Craig Hill plays Will Flaherty, who returns to Little Tucson after serving three years in prison for a robbery and two killings he didn’t commit.
He’s escaped from prison, now he’s determined to clear him name. But he has to find Luke Brabham, the man whose testimony got him convicted.
That same night, a gang of bandits led by Tiny (Eduardo Fajardo) and Doc (Robert Camardiel) ride into Little Tucson looking to hold up the bank. Guess who’s part of their gang? That’s right — Luke Brabham (Piero Lulli).
But the gang is having a run of bad luck. They blast open the safe only to discover the gold shipment they wanted to steal hasn’t arrived yet.
So they round up all the residents of Little Tucson and decide to hold them captive until the stage carrying the gold arrives. When the first stage arrives, it’s full of female dancers, not gold.
Meanwhile, Will Flaherty might be Little Tucson’s best chance for getting out this mess. But he’s been captured by the bandits, beaten and tied up.
The only thing keeping him alive — some of the bandits want to know what he did with the $30,000 he was sent to prison for stealing.
Taunt, very well done Spaghetti with a nice score, fine camera work and an intelligent script. Now how often do you find that in a lesser known film?
The entire first hour of the film takes place in the town, but that doesn’t prevent director Michael Caiano from providing plenty of tension and action.
Giulia Rubini plays Peggy, the dance hall singer who has been faithful to Will throughout his imprisonment, but wonders why he didn’t fight harder to prove his innocence.
Eleanor Vargas is Judith, leading of the dance hall troupe that arrives in Little Tucson and walks right into trouble.
Directed by:
Michael Caiano
Cast:
Craig Hill … Will Flaherty
Giulia Rubini … Peggy
Piero Lulli … Luke Brabham
Eduardo Fajardo … Tiny
Roberto Camardiel … Doc
Eleanora Vargas … Judith
Jacques Herlin … Mr. Pim
Nazzareno Zamperla … Tom
Spartaco Conversi … Bisby Sheriff Pat
Also with: Renzo Pevarello, Massimo Carocci, Osiride Pevarello, Aldo dell’Acqua, Pino Polidori, Natale Nazzareno, Tomas Picó, Caterina Trentini, Kathleen Parker, Luigi Ciavarro, Goffredo Unger, Gianfranco Clerici, Franco Ukmar, Elio Angelucci
aka:
Sette pistole per un massacro
Seven Pistols for a Massacre
Score: Francesco De Masi
Song: “The Only Girl He Loved”
performed by July Ray
Runtime: 88 min.
Memorable lines:
Sheriff, as he rides into an unusually quiet Little Tucson: “I heard it said a sleeping man can’t sin. If that old proverb is true, I guess the people of this town are all angels.”
Luke to Tiny: “What happens if Flaherty gets away? You’re covered, but he’d come after me in hell if it was necessary.”
Will to Luke: “It’s no sin to throttle a poisonous snake like you.”
Henchman to Peggy as she paces: “Could you please stop walking up and down? You’re making me dizzy.”
Will to the sheriff of Bisby: “I’m not a murderer. You’ve heard all the testimony, except mine. You listened to everyone but Will Flaherty. Because Will Flaherty is a maggoty pig. Haven’t you ever heard of paid witnesses and bribed judges? What chance could I have had at my trial? No alibi. No important friends. Only my life and reputation.”
Trivia:
Giulia Rubini appeared in 35 films from 1953 through 1968, and her four Spaghetti Westerns were among her final appearances. Then, pregnant with her second child, she decided to walk away from acting to devote herself to her family. Because of her frequent absences from home for film work, her young son knew his father and nanny better than her, Giulia explained in a March 2013 interview. She didn’t want that to happen with her second child.
The film begins and ends with the singing of the theme song, “The Only Girl He Loved” by saloon girl Peggy. The vocals were actually handled by July Ray, stage name for Giulia De Mutiis, wife of frequent Spaghetti composer Alessandro Alessandroni.