Heller in Pink Tights (1960)

With all the colorful costumes and sensational outdoor cinematography, we never do get around to the 'pink tights' of the title, a bit of misdirection there I'd say with Sophia Loren in the cast. Actually, I find it difficult to pin down who this film might have been meant to appeal to. Nominally a Western, it really doesn't satisfy in terms of an adventure film and most of the scenes plod along waiting for things to happen. It was a bit visually jarring too, to see Sophia Loren as a blonde, although an early scene with Anthony Quinn introducing the characters lent new meaning to the definition of having an hourglass figure. Whatever tension there is, is provided by the subtext of Clint Mabry (Steve Forrest) fulfilling a contract for Bonanza town villain De Leon (Ramon Novarro), while trying to avoid getting greased himself by the bad guy's double cross. His play for Angela Rossini (Loren) basically went nowhere, and if you want to believe he collected on the poker bet with the actress, you have to fill in the blanks yourself. However he does have that exciting exit from the theater stage to help set up the finale, with a happily ever after ending for Quinn's Tom Healy and the beautiful Angie Rossini, something neither one was really counting on when the story started.

In Old West Wyoming, a traveling troupe of dramatic actors is on the run from bill collectors; a cocky gunslinger comes to their rescue once the caravan hits hostile Indian territory--sticking around to settle a bet with the beautiful leading actress, whom he's smitten with. George Cukor western, adapted from the novel "Heller With a Gun" by Louis L'Amour, has a shaky beginning, a not-bad first act, but absolutely nothing to offer after the first 50 or so minutes. Sophia Loren, in peculiar blonde and red wigs, has a charming early scene getting herself into a poker game (bluffing with 4 sevens), and there's also a stunning, beautifully accomplished sequence wherein the dramatists give an action-filled performance in a packed theater (complete with Loren riding through the crowd on a horse). Still, Anthony Quinn's relationship with Loren never catches fire, and Sophia and Steve Forrest create little chemistry. This may be due to Cukor's direction, which has no magic (and he's particularly insulting to the Indian tribe, who hoop and holler over the left-behind costumes like a bunch of drunken rowdies at a frat-house). A disappointment overall, though small sections of the picture give hint it may have been a fascinating effort under different circumstances. *1/2 from ****

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.

What an average, ordinary movie. And by average and ordinary, I mean dull. The plot revolves around a traveling show in the old West. The group runs afoul of Indians, sheriffs, and killers as they seek to make their fortunes. Sophia Loren is the star and is in almost every scene, but not even she can save Heller in Pink Tights from achieving nothing more than mediocrity. Anthony Quinn is also top billed, but he is terribly underutilized and looks like he's just going through the motions. The chemistry between the pair is non-existent. The only bright spot in the cast is Eileen Heckart who, as usual, steals every scene in which she appears. Director George Cukor shot Heller in Pink Tights in the most gaudy of color schemes that hardly seems natural give the time period in which the movie takes place. An exploding paint store wouldn't produce this much color. I'm not sure what Cukor was going for, but he failed at almost every turn.In short, this one should be reserved for Cukor or Loren completists only.