A Streetcar Named Desire, directed by Elia Kazan and adapted from Tennessee Williams's award-winning play, first premiered in 1951. A gripping domestic drama filled with sex and violence, the story presents a most interesting use of poker as both a plot device and a means to emphasize one of the film's themes, namely, the stark, conflict-causing differences that can sometimes exist between men and women.
One scene in particular, coming relatively early in the film, well demonstrates how poker — especially during its early history — was not only considered by some to be a game reserved for men, but also a ready context in which men fulfill cultural expectations about masculinity.