Odds Against Tomorrow
Odds Against Tomorrow is a 1959 heist thriller presented as part of NOIR CITY: Philadelphia 2026. Disgraced former New York police officer Dave Burke devises what appears to be an easy bank robbery, but his plan depends on the uneasy partnership of Earle Slater, a volatile war veteran, and Johnny Ingram, a jazz musician struggling with a gambling addiction. Their deep racial hostility puts the entire scheme—and their lives—in jeopardy.
Directed by Robert Wise, the film was produced by Harry Belafonte, who brought blacklisted screenwriter Abraham Polonsky onto the project to challenge the more reassuring treatment of racism in films such as The Defiant Ones. The movie combines sharp, expressive direction with an innovative score by John Lewis of the Modern Jazz Quartet, along with notable supporting performances from Shelley Winters, Kim Hamilton, and Gloria Grahame.
When: Saturday, November 14
Showtime: 8:00 p.m.
Run time: 96 minutes
Tickets: General admission $15.50; Ambler Theater members $10.50; seniors age 62 and over $13.50; students with ID $13.50
Director: Robert Wise
Cast: Harry Belafonte, Robert Ryan, Shelley Winters, Ed Begley, Gloria Grahame, and Kim Hamilton
Screenplay: Abraham Polonsky and Nelson Gidding, adapted from William P. McGivern’s novel
Music: John Lewis
Cinematography: Joseph C. Brun
Presentation: Digital Cinema Package (DCP), black-and-white, 1.85:1 aspect ratio
Production: HarBel Productions
Original distributor: United Artists
Venue: Ambler Theater, 108 E. Butler Ave., Ambler, PA 19002
Festival: NOIR CITY: Philadelphia 2026
Venue hotline: 215-345-7855