Savage Gringo
Savage Gringo () is a 1966 Western film starring Ken Clark. The film is about a drifter who protects a rancher couple from a ruthless landowner. Under its Italian title, "Savage Gringo" was one of numerous Spaghetti Westerns retitled to take advantage of the success of Duccio Tessari's successful "Ringo" duology ("A Pistol for Ringo" and "The Return of Ringo"). Stories from people involved with the production have discussed whether or not Mario Bava directed the film. Producer Fulvio Lucisano stated that he felt that the film's credited director, Antonio Román, was not working to his satisfaction , and hired Bava to finish the film in Rome, while actor Renato Rossini stated he did not recall Bava ever being on set. Bava's son Lamberto, who is served as an assistant director on the film, recalled that his father was brought on only to create matte paintings for the film. Bava's biographer Tim Lucas has debated the matter based on these recollections. Production. Background. Following the financial success of "A Fistful of Dollars" in Italy, several scripts that had been written to capitalize on the popularity of Westerns made by Karl May, but had initially been shelved , were put into production. These films, which featured characters like Django, Ringo and Sartana, would form the Italian Western. With the success of Duccio Tessari's "Ringo" films in 1965 ("A Pistol for Ringo" and "The Return of Ringo"), a wave of films with the name "Ringo" in the title were released, with nearly 30 made between 1965 and 1972, such as "100.000 dollari per Ringo" and "Ringo and His Golden Pistol". These films rarely had anything to do with the original two films, and were so named to take advantage of their popularity. "Savage Gringo" was among these films , as its original Italian title was "Ringo del Nebraska"; the protagonist's name was changed from "Nebraska" to "Ringo" through post-production dubbing. Directorial credit dispute. The film was originally set to be directed by Antonio Román under the title of "Nebraska il pistolero", but after a few days of shooting in La Pedriza in Spain, producer Fulvio Lucisano felt the director "wasn't working out" and ended production. On returning to Rome, Lucisano met with Mario Bava (with whom he had made Bava's most recent film, "Planet of the Vampires"), who agreed to finish the film, leading to  it being completed at Elios Film Studios in Rome. The onscreen credits include the originally-contracted cast and crew, although Lucisano stating that Bava directed most of the film. In an interview with the Italian magazine "Nocturno", actor Renato Rossini stated "I know this film very well well, but I really can't remember Mario Bava involved in it. The director was a Spaniard, Antonio Román, a rather old man, a tall one. [...] We shot it almost entirely in Spain. I was on the set from the first day to the last day, but I really can't remember Mario  Bava there." Mario Bava's son Lamberto Bava was an assistant director on the film, and recalled that Lucisano called his father to do some work on the film, such as matte paintings. Lamberto also noted that he and his father often laughed between themselves at Román's directorial style, as he would always use the first take of each scene. Bava biographer Tim Lucas has suggested that Rossini had a small role in the film, which would not have required him to be on-set every day, and that Lamberto Bava's recollections of Román's working methods would  have resulted in Lucisano getting Bava to direct. Lucas also notes that Lamberto would not have served as an assistant director if the film had entirely been shot in Spain. In his study of Spaghetti Westerns, filmmaker Alex Cox considers Román to be the film's primary director and that Bava served as its second unit director. Release. "Savage Gringo" was first released in Rome on March 18, 1966. On its initial Italian release, the film grossed 143 million Italian lire. It was released in Germany as "Nebraska Jim" on June 12, 1966, and in Spain as "El Rancho Maldito  () on February 12, 1968. In 1970, the film was later reissued in Italy with a new title, Preparatti a morire Ringo del Nebraska c'e Sartana" (). In the United States, the film was packaged for broadcast syndication on television by AIP-TV under the title "Savage Gringo".