In 1973, Lesley-Anne Down co-starred in Scalawag, a pet project of actor Kirk Douglas (he co-directed and produced it through his own company). The British actress is wonderful in this family film which is sort of a pirate movie crossed with a western.
Scalawag was never all that successful, so it seems, but the film has nevertheless remained of interest to many viewers. Kirk Douglas fans have obviously sought this one out, but fans of several others including Lesley-Anne Down and child star Mark Lester, as well as the famous cinematographer Jack Cardiff, may have also wanted to see Scalawag.
A good movie, despite a somewhat odd tone and some rough editing, Scalawag is a fun piece of nostalgia. You'd think that this film would have been made available years ago. Instead it has remained relatively obscure despite it's obvious appeal to adults and children and to curious movie fans in general.
Lesley-Anne Down is terrific in Scalawag. The young actress, around 18 or 19 years old at the time, is wonderfully beautiful and quite appealing in her role. She has great screen presence and it's surprising to me that the American film industry didn't really utilize her until several years later.
Here are some images of Lesley-Anne Down in Scalawag:
