The Truth About Spring

1965 film by Richard Thorpe

The Truth About Spring

Theatrical poster

Directed by| Richard Thorpe
Written by| James Lee Barrett
Based on| Satan: A Romance of the Bahamas (1921) by Henry De Vere Stacpoole
Produced by| Alan Brown
Starring|

* Hayley Mills
* John Mills
* James MacArthur

Cinematography| Edward Scaife
Edited by| Thomas Stanford
Music by| Robert Farnon

Production
company

Quota Rentals

Distributed by|

* Rank Film Distributors (UK)
* Universal Pictures (US)

Release date

| 31 March 1965

Running time

| 102 minutes
Countries|

* United Kingdom
* United States

Language| English
Box office| $1,500,000[1]

The Truth about Spring (also known as The Pirates of Spring Cove or Miss Jude)[2] is a 1965 American-British Technicolor adventure film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Hayley Mills, John Mills and James MacArthur.[3] It is a romantic comedy adventure. It was released by Universal.[4] According to Filmink "it tried to be a Disney-style adventure-romance, complete with another Disney alumni as lead (James MacArthur) and location filming (Spain), but did not work."[5]

## Plot[edit]

Spring lives with her father, Tommy Tyler, aboard a run-down sailboat in the Florida Keys. She has lived a simple, carefree, and isolated life. She has never felt desire or love until William Ashton joins them for a zany adventure involving buried treasure. Ashton, who is from a wealthy Philadelphia family and graduated from Harvard Law School, comes aboard the Sarah Tyler for some fishing. Instead, he becomes involved in a modern-day pirate adventure. He falls in love with Spring and envies her simple and honest lifestyle. Spring initially dislikes Ashton – a variation of Pride and Prejudice where boy meets girl and girl hates boy. By the end of the film, no treasure is found but Spring realizes she loves Ashton. Against all sense of propriety, he asks her to marry him. Spring initially resists, concerned over how her father would manage without her, but Tommy insists she go with him, telling her he wants grandchildren.

## Cast[edit]

* Hayley Mills as Spring Tyler
* John Mills as Captain Tommy Tyler
* James MacArthur as William Ashton
* David Tomlinson as Ashton's bored, rich uncle.
* Lionel Jeffries as José Carkez
* Harry Andrews as Judd Sellers
* Niall MacGinnis as Cleary
* Lionel Murton as Simmons

## Production[edit]

The film was based on the 1921 novel Satan by Henry de Vere Stacpoole.[6] The book was filmed in 1925 as Satan's Sister.

The film was announced in September 1963 as Miss Jude with both Mills attached from the beginning.[7] Producer Alan Brown had been associate producer to Samuel Bronston and this would be his first film as production.[8] It was the third film John and Hayley Mills had made together after Tiger Bay and The Chalk Garden. John Mills said he wanted to use the title Close to the Wind but it was held by another studio.[9]

Location shooting took place in S'Agaró on the Costa Brava in southern Spain and started 22 April 1964.[10] The MGM-British Studios at Elstree were also used for some shooting. The film's sets were designed by the art director Gil Parrondo.

David Tomlinson later called it "a truly dreadful film but with my new-found Hollywood cachet I was billed as making a 'Guest Appearance' in nice big capital letters".[11]

John Mills later wrote "if the picture had turned out to be half as good as the food, the wine, the time and the laughs we had on that location it would have been a sensation - unfortunately it wasn't."[12]

## Further reading[edit]

* De Vere Stacpoole, Henry (1921). Satan: A Romance of the Bahamas. New York: Robert M. McBride and Company. Reprinted 2013 by Duff Press ISBN 978-1473302211

## See also[edit]

* Satan's Sister (1925), based on the same book
* The Cruise of the Make-Believes (1918), which has a similar theme

## References[edit]

1. ^ Anticipated rentals accruing distributors in North America. See "Top Grossers of 1965", Variety, 5 January 1966 p 36
2. ^ "The Pirates of Spring Cove". Sky movies. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
3. ^ Howard Thompson (17 June 1965). "NY Times review". New York Times. Retrieved 15 November 2008.
4. ^ TRUTH ABOUT SPRING, The Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 32, Iss. 372, (Jan 1, 1965): 96.
5. ^ Vagg, Stephen (19 March 2022). "Movie Star Cold Streaks: Hayley Mills". Filmink.
6. ^ Stacpoole's "Satan" New York Times 8 May 1921: 49
7. ^ Looking at Hollywood: 'Miss Jude' Will Star Hayley and Her Dad Hopper, Hedda. Chicago Tribune 30 Sep 1963: b7.
8. ^ Stage 'Albatross to Be MGM Comedy: Actor Pledges Clean Films; Hayley's Father Finally Is Scheuer, Philip K. Los Angeles Times 6 July 1964: C19.
9. ^ BY WAY OF REPORT By A.H. WEILER. New York Times 8 Mar 1964: X9.
10. ^ Surprise Nazi Ruse Told in '36 Hours': 'Ship's' Company First Class; MacArthur Son With Hayley Scheuer, Philip K. Los Angeles Times 21 Apr 1964: C9
11. ^ Tomlinson, David (1990). Luckier than most : an autobiography. Hodder and Stoughton. p. 151.
12. ^ Mills, John (1981). Up in the clouds, gentlemen please. Penguin. p. 368.

## External links[edit]

* The Truth About Spring at IMDb
* The Truth About Spring at Rotten Tomatoes
* The Truth About Spring at the TCM Movie Database

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Richard Thorpe

Films|

* Fast and Fearless (1924)
* Battling Buddy (1924)
* Bringin' Home the Bacon (1924)
* Thundering Romance (1924)
* Rough Ridin' (1924)
* Double Action Daniels (1925)
* Full Speed (1925)
* Gold and Grit (1925)
* Galloping On (1925)
* The Desert Demon (1925)
* A Streak of Luck (1925)
* The Saddle Cyclone (1925)
* Fast Fightin' (1925)
* On the Go (1925)
* Double Daring (1926)
* The Bonanza Buckaroo (1926)
* Deuce High (1926)
* The Twin Triggers (1926)
* College Days (1926)
* The Bandit Buster (1926)
* The Dangerous Dub (1926)
* Rawhide (1926)
* Twisted Triggers (1926)
* Josselyn's Wife (1926)
* The Meddlin' Stranger (1927)
* The First Night (1927)
* The Obligin' Buckaroo (1927)
* Ride 'em High (1927)
* The Galloping Gobs (1927)
* The Desert of the Lost (1927)
* Tearin' Into Trouble (1927)
* The Ridin' Rowdy (1927)
* Roarin' Broncs (1927)
* White Pebbles (1927)
* Skedaddle Gold (1927)
* The Cyclone Cowboy (1927)
* Pals in Peril (1927)
* The Soda Water Cowboy (1927)
* The Ballyhoo Buster (1928)
* The Flyin' Buckaroo (1928)
* The Cowboy Cavalier (1928)
* The Valley of Hunted Men (1928)
* Saddle Mates (1928)
* Desperate Courage (1928)
* Border Romance (1929)
* The Utah Kid (1930)
* The Dude Wrangler (1930)
* Wings of Adventure (1930)
* Under Montana Skies (1930)
* The Thoroughbred (1930)
* Grief Street (1931)
* The Lawless Woman (1931)
* Murder at Dawn (1931)
* Forgotten Women (1931)
* The Devil Plays (1931)
* Neck and Neck (1931)
* Forgotten (1931)
* Beauty Parlor (1932)
* Escapade (1932)
* Forbidden Company (1932)
* Cross-Examination (1932)
* The King Murder (1932)
* The Midnight Lady (1932)
* Probation (1932)
* Slightly Married (1932)
* The Secrets of Wu Sin (1932)
* Thrill of Youth (1932)
* Women Won't Tell (1932)
* A Man of Sentiment (1933)
* Murder on the Campus (1933)
* Rainbow Over Broadway (1933)
* Love Is Dangerous (1933)
* City Park (1934)
* Stolen Sweets (1934)
* Green Eyes (1934)
* Cheating Cheaters (1934)
* Secret of the Chateau (1934)
* The Quitter (1934)
* Strange Wives (1934)
* Last of the Pagans (1935)
* The Voice of Bugle Ann (1936)
* Tarzan Escapes (1936)
* Dangerous Number (1937)
* Night Must Fall (1937)
* Double Wedding (1937)
* Man-Proof (1938)
* Love Is a Headache (1938)
* The First Hundred Years (1938)
* The Toy Wife (1938)
* The Crowd Roars (1938)
* Three Loves Has Nancy (1939)
* The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939)
* Tarzan Finds a Son! (1939)
* The Earl of Chicago (1940)
* 20 Mule Team (1940)
* Wyoming (1940)
* The Bad Man (1941)
* Barnacle Bill (1941)
* Tarzan's Secret Treasure (1941)
* Apache Trail (1942)
* Tarzan's New York Adventure (1942)
* White Cargo (1942)
* Three Hearts for Julia (1943)
* Above Suspicion (1943)
* Cry 'Havoc' (1943)
* Two Girls and a Sailor (1944)
* The Thin Man Goes Home (1944)
* Thrill of a Romance (1945)
* What Next, Corporal Hargrove? (1945)
* Her Highness and the Bellboy (1945)
* Fiesta (1947)
* This Time for Keeps (1947)
* On an Island with You (1948)
* A Date with Judy (1948)
* The Sun Comes Up (1949)
* Big Jack (1949)
* Challenge to Lassie (1949)
* Malaya (1949)
* Black Hand (1950)
* Three Little Words (1950)
* Vengeance Valley (1951)
* The Great Caruso (1951)
* The Unknown Man (1951)
* It's a Big Country (1952)
* Carbine Williams (1952)
* Ivanhoe (1952)
* The Prisoner of Zenda (1952)
* The Girl Who Had Everything (1953)
* All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953)
* Knights of the Round Table (1954)
* The Student Prince (1954)
* Athena (1954)
* The Prodigal (1955)
* The Adventures of Quentin Durward (1955)
* Ten Thousand Bedrooms (1957)
* Tip on a Dead Jockey (1957)
* Jailhouse Rock (1957)
* The House of the Seven Hawks (1959)
* Killers of Kilimanjaro (1959)
* The Tartars (1961)
* The Honeymoon Machine (1961)
* The Horizontal Lieutenant (1962)
* Follow the Boys (1963)
* Fun in Acapulco (1963)
* The Golden Head (1964)
* The Truth About Spring (1965)
* That Funny Feeling (1965)
* The Last Challenge (1967)
* The Scorpio Letters (1967)

Serials|

* Vultures of the Sea (1928)
* The Vanishing West (1928)
* The Fatal Warning (1929)
* The King of the Kongo (1929)
* The Lone Defender (1930)
* King of the Wild (1931)

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