Spaghetti Western Director ~ Richard Harrison
Richard Harrison is an American actor, writer, director,
and producer best known for his prolific work in low-budget European films,
including peplum adventures, Eurospy thrillers, and spaghetti westerns, during
the 1960s and 1970s. With over 100 film credits spanning four decades, Harrison
capitalized on his muscular physique and rugged good looks to become a staple
in Italian B-movies after limited success in Hollywood. His career highlights
include starring roles in sword-and-sandal epics like “The Invincible Gladiator”
(1961) and “Gladiators 7” (1962), as well as leading 17 spaghetti westerns such
as “Vengeance” (1968) and “Between God, the Devil and a Winchester” (1968).
Born in Salt Lake City, Utah on May 26, 1935, Harrison
relocated to Southern California in his late teens, where he pursued
bodybuilding and physique modeling in the 1950s. He made his film debut as an
extra and in small roles in Hollywood productions, including uncredited work in
“South Pacific” (1958) and a supporting part in the science-fiction film “Kronos”
(1957). By 1961, seeking greater opportunities, he moved to Rome, Italy, where
he quickly gained prominence in the peplum genre, portraying heroic figures in
films like “Medusa vs. the Son of Hercules” (1962).
Harrison's European phase expanded into spy films, such
as “Secret Agent Fireball” (1965), before he fully embraced the spaghetti
western boom, often playing tough, vengeful protagonists. He also ventured into
writing, directing, and producing, notably under the pseudonym James London for
“Two Brothers in a Place Called Trinity” (1972). Returning to the United States
in the 1970s, his roles shifted to exploitation and action cinema, including
martial arts features filmed in the Philippines like “Ninja Terminator” (1985).
His final credited film appearance was in “Jerks” (2000), after which he
retired from acting.
In later years, Harrison settled in Palm Springs,
California, with his second wife, Francesca, and received a star on the Palm
Springs Walk of Stars for his contributions to film. He unsuccessfully ran for
mayor of Palm Springs in 1995 and 1999, reflecting his interest in local
politics.
As mentioned above Richard Harrison co-directed one
Spaghetti western, “Jesse e Lester: due fratelli in un posto chiamoto Trinita”
(Jesse and Lester, Two Brothers in a Place Called Trinity) with Renzo Genta in
1972.
HARRISON, Richard (aka Richard
Harrison II, Richard Harrisson) (Richard
S. Harrison Jr.) [5/26/1935, Salt
Lake City, Utah, U.S.A. - ] –
producer, director, writer, film, TV actor, married to actress Loretta Vee Nicholson
[1943- ] (1961–1970) father of Richard
Elmer Harrison II, actor Robert Harrison, actor Sebastian Stewart Harrison
[1965- ], married to production
manager, actress Daria Norman (Maria Francesca Pomentale)
(1978- ) father of a daughter, uncle
of actress Joi Holmes [1961- ].
Jesse and Lester,
Two Brothers in a Place Called Trinity – 1972 (co)
Spaghetti Western
Screenwriter ~ Armando Crispino
Armando Crispino was
an Italian film director and screenwriter, best known for his contributions to
the giallo and horror genres during the 1960s and 1970s. Born in Biella,
Piedmont, Italy on October 18, 1924, he began his career as an assistant
director before helming his first feature, “Le piacevoli notti” (1966), a
comedic adaptation of Boccaccio's tales. Over the next decade, Crispino
directed nine films, blending elements of suspense, supernatural themes, and
social commentary, often collaborating with prominent Italian actors and
writers.
Crispino's notable
works include the war drama “Commandos” (1968), starring Lee Van Cleef and Jack
Kelly, which depicted a fictional Allied commando mission in North Africa
during World War II. He gained further recognition in the thriller genre with “The
Dead Are Alive” (1972), a supernatural mystery involving Etruscan artifacts and
ancient curses, featuring John Marley and Samantha Eggar. His most acclaimed
film, “Autopsy” (1975), is a gritty giallo starring Mimsy Farmer as a coroner
unraveling a series of bizarre murders linked to a religious sect; it
exemplifies his style of psychological tension and macabre imagery. Later
projects included the horror-comedy “Frankenstein: Italian Style” (1975) and
the TV movie ‘Due donne’ (1981), after which he largely retired from directing.
Throughout his
career, Crispino was married to producer Franca Lumachi from 1963 until his
death, and they had two children, including director Francesco Crispino. He
passed away in Rome at age 78 from an undisclosed cause, leaving a legacy of
genre films that influenced Italian cinema's exploitation wave.
Armando Crispino
wrote screenplays for two Spaghetti westerns: “John il Bastardo” (John the
Bastard) with Lucio Manlio Battistrada and “Requiescant” (Kill and Pray) with Lucio
Battistrada and Adriano Bolzoni both in 1967.
CRISPINO, Armando (Armando Raffaele
Enrico Giuseppe Pio Crispino)
[10/18/1924, Biella, Piedmont, Italy – 10/6/2003, Rome, Lazio, Italy] –
production manager, director, assistant director, writer, married to actress
Franca Lumachi [1932-2024] (1963-2003) father of producer, director, writer
Francesco Crispino [1967- ], actress
Gilberta Crispino [1971- ].
John the Bastard –
1967 (co)
Kill and Pray – 1967
(co)
Spaghetti Western
Cinematographer ~ Mario Mancini
Mario Mancini is an
Italian director, writer, cameraman and cinematographer. Born in Rome in 1935
Mancini using the alias Robert Oliver directed a film in 1972 and again in
1974. He was a cameraman on twenty-four films between 1955 and 1966. His main
film career was spent working as a cinematographer on twenty-one films between
1968 and 1974.
I can find nothing
about him passing away so today he’d be 91.
Mario Mancini was a
cinematographer on seven Spaghetti westerns: “La vendetta è il mio perdono”
(Shotgun) with Franco Delli Colli, “Chiedi perdono a Dio... non a me” (God May
Forgive You, Not Me) in 1968, “Arriva Durango, paga o muori” (Durango is
Coming, Pay or Die) and “Wanted Sabata) both in 1970, “...E lo chiamarono
Spirito Santo” (He was Called the Holy Ghost) and “Il suo nome era Pot” (His
Name Was Pot... They Called Him Allegria) both in 1971. He was best known for
his work on “Frankenstein '80” (1972), “Blood and Black Lace” (1964) and “Kong
Island” (1968) and “Frankenstein’s Castle of Freaks” (1974).
MANCINI, Mario (aka Robert Oliver)
[1935, Rome, Lazio, Italy - ] –
director, writer, cinematographer, cameraman.
Shotgun – 1967 (co)
God May Forgive You,
Not Me - 1968
Durango is Coming,
Pay or Die – 1970
Wanted Sabata - 1970
Django…Adios! - 1971
He was Called the
Holy Ghost – 1971
His Name Was Pot...
They Called Him Allegria – 1971
