One Silver Dollar (1965)

Giuliano Gemma (as Montgomery Wood) plays Gary O’Hara, a former Rebel released from a prisoner of war camp without a penny to his name. He heads to the town of Yellowstone to find work.

A businessman named McCory obliges. He offers Gary a lucrative bonus, and a small ranch, if he’ll arrest an outlaw named Blackie.

O’Hara approaches Blackie in a bar. The outlaw’s back is turned. When he spins around, gun drawn, O’Hara realizes it’s really his brother. Both men are gunned down.

Except the bullet that hits O’Hara is stopped by a silver dollar he’s carrying in his pocket — a silver dollar he was given by his now-dead brother.

Once he regains health, he sets out to find the men behind the thievery and double crossing in Yellowstone by infiltrating the outlaw gang Blackie was working to keep in check.

Another problem arises when Gary’s wife, Judy (Ida Galli, aka Evelyn Stewart) arrives in Yellowstone, only to be told the husband she hoped to meet is dead. McCory decides to become her protector, giving Gary yet another reason to want him dead.

Giuliano Gemma as Gary O’Hara arrives in town in One Silver Dollar (1965)

Ida Galli as Judy O’Hara pleads with Gary in One Silver Dollar (1965)

Review:

The second Western for Gemma and the first for Galli, this is a more straight-forward Spaghetti than many that would follow. But it offers enough plot twists to keep things interesting, places our hero in grave danger than more than once and offers an imaginative ending.

Though Gemma and Galli each went on to star in several Spaghettis, they appeared together in just one other — “Adios Gringo” — released later the same year.

Pierre Cressoy as McCory in One Silver Dollar (1965)

Massiimo Righi as Brad in One Silver Dollar (1965)

Directed by:
Giorgio Ferroni

Cast:
Giuliano Gemma … Gary O’Hara
(as Montgomery Wood)
Ida Galli … Judy O’Hara
(as Evelyn Stewart)
Pierre Cressoy … McCory
(as Peter Cross)
Giuseppe Addobbati … Donaldson
Franco Fantasia … Sheriff Anderson
Tullio Altamura … Buddy (saloon owner)
Massimo Righi … Brad
Nazzareno Zamperla … Phillip O’Hara/Blackie

aka:
Blood for a Silver Dollar
Un Dollaro Bucato

Score: Gianni Ferrio
Song: “A Man … A Story” sung by Fred Bongusto

Runtime: 99 min.

Giuseppe Addobbati as Donaldson in One Silver Dollar (1965)

Franco Fantasia as Sheriff Anderson in One Silver Dollar (1965)

Memorable lines:

One of the bad guys, after Gary O’Hara is knocked out: “Tie him up real tight. When you finish tying him, fill his mouth with salt. We want him to talk in a little while. The minute we get all we want to know, we’ll fill him with lead.”

Townsman: “What the devil are you doing here four days ahead of schedule. You must be trying to win some kind of race. Are the redskins after your scalp, my boy?”
Stage driver: “I’m the father of eight girls. If this one’s going to be a boy, I wanna be there when it’s born.”

Bad man to Gary: “You’re a lousy rebel like him, ain’t ya?”
Gary: “Yep. And you’d better remember, when I’m riled up, start praying.”

Nazzareno Zamperla as Phillip O’Hara (Blackie) in One Silver Dollar (1965)

Ida Galli as Judy O’Hara attacked by Franco Lantieri as Slim in One Silver Dollar (1965)

Trivia:

This marked the first Spaghetti Western for Evelyn Stewart, a frequent female lead in such endeavors. The name was a pseudonym for Ida Galli. Using the name Priscila Steele, she had appeared in the German-made “Assault on Fort Texas,” released earlier the same year.

In the film’s opening scene, the ex-Rebels are given back their pistols as they leave a prisoner-of-war camp, but with the barrels sawed off. One of those six-guns winds up playing a key role in the film’s final showdown.

Giorgio Ferroni had been directing movies since the late 1930s. He headed three more Spaghetti films, “For a Few Extra Dollars” (1966), “Wanted” (also starring Gemma in 1967) and Two Pistols and a Coward (1968).

Tullio Altamura as Buddy, the saloon owner, with Pierre Cressroy (Peter Cross) as McCory in One Silver Dollar (1965)

Giuliano Gemma as Gary O’Hara, a man on a mission in One Silver Dollar (1965)

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