Nightmare in the Sun

Last updated
Nightmare in the Sun
Nightmare movieposter.jpg
Original movie poster
Directed by Marc Lawrence
Written byTed Thomas
Fanya Lawrence
Story byGeorge Fass
Marc Lawrence
Produced byMarc Lawrence
John Derek [1]
Douglas Stewart
Starring Ursula Andress
John Derek
Aldo Ray
Sammy Davis Jr.
Richard Jaeckel
Cinematography Stanley Cortez
Edited byDouglas Stewart
William Shenenberg
Music by Paul Glass
Production
company
Afilmco Productions
Distributed by Zodiac Films
Release date
  • March 6, 1965 (1965-03-06)
Running time
80 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$250,000 [2]

Nightmare in the Sun is a 1965 drama film directed by Marc Lawrence in his feature theatrical directing debut. It stars Ursula Andress, John Derek, and Aldo Ray, with a cameo appearance by Sammy Davis Jr. and an early role of Robert Duvall.

Contents

Plot

Beautiful young Marsha Wilson is married to Sam, a wealthy, jealous, much-older man. She is having an affair with the sheriff.

Marsha picks up a handsome hitch-hiker one day, and brings him to husband's ranch and falls for him.

Marsha wants to run off with the hitch-hiker, but he too is married and won't take her along. Sam returns home in a jealous rage, discovers what happened and kills Marsha with a rifle in a drunken rage.

The town's sheriff concocts a scheme to blackmail Sam, promising to frame the hitch-hiker for Marsha's murder if Sam provides a hefty payment.

The hitch-hiker is caught and jailed, escapes and then is recaptured. By then, a remorseful Sam has had enough. He kills the sheriff, then confesses to committing both murders.

Cast

Production

Marc Lawrence was best known as an actor, but he had moved into directing television. He helped come up with the original story, and his wife co-wrote the screenplay. The movie was financed by Ricky du Pont, one of the very rich du Pont family. Du Pont wanted on screen credit but Lawrence refused, stating in a later interview that "I said, 'I can't. If all these guys knew the money came from a millionaire, they'd cut my throat. If I sell the picture and your name is on it, I won't get a penny for it'." [2] However Hedda Hopper announced that Du Pont financed the film in her column in September 1963. [3]

Sammy Davis Jr. played a cameo and was reportedly going to sing the title track, but it is not in the final film. [3]

Filming started on 13 September 1963. The movie was filmed in and around Calabasas, California over 15 days. Several of the cast agreed to appear for less than their usual fees as a favor to Lawrence. Lawrence made John Derek a co-producer in order that his then-wife Ursula Andress would do a nude scene. He says this would be in the scene at the beginning "when Aldo Ray rapes her" [2] (although in the final film the sex is consensual).

"Derek promised to allow his wife Ursula to do a nude scene with Aldo Ray", Lawrence later wrote, "but the day before shooting he changed his mind. Years later he did a nude layout of Ursula for Playboy and got $15,000 for his art." [4]

DuPont hindered filming by insisting filming should be dictated by astrology. [5]

After filming was completed, Lawrence assembled a rough cut which Du Pont bought for $50,000. "When I got a $50,000 note to get out of the picture, they put in a nude scene", claimed Lawrence. [2]

He defaulted on his payments and release of the film was held up when Lawrence attempted to reclaim his money or ownership of the film. [5]

Lawrence only directed one more film, Daddy's Deadly Darling .

Reception

Filmink argued "Derek was showing his age by now – more a grey fox than pretty young thing – and he gives a decent performance and the movie is interesting." [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ursula Andress</span> Swiss actress (born 1936)

Ursula Andress is a Swiss actress and former model who has appeared in American, British and Italian films. Her breakthrough role was as Bond girl Honey Ryder in the first James Bond film, Dr. No (1962). She later starred as Vesper Lynd in the 1967 Bond parody Casino Royale. Other credits include Fun in Acapulco (1963), 4 for Texas (1963), She (1965), The 10th Victim (1965), The Blue Max (1966), The Southern Star (1969), Perfect Friday (1970), Red Sun (1971), The Sensuous Nurse (1975), Slave of the Cannibal God (1978), The Fifth Musketeer (1979), Clash of the Titans (1981), and Peter the Great (1986).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aldo Ray</span> American actor (1926–1991)

Aldo Ray was an American actor of film and television. He began his career as a contract player for Columbia Pictures before achieving stardom through his roles in The Marrying Kind, Pat and Mike, Let's Do It Again, and Battle Cry. His athletic build and gruff, raspy voice saw him frequently typecast in "tough guy" roles throughout his career, which lasted well into the late 1980s. Though the latter part of his career was marked by appearances in low-budget B-movies and exploitation films, he still appeared occasionally in higher-profile features, including The Secret of NIMH (1982) and The Sicilian (1987). In 1980, Ray was awarded Best Actor for his role in Sweet Savage from the Adult Film Association's third Erotica Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Derek</span> American actor and filmmaker (1926–1998)

John Derek was an American actor, filmmaker and photographer. He appeared in such films as Knock on Any Door, All the King's Men, Rogues of Sherwood Forest (1950), and The Ten Commandments (1956). He was also known for launching the career of his fourth wife, Bo Derek.

<i>Red Sun</i> 1971 Franco-Italian Spaghetti Western film by Terence Young

Red Sun is a 1971 Franco-Italian international co-production Spaghetti Western film directed by Terence Young and starring Charles Bronson, Toshirō Mifune, Alain Delon, Ursula Andress, and Capucine. It was filmed in Spain by the British director Young, with a screenplay by Denne Bart Petitclerc, William Roberts, and Lawrence Roman from a story by Laird Koenig. The film was released in the United States on 9 June 1972.

<i>Scandal Sheet</i> (1952 film) 1952 film by Phil Karlson

Scandal Sheet is a 1952 American film noir directed by Phil Karlson. The film is based on the 1944 novel The Dark Page by Samuel Fuller, who himself was a newspaper reporter before his career in film. The drama features Broderick Crawford, Donna Reed and John Derek.

<i>Sergeants 3</i> 1962 film

Sergeants 3 is a 1962 American comedy/Western film directed by John Sturges and starring Rat Pack icons Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop. It was the last film to feature all five members of the Rat Pack, as Sinatra would no longer speak to or work with Lawford following the abrupt cancellation in March 1962 of a visit by Lawford's brother-in-law, President John F. Kennedy, to Sinatra's Palm Springs house.

<i>4 for Texas</i> 1963 film by Robert Aldrich

4 for Texas is a 1963 American comedy Western film starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Anita Ekberg and Ursula Andress, Charles Bronson and Mike Mazurki, with a cameo appearance by Arthur Godfrey and the Three Stooges. The film was written by Teddi Sherman and Robert Aldrich, who also directed.

<i>Once Before I Die</i> 1965 film by John Derek

Once Before I Die is a 1966 war drama starring Ursula Andress and directed and produced by then-husband John Derek, from whom she was officially divorced before the film was released, and who also appeared in the film. The directorial debut of Derek, the film was based on a 1945 novel Quit for the Next by Lieutenant Anthony March.

<i>Up to His Ears</i> 1965 French film

Up to His Ears is a 1965 French-Italian international co-production adventure comedy film starring Jean Paul Belmondo and Ursula Andress. It was an indirect sequel to That Man from Rio reuniting many of the same team; directed by Philippe de Broca written by Daniel Boulanger, stunt work by Gil Delamare it was loosely based on the 1879 novel Tribulations of a Chinaman in China by Jules Verne.

<i>Day of the Animals</i> 1977 film by William Girdler

Day of the Animals is a 1977 American natural horror film directed by William Girdler, based on a story by producer Edward L. Montoro. The film reunited Girdler and Montoro with stars Christopher George and Richard Jaeckel from the previous year's Grizzly. It co-stars Lynda Day George and Leslie Nielsen.

<i>Frontier Circus</i> American Western TV series (1961–1962)

Frontier Circus is an American Western television series about a traveling circus roaming the American West in the 1880s. Filmed by Revue Productions, the program originally aired on CBS from October 5, 1961, until September 20, 1962. It was also shown on the BBC in England.

<i>The Rainbow</i> (1989 film) 1989 film

The Rainbow is a 1989 British drama film co-written and directed by Ken Russell and adapted from the D. H. Lawrence novel The Rainbow (1915). Sammi Davis stars as Ursula, a sheltered young pupil, then schoolteacher, who is taken under the wing by the more sophisticated Winifred.

<i>Gone with the West</i> 1975 film by Bernard Girard

Gone with the West is a 1975 American Western film starring James Caan and Stefanie Powers, directed by Bernard Girard.

<i>Run for Cover</i> (film) 1955 film by Nicholas Ray

Run for Cover is a 1955 American Western film directed by Nicholas Ray and starring James Cagney, Viveca Lindfors, John Derek, and in his final film, Jean Hersholt. Distributed by Paramount Pictures, this film was made in VistaVision.

<i>Tell It to the Judge</i> 1949 film by Norman Foster

Tell It to the Judge is a 1949 American romantic comedy film directed by Norman Foster and starring Rosalind Russell as a divorcee who tries to get back her ex-husband, played by Robert Cummings.

<i>Saturdays Hero</i> 1951 film

Saturday's Hero is a 1951 American film noir drama sports film directed by David Miller. It is also known as Idols in the Dust, and stars John Derek and Donna Reed. Saturday's Hero was the first film for Aldo Ray, who was still going by Aldo DaRe, but it was released after his second acting job in My True Story (1951). The film was also the debut score of Elmer Bernstein.

<i>The Small World of Sammy Lee</i> 1963 British film by Ken Hughes

The Small World of Sammy Lee is a 1963 British black-and-white comedy-drama crime film written and directed by Ken Hughes and starring Anthony Newley, Julia Foster and Robert Stephens. The film was based on the 1958 BBC TV one-character television play Sammy, also directed by Hughes and starring Newley, described by Variety as "a masterful piece of work."

<i>The Plunderers</i> (1960 film) 1960 film by Joseph Pevney

The Plunderers is a 1960 American Western film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Jeff Chandler, John Saxon and Dolores Hart. It was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1960.

<i>Thunderbirds</i> (1952 film) 1952 film by John H. Auer

Thunderbirds is a 1952 war film directed by John H. Auer and starring John Derek, John Drew Barrymore, Mona Freeman, Gene Evans, Eileen Christy and Ward Bond. It features the exploits of the 45th Infantry Division in the Italian campaign of World War II. The film was made by Republic Pictures with sequences filmed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

"Massacre at Sand Creek" was an American television film broadcast on December 27, 1956, as part of the CBS television series, Playhouse 90. It was the 13th episode of the first season.

References

  1. Not credited on all prints of the film but was in trade press – see "NIGHTMARE IN THE SUN". Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 32. 1965. p. 25. ProQuest   1305835957.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Slide, Anthony (1999). Actors on Red Alert: Career Interviews with Five Actors and Actresses Affected by the Blacklist . Scarecrow Press. p.  84. ISBN   9780810836495. nightmare in the sun marc lawrence.
  3. 1 2 Hopper, Hedda (Sep 11, 1963). "Looking at Hollywood". Chicago Tribune. ProQuest   179294049.
  4. Vallance, T. (May 25, 1998). "Obituary: John Derek". The Independent. ProQuest   312690734.
  5. 1 2 Freese, Gene (April 22, 2016). Richard Jaeckel, Hollywood's Man of Character. McFarland. p. 81. ISBN   9781476622491.
  6. Vagg, Stephen (5 November 2024). "The Cinema of John Derek, Movie Star". Filmink. Retrieved 5 November 2024.