Sinatra and Novak are very good in this tale of a drug-addicted card dealer trying to become a big band drummer. Parker is annoying--perhaps the part doesn't call for anything less--as his wheelchair-bound wife. McGavin is a ruthless drug dealer, and Arnold Stang offers a bit of comic relief, but is very good as well. Suffers a bit from the backlot-looking settings, which take away from the story of drug abuse, which would benefit from more realistic location shooting. ( )