Killer Goodbye (1968)

Once banished from his hometown for killing a bandit before he could disclose the identity of his fellow robbers, Jess Bryan (Peter Lee Lawrence) is summoned back.

That summons comes from Bill Bragg, a former town leader who’s losing his grip to a rich rancher and land baron named Sam Ringold.

Bragg wants Jess to become the new sheriff; he opts to become Clint Simpson’s deputy instead.

And there’s lots of work to do because, no sooner than Jess settles in a hotel, someone tries to kill him. Then someone tries to frame him for a fatal shooting.

The biggest clue — a one in one thousand rifle — points to its owner, Jack Bradshaw, as the guilty party; he’s Ringold’s foreman.

But, as the shootings mount, Jess becomes more and more suspicious.

Why would Jack or anyone else leave such an obvious clue behind?

Review:

Marisa Solinas provides many of the film’s highlights as Sheila, the sheriff’s daughter who has a big-time crush on Jess and keeps trying to seduce him. In a genre in which female roles are paper thin, it’s nice to see her get to do more than look pretty.

Rosalba Neri has a smaller part as Jess’ former love who now “goes with other men” as Sheila puts it. Those men include the suspects in most of the killings and a mystery man who’s wealthy enough to buy her lots of jewelry.

The film is unusual in that it’s more of a who-done-it than a revenge flick, with a surprising who-done-it as an ending. But the film is also pretty muddled and improbable in spots.

Directed by:
Primo Zeglio

Cast:
Peter Lee Lawrence … Jess Bryan
Marisa Solinas … Sheila Simpson
Armando Calvo … Bill Bragg
Eduardo Fajardo … Sam Ringold
Nello Pazzafini … Jack Bradshaw
Victor Israel … Dixon
Rosalba Neri … Fanny Sands
as Sara Bay
Paola Barbara … Bill’s sister
Luis Induni .. Sheriff Clint Simpson

Also with: José Jaspe, Richard Laver, Jaime Blanch, Miguel Del Castillo, Antonio Moreno, Fabián Conde, José Canalejas, Rafael Albaicín, Julio Infiesta, Eduardo Coutelenq, Joaquin Parra, Luis Barboo

aka
Killer Adios
Winchester Justice
Winchester One of One Thousand

Score: Claudio Tallino
“Killer Adios” sung by Maurizio Graf

Memorable lines:

Jess Bryan, taking in Fanny’s box of expensive jewelry, given to her by her many lovers: “Do you still have the ring I gave you?”
Fanny: “Oh, that one. Perhaps it was a lucky charm, because all these others followed it.”

Bill Bragg: “I hope that what just happened (being shot at) has persuaded you to reconsider the offer I made you.”
Jess Bryan: “You think, if I’m sheriff, no one would shoot at me?”

Jess: “Oh, it’s you. Why did you follow me?”
Sheila: “Because you may run into some trouble. I decided I should come with you. You see, Ringold’s men would be afraid to shoot me.”
Jess: “That’s pretty funny. You expect to hide me behind you.”
Sheila: “Well, why not?”

Jess: “Stay down.”
Sheila: “No, I’m going to show myself. If they want to hit us, they’ll have to come out in the open. Then you can shoot them.”
Jess: “Yes, but what if they shoot you?”
Sheila: “That’s impossible. Look at my hand. The lifeline is extremely long, which means I’ll die of old age when I’m 90.”
Jess: “Hasn’t it occurred to you that maybe they don’t know that.”

Trivia:

Italian-born Marisa Solinas, 27 when this film was released, was also a pop singer. In the same year, she enjoyed one of her biggest hits, “Ecstasy” and also appeared as the cover girl in the January issue of “Playmen,” Italy’s slightly less revealing version of Playboy. “Ecstasy” was a duet with Andrea Giordana. That’s right, the guy who went by Chip Gorman and appeared in “Dirty Outlaws” and “Johnny Hamlet.”

If the one-in-one-thousand rifle sounds familiar to Western fans, it should. It’s also central to the plot of the 1950 film “Winchester ’73,” starring James Stewart, Dan Duryea and Shelley Winters.