Johnny Cool

Johnny Cool is a 1963 American neo-noir^[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.^[3] 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.

Johnny Cool
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	William Asher
Written by	Joseph Landon
Based on	The Kingdom of Johnny Cool by John McPartland
Starring	Henry Silva Elizabeth Montgomery Jim Backus Joey Bishop Brad Dexter Hank Henry Marc Lawrence John McGiver Gregory Morton Mort Sahl Telly Savalas Sammy Davis Jr.
Cinematography	Sam Leavitt
Edited by	Otto Ludwig
Music by	Billy May
Production companies	Chrislaw Productions Avernus Productions
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date	October 19, 1963 (1963-10-19)
Running time	103 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$500,000[1]
Box office	$1,500,000[1]

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

• Henry Silva as Salvatore Giordano / Johnny Cool
• Elizabeth Montgomery as Darien "Dare" Guinness
• Richard Anderson as Correspondent
• Jim Backus as Louis Murphy
• Joey Bishop as Holmes
• Brad Dexter as Lennart Crandall
• Mort Sahl as Ben Morrow
• Hank Henry as Larry
• Telly Savalas as Vincenzo "Vince" Santangelo
• Sammy Davis Jr. as Educated
• Frank Albertson as Bill Blakely
• Marc Lawrence as Johnny Colini
• John McGiver as Oscar B. "Oby" Hinds
• Gregory Morton as Jerry March
• Cosmo Sardo as Peter the Bartender
• Joseph Calleia as Tourist
• Clegg Hoyt as Craps Player

Film score and soundtrack

Johnny Cool
Soundtrack album by Billy May
Released	1963
Recorded	1963 Hollywood, California
Genre	Film score
Length	31:43
Label	United Artists UAL 4111/UAS 5111

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[4]

The film score was composed, arranged and conducted by Billy May, and the soundtrack album was released on the United Artists label in 1963.^[5] 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."^[4]

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

• Orchestra arranged and conducted by Billy May
• Sammy Davis Jr. – vocals (tracks 11 & 12)

Movie Tie-In Paperback

A movie tie-in paperback was published, by Gold Medal Books, The Kingdom of Johnny Cool by John McPartland,^[6][7][8]