A Quadrilha de Spikes (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 ...

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

Three boys wanted to be like their hero. Harry Spikes. They got their wish. Soon they were worth a fortune. DEAD or ALIVE.

---

Genres:

Drama | Western

---

Certificate:

M/12

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Beatty, despite being credited as The Sheriff, is nowhere to be seen.

---

Quotes

Harry Spikes: So you went and robbed yourself a bank, did ya? Killed a man and lost the money. Don't look like you boys have the gift for it.

---

Connections

Referenced in Relatório ao Comissário (1975)

User Reviews

One of Three Grimes True West Depictions

The Spikes Gang is a very good western that shows what probably happened to a good many youngsters who struck out on their own in the expanding west. It is one of three westerns that Gary Grimes starred in that gave a darker and truer view of life in the old west for teenager. The others are The Culpepper Cattle Co., 1972 and Cahill, U.S. Marshall, 1973.

Lee Marvin plays a wounded bank robber, (Spikes) on the run from a posse, whom three teens find (Grimes, Ron Howard and Charles Martin Smith) and nurse back to health. The three youths, small community and under the heavy hand of discipline, become enthralled with Spikes and soon strike out on their own soon after he departs.

After a series of misadventures, the youngsters meet up with Spikes again, who, against his better judgment, takes them under his wing.

The Spikes Gang is a fast paced movie and seems to play upon the anonymity of three teenagers, ill-prepared for a brutal and unforgiving way of life. The one drawback to the pace is that it does not give a good sense for the passage of time, but is effective in emphasizing the few sparks in mundane lives.

As part of the Grimes Western trilogy, one can get a good look at an overly romanticized part of history.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 April 1974 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

A Quadrilha de Spikes

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