Maria Frankenstein, granddaughter of the famed scientist, has set up shop south of the border out West, where the lightning storms provide the perfect electricity for her experiments.
But her efforts to transplant an artificial brain into a human and bring them back to life are going badly … so badly, in fact, villagers are deserting their homes because of the mysterious deaths the Frankensteins blame on a contagious disease.
Meanwhile, Jesse James (John Lupton) and hulky buddy Hank Tracy join up with the Wild Bunch to pull a stage job.
But one member of the Wild Bunch (Rayford Barnes as Lonny), eager to snag the reward on Jesse’s head, turns traitor.
Jesse escapes, but not before Hank is wounded.
A Mexican peasant named Juanita helps them to the only doctor around — Maria Frankenstein.
And that gives Maria just what she’s wanted, a giant of a man to use for her experiments.
She pulls off the transplant surgery successfully this time, setting the stage for a rousing finale the finds Jesse, Juanita, Dr. Frankensteins and Marshal MacPhee (yep, that’s Jim Davis) engaged in rousing fight for good versus evil.
Narda Onyx as Maria Frankenstein, trying to bring her Igor to life in Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1966)
John Lupton as Jesse James, getting to know Maria Frankenstein in Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1966)
Review:
Ugh. So bad, it’s unintentionally hilarious. Check out the obviously painted mansion shot director Beaudine uses repeatedly. At one point, after a third child has died from her experiments, Maria rushes to her book of tricks and instantly finds out what she’s been doing wrong all this time.
At another point, Hank is pronounced near death. So near, he jumps to his feet and hobbles to his horse to he can be taken to the Frankenstein mansion. Then there’s Estelita Rodriguez, who turns in a so-bad-it’s-funny performance as pretty Juanita. She falls for Jesse, of course.
This marked the final film for Narda Onyx, who plays Maria Frankenstein and found most of her acting work on TV. The same was true for 6-4 Hank Tracy, who was supposedly “discovered” working as a highway patrol officer. His only other big-screen effort was a role as Goober in “Heller in Pink Tights.”
Estelita Rodriguez as Juanita Lopez, keeping Jesse’s location a secret in Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1966)
Cal Bolder as Hank Tracy, Jesse’s faithful sidekick in Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1966)
Directed by:
William Beaudine
Cast:
Narda Onyx … Maria Frankenstein
John Lupton … Jesse James
Estelita Rodriguez .. Juanita Lopez
Cal Bolder … Hank Tracy
Jim Davis … Marshal MacPhee
Steve Geray … Rudolph Frankenstein
Rayford Barnes … Lonny Curry
Roger Creed … Butch Curry
Fred Stomsoe … Stacy
Dan White … Pete Ketchum
Page Slattery … Deputy Andy
Wiliam Fawcett … Jensen (the pharmacist)
Nestor Paiva … Saloon Owner
Rosa Turich … Nina Lopez
Felipe Turich … Manuel Lopez
Runtime: 82 min.
Jim Davis as Marshal MacPhee and Rayford Barnes as Lonny Curry, looking for Jesse in Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1966)
Steve Geray as Rudolph Frankenstein, Maria’s none-too-eager assistant in Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1966)
Memorable lines:
Rudolph: “Maria, we’ve already caused the death of three children. And violated the graves of others just to make the experiments.”
Maria: “My, you’re a humanitarian. You should have stayed in Europe and given pink pills to sweet old ladies.”
Jesse: “Everybody’s trying to make me a corpse. Well, I don’t like it.”
Pharmacist: “I don’t want to be involved in any gun play. Especially not in my store. I’m a married man!”
Jesse: “It’s kinda nice country. Why has everyone but Juanita gone away?”
Maria: “We are scientists. We make experiments. These people are ignorant. They do not understand, and they’re frightened. So they run away.”
Jesse, with a nod toward a cemetery: “Seems like some of ’em didn’t quite make it.”
Maria: “The brain is ready.”
John Lupton as Jesse James looking for medical attention for wounded colleague Hank Tracy (Cal Bolder) in Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1966)
Roger Creed as Butch Curry, trying to convince Jesse to go in on a robbery in Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1966)
Rayford Barnes as Lonny Curry, the man eager to collect a reward on Jesse in Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1966)
Estelita Rodriguez as Juanita Lopez, armed and ready to protect her home and her man in Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1966)
Narda Onyx as Maria Frankenstein, determined to complete her late father’s experiment in Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1966)
Cal Bolder, formerly Hank Tracy, is reborn as Igor following a brain transplant in Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1966)
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