Once Upon a Sign in the South

In May, at a drive-in screening of Sergio Leone's epic "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" (1966), we were treated to the trailer for one of his follow-up spaghetti westerns, "Duck, You Sucker."

Throughout the coming attractions preview, the announcer plugged the virtues of the Rod Steiger and James Coburn adventure, repeating the film's title, "Duck, You Sucker," numerous times. When the advertisement concluded, the onscreen title card contained no mention of "Duck, You Sucker." Instead, "A Fistful of Dynamite," an alternate name used to market the film in the United States, was projected. The studio had spared no expense to match the audio to the visual.

There would be another alternate title.

In 1972, the picture opened in Atlanta. It was indeed called "Duck, You Sucker" and it played at the Lenox Square Theatre in the city's prestigious and busiest shopping mall. The Lenox was a twin cinema in those days with a signage style identical to this 1974 photograph of the giant marquee, which hung low over the sidewalk.

Between 1980 and 1985, I was a staff projectionist in this theatre. The anecdote I'm about to share is true. I recall hearing the tale while working on the premises and, recently, from two unimpeachable sources who were employed in the venue in '72.

During the western's run, the Lenox marquee's bold display read "DUCK YOU SUCKER" on one side -- and the other: "FIDDLER ON THE ROOF."

Well, that is, until a vandal swapped the first letter of each title.


"A Fistful of Dynamite" photo copyright 2005 Mike Durrett. Lenox Square Theatre photo copyright 1974, 2000 Stan Malone.