Zachariah (1971)

Two gunfighters separate and experience surreal visions on their journey through the west.

Director:

George Englund

Writers:

Philip Austin, Peter Bergman,

Stars:

John Rubinstein, Patricia Quinn, Don Johnson

Cast

Cast overview:
John Rubinstein	...	Zachariah
Patricia Quinn	...	Belle Starr (as Pat Quinn)
Don Johnson	...	Matthew
Country Joe and the Fish	...	The Crackers
Elvin Jones	...	Job Cain
Doug Kershaw	...	The Fiddler
William Challee	...	Old Man
Robert Ball	...	Stage Manager
Dick Van Patten	...	The Dude
James Gang	...	Job Cain's Band (as The James Gang)
White Lightnin'	...	Old Man's Band
The New York Rock Ensemble	...	Belle Starr's Band

Storyline

Gunfights and electric guitars in the Old West? You bet! Zachariah gets a mail order gun, practices a little, and kills a man in the local saloon. He and his friend Matthew set out to become gunfighters, joining with the Crackers, a rock band who are also (pitifully inept) stage robbers. Having quickly outgrown that gang, Zachariah and Matthew set out to become bigtime gunslingers. Before long, they part company and a rivalry grows between them.

---

Plot Keywords:

gunfighter | journey | band | guitar | mail order | 

---

Taglines:

The First Electric Rock Western

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Musical | Western

---

Certificate:

GP

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 June 1971 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Da Westen blev elektrisk

Filming Locations:

Laguna Salada, Mexicali, Baja California Norte, Mexico

Company Credits

Production Co:

ABC Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Reanimator Academy (1992)

---

Soundtracks

"Drum Solo"
Performed by Elvin Jones

User Reviews

Not all trips are good trips, BUT...

Firesign Theatre has distanced themselves from the film, having spoken of a script they wrote for a comic western "that was never made." But this is a quirky little coming-of-age tale some years BEFORE "Blazing Saddles" that has a lot of fun trying to cram rock and roll, dope and westerns into the same screen. Uneven, certainly, but with a number of rewards. Sort of like a Firesign Theatre album.