Spaghetti Western Trivia “Kid Vengeance” & “God’s Gun”

 

As in "God's Gun", despite having first billing Lee Van Cleef was once again playing second fiddle to Leif Garrett.

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Hans Elfvin

[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.]

Hans Herman Ove Elfin was born on June 20, 1937, in Norrköping's Matthew parish, Norrköping, Sweden.

After graduating from Gothenburg in 1954, he obtained a radio certificate in 1956 and was employed by Rederi AB Bifrost the same year. He was a student at the Atelier Theatre from 1957 to 1958 and 1960. From 1960 to 1963 he was a pupil at the Norrköping-Linköping City Theatre School. After that, he was part of the theatre's permanent ensemble. His acting and directing career remained in the theater with his only film appearance was in 1972’s “Nybyggarna” (The New Land).

In 1962 he married Gunilla Hällqvist, with whom he has three daughters. The couple divorced in 1982. The following year, he remarried to actress Mona Lundgren.

Hans Elfvin appeared as Sven (Danjels son) in 1972’s “Nybyggarna” (The New Land).

ELFVIN, Hans (Hans Herman Ove Elfin) [6/20/1937, Maria Magdalena parish, Stockholm, Sweden – 5/25/1989, Norrköping's Matthew parish, Norrköping , Sweden] – director, theater, radio, film actor, married to Gunilla Hällqvist (1962-1982) father of Hanna Elfin [1963-    ], Sara Gunilla Elfin [1967-    ], Magdalena Elfin [1971-    ], married to actress Mona Lundgren [1942-    ] (1983-1989)

The New Land – 1972 (Sven)

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Luigi Maggi

Luigi Maggi was an Italian actor and film director who played a significant role in the development of early silent cinema, particularly through his work with the Ambrosio Film company in Turin. Born in Turin on December 21, 1867, and educated as a typographer, Maggi began his film career as an amateur actor and recruiter for extras before transitioning to professional acting and directing around 1908

His directorial debut was the short film “Gli ultimi giorni di Pompei” (The Last Days of Pompeii, 1908), an adaptation of Edward Bulwer-Lytton's novel that showcased innovative special effects and spectacle for the time. Over the next two decades, Maggi directed approximately twenty films, many of which were historical epics or literary adaptations, including “Nerone” (Nero, or The Fall of Rome, 1909), “Il conte di Montecristo” (The Count of Monte Cristo, 1908), and “Maciste alpino” (1916, co-directed). He also appeared as an actor in numerous productions and was the father of actress Rina Maggi. Maggi's films contributed to Italy's reputation as a leader in early feature-length cinema, emphasizing grand narratives and visual storytelling during the pre-World War I era.1

Luigi Maggi was a director of one silent Euri-western, “Il bersaglio vivente” (The Human Target) in 1913.

MAGGI, Luigi [12/21/1867, Turin, Piedmont, Italy – 8/22/1946, Turin, Piedmont, Italy] – director, assistant director, writer, actor, married to ? father of actress Rina Maggi (Caterina Maggi).

The Human Target – 1913

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Marco Fenelli

Mario Fenelli is/was an Argentine writer, screenwriter, and director known for his novel Las Huellas, which was adapted into the cult classic film “Footprints on the Moon” (Le Orme, 1975), as well as his contributions to other Italian genre films and his personal connection to Argentine literature through his friendship with Manuel Puig.

Fenelli was born in Buenos Aires on July 16, 1925 and attended film school in Rome during the 1950s, where he met Manuel Puig and provided crucial encouragement for Puig's shift from aspiring film director to novelist. Their relationship endured for three decades, documented in 311 letters from Puig to Fenelli, culminating shortly before Puig's death in 1990, and included collaboration on two unproduced screenplays. Fenelli also worked on films such as “The Fifth Cord” (1971), showcasing his involvement in the Italian giallo genre.

Little public information is available about Mario Fenelli's life after his film work in the 1970s, with no date of death listed in major film databases such as IMDb.

As Marco Fenelli he was a co-screenwriter on one Spaghetti western, “Blu gang vissero per sempre felici e ammazzati” (Brothers Blue) in 1971.

FENELLI, Marco (Mario Ángelo Fenelli) [7/16/1925, Buenos Aires, Argentina -     ] – writer.

Brothers Blue – 1971 (co)

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Manuel Ruiz

Manuel Ruiz is/was a Spanish cinematographer and cameraman. He has one film credit to his name according to the IMDb and that was for his only Spaghetti western “…Altrimenti vi ammucchiamo” (Kung Fu Brothers in the Wild West) with Hsun Yang in 1973.

I can find no biographical information on him.

RUIZ, Manuel [Spanish] – cinematographer, cameraman.

Kung Fu Brothers in the Wild West – 1973(co)

Two New French Blu-ray/DVD release of “Django... Prepare ton cercueil!”, “Yankee”

 

“Django... Prepare ton cercueil!”

(Viva Django)

(1968)

 

Director: Ferdinando Baldi

Starring: Terence Hill, Horst Frank, George Eastman, José Torres

 

Country: France

Label: Seven7 / Sidonis Calysta

PAL

DVD/Blu-ray combo

Discs: 2

Also released separately on DVD

Aspect Ratio ‏ : 16:9 - 1.85:1

Languages: Dolby Digital French, Italian

Subtitles: French

Running time: 88 minutes

Extras: intro by Jean-François Giré; Django Explained: Interview with Kevin Grant; trailer

ASIN: B0H9B3V19Y

Available: October 23, 2026

 

[Available From Amazon.fr | From FNAC | Amazon.de]

Yankee

(1966)

Director: Tinto Brass

Starring: Philippe Leroy, Adolfo Celi, Jacques Herlin

 

Country: France

Label: Seven 7 / Sidonis Calysta

Resolution: 1080p restored audio and video

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Blu-ray/DVD

Languages: French, English

Subtitles: French

Running time: 96 minutes

Extras: 24-page booklet, by Jean-François Giré

ASIN: B0GXX1BDWR

Available: October 23, 2026

 

[Available from Amazon.fr | From FNAC | Amazon.de]

Special Birthdays

Ernest Bourbon (actor) would have been 140 today but died in 1954.

Bruno Corbucci (director writer) would have been 95 today but died in 1996.

Diana Dors (actress) would have been 95 today but died in 1984.

Mike Monty (actor) would have been 90 today but died in 2006.

Dwight Yoakam (actor) is 70 today.

 

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Pecos El Frances

[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.]

Pecos El Frances is an alias for Robert Bardinet who was born on March 20, 1947, in Belcourt, Alger, Algeria. He’s a western re-enactor who has been busy appearing in several western shorts and films since 2010.

Pecos El Frances appeared as Nathan Morton in 2013’s “La muerte llega al amanecer” (Death Comes at Dawn) in 2013, “Sombra (La muerte llega al amanecer)” in 2014, a guard in “Encendero the Firebrand” in 2015 and “Horca o bala” (Gallows or Bullet) in 2020.

EL FRANCES, Pecos (Robert Bardinet) [3/20/1947, Belcourt, Alger, Algeria -     ] – director, stuntman, film actor, married to ? (2009-    ).

Death Comes at Dawn – 2013 (Nathan Morton)

Sombra (La muerte llega al amanecer) – 2014

Caza brutal – 2015 [film was never made]

Encendero the Firebrand – 2015 (guard)

Gallows or Bullet – 2020

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Mario Maffei

Mario Maffei was an Italian assistant director and occasional film director known for his remarkably long career in Italian cinema and television, primarily serving as an assistant director on numerous productions from the late 1930s to the early 1990s.

Born in Viareggio on April 7, 1918, he began his film career in the late 1930s and worked steadily across decades, contributing to a wide variety of genres including neorealist dramas, action films, and television series. He was particularly recognized for his behind-the-scenes reliability, assisting on acclaimed and popular titles such as “Il camorrista” (1986), “The Inglorious Bastards” (1978), and various TV miniseries and episodes. In addition to his primary role, he directed a handful of feature films in the 1960s, including the literary adaptation “I promessi sposi” (1964), the spaghetti western “La grande notte di Ringo” (1966), and “Da Berlino l'apocalisse” (1967), and he also wrote screenplays for some of these projects. Maffei occasionally appeared as an actor in supporting roles and served as executive producer on “Mondo cane 2” (1963).

His multifaceted involvement in the Italian film industry, marked by longevity and versatility, established him as a respected figure in the supporting ranks of cinema professionals.

Maffei died in Rome on March 10, 2001, a month shy of turning 83.

Mario Maffei directed one Spaghetti western, “La note del desperado” (Ringo’s Big Night) in 1965.

MAFFEI, Mario (aka Silver Ben, Mario Mattei) [4/7/1918, Rome, Lazio, Italy – 3/10/2001, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – producer, director, assistant director, writer, actor.

Ringo’s Big Night – 1965

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Monica Felt

Monica Felt was an alias for Italian producer, assistant director and writer Monica Venturini. She produced seven films between 1976 and 2001, an assistant director on nine films between 1966 and 1976 and wrote screenplays for six films between 1964 and 1980. I can find no biographical information on her.

Monica Venturini as Monica Felt co-wrote one Spaghetti western, “La vendetta e un piatto che si serve freddo” (Vengeance Trail) with Pasquale Squititieri.

FELT, Monica (aka Mónica Felt) (Monica Venturini) [Italian] – producer, assistant director, writer,

Vengeance Trail – 1971 (co)

 

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Sergio Rubini

Italian cameraman and cinematographer Sergio Rubini is not to be confused with the more well-known director, writer and actor of the same name. Our man was a cameraman on thirty-three frilms between 1964 and 2001 and a cinematographer on thirty-eight between 1973 and 2014. He was sometimes credited as Sergei Rubini.

Despite his long career he is basically ignored and I can find no biographical information on him.

Sergio Rubini was a cinematographer on two Spaghetti westerns: “Il sogno di Zorro” (The Grandson of Zorro) in 1975 and Una donna chiamata Apache” (Apache Woman) in 1976.

RUBINI, Sergio (aka S. Rubini) (Sergie Rubin) [Italian] – cinematographer, cameraman.

The Grandson of Zorro - 1975

Apache Woman – 1976 (as Sergei Rubin)