5 Against the House (1955) centres on four World War II veterans attending college on the G.I. Bill: Al Mercer (Guy Madison), Brick (Brian Keith), Ronnie (Kerwin Matthews), and Roy (Alvy Moore). Al's girlfriend is singer Kay Greylek (Kim Novack, with her singing voice dubbed by Jo Ann Greer). After a visit to Harold's Club Casino in Reno, Nevada, Ronnie becomes fascinated by the idea of robbing the casino. Ronnie's planned heist unfolds over Thanksgiving break. He then enlists his friends to help.
5 Against the House (1955) was based on the novel of the same name by Jack Finney, which was serialized from July to September 1951 in Good Housekeeping. Stirling Silliphant got an option on the novel for United Artists. Initially, former Warner Bros. animator and director of such films as Son of Paleface (1952) and Red Garters (1954) Frank Tashlin was set to direct, with his wife Mary Costa playing the female lead. Eventually, Frank Tashlin dropped out of the project, along with his wife. Peter Godfrey, who had directed the classic Christmas in Connecticut (1945), was then picked up as the director. At some point, the project also moved from United Artists to Columbia. As of October 1954, negotiations were underway to cast Milly Vitale as the female lead with Guy Madison, Alvy Moore, Roddy McDowall and Robert Horton. The project changed directors again, with Phil Karlson, who directed Kansas City Confidential (1942), set to direct. As to the cast, Milly Vitale was replaced by Kim Novack, while Roddy McDowall and Robert Horton were replaced by Kerwin Matthews and Brian Keith. It was Harry Cohn, the head of Columbia, who insisted on the casting of Kim Novak. who had plans for the young actress to succeed their reigning star, Rita Hayworth.
As might be expected, much of 5 Against the House (1955) was shot in Reno, with a good deal of the movie unfolding in Harold's Club Casino itself. University of Nevada-Reno doubles as the college that the veterans are attending, while Virginia Street (with the Reno Arch in full view) is seen in the film's opening. Lake Tahoe also appears in the film. Oddly enough, the Desert Spa in Las Vegas also appears in the film As might be expected, many of the interiors were shot at Columbia/Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood.
Despite being set at Thanksgiving, 5 Against the House (1955) was released in the spring. A. H. Weller The New York Times gave the film a good review, although reviews elsewhere were a bit more critical. The movie gave Kim Novak her first major role, and did well enough that the media did take notice of her.
Youngsters watching 5 Against the House (1955) today might be puzzled by the fact that while most of the movie unfolds over Thanksgiving weekend, there are no Christmas decorations in sight. In 1955, most businesses did not decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving. Indeed, I seem to remember this was still the norm when I was growing up in the 1970s. This is in contrast to Ocean's 11 (1960), which is set on New Year's Eve when Christmas decorations are still evidence. Quite simply, back in the day business generally took their Christmas decorations down after New Year's Day, not the day after Christmas.
While 5 Against the House (1955) was an early film for Kim Novak, features an unusual premise, and is one of the few film noirs set at Thanksgiving, it is not the most respected movie out there. At IMDB, it is only rated 5.9 out of 10, which is terribly low for that site. At Rotten Tomatoes, it has an audience rating of only 25%., although notably the two critics who have reviews there give it positive marks. Personally, I am not sure why 5 Against the House (1955) gets bad marks from so many viewers. Okay, it is not a perfect film. Some of the performances could be better and the plot is a bit far-fetched and in one respect the film is dated (I can't reveal how without major spoilers), but 5 Against the House (1955) does not lack for excitement and Phil Karlson's direction is solid. At any rate, if someone wants to watch a Thanksgiving movie that is not Miracle on 34th Street (1947) or Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), then 5 Against the House could provide for a fun evening.
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