Warren Oates
Warren Oates got his acting start doing guest appearances on TV western series – lots of series. He appeared on Wagon Train, Tombstone Territory, Buckskin, Rawhide, Trackdown, The Rebel, Wanted Dead or Alive, The Virginian, Have Gun Will Travel, Lawman, The Big Valley, Bat Masterson, Gunsmoke and The Rifleman. Oates joked he started out playing the third bad guy and worked his way up to first.
His work on The Rifleman introduced him to Sam Peckinpah, who directed some of the episodes. He did some of his best western film work under Peckinpah’s direction. Two notables are the classic The Wild Bunch and lesser known Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, a low budget film in which Oates took the lead.
The teenage daughter of Mexican crime boss known as El Jeffe turns up pregnant. She identifies the father as El Jeffe under-boss Alfredo Garcia. El Jeffe offers a million-dollar bounty to anyone who brings him the head of Garcia. Two hit men take up the search. They visit a bar Garcia is known to frequent. Bennie (Oates), bar manager and down and out musician plays dumb at first. Bennie visits his girlfriend who knows Garcia. She tells him Garcia died in a car accident.
Bennie tells the hit men he’ll bring them Garcia’s head for ten-thousand dollars. Bennie and his girlfriend head for the grave. Along the way they are attacked by two bikers Bennie kills. Assaulted by grave robbers who kill Bennie’s girlfriend and take the head, leaving him for dead half buried in the grave. Bennie tracks down the grave robbers, killing them and recovering the head. He is next assaulted by members of Garcia’s family. His killing is interrupted when the hit men arrive. They machine gun the family though one of them is killed. The surviving hit man turns on Bennie. Bennie kills him.
After that the film becomes violent. Bennie guns down El Jeffe’s crime syndicate, bodyguards and El Jeffe himself while developing a friendship of sorts with Garcia’s head. The film cratered at the box office and was savaged by critics at the time, though it has gained something of a following in recent years.
In all Warren Oates appeared in eleven western films, including Return of the Seven, The Shooting and Hired Hand.
Next Week: Robert Ryan
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Ride easy,
Paul
His work on The Rifleman introduced him to Sam Peckinpah, who directed some of the episodes. He did some of his best western film work under Peckinpah’s direction. Two notables are the classic The Wild Bunch and lesser known Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, a low budget film in which Oates took the lead.
The teenage daughter of Mexican crime boss known as El Jeffe turns up pregnant. She identifies the father as El Jeffe under-boss Alfredo Garcia. El Jeffe offers a million-dollar bounty to anyone who brings him the head of Garcia. Two hit men take up the search. They visit a bar Garcia is known to frequent. Bennie (Oates), bar manager and down and out musician plays dumb at first. Bennie visits his girlfriend who knows Garcia. She tells him Garcia died in a car accident.
Bennie tells the hit men he’ll bring them Garcia’s head for ten-thousand dollars. Bennie and his girlfriend head for the grave. Along the way they are attacked by two bikers Bennie kills. Assaulted by grave robbers who kill Bennie’s girlfriend and take the head, leaving him for dead half buried in the grave. Bennie tracks down the grave robbers, killing them and recovering the head. He is next assaulted by members of Garcia’s family. His killing is interrupted when the hit men arrive. They machine gun the family though one of them is killed. The surviving hit man turns on Bennie. Bennie kills him.
After that the film becomes violent. Bennie guns down El Jeffe’s crime syndicate, bodyguards and El Jeffe himself while developing a friendship of sorts with Garcia’s head. The film cratered at the box office and was savaged by critics at the time, though it has gained something of a following in recent years.
In all Warren Oates appeared in eleven western films, including Return of the Seven, The Shooting and Hired Hand.
Next Week: Robert Ryan
Return to Facebook to comment
Ride easy,
Paul
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Susan
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Jan 23, 2022 11:06AM
'after that the film becomes violent'---hahahahahahaha---
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Susan wrote: "'after that the film becomes violent'---hahahahahahaha---"Thanks. Had a little giggle with that one too.
