There’s been a murder!

During a raid on a club that doubles as both a brothel and gambling hall, the police discover the dead body of gambler Lucky Wilder.  Standing over him with a gun is Mae Miller (Martha Chapin), the wife of respected Dr. John Miller (Robert Frazer).  Dragged in front of the District Attorney (Edward Keane, sporting a mustache that was probably meant to make him look like real-life New York D.A. Thomas Dewey), Mae is given a chance to explain herself.

And that’s what Mae does, revealing how she was just an innocent housewife who was dragged into a life of gambling and sin by Wilder (Wheeler Oakman) and Molly (Vera Steadman).  After being fooled into thinking that she’s a good gambler, Mae finds herself in debt to Wilder and is blackmailed into working in Wilder’s brothel.  However, when Mae realizes that Wilder and Molly are trying the same con on a new girl, she’s left with little choice but to take the law into her own hands…

Released in 1936, Gambling With Souls is — much like Damaged Lives — an exploitation film disguised as an educational film.  That’s why the district attorney is there to let us know that Mae’s story is not an unusual one and that all decisions have consequences.  “Don’t gamble and resent your husband for not making enough money!” the film shouts at us, “BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT WILL HAPPEN!”

And really, that’s the fun of Gambling With Souls.  It’s just so histrionic and over-the-top and, ultimately, it’s so shameless that you can’t help but enjoy it.  If they ever remake Gambling With Souls, I want to play Mae because not only does she get to shoot the bad guy but she also gets to wear a lot of pretty clothes and look good while doing it.  Other than being a prostitute and a gambling addict, Mae could be a role model for us all.

Plus, this is one of those old films that’s full of stock footage!  That means that whenever we watch one of the shows at Lucky’s club, we’re actually watching footage that was shot for several other movies.  These scenes are so haphazardly and awkwardly inserted into the main film that I actually made a game out of trying to predict when the next one would suddenly pop up.  On the one hand, all of that stock footage means that the look of both the club’s stage and the club’s performers change from scene to scene.  However, on the other (and far more positive) hand, it also means that there’s a lot of dancing!

Gambling With Souls is a lot of fun and guess what?  It’s in the public domain!  Watch it below!