Die Dame und der Killer

For the only western in the film credits of George Cukor he sure couldn't be faulted for the source of his material. This film is taken from one of the books by the great western novelist Louis L'Amour. It concerns the escapades of a traveling theatrical troupe in the west headed by Anthony Quinn with the leading lady being Sophia Loren. This was her only trip to the American west on film also.

Theatrical people did not exactly have the same kind of prestige back in those days as they do now. We first meet our players fleeing across the state/territorial boundaries of Nebraska and Wyoming evading a sheriff with a writ. They arrive in Cheyenne and get themselves involved with the villainous doings of Ramon Novarro and his hired gunman Steve Forrest.

After Forrest does a couple of jobs for him, Novarro tries a doublecross maneuver similar to the one Laird Cregar tried on Alan Ladd in This Gun For Hire with the same sorry results. Forrest of necessity joins the theatrical troupe and both get an opportunity to use their respective skills to help each other out of some tight spots.

This film had potential to be better. Maybe in the hands of someone like George Marshall or John Ford it might even have become a classic. George Cukor was not the director for it.

The film marked the last feature film appearance of both Ramon Novarro and Edmund Lowe. Novarro did do some television work until his tragic murder in 1968. Here he's a smooth and polished villain. Edmund Lowe does quite well as an old ham actor which at that point in his life was I'm sure one easy role for him.

Heller in Pink Tights is enjoyable enough, but no classic.

Director George Cukor's only western, this is about a traveling stage show that keeps getting into trouble because of the escapades of their leading star, Angela Rossini, deliciously played by Sophia Loren, quite fetching as a blonde. She is top billed along with Anthony Quinn. It also stars an adolescent Margaret O'Brien (a child in "Meet Me in St. Louis"), whose mother does not want her to grow up.  I thought O'Brien was as charming in this as she was in "St. Louis."  

I had never seen "Heller" in its complete form, never in any quality print, and this DVD looks great.  I'd only seen edited for TV versions, and that made it hard to follow.  Seeing this DVD release surprised me.  The film is top notch Cukor, ranking as one of the most entertaining westerns of the 1960s. The director also got a full- blooded and emotional performance from Loren, perhaps one of her most natural, and the director even held the reins on Quinn, who could overdo his roles on occasion.

Actor Steve Forrest also has a well-integrated part, and his character appears at just the right moments to thrust the story forward or change its direction.  Ramon Novarro (Judah in the silent "Ben-Hur," opposite Garbo in "Mata Hari") appears on screen for the last time, effectively playing a conniving banker.  If you go into this film with an open mind, I think you'll find that it is funny, exciting, romantic and often surprising. I never knew where it was going, and that made it refreshing. You'll probably also enjoy the wonderfully visualized period atmosphere in stunning Technicolor. There's also a fine score by Daniele Amphitheatrof, a far too unappreciated composer.

Give this film a try. You'll probably have a good time.

An unusual title for an unusual film.

A troupe of actors travels around the Wild West, putting on shows and shilling for loose dollars from the men they meet along the way. Sophia Loren and Anthony Quinn are the improbable leads in this curious film, and they are surprisingly adept at filling the roles, but the story rambles from one dramatic point to the next. Such exposition is fitting, I think, for a Louis L'Amour novella, but I think it reads better than it fills the big screen, despite strong and colorful production values,

Though it is somewhat disappointing, I am glad I saw this film. It is rather novel.

Watch for Margaret O'Brien playing the role of "the child actor" past her prime, but being marketed photographically to cowpokes and gamblers, Steve Forrest is strong in his role as a hired gun who aligns himself with the traveling thespians, protecting his interests.

It is somewhat difficult to believe that Sophia Loren's releases for 1960 include both this film and the dramatic "Two Women", as well as three others. She had more range than some would give her credit for.

This film is introduced with the words: "When the great American frontier was resounding with the names of such gunman and outlaws as Wyatt Earp, Jesse James, Bat Masterson and Doc Holliday - a beautiful and flirtatious actress swept through the west with her theatrical troupe. A 'hellion in pink tights,' she was the toast of every settlement from Cheyenne to Virginia City - and became a legend of the old west. This is her story." And, after a creative title sequence, we meet beautiful actress Sophia Loren (as Angela "Angie" Rossini) in a blonde wig, running lines with co-star Anthony Quinn (Thomas "Tom" Healy)...

As the theatrical troupe arrives to perform in Cheyenne, Ms. Loren and ruggedly handsome Steve Forrest (as Clint Mabry) exchange mutually sexy glances. However, Loren decides to remain faithful (at least temporarily) to Mr. Quinn. Their relationship is threatened when Loren loses herself to Mr. Forrest in a poker game. When Loren, Quinn and company are suddenly run out of town, Forrest joins them, protecting his "property." They are threatened by bloodthirsty Native American Indians and respectable gangster Ramon Novarro (as De Leon). Forrest helps with the Indians, but has trouble with Mr. Novarro...

Loren and Quinn are okay, but surprisingly lack chemistry as a couple. Despite his lower billing, Forrest comes across as more like the story's leading man. The supporting cast is very strong: Novarro, a former "silent screen" idol, is exceptional as the main villain; former child star Margaret O'Brien and Eileen Heckart are a delightfully naughty mother/daughter duo; and Edmund Lowe (as Manfred "Doc" Montague) is a bonus, in his last acting appearance. Director George Cukor and his team make it very stylized, with an emphasis on garish color. The film's jarring attitude was later common on television.

******* Heller in Pink Tights (1/1/60) George Cukor ~ Sophia Loren, Steve Forrest, Anthony Quinn, Ramon Novarro

The look alone is worth the trouble. Rich, colorful, slightly baroque. Sophia Loren is as good as when she's directed by a great actor's director, this time is not Vittorio De Sica but George Cukor and her timing, her intention as a character is total perfection. Her sympathy is not merely believable but contagious and sympathy was Loren's secret weapon. True, it's not your Ford or Hawks western if anything it's closer to Sergio Leone with a slightly more refined if not feminine sensibility. The showdowns here are not of gun powder but of love power. The Art Direction is superb and the film shouldn't be dismiss because it doesn't fulfill the rules of the genre. This is a Cukor film and that in itself makes it a cut above most movies. Anthony Quinn is also traveling unknown territory very successfully. Eileen Heckart is, as usual, a scene stealer: "She's only sixteen!, only sixteen, do you hear?" she shouts trying to protect her most valuable asset, her daughter, played by Margaret O'Brien wanting to be accepted as a 20 year old. An extra plus for film lovers is a glimpse of Ramon Novarro one of the biggest stars of the silent era.