Heller in Pink Tights (1960)

50% of users liked it
(90 ratings)

The talents of the cast and director George Cukor (A Star Is Born, My Fair Lady), combine to bring off this otherwise routine Western based on a Louis L'Amour novel. Sophia Loren is Angela Rossini, a woman who seems to create the situations she gets into, and Anthony Quinn is the strong, silent but… More The talents of the cast and director George Cukor (A Star Is Born, My Fair Lady), combine to bring off this otherwise routine Western based on a Louis L'Amour novel. Sophia Loren is Angela Rossini, a woman who seems to create the situations she gets into, and Anthony Quinn is the strong, silent but soft-hearted Tom Healy. Rather than playing it straight, Cukor opts for satire and effective comedy in taking "The Great Healy Dramatic and Concert Co.," with its two-wagon loads of thespians and their gear, and turning it into a fun romp. As the troupe carries on with their performances heading through Wyoming, they are fighting for their economic survival and, as often as not, running like the devil from the law. There is a likeable villain in the piece, Mabry (Steve Forrest), a zany woman who has "sacrificed" her own dubious stage career for that of her daughter (Eileen Heckart), a so-called Shakespearean actor (Edmund Love), a banker with menacing undertones (Ramon Novarro), and a really hysterical Indian attack. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 40 min.
Directed By: George Cukor
Written By: Dudley Nichols, Walter Bernstein
Genres: Western, Drama, Action & Adventure, Classics

On DVD: Jun 7, 2005
Studio: Paramount Pictures

Critic Reviews

Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Cukor never loses sight of the theatricality which infuses both the fanciful incarnations of the saltimbanques and the genre conventions of the Western
Michael E. Grost, Classic Film and Television
Strange mix of show-biz saga and Western, inventively styled.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
It's one of the rare Westerns that explores the barnstorming troupes in the Old West of the 19th-century.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
More a comedy about showbiz that Western per se, Cukor's foray into the horseopera genre, based on Louis L'Amour novella, stars Sophia Loren as the leading lady of a troupe touring the frontier.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

AJ V

This movie is really fun, and I liked Loren's character, she gives a good performance in this movie. I really liked this movie.

Cast

            Sophia Loren as Angela Rossini

            Anthony Quinn as Tom Healy

            Eileen Heckart as Mrs. Lorna Hathaway

            Ramon Novarro as DeLeon

            Margaret O'Brien as Clarabel Tilbee

            Steve Forrest as Clint Mabry

            Edmund Lowe as Manfred "Doc" Montague

            George Mathews as Sam Pierce

            Edward Binns as Sheriff McClain

            Warren Wade as Hodges

            Frank Silvera as Santis

            Robert Palmer as McAllister

            Cal Bolder as Goober

            Taggart Casey as 1st Gunslinger

            Howard McNear as Photographer

            Iron Eyes Cody
            
            Bobby Darin as Servant

            Edward Little Sky
            
            Bernard Nedell as Acting Double for Edmund Lowe

            Amanda Randolph as Maid

            Rodd Redwing
            
            Alfred Tonkel as Calchas

            Geraldine Wall as Madam

            Chief Yowlachie as Indian

            Frank Cordell as Theodore

            Cactus Mack as William

            David Armstrong as Achilles
See full cast