The film gets off to a fine start when Steve Blane (Harper) finds the aforementioned metallurgist (Diane McBain) wearing nothing but sunglasses and a towel on his hotel room floor. Instead of taking advantage of the situation, the weary Blane quips: "If I cut myself shaving, I'd be too tired to bleed." After some lively banter between the two, it turns out that Steve is less tired than he thought--after all, that's a blonde-haired Diane McBain in that towel!
Diane McBain as a blonde. |
With his dubious partner Tony, Steve keeps poking around and finds the stolen platinum--which has been dissolved into powder called "salt of platinum." The plan is to transport it and reconstitute it into valuable metal. (Yes, platinum can be dissolved with chemicals, but I have no idea whether it can be reconstituted into its original state--still, it's an interesting premise). There are the expected shootouts, double-crosses, and plot twists before the poorly-titled Savage Season reaches its conclusion. Heck, even Slim Pickens pops up unexpectedly in a cameo.
Ron Harper. |
It's pretty hard to see Savage Season these days. I think there's a DVD with Spanish dialogue, though it's hard to find. I was fortunate enough to see the original version (with the American actors speaking English!) in 16mm at the Western Film Fair and Nostalgia Convention. Ron Harper, who still looks good at 79, sat in the chair next to me.
I have never seen this! It is a fascinating plot and I can imagine that Diane McBain was quite fun opposite Ron Harper.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of this one, Rick, but it sounds like just my cup o' joe. Nice review! I don't know if I agree that SAVAGE SEASON is a bad title always, though - it fits well for the first novel in Joe R. Lansdale's first Hap and Leonard series.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was a good movie and I never forgot it, which is why I ended up here. Would like to get it on DVD
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