Directed by William ‘One-Shot’ Beaudine towards the end of his career, this is almost unwatchable, although the ‘concept’ drags it through and some scenes have a camp value.

It kicks off as a standard Western in Arizona, and you can spot Jim Davis (later to star on TV in Dallas) as one of the assorted cowpokes. I’m not quite sure why but Butch Cassidy is renamed ‘Butch Curry’ here, although the titular hero and the Wild Bunch don’t escape that easily.

Back to the plot: Jesse’s brother Hank (eh?) takes a bullet and is taken to a monastery in Arizona, where he is looked after by Frankenstein’s daughter Maria and her elderly assistant, who have moved from Europe to take advantage of the regular Arizona lightning and supply of cheap Mexicans.

At one point Maria confesses during the movie to being Frankenstein’s grand-daughter, presumably that idea was forgotten in case the title became even more cumbersome.

Keep up. Hank becomes Igor with the help of cheap effects, including what looks very like a cycling helmet, and the big finish eventually limps into view when the posse catches up with the outlaws.

I got to see this legendary mess courtesy of a DVD release supported by Joe Bob Briggs. If you aren’t familiar with Briggs, he’s the world’s foremost drive-in movie critic, and this is the first of a new series featuring his commentary tracks. The movie is awful, as if you couldn’t guess from the title and my review, but no-one’s buying it for that. Briggs’ commentary is both funny and informative, and I’m looking forward to future releases from the guy from Grapevine, Texas.

Mild Peril Rating:

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