Garter Colt (1968)

The French are trying to stop the smuggling of guns to Mexican revolutionaries fighting under General Droga (Walter Barnes).

So they dispatch Lt. Jean Martin (Gaspare Zola) to investigate with the undercover assistance of Carlos (Yorgo Voyagis).

Unfortunately, Martin has a nasty habit of getting captured.

Fortunately, a lovely lass named Lulu (Nicoletta Machiavelli), who wears a colt in her garter, arrives by stage in the nick of time to help him out of his latest jam.

Lulu is a card sharp who uses a midget disguised as her baby to help her cheat. She winds up pulled into the hunt for a shipment of stolen guns when she falls for Carlos.

Meanwhile, an outlaw/madman named Red (Claudio Camaso) is trying to get his hands on the guns too. He’d also like to get his hands on a pretty redhead named Rosie (Marisa Solinas).

She’s fallen for the handsome French officer. Not that he’ll do her much good. In addition to his knack for getting captured, he has a habit of getting knocked out or arriving too late at all the worst times.

Review:

Director Gian Andrea Rocco should have been sued for not managing to make a better film when handed a cast that includes lovely Nicoletta Machiavelli, adorable Marisa Solinas, an eccentric like Claudio Camaso and a solid Spaghetti actor like Walter Barnes.

Put simply, this is a muddled mess of what one would assume was intended to be a sex comedy of a Spaghetti Western.

Part of that might be the abbreviated runtime of the print now in circulation — 86 minutes version a reported original runtime of 102, which means about 15 percent of the film is missing.

But there are scenes that make you wonder whether more time would have helped. Like one in which Lt. Jean Martin is trying to seduce Rosie in a haystack out in the middle of what looks like a desert when Red somehow manages to sneak up and attack them.

Rocco does manage to serve up a couple of erotic scenes. And he squeeze Nicoletta into some eye-popping costumes.

In one of the better scenes, Lulu and Carlos are playing cards. Her “baby” is tipping her off to what cards he’s holding. His parrot is spying on Lulu’s hand.

Oh, and Barnes’ character rides a horse named “Cocaine.”

Directed by:
Gian Andrea Rocco

Cast:
Nicoletta Machiavelli … Lulu “Garter” Colt
Claudio Camaso … Red
Marisa Solinas … Rosie
Yorgo Voyagis … Carlos
James Martin … Sheriff
Gaspare Zola … Lt. Jean Martin
Elvira Cortese … Elvira
Franco Bucceri … Doctor
Silvana Bacci … Red’s masseuse
Walter Barnes … Gen. Droga
Arnaldo Fabrizio … Lulu’s “baby”

Also with: Brunello Maffei, Franco Scala, Giovanni Ivan Scratuglia, Jvan Sratuglia, Alberto Hammermann, Isabella Guidotti, Gaetano Scala, Brandino Machiavelli

Runtime: 102 min. / 86 min.

aka:
Giarrettiera Colt

Music: Giovanni Fusco and Gianfranco Plenizio

Memorable lines:

Red: “Shoot, but be careful not to hit them (the French soldiers).”
Seconds later, the French soldier Roger slumps over dead on the seat of the stagecoach.

Lulu Colt: “Sheriff, may I give you my garter as a token of my esteem?”
Sheriff: “Thank you. It will be dear reminder. I’ll put it in my collection.” He sniffs the garment. “You have to have a hobby to survive around here.”

Sheriff to saloon girl: “Bullet.”
Saloon girl: “Here’s one.”
Sheriff: “It’s lipstick, idiot.”
Saloon girl: “Great, I’ll give you a kiss.”
And she does, as bullets fly.

Lulu Colt: “Hey, Red, I’ll stick a bullet in your forehead.”

Trivia:

This film marked the only solo directing credit for Gian Rosso. He’s also credited as the scriptwriter.

Easily the largest Spaghetti role for Nicoletta Machiavelli, who appeared in six Westerns. After retiring as an actress, she settled in Seattle, taught Italian and took U.S. tourists on tours of Italy. She died at age 71 in 2015.

An early film appearance by Greek-born Yorgo Voyagis, who also appeared in “Killer Kid” (1967) and went on to a long career on Italian TV.

Marisa Solinas, who appeared in four Spaghetti Westerns, passed away Feb. 12, 2019. Depending on the source, she was 77 or 79 at the time of her death.