Movie Slots
The monsters slot machine
Men O'War
Laurel and Hardy
Picture the scene. A couple of sailors on leave after months at sea. They meet two girls and invite them for a drink. The drinks are ordered. The conversation begins to flow. And then comes the crunch.
One of the sailors realises they don't have enough money to pay. He tries to tell his friend who, despite his best efforts to point out their predicament, appears oblivious to their plight. So blind, in fact, that he squanders one of what precious few coins they have on a slot machine. Then bingo! Problem solved! He wins the jackpot! Now they can not only pay for the drinks but hire a boat as well. A great day beckons thanks to the one armed bandit.
Sound farfetched? Something that could only happen in the movies? Well, you'd be right.
Starring those great comic stalwarts Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, Men O'War is one among a number of films featuring slot machines in their stories. And does it end happily? Of course not. Everybody ends up in the water. "And that's another fine mess you've got me into!"
So, how are slot machines portrayed in the movies?
Is Men O'War a typical example, or is it more common for them to be depicted as something sinister and evil? As a backdrop for violent, hard-hitting gangster movies, giving us stories about addiction and despair and hopelessness? About greed and jealousy and betrayal?
Well, all of these things and more.