However, Victor Mature,(Lt. Dave Andrews) knows Las Vegas and the people behind the scenes who informed him that Lloyd Rollins was in town to start some trouble in the Casion's. Dave Andrews spots Linda Rollins and realizes she was a gal he was in love with and their relationship drifted a part, however, the spark was instantly rekindled when they meet face to face. Russell, Mature and Carmichael make this a very entertaining film with murder and plenty of old time tunes. Enjoy.

Saw this movie om Jane Russell's 85th Birthday (Thanks TCM!) I was impressed by her great performance - I think the first I've seen in a dramatic role. Victor Mature was excellent, too, even if he was playing to type. Hoagy was good, also, but nothing can touch his performance in "Best Days of Our Lives." J.C. Flippen also good in what would become a stereotypical role providing comic relief but not a fop in the style of "Barnie Fife". Am curious about the scene shot in an abandoned Air Force base. Logic dictates this is Nellis AFB but I doubt it was abandoned in 1952. Does anybody know where this location shoot took place?