''Bandolero!'' is a 1968 American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and starring

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Raquel Welch Jo Raquel Welch (; September 5, 1940 – February 15, 2023) was an American actress. Welch first gained attention for her role in ''Fantastic Voyage'' (1966), after which she signed a long-term contract with 20th Century Fox. They lent her con ...

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, and Clint Ritchie. The story centers on two brothers on the run from a posse, led by a local sheriff who wants to arrest the runaways and free a hostage whom they took along the way. They head into the wrong territory, which is controlled by "Bandoleros".

Plot

A gang of robbers arrive at the Texan town of Val Verde with the intention of robbing a bank. The heist goes wrong and a shootout with the local authorities ensues. During it, gang member Babe Jenkins kills a wealthy civilian, the husband of a woman named Maria Stoner. The gang eventually gets arrested. Staying at an inn in a neighboring town, a man named Mace Bishop meets the hangman the government sent to execute the gang and learns of what happened in Val Verde. Stealing the hangman's clothes and imitating his way of talking, Mace steals his identity and goes to Val Verde with the intention of freeing his brother Dee, the gang's leader, from the gallows. The day of the execution, he convinces sheriff July Johnson to take every attendant's gun with the excuse of having a safer event and manages to make the whole gang escape. After the gang flees with a posse in pursuit, Mace robs the bank on his own . Dee decides to take Maria as a hostage after they come across her wagon. The posse, led by sheriff Johnson and deputy Roscoe Bookbinder, chases the fugitives across the Mexican border into territory policed by bandoleros. According to Maria, bandoleros are men out to kill any ''

gringo ''Gringo'' (, , ) (masculine) or ''gringa'' (feminine) is a term in Spanish and Portuguese for a foreigner. In Spanish, the term usually refers to English-speaking Anglo-Americans. There are differences in meaning depending on region and country ...

s'' (foreigners) that they can find. Maria further warns Dee that the sheriff will follow, because they have taken the one thing that he has always wanted: her. Despite initial protestations, Maria falls for Dee after he protects her from the others and finds herself in a quandary. She had never felt anything for the sheriff, nor for her husband, who had purchased her from her family. The posse tracks them to an abandoned town and captures the gang. The bandoleros also arrive, shooting and killing Roscoe. The sheriff releases the outlaws so that the men can fight back in defense. In the ensuing battle, almost everyone is killed. Dee is fatally stabbed by the leader of the bandits, Angel, after Dee beats him when he attempts to rape Maria. Then, Mace is shot by another. Babe and gang member Robbie O'Hare die after killing several bandoleros. Gang member Pop Chaney is killed while going after the money Mace stole, and his son Joe dies after trying to rescue him. Maria grabs Dee's pistol and shoots Angel dead, sending the now leaderless bandoleros into full retreat. Maria professes her love to Dee and kisses him before he dies. Mace returns the money to Sheriff Johnson, and then falls dead from his wound. Maria and the sheriff, with little left of the posse, bury the Bishop brothers and dead posse members, after which Maria remarks that no one will know who was there. They then begin the ride back to Texas.

Cast

as Mace Bishop *

as Dee Bishop *

as Maria Stoner *

as Sheriff July Johnson *

as Deputy Sheriff Roscoe Bookbinder *

as Pop Chaney * Clint Ritchie as Babe Jenkins *

Denver Pyle Denver Dell Pyle (May 11, 1920 – December 25, 1997) was an American film and television actor and director. He was well known for a number of television roles from the 1960s through the 1980s, including his portrayal of Briscoe Darling i ...

as Muncie Carter * Tom Heaton as Joe Chaney * Rudy Diaz as Angel *

Sean McClory Séan Joseph McClory (8 March 1924 – 10 December 2003) was an Irish actor whose career spanned six decades and included well over 100 films and television series. He was sometimes billed as Shawn McGlory or Sean McGlory. Early years Mc ...

as Robbie O'Hare *

Harry Carey, Jr. Henry George Carey Jr. (May 16, 1921 – December 27, 2012) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 90 films, including several John Ford Westerns, as well as numerous television series. Early life Carey was born on a ranch near ...

as Cort Hayjack (as Harry Carey) *

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as Jack Hawkins (as Donald Barry) *

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as Ossie Grimes *

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as Frisco *

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as Stoner *

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as Attendant * Big John Hamilton as Bank Customer * Robert Adler as Ross Harper (as Bob Adler) *

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as Bath House Customer *

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as Bank Clerk (as Joseph Patrick Cranshaw) *

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as Bartender

Production

The film was originally known as ''Mace''. The film was shot at the

Alamo Village Alamo Village is a movie set and tourist attraction north of Brackettville, Texas, United States. It was originally constructed for and best known as the setting for '' The Alamo'' (1960), directed by John Wayne and starring Wayne, Richard Wid ...

, the movie set originally created for

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's ''

The Alamo The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event and military engagement in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo ...

''. Parts of the film were also shot at

Kanab Kanab ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Kane County, Utah, United States.Find a County
". ' ...

Canyon and

Glen Canyon Glen Canyon is a natural canyon carved by a length of the Colorado River, mostly in southeastern and south-central Utah, in the United States. Glen Canyon starts where Narrow Canyon ends, at the confluence of the Colorado River and the Dirty ...

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

Larry McMurtry Larry Jeff McMurtry (June 3, 1936March 25, 2021) was an American novelist, essayist, and screenwriter whose work was predominantly set in either the Old West or contemporary Texas.

, the author of the novel ''

Lonesome Dove ''Lonesome Dove'' is a 1985 Western novel by American writer Larry McMurtry. It is the first published book of the ''Lonesome Dove'' series and the third installment in the series chronologically. It was a bestseller and won the 1986 Pulit ...

'', reportedly paid homage to ''Bandolero!'' by using similar names for the characters in his book. Both tales begin near the Mexican border and involve bandoleros. Both have a sheriff named July Johnson and a deputy Roscoe who travel a great distance in search of a wanted criminal and the woman who has rejected the sheriff's love. Both stories have a charismatic outlaw named Dee, who is about to be hanged and who wins the love of the woman before he dies. In the ''Lonesome Dove'' miniseries, the main characters twice pass directly in front of the Alamo—or at least a set built to replicate the Alamo. Raquel Welch later said of her performance, "No one is going to shout, 'Wow it's

Anne Bancroft Anne Bancroft (born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano; September 17, 1931 – June 6, 2005) was an American actress. Respected for her acting prowess and versatility, Bancroft received an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, tw ...

all over again', but at least I'm not Miss Sexpot running around half naked all the time." "I think she's going to stack up all right", Stewart said of Welch.

Reception

''Bandolero!'' earned North American rentals of $5.5 million in 1968. According to Fox records, the film required $10,200,000 in rentals to break even, and by 11 December 1970, had made $8,800,000, resulting in a loss for the studio.

Soundtrack

Jerry Goldsmith's score was released as an LP by Project 3 Records, and years later multiple times on CD. Because of Martin's exclusive contract with

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Green Day, En ...

, all traces of him were removed from the cover, even the artwork, despite the album being strictly instrumental and his voice never being heard.

References

External links

* * * * * {{Andrew V. McLaglen 1968 films 1968 Western (genre) films 20th Century Fox films American Western (genre) films 1960s English-language films Films about capital punishment Films directed by Andrew McLaglen Films set in Mexico Films shot in Texas Films scored by Jerry Goldsmith Films about brothers Films shot in Utah Revisionist Western (genre) films 1960s American films English-language Western (genre) films