Tomb of the Pistolero (1964)

George Martin is Tom Bogarde, who studied law in Boston and is now bound for Person City to ask questions about the recent death of his brother, Jack.

En route, he rescues a pretty lady named Ruth Brandon (Mercedes Alonso) from two dressed-in-black gunmen. Still, he quicky discovers Person City isn’t a very friendly place, especially for people asking questions about Jack’s death.

The official line goes like this: Jack and local banker Herbert Brandon, Ruth’s brother, were best friends until they fell in love with a lovely lady named Liz. When Liz decided to marry Brandon, Jack reportedy shot her. He was then gunned down by Brandon and his men.

But Jack’s old friend Hopalong Tennessee has lingering doubts that the bullet that killed Liz came from Jack’s gun. And when Tom digs up Jack’s coffin to check his gun, he discovers the coffin empty.

Meanwhile, Brandon is desperately trying to protect his gold shipments from a band of Black Riders, men who formerly worked under Jack. With his brother in Person City, many suspect Tom has now assumed leadership of those Black Riders.

Review:

This is an intriguing little film that was made at about the same time as “Fistful of Dollars,” yet comes off like a B Western who-dunit straight out of Hollywood.

That’s clear when Tom Bogarde strides into the Person City saloon and orders milk. He has to settle for cold tea. Mistaken for a tenderfoot, he’s soon involved in a barroom brawl. Once he’s the last man standing, he orders a whiskey.

This film also comes complete with a character named Hopalog, a theme song that sounds like it should have been in an early ’50s Western, a crippled gunfighter and a lynch mob.

Making it more intriguing is the involvement of so many soon-to-be Spaghetti Western regulars in parts large and small. In addition to the list below, Frana Brana, Jose Canalejas, Alfonso de la Vega, Angel Ortiz and Lorenzo Robledo show up in small roles.

Sylvia Solar plays Taffy, a saloon girl who loved Tom’s brother. Mercedes Alonso is Ruth Brandon, who’s falling for Tom.

George Martin as Tom Bogarde in Tomb of the Pistolero (1964)

Mercedes Alonso as Ruth Brandon in Tomb of the Pistolero (1964)

Directed by:
Amando de Ossorio

Cast:
George Martin … Tom Bogarde
Mercedes Alonso … Ruth Brandon
Silvia Solar … Taffy
Jack Taylor … Herbert Brandon
Todd Martens … Jack Bogarde
Luis Induni … Sheriff
Joaquin Pamplona … Hopalong Tennessee
Jose Marco …. Hamilton, black rider
as Joseph Rambler
Angel Hamills … Stacy, black rider
Aldo Sambrell … Miners’ leader
Miguel Del Castillo … Bartender
Tito Garcia … Stage driver
Luis Vilar … Hotel clerk

Runtime: 80 min.

aka:
La tumba del pistolero
Grave of the Gunfighter

Music: Daniel White

Songs: “My Pistolero”
“The Golden Coach”

Jack Taylor as Herbert Brandon in Tomb of the Pistolero (1964)

Todd Martens as Jack Bogarde in Tomb of the Pistolero (1964)

Memorable lines:

Ruth Brandon to Hamilton: “My brother will make you pay for this.”
Hamilton: “Actually, your brother will pay a good sum for your release, Miss Brandon.”
Ruth: “So you are abducting me?”
Hamilton: “We just want to enjoy being close to you. That’s all.”

Tom Bogarde, after rescuing Ruth from would-be abductors: “This is just like in the fairy tales — the princess always escaped unharmed from the dragon.”
Ruth: “In this case, there were two dragons.”

Bartender, when Tom Bogarde ignores his boss’s warning and refuses to leave town: “This man is crazy. He is totally crazy.”

Hopalong Tennessee, after being insulted by Tom: “Son of Satan! I am tring my best not to fill your body with bullets.”

Hopalong Tennesee, on why he drinks: “Doubts are like vultures. And they bite when liquor does not poison them.”

Silvia Solar as Taffy in Tomb of the Pistolero (1964)

Joaquin Pamplona as Hopalong Tennessee in Tomb of the Pistolero (1964)

Trivia:

Amanda de Ossorio was best known for horror films — Tombs of the Blind Dead (1972), Horror of the Zombies (1974) — but would direct another Western the next year, “Canadian Wilderness” starring George Martin and Diana Lorys.

Mercedes Alonso appeared in two other early European Westerns — Gunfighters of the Casa Grande (1964) and Jesse James’ Kid (1965). Most of her subsequent roles came on TV in Spain and Argentina.

In a review on the Spaghetti Western database, Simon Gelten says the film was originally shot in color. But the color faded so badly over the years that it was removed during the cleaning process.

Luis Induni as the sheriff in Tomb of the Pistolero (1964)

George Martin as Tom Bogarde, Silvia Solar as Taffy and Miguel Del Castillo as the bartender in Tomb of the Pistolero (1964)