Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) [ReUP]

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Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) [ReUP]

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A crackling crime caper that includes an overlay of racial tension, ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW was the first film out of Belafonte's own producing entity and proved that he wasn't just another pretty face and froggy voice. Robert Ryan, who was a liberal in real life, plays a psychotic racist similiar to the anti-Semitic character he played in CROSSFIRE. Belafonte is a gambling junkie, a man whose love for the horses has caused his marriage to fall apart. He's a childish nightclub singer and is now in danger from the harassment of Kuluva, a gay gangster in the employ of the people who hold Belafonte's IOUs. Ryan is an ex-con looking for a big score and Begley is a former cop who has been cashiered from the force for illegal dealings. This unlikely trio unite to rob an upstate New York bank of $150,000

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Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) [ReUP]

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Belafonte desperately needs his share of the swag to call off Kuluva, who is now threatening to kill Belafonte's wife and daughter. Ryan is married to Winters, though dallying with Grahame, who gets vicarious thrills before they make love when she pleads with Ryan to tell her how it feels to murder someone. Ryan's anti-black feelings are overcome by Begley and the robbery takes place. But everything goes awry. A gas station jockey spots Ryan. Belafonte witnesses an accident and must give his version of the incident; then he switches places with the food delivery man who brings the bank's night workers their refreshments. The regular guy shows up and so do the cops. Begley is shot, and when he can't get the getaway car's keys to his buddies, he takes his own life, rather than suffer the ignominy of arrest. Ryan and Belafonte escape and flee to an oil storage area not unlike the one in the final scenes of WHITE HEAT.

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Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) [ReUP]

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This is a fine slice of noir that didn't get the box-office attention it deserved. It features a terrific jazz score by John Lewis, pianist for the Modern Jazz Quartet, and, in small roles, Cicely Tyson, Wayne Rogers, and Zohra Lampert. Blacklisted scripter Abraham Polonsky was omitted from the credits in favor of a front, John O. Killens. In 1996, the Writer's Guild of America officially restored Polonsky's credit.

TV Guide

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Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) [ReUP]

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Directed by Robert Wise (West Side Story (1961) & The Sound of Music (1965)), with a screenplay by Abraham Polonsky (Body and Soul (1947)) and Nelson Gidding (I Want to Live! (1958)), this excellent crime drama stars Ed Begley (Sweet Bird of Youth (1962)), Robert Ryan (Crossfire (1947)) and Harry Belafonte as three would-be bank robbers who find themselves fighting against each other such that their success is in jeopardy. The supporting cast is also outstanding and includes Shelley Winters (The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)), Gloria Grahame (The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)), Wayne Rogers in his feature film debut, and even Cicely Tyson (Sounder (1972)), who appears uncredited as a woman behind the bar in a nightclub. The story itself is gripping, focusing on the lives and motivations of the three men who come to see the job as their salvation, each with for his own reason. Joseph Brun's (Martin Luther (1953)) stark B&W Cinematography and John Lewis's jazzy Score are perfect for the edgy hopelessness of these characters' environment and situations.

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Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) [ReUP]

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Earle Slater (Ryan) is a racist and a two time loser, once for manslaughter. He's living as a kept man of Lorry (Winters) and that burns him up (Ryan playing his typical man with an ax to grind and a violent temper boiling just below the surface). Dave Burke (Begley) spent 30 years on the police force before being charged with contempt of court for "not talking" in some non-explained trial. He's the mastermind, looking for one big score to live off of for the rest of his life. Johnny Ingram (Belafonte) is a nightclub singer who gambles away everything, which caused his wife Ruth (Kim Hamilton) to divorce him, though he still gets to visit their young child Edie (Lois Thorne in her only film role). He owes "crime boss" Bacco (Will Kuluva) $7,500, but wasn't too worried about paying it back until Bacco sets a deadline and his hoods get tough, threatening they'll harm Johnny's ex-wife & kid.

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Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) [ReUP]

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The film's first hour or so sets up these characters, their inner conflicts and motivations. Grahame plays a sexy married mother & neighbor of Lorry's who's intrigued by her beau Earle's past. Though he initially spurns her request to babysit her kid, so she and her husband can go to a musical, she "can't say no" later when she finds herself in Earle's apartment alone with him. Wayne Rogers plays a soldier who brings out the animal in Earle, a former veteran himself, in a bar "fight".

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Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) [ReUP]

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The last half hour of the story (much of which is used to build tension as the three wait to execute the plan) takes place in Melton, a small town Dave's discovered where its industry's payrolls are weakly protected in the local bank. Dave has estimated that nearly $200,000 ($50-75 thousand for each man) in small, untraceable bills will be available on the night they do their job. Unfortunately, he hasn't thought of everything, nor planned for the inevitable unforeseen events which always seem to occur. Plus, the conflict between Earle and Johnny is a significant one too. The ending invokes memories of a classic James Cagney film.

Classic Film Guide

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Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) [ReUP]

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