Ep 37: Barbara Stanwyck in Gambling Lady (1934)

By this point in her career, Barbara Stanwyck was such a pro that she could have done the picture blindfolded and still hit every emotional nuance required for the part. Frank Capra was dead right when he called her the greatest emotional actress the screen has known. Watching Stanwyck absorb men's low opinions of her and carry on is devastating. Enmeshed in criminal rackets on one side and married into a snobby blue blood family on the other, it seems as though Stanwyck's character is the only one with a functioning moral compass. Supported by Joel McCrea, Pat O'Brien, Claire Dodd, and C. Aubrey Smith, Gambling Lady showcases Barbara Stanwyck's supreme craft at the close of the Pre-Code era.