5 Card Stud (1968)

5 Card Stud is a late 1960's western starring Dean Martin, Robert Mitchum, Inger Stevens, Roddy McDowell, and Katherine Justice. Directed by Henry Hathaway and written by Marguerite Roberts, 5 Card Stud is as much of a murder mystery as it is a classic western film.

A cheater is exposed at the regular gambling table and this revelation leads to a series of murders in small town Rincon. When the cheater is taken by some of the game's players, gambler Van Morgan (Dean Martin) attempts but fails to stop the man's lynching. One by one, men from Van's group of gamblers are murdered.

As he tries to figure out who is responsible for the crimes, Van finds himself falling in love with Lily Langford (Inger Stevens), the madam of a local barbershop/brothel combination. The younger sister of one of Van's gambling partners has had her eyes on Van for some time, but Van finds more in common with the experienced, guarded Lily than the naive Nora (Katherine Justice.)

A mysterious new preacher (Robert Mitchum) shows up in town and cleverly bluffs his way into being accepted by the community before showing his hand. Inger, breathtakingly styled throughout the film, is entirely convincing as the madam who has lost love before and keeps tight control of her business and her heart. The character of Lily is a vulnerable woman hiding under a tough exterior. Unfortunately, Inger is not given many lines in the film and the majority of her lines are flirtatious innuendos— she delivers them perfectly, but I'd wish her storyline had been expanded. She's wonderful in 5 Card Stud and it's a real treat of a western to watch!

Inger Stevens in her High School Yearbook

As a teen Inger Stevens (then Inger Stensland) attended Manhattan High School in Manhattan, Kansas. Her high school yearbook photos show a young, smiling Inger who, by the time her senior photo was taken, is clearly poised for a future in acting and modeling.

Inger Stensland, Sophomore, 1950

Inger Stensland, Junior, 1951

Inger Stensland, Senior, 1952

According to her senior list of activities, Inger was involved in the following at Manhattan High School:

• Y-Teens as a sophomore, junior, and senior
• Glee Club as a sophomore
• Robed choir as a senior
• Mixed ensemble as a senior
• "Red Mill" play as a junior
• District Music Festival as a sophomore
• District-State Dramatic Festival as a junior
• Music Club as a sophomore and junior
• Pigskin Committee as a sophomore and senior

Sources:
"U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012"; School Name: Manhattan High School; Year: 1950. www.ancestry.com
"U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012"; School Name: Manhattan High School; Year: 1951. www.ancestry.com
"U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012"; School Name: Manhattan High School; Year: 1952. www.ancestry.com

TV Radio Mirror - April 1955

From TV Radio Mirror in April 1955:

Last November, with a TV experience of only two minor roles, Inger Stevens stepped into her first major acting assignment on the Goodyear Playhouse. Overnight, she was hailed as "an exciting new actress" and was deluged with handsome TV offers. Since then, she has starred successfully in such leading dramatic shows as Armstrong Circle Theater, Danger, Kraft TV Theater and Robert Montgomery Presents. Only 20 years old, Inger was born in Stockholm, Sweden, and came to this country when she was 9. During her childhood, she traveled all over the world with her father, who is head of Adult Education at Texas Technological College. While studying at Kansas State University, Inger tested her acting wings in little-theater work. Then last July, right after graduation, she came to New York to launch her career. During the summer she toured New England in stock roles, with Signe Hasso and Gypsy Rose Lee. In August, she returned to New York to make her TV debut—a bit part in a Studio One production. Next came a small role on the Jamie series, then her star-making part of Goodyear Playhouse. A warm, sincere and lovable person, Inger is completely wrapped up in her work. She has an apartment in New York, and someday, she says, she would like to get married and raise a family, but, at the present, her whole life is acting—the more she can do, the happier she is.