Friday, May 15, 2026

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Enzo di Natale

[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.]

Enzo di Natale is an unknown actor. He has only one film credit that I can find. Other than that, I can find no biographical information on him.

Enzo di Natale appeared in only one Spaghetti western, “Little Rita nel West” (Litte Rita of the West) as Django in 1967.

di NATALE, Enzo [Italian] – film actor.

Litte Rita of the West – 1967 (Django)

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ B. Ron Elliott

B. Ron Elliott is an alias for Byron Elliott Mabe who was an American actor and film director known for his work in 1960s exploitation cinema. Born on April 10, 1932, in Walkertown, North Carolina, he pursued a multifaceted career in low-budget filmmaking, directing, acting, producing, and contributing to various production roles across several independent features. His directorial efforts often embodied the era's drive-in and grindhouse sensibilities, with notable films including “She Freak” (1967), “The Acid Eaters” (1967), and “Space Thing” (1968). Mabe also appeared as an actor in projects such as “The Doberman Gang” (1972) and various television roles. He was an Air Force veteran and a member of the Screen Actors Guild. He resided in Orlando, Florida, later in life—having moved to Central Florida in 1981—and died there on May 13, 2001, from cancer.

Mabe's films frequently explored sensational themes typical of exploitation genres, ranging from horror and science fiction to counterculture subjects, contributing to the broader landscape of independent American cinema during that period. His versatile involvement in film production extended beyond directing and acting to include editing, cinematography, and other technical positions on select projects.

As B. Ron Elliott he directed on Spaghetti western, “Django Nudo und die husternen Madchen von Porno Hill” (Nude Django) in 1968.

ELLIOTT, B. Ron (aka B. Ron Elliot, B. Ron Elliott, Al Gotz, B.E. Mabe, Ronnie Runningborad) (Byron Elliott Mabe) [4/10/1932, Walkertown, North Carolina, U.S.A. – 5/13/2001, Orlando, Florida, U.S.A. (cancer)] – producer, director, actor, married to Patricia Joyce Steffey [1934-????] (1951-19??), married to Katherine Landstein (1964-1978) father of one child, married to Jennifer Ann Sharkey (1981-1990) father of one child.

Nude Django – 1968


Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Alberto Cardone

Alberto Cardone was an Italian film director, screenwriter, second unit director, and film editor known for his contributions to the Spaghetti Western genre during the 1960s, often under the pseudonym Albert Cardiff. Born on September 16, 1920, in Genoa, Liguria, Italy, he began his career in the film industry as an assistant director and second unit director, working on major international productions including “Ben-Hur” (1959) directed by William Wyler and “Barbarella” (1968) directed by Roger Vadim.

Cardone directed several Spaghetti Westerns that exemplified the genre's characteristic style of stylized violence, anti-hero protagonists, and atmospheric cinematography, including

Blood at Sundown” (1966), “Seven Dollars to Kill” (1966), and “The Long Day of the Massacre” (1968). His films helped sustain the popularity of Italian Westerns amid the genre's boom in the mid-to-late 1960s.

Cardone died on October 20, 1977, in Rome, Italy at the age of 57.

Albertto Cardone wrote screenplays for four Spaghetti westerns: “Il lungo giorno del massacre” (The Long Day of the Massacre) with Armando Morandi, Mario Gariazzo and “Kidnapping: paga o uccidiamo tuo Figlio” ($20,000 for Seven) with Ugo Guerra, Vittorio Salerno and Manuel Sebares and “L’ira di Dio” (Wrath of God) all in 1968 and “Mano rápida” (Fast Hand is Still My Name) with Sergio Ciani, Vittorio Salerno and Eduardo M. Brochero.

CARDONE, Alberto (aka Albert Cardiff, A. Cardone, Alfredo Cardone) [9/16/1920, Genoa, Liguria, Italy – 10/20/1977, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – production manager, director, assistant director, writer, film editor.

The Long Day of the Massacre – 1968 (co)

$20,000 for Seven – 1968 (co)

The Wrath of God - 1968

Fast-Hand is Still My Name – 1973 (co)


Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Remo Grisanti

Remo Grisanti' was an Italian cinematographer known for his extensive work as director of photography on Italian films across several decades, contributing to genres including giallo, comedy, and drama. Born on March 2, 1922, in Roviano, Lazio, Italy, he began his career in the camera department, serving in roles such as assistant camera and camera operator before advancing to cinematographer. His career spanned from the early 1960s to the 1990s, during which he worked on numerous productions, often within Italy's vibrant exploitation and genre cinema scenes.

Grisanti's notable credits as cinematographer include films such as “Fra' Tazio da Velletri” (1974) and “Una donna da guardare” (1991), reflecting his versatility in capturing varied visual styles for Italian directors. He passed away on July 21, 2007, in Rome, Lazio, Italy, at the age of 85 leaving behind a prolific body of work in the Italian film industry

Remo Grisanti was a cinematographer on one Spaghetti western, “L’uomo della velle maledetta” (The Man from the Cursed Valley) with Alfredo Fraile in 1964.

GRISANTI, Remo (aka Remo Crisanti, John Stesy) (Remo Benvenuti Grisanti) [3/2/1922, Roviano, Lazio, Italy – 7/21/2007, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – cinematographer, cameraman.

The Man from the Cursed Valley – 1964 (co)

Vibre Cheval Sauvage

 

Vibre Cheval Sauvage

(The Wild Horse)

 

A 1961 French documentary

Producer: Jacques Duhamel

Director: Marc de Gastyne

Photography: Marc de Gastyne

Music:

Running time: 16 minutes

 

Story: Vibre, a wild horse, experiences exciting adventures in Camargue with his new friend, a little jockey.

 

Cast:

Jacky, Mireva, and the guardians Mailhan and Saint-Léger (The Riders).

A short film from 1961 directed by Marc de Gastyne. Filmed in the Camargue area of Southern France that was made famous by Joë Hamman in the silent era.  Marco de Gastyne specialized in making children's films just as the Italian Angio Zane ("Okay, Sheriff") and the Dutchman Johan van der Keuken ("Indische Jongen", both 1964) had.

"Vibre" is on a plastic spool and in a metal box (which probably helped). The first few seconds of the opening credits are missing from the surviving print. It is in very good condition, with some fine scratches and occasional splice patching.




Voices of the Spaghetti Western – “One After the Other”

As we know most of the Euro-westerns were co-productions from Italy, Spain, Germany and France which incorporated British and American actors to gain a worldwide audience. The films were shot silent and then dubbed into the various languages where they were sold for distribution. That means Italian, Spanish, German, French and English voice actors were hired to dub the films. Even actors from the countries where the film was to be shown were often dubbed by voice actors for various reasons such as the actors were already busy making another film, they wanted to be paid additional salaries for dubbing their voices, the actor’s voice didn’t fit the character they were playing, accidents to the actors and in some cases even death before the film could be dubbed.

I’ll list a Euro-western and the (I) Italian, (S) Spanish, (G) German and (F) French, (E) English voices that I can find and once in a while a bio on a specific voice actor as in Europe.









Today we’ll cover “One After the Other”

[(I) Italian, (S) Spanish, (G) German, (F) French, (E) English

Stan Ross – Richard Harrison (S) Antolín García, (G) Horst Naumann, (F) Jacques Brunet

Sabine – Pamela Tudor (S) Pilar Gentile, (G) ?, (F) Martine Messager

Glenn – Paul Stevens (S) José Guardiola, (G) ?, (F) Henry Djanik

Colonel Jefferson – José Bódalo (S) José Bódalo, (G) Herbert Weicker, (F) : Jean Michaud

Tina – Jolanda Modio (S) Mari Pe Castro, (G) ?, (F) ?

Espartero – José Manuel Martin (S) José Manuel Martin, (G) Wolf Rahtjen, (F) Gérard Hernandez









Jacques Brunet  (1939 -     )

Jacques Brunet in Saint Maclou, Eure, France in 1939. He took classes at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Art. As an he’s known for ‘The X Files’ (1998), “Pain & Gain” (2013) and “Rush Hour” 2 (2001).


Special Birthdays

Sara Franchetti (actress) – is 80 today.



Thursday, May 14, 2026

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)