The Man With the Golden Arm (1955)
Frankie Machine is a skilled card dealer and one-time heroin addict. When he returns home from jail, he struggles to find a new livelihood and to avoid slipping back into addiction. This great movie brought out into the open the horrors of heroin addiction. It captured the struggle of a man, Frankie Machine, with a "monkey on his back". Frank Sinatra did his homework for this role. The acting is superb, the score is first rate and the actors all gave above average performances - with Sinatra giving one of his best. This movie has much to offer. Marlon Brando was offered the role of Frankie Machine, but Frank Sinatra jumped at the opportunity and was signed before Brando could accept. Sinatra was nominated for both a British and American Academy Award, as was composer Elmer Bernstein.