In this eighth edition of Spaghetti Sunday, the career of Charles Southwood will be under the microscope, with various of his spaghetti western based flicks being reviewed. It’s important to note that this post will continue to grow over time, with new Charles Southwood reviews added as more of his spaghetti western flicks are watched. As with every article and review on the website, this entire series will be spoiler-free.

– The Charles Southwood Edition –

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Charles Southwood, born August 30, 1937 in Los Angeles, California, enjoyed a brief but memorable spell in the moviemaking spotlight, appearing in just eleven films over a thirteen-year career, with five of those being spaghetti westerns.

Early in life, Southwood relocated to Europe, where he was discovered by an agent who helped launch him into leading roles in the emerging wave of spaghetti westerns at the time. After stepping away from acting in 1981, Southwood reinvented himself in an unexpected way, becoming a co-founder of the provocative cigarette brand “Death Cigarettes.”

It’s worth noting that Charles Southwood died in Grants Pass, Oregon, United States on April 8, 2009, at the age of 71.

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Make the Sign of the Cross, Stranger – 1968

Directed by Demofilo Fidani, a somewhat polarising director of the genre, Make the Sign of a Cross, Stranger features Charles Southwood starring as a relentless bounty hunter hoping to catch a gang of bandits causing havoc on the town of ‘White City’. Not the most entertaining of releases, with it certainly aimed more towards the spaghetti western purist. It’s worth noting that the film is also known as ‘Stranger, Say Your Prayers’ in some international markets.

One noteworthy aspect of Make the Sign of a Cross, Stranger is its explosive and largely impactful opening, which features multiple dramatic and intense scenes that do more than enough to capture the viewer’s attention. That said, the action and intensity gradually taper away, with the flick relying mostly on fistfights over the more popular gunfights as the runtime wears on.

Overall, this spaghetti western could be categorised as below par in most, if not all, aspects; however, it still manages to retain a degree of watchability, which is why I wouldn’t be entirely against revisiting the picture again.

Three Silver Dollars – 1968

Directed by Mario Amendola, Three Silver Dollars (also known as I Protect Myself Against My Enemies), centers around the deadly search for three silver dollars, each containing the inscribed coordinates to buried gold worth millions of dollars. A routine spaghetti western with a modest runtime and some easy-on-the-eye filming locations.

It has to be said that Three Silver Dollars tells a very straightforward, easy-to-follow story, though the premise isn’t executed as effectively as it could have been. Several sections of the film linger longer than necessary, and as the runtime progresses the plot settles into fairly predictable territory. That said, the strong chemistry between the two leads – Charles Southwood as Alan Burton and Julian Mateos as Hondo – help keep the film engaging overall.

Additionally, Three Silver Dollars does contain some sharp and at times, witty dialogue, with couple of rather comedic scenes injected too. Not the finest entry in the genre, but not the worst by any stretch.