John Derek Movies
John Derek was the son of writer/director Lawson Harris and bit-actress Dolores Johnson. Signed by David O. Selznick in 1943, Derek made his film debut as an extra in Since You Went Away, playing a soldier--which indeed he was at the time. His first starring role was as a death-row juvenile delinquent in Columbia's Knock on Any Door (1949), in which he was given more screen time than nominal star Humphrey Bogart. Most of Derek's subsequent Columbia assignments were in workaday "B" costume pictures and westerns; he enjoyed his best role in years, that of John Wilkes Booth, in 20th Century-Fox's Prince of Players (1954). By 1961, Derek's film career was seriously flagging, obliging him to sign on as one of the stars of the 26-week TV series Frontier Circus. Unhappy with his progress (or lack of it) as an actor, Derek turned director for the 1966 wartime flick Once Before I Die. Derek has used many of his directorial efforts as showcases for his various "protege" wives: Ursula Andress, Linda Evans, and Bo Derek. When not playing "Svengali" (an appellation he fully accepted with high good humor, as did his lovely "Trilbys"), John Derek kept busy as a director and cinematographer on such quasi-erotic films as Bolero (1984) and Ghosts Can't Do It (1990). Derek had suffered from heart trouble for many years; on May 20, 1998, the 71-year-old director was found unconscious in his Santa Ynez Valley home. Despite doctor's efforts, the damage to his heart muscle proved too great and on May 22, he passed away.~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
- R
Two 15-year-old teenagers engage in their first love affair. Dino Martin Jr. and Airion Fromer meet and fall in love with each other. Their romance is sidetracked when the girl has an affair with Mr. Christian (Kerwin Mathews), a man easily twice her age. After she has experienced the pleasures of an older man, she returns to her first love -- presumably to educate him in the ways of love. This is the second film directed by John Derek, who designed the costumes, wrote the music and lyrics to the songs, wrote the screenplay, and photographed the film. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dean Paul Martin, Airion Fromer, (more)
Ronald Colman won an Academy Award for his portrayal of an off-the-beam actor in A Double Life. A beloved stage star, Anthony John (Colman), has problems with his private life due to his unpredictable outbursts of temper. This trait has already cost him his wife, Brita (Signe Hasso), and threatens to sabotage his career. Nonetheless, Anthony makes his peace with Brita, and the two actors star in a new Broadway staging of Othello. The play is a hit, running over 300 performances, but the pressures of portraying a man moved to murder by jealousy takes its toll on Anthony. In a fit of delirium, he strangles his casual mistress, Pat (Shelley Winters), but retains no memory of the awful crime. Press agent Bill Friend (Edmond O'Brien), unaware that Anthony is the killer, uses Pat's murder as publicity for Othello. Anthony becomes enraged at this cheap ploy, and attacks Friend. At this point, Anthony realizes that he has been living "a double life" and is in fact Pat's murderer. A Double Life was written for the screen by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin, who occasionally digress from the melodramatic plotline to include a few backstage inside jokes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ronald Colman, Whit Bissell, (more)
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Robert Penn Warren, All the King's Men is a roman à clef inspired by the career of Louisiana governor Huey Long. Broderick Crawford won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Willie Stark, a backwoods Southern lawyer who wins the hearts of his constituents by bucking the corrupt state government. Journalist Jack Burden (John Ireland) is impressed by Willie's seeming sincerity, and aids Stark on the road to political power. Once he's reached the governor's mansion, however, Willie proves himself to be as dishonest and despotic as the crooks whom he's replaced. He also cheats shamelessly on his wife with both his campaign manager (Mercedes McCambridge, another Oscar winner) and with Anne Stanton (Joanne Dru), the sister of idealistic doctor Adam Stanton (Sheppard Strudwick). Fiercely protective of his power, Willie organizes a fascistic police force and arranges for "accidents" to befall those who oppose him; even so, he retains the love of the voters by lowering the poverty level, improving the school system, and financing building projects. Even when Willie all but orchestrates the suicide of Anne's uncle, a highly respected judge (Raymond Greenleaf), those closest to him are unable to escape his power and the charismatic hold he has over people. Stockton, CA, stands in for the unnamed state capitol where most of the film's action occurs. In addition to its Oscars for Crawford and McCambridge, All the King's Men won the Best Picture prize. Warren's novel would later be adapted into a stage play, a TV special, and even an opera. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Broderick Crawford, John Derek, (more)
- 1953
Ambush at Tomahawk Gap is a characteristically brutal program western from Columbia's Wallace MacDonald unit. John Hodiak, John Derek, David Brian and Ray Teal play ex-convicts who ride into a Godforsaken western town. They're on the lookout for the loot that they buried from their last big "job." Before we are treated to the requisite "thieves fall out" scene, Tomahawk Gap is besieged by Apaches. The survivor of the carnage is allowed the usual ride into the sunset with Indian maiden Mary Eleana Marques. Featured in the supporting cast of Ambush at Tomahawk Gap are such old reliable sagebrush standbys as Trevor Bardette, John Doucette and Percy Helton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Hodiak, John Derek, (more)
- 1955
The faces are new and the settings up-to-date, but otherwise An Annapolis Story is the tried-and-true "two guys and one girl" formula. Filmed on location at the titular Maryland naval academy, the story centers upon two sibling cadets, Tony (John Derek) and Jim (Kevin McCarthy). The boys battle over the affections of Peggy (Diana Lynn), a triangle that seriously strains their fraternal relationship and compromises their effectiveness as officers-to-be and gentlemen. In the tradition of 1927's Wings, the conflict is resolved when one brother sacrifices his life for the other while serving in Korea. Among the other cadets in An Annapolis Story are Alvy Moore and L. Q. Jones, who twenty years later would team up to produce the cult-fave science fiction film A Boy and His Dog. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Derek, Diana Lynn, (more)
In a semi-erotic film almost universally lamented, Bo Derek, last wife of the late John Derek (who wrote, directed, and photographed Bolero), plays Ayre, a virginal young woman who, on graduating from an exclusive British boarding school, is determined to find the right man for her first sexual encounter wherever he might be in the world. Rich enough not to venture forth alone, she brings along her friend Catalina (Ana Obregon) and the family chauffeur (George Kennedy). Ayre first travels to an Arab country where she meets an ideal lover, a sheik (Greg Bensen) who offers to deflower her but falls asleep almost immediately (he was, after all, reciting lines from this script). Giving up on the sheik, Ayre goes on to Spain, where she meets the toreador Angel (Andrea Occhipinti) who is even better than the sheik because he manages to stay awake. Unfortunately, after she has succeeded in her quest, the perils of Angel's profession are brought home when he is gored in a sensitive location -- the arena, of course. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bo Derek, George Kennedy, (more)
- 1969
- PG
Actor Don Murray wrote, produced, and starred in this drama about an alcoholic former serviceman who falls in with gangsters until he has a spiritual awakening and decides to devote his life to helping others. The supporting cast includes Linda Evans, Logan Ramsey, and Angelique Pettyjohn. Also shown under the titles Childish Things, Tale of the Cock, and Cockadoodle-Do. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Murray, Linda Evans, (more)
Produced and directed by Otto Preminger, Exodus is a 212-minute screen adaptation of the best-selling novel by Leon Uris. The film is concerned with the emergence of Israel as an independent nation in 1947. Its first half focuses on the efforts of 611 holocaust survivors to defy the blockade of the occupying British government and sail to Palestine on the sea vessel Exodus. Paul Newman, a leader of the Hagannah (the Jewish underground), is willing to sacrifice his own life and the lives of the refugees rather than be turned back to war-ravaged Europe, but the British finally relent and allow the Exodus safe passage. Once this victory is assured, 30,000 more Jews, previously interned by the British, flood into the Holy Land. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint, (more)
- 1957
Fury at Showdown stars John Derek as a gunfighter who hopes to hang up his guns and live the peaceful life of a cattle ranch. Settling down on his new spread with his brother Nick Adams, Derek finds that he can't live down his reputation. When his brother is murdered on the orders of land-grabbing lawyer Gage Clarke, Derek is forced to strap on his guns again. But Clarke, one step ahead of our hero, tries to save himself from prosecution by kidnapping Derek's girlfriend Carolyn Craig. As the title indicates, a showdown is inevitable, though not as predictable as one might suspect. Fury at Showdown was adapted from a novel by Lucas Todd. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Derek, John Smith, (more)
- 1990
- R
The final cinematic abomination from the late John Derek and his legendary non-actress wife Bo Derek turns out to be their worst collaboration ever, beating out even Bolero for sheer incomprehensible awfulness and ranking as one of the silliest monstrosities ever committed to film. Though no recognizable plot exists, the central premise seems to involve Bo's ongoing obsession with finding a suitable replacement body for the soul of her late husband (a sleepwalking Anthony Quinn), who killed himself after learning that a bum ticker would prevent him from having constant sex with her. The most likely candidate seems to be a handsome but oily thief (Leo Damian), but Bo can't seem to bring herself to murder him outright; fortunately, he kicks the bucket on his own. Lacking both the rampant nudity and laugh-out-loud campiness of John & Bo's previous erotic anti-masterpieces, there is literally nothing to recommend this film, even to bad-movie aficionados. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bo Derek, Anthony Quinn, (more)
- 1958
Craig Rhodes (John Derek) is the partner of gold miner Frank Davidson (Al Mulock). Frank's wife Lenore (Elaine Stewart) develops a yen for Rhodes, while he insists upon remaining honorable.The situation becomes prickly when a heavy snowfall forces Frank, Lenore and Craig to share close quarters, awaiting rescue. Adding to the tension is lecherous miner Luke Fulgham (Patrick Allen), who openly lusts after the heroine. Though set in the Canadian Rockies, produced by a Hollywood film company and boasting a largely American cast, High Hell is technically a British film, lensed in the Alps! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Derek, Elaine Stewart, (more)
- 1958
The best thing going for this period piece set during the time of the last Russian Czar is its visual atmosphere, defined by gorgeous sets, costumes, and scenery. Alexey (John Derek) is a soldier in the Czar's army whose fiancée is raped by a general. In retaliation, Alexey attacks the general and is sentenced to prison in Siberia. Thanks to the heroics of his bride-to-be he escapes, but she is killed in helping him. Alexey ends up with some boatman plying their trade on the Volga, and he bides his time as he plots to bring justice to the general. Meanwhile, an attractive gypsy woman (Elsa Martinelli) enters his life. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Derek, Elsa Martinelli, (more)
Ginger Rogers gives a dramatic performance in this moving romantic drama in which a woman named Mary Marshall, who was convicted of manslaughter (she defended herself when her lecherous boss attempted to rape her and she accidentally killed him), is granted a ten-day furlough for Christmas to visit relatives. Once out, she encounters a shell-shocked vet (Joseph Cotten) on leave from the VA psych ward on a train. The unstable vet has been allowed out by his doctors to see if he is ready to function in normal society. At first, the vet is nervous around Mary, but something clicks and she invites him to stay at her house during their respective breaks. Together they attempt to have a happy Christmas while dealing with the vet's problems. At first Mary keeps her own past and troubles to herself, but as they begin falling in love, she decides to tell him the whole story. In this way, the two reconcile their pasts and move closer toward forming a relationship. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ginger Rogers, Joseph Cotten, (more)
- 1949
Though Humphrey Bogart is the official star of Knock on Any Door, the film is essentially a showcase for Columbia's newest young male discovery John Derek. The first production of Bogart's Santana company, the film casts Bogart as attorney Andrew Morton. A product of the slums, Morton is persuaded to take the case of underprivileged teenager Nick Romano (Derek), who has been arrested on a murder charge. Through flashbacks, Morton demonstrates that Romano is more a victim of society than a natural-born killer. Though this defense strategy does not have the desired result on the jury thanks to the badgering of DA Kernan (George Macready), Morton does manage to arouse sympathy for the plight of those trapped by birth and circumstance in a dead-end existence. As Nick Romano, John Derek would never be better, nor would ever again play a character who struck so responsive a chord with the audience. Nick's oft-repeated credo--"Live fast, die young, and leave a good-looking corpse"--became the clarion call for a generation of disenfranchised youth. Director Nicholas Ray would later expand on themes touched upon in Knock on a Any Door in his juvenile delinquent "chef d'oeuvre" Rebel without a Cause. Viewers are advised to watch for future TV personalities Cara Williams and Si Melton in uncredited minor roles. Knock on Any Door spawned a belated sequel in 1960, Let No Man Write My Epitaph. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Humphrey Bogart, John Derek, (more)
- 1951
Auteur theorists may have trouble discerning the "signature" of director Phil Karlson in the Columbia costume adventure Mask of the Avenger. John Derek stars as Capt. Renatu Dimorna, the son of an Italian aristocrat, who vows revenge after his father is murdered during the European political upheaval of 1848. To this end, Dimorna becomes a dashing Robin Hood type, swashbuckling his way throughout Italy. His principal rival is a traitorous military leader (Anthony Quinn), who is also Dimorna's rival for the affections of a beautiful woman (Jody Lawrance). Production values are quite good in Mask of the Avenger, belying the picture's modest budget. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Derek, Anthony Quinn, (more)
- 1956
Troops are led into a battle with an innocent and defenseless Cheyenne tribe by their Indian-hating colonel. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1953
In this Korean War drama, a strong-willed, stubborn greenhorn pilot becomes obsessed with avenging the death of his brother who died during an aerial skirmish with the deadly Chinese "volunteer" pilots. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1964
In this crime drama, a bored, but seductive wife of a wealthy old ranch goes cruising for trouble and finds it when she picks up a hapless hitchhiker who soon falls under her sexy spell. Like a fly to a spider's web, he is drawn to her bedroom. Unfortunately, the old rancher sees him leaving and flies into a rage, killing his cheating wife. The crooked county sheriff is delighted by the events as he can now begin blackmailing the rancher. To cover for the crime, he arrests the poor drifter who doesn't even know the woman is dead. In the end, the rancher kills the sheriff and confesses all. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Derek, Aldo Ray, (more)
- 1957
Frank Freeman Jr., son of the longtime head of Paramount Pictures, made his debut as producer with the opulent but empty Omar Khayyam. Cornel Wilde stars as the legendary Persian poet, here depicted as not only a philosopher but a scientist, politician and great lover. As the Persians gear up for war against the Byzantines, Omar occupies his time by romancing Sharain (Debra Paget), the favorite wife of the Shah (Raymond Massey). He also does his best to foil a plan by Hasani (Michael Rennie), leader of the Cult of Assassins, to murder the royal family. While many of the characters and events are based on fact, it is difficult to believe the story or the dialogue for more than ten minutes at a stretch. Singer Yma Sumac, then famous for her four-and-a-half octave vocal range, is somehow woven into the proceedings. When Omar Khayyam laid an egg at the box-office, a Hollywood wit, taking into consideration the Southern heritage of Frank Freeman Jr., assessed the results as "A loaf of bread, a bottle of coke and you-all." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cornel Wilde, Michael Rennie, (more)
- 1965
Long before Bo Derek, actor/director John Derek was playing Svengali with another movie-star wife, Ursula Andress. In Once Before I Die, Derek casts himself as a cavalry major and Andress as his mistress. Both captain and girl are marooned with a group of American marines in the Philippines. When the group is pinned down by Japanese aerial bombardment, Ursula is anxious to escape, and promises to service any man who helps her. The girl's machinations result in the death of practically every member of the group. The ads for Once Before I Die displayed a shot of a fetchingly underdressed Ursula Andress, lying invitingly on her back; alas, the only thing flat on its back was the film itself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Derek, Ursula Andress, (more)
- 1981
- R
Also known as And Once Upon a Love and Fantasies, this John Derek opus shows off the obvious physical attributes and less obvious acting ability of Derek's latest protegee/wife, Bo Derek. Set on a lush Greek island, the story concerns a sister (Bo) and brother (Peter Hooten), who return home after years abroad. Falling under the island's erotic spell, the girl and boy discover that their love goes beyond filial. The incestuous subtext of the story evaporates when it is discovered that Bo and Peter aren't actually related after all. Filmed in 1973, Once Upon a Love wasn't released until after the Dereks' 1981 "triumph" Tarzan the Ape Man. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
In this costume drama, an Italian aristocrat becomes a footloose minstrel and wins the love of a king's niece. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1953
Prince of Pirates is fairly elaborate for a Sam Katzman production, though its low budget does betray itself in the closing scenes. Utilizing plenty of stock footage from Joan of Arc (as he'd previously done in Thief of Damascus), producer Katzman offers the viewer a 16th-century swashbuckler, with John Derek as Robin Hood-like buccaneer Prince Roland. Having lost his throne to his evil older brother Stephan (Whitfield Connor), Roland forms a band of volunteers to oust Stephan and bring peace and harmony to his land (by busting several heads along the way). Barbara Rush co-stars as Nita, the daughter of a deposed count and a fine swordswoman in her own right. The film's best line is unintentionally funny: After being fetchingly attired in form-fitting blouse and slacks during most of the film, Nita is garbed in hoop-skirted feminine finery, whereupon Roland snickers "At last, you look more like a woman!" Far from a classic, Prince of Pirates is an agreeable time-passer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Derek, Barbara Rush, (more)
- 1955
Screenwriter Philip Dunne doubled as director on the elaborate filmed biography Prince of Players. Richard Burton stars as the eminent American tragedian Edwin Booth, whose life and career is thrown into turmoil after his younger brother John Wilkes Booth (John Derek) assassinates Abraham Lincoln. The film begins as the younger Edwin assists his alcoholic, ailing father Junius Brutus Booth (Raymond Massey) during a tour of the American hinterlands. When Junius dies just before a performance, Edwin goes on in his stead, thereby launching his own starring career. In danger of becoming as much of a drunk and carouser as his father, Edwin eventually pulls himself together, but his brother's act of violence turns the audience against the name of Booth. Almost booed offstage during a performance of Hamlet, Edwin stands his ground, finally earning the respect of his rowdy audience. Not exactly packed with fast action, Prince of Players will appeal most to lovers of theater in general and Shakespeare in particular. Highlight: Richard Burton and Eva LeGalleine performing the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet in the courtyard of a brothel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Burton, Maggie McNamara, (more)
