Ace in the Hole1979

Based on one of the Olinger short stories of the same name by John Updike, ACE IN THE HOLE is a psychological study of Fred 'Ace' Anderson, an ex-champion high school basketball player, who is now no longer in the spotlight and who instead has to accept the ordinary responsibilities of manhood and married life. The film begins by showing Ace driving home from the second job he has just been fired from. As he speeds along his own high school grounds and as he visits his mother, flashbacks of Ace's golden school days dart through his mind. The movie then follows him home, where he has to confront his wife Evey with his failure for the day. This film is a period piece, since it takes place around 1962, and shows the music and dress of the 50's era. Since this is one of the earliest published works by Updike, one can surmise that Ace is the prototype of Updike's character Rabbit Angstrom, the ex-champion basketball player of Rabbit Run and Rabbit Redux