Ace in the Hole

Ace in the Hole (1951) starring Kirk Douglas, Jan Sterling. Cynical New Mexico reporter (Douglas) sees a chance to revivify his once-thriving career when he stumbles on an Indian ruin with a man trapped inside. He manipulates the situation to stretch out the story, so that he can reap more glory, but the strategy ends up backfiring on him. The whole story takes on a carnival atmosphere as people come from miles around to witness the rescue of the trapped man.  As a former newspaperman, I found this story less than believable, but it made its point fairly effectively. (Subtitles in English are available for the hearing-impaired, but not close captions.) Grade: B-