Though this film seems to have had a cute idea for a tongue-in-cheek western send-up at its heart, the result was so bad it reminds one of the cheesy pornographic films from the same era. Surely the production values are that low, and and as others have noted, the editing was such as should have earned any film-school student a failing grade. How a name-brand a cast like this one ever got involved with something so poor is to be wondered at. Perhaps no less wondrous is why really awful films like these get released on DVD while so many other infinitely more redeeming ones still fail to see the light of day (I personally am still waiting for "The Secret of Santa Vittoria" with Anthony Quinn). Rest assured, younger viewers, that this disaster is far, far below even the average quality of films of its time. Speaking of which, the 1975 release date cited in these pages cannot be accurate because the Oldsmobile Cutlass so prominently featured in the beginning of the film (yet another waste of otherwise perfectly good celluloid in connection with this movie) was not on the market until the 1978 model year.
33 Reviews
Why?
defenderpapa5 August 2022
Warning: Spoilers
If the victim of a kidnapping where you're forced to watch this movie while tied to a chair, ask for mercy by at least having your assailant mute the sound! The dialogue is meaningless, particularly that of Ms. Powers, and the score is so annoying that it qualifies as the worst ever put to film. The song featured in the film sounds like it took all of 5 minutes to create and the performance of it was evidently done by someone's Uncle Pete who was told he could actually sing. The only saving grace is that the movie justifiably ends by going up in flames!
May We Watch the Final Version, Please?
charles_gilkison8 June 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Unquestionably, if you think this western is bad, then you need to watch some of those old "oaters" on MovieFlix. The Tex Ritter horse operas, for example, make this absurdity seem like GONE WITH THE WIND!
Watching the film last night, I had the feeling that the DVD contained the first draft of a potentially good comedy (or satire). A careful rewriting of the script by pros would have elevated the movie into a strong spoof of "spagetti westerns."
Aside from the sloppy editing, the wretched audio/video quality, and the implausible plot, the problems included these;
1. Sammy Davis Jr.'s presence must have been in homage to either the "rat pack." or the civil rights movement. His character served no useful purpose in the story. In fact, the situation reminded me of desegregation when "white" companies would put their token black employees in or near the best window for all to view.
2. Stefanie Powers is a beautiful and talented comedic actress. But casting her as a tribeless squaw is too much of a stretch. A Hispanic or Indian actress needs to fill that role.
3. James Caan showed all the emotion of Gene Autry. In fact, some erstwhile Republic cowboy might have handled that role more skillfully.
4. Too many characters! A good rewriting would have narrowed the focus to the major figures.
5. The burning of the town looked as phony as Bob Steele's fistfights. The sets should have been better constructed so that they at least appeared to be real buildings in flame.
6. One reason for its lack of polish may have been that it was originally intended to be a made-for-TV movie. The dialogue lacked the usual profanity, the violence lacked the blood and gore of a Clint Eastwood western, and the politically incorrect image of a squaw was typical of such shows as THE WILD WILD WEST and even GUNSMOKE.
7. Then, when someone decided to complete the piece, it became much grittier in style and substance, more like a theater release.
Frankly, I'd love to see a genuine motion picture producer redo this film, hiring authentic-looking actors for the parts, paring the number of roles to a workable few, and maintaining high filming standards. If he did, the result could be a truly enjoyable straight-faced satire.
Watching the film last night, I had the feeling that the DVD contained the first draft of a potentially good comedy (or satire). A careful rewriting of the script by pros would have elevated the movie into a strong spoof of "spagetti westerns."
Aside from the sloppy editing, the wretched audio/video quality, and the implausible plot, the problems included these;
1. Sammy Davis Jr.'s presence must have been in homage to either the "rat pack." or the civil rights movement. His character served no useful purpose in the story. In fact, the situation reminded me of desegregation when "white" companies would put their token black employees in or near the best window for all to view.
2. Stefanie Powers is a beautiful and talented comedic actress. But casting her as a tribeless squaw is too much of a stretch. A Hispanic or Indian actress needs to fill that role.
3. James Caan showed all the emotion of Gene Autry. In fact, some erstwhile Republic cowboy might have handled that role more skillfully.
4. Too many characters! A good rewriting would have narrowed the focus to the major figures.
5. The burning of the town looked as phony as Bob Steele's fistfights. The sets should have been better constructed so that they at least appeared to be real buildings in flame.
6. One reason for its lack of polish may have been that it was originally intended to be a made-for-TV movie. The dialogue lacked the usual profanity, the violence lacked the blood and gore of a Clint Eastwood western, and the politically incorrect image of a squaw was typical of such shows as THE WILD WILD WEST and even GUNSMOKE.
7. Then, when someone decided to complete the piece, it became much grittier in style and substance, more like a theater release.
Frankly, I'd love to see a genuine motion picture producer redo this film, hiring authentic-looking actors for the parts, paring the number of roles to a workable few, and maintaining high filming standards. If he did, the result could be a truly enjoyable straight-faced satire.
Gone from the start......
Poseidon-318 October 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Incomprehensible from the start, this vomitously edited mish-mash of a film squanders the chance to be reasonably entertaining, instead leaving its cast of variably talented stars to flounder helplessly. Caan plays an ex-prisoner who seeks revenge on fat cat town boss Ray. He comes across Indian Powers, who's been victimized herself by Ray and his town full of deplorable, violent, whiskey-sodden cowboys. Together, they attempt to wreak havoc on the town through any means available to them. Meanwhile, Ray and his gaggle of men (and women) continuously drink, fornicate and generally raise hell while expert gunslinger Davis plays pool. Ray's main squeeze is Werle, whose brother Walker is the figurehead sheriff of the town. Very little is made clear for the viewer, perhaps due to budget constraints or problems in production or maybe just plain terrible direction and scripting. That said, there is the seed of an entertainingly tongue-in-cheek tale buried in the mire. Caan is appealing and easy-going. He has a couple of amusing comic bits such as when he accidentally blows out both a match and the lantern he's just lit. He also has a very nice rapport with the far more enthusiastic Powers. His laconic style works well with her manic one. Powers is surprisingly adept in this unlikeliest of roles. She seems more Spanish than Indian in her speech, but gives a game attempt at physical comedy. She does tend to overact, but in a film this terrible, any positive energy is welcome. Ray basically laughs heartily and bellows every line. He is shown bathing, cavorting and growling with little purpose. Davis seems at times to be in a whole different movie. His only real contribution is the display of a remarkably fast quick draw in one of the action scenes. Werle is part of one of the truly funny moments of the film in which she and another tramp brawl (and brawl) all over the place, far outdoing the girl scouts in "Airplane!", and beat each other senseless as they throw each other down steps and through windows and even out into the street! Walker may as well have not shown up at all, so tiny and insignificant is his role. There's a lengthy wrestling match between two burly henchmen and a series of funerals in which a cowboy sings reverently as the attendees wait for the song to finish so they can resume their reveries. The film has a notable number of dogs present, for whatever reason. One, in particular, seems very happy to be making his film debut on the bar during the wrestling match. "Hill St. Blues" fans will note the brief presence of Conrad near the beginning as a friendly blacksmith. The film is awful. It's horribly handled in virtually every department (including the hideous music), yet for the patient viewer, a couple of tiny nuggets of entertainment, even if they're unintentional, can be located.
The West Is A Mess
FightingWesterner25 October 2009
Ex-convict James Caan is released from prison and sets out to exact some long overdue vengeance on Aldo Ray, the man who murdered his family years before and apparently the rest of the town as well.
There's some trashy fun at first but things run out of steam pretty quick and never recover.
A paper thin story, the obnoxious free-wheeling 1970's style direction, and the bad funk score are all pretty off-putting, as is the terrible performance by Stephanie Powers, who looks like Johnny Depp in Benny & Joon and is so verbally challenged she makes Tonto look like a radio talk show host!
The great Sammy Davis Jr. is sadly wasted in this. His leather-clad gunfighter character was the most entertaining thing in the movie and really deserved a better script!
There's some trashy fun at first but things run out of steam pretty quick and never recover.
A paper thin story, the obnoxious free-wheeling 1970's style direction, and the bad funk score are all pretty off-putting, as is the terrible performance by Stephanie Powers, who looks like Johnny Depp in Benny & Joon and is so verbally challenged she makes Tonto look like a radio talk show host!
The great Sammy Davis Jr. is sadly wasted in this. His leather-clad gunfighter character was the most entertaining thing in the movie and really deserved a better script!
Too Incoherent Even For MST3K
aimless-4622 January 2006
Rebecca: This is so bad it's almost good.
Enid: This is so bad it's gone past good and back to bad again.
"Gone With the West" (a/k/a "Little Moon and Old Jug or Jud"), is a James Caan-Sammy Davis Jr. western best described as "The Rat Pack on LSD". The cast includes "The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.". It is a horrible western, made even worse by the condition of the print they used to make the DVD (a 2005 release by Mill Creek Entertainment), but it does feature one of the most intense cat-fights in cinema history.
Old Jug McGraw (Caan) and April Dancer are sent to the town of Black Miller by Mr. Waverly to investigate a Thrush plot led by a former Green Beret sergeant. There's opium dealers too, a lot of dogs, and a woman named Billie, who's kinda purdy. Everything gets straightened out, though I just watched the whole movie and I couldn't tell you how.
Enid: This is so bad it's gone past good and back to bad again.
"Gone With the West" (a/k/a "Little Moon and Old Jug or Jud"), is a James Caan-Sammy Davis Jr. western best described as "The Rat Pack on LSD". The cast includes "The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.". It is a horrible western, made even worse by the condition of the print they used to make the DVD (a 2005 release by Mill Creek Entertainment), but it does feature one of the most intense cat-fights in cinema history.
Old Jug McGraw (Caan) and April Dancer are sent to the town of Black Miller by Mr. Waverly to investigate a Thrush plot led by a former Green Beret sergeant. There's opium dealers too, a lot of dogs, and a woman named Billie, who's kinda purdy. Everything gets straightened out, though I just watched the whole movie and I couldn't tell you how.
Incomprehensible jumble set to annoying music
rooster_davis24 February 2008
This has to be one of the worst movies ever! How did it take three people to write a story with nearly no dialog and very little plot? How did anyone get talked into financing this bomb? How did they manage to get James Caan and SAMMY DAVIS JR.! to appear in this thing? I think this movie gave Sammy Davis Jr. cancer. He probably never let Sinatra or Dean Martin know he was in this thing. It is that utterly bad. It is more confusing than some bizarre Fellini flick. I watched the whole thing and I have NO idea what it is about, just a collection of scenes that don't add up to a story. I don't know what any of it means - the cockfighting, the woman and little kid getting shot, the two hookers (?) getting into a fight, the wrestling match in the bar (which is perpetually in a fight scene), the cowboy singing 'Abide With Me' every so often. Weird, weird, weird. Maybe it would make sense if you watched it on LSD, since it was apparently written under that influence. I can't recall another movie which has left me feeling so stunned, like 'What the HECK was that?' No wonder it's in the public domain; nobody would have spent the few dollars to keep the copyrights going. Wow. This whole movie makes no sense whatever.
Who the hell gave the green-light for this junk?
miss_blue2212 November 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I agree with Charlot60. This had to be one of the worst films ever allowed to be made!!! The music sounded like the soundtrack to a bad 70s porn film, the main song was utterly annoying, and all anyone did in this film was screw and fight (well, two out of three ain't bad :D). Caan, Powers, and especially Davis, Jr. didn't belong in this film. It should have been called 'Sodom and Gomorrah goes West'! The only thing that would have made this film easier to tolerate was if it was featured on an episode of 'Mystery Science 3000'. Those guys would have tore it to shreds...and deservedly so. If anyone wants to take the time to rent or buy this (you will probably only find it in the dollar store), watch at your own risk. You will either find it stupid or hilarious. Personally, I found it to be both.
worst movie i have ever seen!
charlot606 June 2005
there are really no words to describe how bad this movie is. thank god we bought it at the dollar store! the only way my sister and i watched it was in fast forward! we couldn't stop laughing, we only watched when we guessed the man was singing, we knew someone was dead! Stephanie powers had the best role, she really did not have much to say or do. i hope they all got paid a lot of money for this mess of a movie.you can tell this movie was made in the late seventies. the music and the way the camera angles were so bad, i thought i was watching a music video. the only way to watch this movie is with a lot of popcorn and a big drink.
James Caan on a mule, Stefanie Powers in a fright-wig, Aldo Ray in his underwear...
moonspinner5527 June 2009
Newspaper folk from the city, doing a piece on ghost towns, get an earful from a batty old crone near San Juan Batista who tells them a tall tale of the Old West. Excruciating western, apparently played for laughs, pits lonesome cowpoke James Caan against small town strong-arm Aldo Ray, with Stefanie Powers as an Indian love-interest who apparently doesn't speak English. Showing definite, crippling signs of post-production interference, this threadbare film is so ineptly edited, one feels as though he's watching a proposed pilot for a TV series which never sold. It isn't fair to call the end results a 'film' or a 'movie'...it's simply an excuse for the actors (good ones, mind you) to make a little extra money. Hopefully, the cast and their managers were well-paid. NO STARS from ****
Worst of the worst
Luvantique31 July 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This film could well serve as a textbook on how not to do continuity (there is none). The print I saw lacked the narration, but if that was a negative in the original, the re-edit didn't help. I'll go a step further and state it is easily the worst film of any kind I've ever seen. "Plan 9" at least has a sort of campy appeal; this film has no saving graces whatsoever, and it is remarkable that so many later big names could survive their exposure in it.
Spoiler: In the final scene, Little Moon (Stephanie Powers), who has not spoken anything but Mexican and a word or two of broken English, turns to Judd (James Caan) and remarks in perfect unaccented English, "You've shot everyone but the cameraman," at which point Judd turns and draws and shoots back toward the viewer, and the image falls over sideways. If there had been any hint of lightness in the film (outside of Powers' moronic efforts at cuteness), it might have served as a punch line like the drive into the sunset in Blazing Saddles, but there was none, so it comes across more like a middle finger salute by the director, who surely must have known he was working on a turkey.
Spoiler: In the final scene, Little Moon (Stephanie Powers), who has not spoken anything but Mexican and a word or two of broken English, turns to Judd (James Caan) and remarks in perfect unaccented English, "You've shot everyone but the cameraman," at which point Judd turns and draws and shoots back toward the viewer, and the image falls over sideways. If there had been any hint of lightness in the film (outside of Powers' moronic efforts at cuteness), it might have served as a punch line like the drive into the sunset in Blazing Saddles, but there was none, so it comes across more like a middle finger salute by the director, who surely must have known he was working on a turkey.
Come on people, this was a riot!
ardra727819 April 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I totally agree with philjac2002. This is a hilarious movie that simply requires a somewhat intelligent and dry sense of humor to be fully appreciated. It was not meant to be about proper editing, camera angles and sound mastering, in fact quite the opposite - so don't watch it if those things are of huge importance to you. However, if you enjoy a wry comedy that pokes fun at any and everything this one's for you. My favorite parts: the "Abide with me" bit, Sammy Davis Jr. is brilliant, the cat fight is (well, I'm actually speechless on that one), Little Moon trying to push the boulder down the mountain, and when she tries to woo James Caan with magic tricks I cried I was laughing so hard. I won't spoil how they blow up the town because that is the funniest part, except maybe for the end which is priceless - suddenly Little Moon speaks perfect English - too bad for Mr. Cameraman!
Rather entertaining farce of the West
jeremy310 July 2009
Warning: Spoilers
A drifter named Jud McGraw(Caan) learns to quickly hate the wealthy bully who runs a small ghost town. The movie begins when some L.A. screen writer is going out to the desert to get an idea for a film. He ends up going to a ghost town in the desert and gets extorted by an older couple to see the "ghost town". The older woman promises to return is movie if he isn't satisfied by the tale she is tell of the "ghost town". The majority of the rest of the film is her narrative.
This drifter runs into a Native American woman with her own grudge against this wealthy bully. The pair end up declaring war upon this small town, and come up with ingenious and funny ways to get revenge on the town bully. You have to like the idea. Things were really settled by fist, and it wasn't as if Jud McGraw wasn't getting the dickens beaten out of himself while fighting an opponenent.
There is a funny role by Sammy Davis, Jr. as a fearless gunfighter. The gun really was power back then. The movie is rather violent and silly, but I do like the part about the L.A. screen writer looking for material in the desert. You really get an idea about life in the desert in this film. Towns spring up and disappear like they were never there.
This drifter runs into a Native American woman with her own grudge against this wealthy bully. The pair end up declaring war upon this small town, and come up with ingenious and funny ways to get revenge on the town bully. You have to like the idea. Things were really settled by fist, and it wasn't as if Jud McGraw wasn't getting the dickens beaten out of himself while fighting an opponenent.
There is a funny role by Sammy Davis, Jr. as a fearless gunfighter. The gun really was power back then. The movie is rather violent and silly, but I do like the part about the L.A. screen writer looking for material in the desert. You really get an idea about life in the desert in this film. Towns spring up and disappear like they were never there.
GONE WITH THE WEST (Bernard Girard, 1975) BOMB
Bunuel197614 April 2008
One of the more memorable sequences in MESSIAH OF EVIL (1973) features a major supporting character meeting her doom while at a movie screening preceded by the trailer for GONE WITH THE WEST; by sheer coincidence, within the same week I rented the former on DVD, I also came across the latter – having rented this particular budget-priced Western collection primarily because it also included THE JACKALS (1967), a remake of William A. Wellman's YELLOW SKY (1948) which I intend to revisit presently in tribute to its recently deceased co-star, Richard Widmark! The footage seen in MESSIAH OF EVIL – of a mean-looking gunslinger played by Sammy Davis Jr.(!) – promised a fun movie but, even if his cameo did prove to be its brightest spot, having now had the misfortune to sit through the damn thing in its entirety, it's perfectly clear now that the trailer had been inserted only because GONE WITH THE WEST was an as-yet unreleased debacle which needed all the exposure it could get!
This truly lamentable attempt at a Western spoof was evidently shot prior to James Caan attaining stardom with THE GODFATHER (1972) and, although he does manage a couple of decent bits, he is a long, long way from his scene-stealing turn as Mississippi in Howard Hawks' EL DORADO (1966). Despite some surprising nudity by both of them, Stefanie Powers is simply terrible as an all-Spanish-speaking Indian girl(!) and Barbara Werle fares no better as Aldo Ray's nymphomaniac wife. Ray himself is embarrassing as a grizzled cowboy and Robert Walker Jr. barely registers at all in the role of an ineffectual sheriff. Even less rewarding is seeing Hollywood veteran Heather Angel as a loony old woman – who is actually an elderly version of the same character played by Powers; not that it matters much but the film opens in a modern-day setting and the bulk of the narrative is made up of Angel's reminiscences (by which time, it seems, she had learned to muster the English language).
Retitling the film to LITTLE MOON AND JUD McGRAW (which is the name sported by the print I watched) only served to jettison the puerile original but did zilch to mask the film's glaringly rampant deficiencies (particularly those of an editorial nature). Director Bernard Girard may have been behind a couple of interesting movies prior to this one – the James Coburn caper, DEAD HEAT ON A MERRY-GO-ROUND (1966) and the Christopher Walken psychological outing, THE MIND SNATCHERS (1972) – but it's no surprise at all that GONE WITH THE WEST sealed his fate in filmdom forever. There is no doubt in my mind that this is one of the worst movies of the Seventies but, arguably, I'd even go so far as to name it the worst Western I ever laid eyes on!
This truly lamentable attempt at a Western spoof was evidently shot prior to James Caan attaining stardom with THE GODFATHER (1972) and, although he does manage a couple of decent bits, he is a long, long way from his scene-stealing turn as Mississippi in Howard Hawks' EL DORADO (1966). Despite some surprising nudity by both of them, Stefanie Powers is simply terrible as an all-Spanish-speaking Indian girl(!) and Barbara Werle fares no better as Aldo Ray's nymphomaniac wife. Ray himself is embarrassing as a grizzled cowboy and Robert Walker Jr. barely registers at all in the role of an ineffectual sheriff. Even less rewarding is seeing Hollywood veteran Heather Angel as a loony old woman – who is actually an elderly version of the same character played by Powers; not that it matters much but the film opens in a modern-day setting and the bulk of the narrative is made up of Angel's reminiscences (by which time, it seems, she had learned to muster the English language).
Retitling the film to LITTLE MOON AND JUD McGRAW (which is the name sported by the print I watched) only served to jettison the puerile original but did zilch to mask the film's glaringly rampant deficiencies (particularly those of an editorial nature). Director Bernard Girard may have been behind a couple of interesting movies prior to this one – the James Coburn caper, DEAD HEAT ON A MERRY-GO-ROUND (1966) and the Christopher Walken psychological outing, THE MIND SNATCHERS (1972) – but it's no surprise at all that GONE WITH THE WEST sealed his fate in filmdom forever. There is no doubt in my mind that this is one of the worst movies of the Seventies but, arguably, I'd even go so far as to name it the worst Western I ever laid eyes on!
Little Morons from the Junk McDrawer
vandino16 October 2005
This is probably something that James Caan either doesn't remember or will not talk about. It has a release date of 1975 but was more likely filmed anywhere between '70 and '72 considering Caan's career went into high gear by the end of '72, not to mention how young he and Stefanie Powers look. Obviously something went seriously wrong with the western that some non-entity named Bernard Girard directed, thus the "need" to offer some contemporary (mid-70's) wrap-around footage. Perhaps a total lack of coherence required adding the story-telling narrative. Regardless, the whole thing is a botch, modern-day accessory footage included. It has something to do with Aldo Ray as the town baddie who steals Caan's cattle and molests Powers and the two victims seek revenge by destroying Ray's rotten town. Davis, Jr. is Ray's hired gunslinger. Strange fact: Davis, Jr. was actually a quick draw in real life. Apparently he was clocked at one time as one of the fastest ever. Sammy seemed to be a natural at anything he attempted (just ask Linda Lovelace... but that's another story). Yet poor Sammy appears absurd in his Jack-Palance-from-'Shane' outfit and has little to do except act phony-tough and gun down a few bozos in his few scenes. At least Aldo Ray seems to be having fun (his paycheck happily covering his liquor bill, no doubt). Meanwhile, Powers adds a little comedy relief, a little skin, and not a word of English. Caan is fine (his pleasant demeanor unmolested by the knowledge the film he was ostensibly appearing in would later be edited by a mix-master). Oh, and the music score is as goofy and wrong-headed as the film itself.
Going, Going, Gong
wes-connors3 September 2012
Poorly presented western starring James Caan (as Jud McGraw) as an outlaw type trying to be good in a corrupt town. Robert Walker (as the Sheriff) shares his beard, Aldo Ray (as as Mimmo) takes a bath, Sammy Davis Jr. (as Kid Dandy) wears black leather pants, and Stefanie Powers (as Little Moon) shows her bare buttocks. To appear more Native American, Ms. Powers wears an "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark" hairpiece. She successfully holds it on during a struggle with Mr. Caan. This film was first shelved, then released as "Gone with the West" in 1975. It should have stayed gone, but was re-produced with new framing and narration as "Little Moon & Jud McGraw" in 1978. The stunts, especially those involving fire, are done well. Otherwise, this is a movie mess.
** Gone with the West/ Little Moon & Jud McGraw (1975/1978) Bernard Girard ~ James Caan, Stefanie Powers, Aldo Ray, Sammy Davis Jr.
** Gone with the West/ Little Moon & Jud McGraw (1975/1978) Bernard Girard ~ James Caan, Stefanie Powers, Aldo Ray, Sammy Davis Jr.
Chaotic oddity satirizes the Western
Wuchakk25 August 2019
When an innocent convict (James Caan) is released from prison in the Southwest he teams-up with an AmerIndian woman (Stefanie Powers) to exact vengeance on a town of sadistic revelers in the desert. Aldo Ray plays the sinister town boss, Robert Walker Jr. the weary sheriff and Sammy Davis Jr. a black-clad gunslinger.
"Gone with the West" has a strange history: It was actually shot in 1969 under the working title "Man without Mercy," but not released until 1974-1975. This explains how scenes from the movie were available for use in the theater sequence of "Messiah of Evil" (1973). A reedited version with new music and additional scenes (a new intro & conclusion set in modern times) was released in the late 70s under the name "Little Moon and Jud McGraw" wherein Caan's character, Jebediah Kelsey, was changed to Jud McGraw. I viewed the original "Gone with the West" version.
The movie SEEMS like a serious Western with the typical sadism of Spaghetti Westerns (for example, the opening features a woman being raped with a town mob heartily enjoying the spectacle), but the goofy jazz/rock score keys off that it's supposed to be satirical. If there's any doubt, the ending scene tells all. Speaking of the music, it's akin to the groovy rock in low-budget biker flicks, e.g. "The Cycle Savages" (1969), except that a great acoustic piece surfaces occasionally, similar to something Heart would do back then.
When I discerned that the film wasn't to be taken too seriously I started to chuckle with it, a little anyway, and was entertained by several sequences, like the knock-down drag-out brouhaha of two women, Sammy Davis Jr.'s deadpan gunfighter and the guy humorously singing "Abide with Me" deadpan, as well as the over-the-top hellish close.
Unfortunately, the editing is incoherent, like whoever put it together was on acid. Not to mention there's zero meaningful dialogue with Powers babbling in an AmerIndian language the whole time (or was it Spanish?). So, there are items to appreciate in this eccentric Western, but you have to persevere through its outlandishness and defects.
The film runs 1 hour, 32 minutes, and was shot in Las Vegas with the title sequence shot at Vasquez Rocks, California, just north of Los Angeles in the high country.
GRADE: C-
"Gone with the West" has a strange history: It was actually shot in 1969 under the working title "Man without Mercy," but not released until 1974-1975. This explains how scenes from the movie were available for use in the theater sequence of "Messiah of Evil" (1973). A reedited version with new music and additional scenes (a new intro & conclusion set in modern times) was released in the late 70s under the name "Little Moon and Jud McGraw" wherein Caan's character, Jebediah Kelsey, was changed to Jud McGraw. I viewed the original "Gone with the West" version.
The movie SEEMS like a serious Western with the typical sadism of Spaghetti Westerns (for example, the opening features a woman being raped with a town mob heartily enjoying the spectacle), but the goofy jazz/rock score keys off that it's supposed to be satirical. If there's any doubt, the ending scene tells all. Speaking of the music, it's akin to the groovy rock in low-budget biker flicks, e.g. "The Cycle Savages" (1969), except that a great acoustic piece surfaces occasionally, similar to something Heart would do back then.
When I discerned that the film wasn't to be taken too seriously I started to chuckle with it, a little anyway, and was entertained by several sequences, like the knock-down drag-out brouhaha of two women, Sammy Davis Jr.'s deadpan gunfighter and the guy humorously singing "Abide with Me" deadpan, as well as the over-the-top hellish close.
Unfortunately, the editing is incoherent, like whoever put it together was on acid. Not to mention there's zero meaningful dialogue with Powers babbling in an AmerIndian language the whole time (or was it Spanish?). So, there are items to appreciate in this eccentric Western, but you have to persevere through its outlandishness and defects.
The film runs 1 hour, 32 minutes, and was shot in Las Vegas with the title sequence shot at Vasquez Rocks, California, just north of Los Angeles in the high country.
GRADE: C-
Gone; I wish it was!
barford-574155 March 2022
The list of actors attracted me to this movie, but from there it all went downhill. I could not make sense of any part of it. The acting was nonsensical was it actually directed or was it just thrown together, the music was annoying and didn't fit with the action, was it meant to be a comedy, a parody 🤔, oh no, just a complete waste of time!
Worst western ever!
tammyc-4281618 May 2022
The Worst Western I've Seen!
jmartine20017 January 2006
Wow. What a mess. This showed a lot of promised in the beginning. Getting out of jail, James Cann goes back to his hometown, seeking revenge for the death of this wife and son. I like Cann in this movie. His strong presence is needed. Another point - I admire the female characters fighting for what they believed in. Women standing their ground for respect. During a bar brawl, I saw one gal punched a guy down in self defense! These two points really don't save the movie. Gone with the West feels incomplete. Though this movie was filmed in 1972, it wasn't released till 1975. Somewhere during production, they must have run out of money and ideas. The soundtrack is annoying, it can drive you up the wall. Though I liked seeing the familiar faces of TV veterans Robert Walker and Sammy Davis, they don't have much to do. By the way, Stefanie Power's character makes a poor comic relief. The last scene with Cann and Powers looking back at the camera is just plain odd. I purchased this DVD for a dollar, so I didn't risk much. Its just frustrating to see this film. Gone with the West could have been a decent movie if given additional thought and money, Is this western another reason why the genre went away during the 1970s?
Framed
StrictlyConfidential4 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
"Gone With The West" was originally released back in 1974.
Anyway - As the story goes - Jud McGraw and a less-than-innocent Indian maid, known as Little Moon, have both come to the deserted town of Black Nullar to settle old scores. Out of the smoldering cinders of the town, love finds a way in.
Anyway - As the story goes - Jud McGraw and a less-than-innocent Indian maid, known as Little Moon, have both come to the deserted town of Black Nullar to settle old scores. Out of the smoldering cinders of the town, love finds a way in.
Hilarious
philjac20021 April 2006
The only way someone could think this movie was not sensational is if their sense of humor was highly uncultivated or if they were just extremely immature. The asides make it clear this movie was made just for laughs. The characters names, the costumes, and the starring roles of such Hollywood heavyweights as James Caan, Stephanie Powers and Sammy Davis Jr. especially made this film hilarious on almost the same level as Blazing Saddles. My roommate and I pride ourselves in having a refined sense of taste and we enjoyed this film thoroughly. And we didn't even have to be intoxicated to laugh uproariously throughout the entire film. The last scene in which Stephanie powers remarks to James Caan that the only person he didn't kill was the camera man was the icing on the cake.
"Hey, you killed everybody but the cameraman!"
classicsoncall21 November 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Whoa Nelliebelle!, as Pat Brady used to say. It's a good thing I came along to lend a little balance to the reviews here. I admit it's easy to get sucked into the common perception that this is an awful Western with no story, but there really IS something going on here. The town boss (Aldo Ray) of Black Miller did Jud McGraw (James Caan) wrong years ago by killing his family, and with McGraw fresh out of prison it's time for revenge. Along the way, he hooks up with crazy Mexican Indian chick Little Moon (Stefanie Powers), and together they plan their assault on Mimmo and his henchmen.
With the players I've just mentioned, this flick would qualify as having a fairly well known cast, but throw in Sammy Davis, Jr. and now you've got some real star power. His presence here is likely intended to be a hoot, but in his day, Davis clocked in as just about the fastest quick draw artist in Hollywood. John Wayne admitted as much, stating that Sammy was the fastest he ever saw. There are a couple of "Rifleman" TV episodes where Sammy's featured for his gun prowess, and if you take the time you can also catch him in a couple of You Tube videos demonstrating his quick draw and twirling techniques.
If all that wasn't enough, I have to point out that you'll find no better brawl between two women on screen than you have here. In fact I'll be adding it to my list of 'Best Western Movie Brawls' here on IMDb. Folks, this was no catfight - Barabara Werle and Elizabeth Leigh go through more furniture in their battle than a salesman at Raymour and Flannagan. They tumble down stairs, break up the entire saloon and carry it out to the street. It's really a wonder to behold. Later on a couple of male wrestlers get into it with similar intensity, but their action is broken up by cut aways to other scenes, otherwise we might have had two 'Best Brawls' in the same film.
Now I must have seen the original version of this story because the wraparound narration mentioned by other reviewers was not part of my movie, which ran long enough as it is. In a way I'm sorry I missed it, as the narrator was Bulldog Drummond's girlfriend from the 1930's, Heather Angel. But I guess you can't have everything.
So for anyone who thinks this is the worst Western ever, let me point out a couple of real contenders. For my money, the two worst I've seen so far are "Alien Thunder", also going by "Dan Candy's Law" from 1974, and "Cry Blood, Apache" from 1970. But to be fair, there aren't that many more, as comparing films from the more modern era against the black and white fare of the Thiries and Forties is akin to the old apples/oranges comparison. So to keep things in perspective, this one will still make my Ten Worst Westerns list, but with a qualifying asterisk.
With the players I've just mentioned, this flick would qualify as having a fairly well known cast, but throw in Sammy Davis, Jr. and now you've got some real star power. His presence here is likely intended to be a hoot, but in his day, Davis clocked in as just about the fastest quick draw artist in Hollywood. John Wayne admitted as much, stating that Sammy was the fastest he ever saw. There are a couple of "Rifleman" TV episodes where Sammy's featured for his gun prowess, and if you take the time you can also catch him in a couple of You Tube videos demonstrating his quick draw and twirling techniques.
If all that wasn't enough, I have to point out that you'll find no better brawl between two women on screen than you have here. In fact I'll be adding it to my list of 'Best Western Movie Brawls' here on IMDb. Folks, this was no catfight - Barabara Werle and Elizabeth Leigh go through more furniture in their battle than a salesman at Raymour and Flannagan. They tumble down stairs, break up the entire saloon and carry it out to the street. It's really a wonder to behold. Later on a couple of male wrestlers get into it with similar intensity, but their action is broken up by cut aways to other scenes, otherwise we might have had two 'Best Brawls' in the same film.
Now I must have seen the original version of this story because the wraparound narration mentioned by other reviewers was not part of my movie, which ran long enough as it is. In a way I'm sorry I missed it, as the narrator was Bulldog Drummond's girlfriend from the 1930's, Heather Angel. But I guess you can't have everything.
So for anyone who thinks this is the worst Western ever, let me point out a couple of real contenders. For my money, the two worst I've seen so far are "Alien Thunder", also going by "Dan Candy's Law" from 1974, and "Cry Blood, Apache" from 1970. But to be fair, there aren't that many more, as comparing films from the more modern era against the black and white fare of the Thiries and Forties is akin to the old apples/oranges comparison. So to keep things in perspective, this one will still make my Ten Worst Westerns list, but with a qualifying asterisk.
Could the original version or vision have been watchable? Perhaps...though this sure isn't!
planktonrules18 July 2022
I watched the "Little Moon and Jud McGraw" version of this film mentioned in the IMDB trivia (it's currently posted on YouTube). I would love to know the exact story about how this film got made. IMDB has only a bit of information, but it looks as if the film was made in several pieces. The original material was filmed about 1969....and some material was very sloppily added by someone else in the 1970s. How these people gained access and rights to the original material, I have no idea. But to make a 'new' film, they sloppily edited some footage and created a disjointed mess...and then added a 1970s prologue and the most awful narration you can imagine. The end result is amazingly bad...amateurish even. But you cannot blame the actors in the original film...they had no idea such an awful mess would be made of their work. In many ways, the finished product looks WORSE than such schlock films as "Plan 9 From Outer Space"! So, don't trust anyone who gives the movie a 10...unless they find the product so bad, so stupid and so awful that it's worth seeing just for a laugh! Surely you could do better than watch this. Heck, sitting in the dark and barking for 90 minutes would be more entertaining than watching this pathetic movie.
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