Charro (1969)
With his glory days as a criminal far behind him, Jess Wade, a rugged horseman and dangerous outlaw Vince Hackett's right-hand man, now wants out. But going straight is easier said than done. After all, no one betrays Hackett. As a result, Vince frames Wade for the theft of the Victory Gun: the powerful gold-and-silver cannon that fired the last shot against Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico. Now, hunted down like prey, Jess is on the run from the Federales, bearing the hideous mark of a thief. And as Hackett threatens to wipe the small town of Rio Seco off the face of the earth, everyone believes that Jess is guilty. Can Charro clear his name and save the town?
On his neck he wore the brand of a killer. On his hip he wore vengeance.
Jess Wade: My name's Wade, Jess Wade. Mean anything to you?
Mexican Bartender: No, Charro.
Apacheland Studios - 4369 S. Kings Ranch Road, Gold Canyon, Arizona, USA
Apache Junction, Arizona, USA
Superstition Mountains, Arizona, USA
Sonoran Desert, Arizona, USA
Apache Trail, Arizona, USA
This is the only movie in which Elvis Presley doesn't sing. The only song is the one during the titles.
This is the only movie in which Elvis Presley wears a beard.
There's a nude scene where Ina Balin leaves the bathtub as Elvis' character appears in her room. This scene is rarely seen, and is generally not in the edits of the film that have been televised or on video/DVD.
Elvis wore his hat like the western actor, Bing Russell, in Charro! After telling Kurt Russell, his son, that he was a fan and would do this if he acted in another western.
Elvis Presley was really keen on the project, as it afforded him the chance to break out of the rut of cheap musicals he had been turning out. This was his opportunity to be seen as a serious actor but he was hugely disappointed when he showed up on the first day of filming to find that the script had been completely rewritten and was a pale shadow of what he had originally signed on for. Contractually, he was obligated to fulfill the role.
