Lawman

1971

Brainscan's comments:

This scene has been the white whale to my Ahab, in that I have sought it from one end of the earth to the other and watched for it, always in vain, forever frustrated.  Not so long ago, I gave up and made peace with the idea it had been a phantom, this scene with Sheree topless in bed with Burt Lancaster, because no matter where I looked, in every version of the movie she has bed sheets held tightly to her marvelous chest as she and Burt share a post-coital moment.  But then a week ago, what before my eyes should appear but an R rated DVD Region 2 of Lawman, whereas all others had been PG.  Could it be?  Might it be?  The white whale?  Well, my friends, thar she blows, or at least thar she lies with her real and spectacular hoots for all to see.  

Ms. North was 38 or 39 when she appeared in Lawman – she was born in 1932 – and had started in Hollywood almost 20 years earlier.  For much of the late 50’s and very early 60’s she was seen by movie execs as a rival to Marilyn Monroe.  One studio even threatened to replace Monroe with her in an attempt to force the doomed actress to show up for work on time.  From this scene it is clear there is no mistaking Ms. North’s physical charms, even as time wore on.  Marilyn she was not, but beautiful she was.  

Now, the medium is DVD not HD and the scene is shot with a candle or two lighting their bedroom, but beggars – which I have been for so long – cannot be choosers, so I’ll take this little gem and wait patiently for the movie to show up on 4K UHD someday.

Sheree North film clip