Take a Hard Ride (1975)

Director:

Antonio Margheriti

Writers:

Eric Bercovici (screenplay) &
Jerrold L. Ludwig (screenplay)

Release Date:

29 October 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

It Rides With The Great Westerns

Plot:

Rugged trail boss and reformed criminal Pike promises his honest wealthy employer Morgan that he will...

Plot Keywords:

Chase | Payroll | Gambler | Bounty Hunter | Mission

Cast

Jim Brown	...	Pike
Lee Van Cleef	...	Kiefer
Fred Williamson	...	Tyree
Catherine Spaak	...	Catherine
Jim Kelly	...	Kashtok
Barry Sullivan	...	Kane
Dana Andrews	...	Morgan
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Dumper
Robert Donner	...	Skave
Charles McGregor	...	Cloyd
Leonard Smith	...	Cangey
Ronald Howard	...	Halsey
Ricardo Palacios	...	Calvera
Robin Levitt	...	Chico
Buddy Joe Hooker	...	Angel
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Paul Costello	...	Card Player (uncredited)
Hal Needham	...	Garmes (uncredited)

Directed by
Antonio Margheriti		(as Anthony M. Dawson)

Writing credits
Eric Bercovici		(screenplay) &
Jerrold L. Ludwig		(screenplay) (as Jerry Ludwig)

Produced by
Maria Luisa Alcaraz	....	associate producer
Harry Bernsen	....	producer
Leon Chooluck	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Jerry Goldsmith

Cinematography by
Riccardo Pallottini

Film Editing by
Stanford C. Allen

Art Direction by
Julio Molina

Costume Design by
Agustín Jiménez

Makeup Department
Carmen Martín	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Francisco Ardura	....	production manager
Miguel Ángel Bermejo	....	unit manager
José María Ochoa	....	production supervisor
José María Ochoa	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
José López Rodero	....	assistant director (as Pepe Lopez Rodero)
Scott Maitland	....	assistant director
Hal Needham	....	second unit director

Sound Department
Theodore Soderberg	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jim Willis	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Luciano D'Achille	....	special effects
Antonio Molina	....	special effects

Stunts
Javier Maiza	....	stunt performer
Juan Maján	....	stunts
Hal Needham	....	stunts
Jim Burk	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Raúl Pérez Cubero	....	photography: second unit
Phil Stern	....	still photographer
Carlo Tafani	....	camera operator

Editorial Department
Dennis Mosher	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Kenneth Hall	....	music editor

Other crew
Alan Arnold	....	unit publicist
Stanley Bielecki	....	press coordinator
Lucie Lichtig	....	script supervisor
Mary Pepa Willis	....	production secretary

Production Companies

• Bernsen-Ludwig-Bercovici Production
• Cine Y Television
• Euro International Productions

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1975) (USA) (theatrical)
• Fox-MGM (1975) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Koch Media (2010) (Germany) (DVD)
• Playhouse Home Video (video)
• Shout! Factory (2011) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

Spain | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 (video rating) | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | Iceland:16 | West Germany:12 (f) | Germany:12 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Maspalomas Dunes, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain

Company:

Bernsen-Ludwig-Bercovici Production

Trivia:

Jim Brown and Fred Williamson did the choreography for their big fight scene.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 42nd Street Forever, Volume 2: The Deuce (2006) (V)

Okay, but could have been better

One of the last spaghetti westerns (though really, there was a good amount of American talent in front of and behind the camera), it does definitely have some novelty value - the cast, some good Canary Island scenery, a quick pace, and some good action sequences (best being the gunfight in the canyon). Still, there was clearly a bunch of potential wasted.

Brown is good, Williamson does okay, but the rest of the cast isn't actually given that much to do. Kelly's character could easily be written out, and Van Cleef's bad guy character isn't fully developed (for one thing, the movie doesn't seem to know what to do with him at the end.) And the script really isn't that much - it more or less consists of either the protagonists riding through the desert, or engaged in action.

Die-hard western fans (especially those who like spaghetti westerns) will probably find enough to enjoy about it, but this certainly won't convert anyone who normally avoids this genre.