Lucky Losers

Terence Alyosious "Slip" Mahoney and his friend, Sach Jones, work as runners for a Wall Street brokerage firm owned by David Thurston, whose daughter Carol is dating their friend Gabe Moreno, a television news commentator. One afternoon, at Louie Dumbrowsky's malt shop, they turn on the television and see Gabe announcing Thurston's suicide. Slip and Sach join Carol and Gabe at Thurston's office, where Slip finds a matchbook and pair of dice from the High Hat Club, a gambling establishment owned by Bruce McDermott. Suspicious about Thurston's death, Slip engages colorful Wellington Jefferson "Buffer" McGee to share his expertise in gambling with the boys. At the end of their training, Slip and Sach rent tuxedos and go to the High Hat Club, and they watch as McDermott's beautiful associate, the Countess, entices some drunken conventioneers to join an exclusive crap game in the club's private gambling room. Posing as conventioneers, Slip and Sach gain admission to the private room, and Slip's winning streak at the crap table draws the management's attention. After Slip sees the dealer substitute the regular dice with a pair of loaded ones, he switches the loaded dice with a pair of his own, and he and Sach are soon escorted into McDermott's office. McDermott says he is impressed by their skill at the table and offers them jobs, and Slip accepts, provided McDermott hire his entire five-man "syndicate." The next night, Slip and Sach, along with friends Whitey, Chuck and Butch, begin working as dealers. Slip covertly searches McDermott's office, and finds a letter from Thurston saying that he has stopped payment on the check he wrote them and will expose McDermott's crooked operation. Just then, McDermott and the Countess come into the office, and as Slip and Sach are leaving, intoxicated gambler Andrew Stone III bursts in and complains that McDermott runs a dishonest club. When Stone accuses McDermott of killing Thurston, McDermott hits him, and Stone hits his head on the fireplace and dies. McDermott is exonerated, but the publicity affects the club's business, and he decides to fire Slip and the boys. Slip saves their jobs, however, by promising to bring in a high-rolling Arizona cattleman the next night. Later, McDermott and his henchman, Johnny Angelo, turn on the television and watch as Gabe announces that he may reveal the identity of "Chick," McDermott's political connection, in his next broadcast. The next night, Slip and Sach head for the club, leaving the boys at the malt shop to wait for Buffer, who will pose as the cattleman. The boys try to call Gabe, who has been beaten up by McDermott's thugs, and while they are in the phone booth, Buffer arrives and is told by Louie that the boys have already left. At the club, Slip and Sach are stalling McDermott when the boys arrive with Louie, who is dressed in western garb, and despite Louie's pathetic imitation of a high-roller, Slip makes sure he wins at craps. McDermott is annoyed, but Slip promises that their "pigeon" will return the next night. On the news that night, Gabe, broadcasting live from his hospital room, says that "Chick" is a highly regarded politician who has been protecting McDermott and other gambling interests, and that he is responsible for Thurston's death. Slip and Sach visit Gabe in the hospital, where they are introduced to Tom Whitney, from the district attorney's office. The next night, "Arizona Louie" returns in high spirits, but McDermott replaces Slip and Sach with his own men, and Louie is soon wiped out. Meanwhile, Tom and his men persuade the Countess to summon Chick, who turns out to be city council member John Martin, and she tricks him into admitting his crimes within Tom and Slip's hearing. Slip and the boys help Tom apprehend McDermott and his men, and on his next broadcast, Gabe honors Slip and Sach as heroes.