Daddy-O

For other uses, see Daddy-O (disambiguation).

Daddy-O
Directed by	Lou Place
Produced by	Elmer C. Rhoden, Jr.
Written by	David Moessinger
Starring	Dick Contino Sandra Giles Bruno Vesota John McClure
Music by	John Williams
Distributed by	American International Pictures
Release date(s)	March 1958
Running time	74 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$100,000

Daddy-O is a 1958 B-movie starring Dick Contino. It was directed by Lou Place and written by David Moessinger. The film is notable for its soundtrack as being the debut film score for composer John Williams. It was later featured as a movie mocked by Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Plot

Hotshot street-racer Phil Sandifer (Contino) is working as a truck driver, when he is harassed by a sports car driving on the highway. He later meets up with the driver, Jana (Giles), in a local club. Jana challenges Phil to a race; Jana cheats, and Phil loses. At the same time, his best friend Sonny is run off the road and killed by an unidentified assailant (VeSota).

Later at the club, Phil is arrested for destruction of city property and trespassing in the area they raced through, reckless driving, and hit-and-run and manslaughter for Sonny's death. The hit-and-run and manslaughter charges are dropped. But he is found guilty of the other three charges. He is let off on probation, but is stripped of his driver's license. Phil quickly launches into an investigation into the murder, his first suspect being Jana. She denies any involvement, and joins Phil in his investigation. He follows the trail of clues to nightclub owner Chillas (Sonny's assailant), and Chillas's lackey Bruce, who runs the gym Sonny used to frequent. Chillas hires Phil as a singer under the alias of "Daddy-O".

Not long after being hired, Phil is beaten up by a couple of drug dealers who have mistaken him for Pete Plum, a pseudonym used by Sonny. Phil draws the conclusion that Sonny had been moving money around for Chillas, and that he had stolen some of the money and was killed as a result. Phil confronts Chillas with the information, and they confront one another in a liquor cellar. Phil manages to knock Chillas out, and soon the police arrive and arrest him and Bruce. The movie ends just as Phil is asked to sing.

Cast

• Phil Sandifer/Daddy-O: Dick Contino
• Jana Ryan: Sandra Giles
• Sidney Chillas: Bruno VeSota
• Bruce Green: Jack McClure

References

• In the 1994 hit film Pulp Fiction, a poster for Daddy-O is visible during scenes taking place in the 1950s nostalgia restaurant "Jack Rabbit Slim's".
• In 1994 author James Ellroy wrote Hollywood Nocturnes, a collection of short stories, one of which was titled Dick Contino's Blues, a fictional take on the making of the film and surrounding back story starring Dick Contino.

External links

• Daddy-O at the Internet Movie Database
• Daddy-O at Rotten Tomatoes
• Daddy-O at AllRovi