Colt in the Hand of the Devil (1967)

Bandits under El Condor (George Wang) have attacked and robbed so many caravans bound for California gold country that the desert near Las Vegas has been dubbed the Valley of Death.

So the cavalry uses a hefty reward to tempt a jailed scoundrel named Pat Scotty (Bob Henry) back into service to help bring El Condor to justice.

Scotty convinces El Condor his telescope and other equipment can pinpoint where to dig for gold, infiltrating the gang thanks to his promise of riches.

Once inside El Condor’s mountaintop fortress, he’s offered the company of a lovely young orphan named Maya (Marisa Solinas), whom he teaches how to smile.

Also inside that compound is a captive blonde named Jane (Lucretia Love), taken during one of the raids. Constantly threatened by El Condor, she has no reason to smile.

But she is being sought by her brother, junior officer Lt. Dick Carson. He’s eager to get involved in the mission against El Condor and ultimately succeed.

Review:

Sit back, don’t take things too seriously and you’re likely to enjoy this romp through the Spaghetti West.

You know it’s the Spaghetti West because the famed 7th Cavalry shows up wearing Confederate gray. And our evil villain can be fooled by a telescope masquerading as a gold-finding device.

As for our hero — yeah, he’s working for the right side, but he definitely has a mercenary streak.

Of course, there are a couple of twists at the end. Plus an entertaining score and an enchanting leading lady. Director Sergio Bergonzelli wisely serves up plenty of close-ups for adorable Marisa Solinas.

And the director was afforded a budget big enough to stage a large-scale climatic attack on El Condor’s impressive mountaintop fort. It’s a showdown that wouldn’t often be repeated as the Spaghetti craze faded and adventure / “serious” Westerns gave way to slapstick comedy Westerns.

Directed by:
Sergio Bergonzelli

Cast:
Bob Henry … Pat Scotty
George Wang … El Condor
Marisa Salinas … Maya
Lucretia Love … Jane
Gerardo Rossi … Lt. Dick Carson
as Jerry Ross
Luciano Catenacci … El Loco
as Luciano Lorcas
Luciano Benetti … Gen. Scott
Laila Shed — El Condor’s woman
Renato Chiantoni … Telegrapher
Attilio Severini … Condor henchman
Brizio Montinaro … Condor henchman
Artemio Antonini … sergeant
Ivan G. Scratuglia … soldier

Runtime: 100 min.

aka:
Una colt in pugno al diavolo
Devil Was an Angel
An Angel with a Gun is the Devil

Music: Gian Piero Reverberi (as Giampiero Reverberi)
Song: “A Devil Was An Angel” sung by Mino Reitano

Memorable lines:

Pat Scotty, when a Union officer expresses surprise at his lack of hardship in confinement: “You can buy anything and everyone, even in jail.”

Pat Scotty. meaning an undercover cavalryman: “Where do you keep your cows? In college?”
Carson: “What do you mean?”
Scotty: “The boots of a real cowhand are never shiny, soldier boy.”

El Condor, when Pat Scotty meets Maya: “You like the girl? I give her to you. I don’t know if anyone has tamed her yet. But you’ll find out.”

El Condor: “Me, I never wash. If your skin is greasy enough, bullets can’t hurt you.”

El Condor, after fleeing in the middle of a battle: “It occurred to me a soldier who gets killed is worth less than one who escapes.”

El Condor: “Adios, amigo. Give the devil my regards.”

Trivia:

This marked the only acting credit for Bob Henry. Spaghetti Western expert Tom Betts with the Westerns All’Italiana blog reports that Henry was Texas-born, recorded 17 singles a singer, hit #1 in England with the song “Reach for a Star” and married Pamela Baird, who played Wally Cleaver’s girlfriend on the “Leave It to Beaver” TV series. Henry died in 2016.

Marisa Solinas was an Italian born pop singer who wound up appearing in 32 films and TV shows before retiring from acting. Those included five Spaghettis, beginning with this film and ending with “Blindman” (1970). She also appeared in the first edition of Playmen in 1968, according to the Westerns All’Italiana blog.