The Leather Saint | |
---|---|
Directed by | Alvin Ganzer |
Written by | Alvin Ganzer Norman Retchin |
Produced by | Norman Retchin |
Starring | John Derek Paul Douglas |
Cinematography | Haskell B. Boggs |
Edited by | Floyd Knudtson |
Color process | Black and white |
Production company | Paramount Pictures |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 86 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Leather Saint is a 1956 American drama film noir sport film, directed by Alvin Ganzer [1] [2] in black-and-white VistaVision, about a priest who boxes. [3] [4] It stars John Derek, Paul Douglas and Jody Lawrance.
Although he is a minister, the young Gil Allen likes to work out in Tom Kelly's boxing gym. Gus MacAuliffe, a manager of fighters who doesn't know the young man's true vocation, offers to find him a fight in the ring, but Gil declines. [5]
Gil discovers that the church is desperate to raise funds for two things, a swimming pool for children and an iron lung for a hospital. Without disclosing his profession, Gil agrees to let Gus handle him, and Gil's first opponent is knocked out with a single punch. The impressed promoter Tony Lorenzo arranges another fight for the kid. Lorenzo's girlfriend, Pearl Gorman, a singer with a drinking habit, is immediately attracted to Gil, but when he doesn't reciprocate, she continues to hit the bottle.
His superior at the church, Father Ritchie, mentions to Gil that someone mysteriously has donated the first down payment for the iron lung. Gil fibs to the priest that the donor is a well-meaning individual in "the leather business."
Gil's actual identity is discovered by Pearl, who is inspired by the young minister's example and vows to quit drinking. Gil raises all the money that's needed, then gladly returns to his preferred line of work.
The film was originally about a Catholic priest. However Catholic groups objected due to the romance subplot so the script was adjusted and the main character became an Episcopalian priest instead. [7]
Filmink argued "This should have been surefire material – the priest is raising money for a hospital, a gangster’s moll falls for him, etc – but the film is wonkily structured and Derek can’t paper over its flaws. This movie, more than any other, proved that Derek wasn’t a proper film star. A Tony Curtis or a Rock Hudson would have made this compelling; Derek was unable to." [8]
Bay St. Louis is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Mississippi, in the United States. Located on the Gulf Coast on the west side of the Bay of St. Louis, it is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 9,284 at the 2020 census, up from 9,260 at the 2010 census.
Saint Lawrence or Laurence was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman emperor Valerian ordered in 258.
General Anthony Clement "Nuts" McAuliffe was a senior United States Army officer who earned fame as the acting commander of the 101st Airborne Division defending Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. He is celebrated for his one-word reply to a German surrender ultimatum: "Nuts!"
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese for the state of Hawaii in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of San Francisco.
Pearl Mae Bailey was an American actress, singer and author. After appearing in vaudeville, she made her Broadway debut in St. Louis Woman in 1946. She received a Special Tony Award for the title role in the all-black production of Hello, Dolly! in 1968. In 1986, she won a Daytime Emmy award for her performance as a fairy godmother in the ABC Afterschool Special Cindy Eller: A Modern Fairy Tale. Her rendition of "Takes Two to Tango" hit the top ten in 1952.
The Diocese of Richmond is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in Virginia in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Baltimore.
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.
The Diocese of Reno is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in the northern Nevada region of the United States. It is a suffragan diocese, formerly of the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of San Francisco and, since May 30, 2023, of the Archdiocese of Las Vegas.
Walter Francis Sullivan was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the eleventh bishop of the Diocese of Richmond in Virginia from 1974 to 2003. Sullivan served as an auxiliary bishop of the same diocese from 1970 to 1974.
Saint Thomas Aquinas Cathedral is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Reno, Nevada, United States. It is located at 310 W. 2nd Street in Reno. It was built in 1908 as the rise in Reno's Catholic population warranted a larger church. The cathedral was nearly destroyed by a fire in 1909 and was restored the following year. The cathedral complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022.
Lawrence of Brindisi, OFM Cap., born Giulio Cesare Russo, was a Neapolitan Catholic priest, theologian and member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. An accomplished linguist, in addition to his native Italian, Lawrence could read and speak Latin, Hebrew, Greek, German, Czech, Spanish, and French fluently. Lawrence was ordained a priest at the age of 23. Lawrence was beatified on 1 June 1783 and canonized as a saint on 8 December 1881.
The Diocese of Boise is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in Idaho in the United States.
The Diocese of Jefferson City is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in the state of Missouri in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of St. Louis.
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Hartford is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Connecticut in the United States. It is a metropolitan see.
The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame to honor Michigan sports athletes, coaches and contributors. It was organized in 1954 by Michigan Lieutenant Governor Philip Hart, Michigan State University athletic director, Biggie Munn, president of the Greater Michigan Foundation, Donald Weeks, general manager of the Detroit Lions, W. Nicholas Kerbawy and George Alderton of the Lansing State Journal. The inaugural class was inducted in 1955.
Joe Gray was an American boxer, actor, and stuntman.
Jody Lawrance (born Nona Josephine Goddard; October 19, 1930 – July 10, 1986) was an American actress who starred in many Hollywood films during the 1950s through the early 1960s.
Margaret Clitherow was an English saint and martyr of the Roman Catholic Church, known as The Pearl of York. She was pressed to death for refusing to enter a plea to the charge of harbouring Catholic priests. She was canonised in 1970 by Pope Paul VI.
Thomas Lawrason Riggs (1888–1943) was an American Catholic priest and musical theatre lyricist. Riggs was the first Catholic chaplain of Yale University.