When I was a kid, I saw (about 1965-1970, give or take a couple years) a Western that left a memory: a man was staked spread-eagle to the ground, and a strap of wet leather or rawhide was tied around his neck. As the leather dried in the sun, it was supposed to tighten and choke the victim. I don’t recall whether the man escaped or died. I think the film had a few scenes as the man struggled with his situation. I’ve tried over the years to find out the name of this film but without success.
I did find one candidate: Son of a Gunfighter (1965). I watched this movie, but I’m not sure it is the one I saw as a kid. For one thing, I was 5 when this film was released, and I know I saw this in the theater alone without my parents. The other thing that doesn’t seem right is that there was only one scene; the movie did not return to the victim.
I’m wondering if this rawhide gimmick might have been copycatted by multiple Westerns around that time; either initiated by Son of a Gunfighter or copied in that movie from another Western.
I’d appreciate any help to identify this movie!
Thanks for the suggestion. I checked IMDB and the date (1934) is too old on this one, and also it is B&W; mine was definitely color. No snake in mine though, at least not that I remember 😉
I watched Red Sun (1971) tonight – Charles Bronson heads an international cast hunting for a valuable samurai sword in the 19th-century American West. Toshiro Mifune and woman is tied up and wet rawhide wrapped around her neck to dry and shrink in the sun. She stabbed a Indian. Scene is about a hour in. Also- The Souix would wrap broken arms and legs in wet rawhide for a cast. Googled just after the scene to see if it was true.
Maybe, “Rawhide terror”?
https://www.google.com/amp/s/stevesomething.wordpress.com/2010/02/13/the-rawhide-terror-horror-westerns/amp/
the rawhide strangulation seems to been used quite a few times. did yours involve a snake too?