Heller in Pink Tights
Encyclopedia
Heller In Pink Tights is a 1960
Technicolor
western film
adapted from Louis L'Amour
's novel, Heller with a Gun. It stars Sophia Loren
and Anthony Quinn
and was directed by George Cukor
.
The movie is noted for its lavishly ornate costumes by Edith Head
and its impressive photography and usage of Technicolor
. Though not a commercial success, Heller In Pink Tights is thought by some film historians to be George Cukor
's most lavishly visual film.
Cukor had never been pleased with the "look" of most westerns and he hired George Hoyningen-Huene
, a famous Russia
n-born fashion photographer and 1920s illustrator who was an expert at art and design. The final result is a unique film that looks like a cross between a Frederic Remington
painting and a Toulouse-Lautrec rendering of music hall
performers.
Heller in Pink Tights co-stars Margaret O'Brien
, Ramon Novarro
and Eileen Heckart
. It also marks Loren's lowest weight on film. The normally voluptuous and full-figured star lost almost twenty pounds at Cukor's request and donned a blond wig.
1960 in film
The year 1960 in film involved some significant events, with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho the top-grossing release in the U.S.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I...
Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
western film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
adapted from Louis L'Amour
Louis L'Amour
Louis Dearborn L'Amour was an American author. His books consisted primarily of Western fiction novels , however he also wrote historical fiction , science fiction , nonfiction , as well as poetry and short-story collections. Many of his stories were made into movies...
's novel, Heller with a Gun. It stars Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren, OMRI is an Italian actress.In 1962, Loren won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Two Women, along with 21 awards, becoming the first actress to win an Academy Award for a non-English-speaking performance...
and Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn
Antonio Rodolfo Quinn-Oaxaca , more commonly known as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican American actor, as well as a painter and writer...
and was directed by George Cukor
George Cukor
George Dewey Cukor was an American film director. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO and later MGM, where he directed What Price Hollywood? , A Bill of Divorcement , Dinner at Eight , Little Women , David Copperfield , Romeo and Juliet and...
.
The movie is noted for its lavishly ornate costumes by Edith Head
Edith Head
Edith Head was an American costume designer who won eight Academy Awards, more than any other woman.-Early life and career:...
and its impressive photography and usage of Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
. Though not a commercial success, Heller In Pink Tights is thought by some film historians to be George Cukor
George Cukor
George Dewey Cukor was an American film director. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO and later MGM, where he directed What Price Hollywood? , A Bill of Divorcement , Dinner at Eight , Little Women , David Copperfield , Romeo and Juliet and...
's most lavishly visual film.
Cukor had never been pleased with the "look" of most westerns and he hired George Hoyningen-Huene
George Hoyningen-Huene
Baron George Hoyningen-Huene was a seminal fashion photographer of the 1920s and 1930s. He was born in Russia to Baltic German and American parents and spent his working life in France, England and the United States.-Europe:...
, a famous Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n-born fashion photographer and 1920s illustrator who was an expert at art and design. The final result is a unique film that looks like a cross between a Frederic Remington
Frederic Remington
Frederic Sackrider Remington was an American painter, illustrator, sculptor, and writer who specialized in depictions of the Old American West, specifically concentrating on the last quarter of the 19th century American West and images of cowboys, American Indians, and the U. S...
painting and a Toulouse-Lautrec rendering of music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
performers.
Heller in Pink Tights co-stars Margaret O'Brien
Margaret O'Brien
Margaret O'Brien is an American film and stage actress. Although her film career as a leading character was brief, she was one of the most popular child actors in cinema history...
, Ramon Novarro
Ramón Novarro
Ramón Novarro was a Mexican leading man actor in Hollywood in the early 20th century. He was the next male "Sex Symbol" after the death of Rudolph Valentino...
and Eileen Heckart
Eileen Heckart
Eileen Heckart was an American actress of stage, screen, and television.-Early life:Heckart was born Anna Eileen Heckart in Columbus, Ohio, the daughter of Esther and Leo Herbert. She was legally adopted by her grandfather, J.W. Heckart. Her family was of Irish and German descent...
. It also marks Loren's lowest weight on film. The normally voluptuous and full-figured star lost almost twenty pounds at Cukor's request and donned a blond wig.
Plot
In the 1880s, followed by bill collectors, the Healy Dramatic Company arrives in Cheyenne to play at the West’s grandest theatre. Continental actress Angela and owner-manager Healy head a troupe that includes Della as ingenue; her mother, a character actress, Lorna; and a grand old Shakespearean ham, Doc Montague. After a creditor arrives, Angela collects a night’s receipt from theatre owner Pierce, she risks all on a poker game with gunslinger Clint — puts herself up as collateral — and loses.Cast
- Sophia LorenSophia LorenSophia Loren, OMRI is an Italian actress.In 1962, Loren won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Two Women, along with 21 awards, becoming the first actress to win an Academy Award for a non-English-speaking performance...
as Angela Rossini - Anthony QuinnAnthony QuinnAntonio Rodolfo Quinn-Oaxaca , more commonly known as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican American actor, as well as a painter and writer...
as Thomas 'Tom' Healy - Margaret O'BrienMargaret O'BrienMargaret O'Brien is an American film and stage actress. Although her film career as a leading character was brief, she was one of the most popular child actors in cinema history...
as Della Southby - Steve Forrest as Clint Mabry
- Eileen HeckartEileen HeckartEileen Heckart was an American actress of stage, screen, and television.-Early life:Heckart was born Anna Eileen Heckart in Columbus, Ohio, the daughter of Esther and Leo Herbert. She was legally adopted by her grandfather, J.W. Heckart. Her family was of Irish and German descent...
as Mrs. Lorna Hathaway - Ramon NovarroRamón NovarroRamón Novarro was a Mexican leading man actor in Hollywood in the early 20th century. He was the next male "Sex Symbol" after the death of Rudolph Valentino...
as De Leon - Edmund LoweEdmund LoweEdmund Dantes Lowe was an American actor. His formative experience began in vaudeville and silent film. He was born in San Jose, California.-Film career:...
as Manfred 'Doc' Montague - George MathewsGeorge Mathews (actor)George Mathews was an American actor whose career stretched from an uncredited appearance in Stage Door Canteen in 1943 to Going Home in 1971. Burly, heavy-featured, and tall he had an extensive career on stage which began in the early 1930's, when he failed to get a job with the U.S. Mail. He...
as Sam Pierce - Edward Binns as Sheriff Ed McClain
- Warren Wade as Hodges (a creditor)
- Frank SilveraFrank SilveraFrank Alvin Silvera was an American actor and theatrical director.-Career:Silvera was born in Kingston, Jamaica to a Spanish Jewish father and Jamaican mother. His family later emigrated to the United States, settling in Boston where Silvera attended English High School and Northeastern Law School...
as Santis (a miner) - Robert PalmerRobert PalmerRobert Palmer may refer to:*Robert Palmer , English singer-songwriter; known for "Bad Case of Loving You ", "Addicted to Love" and "Simply Irresistible"...
as McAllister - Leo V. Matranga as Gunslinger #2
- Cal Bolder as Goober (De Leon's man)
- Taggart Casey as Gunslinger #1