What If....?

[Father Groggy]

OK, let's have some fun!  What if it was Tuco, Colonel Mortimer or Angel Eyes who had been the one who came to San Miguel instead of "Joe"?

Let's put one of those characters at the well watching Jesus trying to sneak in and see Marisol.  Would they have acted differently? 

After that what would happen when they came into town and got bullied by the Baxter men.  How would the story have veered after our "hero" met up with all the Rojos, Baxters and Silvantino the bartender?

I imagine we would get a whole new story!  I'd love to read what all you faithful Sergio Leone experts would have to say.  This might create some fascinating discussions.  Anybody creative out there?

[Colonel Günther Ruiz]

Angel Eyes:  He would have behaved just like Joe, except he wouldn't have saved the family and wouldn't get caught by Ramon.  He'd eventually wipe out both gangs, then killed Silvantino and Julio (Ramon paid Angel Eyes to do it just before AE shot him).

Mortimer:  As soon as he meets Ramon, he confuses him with El Indio and plans to take his revenge.  He would also want to help Marisol since she would have reminded him of his sister.  Mortimer decides to work with the Baxters but pretends to side with the Rojos.  Ramon figures things out, beats up Mortimer, and kills all of the Baxters.  Mortimer heals up and returns (like Joe) to kill Ramon and his brothers.  But he doesn't find the watch on Ramon's body.  Realizing that Indio was still out there, Mortimer departs from San Miguel to continue his search.

Tuco:  Joined the Rojos, helped them wipe out the Baxters, and got drunk.  He would wake up in prison and discover that Ramon had pinned the massacre of the two troops on him.  The Mexicans would try to hang him but a tall blond man who he had never met shot the rope and rescued him.  Tuco and his new friend returned to San Miguel, defeated the Rojos, and found the stolen money in the basement.  The blond man then double-crossed Tuco, took all the gold, and left Tuco trapped in a barrel.

[Groggy]

As soon as he meets Ramon, he confuses him from Indio and plots to take his revenge

 

[Dust Devil]

Angel Eyes:  He would have behaved just like Joe, except he wouldn't have saved the family and wouldn't get caught by Ramon.  He'd eventually wipe out both gangs, then killed Silvantino and Julio (Ramon paid Angel Eyes to do it just before AE shot him).

Mortimer:  As soon as he meets Ramon, he confuses him with El Indio and plans to take his revenge.  He would also want to help Marisol since she would have reminded him of his sister.  Mortimer decides to work with the Baxters but pretends to side with the Rojos.  Ramon figures things out, beats up Mortimer, and kills all of the Baxters.  Mortimer heals up and returns (like Joe) to kill Ramon and his brothers.  But he doesn't find the watch on Ramon's body.  Realizing that Indio was still out there, Mortimer departs from San Miguel to continue his search.

Tuco:  Joined the Rojos, helped them wipe out the Baxters, and got drunk.  He would wake up in prison and discover that Ramon had pinned the massacre of the two troops on him.  The Mexicans would try to hang him but a tall blond man who he had never met shot the rope and rescued him.  Tuco and his new friend returned to San Miguel, defeated the Rojos, and found the stolen money in the basement.  The blond man then double-crossed Tuco, took all the gold, and left Tuco trapped in a barrel.

  /

[Jill]

Angel Eyes:  He would have behaved just like Joe, except he wouldn't have saved the family and wouldn't get caught by Ramon.  He'd eventually wipe out both gangs, then killed Silvantino and Julio (Ramon paid Angel Eyes to do it just before AE shot him).

Mortimer:  As soon as he meets Ramon, he confuses him with El Indio and plans to take his revenge.  He would also want to help Marisol since she would have reminded him of his sister.  Mortimer decides to work with the Baxters but pretends to side with the Rojos.  Ramon figures things out, beats up Mortimer, and kills all of the Baxters.  Mortimer heals up and returns (like Joe) to kill Ramon and his brothers.  But he doesn't find the watch on Ramon's body.  Realizing that Indio was still out there, Mortimer departs from San Miguel to continue his search.

Tuco:  Joined the Rojos, helped them wipe out the Baxters, and got drunk.  He would wake up in prison and discover that Ramon had pinned the massacre of the two troops on him.  The Mexicans would try to hang him but a tall blond man who he had never met shot the rope and rescued him.  Tuco and his new friend returned to San Miguel, defeated the Rojos, and found the stolen money in the basement.  The blond man then double-crossed Tuco, took all the gold, and left Tuco trapped in a barrel.

SO very good.

And all of these would make equally good movies.

I'd totally love Ramon meeting his even-more-mad twin Indio. They'd come get along better than AE and Mortimer.

[Father Groggy]

Thanks for all your comments.    Those were good  ideas.  Any more out there?

My original vision was to see how each character would react in some of the same scenes and take it from there.  I don't know if I would have the skils to write a whole story.  But here is how it might go up to the point when our "here' gets back at the Baxter men for picking on him.

I assume all three would act the same at the well.  They would just watch what's going on and do nothing.  What's happens when they go to town?

ANGEL EYES

No reaction at all to the "Adios Amigo" man.  Nothing to do with his objective.

He would not have much patience with the abuse of the Baxter men.  He would return fire and shoot to kill right on the spot.  Only the men shooting at him will die so there would be no mistake on the number of coffins.

AE ingores Mr. Baxter's claim of being sherriff.  Silvantino witnesses the exchange and is not so welcome to let him into the saloon.  But AE forces his way in and demands whiskey and a meal.  After a while he calms down and apoligizes for being so unfriendly.  AE pays Silvantino from money collected on a recent hit and tips extra to gain his trust.  It works and Silvanto tells AE the story of the Rojo/Baxter feud.

COLONEL MORTIMER

He looks at the "Adios Amigo" guy with mild curiosity and rides on.

Mortimer shows patience at the Baxter abuse just like Joe and befriends Silvantino.  Mortimer pays Silvantino for his dinner with money collected from a recent bounty while listening to the tale of the Baxter/Rojo feud.  After getting a better look at the Baxter house on the balcony, he remembers that several of the Baxter men are wanted in the States and each has a considerable bounty.

He steps into the street and stares at the Baxter men from a distance.  The Baxter men reach for their guns.  But the Colonel is too far for them.  He shoots the Baxter men with his special gun with the long range and immediately heads towards the Rojos.

TUCO

Tuco openly stares at the "Adios Amigo" guy with a puzzled expression.

He gets picked on by the Baxter men  just like Joe.  He yells back in Spanish but does not retaliate since he is not at an advantage. 

Silvanto invites him in to the saloon.  Tuco helps himself to food and drink without offering to pay.  Tuco asks how much.  Silvantino quotes price of the dinner.  Tuco point gun at him and asks again "How much?".  Silvantino gives Tuco what he has in register which is a paltry sum.  He then explains why to Tuco by telling the tale of the Baxter/Rojo feud and how nobody comes there anymore.

As a man who once lived in poverty himself, Tuco and Silvantino reach a truce of source and he lets Tuco spend the night.

Early the next morning, the Baxter men come out.  Sneaking around the corner, Tuco yells "Ho!" and kills the four Baxter men who shot at him the night before plus another who tried to fire.  As they fell to the ground, Tuco says "You all made a nice loud noise, amigos".

Tuco then head to the Rojos before anything else can happen.

Well that's it!.  You are welcome to provide alternate versions of this scenes.  Or proceed to the next scene with your version of what happens next.

[Father Groggy]

Now that I think about it, the part of Tuco and Silvantino forming a truce does have some flaws.  I admit I was making this up as I was going along and was pressed for time at the end.  Allow me to rewrite the Tuco segment.

TUCO


Tuco openly stares at the "Adios Amigo" guy with a puzzled expression.

He gets picked on by the Baxter men  just like Joe.  He yells back in Spanish but does not retaliate since he is not at an advantage. 

Silvanto invites him in to the saloon.  Tuco helps himself to food and drink without offering to pay.  Tuco asks how much.  Silvantino quotes price of the dinner.  Tuco point gun at him and asks again "How much?".  Silvantino explains he does not have much because since the Rojos and Baxters took over the town he does not get much business.  Tuco of course does not care.  But before the robbery can be completed, someone appears at the door.

It is one of the Rojo's men inviting Tuco over to see the Rojos.  Don Miguel welcomes Tuco and expresses his sympathy as to how rudely the Baxter men have treeated him,  DM then gives Tuco an obviously slanted version of the Rojo/Baxter feud.  He offers Tuco to work for him and promises him a lot of money.  All he has to do is kill the men who bullied him.  Still angry at the way he was treated, Tuco accepts.  Tuco is taken to his accomodations, a much smaller room than the one Joe was offered.

Don Miguel then explains to Estaban that  he recognized Tuco from wanted posters.  He is a wanted criminal and and an excellent gunslinger.  But most of his crimes have been petty and he knows that Tuco has a gullible side and can be used.

The next day Tuco ambushes and kills the Baxten as stated before.

This fits your storyline about Tuco joining up with the Rojos.  Maybe we can expand on that storyline.

As for Angel Eyes, the apology was insincere.  AE was just trying to get information out of Silvantino.  I have a feeling that AE can feign friendliness when it suits him before showing his true colors.  He may have been relatively nice when Baker hired him to Kill Stevens.  And he was not particularly nasty to to old lady in the stagecoach watching the hanging.

Again, I welcome any rewrites of flawed scenes or to continue on to the next scenes.