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The Hellions
The Hellions
Directed by	Ken Annakin
Written by	Harold Huth; Patrick Kirwan; Harold Swanton
Based on	story by Harold Swanton
Produced by	Harold Huth; executive; Irving Allen
Starring	Richard Todd
Cinematography	Ted Moore
Edited by	Bert Rule
Music by	Larry Adler
Production; companies	Irving Allen Productions; Jamie Uys Film Productions
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date	2 November 1961 (London);
Running time	86 minutes
Countries	United Kingdom; South Africa
Language	English

The Hellions is a 1961 British Western film directed by Ken Annakin^[1] starring Richard Todd, Anne Aubrey, Lionel Jeffries, Ronald Fraser and Colin Blakely that was set and filmed in South Africa.^[2]

Plot

A lone law enforcement officer, Sam Hargis, battles criminals in South Africa when the Billings family of Luke Billings and his four sons ride into town to get revenge on Hargis for a previous clash, when he ran Luke Billings out of town.

At first, the locals leave all of the fighting to Hargis, saying that it is his sole responsibility. However, after the Billings kill two innocent residents, some of them arm themselves and shoot dead all the Billings except Luke who, during a fist fight with Hargis, falls from a roof and is killed.

Cast

Richard Todd as Sam Hargis
Anne Aubrey as Priss Dobbs
Jamie Uys as Ernie Dobbs
Marty Wilde as John Billings
Lionel Jeffries as Luke Billings
James Booth as Jubal Billings
Al Mulock as Mark Billings
Colin Blakely as Matthew Billings
Ronald Fraser as Frank
Zena Walker as Julie Hargis

Production

The film was offered by Warwick Productions to Ken Annakin, who agreed to direct as he had fond memories of South Africa from another film, Nor the Moon by Midnight.^[3]

Filming took place in Brits, a small town north of Pretoria. Annakin decided to make the film " as a spoof of the normal American Western. With many laughs and broad gags — such as were used so successfully years later in Cat Ballou. We proceeded to shoot the film this way."^[4] Annakin fell so ill with polio during the shoot he was unable to make it on set so Harold Huth and his assistant Clive Reed took over and directed under Annakin's instructions from the hospital bed. It took Annakin months to recover.^[5] Richard Todd recalled James Booth in particular was difficult for Huth. Notheless Todd was excited by the possibilities of filming in South Africa and went on to make more films there.^[6]

Reception

The New York Times called it "High Noon on the veldt... wide screen drivel."^[7]

Annakin later wrote " Most of the critics panned the film for being uneven — which was not surprising since I had directed big portions of the scenes tongue-in-cheek while Harold Huth and Clive Reed, God bless them, had loyally tried to complete them but somehow had allowed everything to be played straight"^[8]

References

^ The New York Times
^ HELLIONS, The Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 28, Iss. 324, (Jan 1, 1961): 169.
^ Annakin p 129
^ Annakin p 129
^ Annakin p 130-132
^ Todd, Richard (1989). In camera : an autobiography continued. Hutchinson. p. 187.
^ 'Hellions,' in British Western, Play 'High Noon' on the Veld New York Times 15 Mar 1962: 28.
^ Annakin p 133