Heller
in Pink Tights (1960)
"... this colorful Wild West comedy done as
if a handshake between Toulouse-Lautrec and Frederic
Remington." - Patrick McGilligan in his Cukor biography
"A Double Life"
Director George Cukor loved actors. He began his career
working as a stage director and always worked best when
he worked with the actors, whether on stage or screen.
His love of the theatre flowed over into a respect for
thespians and an interest in their backstage stories.
On three occasions he found himself helming a picture
revolving around acting troupes. The first two, "Sylvia
Scarlett" (1935) and "Heller in Pink Tights" were never
as successful as his last film in this pseudo trilogy,
"Travels with my Aunt" (1972).
"Heller" is really an odd film. It was spawned from
a Louis L'Amour novel that only had the acting troupe
as a side plot. A script based on this, called "Heller
with a Gun," circulated around the studios before Cukor
became involved and the project jelled a bit. Dudley
Nichols had written the first script but he was dying
of cancer by the time Cukor got involved, so the director
called upon Walter Bernstein to do rewrites. The project
moved so fast and furious that Bernstein claims he was
sometimes giving the actors the new script pages on
the day they were to shoot. The finished product mixed
Nichols original script with a treatment for a similar
plot written by D.W. Griffith in the 1940's and with
bits of Joseph Jefferson's life story, whoever he is.
Producer Carlo Ponti and his wife Sophia Loren had a
contract with Paramount, who owned the script, so the
duo became involved with the project. In fact, it is
probably Ponti who hired the once blacklisted Bernstein.
He had just worked with the couple on "That Kind of
Woman." Meanwhile, Cukor wanted to cast the future 007,
Roger Moore, in the lead but he was an unknown so the
studio demanded he use Anthony Quinn, who was also under
contract. Quinn had appeared in Cukor's last film, "Wild
is the Wind," 3 years earlier. Moore still got an uncredited
bit role in the film.
Cukor had never really shot a Western, so this film
comes across much more colorful than any other film
of the genre There is almost no darkness at all. Everything
looks like Technicolor on overload. Cukor's, as was
his wont, called in George Hoyningen-Huene and Gene
Allen to help with the look of the film. Harold Lipstein
lensed the proceedings. These were men Cukor worked
with often and he choose to do so here instead of calling
in others who may have been more used to working in
the Western genre. This isn't really a mistake as the
picture shouldn't be considered a Western per se. But,
one has to wonder who the intended audience was. Fans
of Westerns might be drawn to the film only to be turned
off by the brilliant colors and the apparent lack of
the genre's trappings. Anyone else would probably ignore
the finished project. In fact, most did, as the film
was not a financial success even though the studio demanded
more action sequences be inserted into the film.
One of the action sequences always in the film was
a scene where rampaging Indians defile the character's
abandoned wagons. As many frontier settlers had to do,
the scene has many belonging of the troupe left behind
when traveling became complicated. The acting troupe
in the film leave two wagons full of costumes and props
when Indians kill their drivers and they must make a
hasty retreat. After they have gone, the "savages" return
and symbolically rape the wagons, putting on frilly,
colorful costumes with drunken glee. Finally, they set
fire these deserted jewels. This was one of Cukor's
favorite scenes and with good reason. It may be the
most powerful sequence in the film. The senseless destruction
and the apparent lack of respect from the Indians for
these "sacred" artifacts is quite chilling. The scene's
sorrowful tone perfectly reflects the director's awe
for actors and their trappings.
Although the film does seem odd because the script,
the actors and the colors never quite synch up, "Heller"
is still a nice little film. It takes a while to get
into the film but Cukor soon draws us into this world.
Loren seems silly and miscast at first. Worse, she's
in an ugly blonde wig that does her no justice. But,
eventually, she wins us over as she struggles with her
love for Quinn, who never shows any real emotion, and
her lust for gunslinger Steve Forrest. We know how it
will end, but Loren makes her indecision and confusion
masked by apparent strength seem real. Quinn doesn't
really offer her much and yet his love for her is undeniable.
Cukor has too slow the pace down a little to show us
how their relationship works but, with patience, we
soon see it clearly. Loren's interest in Forrest is
constricted by the film codes of the time. She barters
herself (i.e. her sexual favors) as a stake in a card
game which she loses. Eventually she is forced to give
in to her desire for the hired killer. But all we are
allowed to see is a fairly passionate kiss between the
two before the screen fades to black. Still, Forrest
is such a great screen presence that he overpowers us.
Like Loren's character, we must dislike him before we
gain any desire for him. Bernstein's script works perfectly
here. Forrest handles this flip-flop, posing as evolution,
with ease, making it all seem like a part of his natural
character. Eventually the script allows a wonderful
and believable resolution to all the tension between
the trio even if it does seem a little sugar-coated.
Again, defying traditional Western genre trappings,
the final twist is neat here. Instead of riding off
in the sunset together, Quinn and Loren make the sunset
to come to them.
Cukor always had a love for bit players and second
bananas and he has the dynamic relationship between
the crusty Eileen Heckart and the unleashed Margaret
O'Brien to amuse us here. Heckart may always get type-cast
but she never fails to make us smile. Juxtaposed with
O'Brien's little girl innocence masking flowering womanhood,
Heckart finds the perfect cohort here. Eventually, in
tune with the script, the mother and daughter find a
happy ending of their own. Although this side plot is
never fully realized, it does amuse us and allow for
a brief respite from the romance angle in the plot.
The biggest problem with "Heller in Pink Tights" is
surely the title. Opening title screens inform us this
is a story of an outrageous woman in the old West, a
"hellion in pink tights." But what is a "heller?" Why
is it called this? The answer never comes even though
researchers will discover that "Heller with a Gun" was
the title of the L'Amour book. Film audiences are left
to guess.
Cukor's finished product isn't for everyone. Western
fans of the male persuasion will find little to like
here. Females who enjoy the genre may enjoy this project
but Quinn's stilted sexuality will surely leave them
unsatisfied. That leaves only Cukor fans to enjoy this
work. Knowing how much Cukor must have enjoyed making
this film, and he admitted that he did, fans of the
director can't help but delight in his delight. His
handiwork is everywhere to be seen. The bright colors,
the strong, independent females and the mainstream approach
are all visible. Cukor could have only made the film
better by demanding a bigger hand in the project's development.
But that wasn't his style, was it? Cukor usually bowed
easily to studio pressure. Therefore, it's easy to say
that this piece may be Cukor's most Cukorian film.
Note: Costumes by Edith Head. Music by Daniele Amfitheatrof.
Produced by Ponti and Marcello Girosi.
Confused by the tone of the film, Paramount order
several cuts and re-shoots after Cukor finished the
film. Some character exposition disappeared while new
action scenes, many scripted by Bernstein, appeared.
Cukor blamed the film's lack of success on these "idiotic"
cuts.
Huene was a photographer for "Vogue" who worked on
many Cukor films. Allen, an ex-cop, did almost all of
the camera set-ups for the film.
Review written in 1995
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