{{short description|1966 film}} {{Infobox film | name = Savage Gringo | image = Ringo-del-nebraska-italian-movie-poster-md.jpg | alt = | caption = Italian [[film poster]] by Rodolfo Gasparri<ref name="Poster">{{cite web|url=https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/ringo-nebraska-italian-2p-66-cool-1841867796|publisher=Worthpoint|title=Ringo from Nebraska Italian 2P '66 cool Wanted poster & gun art by Roldolfo Gasparri!|access-date=November 24, 2020}}</ref> | native_name = <!-- {{Infobox name module|language|title}} or {{Infobox name module|title}} --> | director = | producer = [[Fulvio Lucisano]]{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=634}} | screenplay = {{plainlist|* Jesus Navarro Carrion * [[Antonio Román]] * [[Adriano Bolzoni]]{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=634}}}} | story = {{plainlist|* Jesus Navarro Carrion * Antonio Román<ref name="Archivo">{{cite web |url=http://www.archiviodelcinemaitaliano.it/index.php/scheda.html?codice=AG1961|title=Ringo del Nebraska (1966) |work=Archivo del Cinema Italiano |access-date=24 November 2020}}</ref> }} | based_on = <!-- {{Based on|title of the original work|creator of the original work|additional creator(s), if necessary}} --> | starring = {{plainlist|*[[Ken Clark (actor)|Ken Clark]] * Yvonne Bastien * [[Piero Lulli]]}} | music = [[Nino Oliviero]]{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=634}} | cinematography = [[Guglielmo Mancori]]{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=634}} | editing = {{plainlist|*[[Renato Cinquini]] *Antonio Jimeno{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=634}} }} | production_companies = {{plainlist|*Italian International Film * Castia Cooperativa Cinematografica{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=634}}}} | distributor = Sidis<ref name="Archivo" /> | released = {{Film date|df=yes|1966|3|18|Italy|1968|2|12|Spain|ref2={{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=634}}}} | runtime = 91 minutes{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=634}} | country = {{plainlist|*Italy * Spain{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=634}}}} | language = | budget = | gross = }}
'''''Savage Gringo''''' ({{langx|it|Ringo del Nebraska}}) is a 1966 Western film starring [[Ken Clark (actor)|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. Actor [[Renato Rossini]] stated he did not recall Bava ever being on set. Bava's son [[Lamberto Bava|Lamberto]], who served as an assistant director on the film, recalled that his father was brought in only to create [[matte paintings]] for the film. Bava's biographer [[Tim Lucas]] has debated the matter based on these recollections, while film historian Troy Howarth went so far as to state that Bava directed 99% of the film and edited it as well.{{sfn|Howarth|2002|p=139}}
==Cast== {{columnslist| * [[Ken Clark (actor)|Ken Clark]] as Ringo / Nebraska * Yvonne Bastien as Kay Hillmann * [[Peter Carter (actor)|Peter Carter]] as Bill Carter * [[Red Ross]] as Lou Felton * Alfonso Rojas as Marthy Hillmann * Anthony Gradwell as Brack, the Bartender * [[Paco Sanz (actor)|Paco Sanz]] as Dottor Parson * [[Livio Lorenzon|Charles Lawrence]] as Sheriff Bert * [[Renato Terra]] * Angel Ortiz as Hanck Dewey * [[José Canalejas (actor)|José Canalejas]] as Elmer Dowson * [[Frank Brana]] as Dickson * Simón Arriaga as Tedder * Alfonso de la Vega as Hollander * Guillermo Méndez as Manuel }}
==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 [[Western (genre)|Westerns]] made by [[Karl May]], but had initially been shelved, were put into production.{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=634}} These films, which featured characters like [[Django (character)|Django]], Ringo and [[Sartana]], would form the Italian Western.{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=634}}{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=635}} 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]]''.{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=635}}{{sfn|Cox|2010|p=97}} These films rarely had anything to do with the original two films, and were so named to take advantage of their popularity.{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=635}} ''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 (filmmaking)|dubbing]].{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=634}}{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=635}}{{sfn|Cox|2010|p=97}}
===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 halted production.{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=635}} On returning to Rome, Lucisano met with [[Mario Bava]] (with whom he had made Bava's most recent film, ''[[Planet of the Vampires]]''),{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=600}}{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=633}} who agreed to finish the film, leading to it being completed at Elios Film Studios in Rome.{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=635}} The onscreen credits still include the originally-contracted cast and crew, although Lucisano stated that Bava directed most of the film.{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=635}}
In an interview with the Italian magazine ''Nocturno'', actor [[Renato Rossini]] stated "I know this film very 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." Bava biographer [[Tim Lucas]] has suggested that Rossini only had a small role in the film, which would not have required him to be on-set every day.{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=635}}
[[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 painting]]s.{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=635}} 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.{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=635}} Lamberto Bava's recollections of Román's working methods would have resulted in Lucisano getting Bava to direct.{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=635}}{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=636}}{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=636}} Lucas also notes that Lamberto Bava would not have served as an assistant director if the film had been entirely shot in Spain.{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=636}}
In his study of [[Spaghetti Western]]s, filmmaker [[Alex Cox]] considers Anthony Román to be the film's primary director and that Bava served as its [[second unit]] director.{{sfn|Cox|2010|p=97}} Film historian Troy Howarth declared that Bava directed about 99% of the film and supervised the editing process as well after the producer fired Antonio Roman.{{sfn|Howarth|2002|p=139}}
==Release== ''Savage Gringo'' was first released in Rome on March 18, 1966.{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=634}}{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=641}} On its initial Italian release, the film grossed 143 million [[Italian lire]].{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=641}} It was released in Germany as ''Nebraska Jim'' on June 12, 1966, and in Spain as ''El Rancho Maldito'' ({{translation|The Ranch of the Dead}}) on February 12, 1968.{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=634}} In 1970, the film was later reissued in Italy with a new title, ''Preparati a morire Ringo del Nebraska c'e Sartana'' ({{translation|Prepare to Die, Ringo From Nebraska - I Am Sartana}}).{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=634}}{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=641}} In the United States, the film was packaged for [[broadcast syndication]] on television by [[AIP-TV]] under the title ''Savage Gringo''.{{sfn|Lucas|2007|p=641}}
==References== {{reflist}}
===Sources=== * {{cite book|title=10,000 Ways to Die: A Director's Take on the Spaghetti Western|last=Cox|first=Alex|authorlink=Alex Cox|isbn=9781842434024|year=2010|publisher=Oldacastle Books }} * {{cite book|last=Howarth|first=Troy|year=2002|title=The Haunted World of Mario Bava|publisher=BearManor Media}} * {{cite book|title=Mario Bava - All the Colors of the Dark|last=Lucas|first=Tim|authorlink=Tim Lucas|isbn=978-0-9633756-1-2|year=2007|publisher=[[Video Watchdog]]}}
==External links== *{{IMDb title|0060901}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Savage Gringo}} [[Category:1966 films]] [[Category:1966 Western (genre) films]] [[Category:Spaghetti Western films]] [[Category:Spanish Western (genre) films]] [[Category:Italian Western (genre) films]] [[Category:1966 Italian films]] [[Category:Films scored by Nino Oliviero]]