Billy Two Hats (1974)

When someone gets killed during a bank robbery by Deans, half-breed Billy Two Hats and their partner, the robbers flee. Sheriff Gifford tracks the robbers, killing one of them and capturing... See full summary »

Director:

Ted Kotcheff

Writer:

Alan Sharp

Stars:

Gregory Peck, Desi Arnaz Jr., Jack Warden

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gregory Peck	...	Arch Deans
Desi Arnaz Jr.	...	Billy Two Hats
Jack Warden	...	Sheriff Henry Gifford
David Huddleston	...	Copeland, Saloon Owner
Sian Barbara Allen	...	Esther Spencer
John Pearce	...	Spencer
Dawn Little Sky	...	Copeland's Squaw
Vince St. Cyr	...	Indian Leader (as W. Vincent St. Cyr)
Henry Medicine Hat	...	Indian
Zeev Berlinsky	...	Indian (as Zev Berlinsky)
Antony Scott	...	Indian

Storyline

When someone gets killed during a bank robbery by Deans, half-breed Billy Two Hats and their partner, the robbers flee. Sheriff Gifford tracks the robbers, killing one of them and capturing Billy. Deans escapes, but during a successful plot to free Billy from the Sheriff, Deans is shot, leaving him unable to walk or ride a horse. Billy, not wanting to abandon his friend, builds an Indian cot to drag Deans behind the horse. With the Sheriff hot on their trail, Deans and Billy try to stay one step ahead of the many obstacles which threaten their lives and freedom.

---

Plot Keywords:

half breed | native american | false accusation | friendship | american indian | 

---

Taglines:

Against the Law Against the Odds Against the Land Itself

---

Genres:

Romance | Western

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 March 1974 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

The Lady and the Outlaw

Filming Locations:

Israel

Company Credits

Production Co:

Algonquin

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Did You Know?

Trivia

The fact that this was a Western filmed in Israel was fodder for a number of comedians, who dubbed it "Shalom on the Range".

---

Quotes

Sheriff Henry Gifford: Drink and tobacco. Can't beat 'em.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Directors: The Films of Norman Jewison (1999)

User Reviews

Underrated western... or maybe just not seen by enough people?

I think this movie is underrated as a western. Or maybe it's just under-seen, which is really a pity. With nice color photography, it's got some really great western visuals, a meaty storyline, a collection of disparate characters whose fates you really start to care about, and some memorable, quotable dialogue here and there. Jack Warden is excellent as a gruff frontier sheriff "just doing his job," as it were. He's a toned-down and more accessible version of Gene Hackman's over-the-top bastardly sheriff in "Unforgiven." Gregory Peck, playing a words-of-wisdom-spouting Scottish outlaw with a big heart, is really quite good with his Scottish accent (no, it's not perfect, but passable), and has some memorable lines. Desi Arnaz Jr. is quite the sympathetic character as a half-breed Kiowa Indian outlaw being brought to justice by the sheriff. The supporting cast is quite good, and oh.. that nasty little band of outlaw Apaches they run into is truly a scary lot. You can't help but wonder how many white settlers they raped, murdered and pillaged.

All in all, the movie is packed with memorable western images and meaningful lines of dialogue . See it if you get a chance. I'd love for this movie to get more air time.