That's the lesson sweet teacher (Cathy O'Donnell) finds out when a sleazy cop puts the make on her, then preys on her, assuming she is alone. But her ex-husband (Dane Clark) is secretly staying there, having fled San Francisco for Los Angeles to avoid being put on the witness stand in a murder trial. The scumbag cop is killed accidentally, and Clark gets rid of the body, not counting on a bus driver with an incredible memory recalling his description getting on his bus. Another detective (Tom Drake) is a perfect gentleman towards O'Donnell as he investigates the murder, not realizing that another case he is involved in (searching for Clark) is tied into this one. But Clark has more secrets which leads to a predictable conclusion.This is one of those thrillers that has elements of film noir but isn't. Sure, there is the perfect noir set up, but it lacks the darkness of similar stories such as "The Reckless Moment". Clark is appropriately dark and moody, but it doesn't seem plausible that he would be married to the sweet O'Donnell. She seems more likely to have gone for someone like Drake. The scenes with disgusting detective McCoy are hard to take without feeling slightly ill. This cop is a potential rapist and like one witness says, she's give $10 (a lot of money for a hit-man in 1951?) to see him dead. Add on Kathryn Card (Mrs. McGillicuddy of "I Love Lucy" fame) as nosy neighbor Phoebe and a slew of witnesses who remember details easily forgotten by most and you have a lot of eye rolling to catch up on. Myrna Dell gives a really enjoyable performance as the hard-noses Dolores, the ex-roommate who once dated the oily deceased cop and reveals a heart of gold when she warns O'Donnell about the investigation going on. British character actor Rhys Williams really does his work as the sleaze bag cop to make you hate him and applaud at his demise.

Gambler-fugitive seeks refuge with ex-wife, even as police close in.Except for the cleverly staged finale—a giant crane on the LA loading docks—it's a pretty pedestrian crime story. Despite the poor ratings from the professionals, I tuned in because of the cast. Clark makes an excellent tough-guy-with-soul as in Deep Valley (1947) and Moonrise (1948), while O'Donnell is enough to make a grown man cry in the transcendent They Live by Night (1948). What this film crucially lacks, however, is mood. It's filmed in straightforward unimaginative style, much like a TV episode. As a result, there's no complementary atmosphere to frame the twosome's particular talents, thereby largely wasting them. Too bad, because the film would likely do just as well with any number of lesser talents in the leads.It doesn't help that the screenplay is unexceptional with few surprises, except maybe for the randy cop (Williams). Still, you wonder how such a crude guy could possibly stay on the force, let alone as a sergeant. It's also a cheaply produced programmer with two or three basic sets. At least, Columbia knew something more was needed, hence the scenic finale. All in all, the movie's a routine programmer, at best.

"Never Trust a Gambler" is a quick-moving, breezy little b-thriller with just the right amounts of action, suspense, and romance to waste, most agreeably, eighty minutes of your time. Psychopathic ex-hubby (Dane Clark) crashes ex-wife's (Cathy O'Donnell) quiet life to hole up in her home. He has a line, and she falls for it. Enter nasty skirt-chaser, add "a fight, a car crash, and a fire" (to misquote a line of dialogue) and pretty soon they're up to their eyeballs in trouble. Enter, too, a cute young cop (Tom Drake) who falls head-over-heels for the girl. Some of the story is handled with b-movie dispatch, but there is also enough characterization to keep the characters interesting, and the love story is both tender and realistic. Good cast, good photography, a fair bit of on-location shooting and an exciting climax high on a construction crane in a shipyard.

What a wonderful little crime programmer from Columbia Pictures I just discovered. And a very rare one too. Ralph Murphy did not made many thrillers but mainly westerns, corny films indeed. This one is surprising by his pace, characters and story. A real film noir, even grade B. Dane Clark plays here a poor fellow chased by the police in a witness murder charge. He is a former gambler and goes to his ex wife's apartment to hide from the police. But the gal is molested by a man who is accidentally killed by our lead. So, Clark tries to disguise the murder in car accident.So, the investigation begins, with a detective who falls for the gambler's wife...The climax on the waterfront is excellent.