''Tedeum'' (internationally released as ''Sting of the West'', ''Father Jackleg'' and ''Con Men'') is a 1972

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

Spaghetti Western The spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's filmmaking style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

film directed by Enzo G. Castellari. The title role was initially offered to

Tomas Milian Tomás Quintín Rodríguez-Varona Milián Salinas de la Fé y Álvarez de la Campa (3 March 1933 – 22 March 2017) was a Cuban-born actor with American and Italian citizenship, known for the emotional intensity and humor he brought to starring ...

, who eventually refused.

Plot

Tedeum and his parents and granddad are all con men travelling around in a sailboat on wheels. When he inherits a mine from another well-known con man he assumes that it is false and tries to sell it. His first attempts turns out to be at the Texas’ sheriff convention and he has to escape together with another con man who is disguised as a monk. However, the mine does in fact exist, and the big boss Grant is out for it, though his confrontations with Tedeum usually ends in him losing his pants. Two female con men, the strong Betty and the beautiful Wendy, also get involved. In the end we find Grant, Tedeum, the monk and Tedeum's father as inmates of Laredo prison – because the mine lies right under it!

Cast

Jack Palance Walter Jack Palance ( ; born Volodymyr Palahniuk, , ''Volodymyr Ivanovych Palahniuk''; February 18, 1919 – November 10, 2006) was an American screen and stage actor, known to film audiences for playing tough guys and villains. He was nominat ...

as Buck Santini/Father Jackleg * Giancarlo Prete as Tedeum (as Timothy Brent) *

Lionel Stander Lionel Jay Stander (January 11, 1908 – November 30, 1994) was an American actor, activist, and a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild. He had an extensive career in theatre, film, radio, and television that spanned nearly 70 years, ...

as Stinky Manure * Francesca Romana Coluzzi as Betty Brown * Riccardo Garrone as Sheriff * Maria Vico as Ma Manure *

Eduardo Fajardo Eduardo Martínez Fajardo (14 August 1924 – 4 July 2019) was a Spanish film actor. He appeared in 183 films, 75 plays and made 2,000 television appearances between 1947 and 2002. Biography He was born in Meis, Pontevedra on 14 August 19 ...

as Mr. Grant *

Renzo Palmer Renzo Palmer (20 December 1930 – 4 June 1988) was an Italian film, television and stage actor. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1957 and 1988. Life and career Born in Milan as Lorenzo Bigatti, Palmer was the adopted son of the stag ...

as Rags Manure * Mabel Karin as Wendy Brown

Reception

In his investigation of narrative structures in

films, Fridlund describes ''Sting of the West'' as one of the most hardcore followers of

They Call Me Trinity ''They Call Me Trinity'' () is a 1970 spaghetti Western comedy film written and directed by Enzo Barboni (under the pseudonym of E.B. Clucher) and produced by Italo Zingarelli. The film stars the duo of Terence Hill and Bud Spencer as half-brot ...

and

Trinity Is Still My Name ''Trinity Is Still My Name'' (, lit. "...They Kept Calling Him Trinity") is a 1971 Italian Spaghetti Western comedy film directed by Enzo Barboni. Starring the film duo of Terence Hill and Bud Spencer, it is a direct sequel to '' They Call M ...

in its employment of smell and gluttony jokes, con men (and women), (fake) religion and low comedy.Fridlund, Bert: ''The Spaghetti Western. A Thematic Analysis''. Jefferson, NC and London: McFarland & Company Inc., 2006 pp. 232-45.

References

External links

* {{Enzo G. Castellari 1972 films Films directed by Enzo G. Castellari Spaghetti Western films 1972 Western (genre) films Films scored by Guido & Maurizio De Angelis Films shot in Almería 1970s Italian films