Gunfighters of the Casa Grande (1964)

Alex Nicol is Joe Daylight, a fast gun with a brazen plan for making it rich.

He wins a Mexican hacienda in a poker game and takes his gang to the ranch.

The territory is plagued by a treacherous bandit named Rojo, so Daylight has little trouble convincing his Mexican neighbors to combine their herd for better protection.

In truth, he’s waiting for the perfect moment to rustle the combined herd and sell the beef in Kansas for a princely profit.

Problem is, key members of his gang come to enjoy the law-abiding life and are reluctant to double cross their new south-of-the-border friends.

That includes Doc (Dick Bentley), who regains a sense of pride in his true profession; Traveler (Jorge Mistral), a mysterious gunman for falls for the daughter of a neighboring rancher; and Kid (Steve Rowland), who’s also bitten by the love bug.

Review:

A rather mediocre Hollywood/Spanish hybrid that could have been much better with a couple of cast changes and considerably more grit.

Alex Nicol swaggers a lot, but is neither likeable nor despicable enough for the lead role. And director’s son Steve Rowland was in his early 30s by the time this film was made and no longer looking very kid-like.

Dick Bentley and Jorge Mistral – both appearing in their only Spaghetti – are far more convincing. Phil Posner is the fifth member of the gang, but his role amounts to little more than leering at any pretty woman who comes near.

There are a trio of dark-haired beauties to brighten up things, including Mercedes Alonso as a high-born intrigued by Traveler; Maria Granada as the young maid who falls for the Kid; and Diana Lorys as a wildcat not afraid to use her feminine charms to improve her status on the hacienda.

Director Roy Rowland made his final four films in Italy, including this Spaghetti and another, “A Man Called Gringo,” in 1965. He made far better Westerns in the U.S., including Gun Glory (1957), Many Rivers to Cross (1955) and Bugles in the Afternoon (1952).

Directed by:
Roy Rowland

Cast:
Alex Nicol … Joe Daylight / Don Jose
Jorge Mistral … Viajero / Traveler
Steve Rowland … Kid
Dick Bentley … Doc
Phil Posner … Henri
Mercedes Alonso … Dona Maria de Castellar
Maria Granada … Pacesita
Diana Lorys … Gitana
Aldo Sambrell .. Rojo, bandit chief
Roberto Rey .. Don Castellar de Verdugo
Toni Fuentes … Carlos
Angel Solano … Don Ariola
Pepe Martin … Don Luis
Jim Gillen … Sheriff
Mike Ekiss … Deputy
Simon Arriga … Carvajal
Fernando Villena … Mario
Emilio Rodrigues … Franciso
Ana Maria Custodio … Senora Durano

Runtime: 92 min.

Music: Johnny Douglas

Memorable lines:

Joe Daylight to his men: “Which is it? A piece of the ranch, where you can double your money? Or six feet of dirt right here.”

Joe Daylight after Viajero pays for a broken saloon mirror: “That soft spot could get you killed one day.”
Viajero: “Yeah.”

Viajero: “Does life mean that little to him?”
Doc: “Depends on who’s life you’re talking about.”

Viajero as Joe Daylight keeps prodding his men toward a showdown with him: “Even vultures don’t eat their own kind.”

Viajero to Joe Daylight: “Don’t get any ideas about her. You’re not her kind.”
Joe Daylight: “Joe Daylight is anyone’s kind when he wants to be. Don’t you forget it.”

Joe Daylight, explaining why he didn’t split up the bank loot: “I’ve never known a gun hand yet who would work on a full stomach.”

Joe Daylight, breaking up a fight between The Kid and Henri: “Either you both start remembering you’re on the same side or I’ll split you down the middle.”

Pacesita to The Kid: “Why did he call you The Laughing Kid? Is it because you never smile? I have noticed. It is very easy. All you do is raise the corners of your mouth. Like this. Perhaps it will even make you feel happier.”

Doc: “I feels like of good having people look up at you instead of hunting you.”