Heller in Pink Tights

"Heller In Pink Tights" is a 1960 western film adapted from Louis L'Amour's novel, "Heller with a Gun". It stars Sophia Loren and Anthony Quinn and was directed by George Cukor. The movie is noted for its lavishly ornate costumes by Edith Head and its impressive photography and usage of technicolor. Though not a commercial success, "Heller In Pink Tights" is thought by some film historians to be George Cukor's most lavishly visual film. Cukor had never been pleased with the 'look' of most westerns and he hired George Hoyningen-Huene, a famous Russian-born fashion photographer and 1920s illustrator who was an expert at art and design. The final result is a unique film that looks like a cross between a Frederic Remington painting and a Toulouse-Lautrec rendering of music hall performers. It also stars former child star Margaret O'Brien, Ramon Novarro and Eileen Heckart. It also marks Sophia Loren's lowest weight on film, the normally voluptuous and full-figured star lost almost twenty pounds at Cukor's request and donned a blond wig.