Gilda

Gilda is just like Casablanca if Casablanca had a happy ending, which would have been a bad idea even if it hadn’t been already done two years earlier in To Have and Have Not (which at least had Bogie in it). Like Casablanca, Gilda revolves around a love triangle set in a gambling establishment in an exotic location, but while Casablanca takes place in North Africa during World War II, Gilda takes place in South America just after the war. Moreover, if Casablanca ends with "the beginning of a beautiful friendship", Gilda concludes with the continuation of a horrible romance. Following the…

"Johnny" (Glenn Ford) is quite a streetwise gambler who finds himself rescued amidst the Buenos Aires docks by a suave stranger whose cane comes with a rather lethal optional extra. He suggests that he try his luck at a casino and when he manages to fleece the dealer of a modest fortune, discovers that it's owned by his erstwhile benefactor "Mundson" (George Macready). He manages to avoid a beating by suggesting that he put his skills to better use and well, this next bit you can guess. By the time his boss wants to take an holiday, "Johnny" is pretty much running the joint, but he's…