Freckles

The third feature film directed by Andrew McLaglen and the fourth of five big screen versions of Gene Stratton-Porter's 1904 novel; shot by veteran cameraman Floyd Crosby in CinemaScope & DeLuxe Color against the backdrop of the San Bernardino National Park.

The title refers not to a dog or some other cute animal but the young hero, and it's far from the twee children's film it suggests. For a start, he's missing his left hand and there's actually enough rough stuff to earn it the preliminary warning on Talking Pictures that "some of it may be unsuitable for a younger audience".

Audiences may recognise steel-haired principal villain Steve Peck as the jerk who killed Shirley MacLaine at the conclusion of 'Some Came Running'; while harder to recognise is Jack Lambert with a passable Irish accent - who even gets to sing a couple of times - in a very rare sympathetic part.