This adults-only Western begins with a cowboy trail boss named Rick (Roger Gentry, billed here as Jim Gentry) visiting a tribe of Native Americans who have accepted him as a friend to advise them that Washington has agreed to make their land a reservation.
While riding to meet his sweetheart, Lucy (Julia Blackburn), Rick is attacked by a toothless bandit who robs him of a necklace which had been gifted to him by the Chief.
The bandit subsequently rapes and murders the Chief’s daughter, Cochina (Catherine Share). In the process, he drops the medallion he has stolen from Rick.
Meanwhile, Rick is discovered injured on the trail by Tuwana (Kathy Williams), a beautiful maiden from the tribe. The pair are immediately attracted to each other and end up making love in the river.
The tribe eventually find the medallion and conclude that Rick killed Cochina. Tuwana, of course, knows it’s not true (as she was losing her virginity to him at the time) and visits Lucy to warn Rick.
Rick surrenders himself to the tribe and professes his innocence, demanding the right to be heard. When his pleas fall on deaf ears, Tuwana reveals the truth and admits the loss of her purity with the cowboy.
The toothless bandit is eventually found by some tribe members, who tie him to a tree and castrate him.
The Native Americans are played by tanned caucasian actors, and the women of the tribe are uniformly young, attractive, clad in very little clothing, and fond of skinny dipping.
The movie features many scenes of R-rated sex plus nude dancing, body painting, whipping, abduction, lesbianism and a topless catfight with knives.
The Ramrodder was filmed at the Spahn Movie Ranch in Los Angeles in 1967, which later became the primary headquarters of Charles Manson and his cult followers, who were responsible for the murder of seven people over two nights in August 1969, including pregnant actress Sharon Tate (whose unborn child died as a result).
Two members of the “Manson Family” – Catherine Share and Bobby Beausoleil (who was later convicted of murdering a music teacher who sold mescaline to them) – appear in this film.
Released in some markets as Savage Passion.
Rick Thompson
Roger Gentry (as Jim Gentry)
Lucy
Julia Blackburn
Tuwana
Kathy Williams
Brave Eagle
Robert Aiken
Bo
David Rosenkranz
Cochina
Catherine Share
Minowa
Kedric Wolfe
Motula
Marsha Jordan
Indian brave
Bobby Beausoleil
Director
Ed Forsyth (as Van Guylder)