For a Book of Dollars (1973)

Gabriella Farinon is Sister Angela, bound for Tucson with two fellow sisters where they plan to build a church.

At least that’s the plan until they have a run-in with an outlaw gang. By the time the outlaws ride off, the nuns are penniless.

But soon they encounter a bounty hunter named Amen (Lincoln Tate), and Sister Angela thinks she’s found the answer to her prayers.

She offers him $50 to help recover the stolen loot. At first, he scoffs at the sum. But he’s just collected a big reward and doesn’t want to turn down a pretty nun.

Pretty soon, he’s helping a second damsel in distress, a woman named Jane who plays the outlaw leader for her brother’s death and vows to get even.

Amen discovers the outlaws are led by a man named Catapult, who wears an officer’s coat, sits on a throne and loves nothing more than watching his wayward henchmen and his enemies take flight courtesy of his catapult. With fireworks attached to their bodies, no less.

And when his ruse to infiltrate the gang is discovered, he just might be one of the next enemies bound to the catapult for a sparkly trip through the sky.

Review:

If you don’t like Italian Western comedies, stay away. If you do, this film has a few things going for it.

Those would include an annoyingly addictive theme song, a villain who uses a catapult to keep his henchmen in line and a pair of lovely ladies in key roles.

That said, the lovely ladies are mostly wasted and the film resorts to bathroom humor as a key plot point when it’s time for the climax.

Oh, and you’ll never guess what fate awaits our catapult-loving villain named Catapult.

Forget that, you probably will.

There’s a twist at the end that you’re perhaps less likely to see coming.

Directed by:
Renzo Spaziani
as Renzo Girolami

Cast:
Lincoln Tate … Amen
Gabriella Farinon … Sister Angela
Gianclaudio Jabes … Catapult
as Jean Claude Jabes
Gilberto Galimberti … Jeff, Catapault’s lead henchman
as Gill Rolland
Lugii Bonos … Timothy
as Gigi Bonos
Clara Colosimo … Nun
Franca Maresa … Nun (maybe)
Suzy Monen …. Jane (maybe)
Sandro Scarchilli …. Mammola / Tutti Frutti
Monni Carlo … Veterinarian / dentist

Runtime: 79 min.

aka:
Più forte sorelle

Music: Nando De Luca
“Catapult” sung by Eldorado Stones

Memorable lines:

The veterinarian as he prepares to pull the tooth of one of the nuns: “The worst thing that can happen is a bit of blood poisoning.”

Amen to a rescued damsel in distress: “Here, you’ll be safe. No one ever comes here. Not even a dog.”
The damsel: “I hope so, because Catapult won’t give up very easy.”
Whereupon the dog following them lets out a loud bark.

Catapult, after Amen has had to slap Tutti Frutti several times: “I’m sorry if he’s bothering you. But when Tutti Fruitti sees a blonde, he loses his head.”

Jane: “They’re getting ready for our show.”
Amen: “I’ve always been fond of shows.”
Jane: “They catapult us into the air covered with fireworks. And you think that’s funny?”
Amen: “You know, Jane, I haven’t seen fireworks since I was a kid.”

Jeff: “Your ball thrower worked beautifully.”
Catapult: “We don’t call it a ball thrower, idiot, or I’ll have another go with you on it. That’s a catapult.”

Trivia:

* This was the last of eight Spaghetti Westerns in which Lincoln Tate appeared. His real name was James Harmon Kennelly, who was born in Texas and died in Woodland Hills, Calif., in late 2001.

* This marked the only Spaghetti Western for Gabriella Farinon, who starred as Lucy Y13 in one of her first film’s, 1960’s “Assignment: Outer Space.” She appeared in about a dozen films between 1959 and 1976 and appeared in Playboy Italy two years after this film was released.