The Man With the Golden Arm/Suddenly

Double-bill of classic dramas starring Frank Sinatra.

In 'The Man With the Golden Arm' (1955), Sinatra plays a poker dealer with a drugs problem, who is trying to kick the habit and start a new life as a jazz drummer.

He wants to earn enough money to find a cure for his wheelchair bound wife, Zosh (Eleanor Parker), but is tempted away from his marital duties by his enigmatic neighbour (Kim Novak).

Groundbreaking for the time, the film was one of the first to deal seriously with the subject of drug addiction.

In 'Suddenly' (1954), Sinatra stars as sadistic psychopath John Baron in this textbook example of film noir.

Baron and his gang lay siege to a family's house in California so that they are in a position to assassinate the US President when his train stops at the station below.

Despite Baron's psychotic intimidation of them, however, the family strive to foil the assassination attempt.