Thunder in the Sun ** (1959, Susan Hayward, Jeff Chandler, Jacques Bergerac) – Classic Movie Review 13,915

Basque immigrants face a love triangle and hostile Indians as they battle to California, in the 1959 Technicolor Western film Thunder in the Sun starring Susan Hayward and Jeff Chandler.

‘The Sun Never Blazed On A More Savage Saga!’

Writer/ director Russell Rouse’s unconvincing 1959 Technicolor film Thunder in the Sun stars Susan Hayward and Jeff Chandler in a totally routine Western about French Basque immigrant settlers going West around 1850 to cultivate their ancestral vines in California and taking their wagon train through hostile Indian land, hiring a scout to lead them.

Amid all the troubles, hard drinking scout and trail master Lon Bennett (Chandler) and young head Basque Pepe Dauphin (Jacques Bergerac) find time to romance the tough and strong spirited Gabrielle Dauphin (Hayward), unhappy wife of the old Basque leader Andre Dauphin (Carl Esmond).

[Spoiler alert] Gabrielle’s husband Andre is killed in an accident, and Andre’s brother Pepe becomes her protector and is set to be her future husband according to the Basque customs.

Writer-director Rouse doesn’t aim for subtlety or freshness, and nor do the performers, but the film is short (at 81 minutes) and shot in lovely unreal colour by master cinematographer Stanley Cortez. It helps that Hayward and Jeff Chandler are their usual forceful personalities, but there is too much love triangle romance and talk, most of it none too involving, and too little action. And there is too much phoney looking indoor work for a Western: 90 per cent of the stars’ outdoor scenes are shot in the studio with projected backgrounds. However, the location work, when it comes, is attractive, and the action, when it comes, is impressively staged. Probably, it needed a bigger budget to be awesome. The script doesn’t bother about bring true to actual Basque customs, on the principal, presumably, that it is only a movie, and a very humbly intentioned and moderate one at that.

Filming started 21 July 1958 with location work in Mount Whitney, Sierra Nevada, California, followed by several other California locations. It was released on April 8, 1959.

Cast: Susan Hayward as Gabrielle Dauphin, Jeff Chandler as Lon Bennett, Jacques Bergerac as Pepe Dauphin, Blanche Yurka (final theatrical release) as Louise Dauphin, Carl Esmond as Andre Dauphin, Fortunio Bonanova as Fernando Christophe, Bertrand Castelli as Edmond Duquette, Veda Ann Borg as Marie, Albert Carrier [Albert Carrieri] as Basque, Pedro Córdoba de Córdoba as Gabrielle’s Dance Partner, Felix Locher as Danielle, Albert Villasainte [Alberto Vila] as Basque, Michèle Marly (final film) as Basque, and June Wilkinson (debut) as Buxom Blonde at Marie’s Place.

Thunder in the Sun is directed by Russell Rouse, runs 81 minutes, is made by Seven Arts Productions and Carrollton Inc, is released by Paramount Pictures, is written by Russel Rouse and Stewart Stern, based on an uncredited story by James Hill and Guy Trosper. is shot by Stanley Cortez, is produced by Clarence Greene, and is scored by Cyril J Mockridge.

Russell Rouse won a shared Oscar for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen for the 1960 film Pillow Talk, shared with his business partner Clarence Greene and Stanley Shapiro and Maurice Richlin. And he was nominated Best Writing, Story and Screenplay for the 1952 film The Well, shared with his business partner Clarence Greene. Rouse has 18 screenwriter credits between 1942 and 1988, co-writing many stories and scripts with Clarence Greene.  Rouse married actress Beverly Michaels in 1957.

© Derek Winnert 2026 – Classic Movie Review 13,915

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