Arch Hall is Billy May, a youngster who arrives in Deadwood and forms a partnership with prospector / pussy cat salesman Tennessee Thompson (Jack Lester).
When two of Sam Bass’s men balk at paying for a rat-eating cat, Billy guns them down.
Between his first name and his quick draw, the good folks in Deadwood conclude he must really be Billy the Kid, who’s been expected to show up in town.
And with Wild Bill Hickok due to arrive as well, some of the more conniving folks in Deadwood — like Poker Kate and Fancy Poggin — begin to scheme about arranging a gunfight between two of the fastest draws in the West and getting rich off bets on who will survive.
Billy has other ideas. His home back in Georgia was burned during the Civil War. He dreams of finding enough gold to return home and build it.
Well, he and Tennessee find gold, but they find more trouble too. Indians are lurking about. And if Billy can find a way to dodge a showdown with Wild Bill, there will be Sam Bass to deal with.
After all, Billy’s killed two more of Sam’s men for soiling a pretty Indian girl named Little Bird (La Donna Cottier).
Arch Hall Jr. as Billy May out to even a score in Deadwood ’76 (1965)
Review:
The opening, with Indians riding down on Tennessee only to find his wagon filled with pussy cats, will have you wondering if you’re about to watch a comedy.
Well, it’s a mostly serious Western, though some of the scenes and dialogue wind up being unintentionally humorous.
Remarkably, Billy finds his long-lost father among the Indians who capture him. A former Rebel soldier, his dad is plotting with the Indians to get back at the white man.
Mostly, this is a low-budget affair, the last in a string of such films Hall made in the 1960s. But it’s tolerable as long as you make sure you watch the 97-minute version as opposed to the 87-minute version you can pick up in DVD bargain bins.
Hall is best remembered for “The Sadist,” a 1963 film based on real-life serial killers Charles Starkweather and Caril Fugate.
La Donna Cottier refusing Billy May’s orders to return to her tribe in Deadwood ’76 (1965)
Directed by:
James Landis
Cast:
Arch Hall Jr. … Billy May
Jack Lester … Tennessee Thompson
La Donna Cottier … Little Bird
Arch Hall Sr. … Boone May
Liz Renay … Poker Kate
Robert Dix … Wild Bill Hickok
Richard Cowl … Preacher Smith
David Reed …. Fancy Poggin
Jonny Bryant … Hubert Steadman, aka The Badlands Kid
Gordon Schwenk … Spotted Snake
Ray Zachary … Spec Greer
Barbara Moore … Montana
Hal Bizzy … Curt Aiken
Rex Marlow … Sam Bass
Runtime: 97 min.
Theme song: “‘Deadwood,’ sung by Rex Holman
Liz Renay as Poker Kate and David Reed as Fancy Poggin in Deadwood ’76 (1965)
Memorable lines:
Tennessee Thompson: “Just a load of pussy cats. Taking them to Deadwood.”
Indian: “White man sure make big fool.”
Tennessee: “Yeah, I’ve been a big fool ever since I had a General Grant in my sights at Shiloh and didn’t pull the trigger.”
Indian, holding one of the cats: “What you do with white man skunks?”
Tennessee: “They’re not skunks. They’re cats. Go ahead. Help yourself. Indian camp’s full of rats.”
Charlie, after another shooting at the local saloon: “Who was it Kate?”
Big Nose Kate: “Oh, one of the boys spit on the dance floor again, Charlie. You know how Fancy is about that.” Turning to Fancy. “That was a nice draw, Fancy.”
Fancy Poggin: “Kate, as long as I’m working for you, we’re gonna run a clean place.”
Jack Lester as Tennessee Thompson, La Donna Cottier as Little Bird and Arch Hall Jr. as Billy May in Deadwood ’76 (1965)
Curt Aiken: “Where do you want the slug, kid, ’cause I don’t want to kill you?”
Billy May: “Then supposin’ you leave it in your gun.”
Montana, a saloon girl flirting: “Hello, Billy. They call me Montana. I’m from New Orleans.”
Billy May: “But the South surrendered.”
Boone May: “No Yankee took my sword. And they never will.”
Tennessee Thompson: “You thought I was dead? And I thought you was dead. Celebration, boy, celebration.”
Arch Hall Sr. as Billy May’s long-lost father Boone May in Deadwood ’76 (1965)
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