The Films of Rick Dalton

The Films of Rick Dalton is an upcoming novel written by Quentin Tarantino. It details the life and television career of the fictional actor Rick Dalton. Dalton is the protagonist in Tarantino's ninth film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. In the film, he is portrayed by actor Leonardo DiCaprio. Tarantino has already completed the novel and plans to publish it as his third book.

The Films of Rick Dalton
AuthorQuentin Tarantino
Working titleRick Dalton: The Man Who Would Be McQueen
LanguageEnglish
Subjects

Character biography and background
See also: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood § Plot, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (novel) § Background
Rick Dalton
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood character
Created byQuentin Tarantino
Portrayed byLeonardo DiCaprio
In-universe information
OccupationActor
SpouseFrancesca Capucci
NationalityAmerican
Years Active1957–1988
Stunt DoubleCliff Booth
AgentMarvin Schwarz
NeighborsSharon Tate and Roman Polanski

From the Midwest,[1] Rick Dalton is an actor who moved to Los Angeles and starred in the fictitious television Western series Bounty Law from 1959 to 1963,[2]: page11  inspired by real-life series Wanted Dead or Alive, starring Steve McQueen.[3] Dalton's career was parallel to McQueen's for a couple of years. His series ran on NBC at the same time McQueen's ran on CBS. However, after McQueen starred in The Magnificent Seven their career paths took two very different trajectories.[4] After Bounty Law, Dalton began to appear in supporting film roles, leading to a four-picture-contract with Universal Pictures, ending in 1967. His film career never took off, and in 1967, he started to guest star on TV series as villains.[2]: 10–18  While preparing to film his role in the 1966 movie The 14 Fists of McCluskey, Dalton would practice by using a flamethrower for three hours a day for two weeks.[5]

In February 1969, Dalton has no understanding of New Hollywood or the hippie generation, and sees himself as not belonging. He guest stars on the TV western Lancer, where he is challenged as an actor for the first time by both child actor Trudi Frazer and director Sam Wanamaker. Through this challenge, Dalton is able to see a future for himself in the new generation of filmmaking.[4] Tarantino said of Dalton: "his biggest enemy is himself... his bad guys are his own demons," and likens Dalton finally facing his demons on Lancer to The Wild Bunch facing the Mexican Army.[1]

Dalton's relationship with his stunt double and best friend Cliff Booth is based on Kurt Russell and his stunt double of many years, John Casino,[6][7] and Burt Reynolds' with his longtime stunt double Hal Needham.[8] Tarantino's inspiration for Dalton came from actors whose careers began in classical Hollywood but faltered in the 1960s, including Ty Hardin, who went from starring in a successful TV Western to making Spaghetti Westerns, and also Tab Hunter, George Maharis, Vince Edwards, Fabian Forte, William Shatner and Edd Byrnes, whom Tarantino said DiCaprio responded to the most.[9]: 13:00-14:00, 54:00-56:00 [10][7] In the film, Leonardo DiCaprio based his performance on Ralph Meeker. After watching numerous performances on television and film, DiCaprio really connected with Meeker. He decided that was the guy closest to Dalton, stating: "That was the soul of who Rick Dalton was for me."[1][11] Dalton suffers from alcoholism and an undiagnosed bipolar disorder, inspired by Pete Duel.[11]

After creating the character of Dalton for the film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Tarantino collaborated with DiCaprio to fully develop and craft the character. What attracted DiCaprio to Dalton was that he, along with Booth were telling a Hollywood story as outsiders. DiCaprio saw them as the Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway of Hollywood. They watch Sharon Tate's house as Gatsby and Carraway look at Daisy Buchanan's. DiCaprio described Tate's house as "this crystal castle next door... and they don't belong to it... That's the Hollywood they want to belong to, or at least Rick is desperately hoping to be a part of." DiCaprio and Tarantino studied the performances of Byrnes, Hardin, Meeker and others to find Dalton's identity. DiCaprio also really connected with Dalton's relationships with Trudi Frazer (who he saw as a young Meryl Streep) and Booth. To him, Dalton was a template for Hollywood at the time, and for actor's self doubt which he related to on a personal level.[1] Dalton has a stutter, which DiCaprio based on a friend of his. He stated that it comes out when his friend is nervous and uncertain about his life. DiCaprio felt that it would help to represent Dalton's nervousness and anxiety.[12]

Not included in the film or its novelization, before shooting Spaghetti Westerns in Italy, Dalton's agent Marvin Schwarz arranges for him to have dinner with Sergio Corbucci and his wife, costume designer Nori Bonicelli, during which Dalton confuses Corbucci with Sergio Leone and disparages the English-dubbed version of Navajo Joe. Despite showing little respect or understanding for the genre and the Italian film industry, Dalton agrees to work with Corbucci because he believes he will suit the Nebraska Jim role well.[13]: 2:06  Although Dalton comes to respect Corbucci's methods, his frequent outbursts over the Italian crew's methods of making the film, such as the use of multilingual actors speaking their own language (whose dialogue would later be replaced through dubbing), prompts Corbucci to turn down Dalton's offer to play Hud Dixon in The Specialists in favor of Johnny Hallyday.[13]: 5:57 

Tarantino revealed that Dalton finds more success after the events of the film. His killing of Manson Family member Susan "Sadie" Atkins with a flamethrower from his film The 14 Fists of McCluskey attracts much of the media's attention, leading to offers for roles in feature films. He also gets bigger guest roles in TV series, including an episode of Mission: Impossible centered around his character.[14]

After Dalton stars in the early 1980s film The Fireman, he becomes a straight-to-video action star. He travels to Italy and the Philippines shooting B movie versions of top action films for Cannon Films, and goes on to make two sequels to The Fireman. He continues to guest star on television shows, but he is in high demand and earns top rate for his appearances.[15] In 1988, Dalton retires from acting and moves to Hawaii with his wife Francesca Capucci, eventually meeting Tarantino himself at the 1996 Hawaii International Film Festival.[16]

On May 19, 2023, the Video Archives podcast Twitter account announced that Dalton had died at the age of 90.[17] His portrayer, Leonardo DiCaprio, who is 48, still living in Los Angeles.

Ralph Meeker

Meeker, the actor DiCaprio tapped into the most for his portrayal,[11] served as an influence for a previous Tarantino character. Tarantino's vision for Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis)'s demeanor in Pulp Fiction was that of Meeker's portrayal of Mike Hammer in Robert Aldrich's Kiss Me Deadly.[18]

Novel background

In July 2021, Tarantino revealed that he had written most of a career book, recounting the filmography of Rick Dalton as if he had actually existed. It would include synopses, critical quotes from the time, and recounting of his film and television career until 1988. It details every one of Dalton's appearances on film and episodic television, with most of them being real programs and films with Dalton replacing the actual actor who starred in the project. However some of the films and shows are completely fictional.[15]

One of the fictional films is the vigilante movie The Fireman:

Cliff Booth in 1979 or ’80, wrote a vigilante exploitation movie for Rick ... Rick read it and goes, ‘we can do this better,’ so Rick rewrites it and the two of them are going to produce it, they get the money, and it’s a vigilante movie called, The Fireman. The lead character was in the Vietnam War – it’s very similar to The Exterminator – he became a cop, and then he started seeing this whole group of bad apple cops that are killing guys and are completely corrupt. And they end up killing his partner, played by a very young Samuel L. Jackson ... The film becomes a real big hit, and that makes Rick, he gets a third career, going into the ’80s, as a straight to video action star.[19][15] — Quentin Tarantino

By December 2021, Tarantino expected the book to be released, following his film criticism book titled Cinema Speculation. Tarantino also added that within his Once Upon a Time universe, a fictionalized version of himself writes the book after meeting Dalton and Roger Ebert, and curating a Rick Dalton film retrospective.[20]

Partial fictional filmography

This is an incomplete filmography of Dalton. All information in the filmography can be found in the following sources unless otherwise cited within the filmography.[21][2]: 3–14, 25, 50, 54, 113–116, 193–194, 260, 340, 364, 369–370 [15][14][22][23][5][9]: 22:00–24:00, 1:02:00–1:07:00 [24][25]

Television

Real films

Although these films are real, any information including Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth is fictional.

Additionally, Dalton was up for the part of Lover Boy in the 1959 film Gidget. The role ultimately went to Tom Laughlin.[2]: 3  He was also reportedly considered for the role of Virgil "The Cooler King" Hilts (Steve McQueen) in John Sturges' The Great Escape.[2]: 19 

Drag Race, No Stop (unknown year)

Cast

Crew

Jigsaw Jane (unknown year)

Cast

Crew

Comanche Uprising (1961)

Cast

Crew

Big Game (1963)

Cast

  • Rick Dalton - Randy Wilson

Crew

Hellfire, Texas (1964)

Based on the novel by Nelson and Shirley Wolford. (Based on the real film A Time for Killing)

Cast

Crew

Tanner (1965)

Loosely based on Gunman's Walk (1958).

Cast

Crew

The 14 Fists of McCluskey (1966)

Dalton replaced Fabian Forte, who broke his shoulder shortly before shooting. Inspired by Roger Corman's 1964 film The Secret Invasion[28] and Phil Karlson's Hornets' Nest. 14 Fists was filmed in Yugoslavia.

Cast

Crew

Salty, The Talking Sea Otter (1967)

Cast

  • Rick Dalton - Jed Martin

Kill Me Quick, Ringo, Said The Gringo (1969)

Cast

Nebraska Jim (1970)

The 1966 Spaghetti Western film Savage Gringo or Ringo Del Nebraska was released in Germany as Nebraska Jim.[33]

Cast

  • Rick Dalton - Nebraska Jim
  • Daphna Ben-Cobo

Crew

Red Blood, Red Skin (1970)

Based on the novel The Only Good Indian Is a Dead Indian by Floyd Ray Wilson (Floyd Ray Wilson is the name of the boxer Butch Coolidge kills in the ring in Pulp Fiction). Inspired by Land Raiders (1970).

Cast

Hell Boats (1970)

Cast

  • Rick Dalton - Lt. Cmdr. Jeffords

Crew

Operazione Dyn-O-Mite! (1970)

A spaghetti James Bond rip-off-type film. Archive footage from Death on the Run was used in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood for the Operazione Dyn-O-Mite scenes. Also inspired by Secret Agent Super Dragon and Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die.

Cast

  • Rick Dalton - Jason (Ty Hardin played the role in Death on the Run. Tarantino saw the character and film as a precursor for Jason Bourne.)
  • Francesca Capucci
  • Margaret Lee

Crew

The Fireman (early 1980s)

Cast

Crew

  • Director - Rick Dalton
    • Action sequences - Cliff Booth
  • Producers - Rick Dalton, Cliff Booth
  • Writers - Cliff Booth, Rick Dalton

Sequels

  • The Fireman 2 (1980s) — lead role
  • The Fireman 3 (1980s) — lead role

Coming Home In a Body Bag (late 1980s)

Sometime in the late 1980s, Dalton appeared in the film Coming Home In a Body Bag.[34][35] The film is originally referred to in the Tarantino penned True Romance.[36] Within the Tarantino universe, the film is a well known Vietnam War film, with its title alluding to Hal Ashby's real-life 1978 Vietnam film Coming Home.[37]

Cast

Crew

References
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