''Heller In Pink Tights'' is a 1960 American
Technicolor
Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades.
Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
film
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
adapted from
Louis L'Amour
Louis Dearborn L'Amour (; né LaMoore; March 22, 1908 – June 10, 1988) was an American novelist and short story writer. His books consisted primarily of Western novels (though he called his work "frontier stories"); however, he also wrote hi ...
's 1955 novel ''Heller with a Gun''. It stars
Sophia Loren
Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress. She was named by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest female stars of Classical Hollywood ci ...
and
Anthony Quinn
Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known professionally as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican-American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental v ...
and was directed by
George Cukor
George Dewey Cukor (; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO when David O. Selznick, the studio's Head of ...
.
The movie is noted for its lavishly ornate costumes by
Edith Head
Edith Head (October 28, 1897 – October 24, 1981) was an American costume designer who won a record eight Academy Awards for Best Costume Design between 1949 and 1973, making her the most awarded woman in the Academy's history. Head is cons ...
and its unique visual style influenced by technical advisor
George Hoyningen-Huene
Baron George Hoyningen-Huene (September 4, 1900 – September 12, 1968) was a fashion photographer of the 1920s and 1930s. He was born in the Russian Empire to Baltic German and American parents and spent his working life in France, England and t ...
.
As in L'Amour's novel, there is no character in the film named Heller.
Plot
In the 1880s, followed by bill collectors, the Healy Dramatic Company arrives in
Cheyenne
The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enroll ...
to play at the west’s grandest theater. Tom Healy's troupe includes performers Angela Rossini, Della Southby, Lorna Hathaway and Doc Montague. After a creditor arrives, Angela risks herself and the night's receipts in a poker game with gunslinger Clint Mabry but loses.
After the company leaves Cheyenne, Mabry joins them and kills three attacking Indians. In their haste the team leaves their cart and other belongings behind. After a long trek, they reach the mountains. Angela confesses to Tom that she lost herself to Mabry in a poker game, and Tom is upset that Mabry claims her as his property.
A gunman hired by a man named De Leon shoots Tom, thinking that he is Mabry. When Mabry finds the gunman, he learns that De Leon has placed a contract on his life. De Leon had originally hired Mabry to kill three men in Cheyenne for $5,000.
The group reaches a nearby city but Tom has a high fever. He breaks up the company and tells Angela to go back to her own place and that after selling the horses he will send her share of the money.
Mabry asks Angela to help him recover the $5,000 from De Leon. She collects the money and waits in Bonanza for a suitable time when Mabry can join her. Mabry tells her to keep what she had lost in the poker game. De Leon instructs his two spies to follow her. Angela purchases a theater with the $5,000 and names it Healy’s Theater.
After recovering from his wounds, Tom and the other team members come to Bonanza. They are surprised to see the theater. They share a happy reunion and stage the drama ''
Mazeppa'' to great success.
Mabry arrives to claim his money from Angela, and she confesses that she spent it all on the theater, but because of the success of their production, she is able to pay him. Mabry is noticed by De Leon's henchmen, and Tom aids his escape.
In the empty theater, Tom waits for Angela, who is missing along with Mabry. When she arrives, she assures Tom that she has settled with Mabry by mortgaging the theater and tells him that she signed the contract as Mrs. Thomas Healy. Tom takes her into his arms and they happily depart.
['']Harrison's Reports
''Harrison's Reports'' was a New York City-based motion picture trade journal published weekly from 1919 to 1962. The typical issue was four letter-size pages sent to subscribers under a second-class mail permit. Its founder, editor and publisher ...
'' film review; March 12, 1960, page 42.
Cast
*
Sophia Loren
Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress. She was named by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest female stars of Classical Hollywood ci ...
as Angela Rossini
*
Anthony Quinn
Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known professionally as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican-American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental v ...
as Thomas "Tom" Healey
*
*
Margaret O'Brien
Angela Maxine O'Brien (born January 15, 1937) is an American film, radio, television, and stage actress, and is one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. Beginning a prolific career as a child actress in feature f ...
as Della Southby
*
Steve Forrest as Clint Mabry
*
Eileen Heckart
Anna Eileen Heckart ( Herbert; March 29, 1919 – December 31, 2001) was an American stage and screen actress whose career spanned nearly 60 years.
Early life
Heckart was born Anna Eileen Herbert in Columbus, Ohio. The daughter of Esther (), ...
as Mrs. Lorna Hathaway
*
Ramon Novarro
José Ramón Gil Samaniego (February 6, 1899 – October 30, 1968), known professionally as Ramon Novarro, was a Mexican-American actor. He began his career in silent films in 1917 and eventually became a leading man and one of the top box ...
as De Leon
*
Edmund Lowe
Edmund Dantes Lowe (March 3, 1890 – April 21, 1971) was an American actor. His formative experience began in vaudeville and silent film.
Biography
Lowe was born in San Jose, California. His father was a local judge. His childhood home was a ...
as Manfred 'Doc' Montague
*
George Mathews as Sam Pierce
*
Edward Binns
Edward Binns (September 12, 1916 – December 4, 1990) was an American actor. He had a wide-spanning career in film and television, often portraying competent, hard working and purposeful characters in his various roles. He is best known for hi ...
as Sheriff Ed McClain
*
Frank Silvera
Frank Alvin Silvera (July 24, 1914 – June 11, 1970) was a Jamaican-born American character actor and theatrical director.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica and raised in Boston, Silvera dropped out of law school in 1934 after winning his first sta ...
as Santis (a miner)
* Cal Bolder as Goober (De Leon's man)
References
External links
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{{Dudley Nichols
1960 films
1960 Western (genre) films
1960s English-language films
American Western (genre) films
Films based on American novels
Films based on Western (genre) novels
Films produced by Carlo Ponti
Paramount Pictures films
Films with screenplays by Dudley Nichols
Films with screenplays by Walter Bernstein
Films based on works by Louis L'Amour
Films scored by Daniele Amfitheatrof
1960s American films