Cry for Me Billy (1972)

Cliff Potts is Billy Williams, a fast gun who’s tired of that way of life and putting his on the line.

He rides into a small Western town to find a group of captured Indians sitting in the middle of the street.

They’re thirsty; the sergeant refuses to give them water until they comply with his wishes.

Billy intervenes, drawing the sergeant’s ire by taking them a bucket of water.

A bit later, while Billy’s catching up with old acquaintance Luke Todd (Harry Dean Stanton), they hear shots ring out.

Billy rushes outside to find most of the Indians slain. Three, including a young girl (Maria Potts as Little Sparrow), have escaped; the cavalry has mounted up to track them down.

On his way out of town, Billy encounters the soldiers and sends them on a wild goose chase, back into town where he says the three escaped Indians have returned and are holed up in the saloon.

Then he comes across the Indian girl, catches her, wraps her injured foot and takes her with him.

They become closer on their journey together. But they’ve still got that cavalry patrol to dodge.

Cliff Potts as Billy Williams, battering for food with two whites who hate Indians in Cry for Me Billy (1972)

Maria Yolanda Aguayo (Xochiti) as Little Sparrow in Cry for Me Billy (1972)

Review:

Decent low-budget Western that’s worthy of a watch, but probably not repeated viewings.

IMDb suggests that the actress playing Little Sparrow in the film used the stage named Xochiti to disguise the fact that she was Potts’ wife.

But most sources indicate they didn’t marry until September 1975, three years after this film was released.

Perhaps love blossomed on the set, as it does between the two leads in this film.

Most posters depict Little Sparrow as nude or scantily clad. Indeed, for some reason, she’s completely without clothing, running from rock to rock (ouch!) to flee when Billy meets her; then rides nude in repeated scenes.

And, of course, the couple encounter their fair share of racism on their journey.

Don Wilbanks as the sergeant, leader of the cavalry patrol in Cry for Me Billy (1972)

Harry Dean Stanton as Luke Todd, Billy’s gun-for-hire acquaintance in Cry for Me Billy (1972)

Directed by:
William A. Graham

Cast:
Cliff Potts … Billy
Maria Potts … Little Sparrow
as Xochiti
Harry Dean Stnaton … Luke Todd
Don Wilbanks … Sergeant
Woodrow Chambliss … Prospector
James Gammon … Amos
William Carstens … Henry
Roy Jenson … Blacksmith
Richard Breeding … Fat man

Soldiers: Floyd Baze, Wayne McLaren, John Bellah, Bud Walls, Tom McFadden

Runtime: 93 min.

aka:
Face to the Wind
Naked Vengeance

Songs:
“Little Sparrow”
“Ballad of Billy”
sung by Michael Franks

James Gammon as Amos with Williams Carstens as Henry, making a proposition to Billy in Cry for Me Billy (1972)

Roy Jenson as Sam, the blacksmith in Cry for Me Billy (1972)

Memorable lines:

Billy Williams to Luke Todd: “You ever get tired? Just plain worn down tired?”

Sergeant to Billy Williams, after most of the Indians have been gunned down: “There’s your plain ol’ well water, Psalm singer. Spillin’ out the holes in their guts.”

Billy Williams to Little Sparrow: “Very funny. You’ve got my shirt. You’ve got my hat. You’ve got the best damned horse I ever owned. All I got was a knot on the head.”

Amos to Billy Williams: “There ain’t nothin’ lower than an Injun lovin’ white man.”

Sergeant to Billy WIlliams: “You just get all hot and slimy inside over that cheap Indian ass, don’t you, boy?”

Cliff Potts as Billy Williams, springing into fast gun mode in Cry for Me Billy (1972)

Cliff Potts as Billy Williams tries to protect Little Sparrow (Maria Yolanda Aguayo as Xochiti) in Cry for Me Billy (1972)