“Las Vegas Lady” (1975)
Studio: Crown International Pictures
Starring: Stella Stevens, Stuart Whitman, George DiCenzo, Lynne Moody, Linda Scruggs
Directed by: Noel Nosseck
Rated: R
Running Time: 87 min.
Synopsis: Three women are hired to rob a casino in Las Vegas.
REVIEW
Chris Woods
This comedy/drama/action/mystery film from Crown International turned out to be not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Although most of film isn’t great or even very good, the cast and the story keep the movie interesting. The film has a slow start to it though, but picks up in the middle and the parts up until the end are the best part of the movie.
Film stars Stella Stevens, who was a playboy playmate and pin-up girl in the 60’s and also starred with Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor. She did tons of films throughout the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s like Slaughter and Monster in the Closet, just to name a few. Stevens plays Lucky, a woman who gives all the high rollers luck at the casino. The movie actually starts off at a Frontier land theme park, where Lucky meets a mystery man who wants her and her girlfriends to pull off a major heist at one of the casinos. Not much is explained on why the girls have to do the heist. Nothing in the film eludes that they done this type of thing before or it doesn’t seem like they’re doing this because they owe someone.
Lucky gets the help of her two girlfriends; one is a magician’s assistant and the other is a trapeze artist. Both work at the casino they’re going to rob. Turns out the head of the casino, played by George DiCenzo (Helter Skelter), is working with the mob. He’s holding a half a million dollars for them in his office at the casino. This is the money that the girls will be taking. Lucky tries to juggle planning the heist (which takes place in two days), give attention to all her high roller regulars, and manage a romance with one the casino’s security guards played by Stuart Whitman (Eaten Alive). Once the girls get the money for the mystery man, they will each get a big cut of it and can start a new and better life.
As I mentioned before the beginning of the film is a bit slow, but it starts to get a lot better toward the end at the night of the heist. The cast of characters do a good job and are very likable. One scene that sticks out is when the trapeze artist has to climb up the casino building to sneak into the office. You would think she would be use to heights, but lately she’s been freezing up when she does her act. It’s a good scene that will put you at the edge of your seat because you are wondering if she’s going to make it up there and it’s a long way up. They are times where she looks as if she won’t make it up there, which makes it a thrilling scene.
Although the film is not the greatest, it’s worth a look. It has a solid story for the most part and the cast really makes the film. Along with Stevens, Whitman, and DiCenzo, they are a few other recognizable faces in small parts such as Andrew Stevens (Day of the Animals, The Fury) and Frank Bonner (Equinox, WKRP in Cincinnati). Again, Las Vegas Lady is a decent film to check out.