Read Spaghetti Westerns for Free Online Page B

Dollars More ), but instead of gunning down the gang, he tips his brothers off about the bandits’ forthcoming robberies (a bank, a gold convoy, a train shipment). When the bandits (led by Santillana’s incompetent lieutenant Miguel) arrive, the MacGregors have got there first and relieved the safes of their contents. These and other scenes strongly resemble Tessari’s ‘Ringo’ films (in particular A Pistol for Ringo ), where stock characters and situations are expertly spoofed. Robert Woods is an excellent, easygoing hero, though he, like the other six badly dubbed brothers, doesn’t bother attempting a Scottish accent. The stunt work is great, Morricone’s Scottish pastiche score excellent (with drums, bagpipes and chants of ‘Whisky and Glory! Hurrah for the MacGregors!’) and Giraldi’s direction keeps the action tripping along. Leo Anchoriz as the intimidating villain ends up dying during an exciting knife fight with Gregor on a waterwheel.
    Following the film’s success, Giraldi made a sequel called Seven Women for the MacGregors (1966) – retitled Up the MacGregors for American distribution – with the same cast, except that American TV actor David Bailey took over the role of Gregor. The plot has the cache of gold from the first film stolen by another bunch of bandits, again led by Anchoriz (this time called Maldonado). More interestingly, the sons team up with a gang of Irish girls in an echo of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), with the Michael Kidd-choreographed dance numbers replaced by fisticuffs and gunplay. The film was again a cross between broad comedy (with plenty of rumbustious punch-ups between the Scots and Irish over who has the best whisky) and less-than-humorous violence, and had the dubious distinction of being released in America before Seven Guns for the MacGregors – quite possibly the only instance when a sequel has beaten its predecessor to the cinema.
The Verdict
     
    In common with the ‘Ringo’ films and many early Spaghettis, Seven Guns for the MacGregors is nothing like Eastwood’s Italian Westerns, but nevertheless it’s a good laugh – particularly the opening scene, where the brothers’ four elderly relatives foil an attack by a vicious but inept bandit gang.

A Pistol for Ringo (1965) 
     
    Directed by: Duccio Tessari
    Music by: Ennio Morricone
    Cast : Giuliano Gemma (Ringo), Fernando Sancho (Sancho), Lorella De Luca (Miss Ruby), George Martin (Sheriff Ben)
92 minutes
     
Story
     
    The day before Christmas Eve in the town of Quemado, a Mexican bandit named Sancho and his gang rob the local bank. The sheriff’s posse give chase and Sancho is wounded, so the bandits hole up in a nearby ranch house, taking the occupants prisoner. Amongst the hostages are the owner Major Clyde and his daughter, Ruby (who is engaged to the sheriff). Sancho will kill two captives a day until they are allowed to leave. The posse lay siege to the ranch and enlist the help of a young adventurer named Ringo, who is currently locked in jail. He agrees to help if he can have a percentage of the stolen money. He infiltrates the ranch, befriends Sancho and convinces the bandits that he’s on their side. As the days pass, Miss Ruby, though initially wary of Ringo’s cockiness, falls for him. Eventually Ringo manages to free the captives and faces the bandits, whom he kills in a shootout at the ranch. By the time the posse and Ruby ride in, Ringo has taken his percentage and ridden into the sunset.
Background
     
    After contributing to the scripts for Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars and Franco Giraldi’s Seven Guns for the MacGregors , Tessari made a Western of his own in 1965. In place of the more contemporary, modernist style of Leone, Tessari approached A Pistol for Ringo in the classic Hollywood manner. Firstly he took a character name from American history (Johnny Ringo was a real gunfighter) that had already become a familiar name from Hollywood Westerns – John Wayne’s character