Dr. Janus Saxon (Craig Hill), partner Carrasco (Cris Huerta) and a safecracker named Donovan successfully break into the Crown City Bank.
They’re about to make off with a small fortune when the rest of Carrasco’s gang shows up. Carrasco and his gang take the money, leaving Saxon and Donovan empty handed.
Saxon preaches patience. The day for turning the tables will come, he assures Donovan.
When it comes, it’s with Donovan’s son Louis (Pedro Maria Sanchez) because his dad has died in a hail of lawmen’s bullets.
Saxon’s plan: Kidnap, Dog, Carrasco’s often drunk brother, who has a date with a hangman’s noose, then hold him until Carrasco returns the loot as ransom.
A pretty woman posing as a female reporter (Claudie Lange as Deborah Page) adds to the list of people trying to get her hands on the loot.
And no one among this quintet can be trusted.
Don’t let the U.S. title fool you. This isn’t a ribald comedy. In fact, there’s no widow to be found, let alone one who’s being stolen.
But it is a comedy of the double-cross, loot-seeking variety with enough of the former to keep you guessing.
Pretty Claudie Lange is at the center of many of those double crosses. She’ll cuddle up to anyone who gets her closer to the gold, which she wants all for herself.
In one of the film’s better scenes, she invites Hill’s character to share her blankets after they’ve made camp for the night. Come morning, he finds himself hanging upside down in a tree.
The silly theme song is ridiculously catchy and, while recycled from Arizona Colt, fits the mood of the film.
Directed by:
Juan Bosch
as John Wood
Cast:
Craig Hill … Dr. Janus Saxon
Claudie Lange … Deborah Page
Cris Huerta … Carrasco
Pedro Maria Sanchez … Louis Donovan
Rosario Borelli … Dog
as Richard Melvill
Carlo Gaddi … Carrasco’s man
Carlos Otero … Donovan
Gaspar “Indio” Gonzalez … Miguel
Luis Induni … Sheriff Appleton
Mimmo Poli … Innkeeper
Juan Torres … Mexican illegal
Esteban Dalmases … Deputy
Runtime: 86 min.
aka:
Domani passo a salutare la tua vedova… parola di Epidemia
Music: Bruno Nicolai
Song: “Arizona Gun” sung by I Cantori Moderni di Alessandroni
Memorable lines:
Donovan, as he tries to crack a safe: “You precious little thing. Ain’t no woman in this whole world got so many ticklish spots as you got, honey. You’re beautiful.”
Dr. Janus Saxon, proposing a partnership with Deborah: “A beautiful woman is always useful. One plus one equals 11.”
Louis Donovan, upon arriving at a ranch and finding the well empty: “Not very hospitable people. If this is the way they are with water, I hate to see how they are with whiskey.”
Trivia:
Belgian-born Claudie Lange appeared in three other Spaghettis — “Vengeance is Mine” (1968), “Full House for the Devil” (1968) and “Machine Gun Killers” (also 1968). She appeared in just two more films after this one.
A badge was a regular part of wardrobe routine for Luis Induni. He played a sheriff in at least 14 Eurowesterns, a streak that began in 1964’s “Tomb of the Pistolero.” He died in 1979 at age 59.