Jason and The Argonauts (1963)

Jason and the Argonauts lobby card set image courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries

Columbia Pictures brought Jason and the Argonauts to movie theaters in 1963. Todd Armstrong has the title role, with Nancy Kovack, Gary Raymond and Honor Blackman in strong support.

Charles H. Schneer Produces Jason and the Argonauts

Charles H. Schneer produced Jason and the Argonauts for Morningside Productions and Columbia Pictures. Schneer was no stranger to sci-fi/fantasy films, having previously produced such fare as The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), The 3 Worlds of Gulliver (1960) and Mysterious Island (1961).

Jan Read and Beverley Cross wrote the screenplay, with Don Chaffey directing. Bernard Hermann created the original music score and Wilkie Cooper served as cinematographer.

Jason and the Argonauts Cast

Todd Armstrong (Jason), Nancy Kovack (Medea) and Gary Raymond (Acastus) head the cast. Other players include Laurence Naismith (Argos), Niall MacGinnis (Zeus), Michael Gwynn (Hermes), Douglas Wilmer (Pelias), Jack Gwillim (King Aeetes), Honor Blackman (Hera), John Cairney (Hylas), Patrick Troughton (Phineas), Andrew Faulds (Phalerus), Nigel Green (Hercules) and John Crawford (Polydeuces).

Jason and the Argonauts Filmed in Italy

Budgeted at $1 million, Jason and the Argonauts was filmed from September to October 1961. Much of the movie was shot in Italy, giving the production a rich, lush Mediterranean look. Shepperton Studios in England and S.A.F.A. Studios in Rome served as the picture’s in-house production facilities.

While filming off the coast of Italy, Jason’s ship, the Argo, suddenly found herself sharing the same waters with a replica of The Golden Hind, Sir Francis Drake’s famous vessel. The British television series, Sir Francis Drake, had also been shooting in the same stretch of ocean. “Get that ship out of here,” Jason’s producer Charles H. Schneer good-naturedly called out to The Golden Hind’s British crew. “You’re in the wrong century!”

Ray Harryhausen’s Special Effects

Touted by Ray Harryhausen as his personal favorite, Jason and the Argonauts afforded the legendary special effects wizard one of the best career opportunities to showcase his talents. Rising to the challenge, Harryhausen delivered, salting the production with a dazzling array of fantastic scenes: the colossus Talos coming to life on the Isle of Bronze; the blind Phineas and his struggle with the Harpies; the bearded Triton rising from the frothing sea to hold back the cliffs at the Strait of the Clashing Rocks; the slaying of the six-headed Hydra; and Jason’s climactic battle with the deathly skeleton army…

Jason and the Argonauts’ Quest for the Golden Fleece

Jason and the Argonauts begins with the murder of the Thessalian king Aristo, who is killed by the scheming Pelias. Escaping the slaughter is Aristo’s son, Jason, who is aided by the Greek goddess Hera. Two decades later a determined Jason attempts to recapture his father’s throne, and embarks on a fantastic quest to bring back the fabled Golden Fleece.

Manning the oars of the Argo are a number of Greece’s finest warriors, including the mighty Hercules. A guilt-ridden Hercules, however, elects not to go on following the loss of young Hylas, whose death on the Isle of Bronze the strongman attributes to his own greed.

As the gods watch and manipulate from the lofty heights of Mount Olympus, Jason and his Argonauts continue their journey. In gratitude for rescuing him from the flying Harpies, the blind Phineas presents Jason with an amulet, which later proves invaluable when the Argo attempts to navigate the Strait of the Clashing Rocks.

Jason and his men eventually make it to Colchis, the land of the Golden Fleece. But Jason’s difficulties are only beginning, as he must now contend with the treacherous King Aeetes, a traitorous Argonaut, the deadly six-headed Hydra and a band of supernatural skeleton warriors.

Jason and the Argonauts Opens in Boston

Jason and the Argonauts premiered in Boston on June 19, 1963.

“This absurd, unwieldy adventure – if that’s the word – is no worse, but certainly no better, than most of its kind,” reported Howard Thompson of The New York Times (8/8/63).

“A diverting spectacle…Handsome Todd Armstrong does a commendable job as Jason and Nancy Kovack is beautiful as his Medea…” observed Variety (6/5/63).

“In Jason and the Argonauts, a rehash of how Jason got the golden fleece, our hero suffers such a plethora of trials by the special effects department (about twice as many as in the legend) that one’s visual appreciativeness is dulled long before the fleece sparkles into view,” opined Robert Hawk of The New York Herald Tribune (8/8/63).

Jason and the Argonauts Best Scene, Movie Memorabilia, DVD

• One of Jason’s best scenes takes place on the mysterious Isle of Bronze when the mammoth Talos – called “a steam-powered King Kong with a drain plug it its heel” by Time magazine – suddenly comes to life.
• Auction results for original Jason and the Argonauts movie memorabilia, courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries, Dallas, Texas: one sheet movie poster ($69), window card ($20), half sheet poster ($35), French Grande poster ($83.65), set of eight lobby cards ($286.80), lot of ten color production stills ($262.90).
• On DVD: Jason and the Argonauts (Columbia/Tristar, 1998).