Kirk Douglas’ character, Chuck Tatum, lights a match against his typewriter. This gives the audience a foreshadowing of the story. The tale, at its best, shows how journalism works. It is at its worst,how this profession goes for a story that sells papers. Newspapers when this film was released, were the main news source. Most have gone out of business, because of electronic media. Douglas character is a cross between the sensational reporter, Walter Winchell and P.T. Barnum. He was a big city reporter,now working in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is hoping to find a story, when one day it lands in his lap.
A trading post owner, Leo Minosa, (Richard Benedict), is trapped in a cave, in a small New Mexico town. He gets there, with a photographer, Herbie Cook, (Robert Arthur). Herbie is delighted to tag along with Chuck Tatum. The reporter asks a few questions and takes pictures. Tatum assures him that help is coming and he will be fine. Tatum runs into Minosa’s wife,Lorraine,(Jan Sterling). The actress gives a performance worthy of any femme fatale. Lorraine isn’t unhappy over her husband’s predicament. She hopes that if he doesn’t make it, she will be free of him and the town. Tatum convinces her to stay, and exploits her, as the suffering wife. Lorraine begins to fall for Chuck Tatum. He wants none of that kind of attention,slapping her back to reality. She begins to loathe him. It is because the two are so alike. They are very self serving people.
Chuck Tatum knows that Leo Minosa can be rescued quickly. He comes up with a plan with Sheriff Gus Kretzer, (Ray Teal). He is as sleazy and publicity seeking as Tatum. The two come up with a plan. They will delay the rescue. This gets publicity for the town, and a great story for Tatum. Sheriff Kretzer is unhappy that Tatum is getting all the credit. He confronts him, and Tatum beats him in a fight. The sheriff must now go along with this despicable plan. The plan has not only endangered Minosa, but turned the small town into a tourist attraction and a media circus. The morbidity is that carnival rides are now at the site. An insurance salesman named Al Ferber, (Frank Cady), brought his family for a vacation. They are now a willing part of this abominable exploitation. We see Ferber and his family enjoying the rides. This is something for anyone who missed pop culture 101. Frank Cady was Sam Drucker for several years on Petticoat Junction and Green Acres.
The role of Chuck Tatum fits into Kirk Douglas early career. He played a number of bad guys and anti-heroes. The actor was later to play heroes, acting alongside John Wayne. He appeared in several westerns, most notably as Doc Holiday in Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Billy Wilder gives amazing shots of the actor , particularly while giving updates on the rescue efforts. Kirk Douglas was an actor whose style was sometimes over the top. He pulled off some grand performances. It is one of the mysteries of Hollywood, as to why he never won an academy award. He, like Cary Grant received an honorary achievement award, from the academy. This would be akin to a public apology by the academy. Douglas legacy in film is secure despite being overlooked for the most prestigious award in the entertainment industry.
Ace in the Hole is an achievement in film noir, by Billy Wilder. The director gets great shots throughout the movie. He gives a certain depth of realism, in the mine scenes, with Douglas and Benedict. We see Chuck Tatum looking at Leo Minosa, through the opening in the rocks. It appears that Douglas character is like the lizards that crawl in and out. When Douglas leaves, everything goes dark, and more rocks fall around Minosa. This is a film that Wilder was good at doing. He would show the worst in man. This is what noir is mainly about. This film is good. It was like many films, a product that wasn’t a hit. This was a first for the director. He also co-wrote the film and produced it. The studio, absorbing the loss, later did not give the director the full amount of profits for his next movie, which was a success. In todays film world, a movie can make money through the months long publicity campaign. Failure at the box office doesn’t matter as much today, because of streaming services. Billy Wilder helped many stars in their careers, like Marilyn Monroe and William Holden. He would continue on a path of success for many years. Ace in the Hole has a very disturbing message that still resonates today.