Savage Gringo is a 1966 Spaghetti Western starring Ken Clark. The film is about a drifter who protects a rancher couple from a ruthless landowner. Savage Gringo was developed after the financial success of the film A Fistful of Dollars in Italy which led to other successful Westerns to be made including A Pistol for Ringo and The Return of Ringo, which led to this film along with nearly 30 unrelated Westerns to be released with the name Ringo in the title. Stories from people involved with production have discussed whether or not Mario Bava may have directed the film. Producer Fulvio Lucisano stated he felt the original director Antonio Román was not working and hired Mario Bava to finish the film in Rome, while actor Renato Rossini stated he did not recall Bava being on set. Bava's song and the films assistant directorLamberto Bava had also spoken that he only recalled his father being brought into do matte paintings on the film. Mario Bava's biographer Tim Lucas had debated this based on Rossini's presence on set and Lamberto Bava's other recollections.
Cast
Production
Background
Following the financial success of A Fistful of Dollars in Italy, several scripts that had previously had not been put into production that were made due to the popularity of Westerns made by Karl May were put into production. Among these films were characters like Django, Ringo and Sartana were developed in the Italian Western. Following the success of the two original Ringo in 1965, a wave of films with the name Ringo int the tile were released, with nearly 30 made between 1965 and 1972. These film rarely had anything to do with the original two films and were named this due to the popularity of the original series. Savage Gringo was among these films with its original Italian title of Ringo del Nebraska.
Director credit
The film was originally set to be directed by Antonio Román with an original 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 who agreed to direct the film leading to the film being completed at Elios Film Studios in Rome. The end credits included the original contracted cast and crew, with Lucisano stating that Bava directed most of the film. In the Italian magazine Nocturno, actor Renato Rossini stated that "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." 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 work. Lamberto recalled that he often laughed to himself at the Spanish director who would use the first take on each scene. Mario Bava biographer Tim Lucas suggested that Rossini had a small role in the film which would not have required him to be on set everyday and that Lambero Bava's recollections of the quickwork done by Román would have let to Lucisano to get Bava to direct. Lucas went on to note that Lambero's credit as the assistant director would not have happened if the film had entirely been shot in Spain.
Release
Savage Gringo was first released on March 18, 1966. It was released in Spain as El Rancho Maldito. The film was released in the United States on AIP-TV as part of film syndication packages with the title Savage Gringo.
