For One Thousand Dollars Per Day (1966)

Zachary Hatcher plays Hud Backer, whose parents are killed by the land-hungry Clark brothers. Those brothers are eager to cash in on the railroad’s arrival in the Valley of the Sun.

Backer wants revenge, of course, but knows he’s not yet capable of dishing it out. So he pays a wheelchair-bound former gunman named Carranza to teach him the art of gun play.

Then he heads back to his hometown of Stoneville where he impresses the Clark brothers with what he’s learned. So much so, that he signs on as their protector at the tidy sum of $1,000 per day.

They, of course, are unaware that protecting them is the last thing on young Hud’s mind.

Zachary Hatcher as Hud Backer intervenes in a barroom dispute to impress the Clark brothers in For One Thousand Dollars Per Day (1966)

Pier Angeli (Annamaria Pierangeli), worried about the men she loves in For One Thousand Dollars Per Day (1966)

Review:

Effective little film, especially once you get past the predictable student-tutor scenes. The version I watched checked in at 74 minutes, but was still coherent, which isn’t always the case with shorter English versions of Spaghetti Westerns.

In a neat plot device, once Hud is hired by the Clark brothers, angels of death start showing up at their ranch, awaiting the death of each brother in turn.

Particularly effective is Pier Angeli in the role of pretty brunette Betty Benson. She loves Hud, but not the way he’s changed. She also fears for her brother, the sheriff, who just wants to keep peace in Stoneville.

Ruben Rojo as Jason Clark, one of the crooked Clark brothers in For One Thousand Dollars Per Day (1966)

Mirko Ellis as Wayne Clark learns the angel of death has shown up for him in For One Thousand Dollars Per Day (1966)

Directed by:
Silvio Amadio

Cast:
Zachary Hatcher … Hud Backer
Mimmo Palmara … Sheriff Steven Benson
as Dick Palmer
Pier Angeli … Betty Benson
as Annamaria Pierangeli
Jose Calvo … Carranza
Ruben Rojo … Jason Clark
Mirko Ellis … Wayne Clark
Manuel Gil … Lon Clark
Tom Felleghy … Judge Gowan

Also with: Enrique Avila, Tom Felleghy, Angel Menendez, Jose Villasante, Jose Luis Lizalde, Tullio Altamura, Sandalio Hernandez, Maria Tedeschi, Alba Maiolini, Nando Angelini, Corrado Annicelli, Maria Burgo, Victoria Salcedo, Gabriella Schettini, Bruno Scipioni, Manuel Clark

aka:
Per mille dollari al giorno
Renegade Gunfighter

Score: Gino Peguri
Song” “My Gun is Fast” by Bobby Solo

Runtime: 74 min.

Manuel Gil as Lon Clark, fearful after the angel of death comes calling for him in For One Thousand Dollars Per Day (1966)

Mimmo Palmara (Dick Palmer) as Sheriff Steven Benson urges town leaders to unite against the Clark brothers in For One Thousand Dollars Per Day (1966)

Memorable lines:

Card player: “Four queens, mister.”
Hud Backer: “Four 10s. And one queen. And I thought there was a shortage of women in the West.”

Wayne Clark: “What’s your last name?”
Hud: “Backer.”
Wayne: “I see. The Backers of the Valley of the Sun.
Hud: “And I’m the son.”

Sheriff, to his sister: “Go home, Betty. Wait for me. And don’t worry.
Betty: “Sure, Steve, sure. Why should I worry? I’ll wait. Wait until someone comes to tell me who I have to cry for. You or Hud.”

Jose Calvo as Carranza, the old-timer who trains Hud in the art of the six-gun in For One Thousand Dollars Per Day (1966)

Jose Villasante as Clayton (right) and other property owners demand action against the Clark brothers in For One Thousand Dollars Per Day (1966)

Trivia:

Italian born Pier Angeli was one Spaghetti actress who had enjoyed some success in Hollywood, starring opposite Paul Newman in 1956’s “Somebody Up There Likes Me” and with Stewart Granger and Stanley Baker in 1962’s “Sodom and Gomorrah.” Twice-married, she was also the one-time romantic partner of James Dean. She was born Anna Maria Pierangeli and split her last name to create her stage name. She died in L.A. in 1971 at age 39, reportedly of a drug overdose.

This was the only Spaghetti Western directed by Silvio Amadio. He helmed more than 20 films, including 1973’s “They Were Called Three Musketeers But They Were Four,” which featured a couple of actors familiar to Spaghetti fans — Tony Kendall and Ettore Manni.

This is the only credit on IMDb for Zachary Hatcher, who plays the avenging hero, but is saddled with an annoyingly high-pitched voice in the English version.

Pier Angeli (Annamaria Pierangeli) as Betty Benson and brother Hud Backer (Zachary Hatcher) talk about the good old days in For One Thousand Dollars Per Day (1966)

Mirko Ellis as Wayne Clark and Ruben Rojo as Jason Clark wonder about the stranger in town in For One Thousand Dollars Per Day (1966)

Mirko Ellis as Wayne Clark and Manuel Gil as Lon Clark envision the fortune they’ll get for selling Valley of the Sun in For One Thousand Dollars Per Day (1966)

Zachary Hatcher as Hud Backer demands a high price for his protection in For One Thousand Dollars Per Day (1966)