riverboat gambler

[tara]

Hello,

I have a question.

A movie producer says.
"It was leaving an executive job running a studio, and starting down
the road of being a riverboat gambler, which a producer is."

I guess "riverboat gambler" is figurative expression here.

Does he mean a producer's job used to maintain their business,
but started to change they would take a risk, like handling
movies that would cause certain problems??

Thank you,
Tara

[Naamplao]

Originally Posted by tara

Hello,

I have a question.

A movie producer says.
"It was leaving an executive job running a studio, and starting down
the road of being a riverboat gambler, which a producer is."

I guess "riverboat gambler" is figurative expression here.

Does he mean a producer's job used to maintain their business,
but started to change they would take a risk, like handling
movies that would cause certain problems??

Thank you,
Tara

We need more of the paragraph to understand what is being said. A sentence or two before and after would help.

[tara]

Hello,

OK, the following sentence is,
"And recognizing that you better suck all the marrow out of the bone when they work, because when they don’t work, they’re painful."

There is no sentence before.
Another producer says "The film was a really important
watershed in my life."

Thank you,
Tara

[Naamplao]

Originally Posted by tara

Hello,

OK, the following sentence is,
"And recognizing that you better suck all the marrow out of the bone when they work, because when they don’t work, they’re painful."

There is no sentence before.
Another producer says "The film was a really important
watershed in my life."

Thank you,
Tara

Sorry...I cannot say exactly what the person is saying, other to say that he is describing the situation where he is leaving the safe job of working in an office(film studio?) to being probably an independent (probably film producer) where you have to be more aggressive and you are not guaranteed of success.

[tara]

Hello Naamplao,

I think you've solved the problem.

If I understand correctly, "riverboat gambler" means to work as
an unstable employment or work in an unstable environment.

Thank you so much for your time and kind explanation.

Tara

[Naamplao]

Originally Posted by tara

Hello Naamplao,

I think you've solved the problem.

If I understand correctly, "riverboat gambler" means to work as
an unstable employment or work in an unstable environment.

Thank you so much for your time and kind explanation.

Tara

I don't know that a "riverboat gambler" is an idiom but the writer is comparing his life to being such a person.

In the old American west, a riverboat gambler worked on the paddlewheel steamers that usually went up and down the Mississippi River. They were very sophisticated, well mannered, well dressed gentlemen usually who made their living gambling for money. They lived by their wits, skill at playing cards (often cheating) and their skill with a gun since often they had to deal with people who were mad at losing their money to them.

Their life was exciting and unpredictable. Perhaps this is what the writer was referring to when he compared his new life to that of a Gambler.

[tara]

Hello Naamplao,

Thank you very much for your detailed explanation about
"riverboat gambler" .

I think I can picture them now.
They may be the people who were depicted in a film
called "MAVERICK",

Thank you,
Tara

[Naamplao]

Originally Posted by tara

Hello Naamplao,

Thank you very much for your detailed explanation about
"riverboat gambler" .

I think I can picture them now.
They may be the people who were depicted in a film
called "MAVERICK",

Thank you,
Tara

Yes...that is exactly the type. I liked that movie.