James Caan as Axel Freed in The Gambler (1974)
Vitals
James Caan as Axel Freed, gambling-addicted English professor
New York City, Fall 1973
Film: The Gambler
Release Date: October 2, 1974
Director: Karel Reisz
Costume Designer: Albert Wolsky
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Today’s post honors the late James Caan, born 85 years ago on March 26, 1940. Just after his star-making performance in The Godfather, Caan starred as Axel Freed in The Gambler (1974), the eponymous English professor whose crippling addiction lands him deep in debt.
Axel’s struggle to climb out of the $44,000 hole he’s dug for himself is central to the film. Early on, Axel joins his mother at the beach where, upon learning of the extent of his debt, she bemoans her failure in raising a son “with the morals of a snail.” As Axel spirals further, he seeks out ways to cover the debt, meeting with his girlfriend Billie (Lauren Hutton) before attempting a desperate plan to hustle cash.
What’d He Wear?
Axel Freed’s wardrobe is functional yet stylish, with a mix of sports coats, leather jackets, casual shirts, cardigans, and jeans—often incorporating interesting prints and patterns that help communicate his internal conflict and disarray.
One standout piece is his tan cable-knit shawl-collar cardigan sweater, which makes an early appearance on the beach with his mother. Giving Axel a professorial and approachable air despite the chaotic path he’s headed down, the sweater features seven dark-brown woven leather buttons and set-in hip pockets.
This outfit showcases a more laid-back side of his character as he relaxes on the beach with an ecru mesh T-shirt, cream-colored cotton shorts, and a discarded set of simple flip-flops with russet leather toe-thongs.
As shit hits the fan, Axel gets cornered in the park by mob henchmen looking to collect his debts. He tries to make a run for it but is cut off by Frank Sivero’s yellow ’73 Olds and—as The Dukes of Hazzard was yet to air—Axel didn’t realize he could attempt an escape by sliding over the hood and gets captured when he stumbles in his attempt to leap over a bench. In desperation, Axel attempts prayer… and finds a degree of salvation in the mob’s demand that he cover his debts by forcing one of his basketball-playing students to fix an upcoming game.
For this incident, he wears the cardigan in a more conventional sense with a button-up shirt tucked into jeans.
The taupe-and-white gingham-checked shirt has a fashionably large point collar, button cuffs, and a front placket that Caan wears with the top few buttons undone.
Axel tucks the shirt into his medium-blue denim Levi’s five-pocket jeans, with the back-right patch pocket featuring an “orange tab”—an alternative to the familiar red tab reserved for more fashion-forward cuts like these flared-leg jeans. He holds the jeans up with a wide, black matte leather belt that closes through a large dulled brass-toned square single-prong buckle.
Getting dressed at Billie’s, he pulls on dark chocolate-brown cotton lisle socks…
…and his go-to sand-colored suede two-eyelet chukka boots that he wears with many outfits throughout The Gambler.
How to Get the Look
James Caan as Axel Freed in The Gambler (1974)
Axel Freed’s wardrobe blends sporty ’70s trends with his professorial profession, pairing a tan shawl-collar cable-knit cardigan with a long-collared gingham shirt, flared blue jeans, and suede chukka boots. This mix of casual and polished items underscores his complexity—an outwardly put-together man grappling with deeper, more troubling issues.
- Tan cable-knit shawl-collar cardigan sweater with seven brown woven leather buttons and set-in hip pockets
- Taupe-and-white gingham-checked shirt with large point collar, front placket, and button cuffs
- Mid-blue denim Levi’s “orange tab” boot-cut jeans
- Dark-brown wide leather belt with large brass squared single-prong buckle
- Sand suede 2-eyelet chukka boots
- Dark chocolate-brown cotton lisle socks
Do Yourself a Favor and…
Check out the movie.
The Quote
I gambled and I lost.
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