The Naked Runner ** (1967, Frank Sinatra, Peter Vaughan, Derren Nesbitt) – Classic Movie Review 7074

Director Sidney J Furie’s run-of-the-mill British 1967 Cold War spy thriller The Naked Runner, based on the novel by Francis Clifford, is often preposterous but thankfully livened up considerably with flashy Sixties visuals so at least it looks stylish in Otto Heller’s Technicolor cinematography.

And Frank Sinatra entertains as American industrialist Sam Laker, the London-based businessman tricked by British spy Slattery (Peter Vaughan), an old World War Two buddy, into a killing mission behind the Iron Curtain after his son Patrick (Michael Newport) has been snatched.

Furie directs furiously to distract the attention from the absurdities of the complex plot, but to little avail.

It is Morris W Stoloff’s last film as musical director, working on 400 films; he died in 1980 aged 87.

It is produced by actor Brad Dexter, the forgotten star of The Magnificent Seven. Sinatra agreed to star in this when Dexter was starting out as a producer as a return favour after Dexter rescued him when he got into trouble swimming while filming None but the Brave.

Also in the cast are Derren Nesbitt, Nadia Gray, Toby Robins, Cyril Luckham, Edward Fox, Inger Stratton and J A B Dubin-Behrmann.

The Naked Runner is directed by Sidney J Furie, runs 104 minutes, is made by Sinatra Enterprises and Artanis, is released by Warner Bros, is written by Stanley Mann, based on the novel by Francis Clifford, is shot in Technicolor by Otto Heller, is produced by Brad Dexter, is scored by Harry Sukman (music) and Morris W Stoloff (musical director), is designed by Peter Proud and Bill [William] Alexander (assistant art director).

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7074

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