From the WAI! vault

 

Little Known Spaghetti Western actors ~ John Desmont

[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.]

John Desmont has always been an enigma as there is basically no information on him. Is John Desmont his real name or an alias used by an unknown actor?

The actor in question made one Spaghetti western (his only film appearance): “Anche per Django le carogne hanno un Prezzo” (Django’s Cut Rate Corpses) as Pickwick in 1971

DESMONT, John – film actor.

Django’s Cut Rate Corpses – 1971 (Pickwick)

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Richard Carlson

Richard Dutoit Carlson was born in Albert Lea, Minnesota, on April 29, 1912. He earned a Master of Arts degree in English from the University of Minnesota, graduating summa cum laude and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and briefly taught English and drama there before pursuing acting. Carlson began his performing career on Broadway in the 1930s, appearing in productions such as “Three Men on a Horse” (1935) and “The Ghost of Yankee Doodle” (1937), and made his film debut in the screwball comedy “The Young in Heart” (1938) opposite Janet Gaynor and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

Carlson directed a number of episodes across various television series during the late 1950s and early 1960s, focusing primarily on dramatic, anthology, and procedural formats.

He helmed three episodes of the syndicated Western series ‘MacKenzie's Raiders’ in 1959. Carlson also directed seven episodes of ‘The Detectives’ from 1961 to 1962 and six episodes of ‘The Loretta Young Show’ from 1960 to 1961. Additionally, he directed the 1958 television film “The Unchained Goddess”. Richard Carlson directed five feature films between 1954 and 1966, spanning genres including science fiction, Westerns, and crime drama.

Richard married Mona Carlson on June 10, 1939, and the couple remained together until his death in 1977. They had two sons, Christopher and Henry.

Carlson died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Encino, California, at age 65

Richard Carlson directed on Spaghetti “Fugitivos de Yuma” (Kid Rodelo) in 1965 starring Don Murray, Janet Leigh and Broderick Crawford and filmed in Spain.

CARLSON, Richard (Richard Dutoit Carlson) [4/29/1912 Albert Lea, Minnesota, U.S.A. – 11/24/1977, Encino, California, U.S.A. (cerebral hemorrhage)] – theater, director, writer, film, TV actor, singer, married to actress Mona Carlson (Mona Mayfield) [1918–1990] (1939-1977) father of attorney Richard Henry Carlson [1941-    ], Christopher Hugh Carlson [1943-2002].

Kid Rodelo - 1965

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Hans Bertram

Hans Bertram was born on February 26, 1906. He was a German aviator, author, and filmmaker whose career spanned adventurous long-distance flights, survival exploits, and military aviation under the Nazi regime. In 1932, Bertram and mechanic Adolf Klausmann departed Berlin in a Junkers W.33 seaplane named Atlantis for an attempted circumnavigation of the globe, but a severe storm over the Timor Sea forced an emergency landing on the remote Kimberley coast of northwestern Australia, where they survived for 53 days on minimal supplies amid harsh terrain and encounters with Indigenous inhabitants before rescue. This ordeal, detailed in his 1936 book Flight into Hell, established his reputation as a resilient explorer and prompted widespread search efforts involving Australian authorities and aircraft. Subsequently, Bertram joined the Nazi Party and SA in 1934, flew combat missions with the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War, and rose to major in the Luftwaffe during World War II, where he was captured by Allied forces and sent to Australia as a prisoner of war in 1941. His later work included directing aviation-themed films such as “D III 88” (1939), blending his pre-war adventurism with regime-aligned propaganda efforts.

Bertram entered the film industry in the late 1930s, leveraging his aviation expertise to contribute scripts and direction, particularly for features glorifying German air power. His works often drew on wartime footage and themes of heroism in flight, with several produced under Nazi propaganda auspices. He is credited with writing scripts for approximately ten films between 1938 and the 1980s, and directing six

Bertram co-wrote the screenplay for one Euro-western: “3 Kerle geh'n durch dick und dünn” (Juanito) with Wolf Neumeister in 1959.

BERTRAM, H. (Hans Bertram) [2/26/1906, Remscheid, Germany – 1/8/1993, Munich, Bavaria, Germany] – producer, director, writer, married to Gisela Uhlen [1919-2007] (1957-1961) father of actress Barbara Bertram [1945-2023].

Juanito – 1959 (co)

Spaghetti Western cinematographer: Vincent G. Cox

Vincent G. Cox was a South African cinematographer known for his influential work in both South African and international film productions, spanning over six decades and encompassing local Afrikaans cinema as well as major overseas projects filmed in Africa. Born on October 17, 1933, in Johannesburg, he began his career in the early 1950s at Killarney Film Studios, progressing from lab work to camera roles, and later gained international experience in England on productions such as “A Night to Remember” (1958). He earned his first director of photography credit on “King Hendrik” (1965) and went on to become one of South Africa's most active and versatile cinematographers, renowned for his technical skill in low-light conditions and his use of precision equipment. Cox formed significant long-term collaborations with directors Emil Nofal and Jans Rautenbach, photographing key works of apartheid-era South African cinema including “Wild Season” (1967), “Die Kandidaat” (1968), and “Katrina” (1969). He also contributed to numerous international features shot in South Africa, such as “Creatures the World Forgot” (1970), “Zulu Dawn” (1979), and “Hotel Rwanda” (2004), often in roles including second unit or additional photography. Additionally, he occasionally directed his own features, including “Return to Justice” (1990) and “Voice in the Dark” (1990). A member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) since 1977—one of only a few permanent South African residents in the organization—and a fellow of the South African Society of Cinematographers (SASC), Cox remained active into his late 70s and was widely respected for his calm professionalism and passion for the craft. He died on July 30, 2017, in Johannesburg

Vincent G. Cox was the cinematographer of four Euro-westerns: “They Call Me Lucky in 1973m “Glory Glory” (Hooded Angels) and “The Meeksville Ghost” in 2000 and “Gallowwalkers” in 2006.

COX, Vincent G. (aka Vincent Cox, Vincent C. Cox, George C. Vincent) (Vincent George Cox) [10/17/1933, Johannesburg, South Africa – 7/30/2017, Johannesburg, South Africa] – producer, director, writer, cinematographer, cameraman, married tomakeup artist Ronny Brinkmar (Gudrun Brinkmar) [1937-1987] (1961-19??) father of cameraman Vinca Cox [1965-2021], costume designer Gitta Cox [1966-    ], cinematographer Lars Cox married to Debi Nethersole [1970-    ], cinematographer Macaire Cox (1994-2017), married to producer

They Call Me Lucky – 1973 [as Vincent Cox]

Hooded Angels – 2000

The Meeksville Ghost - 2000

Gallowwalkers - 2006

Voices of the Spaghetti Western “A Pistol for 100 Coffins”

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 “A Pistol for 100 Coffins”

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

Jim Slade – Peter Lee Lawrence (I) Cesare Barbetti, (S) Jesús Nieto, (G) Hans-Georg Panczak

Douglas – John Ireland (I) Renato Turi, (S) Eduardo Fajardo, (G) Michael Eder

Chavel – Eduardo Fajardo (I) ?, (S) Eduardo Fajardo, (G)

Marjorie – Gloria Osuna (I) Fiorella Betti, (S) Ángel María Baltanás, (G) ?

J. Texas Corbett – Piero Lulli (I) Corrado Gaipa, (S) José Martínez Blanco, (G) Alexander Allerson

Verdugo – Raf Baldassarre (I) Michele Gammino, (S) Ángel Ter, (G) Günter Clemens

Michael Eder

Manfred Michael Eder is a German actor, film editor and voice actor and dubber. He’s appeared in thirteen films from 1954-1971 sometimes billed as Mike Run.

He’s one of Germany’s best voice dubbers with 370 dubbing credits, yet there is virtually no information on him on the internet or the German Synchron  kartei database.

Spaghetti Western Locations for “I Want Him Dead”.

We continue our search for Spaghetti western locations for “I Want Him Dead”. After Jack Blood’s henchmen unload the dynamite and arrange it next to the building where the peace negotiations are going on they board the wagon and slowly ride off. Jack hurriedly prepares the dyanamite and begins to attach the fuses to the plunger. Suddenly a shadow falls over his hands and as Jack looks up to see who it is he sees Clayton standing above him. Clayton throws down a pouch and asks Blood if it belongs to him? As Jack looks up Clayton kicks him in the head with his boot. Jack stands up a hits Clayton and then runs off. Clayton draws his gun to shoot and then stops as a shot would alert the soldiers. Jack runs down an embankment with Clayton in pursuit. Clayton catches him and demands Jack’s gun. Blood gives it to him and Clayton empties the chamber of bullets except for one. He tells Jack to put the pistol to his head. After pulling the trigger several times and it not firing Blood realizes his chances of survival are nil. He turns the gun on Clayton and the two begin to fight.

This scene was filmed in The Valle del Buho extends about three kilometers west of Tabernas.

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/

Special Birthdays

Carmen Galin (actress) would have been 80 today but died in 2020.

Steve Kanaly (actor) is 80 today.

Spaghetti West Trivia ~ For a Few Missing Lobby found

Was this a promotional photo or was it a missing scene?

Submitted by Michael Ferguson