ĭerek travelled to Italy to appear in Pirate of the Half Moon (1957). He wanted to make a film about Joaquin Murrieta but it was never made. He also appeared as Joshua in The Ten Commandments (1956). His first films for the studio were Run for Cover (1955), a Western with James Cagney and Nicholas Ray and The Leather Saint (1956), a boxing film. In March 1954, Derek signed a long-term contract with Paramount. He had a showy role as John Wilkes Booth in Prince of Players (1955) at Fox, then was in a drama An Annapolis Story (1955) at Allied Artists. Walter Wanger used him for The Adventures of Hajji Baba (1954) released by 20th Century Fox, a surprise hit. Freelance actor ĭerek made another film for Republic, The Outcast (1954), a Western. He was back with Hodiak for Mission Over Korea (1953), a Korean War film, then was again borrowed by Republic for Sea of Lost Ships (1953). He went back to Columbia for Prince of Pirates (1953), a swashbuckler for Sam Katzman two Westerns, Ambush at Tomahawk Gap (1953), with John Hodiak and The Last Posse (1953) with Crawford. He was in a crime noir, The Family Secret (1951), then reunited with Crawford in Scandal Sheet (1952).ĭerek was borrowed by Republic Pictures for a war film, Thunderbirds (1952). The novel was bought specifically as a vehicle for Derek. Instead, Columbia put him in another swashbuckler, Mask of the Avenger (1951), then gave him a good dramatic role in a prestige film, Saturday's Hero (1951), as a college football player.
He was meant to follow it with The Gainesville Circus, but it was never made. Ĭolumbia promoted him to lead roles, as Robin Hood in Rogues of Sherwood Forest (1950) with Alan Hale the Los Angeles Times called him a "slim and beautiful youth". In September 1950, he had his name formally changed to John Derek. Derek followed it with a supporting role as the son of Broderick Crawford in All the King's Men (1949), the Best Picture Oscar winner for its year. The film was made for Bogart's Santana company and released through Columbia Pictures, who signed Derek to a seven-year contract in April 1948. The Los Angeles Times called him "a handsome hot-eyed newcomer who makes the case for this product of the city's slums-'live fast, die young and have a good looking corpse'-all too fascinating for everybody's comfort." Derek was recognized as a talented newcomer, "plainly an idol for the girls", as Bosley Crowther wrote in a review for The New York Times. After the war, Derek had a small role in A Double Life (1947) when he was approached by Humphrey Bogart, who renamed him John Derek and cast him as Nick "Pretty Boy" Romano, an unrepentant killer, in Knock on Any Door (1949), a socially conscious melodrama directed by Nicholas Ray.
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