arsportsltd

Elvis Presely was deemed to be about the only sure thing in movies as a bankable star when Allied Artists paid Elvis the the great salary of one million dollars to star in this film.

Norman Taurog directs this film in a breezy style and the movie while a AA film was produced at nearby Paramount.

Allied Artists was a boutique studio with films such as Love In The Afternoon, Friendly Persuasion, Soldier In the Rain, El Cid, and 55 Days At Peking, etc. AA had a small studio and no TV division and its fates rose and fell with its movies competing with giant studios such as MGM, 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. Some of the major film personalities that worked at AA were Gary Cooper, Audrey Hepburn, Steve McQueen, Ava Gardner, David Niven, and Sophia Loren. AA would go on to film Cabaret with Liza Minnelli, Pappillion with McQueen, and The Man Who Would Be King with Sean Connery. Directors such as William Wyler, John Huston and Billy Wilder contributed to the success of AA.

Columbia has a contract list in the early 60's with Stefanie Powers, Michael Callan, Deborah Walley, and Todd Armstrong among others such as John Michael Hayes and Cindy Carol. Columbia cast Todd Armstrong and lovely Nancy Kovak in this very fine film Jason And the Argonauts. This film was pre computer imagery and all the technical stuff we all see in films today. Very well Directed and for the era it was produced very fine special effects. Armstrong would go on to have roles in some other Columbia films such as Five FInger Exercise produced by Fred Brisson for his wife Roz Russell, and George Segal's King Rat. One sharp cameo Armstrong has was in Walk On the Wild Side starring Barbara Stanwyck. Too bad Amstrong did not reach the potential I think he clearly had. By the mid 60's Columbia folded its contract player list.

Jane Fonda was the nominal star of this black and white film expertly directer by Edward Dymytrk but the real star was Barbara Stanwyck lured to the big screen in a small but pivotal role as the Madam of a New Orleans bordello. Stanwyck was brilliant in this film and wonder why the Great Star was not nominated for a supporting Oscar.

Legend has it that Stanwyck as well as Jane Fonda feuded with leading man Laurence Harvey. Havey had his detractors such as Kim Novak who detested Harvey co starring together in MGM's Of Human Bondage, but also had has fans among them Elizabeth Taylor who loved Harvey and co starred together in MGM's Butterfield 8.

Fonda, Harvey, Anne Baxter, Capucine, Todd Armstrong, etc do fine work in this film but it is Stanwyck who stands out.