Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns
Page 32
“THE WAITING ROOM” (2:51) [WW]
Air date: January 26, 1972; Main Cast: Steve Forrest as Sam Dichter, Lex Barker as Charlie McKinley, Buddy Ebsen as Doc Soames, Jim Davis as Abe Bennett, Albert Salmi as Joe Bristol, Gilbert Roland as The Bartender; Producer: Jack Laird; Story: Rod Serling; Director: Jeannot Szwarc; 50 min.; Universal Television; Color.
A notorious group of gunslingers meet endlessly in a saloon as they relive their final gunfights for eternity.
Rogue Angel: Teller of Tall Tales
[Comic book; SFW]
First comic book publication: February 2008; Creator: Randall Toy; Story: Barbara Randall Kesel; Art: Renae De Liz; Publisher: IDW Publishing.
Five-issue miniseries based on the series of books starring Annja Creed, archaeologist, cable show co-host and heir to Joan of Arc's mystical sword. Her research leads her to the Old West town of Virginia City in search of a manuscript that could alter Mark Twain's public reputation.
El Rojo
(1966) [Film; Italy-Spain; WW]
Main Cast: Richard Harrison as El Rojo, Nieves Navarro as Consuelo, Peter Carter [Piero Lulli] as Lasky, Mirko Ellis as Cochise, Rita Klein as Pamela, Raf Baldassare as Ramon; Executive Producer: Tonino Sarno; Story: Roberto Amoroso, Leo Colman [Leopoldo Savona], Mike Mitchell, Rate Furlan; Director: Leo Colman [Leopoldo Savona]; 82 min.; Petruka Films, Ramo Films; Color.
El Rojo seeks vengeance on four hired guns who slaughtered his family. A violent tale of retribution is given a Weird Western twist with the inclusion of Black Bart, a character with a scarred and disfigured face hidden behind a clay mask in the style of the Phantom of the Opera. A metallic cybernetic voice adds to the weird quality of the character.
The Rook
[Comic book character; Comic book; SFW]
1. First appearance: Eerie #82, March 1977; Creator: Bill DuBay; Publisher: Warren Publishing.
Scientific industrialist Restin Dane has a penchant for dressing as an Old West gunslinger as he travels through time in the Time Castle, a machine that resembles a rook chess piece. He arrives at many destinations both future and past, including the Old West, in Eerie issues #82 thru 85.
In a story arc featuring villainous Sheriff Gat Hawkin, Dane arrives in Chancellorsville, Arizona, in 1874 and discovers a hidden mine shaft complete with alien scientific artifacts, located beneath his headquarters in present-day 1977. Wanting the Time Castle for himself, Hawkin critically wounds Dane. Bishop Dane, whom Restin Dane first met as a youngster at the Alamo, takes control of the Time Castle, traveling to the future to bring aid to Restin Dane in the form of the cavalry. Restin realizes he has been saved from a premature death by his great-great-grandfather, Bishop Dane.
Following his regular appearances in Eerie, Dane was promoted to his own comic book in 1979. It ran to 14 issues.
2. The character was revived and updated by Harris Comics in November 1994 in the three-issue mini-series Chains of Chaos before graduating to his own short-lived title in June 1995. Restin Dane a.k.a. The Rook now travels through the reality flow, a stream of energy that connects all dimensions and times. With his body acting as a host to a parasitic second skin of Chaotic armor, he combats the shards of Chaos in alternate realities, including the Old West.
Rory Randall the Singin' Cowboy
[Comic book character; SFW]
First publication: Prime Cuts #1 (January 1987); Creator: Mitch Manzer; Publisher: Fantagraphic Books.
“TREASURE OF THE LOST EMPIRE”
The underground city of Vizania is ruled by evil dictator Namron, who plots to kidnap Rory Randall. Humor strip influenced in part by the 1930s Gene Autry film serial The Phantom Empire.
Roswell, Texas
[Web comic, Graphic Novel; SW]
First publication: 2006; Story: L. Neil Smith, Rex F. May; Art: Scott Bieser; Publisher: Big Head Press.
Science fiction Western set in an alternative timeline where Texas never joined the United States and Davy Crockett survived the Alamo to pursue a career in politics. Texican President Charles A. Lindbergh orders his friend “Wild Bill” Bear and a group of Texas Rangers to investigate reports of a flying saucer crash in Roswell in 1947.
Originally published as a serialized online comic strip before publication as a graphic novel in June 2008.
Cover of Roswell, Texas. Story: L. Neil Smith, Rex F. May; Art: Scott Bieser. © 2009 Big Head Press. Used with permission.
The Rough Bunch
[Comic book characters; SFW]
First appearance: Guy Gardner: Warrior #24 (September 1994); Creator: Beau Smith; Publisher: DC Comics.
The Rough Bunch, comprised of Nighthawk, Cinnamon, El Diablo, Scalphunter, Pow-Wow Smith, Strongbow, Bat Lash, Johnny Thunder, Madame .44 and Matt Savage, first gathered as a group to fight super-villain Extant and his time-zombies in the Old West of 1879.
The Ruff & Reddy Show
(1957) [Animated TV series]
The first television series from Hanna-Barbera featured a smart kitten named Ruff and a slow-witted dog named Reddy. It was filmed at the height of popularity of the TV Western and therefore included some Western-themed episodes. Stories were serialized over a 12- or 13-episode story arc in four-minute segments. Texas outlaw twins Killer and Diller featured in various storylines throughout the run of the series with one story arc involving a haunted gold mine.
“SPOOKY MEETING AT SPOOKY ROCK” (3:14) THROUGH “TAILSPIN TWINS” (3:26) [WW]
Airdate: January 9, 1960–February 6, 1960; Voice Cast: Don Messick (Ruff, Professor Gizmo, Diller), Daws Butler (Reddy, Killer); Executive Producers: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera; 30 min; Hanna-Barbera Productions; Color.
Killer and Diller follow Ruff, Reddy and Professor Gizmo to Superstition Mountain and the haunted Lost Dutchman gold mine. In the mine they encounter Schultz, the ghost of the Lost Dutchman. As Killer and Diller load the gold, Schultz the ghost unloads it but finally agrees to give the cowboy outlaws his gold. Killer and Diller exit the mine in gleeful anticipation of wallowing in their new wealth. But Schultz has the last laugh as the ghostly gold disappears before their eyes.
Rustlers' Rhapsody
(1985) [Film; WW]
Premiere: May 10, 1985; Main Cast: Tom Berenger as Rex O'Herlihan, Patrick Wayne as Bob Barber, Marilu Henner as Miss Tracy, Andy Griffith as Colonel Ticonderoga, Fernando Rey as Railroad Colonel, Sela Ward as Colonel's Daughter; Executive Producer: Jose Vicuna; Story-Director: Hugh Wilson; 88 min.; Impala, Paramount Pictures; Color.
A black-and-white singing cowboy (Berenger) suddenly finds himself in a color Western movie involving Italian cowboys and a cattle baron (Griffith).
Sabata
(1969) [Film; Italy; WW]
U.S. release title for Ehi amico ... c'è Sabata, hai chiuso!
Saber Riders and the Star Sheriffs
(1987) [Animated TV series; SW]
Premiere: September 14, 1987 Studio Pierrot, World Events Productions; 52 × 30 min.; Color.
Space Western featuring Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs of Cavalry Command as they enforce law and order along the New Frontier with the aid of their robot-transforming spaceship Ramrod. The Outriders from the Vapor Zone Dimension provide the conflict in this series adapted for an American audience from the original Japanese series Sei Jushi Bismarck.
Season One
Star Sheriff Round Up (1:01); Cavalry Command (1:02); Jesse's Revenge (1:03); Iguana Get to Know You (1:04); Little Hombre (1:05); The Greatest Show on the New Frontier (1:06); Little Pardner (1:07); Brawlin' Is My Callin' (1:08); Wild Horses Couldn't Drag Me Away (1:09); Castle of the Mountain Haze (1:10); Oh Boy! Dinosaurs! (1:11); Four Leaf Clover (1:12); The Highlanders (1:13); What Did You Do on Your Summer Vacation? (1:14); Jesse Blue (1:15); Showdown at Cimarron Pass (1:16); The Saber and the Tomahawk (1:17); All That Glitters (1:18); Sole Survivor (1:19); Legend of the Santa Fe Express (1:20); Snake Eyes (1:21); Famous Last Words (1:22); Sharpshooter (1:23); The Monarch Supreme (1:24); Gattler's Last Stand (1:25)
; Dooley (1:26); The Hole in the Wall Gang (1:27); The All Galaxy Grand Prix (1:28); Snowblind (1:29); Tranquility (1:30); Bad Day at Dry Gulch (1:31); Snowcone (1:32); Sneaky Spies (1:33); Stampede (1:34); The Challenge (1:35); The Challenge (1:36); Born on the Bayou (1:37); April Rides (1:38); The Walls of Red Wing (1:39); Jesse's Girl (1:40)
Season Two
The Amazing Lazardo (2:01); I Forgot! (2:02); Lend Me Your Ears (2:03); Born to Run (2:04); Legend of the Lost World (2:05); The Rescue (2:06); Eagle Has Landed (2:07); Cease Fire (2:08); Alamo Moon (2:09); The Nth Degree (2:10); Who Is Nemesis? (2:11); Happy Trails (2:12)
Sabrina the Teenage Witch
(1996) [TV series]
The adventures of Sabrina Spellman, who learns she is a witch on her 16th birthday.
“WILD, WILD WITCH” (4:19) [WW]
Air date: March 31, 2000; Main Cast: Melissa Joan Hart as Sabrina J. Spellman/The Petulant Kid, Caroline Rhea as Hilda Spellman, Beth Broderick as Zelda Spellman; Guest Star: Richard Riehle as Jedediah; Creator: Nell Scovell; Story: Sheldon Krasner, David Saling; Director: Sheldon Bull; 30 min.; Warner Bros. Television; Color.
Sabrina, grounded for her constant complaining about rules in her life, is magically transported to an Old West town governed by numerous rules. Appointed sheriff, Sabrina soon discovers that abolishing the very rules she was complaining about can cause chaos.
“The Salt Wagons”
[Pulp fiction; WW]
Author: Lon Williams; Character: Lee Winters; Real Western Stories (August 1955).
Deputy Sheriff Lee Winters confronts ancient Greeks and Persians in Alkali Flat.
He had never liked to cross Alkali Flat at night, for it was a haunted region then. But as its ghosts were late in coming out—usually appearing near midnight—he had thought to reach Alkali and cross it before its worst denizens were astir. But here was something different from anything he'd ever seen or heard of in any sort of place.
The Sam Plenty Cavalcade of Action Show Plus Singing!
(2008) [Web-series; SFW]
Premiere: March 10, 2008; Main Cast: Drew Massey as Sam Plenty, Jeffrey Cannata as Doom Rider, Marie O'Donnell as Queen Verbosa, Victor Yerrid as Bob Choppy, Allan Trautman as Professor August Weadle; Creators: Paul Rugg, Mitch Schauer; Jim Henson Company; Color.
This science fiction-adventure-comedy-musical show is influenced by singing cowboy Gene Autry and his film serial The Phantom Empire.
The online serial “Sam Plenty in Underdoom” begins with Part 3 in a move reminiscent of the TV series Cliffhangers. Singing cowboy Sam Plenty takes over Plenty Ranch following the death of his father at the hands of a mutant. But Sam's life on the ranch is disturbed by denizens of the center-of-the-earth world of Underdoom and the nefarious Queen Verbosa and her Doom Riders.
“SAM PLENTY IN UNDERDOOM” WEBISODES:
Test of Doom (Part 3); Explosion of Doom (Part 4); Purification of Doom (Part 5); March of Doom (Part 6); Hat of Doom (Part 7)
Samurai Western
[Video Game; WW]
Release date: January 1, 2005; Voice Cast: Masato Amada as Gojiro Kiryu, Osamu Hosoi as Rando Kiryu, Steve Blum as Ralph Norman/Gunman 4, Jennifer Hale as Anne Barret/Child 1/Gunman 3; PlayStation 2; Developer: Acquire; Publisher: Spike Co. Ltd., Atlus USA, 505 Game Street (UK).
Gojiro Kiryu, a samurai, arrives in the Wild West to find and kill his brother Rando, but soon becomes entangled in fighting a ruthless tycoon named Goldberg who is leaving behind a trail of ghost towns.
Santiago: A Myth of the Far Future
[Novel; SW]
Author: Mike D. Resnick; First publication: New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 1986.
Bounty hunter Sebastian Nightingale Cain alias The Songbird tracks the elusive legend known as Santiago across the Inner Frontier. Ambitious freelance journalist Virtue McKenzie, shady art collector The Jolly Swagman, fellow bounty hunter The Angel and Santiago admirer Moonripple join the search.
See: The Return of Santiago
Sarah Rainmaker
[Comic book character; SFW]
First appearance: Stormwatch #8 (March 1994); Creators: Jim Lee, Brandon Choi, J. Scott Campbell; Publishers: Image Comics, Wildstorm.
Apache-born Sarah Rainmaker first noticed her powers while on the San Carlos Reservation in Arizona. She can harness the unusual abilities of nature, including controlling the weather, water and lightning bolts, and glide on air currents. Ripclaw helped her escape the clutches of a group known as the Keepers but he failed to protect her from the government-backed International Operations and their Project:Genesis.
The Gen 13 comic book series emphasizes her sexuality in a good-girl art manner and introduces conflict within the group concerning her bisexual nature.
“Satan's Bondage”
[Pulp fiction; WW]
Author: Manly Banister; First publication: Weird Tales (September 1942).
The Weird Tales cover blurb describes the tale as “A Werewolf Western.” One of the first combinations of horror and Western genres.
“Satan's Wool Merchant”
[Pulp fiction; WW]
Author: Lon Williams; Character: Lee Winters; Real Western Stories (February 1953).
Winters swung his horse around. What he saw gave him a shiver; it was no wonder, he thought, that sight of its shadow had caused Cannon Ball to throw a fit. Here on horseback before him was a thing that passed as human, yet looked like something out of a collection of horrors. He was a man with long legs, a short, thick torso, and a small, barely-visible head—to all appearances utterly neck-less and half-imbedded between chunky, broad shoulders.
Scalphunter
[Comic book character]
First appearance: Weird Western Tales #39 (March-April 1977); Creators: Sergio Aragones, Joe Orlando; Publisher: DC Comics.
Abducted as a child and raised by Kiowa Indians, Brian Savage a.k.a. Scalphunter returned to white society as an adult and was appointed sheriff of Opal City. Although he possessed no special powers he did move in weird circles including coming into contact with the secret occult society known as the Tuesday Club and teaming up with fellow Weird Western characters Jonah Hex and El Diablo.
In December 1899, Savage was shot in the back by Jason Melville, a member of the Tuesday Club. His passing marked the end of an era but his spirit lived on in the reincarnated form of Opal City policeman Matt O'Dare.
Scalps
(1983) [Film; WW]
Premiere: December 1983; Main Cast: Richard Hench as Randy/Black Claw, Frank McDonald as Ben Murphy, Jo-Ann Robinson as D.J., Carol Sue Flockhart as Louise Landon, Forrest J Ackerman as Prof. Trentwood; Story: Fred Olen Ray, John Ray, T. L. Lankford; Producer: T. L. Lankford; Director: Fred Olen Ray; 82 min.; American Partnership; Color.
Ignoring a warning to stay away from Black Tree, a group of archaeology students come under attack from Indian demons.
“Scarlet Dream”
[Pulp fiction; SW]
Author: C.L. Moore; First publication: Weird Tales (May 1934).
For Northwest Smith, a shawl bought at the Lakkmanda Markets of Mars leads to a meeting with a young, attractive female and a journey into an enticing and dangerous dream dimension for. He soon feels trapped in a living landscape that includes vampiric grass and an unknown scarlet entity that feeds on the people.
Scout
[Comic book character; SFW]
First published: December 1985; Creator: Timothy Truman; Publisher: Eclipse Comics.
Apache Indian Emanuel Santana is driven by his spirit guide as he fights an oppressive government in a an America stripped of resources by its former allies.
Screaming Eagle
[Graphic Novel; WW]
First Published: 1998; Story: Scott Deschaine; Art: Mike Roy; Publisher: Discovery Comics.
The spirit of a young Indian boy merges with an American eagle after they are both shot by trappers. The revived boy names himself Screaming Eagle and sets out to defend his people in their fight with the white men.
This was the final work of veteran comic book artist Mike Roy. Roy was well known for his work on the Native American Sunday strip Akwas in the 1960s.
Se incontri Sartana prega per la tua morte
(1968) [Film; Italy-France-West Germany; WW]
Premiere; August 14, 1968; Main cast: John Garko [Gianni Garko] as Sartana, Klaus Kinski as Morgan, Fernando Sancho as Jose Manuel Mendoza, William Berger as Lasky; Producer: Aldo Addobbati; Story: Adolfo Cagnacci, Luigi De Santis, Fabio Piccioni; Director: Frank Kramer [Gianfranco Parolini]; 95 min.; Paris Étoile Films, Parnass Film; Color.
A stagecoach robbery leads to a series of grisly murders with the notorious Lasky gaining possession of a strongbox of cash. Sartana seeks the truth behind the robberies and decides on his own version of justice.
The mysterious figure of Sartana as directed by Parolini is on the surface a gunslinger with no past, a “Man With No Name” clone. But his character hints at an avenging spirit of death. Sartana creator Gianfrancro Parolini is quoted as saying that Sartana is a cross between James Bond and the comic strip character Mandrake the Magician.