The Big Boodle (1957)

Interesting facts

The Big Boodle is a 1957 American film noir crime film directed by Richard Wilson, and starring Errol Flynn, Pedro Armendáriz, Rossana Rory, and Gia Scala, filmed in Cuba.

Production

The film was based on a 1954 novel by Robert Sylvester, which was reportedly based on a true incident.

The New York Times wrote that "Sylvester offers a dazzling yet believable new method of making counterfeit money, a credible private detective, an agreeable half-humorous style and much background detail on the history and atmosphere of Cuba – in all, just about enough to atone for a coincidental and episodic story and an irritating number of howlers in Spanish."

The Chicago Daily Tribune called it a "rugged slap bang adventure... at times engaging, at times superfluously vulgar."

An earlier Sylvester novel Rough Sketch, had been filmed as We Were Strangers. The Cuban government, via its cultural representative in the US, Roberto Hernandez, approached Sylvester, offering facilities and possibly some financing for a movie version of The Big Boodle.

Darcy Miller bought the film rights and announced plans to produce and direct. This fell through but a few months later it was announced film rights had been optioned by Lewis Blumberg, son of Nate Blumberg, chairman of Universal International. In February 1956 Blumberg signed a deal with United Artists. Originally he said he did not want to film in Cuba.

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