Never Trust a Gambler 1951

Steve Garry, insisting he has quit gambling, asks his ex-wife Virginia Merrill if he can lie low at her Los Angeles house while avoiding testifying in a murder trial. She reluctantly consents, unsure whether she can trust him, and hides him from her nosy neighbor Phoebe.

At a market, Virginia buys Steve food and liquor and runs into police sergeant Quentin McCloy, who had dated Dolores Alden, Virginia’s former roommate. McCloy won’t leave, escorts Virginia home, and makes a drunken pass at her. Steve emerges from hiding and strikes McCloy with a chair, unintentionally killing him, a blow that sets off a chain of events. McCloy’s death triggers the investigation led by his partner, Lou Brecker, who begins to connect the dots and narrow the circle of suspects.

Sgt. Ed Donovan, meantime, has been actively seeking Steve Garry, who is a suspect in the murder case coming to trial. Donovan is called to the scene when McCloy’s body is found near a car that has gone off a cliff, a steely setup aimed at making it look like the officer drove drunk and caused his own death. The discovery pushes the case closer to Virginia, as Donovan’s inquiries lead him toward the people around her.

Steve flees, forcing Virginia to go with him, and the pair evade roadblocks as they press farther from the city. They pull into a gas station, where Virginia leaves a note for an attendant to find, hoping for a chance at rescue or at least a trace of help. With the net closing in, Steve runs again, climbing a crane and wounding Donovan with a gunshot. As he struggles to descend, Donovan grabs him and both men plummet—ending Steve Garry’s flight in a fatal fall.