The Obscure Double-Bill from United Artists

The Obscure Double-Bill from United Artists

Here’s a really interesting double bill feature presented by United Artists – and that’s pretty much where the similarities end. A Western and a World War II feature were always going to be a bit obscure, totally different genres – regardless of them both being great movies. 

The reason behind this pairing was probably due to Third film in the trilogy being released. 633 Squadron / For a Few Dollars More began its run around August 1968 – just a mater of weeks before The Good, the Bad and the Ugly got its release. It was a great way to get the second film out there once again so that potential audiences could follow the trilogy seamlessly. 

Below: A  regional  add for 633 Squadron / For a Few Dollars More at The Pilot, King’s Lynn

633 Squadron was originally released a fair while before the double bill, back in1964 in fact. Walter Grauman’s film starred Cliff Robertson, George Chakiris, and Maria Perschy. The plot, which involves the exploits of a fictional World War II British fighter-bomber squadron, was based on the 1956 novel of the same name by former Royal Air Force officer Frederick E. Smith, which itself drew on several real RAF operations. The film was produced by Cecil F. Ford for the second film of Mirisch Productions UK subsidiary Mirisch Films for United Artists. 633 Squadron was the first aviation film to be shot in colour and Panavision widescreen.

For a Few Dollars More was of course a Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone. It stars Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef as bounty hunters, and Gian Maria Volonté as the primary villain. Klaus Kinski plays a supporting role as a secondary villain. The film was an international co-production between Italy, West Germany, and Spain. The film was released in the United States in 1967 and was marketed in the United States as the second instalment in the Dollars Trilogy, preceded by A Fistful of Dollars (1964) and followed by The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966).

The pairing of the two films was popular enough to produce a quad poster. Perhaps United Artists had pinned the hopes on the new film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – and any additional promotion of the man with no name certainly wasn’t going to harm its chances. 

Below: The wonderful Quad poster release for the Double-Bill