Dust. Sweat. Blood. That was the recipe for a Spaghetti Western in 1970. Directors like Sergio Leone had spent a decade perfecting the "Man with No Name" archetype—stoic, violent, and gritty. Then came a guy sleeping on a travois pulled by a horse. He was filthy. He was lazy. And he could slap a man faster than the eye could track. When They Call Me Trinity hit theaters, it didn't just break the mold. It smashed it with a frying pan.
If you grew up watching Terence Hill and Bud Spencer, you know that the They Call Me Trinity series isn't just about gunfights. It’s about the chemistry between a "right hand of the Devil" and a "left hand of the Devil." Honestly, it’s a miracle the first movie even got made. Director Enzo Barboni (credited as E.B. Clucher) shopped the script around for years. Producers hated it. They thought the genre was dead or, worse, that audiences wouldn't accept a Western where nobody actually dies.
They were wrong.
The Accidental Birth of the Comedy Western
Before 1970, the Italian Western was getting a bit stale. How many times can you watch a silent drifter avenge his family? Barboni had been a camera operator on Django, so he knew the tropes better than anyone. He wanted to flip them. He envisioned a world where the violence was acrobatic and the stakes were hilarious.
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Enter Mario Girotti and Carlo Pedersoli. You know them better as Terence Hill and Bud Spencer.
Hill was the blue-eyed, charming Trinity. Spencer was Bambino, the grumpy, heavy-hitting "Sheriff" who just wanted to be a horse thief in peace. Their dynamic in the They Call Me Trinity series wasn't just acting; it was a vibe. They had worked together before in God Forgives... I Don't!, but that was a serious, dark film. It was the shift to comedy that turned them into global icons.
The first film follows Trinity as he wanders into a town where his brother, Bambino, is masquerading as the local law. Bambino is actually waiting for his gang to arrive so they can steal a herd of horses. Instead, they get roped into protecting a group of pacifist Mormons from a greedy land grabber.
The plot is thin. It doesn't matter.
What matters is the bean eating. If you haven't seen the opening scene where Trinity devours a whole skillet of beans with a loaf of bread, you haven't lived. Hill reportedly fasted for 24 hours to make that scene look authentic. It worked. People still call those "Trinity Beans" in Italian restaurants today.
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Why They Call Me Trinity Series Still Holds Up
Most comedies from the early 70s feel dated. The jokes land flat. The pacing is weird. Yet, the They Call Me Trinity series feels strangely modern. Maybe it’s the slapstick. Slapstick is universal. When Bud Spencer delivers his signature vertical "double-fisted" hammer blow to the top of a villain's head, you don't need a translation. It’s funny in Rome, Tokyo, and Des Moines.
Then there’s the sound design.
Listen closely to the fights. The punches don’t sound like real impacts. They sound like wet towels hitting a wall or wooden boards snapping. It’s rhythmic. It turns a barroom brawl into a choreographed dance. This was a deliberate choice to pull the sting out of the violence. It made the movies "family-friendly" in a way Leone's films never could be.
The Sequel: Trinity Is Still My Name
Success breeds sequels. In 1971, Trinity Is Still My Name (...continuavano a chiamarlo Trinità) arrived. Usually, sequels are a letdown. This one actually out-earned the original at the Italian box office. It remains one of the highest-grossing Italian films of all time.
The story picks up with the brothers visiting their "dying" father, who makes them promise to become successful outlaws. The irony? They are too good-hearted (or perhaps just too incompetent at being evil) to actually commit a crime. Every time they try to rob someone, they end up helping them instead.
There’s a legendary scene in a high-end restaurant where the two brothers, dressed in ridiculous suits, try to navigate fine dining. Watching Bud Spencer try to eat delicately is like watching a bear try to play a violin. It’s peak physical comedy.
The Confusion of the "Trinity" Brand
Here is where things get messy. Because the They Call Me Trinity series was such a massive hit, distributors got greedy. They started renaming older Hill and Spencer movies to include "Trinity" in the title, even if the characters weren't the same.
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You’ll see titles like Trinity and Sartana Are Coming or The Double McGuffin marketed as Trinity films. Don't be fooled. The official canon is really just the two Barboni films. There was a later film, Sons of Trinity (1995), but without Hill and Spencer, it lacks the soul that made the originals legendary.
The Cultural Footprint: From Tarantino to Bud Spencer's Funeral
It’s easy to dismiss these as "silly" movies. But look at the influence. Quentin Tarantino is a vocal fan. The end credits of Django Unchained actually feature the theme song from They Call Me Trinity (composed by Franco Micalizzi and sung by Annibale). That whistling tune is synonymous with the frontier spirit, albeit a much lazier version of it.
When Bud Spencer passed away in 2016, thousands of fans gathered in Rome. They weren't just mourning an actor; they were mourning a childhood hero. The They Call Me Trinity series provided a sense of comfort. You knew the bad guys wouldn't die, you knew Trinity would win without breaking a sweat, and you knew there would be beans at the end.
Expert Nuance: The Mormon Depiction
Interestingly, the films treat the Mormon characters with a strange kind of respect, even if they are the butt of the jokes. In an era where Westerns usually depicted religious groups as either fanatics or victims, the Trinity films showed them as hardworking people who just needed a little "un-pacifist" help. It’s a nuanced layer in what many consider a "dumb" comedy.
How to Experience the Series Today
If you’re looking to dive back in, start with the 4K restorations. The cinematography by Aldo Giordani is actually quite beautiful—he captures the Spanish landscapes (doubling for the American West) with a golden, dusty hue that rivals the big-budget Hollywood Westerns of the time.
- Watch the original first. Don't skip to the sequel. The buildup of the brothers' relationship is key.
- Look for the "Uncut" versions. Some US television edits chopped out the longer dialogue scenes to get to the fights faster, but the banter is the best part.
- Check out the "Trinity" Beans recipes. There are entire cookbooks dedicated to the specific way those beans were prepared in the film (lots of onions, bacon, and chili).
- Explore the solo work. After the They Call Me Trinity series, Hill went on to do My Name is Nobody with Henry Fonda, which is a masterpiece of the genre that balances comedy and serious Western themes.
The legacy of these films isn't found in awards or critical essays. It’s found in the fact that 50 years later, people still smile when they hear that opening whistle. It’s the ultimate "comfort food" cinema. It taught us that you don't have to be the toughest guy in the room to win; you just have to be the fastest... and maybe have a big brother who can punch like a mule kicks.
To truly appreciate the series, one must look past the slapstick and see it as a subversion of the "macho" mythos. Trinity isn't a hero because he wants to be; he's a hero because he's too lazy to be a villain. That shift in perspective changed the DNA of Italian cinema forever.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Collectors
- Verify the Credits: When buying Blu-rays, ensure they are the Enzo Barboni (E.B. Clucher) directed films to avoid the "fake" Trinity sequels produced by knock-off studios.
- The Micalizzi Soundtrack: The music is available on vinyl and is a must-have for collectors of 70s film scores. The title track is a masterclass in the "Spaghetti" sound.
- Visit the Locations: Many of the filming sites in Almería, Spain, are still accessible to tourists and look remarkably similar to how they appeared in 1970.
- Contextual Reading: Research the "Spaghetti Western" era of Cinecittà Studios to understand the economic pressures that led to the creation of low-budget gems like these.