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4 unusual facts about The Naked Runner


The Naked Runner

Sinatra was in need of a hit -- Marriage on the Rocks and Assault on a Queen having flopped in the two previous years -- so he put actor and trusted aide Brad Dexter in charge of finding a suitable vehicle.

The title comes from a quote from Arthur Symons' In the wood of Finvava "A naked runner lost in a storm of spears" that begins the book.

However, in Copenhagen, Sinatra left to perform at a rally for California's Democrat governor Pat Brown (running against Republican Ronald Reagan).

The reviews of the film weren't enough to keep away audiences who made the film Sinatra's first hit - albeit a minor one - since the massive success of Von Ryan's Express two years prior.



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