.Westerns...All'Italiana!

Sunday, March 8, 2026

Begin Daylight Saving Time 2026

From the WAI! vault

Little Known Spaghetti Western actors ~ Gioia Desideri

[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.]

Italian film actress Gioia Desideri was born in Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy on March 18, 1940. She had a thirteen-film career between 1968 and 1972. She then abandons the industry and disappears. I can find no biographical information on her other then she still lives in Rome.

Gioia appeared in two Spaghetti westerns: “I lunghi giorni dell’odio” (This Man Can’t Die) as Lillian in 1967 and “Amico, stammi lontano almeno un palmo” (The Ballad of Ben and Charlie) as the woman on balcony in 1971.

DESIDERI, Gioia [3/18/1940, Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy - ] – film actress.

This Man Can’t Die – 1967 (Lillian) [Giola Desideri]

The Ballad of Ben and Charlie - 1971 (woman on balcony)

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Mateo Cano

Mateo Cano Jiménez was born in Madrid, Spain on August 5, 1913, He was Spanish director, assistant director and writer. He directed five films between 1958 and 1972 and was an assistant director on five films between 1954 and 1960. Mateo also for three films between 1956 and 1967.

Sometime in the 1970s he retired and has been lost. He must have passed on by now but no record of his death can be found online.

Mateo Cano directed on Spaghetti western, “Uncas, el fin de una raza” (Fall of the Mohicans) in 1965.

CANO, Mateo (Mateo Cano Jiménez) [8/5/1913, Madrid, Madrid, Spain - deceased] – director, assistant director, writer.

The Fall of the Mohicans – 1965

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Richard Beattie

Richard Beattie is a Canadian screenwriter. He is most noted for the 1989 film “Cold Comfort”, for which he and Elliot L. Sims won the Genie Award for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 11th Genie Awards in 1990.

Richard Beattie is a seasoned script doctor with a wealth of experience in film, TV, and mini-series. His writing spans genres, including award-nominated works like “Almost Heaven”. From small-town British Columbia, he funded his education by fighting forest fires and mining for gold. After various adventures, he completed a B.A. in Political Science from UBC. His screenplay, “Blindside”, kickstarted his career, leading him on a path akin to the 21st-century Pat Hobby. Beattie enjoys eclectic interests like derealization, distinctive belts, romance-infused coffee, and vibrant shoes.

Richard wrote screenplays for two Euro-westerns: “Grizzly Falls” in 1999 and “High Plains Invaders” in 2009.

BEATTIE, Richard (aka Dick Amoeba) [19??, British Columbia, Canada - ] – producer, writer.

Grizzly Falls - 1999

High Plains Invaders – 2009

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer – Walter Civirani

Walter Civirani is an Italian cameraman and cinematographer born in Rome in 1943. Walter’s the grandson of photographer Carlo Civirani and the son of producer, director, cinematographer, screenwriter and author. Osvaldo Civirani.

Walter has worked as a cameraman on sixteen films between 1962 and 1978 and was a cinematographer on eight films between 1969 and 1975.

Walter Civirani was the cinematographer of one Spaghetti western, “I due figli dei Trinità” (Two Sons of Trinity) in 1971 which his father directed.

CIVIRANI, Walter [1943, Rome, Lazio, Italy - ] – cinematographer, cameraman, grandson of photographer Carlo Civirani [1889-19??], son of producer, director, cinematographer, screenwriter and author Osvaldo Civirani [1917-2008].

Two Sons of Trinity - 1971

Spaghetti Western Locations for “I Want Him Dead”.

We continue our search for Spaghetti western locations for “I Want Him Dead”. As Jack Blood and his men unload the dynamite from the wagon and arrange it next to the building the scene reverts back to the interior of the building and the surrender is being discussed. surrender terms are being read by a Union general to his Confederate counterparts.

These scenes were film in a Rome soundstage while the exterior shots were filmed at Cortijo Spinosa and it’s El Alquian in Almeria, Spain.

For a more detailed view of this site and other Spaghetti Western locations please visit my friend Yoshi Yasuda’s location site: http://y-yasuda.net/film-location.htm and Captain Douglas Film Locations http://www.western-locations-spain.com/