Heller in Pink Tights (1960)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

George Cukor

Writers:

Walter Bernstein (writer)
Louis L'Amour (novel)

Release Date:

1 March 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Romance | Western

Tagline:

One foot on the stage... And one step ahead of the law!

Plot:

Story of theatrical troupe that travels through the Old West.

Plot Keywords:

Theater | Nineteenth Century | Theater Owner | Wyoming | Wild West

Cast

Sophia Loren	...	Angela Rossini
Anthony Quinn	...	Thomas 'Tom' Healy
Margaret O'Brien	...	Della Southby
Steve Forrest	...	Clint Mabry
Eileen Heckart	...	Mrs. Lorna Hathaway
Ramon Novarro	...	De Leon
Edmund Lowe	...	Manfred 'Doc' Montague
George Mathews	...	Sam Pierce
Ed Binns	...	Sheriff Ed McClain (as Edward Binns)
Warren Wade	...	Hodges (a creditor)
Frank Silvera	...	Santis (a miner)
Robert Palmer	...	McAllister
Leo V. Matranga	...	Gunslinger #2
Cal Bolder	...	Goober (De Leon's man)
Taggart Casey	...	Gunslinger #1

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2005) | West Germany:16 | Spain:7 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | Argentina:16

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The novel and the film are inspired by the life of vaudeville actress Adah Isaacs Menken (1835-1868).

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Who Is Alan Smithee? (2002) (TV)

A blonde Sophia... what more could you ask for?

Director George Cukor's only western, this is about a traveling stage show that keeps getting into trouble because of the beauty and escapades of their leading star, Angela Rossini, deliciously played by Sophia Loren as a blonde (and looking quite foxy as such) who is top billed along with Anthony Quinn.  The film also stars a much older than she was in "Meet Me in St. Louis" but still young Margaret O'Brien as the daughter of a woman who does not want her to grow up.  O'Brien was just as charming in this as she was in "St. Louis."  I had never seen "Heller" in its complete form, and never in any quality print, and this new DVD looks great.  I'd only seen edited for TV versions, and I couldn't really understand what was going on.  Well, seeing this current DVD release is a revelation.  The film is one of Cukor's best, among the finest westerns ever made, and it's in stunning Technicolor. Cukor got a full blooded, emotional performance out of Loren, perhaps one of her best and most natural, and the director even held the reins on Quinn, who often would overdo his roles.  Actor Steve Forrest also has a large, well integrated part, and his character is fascinating.  It's a perfect performance.  Ramon Novarro (silent "Ben-Hur," "Mata Hari") appears on screen for the last time, effectively playing a conniving banker.  This is a film that is funny, exciting, romantic, and beautifully atmospheric.  It was also continually surprising.  I never knew where it was going, and that was refreshing.  I don't want to say anything more about the plot, because if you've never seen it, I recommend going into it without knowing anything, or very little, about it.  Wonderful score by Daniele Amphitheatrof, a far too unappreciated film composer.