Wild Weird West

Two weird westerns:

They Call Me Trinity: A spaghetti western parody, staring Terence Hill as fast-drawing, tight bunned Trinity, a lazy, grimy gunslinger with blue eyes to die for. He travels on a travois dragged behind his horse and doesn't even wake up when the horse drags him through a river.

His half-brother, Bambino, has accidentally become sheriff of a small town, and the boys wind up protecting the settlers from the town crime boss. The settler are noted for their their spiritual pacifism, their work ethic and their cute daughters. When it turns out that they are Mormons, and at least two of the daughters are willing to marry Trinity, he starts thinking about settling down.

The pacifism would be a problem. Trinity doesn't have to fight much, because he is so fast on the draw. He's fast with his fists, too, and Bambino is a giant who just konks villains on the head or picks one up under each arm and bonk their heads together. It all culminates in a Seven Brides for Seven Brothers style fight at the settlers' house-raising. Good fun. There is at least one sequel and it is in the queue.

Then, Zachariah: Young cowboy Zachariah (John Rubinstein) gets a mail-order gun and is inspired by the James Gang to become a gunslinger. The James Gang is the one with Joe Walsh, not Frank and Jesse. See, this is a Rock 'n' Roll Western, with electric guitars. Remember, acid rock was founded at the Red Dog Saloon in Virginia City, Nevada, by the Charlatans in western drag.

Zachariah's friend Matthew comes along - a young Don Johnson with surfer dude hair and attitude. Zachariah and Matthew love each other very much, but not that way. Nonetheless, there's a lot in this movie for women and gay men to enjoy.

Zach and Matthew go on a crime spree with the Crackers gang, played by Country Joe and the Fish, who look realistically grubby. Joe makes a great gang leader, and it's great to see young, curly-haired Barry the Fish Melton. They do a couple of fun songs, as well.

Firesign Theater gets writing credits on this film - mostly giving goofy lines to the Fish, I'd say (Peter Bergman plays a bank teller).

Our young gunslingers want to take it to the next level, so they head out to find Job Cain, top gun in the area. He is played by the ferocious Elvin Jones, John Coltrane's drummer. He shoots a man dead and tears through an amazing drum solo. Zachariah sees him and begins to turn away from gunfighting. Matthew decides to join up with Cain.

Zachariah takes up with Belle Starr, notorious courtesan, but winds up with an aging organic pacifist farmer, cultivating his spiritual side. This is the point where most critics decide this is a Rock Western version of Siddhartha - young man has money, power, love, gives it up to search within. But Mrs. Spenser notes that John Rubinstein was Pippin on Broadway, and that this is the same story as Pippin. Now I have that queued up.

No sequels to this one - sank w/o a trace, I'd say. I'd call it a lost masterpiece, based on Elvin Jones alone.