RIP Edgar Külow

 Just a few days after his 87th birthday actor, comedian, writer and director Edgar Külow has died. A news release stated he fell at his home and suffered a hip fracture and had to be operated on but died of complications on September 29^th in Berlin. A native of Westphalia, Külow was born on September 10, 1925 in Werdohl. Edgar took acting lessons in Leipzig, worked at the local radio station, then as a writer, director and sometimes manager of the cabaret "Pepper Mill". Later he worked for other cabarets and the satirical magazine "Eulenspiegel". He was, for a few years, a member of the cast of the satirical television series "Tele-BZ". He became a member of several TV casts, designed numerous, often quirky supporting roles, and was until recently still active as an actor. He also wrote several books, including "Koslowski in Weimar" and "Koslowski in parliament". Külow appeared in one Euro-western as O’Hara with Dean Reed in “Kit & Co.” (1974).

Happy 90th Birthday Michel Lemoine

 Michel Charles Lemoine was born on September 30, 1922 in Pantin, Seine-Saint-Denis, France. He made his film debut in late 1940. Michel appeared frequently in the films of Sacha Guitry and Julien Duvivier. His physique gave him the opportunity to appear in young romantic characters and also embody mysterious and disturbing characters. Throughout the 1960s, he appeared extensively in Italian films, in peplums, Spaghetti westerns: “The Road to Fort Alamo” (1964) and “Cemetery Without Crosses” (1968) and fantasy films. He also worked for Jess Franco and José Bénazéraf. In the 1970s, he was seen primarily in erotic films.

Michel later became a director in films where eroticism mingled with drama or comedy. His films did not receive positive criticism, but he nevertheless was recognized for technical qualities. He was misaligned for his first achievement, according to him, for strong autobiographical accents. He often appeared with Janine Reynaud [1930- ], his wife, alongside his favorite performers, Martine Azencot, Nathalie Zeiger and Marie-Hélène Règne.

In 1976, his film “Les Week-ends maléfiques du Comte Zaroff” was prohibited in theaters. He reluctantly turned towards the realization of making pornographic films and used most often the pseudonym Michel Leblanc, Olinka Hardiman and made a star of X (Marilyn, mon amour). He left the industry in the 1990s, with only sporadic appearances afterward.

Today we celebrate Michel Lemoine’s 90^th birthday.

New DVD Release

 A Man Called Django / Django and Sartana Showdown in the West

(1971) (1970)

Director: Edward G. Muller (Edoardo Mulargia) / Demofilo Fidani

Starring: Anthony Steffen / Tony Kendall, George Ardisson

Label: Shout Factory / Timeless Media

Region: NTSC, Region 1

Sound: Dolby

Time: 173 minutes

Available: December 11, 2012

Spaghetti Western Locations

We continue with locations for “A Taste for Killing”. Sanchez and his other two henchmen stop for water but Fellows shoots a hole in Sancho’s canteen. Again he is out of sight and range for the bandits pistols. After firing a few futile shots Fellows approaches them from the rear. The three face him in a duel but lose. Hank picks up the stolen money they have with them and rides away. Here the location shifts to Rambla Lanujar or what is more commonly referred to as Black Canyon. You might recall this location was also used in “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” when Tuco calls out to the approaching gray clad soldiers only to find they are Union cavalry whose blue uniforms are covered with dust.

Rambla Lanujar in Tabernas can be located off a service road from the Autovia A 92. Opposite the N-340a cutoff. This service road is on the West side of the Autovia and goes through what is left of the set location for “Chino” and “Straight to Hell”. Continue on the dirt road until you come to a gate which is usually locked. You can park your car here and climb the short wall and walk back through the canyon bearing to your right. 

For a more detailed view of this site and other Spaghetti Western locations please visit my friend Captain Douglas’ excellent website: http://www.western-locations-spain.com/     

ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST

Érase una vez en el Oeste – Argentinian title

Era uma vez no Oeste – Brazilain title

Hasta que llegó su hora – Columbian title

Vestens hårde hales – Danish title

Het gebeurde in het westen – Dutch title

Huuliharppukostaja – Finnish title

Harmonika - en hämnare – Finnish title

Il etait une fois dans l’Ouest – French title

Spiel mir das Lied vom Tod – German title

Kapote sti Dysi – Greek title

Volt egyszer egy vadnyugat – Hungarian title

C’era un a volta il west – Italian title

Uesutan – Japanese title

Erase una vez en el oeste – Mexican title

Ondt blod i Vesten – Norwegian title

Pewnego razu na Dzikim Zachodzie – Polish title

Aconteceu no Oeste – Portuguese title

Undeva, candva in Vest – Romanian title

Однажды на Диком Западе – Russian title

Hasta que llego su hora – Spanish title

Fins que li va arribar l'hora – Spanish title

Harmonica - En hämnare – Swedish title

Batida Kan Var – Turkish title

Bir Zamanlar Batida – Turkish title

Bilo jednom na divljem zapadu – Yugoslavian title

Play Me the Song of Death – English title

There Was Once the West – English title

Once Upon a Time in the West – English title

A 1968 Italian, U.S.A. co-production [Rafran Productions, San Marco Productions (Rome), Paramount (Hollywood)]

Producer: Fulvio Morsella

Director: Sergio Leone

Story: Dario Argento, Bernardo Bertolucci, Sergio Leone

Screenplay: Sergio Donati, Sergio Leone

English Dialogue: Mickey Knox (Abraham Knox)

Cinematography: Tonino Delli Colli (Antonio Delli Colli) [Technicolor, Techniscope]

Music: Ennio Morricone

Running time: 171 minutes

Cast:

Frank – Henry Fonda

Harmonica – Charles Bronson

Jill McBain – Claudia Cardinale

Manuel ‘Cheyenne’ Gutierrez – Jason Robards (Jason Robards, Jr.)

Mr. Morton – Gabriele Ferzetti (Pasquale Ferzetti)

Sam – Paolo Stoppa

Stony – Woody Strode (Woodrow Strode)

Snaky – Jack Elam (William Elam)

Knuckles – Al Mulock (Alfred Rogers)

Sheriff of Flagstone – Keenan Wynn (Francis Wynn)

Brett McBain – Frank Wolff (Frank Herman)

Maureen McBain – Simonetta Santaniello

Patrick McBain – Gaetano Santaniello

Timmy McBain – Enzo Santaniello

Wobbles – Marco Zuanelli

Barman – Lionel Stander

Flagstone Deputy sheriff – Luigi Ciavarro

Jim – John Frederick (Frederick Stiffler, Jr.)

Vecino – Conrado San Martin (Conrado Prieto)

Franks’ henchmen – Spartaco Conversi, Aldo Berti, Michael Harvey, Antonio Molino Rojo, Benito Stefanelli, Fabio Testi, Frank Braña (Francisco Pérez), Saturnino Cerra, Paolo Figlia

Cheyenne henchmen – Aldo Sambrell (Alfredo Brell), Salvo Basile (Salvatore Basile), Bruno Corazzari, Claudio Scarchilli

Harmonica’s brother – Claudio Mancini

Young Frank’s henchmen at arch – Don Galloway Enrico Morsella, Umberto Morsella

Cattle Crossing station master – Joseph Bradley

Indian squaw – Luana Strode (Luukialuana Kalaeloa)

Carpenter – Tulio Palmieri

1st auction bidder – Renato Pinciroli

Engineer – Ricardo Palacios

Railroad foreman – Bill Crawley (William Crawley)

Railroad worker – Robert Spafford

Girls at Flagstone station – Francesca Leone, Raffaella Leone

Posse member – John Landis

Women at McBain Funeral - Marilù Carteny, Sandra Salvatori
men at way station - Dino Zamboni, Federico Boido

With: Livio Andronico, Stefano Imparato, Frank Leslie, Luigi Magnani, Giovanni Ivan Scratuglia (Ivan Scratuglia), Alessandro Alessandroni, Robert Hossein

A trio of rough-and-tumble killers quietly awaits the arrival of a train at a dilapidated local station called Cattle Corner. The men, calmly standing in the noonday sun with the sweaty swagger and bloodthirsty eyes of desperados, One of the men's vain attempts to dissuade a fly from resting on his face, another collects water on his hat from under a dripping water tank while a third calmly cracks his knuckles while they wait for a train scheduled to arrive shortly. When the train finally arrives it seems the man they were sent to meet does not depart. As they three gunmen prepare to leave the twang of an eerie harmonica sounds and they turn to see a man on the opposite side of the departing train. When he asks, “And Frank?” They respond, “Frank sent us.” The man then replies, “Did you bring a horse for me?” One laughs and says, “We’re shy one horse”. The man states, “No you brought two too many.” With that hands flash down to holsters and gunfire erupts.

After disposing of Frank's goons at the station, Harmonica slowly finds himself drawn into a drama involving a feisty and jaw-dropping gorgeous widow, named Jill, of a slain local businessm and Cheyenne a scruffy outlaw, who's being framed for the murder of Mr. McBain and his three children. Frank has killed the McBains, but the motivation for their murder is slowly. Morton, the owner of a transcontinental railroad, dying of tuberculosis of the bones is pressing to reach the Pacific Ocean and won’t let anything or anyone get in his way.

Frank plants evidence to place the blame on the McBain massacre on Cheyenne’s men. Harmonica and Cheyenne join forces to help Jill settle her estate, save her ranch and McBains dream of a station on the railroad line. Harmonica also settles a long standing affair with Frank over the murder of his brother that has haunted him for many years. In the end Frank and Cheyenne die, Harmonic finds revenge and Jill starts a new life in a new west.

YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKQq8XKRNlI