Heller In Pink Tights
One foot on the stage...and one step ahead of the law!
Inspired by a novel by best-selling Western author Louis L'Amour, Heller In Pink Tights brings the curtain up on the traveling Healy Dramatic Company, a barnstorming 1880s theatrical troupe that spends part of its time emoting on stage - and most of its time fending off confrontational townsfolk, irate creditors and suspicious sheriffs. Desperate to find a more flamboyant act to keep their audiences entertained, the ensemble's leaders, Angela Rossini (Sophia Loren) and Tom Healy (Anthony Quinn), put the "Wild" in Wild West with their comic misadventures.
Directed by legendary Hollywood filmmaker George Cukor (The Philadelphia Story, A Star Is Born), this rollicking Western spoof also boasts a stellar supporting cast that includes Steve Forrest, Eileen Heckart, Edmund Lowe, Margaret O'Brien and Ramon Novarro.
Member Reviews
The atypical Western movie - The_Cunninghams
I wasn't particularly impressed with this film, which is in line with what most others feel for Heller. As directed by George Cukor (The Philadelphia Story), it's not a bad film; it's just a rather dull and routine one. I felt no connection to any of the characters; I didn't really care that they were in trouble, nor did I care if they found their way out of it. This stems from the fact that the performances here are all average. Neither Quinn nor Loren projects much of their power in this movie, causing the film to just mosey along. While Loren has never been one of my favorite actresses, I've come to expect more from Quinn. He very much fails to deliver in this one. Too bad that Loren's acting isn't as stunning as her beauty, for she looks ravishing, with an hourglass figure that is beyond comprehension. (That must be one heck of a girdle...or is it?) One note of saving grace in the acting department comes from the villain in the film, Clint Mabry, as portrayed by Steve Forrest (S.W.A.T., Amazon Women on the Moon). Forrest exudes the calm menace of a professional killer, and he brings depth and power to any scene he's in. He's a complicated character, and you're not fully certain of his exact motives. Too bad his performance receives no support.
The title of the movie caused me a moment's pause. "Heller"? What is a heller? My faithful dictionary proved to me that this is a real word, but why use such an uncommon one? Further, during the opening scrawl, Angie is called a "hellion." Why use two different words, and why aren't we watching Hellion in Pink Tights? Additionally, I didn't even make the connection between "pink tights" and the play within the movie. Duh!
This barebones release from Paramount gets a kudos point for its release in its correct original aspect ratio and for being billed as a member of the "Widescreen Collection." But that is where the praise ends, as the anamorphic print shows its age with a heavy coating of grain, dust, dirt, a
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The atypical Western movie - The_Cunninghams
I wasn't particularly impressed with this film, which is in line with what most others feel for Heller. As directed by George Cukor (The Philadelphia Story), it's not a bad film; it's just a rather dull and routine one. I felt no connection to any of the characters; ...