The Gambler 4 The Gambler Returns Luck Of The Draw (1991)
The Gambler Brady Hawkes is back and he's about to lose his primary means of livelihood, when a law banning gambling is about to be passed. But in honor of that there's going to be one last great poker game and all what one needs to join is one hundred thousand dollars. A madame named Burgundy Jones along with four other madames is willing to put up the money for Brady but first he has to compete against four other gamblers in the end it comes down to Brady and a man named Cantrell. Brady barely beats him. So he, and Burgundy, and an old friend of his, Ethan Cassidy sets for the game which is in San Francisco. But Cantrell's a sore loser and is following them hoping to get the money so that he can join the game. Also following them is a band of outlaws who were planning to steal the money but Brady left with it before they got there. And along the way they encounter and/or are aided by some famous individuals like Wyatt Earp, The Rifleman, Cheyenne Bodie, Diamond Jim Brady, Bat Masterson, Judge Roy Bean, and President Teddy Roosevelt. Brady is also feeling that he might not have what he has to win; it seems that some time ago in Europe he lost a big game to an Englishman, and by strange coincidence he is also at the game.
Brady Hawkes: You know, Sir Colin, there are very few things as satisfying as watching real artist play and you are truly that. One thing that may be though is beating that artist.
Reba McEntire was called up to play the role of Burgundy Jones a few months after the plane crash that killed seven of her band members and her road manager. Wanting to get the tragedy off of her mind and to do something different she accepted.
This movie reunited many of the stars from 1950s and '60s TV westerns including Chuck Connors and Johnny Crawford from The Rifleman, Hugh O'Brain from Wyatt Earp, Clint Walker from Cheyenne, Jim Drury and Doug McClure from the Virginian and from the 1970's David Carradine from Kung Fu, most playing their old characters. Drury and McClure are the exception; the rights couldn't be secured, so they are never referred to by their Virginian character names.
During filming, in order to be ready for her scenes, Reba McEntire had to take cuts in the food line at dinner. The other cast mates retaliated by wrapping her golf cart with duct tape.
The movie would be the only NBC TV movie Reba McEntire worked on, and later worked on different TV movies that aired on CBS. This movie was also the only title in the 'Gambler' series to have premiered on NBC, instead of CBS.
The card game is played by the rules of Paladin, the cowboy from "Have Gun Will Travel", who has passed away. The card game is played in the hotel where Paladin lived.
Continuity
If you watch Burgundy shooting the gun while Brady and Cantrell are about to be hung, the magazine can be seen at different levels of capacity. There was continuous firing, however, Burgundy never reloads the gun.
Factual errors
The film is set during Theodore Roosevelt's tenure as President. That would have been between 1901 and 1909. It is stated that "Diamond" Jim Brady is promoting a big boxing match between "Gentleman" Jim Corbett and John L. Sullivan. Corbett fought Sullivan, but in 1892. The events depicted in the film happened in two entirely different eras.