Sixty-one years ago today, Steve McQueen‘s The Cincinnati Kid opened in New York theaters after a troubled production that nearly derailed the movie. Director Sam Peckinpah was fired after just one week of filming, while Hollywood legend Spencer Tracy had already abandoned the project.
The October 27, 1965, release ultimately became a memorable showdown between McQueen and Edward G. Robinson. But according to the American Film Institute, the movie’s biggest drama happened before the cameras finished rolling.
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Why Sam Peckinpah Was Fired
Peckinpah, who later directed The Wild Bunch, began shooting the poker drama in November 1964. His tenure ended almost immediately.
According to AFI’s production history, Peckinpah filmed an unauthorized nude sequence after dismissing the principal cast for the day.
Studio executives questioned whether the material was intended for a separate European release. Peckinpah reportedly answered, “It’s for my own version.”
Producer Martin Ransohoff replaced him with Norman Jewison, who restarted production. The previously filmed footage was discarded.
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Steve McQueen Lost the Co-Star He Wanted
The director wasn’t the only major departure.
Spencer Tracy was originally attached to portray legendary poker champion Lancey Howard. But a disagreement over script approval prompted his exit.
AFI reports that McQueen was disappointed because working with Tracy had helped attract him to the project.
Robinson took the role instead, giving the film its defining confrontation between an ambitious young gambler and an established champion.
The stakes were simple: McQueen’s Eric Stoner wanted to prove he belonged at the top.
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The Poker Showdown That Outlived the Chaos
The finished movie centers on a marathon card game in Depression-era New Orleans. Robinson’s Lancey Howard faces McQueen’s challenger in a contest where confidence can prove more dangerous than the cards themselves.
The Turner Classic Movies synopsis describes their confrontation as “the ultimate test of skill, nerve, and stamina.”
Its improbable final hand has also generated decades of debate among poker experts, according to PokerNews. In 2004, a poll of approximately 5,000 gamblers and industry professionals ranked The Cincinnati Kid the best gambling movie of all time, ahead of Casino, Ocean’s Eleven, and Rounders.
Today, Rotten Tomatoes reports an 86% critics’ score.
For McQueen fans, the anniversary offers a compelling reason to revisit a film that survived two major departures—and emerged with one of Hollywood’s most memorable gambling rivalries.
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