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Johnny Cool

{{Short description|1963 American neo-noir crime film by William Asher}}

{{Infobox film

| name = Johnny Cool

| image = Johnny Cool FilmPoster.jpeg

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = William Asher

| writer = Joseph Landon

| based_on = {{Based on|The Kingdom of Johnny Cool|John McPartland}}

| narrator =

| starring = {{Plain list|

}}

| music = Billy May

| cinematography = Sam Leavitt

| editing = Otto Ludwig

| studio = {{Plain list|

  • Chrislaw Productions
  • Avernus Productions

}}

| distributor = United Artists

| released = {{Film date|1963|10|19}}

| runtime = 103 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget = $500,000Thomas, Bob (18 October 1964). "Lawford Like No Other Commuter". The Washington Post and Times-Herald (1959–1973); Washington, D.C. p. G6.

| gross = $1,500,000

}}

Johnny Cool is a 1963 American neo-noir{{Cite book |last1=Silver |first1=Alain |last2=Ward |first2=Elizabeth |last3=Ursini |first3=James |last4=Porfirio |first4=Robert |year=2010 |title=Film Noir: The Encyclopaedia |location=New York |publisher=Overlook Duckworth |isbn=978-1-59020-144-2}} crime film, directed by William Asher and based on the novel The Kingdom of Johnny Cool by John McPartland, which stars Henry Silva and Elizabeth Montgomery.{{Cite web |title=Johnny Cool (1963) – William Asher | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related |url=http://allmovie.com/work/johnny-cool-97262 |publisher=AllMovie}} Produced in part by Peter Lawford, Johnny Cool features a cast that also includes Mort Sahl, Telly Savalas, Jim Backus, Joey Bishop, and Sammy Davis Jr., who also sings the theme song.

Plot

Johnny Colini, an exiled American living in Rome, rescues Salvatore Giordano, a young Sicilian outlaw, from the police. After Giordano is groomed, polished, and renamed "Johnny Cool", Colini sends him on a mission of vengeance to the United States to assassinate the men who plotted his downfall and enforced exile. Johnny arrives in New York and quickly kills several of the underworld figures on Colini's list.

Meanwhile, he picks up Darien "Dare" Guinness, a wealthy divorcée who becomes his accomplice, she is later severely beaten by the gangsters as a warning to Johnny against pursuing his vendetta. Soon the FBI becomes involved, and when Johnny and Dare bomb the Hollywood home of gangster Lennart Crandall, the police are able to identify Dare's car when she panics and leaves it parked on the street. The two had separated and planned to meet later, but Dare, abruptly realizing that Johnny is a vicious killer, tells his enemies where to find him. She then surrenders herself to the FBI, as Johnny is being tortured by his captors at the film's conclusion.

Cast

Film score and soundtrack

{{Infobox album

| name = Johnny Cool

| type = Soundtrack

| artist = Billy May

| cover =

| caption =

| alt =

| released = 1963

| recorded = 1963
Hollywood, California

| venue =

| studio =

| genre = Film score

| length = 31:43

| label = United Artists
UAL 4111/UAS 5111

| producer =

| prev_title =

| prev_year =

| next_title =

| next_year =

}}

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = Allmusic

| rev1Score = {{rating|3|5}}

}}

The film score was composed, arranged and conducted by Billy May, and the soundtrack album was released on the United Artists label in 1963.Edwards, D., Callahan, M., Eyries, P., Watts, R., & Neely, T. [http://www.bsnpubs.com/ua/ua4000-5000.pdf United Artists UAL-40000/UAL 4000 mono/UAS 5000 stereo Series]. Accessed March 30, 2016. Allmusic's Steven McDonald noted "This soundtrack manages to mix the early '60s caper-flick brand of jazz with the darker feel of 1950s film noir – a genre to which Johnny Cool was a deliberate throwback."{{AllMusic|first=Stephen |last=McDonald |class=album |id=mw0000048416 |title=Johnny Cool – Review |access-date=March 30, 2016}}

=Track listing=

All compositions by Billy May except as indicated

  1. "The Lizard" – 2:38
  2. "Window Washer" – 2:37
  3. "Dare's Affair" – 2:40
  4. "Borrow a Knife" – 1:47
  5. "Johnny Cool Theme" – 2:19
  6. "Morning in Balboa" – 2:14
  7. "Nice Quiet Saloon" – 2:35
  8. "Green Tables Blues" – 3:16
  9. "The Coolest Pad" – 3:18
  10. "Juan Coolisto" – 2:19
  11. "Bee Bom" (Les Vandyke) – 2:14
  12. "The Ballad of Johnny Cool" (Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cahn) – 2:58

=Personnel=

Movie Tie-In Paperback

A movie tie-in paperback was published, by Gold Medal Books, The Kingdom of Johnny Cool by John McPartland,{{cite web |title=The Kingdom of Johnny Cool |url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17382997-the-kingdom-of-johnny-cool |website=Goodreads |access-date=3 April 2025 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=Bewitched & Elizabeth Montgomery Merchandise |url=https://bewitchvic.tripod.com/merch.html |website=Victor Mascaro's Bewitched |access-date=3 April 2025}}{{cite web |title=1963 'Johnny Cool' movie tie in paperback |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/188102582@N05/53870186980 |website=flickr |date=20 July 2024}}

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • {{IMDb title|0057200}}
  • {{TCMDb title|16161}}

{{William Asher}}

Category:1963 films

Category:1963 crime drama films

Category:American black-and-white films

Category:American crime drama films

Category:American neo-noir films

Category:1960s English-language films

Category:Films about organized crime in the United States

Category:American films about revenge

Category:Films based on American novels

Category:Films directed by William Asher

Category:Films scored by Billy May

Category:Mafia films

Category:1960s American films

Category:English-language crime drama films