A Big Hand for the Little Lady
| A Big Hand for the Little Lady | |
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| Directed by | Fielder Cook |
| Produced by | Fielder Cook |
| Written by | Sidney Carroll |
| Based on |
Big Deal in Laredo 1962 NBC teleplay by Sidney Carroll |
| Starring |
Henry Fonda Joanne Woodward Paul Ford Jason Robards Burgess Meredith Charles Bickford Kevin McCarthy |
| Music by | David Raksin |
| Cinematography | Lee Garmes |
| Edited by | George R. Rohrs |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
A Big Hand for the Little Lady (released in the UK as Big Deal at Dodge City) is a 1966 Technicolor western film, made by Eden Productions Inc. and released by Warner Bros. The film was produced and directed by Fielder Cook from a screenplay by Sidney Carroll, adapted from their TV play Big Deal in Laredo which aired on the The DuPont Show of the Week in 1962.
The film stars Henry Fonda, Joanne Woodward, Paul Ford, and Jason Robards, with Charles Bickford, Burgess Meredith, Kevin McCarthy, Robert Middleton, and John Qualen. The original TV play starred Walter Matthau as Meredith.
The five richest men in the territory gather in Laredo for their annual high-stakes poker game. The high rollers let nothing get in the way of their yearly showdown. When undertaker Tropp (Charles Bickford) calls for them in his horse-drawn hearse, cattleman Henry Drummond (Jason Robards) forces a postponement of his daughter's wedding, while lawyer Otto Habershaw (Kevin McCarthy) abandons his closing arguments in a trial, with his client's life hanging in the balance. They are joined by Wilcox (Robert Middleton) and Buford (John Qualen) in the back room of Sam's saloon, while the curious gather outside for occasional reports.
Settler Meredith (Henry Fonda), his wife Mary (Joanne Woodward), and their young son Jackie (Gerald Michenaud) are passing through, on their way to purchase a farm near San Antonio, when a wheel on their wagon breaks. They wait at Sam's while the local blacksmith repairs it. Meredith, a recovering gambler, learns of the big poker game and begins to feel the excitement once again. During a break, Otto Habershaw catches a glimpse of Mary in her violet dress. Being so enchanted by her, he permits Meredith's request to watch the game only if Mary allows him. The newcomer buys into the game, eventually staking all of the family savings, meant to pay for a home.
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