Read my full review here:
Roll on Texas Moon
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Friday, December 30, 2011
Sartana in the Valley of Death...
Sartana in the Valley of Death 
Unrelated to the Sartana character made famous by Gianni Garko, this similarly clad outlaw hero is Lee Calloway (played by genre veteran William Berger). Lee is a man with a price on his head and a gun that is ready to eliminate anyone seeking to cash him in.
The film opens with enough style and atmosphere to make it look appealing to any fans of the sub-genre that is the spaghetti western, but it quickly falls apart as its relatively short running time begins to drag like a long walk in the desert. The film isn’t without its bright spots, but unfortunately for the viewer, those spots are few and far between.
After evading several attempts to kill him, or capture him, Lee Calloway agrees to break out a group of outlaws who are being held in prison, and are about to find their necks fitted for a noose. Lee successfully busts the men out and they agree to pay him one half of the gold that they have stolen and hid in the desert.
What follows is a less-than-intricate game of cat and mouse, as the fugitives do their best to outwit Calloway, and he manages to turn the tables on them a number of times too. Sartana in the
-William J. White
One Damned Day at Dawn... Django meets Sartana!
One Damned Day at Dawn… Django meets Sartana! (1970)
Director Sergio Corbucci’s 1966 film Django, proved to be one of the most popular, and most influential spaghetti westerns ever. In fact, it was so influential, and so popular, that it spawned a ton of knock-offs, spin-offs, unofficial sequels, and general rip-offs. So much so, that trying to make sense of all of the imitators, and influence is a career in the making.
The star of the original movie was Franco Nero and Nero has pointed out on several occasions, that Django was so popular in Germany, that virtually every movie he made afterwards managed to be turned into Django sequels when they were released in Germany. The Shark Hunter became Django and the Sharks when it found its way to German screens, similarly speaking, if Nero made a modern-day gangster movie, the Germans would probably have called it Django vs. the Mafia.
Another incredibly popular, influential, and generally exploited spaghetti western was director Gianfranco Parolini’s 1968 classic If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death. Next to Django, it’s almost ridiculous to try and catalogue the number of would-be sequels that came in its wake. Never mind the fact that were a number of official sequels and that the film’s star Gianni Garko, actually starred in a number of the unofficial sequels/rip-offs too.
All of that said; here comes a movie that tries to double its impact by cashing-in on both of these iconic euro-western heroes. I’m pleased to say that although it doesn’t present strong imitations of either popular character, this film does deliver when it comes to the basic fun aspects of what makes the spaghetti western such an enjoyable sub-genre of the western movie.
Part of the fun comes from the tight direction delivered by Demofilo Fidani, it’s pretty apparent that the man was having some serious fun on the set, and it shines on the screen too. But, more to the point, the story works, and it never drags, it moves forward at a great pace, and it’s all fun to watch.
Fabio Testi is Sheriff Jack Ronson, an un-proven; tenderfoot lawman that arrives in the gang-controlled town of Black, and finds that he is drowning in a sea of crime, corruption, and general danger. He is called-out almost immediately by the real boss of the town; Bud Willer (played by Dino Strano) a brutal outlaw who rules the town with an iron fist. With the help of his henchman Sanchez, Willer not only gets away with murder, he can keep the town under his control, and all witnesses to their crimes remain fearfully silent.
Oddly enough, Testi represents the Sartana character in the title’s equation, despite the fact that the character bares no resemblance to the classic rendition of Sartana. Fabio not only doesn’t act like the original character, he doesn’t look like, or even dress like the true Sartana. So, that said, nothing about this character even reminds the viewer of its intended reference.
Furthermore, when we are introduced to the Jack Betts portrayed stranger that arrives in town, seeking vengeance against the men that were responsible for the deaths of his wife’s brothers. We automatically assume that he is Sartana, but no, he is Django, and he’s carrying himself with more of the Sartana swagger than any of the Django edge. It’s funny, because I’ve read somewhere that Jack never bothered to watch the original Django movie, and so he just went with his gut, and performed the character as he saw fit. It works, until we realize that this is Django, not Sartana, and once we realize that Testi is supposed to be Sartana, it now works if you ignore all of the attempts to capitalize on the other two movies, and just enjoy it as a self-contained work, thoroughly un-related to the movies that the filmmakers were attempting to cash in on.
It would be easy to complain, but why bother? If imitation is the highest form of flattery, than exploitation is the highest acknowledgement of true success.
-William J. White
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Wild Country...
Wild Country (1947)
Producers Releasing Corporation was probably the lowest budget of all low budget movie production companies. Their movies were literally made on a shoestring budget and it’s kind of ironic that their initials were PRC, because many people refer to these kinds of movie companies as poverty row companies.
PRC did work with some major talent though; their westerns featured such heroes as Buster Crabbe and Lash La Rue. Eddie Dean had been a bit player in several Gene Autry films, but he had more potential than Republic Pictures had ever realized, and it would take a few starring roles in several smaller productions to prove it. Those smaller efforts would eventually lead to his series for PRC.
Lacking the charm of Gene Autry or Roy Rogers, Eddie Dean would never quite reach their level of popularity, but what Dean lacked in charisma he more than made up for with his vocal talents. He had one of the finest voices in the ranks of the singing cowboys and I’m very surprised that he isn’t more fondly remembered than some of his other contemporaries.
Wild Country finds Eddie and his sidekick Soapy (played Roscoe Ates) on the trail of the outlaw Rip Caxton (portrayed by the ever reliable I. Stanford Jolley). Along the way Dean sings a few tunes (including the title track and Ain't No Gal Got a Brand On Me), Soapy provides some comedic antics, and a few good fights round out the mix.
Not a particularly memorable movie, but entertaining none the less, and it does move along quickly enough to not wear out its welcome. Clocking in at less than an hour it’s certainly a decent enough time killer.
-William J. White
Blazing Guns...
Blazing Guns (1943)
The Trail Blazers series wasn’t one of the longest running b-western series around, but what it lacked in volume, it more than made up for in audacity. These movies were action packed and downright full of fun.
Ken Maynard and Hoot Gibson play Marshal Maynard and Marshal Gibson, the Governor sends them to the town of
Despite the fact that our heroes are beginning to look either long in the tooth, or fairly round in the gut, this movie still manages to work. The story is rather secondary, it’s designed to build up just enough tension to make the final shootout really exciting. Which is exactly what the final shootout is; it’s exciting, action packed, and more than a little violent. This climax would have made Sam Peckinpah proud, sure, by today’s standards it may seem a bit tame, but to a 1943 crowd of children this was probably one of the most violent shootouts they’d ever seen, a lot of them probably walked out of that theater with a look resembling some the first crowds that saw the Wild Bunch.
-William J. White
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Blue Montana Skies...
Blue
With nearly one hundred movies to his credit and over ninety episodes of a TV series that bore his name, Gene Autry was one of the biggest movie stars that the b-western genre ever produced. Not only was he a movie star, he was also a singing star, a radio star, and his stage shows played to sold out crowds all over this country.
In nearly all of his screen appearances Autry played Gene Autry, not always the same Gene Autry though, sometimes he’s Autry the lawman, sometimes he was Gene Autry the rancher, sometimes he was radio singing star Gene Autry, he was even Congressman Autry once. It didn’t matter what the setting was, or when the action was taking place, Gene was always essentially just playing himself. This formula worked very well and it made Autry the king of the singing cowboys.
Autry’s first starring role was in a cliffhanger serial from 1935, the serial was called the Phantom Empire, and it was directed by B. Reeves Eason. Blue Montana Skies was also directed by B. Reeves Eason, Autry and Eason only paired up five times, but all of the movies they made together, or at least the ones I’ve had the opportunity to see, turned out to be rather above average for the singing cowboy genre.
Blue Montana Skies is no exception either, it’s very exciting, and it’s a whole lot of fun as well. Smugglers are carrying illegal fox furs across the Canadian border into the
Like many of Autry’s movies this one also features Smiley Burnette. Comedic sidekicks are very common in b-westerns, Gabby Hayes was probably the most popular of all them, but for my money, Smiley Burnette was the best of all of them. He was genuinely funny and his musical numbers are among some of my favorites ever.
As Autry movies go, this one is certainly a fun ride, and it’s also one of his more underrated movies. Seek it out, you might be pleasantly surprised.
-William J. White
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