The Leather Saint

The Leather Saint
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAlvin Ganzer
Written byAlvin Ganzer
Norman Retchin
Produced byNorman Retchin
StarringJohn Derek
Paul Douglas
CinematographyHaskell B. Boggs
Edited byFloyd Knudtson
Color processBlack and white
Production
company
Paramount Pictures
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • June 6, 1956 (1956-06-06)
Running time
86 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

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.

Plot

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.

Cast

Production

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]

Reception

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]

See also

References

  1. ^ Vogan, Travis (16 October 2020). The Boxing Film: A Cultural and Transmedia History. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 978-1-9788-0137-0. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  2. ^ "The Leather Saint (1956)". FilmAffinity. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  3. ^ Armstrong, Richard B.; Armstrong, Mary Willems (11 July 2015). Encyclopedia of Film Themes, Settings and Series. McFarland. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-4766-1230-0. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  4. ^ New York Times review accessed 15 November 2013
  5. ^ Paietta, Ann C. (24 January 2015). Saints, Clergy and Other Religious Figures on Film and Television, 1895-2003. McFarland. p. 455. ISBN 978-1-4766-1016-0. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  6. ^ Adogame, Afe; Watson, Nick J.; Parker, Andrew (27 November 2017). Global Perspectives on Sports and Christianity. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-57346-3. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  7. ^ "Another Catholic in Film Becomes an Episcopalian". Variety. 2 May 1956. p. 7.
  8. ^ Vagg, Stephen (5 November 2024). "The Cinema of John Derek, Movie Star". Filmink. Retrieved 5 November 2024.


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