Cash McCall *** (1960, James Garner, Natalie Wood, Nina Foch, Dean Jagger, E G Marshall, Henry Jones, Otto Kruger, Roland Winters, Edward Platt) – Classic Movie Review 10,837

Director Joseph Pevney’s 1960 romantic drama Cash McCall stars James Garner as young, slick financier Cash McCall, who gets rich by buying failing businesses and reselling them. But his stock falls when he bids for the company of Grant Austen (Dean Jagger) and dabbles in shares of romance with his beautiful daughter Lory Austen (Natalie Wood).

Lenore J Coffee and Marion Hargrove’s sharp, intelligent script, with thoughtful dialogue, Pevney’s tight direction and the superior performances from the stars and support (Nina Foch, Dean Jagger, E G Marshall, Henry Jones, Otto Kruger, Roland Winters, Edward Platt) make this fragrant mix of romantic comedy and tale of business ethics and yuppie greed deserve to be much better known.

It certainly helped Garner’s career to rise above the classic TV western series Maverick (1957–1962) that first shot him to stardom as Bret Maverick in the late 1950s. Garner left the series in 1960 in a dispute over money. Jack Kelly played brother Bart Maverick and Roger Moore played Beauregarde Maverick.

Cash McCall is based on the novel by Cameron Hawley.

Also in the cast are Edgar Stheli, Linda Watkins, Parley Baer, Robert Clarke, Walter Coy, Dabbs Greer, Olan Soule and Chet Stratton.

RIP James Garner, who died of a heart attack on 19 July 2014, aged 86.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 10,837

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