In the past, we have never got the chance to see this action packed film set in South Africa – but on the wonderful Talking Pictures Channel a couple of days ago, we did get that opportunity – and a Big Thank You to them for that.
Filmed in Technirama and Technicolor – and mainly around the town of Brits – which is somewhere between Johannesburg and Pretoria and South of Sun City – and some of the interior shots were done at a small Studio in Pretoria.
Filming began in Mid February 1961 and ended early to mid April 1961
Richard Todd starred along with Lionel Jeffries – and a strong cast
BELOW – A thrilling sequence. His wife played by Anne Aubrey, has just broken the news to her husband Ernie Dobbs, played by Jamie Uys, that she had been attacked and accosted by the leader of the Hellions. He receives this news while escaping with his family from the town on the train. On hearing this shocking information he decides to jump from the train – as pictured below, and go back and face the Hellions head on. 
The final confrontation between lawman Richard Todd and ‘baddie’ brilliantly played by Lionel Jeffries. Terrific action sequence this proves to be on the roof of a building.
Stuntman Bob Simmons made the dramatic fall from the roof – in the scenes below. He also doubled for Richard Todd when he had to dive through a glass door into a room.
BELOW: The Last TWO of the Hellions are killed by the townsfolk after their reign of terror – Just below Marty Wilde comes to a sticky end – and the one played by Colin Blakeley tries to escape on horseback but is brought down with a long distance rifle shot.
BELOW – Closing Credits of the film – a really thrilling film it was too !! 
Good action drama all round.
Please look out for this one coming up again on Talking Picture – it no doubt will do shortly.
The last time The Hellions were actually on TV was on the defunct ABC TV, the weekend ITV contractor for Midlands & North on a Sunday night in 1967.
Alan. That is a very interesting snippet that you have come up with and gives us an accurate time-scale too. Over 50 years since this appeared on our TV sets it seems. Hope you enjoyed the film as I did. Really Good and action packed. Neil
Dreadfully blurred pan and scan transfer of a 2.35:1 Technirama film. Talking Pictures TV, as well as showing some good transfers, occasionally show something as badly transferred as this. It seems that Sony have never gotten around to transferring this film in its proper aspect ratio (same width as CinemaScope), so all that’s available is this made for television in the days of cathode ray tubes and 4 x 3 screens. The whole look of the film is ruined, with us only being able to see half the original image
David, Quite right and you raise a pet gripe of mine too – not just with this film, but with many, that I know for a fact were made in wide screen but seem to be shown on TV in the old ‘prepared for TV’ format of a few years ago. Maybe we should contact Talking Pictures on this subject.
This film made in Technirama which was similar to Cinemascope, must have looked very impressive on the big screen – very much a forerunner of Zulu which was made only a few years after this one but seems to have constant popularity, whereas The Hellions has sunk almost without trace. Both with superb South African locations. As you know, Richard Todd returned to Africa soon after for Death Drums of the River and Coast of Skeletons – neither one as good as this though. Neil