The Son of Django (1967)

As a young boy, Jeff Tracy (Gabriel Tinti) sees his father gunned down and barely escapes with his life after the culprits set their home on fire.

Years later, the son of Dajngo sets out on his quest for vengeance.

That quest takes him to Topeka City, Arizona, where the ranchers and a man named Thompson are dueling with a saloon owner and land-grabber named Clay Ferguson for control of the area.
Jeff is there because he remembers one named mentioned from the night his father died: Thompson.

Thompson denies any involvement in Django’s death. Ferguson wants Jeff’s gun on his side.

And an old friend named Father Fleming (Guy Madison) would rather Jeff put down his guns.

He was a good friend of Django, rescued the boy from the fire, but now thinks the Bible offers a brighter future than gunplay.

Review:

We’re 25 minutes and several corpses into the film before we know which character is at its heart or much about what’s going on.

In the hands of a master — say, Leone — that might work. In the hands of Civirani … well, we get a watchable but not very special film.

Madison’s character might preach against gunplay, but is quick to take up the gun again when the situation calls for it. Then there’s the final showdown.

In a film without a hint of comedy to that point, Madison chases one bad guy into a water trough with bullets at his feet and knocks out another by shooting a sign from its hinges. Watch for some unintentionally funny death throes, too.

Plus an ending that’s a bit of a head-scratcher.

Directed by:
Osvaldo Civirani

Cast:
Gabriel Tinti … Jeff Tracy
Guy Madison … Father Gus Fleming
Ingrid Scheller … Jane Grayson
Daniele Vargas … Clay Ferguson
Ignazio Spalla … Thompson
as Pedro Sanchez
Andrea Scotti … Sheriff
as Andrew Scott
Robert Messina … Logan
as Bob Messenger
Giovanni Ivan Scratuglia … Four Aces
as Ivan Scott
Cristina Penz … Beth
as Cristel Penz

Also with: Luigi Ciavarro, Franco Gula, Lucio De Santis, Luciano Rossi, Renato Mambor, John Bartha, Giuseppe Castellano, Giorgio Dionisio, Piero Morgia, Osiride Pevarello, Carol Danell, Elio Angelucci, Franco Ukmar, Rocco Lerro, Attilio Severini, Remo Capitani

aka:
Il figlio di Django
Vengeance is a Colt .45
Son of Django

Score: Piero Umiliana
Songs: “They Called Him Django” sung by John Balfour
“Hog Tied” sung by Carol Danell and The Wilder Brothers

Runtime: 95 min.

Memorable lines:

Four Aces to Jeff Tracy: “You’re the type of man who would follow an enemy to the end of the earth.”

Ferguson, to Jane Grayson, after she has tried to shoot him: “I’ll tame you. I’ll make you mine!”

Father Fleming: “Have you found your man yet?”
Jeff Tracy: “No questions.”
Fleming: “A question is not enough. But it can be enough to avoid a mistake.”

Father Gus Fleming: “At first, I thought of revenge. But then I realized another killing — or a hundred killings — wouldn’t bring back Django.”

Clay Ferguson to Father Gus, after he’s interrupted the beating of Jeff Tracy: “Preacher, if you have a sniffle of sense, get out of town.”

Thompson: “A gunman that has broken fingers won’t be killing any more men.”

Other tidbits:

This marked the only Spaghetti for Gabriele Tinti, husband of actress Laura Gemser. She was best known as the star of the erotic Black Emmanuel films series. Tinti died of cancer in 1991 at age 59.

Bad guy roles were nothing unusual for Daniele Vargas. In 1974, he would play a Roman slave owner whose women — including Pam Grier — wind up serving as female gladiators to entertain the populace. That film, “The Arena,” was co-produced by Spaghetti star Mark Damon.