The Spikes Gang (1974)

Three farm boys in the Old West help a wounded bank robber, who teaches them the trade.

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Irving Ravetch (screenplay), Harriet Frank Jr. (screenplay)

Stars:

Lee Marvin, Gary Grimes, Ron Howard

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lee Marvin	...	Harry Spikes
Gary Grimes	...	Will
Ron Howard	...	Les
Charles Martin Smith	...	Tod (as Charlie Martin Smith)
Arthur Hunnicutt	...	Kid White
Noah Beery Jr.	...	Basset (as Noah Beery)
Marc Smith	...	Abel Young
Don Fellows	...	Cowboy
Elliott Sullivan	...	Billy
Robert Beatty	...	Sheriff (credit only)
Ralph Brown	...	Posse Leader
Bill Curran	...	Gillis
Ricardo Palacios	...	Doctor
David Thomson	...	Sheriff of Carrizo Springs
Bert Conway	...	Bank Teller

Storyline

In the Old West, impressionable teenagers Will, Les and Tod find an injured bank-robber who asks for their help. At first, the boys are scared and reluctant to help. They're afraid of getting into trouble with the law and their parents. Moved by the wounded man's pleas, they finally agree to hide the robber in Will's barn and clean his wounds. Over the next few days, they bring food, drink and clean clothes to the outlaw whose name is Harry Spikes. When the sheriff and his posse come by and ask questions, Will hides the fact the robber is concealed in his family's barn. After he sufficiently recovers, Harry Spikes thanks the boys for their help and vows to help them in return if they ever need his aid. He takes Will's horse and leaves the county, heading for the Mexican border. Later, Will's parents discover their son's little mischievous secret and administer Will a severe beating to teach him to never lie. Fed up with his father's frequent physical punishments, Will runs away from ...

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Plot Keywords:

teenage boy | spaghetti western | street shootout | murder | thief | 

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Taglines:

This is the Spikes Gang

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Genres:

Drama | Western

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 April 1974 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Банда Спайкса

Filming Locations:

Tabernas, Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Mirisch Corporation, Duo Productions, Sanford Productions (III)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the second film in which both Charles Martin Smith and Ron Howard appeared together. They starred in American Graffiti (1973) the year prior.

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Quotes

Sissy - Tod's little sister: [to Will, who is delivering a letter from Tod] My daddy says you're trash.
Will Young: Well, that's up to him.

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood Remembers Lee Marvin (2000)

User Reviews

A very rare underrated Classic!

I saw this movie about two years ago while I was up studying at around 4:00 A.M. Lee Marvin plays an outlaw that takes three runaway teens under his wing. He teaches them the tricks of the trade in bank robbing. The movie takes on a surprising twist towards the end. A very nice movie that almost NEVER comes on TV. If anyone knows how I could get the VHS version, please email me. Thanks. I give it a 10.