Jane Russell is Amanda Lawrence, a prominent socialite from New York. Out on a drive in the desert, away from the resort where she is staying with her mother, Amanda's car breaks down and she hitches a ride with the handsome Jonathan "Dart" Dartland (Jeff Chandler), a mining engineer working for the Tyson Copper company. The two hit it off immediately and impulsively marry, despite Amanda's mother (Frieda Inescort), who objects to Dart's half-Apache heritage.
Once married, Amanda and Dart move to the mining town of Lodestone, where he wants to find gold. While their relationship is passionate at the start, their marriage soon hits a rocky patch when Dart declares to Amanda that he has no interest in having children. Meanwhile, Amanda is on the receiving end of the affections of Dart's friend Hugh (Dan Duryea), leading Dart to believe that she is having an affair. In addition to their marriage woes, Amanda doesn't feel welcome among the miners in Lodestone, many of whom superstitiously believe that women are bad luck.
Foxfire was originally to star June Allyson, who closely fit the description of the Amanda Lawrence in Anya Seton's novel. When Allyson ultimately left the project, Universal-International cast the voluptuous Jane Russell instead, a completely different take from the more reserved, innocent, girl-next-door look of Allyson. This was one of many departures from Seton's original story, both aesthetic and plot-related, which included a change in the timeframe of the story from Depression-era to post-World War II.
Foxfire was released just two years after Jane Russell starred in Howard Hawks' sparkling musical comedy Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) alongside Marilyn Monroe, arguably the peak of Russell's film career. She got her start in the infamous Howard Hughes film The Outlaw (1943), which not only made Russell a star but cemented her image as one of Hollywood's great sex symbols. Throughout the 1940s and early-to-mid 1950s, Russell starred in several films, including two with Bob Hope: The Paleface (1948) and Son of Paleface (1952), as well as a cameo in Road to Bali (1952). But it was her on-screen partnership with her good friend Robert Mitchum in two films, His Kind of Woman (1951) and Macao (1952), in addition to her Dorothy Shaw in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, that audiences best remember today.
After a handful of uncredited and small parts in the mid-to-late 1940s, Brooklyn-born Jeff Chander (born Ira Grossel) finally broke through with his Academy Award-winning role as Cochise in Delmer Daves' Western Broken Arrow (1950), starring James Stewart and Debra Paget. Due to his dark features, Chandler, who was Jewish, was often cast as Native American characters, a common practice at the time. While best known for his work in Westerns and action-adventure films, Chandler is also popular for his work in female-centric romantic dramas like Foxfire and the film noir-esque Female on the Beach (1955), also directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Joan Crawford.
Chandler was also a singer, recording several albums and singles, including the theme song for Foxfire. After breaking free of his contract with Universal, Chandler went freelance, starring in films such as Jeanne Eagels (1957) with Kim Novak for Columbia. During the filming of Merrill's Marauders in April 1961, Chandler seriously injured his back, leading to a necessary surgical procedure as soon as the film ended production. Two months later, Chandler died at the age of 42 from several complications that arose during his recovery.
Director: Joseph Pevney
Producer: Aaron Rosenberg
Screenplay: Ketti Frings
Cinematography: William H. Daniels
Editing: Ted J. Kent
Music: Frank Skinner
Cast: Jane Russell (Amanda Lawrence), Jeff Chandler (Jonathan Dartland), Dan Duryea (High Slater), Mara Corday (Maria), Barton MacLane (Jim Mablett), Frieda Inescort (Mrs. Lawrence), Celia Lovsky (Princess Saba), Eddy Waller (Old Larky), Robert F. Simon (Ernest Tyson), Charlotte Wynters (Mrs. Mablett), Robert Bice (Walt Whiteman) and Arthur Space (Foley).
C-92m
By Jill Blake
