Little Miss Marker (1980 film)

Little Miss Marker is a 1980 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Walter Bernstein and based on a short story by Damon Runyon. It stars Walter Matthau, Tony Curtis, Julie Andrews, Bob Newhart and new arrival Sara Stimson. The film is a remake of the 1934 film of the same name starring Shirley Temple and Adolphe Menjou.

Plot
In the 1930s, Sorrowful Jones is a gloomy, cantankerous bookie who is confronted by Carter, a gambler who cannot pay a $10 debt. Carter gives his six-year-old daughter to Sorrowful's gangster-run gambling operation as a "marker" (collateral) for a bet. When Carter loses his bet and commits suicide, the gangsters are left with the girl on their hands. Sorrowful's nervous assistant Regret is concerned about the legality of the arrangement, which might violate kidnapping statutes.

In the interim, a crime boss named Blackie coerces his longtime rival Sorrowful into financing a new gambling joint. It is opened in the stately home of Blackie's girlfriend, the widowed Amanda Worthington, who needs money to repurchase her family property. Amanda is also counting on her racehorse Sir Galahad to ride to her rescue. While the girl's personal needs inconvenience Sorrowful, a father-daughter relationship develops and they become inseparable.

Cast

 * Walter Matthau as Sorrowful Jones
 * Julie Andrews as Amanda Worthington
 * Tony Curtis as Blackie
 * Bob Newhart as Regret
 * Sara Stimson as the Kid
 * Brian Dennehy as Herbie
 * Kenneth McMillan as Brannigan
 * Nedra Volz as Mrs. Clancy
 * Lee Grant as the Judge
 * Andrew Rubin as Carter, the Kid's father
 * Ralph Manza as the Casino Worker
 * Jack DeLeon as the Building Superintendent

Award nominations
In 1981, Sara Stimson was nominated for the female Young Artist Award in the category of Best Major Motion Picture - Family Entertainment. Stimson lost to Diane Lane for her performance in Touched by Love. Little Miss Marker is Stimson's only acting credit.