Spaghetti Western Trivia - Palace of Canto del Pico

Ever wonder what that building in the background you can see to the right of the Baxter house in 1964’s “A Fistful of Dollars”? It’s called Palace of Canto del Pico and it’s located in Torrelodones, Spain and was built in 1920-1921. The Count used the palace to store all his treasures. He accumulated these and there are rumors that many had been stolen from cathedrals. Financial difficulties forced him to sell the treasures for 2 million pesetas to a US buyer.

It was used as the headquarters for the Republican Army during the Spanish Civil War. Indalecio Prieto and Jose Miaja used it as their base to organize the Battle of Brunete. After the war Franco lived there for many years

 The prime minister Antonio Maura died there by falling down a flight of steps.

The palace has suffered heavily from looting and vandalism over the years, and a fire destroyed many of the remaining artworks in 1998. This led to it receiving a reduced classification in 2004. A hotel company bought it in 1988 intending to convert it into a luxury hotel. Planning permission was refused for the hotel in 2013 due to the building's value as a cultural monument.

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Marc Di Napoli

[These daily posts will cover little known actors or people that have appeared in more recent films and TV series. Various degrees of information that I was able to find will be given and anything that you can add would be appreciated.]

Marc Di Napoli is a French actor and painter known for his roles as a young performer in 1960s and 1970s European films and television series, including notable appearances in adaptations of classic adventure stories, as well as his later career as a visual artist after training at a prestigious art school.

Born on May 28, 1953, in Paris to a family of artists, Di Napoli began his acting career as a child, quickly gaining recognition for his portrayal of Huckleberry Finn in the television series Les Aventures de Tom Sawyer (1968). He appeared in other projects such as the film Que la bête meure (This Man Must Die, 1969) directed by Claude Chabrol, the TV series Deux ans de vacances (1974), and earlier works like Moartea lui Joe Indianul (1968). These roles, often in adventure and dramatic productions filmed in Europe, established him as a familiar face in youth-oriented and literary adaptations during that era.

Following his early success in acting, Di Napoli shifted focus to the visual arts, graduating from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He has since pursued a career as a painter while occasionally returning to theater, and resides in the Brittany region of France, where he has exhibited his artwork.

Marc Di Napoli appeared in two Euro-westerns: “Aventurile lui Tom Sawier” (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer) as Huckleberry ‘Huck’ Finn and “Moartea lui Joe Indianul” (Death of Injun Joe) as Huckleberry ‘Huck’ Finn both in 1967.

Di NAPOLI, Marc [5/28/1953, Paris, Île-de-France, France -     ] – painter, theater, film, TV actor, son of singer Giovanni Baptista Di Napoli, brother of actor Stéphane Di Napoli [1958-    ].

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer – 1967 (Huckleberry ‘Huck’ Finn)

Death of Injun Joe – 1967 (Huckleberry ‘Huck’ Finn)

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Bruno Eichgrün

Bruno Eichgrün was a German actor and film director known for his portrayal of the private detective Nick Carter in several silent films during the 1920s. Born in Berlin, Germany on January 10, 1877, he emerged as a figure in the early German silent cinema era, contributing both as a performer in leading roles and as a director starting around 1919. His work centered on the burgeoning film industry in Berlin, where he starred in and helmed productions often featuring adventurous or dramatic themes.

His most notable contributions include acting in and directing films such as Frauen,”die die Ehe brechen” (1922), in which he reprised his signature Nick Carter character, as well as other silent era works from the early 1920s that reflected the style and storytelling of Weimar-era German cinema. After a hiatus, he also appeared in several German sound films in the 1930s. Eichgrün's career highlights his role in shaping early detective and genre films in Germany.

Bruno Eichgrün died in Berlin-Schöneberg, Germany from a severe intestinal disease on June 2m 1937. He was 60 years old.

Bruno Eichgrün directed one silent Euro-western, “Die Rache des Mestizen. 1. Teil / 2 Teil” – 1920

EICHGRUN, Bruno (Bruno Eichgrün) [1/10/1877, Berlin, Germany – 6/2/1937, Berlin-Schöneberg, Germany (intestinal disease)] director, theater, film actor, married to the actress Mia Cordes (Maria Müller) [1882-1955]

Die Rache des Mestizen. 1. Teil / 2 Teil – 1920

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Fabio Carboni

Fabio Carboni is/was an Italian writer. He has only one screen credit and that was also his only Spaghetti western credit as a cowriter on “La pazienza ha un limite… noi no!” (Patience has a Limit, We Don’t) with Armando Morandi, Amando De Ossorio in 1974.

CARBONI, Fabio [Italian] – author, writer.

Patience has a Limit, We Don’t – 1974 (co)

 

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Marcel Grignon

Marcel Grignon was a French cinematographer renowned for his work on over 120 films from 1937 to 1988.

Born in Paris, France on November 9, 1914, Grignon began his career in the film industry during the 1930s and became a key figure in French cinema, collaborating on both domestic productions and international projects. His technical expertise in capturing dramatic visuals earned him international recognition, particularly for his contributions to epic war dramas and popular comedies.

One of Grignon's most acclaimed achievements was his cinematography on the 1966 historical war film “Is Paris Burning?”, directed by René Clément, where he vividly portrayed the liberation of Paris in 1944; for this, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Black-and-White) alongside Pierre Guffroy. Other notable films in his filmography include the action-comedy “Fantômas” (1964), the adventure “Cent mille dollars au soleil” (1964), and the comedy “Le Gendarme et les extraterrestres” (1979), showcasing his versatility across genres.

Grignon died in Paris on June 6, 1990, at the age of 75.

Marcel Grignon was a co-cinematographer on one Spaghetti western “La valle dei Comanche” (Madron) with Adam Greenburg in 1970.

GRIGNON, Marcel [11/9/1914, Paris, Île-de-France, France – 6/6/1990, Paris, Île-de-France, France] – cinematographer, cameraman, SFX.

Madron – 1970 (co)

The Best Spaghetti Western Show Ever Released Can Be Binged In Under 8 Hours

Screen Rant

By Zach Moser

March 21, 2026

That Dirty Black Bag is an underrated eight-episode TV series, and one of our best examples of Spaghetti Westerns on television. When you think of the Spaghetti Western genre, you tend to think of the international productions from Italy, like the films of Sergio Leone and his contemporaries. Movies that demythologized the standard American Western.

It's not quite as popular a genre now, mostly a result of the demythologized version of American Westerns morphing into the new standard of American Westerns. Every once in a while, we do get a production firmly planted in the genre, and The Dirty Black Bag, an Italian-produced TV series, is one of them.

That Dirty Black Bag Is A Great Spaghetti Western

That Dirty Black Bag comes from Italian director and screenwriter Mauro Aragoni, though the series is in English. The show follows two men, Red Bill (Douglas Booth), a notorious bounty hunter who decapitates his victims and stuffs their heads in a black bag, and Arthur McCoy (Dominic Cooper), a morally grey sheriff.

When Red Bill and McCoy's paths cross, the two end up on a grim and violent journey together that uncovers tragic histories in both men's lives. Niv Sultan and Aidan Gillen also star in the series. That Dirty Black Bag manages to build up some disreputable characters, then slowly make root for them as the show continues.

That Dirty Black Bag Deserved So Much More Attention

That Dirty Black Bag has an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, but only a small (though loyal) following of fans. Perhaps it's because the show is only available on Prime Video or to those with an AMC+ subscription that it doesn't have as big a fandom as something of its caliber rightly deserves.

The single season likely signals to some that That Dirty Black Bag isn't a show worth getting invested in either. It's a show that really deserved to have at least one more season. The characters in the series are so rich, and there's still so much more to explore in the grim, Western world they inhabit.

Why That Dirty Black Bag Is Still Worth Watching

Despite there being no plans for a second season, at least as of writing, That Dirty Black Bag is absolutely still worth watching. The series refuses to adhere to any strict Western history, either the kind from the '50s and '60s, the Spaghetti Westerns that followed, or the modern ones that learned from those series.

That Dirty Black Bag exists in its own space. The gore in the series is appropriately shocking, but it's not so overdone that you get bored with it. The dark humor is funny and used at just the right moments to break the anxiety of the tense plot that gets tighter and tighter every episode.

Special Birthdays

Maria Michi (actress) would have been 105 today but died in 1980.

Franca Bettoja (actor) would have been 90 today but died in 2024.

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ David Dimple

[These daily posts will cover little known actors or people that have appeared in more recent films and TV series. Various degrees of information that I was able to find will be given and anything that you can add would be appreciated.]

Is David Dimple his real name or is it an alias for an unknown actor?

“I magnifici brutos del West” (The Magnificent Brutes of the West) in 1964

DIMPLE, David – film actor.

The Magnificent Brutes of the West - 1964

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Vincent Eagle

Born Vincenzo dell'Aquila in 1935 in Naples, Italy. He used the aliases Enzo Dell’Aquila and Vincent Eagle. He was mainly a writer who worked on fifteen films between 1964 and 1975. He was also an assistant director on one film in 1965 and directed seven films between 1963 and 1998.

After graduating from the Centro sperimentale di cinematografia (CSC), where he studied with Fernando Di Leo and directed the short film “Un cuore per odiarvi”, Dell'Aquila directed an episode of the sketch comedy “Gli eroi di ieri, oggi, domani” in 1963 and then devoted himself mainly to screenwriting. Until 1969, he mainly wrote spaghetti western scripts; One of his two independent productions also falls under this genre in 1967. In the early 1970s, Dell'Aquila moved to television, where he was responsible for the program ‘L'altra domenica’. In 1981, he directed ‘Rosso Tiziano’ for Rai

As Vincent Eagle he directed one Spaghetti western, “…e venne il tempo uccidere” (Tequila Joe) in 1968.

EAGLE, Vincent (aka Enzo Dell Aquila) (Vincenzo dell'Aquila) [1935, Naples, Campania, Italy -     ] – director, assistant director, writer.

Tequila Joe – 1968

 

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Steven Carabatsos

Steven William Carabatsos was born October 2, 1938, in Manhattan, New York. He is an American screenwriter and television story editor best known for his contributions to the original Star Trek series during its first season in the mid-1960s.

Carabatsos graduated Hunter College in 1962.

As story consultant, Carabatsos worked on 12 episodes of Star Trek, providing script development and continuity support during a pivotal period of the show's production. He co-wrote the teleplay for the episode "Court Martial," a legal drama centered on Captain Kirk facing a court-martial for negligence, in collaboration with Don M. Mankiewicz. Additionally, Carabatsos penned the script for "Operation – Annihilate!," the season one finale involving a planetary crisis caused by parasitic creatures that the Enterprise crew must resolve.

Beyond Star Trek, Carabatsos contributed to several notable television series in the 1960s and 1970s, including writing for medical drama ‘Ben Casey’, soap opera ‘Peyton Place’, western ‘The Big Valley’, police procedural ‘Kojak’, and adventure series ‘The Fugitive’.

Carabatsos also ventured into film screenwriting, co-writing the 1970 western “El Condor” starring Jim Brown and Lee Van Cleef, and providing the screenplay for the 1977 horror film “Tentacles”, a Jaws-inspired story about a giant octopus terrorizing a coastal community. Other cinematic credits include story contributions to the 1987 adventure comedy “Hot Pursuit” and the 1980 Disney family film “The Last Flight of Noah's Ark”. These projects highlight his versatility across genres.

Steven Carabatsos co-wrote the screenplay for one Spaghetti western, “El Condor” with Larry Cohen in 1969.

CARABATSOS, Steven (aka Steve Carabatsos, Steven W. Carabatsos) (Steven William Carabatsos) [10/2/1938, Manhattan, New York, U.S.A. - 10/24/2025, Mammoth Lakes, California, U.S.A.] – writer.

El Condor – 1969 (co)

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Ernest Gregl

Ernest Gregi (often credited as Ernest Gregl) was born in February 23,1934 in Nova, Croatia. He is best known as a cinematographer for animated films, notably working on the 1966 feature “Alice of Wonderland” in Paris. He was involved in camera work for this collaborative animation project produced by William L. Snyder and directed by Milan Blazekovic.

Gregi died in Zagreb, Croatia on September 1, 2021 at the age of 87.

As Ernest Gregl he was a co-cameraman on 1957’s “Cowboy Jimmy” with Vladimir Svenda.

GREGL, Ernest (aka Ernest Gregl) [2/23/1934, Nova Gradiska, Croatia – 9/1/2021, Zagreb, Croatia] – director, cinematographer, animator, SFX.

Cowboy Jimmy – 1957 (co)