New book release “Hombres a mano armada de Sergio Sollima”

 

“Hombres a mano armada de Sergio Sollima”

(Men at Arms: The World of Sergio Sollima)

Author: Adrian Esbilla

 

Country: Spain

Publisher: La Biblioteca de La Abadía

Language: Spanish

Pages: 160

Available: July 10, 2022

After a gestation that has taken much longer than expected, we are pleased to announce that in a few days the fourth volume of La Biblioteca de La Abadía will go on sale. This is Men at Arms. The world of Sergio Sollima . After dealing in previous releases with Hammer's vampire filmography beyond Dracula, the Spanish Euro-spy film production of the mid-sixties and horror films featuring wheels, this time we take a tour of the golden age of Mediterranean genre cinema through the trajectory of one of its most illustrious directors, the Roman Sergio Sollima (1921-2015). We also do it with the help of Adrián Esbilla, one of the best specialists in popular cinema in our country, author of the booksThe history of Australian cinema or West of the myth: 50 basic westerns , in addition to participating in numerous choral works and responsible for the essential website Esbilla Cinematográfico Popular .

Spaghetti Western Locations ~ “The Mercenary”

 We continue our search for film locations for “The Mercenary”. As Paco and his men sleep, Sergei rides off. Suddenly he’s shot down from his horse by one of Curly’s henchmen. Sebastian tries to kick him but the Polack trips him but the second henchman hits him in the back with his rifle. Curly throws a pair of dice at the Polack and tell him, “He wanted you to have these.” Curly asks about the silver. Then pulls out a knife and threatens him. Suddenly gunshots ring out and Curly and his two aides are shot down by Paco and his men. The henchmen are killed and Curly is striped down to only his shirt and sent walking. He tells Paco the next time they meet he'll kill him then throws down his shirt in front of Kowalsk and walks away while the Mexicans laugh.

Paco tells the Polack he wants the machine gun and to help him run a revolution. He offers Sergei half of the treasure they will acquire but Kowalski demands real money that he can feel and see. Paco takes up a collection from his men and gives it to the Polack. Sergei begins giving Paco instructions.

This scene was filmed in Ciudad Encantada de Cuenca, 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/

Special Birthdays

 Gino Pagnani (actor) would have been 95 today but died in 2010.

Wesley Snipes (actor) is 60 today.

Spaghetti Western Podcast

 

Join me at noon PST for Season 4, episode #8, #93 of the “Spaghetti Westerns Podcast. We’ll talk about “4 Bullets for Joe”. Whatever became of the great Diana Lorys. Who is Luis Induni. Our film of the week is “Bandidos” and we’ll have an autograph, book and CD of the week and we’ll wrap things up with The Weekly News. See you at High Noon.

Who Are Those Singers and Musicians ~ Pier Franco Colonna

 

Franco Rosario Castellani was born in Turin, Italy on May 31, 1945. His first stage appearances were as the singer of a group called ‘I Ragazzi del Sole’ (The Sun Boys). He had lived in London for a while and spoke very good English, He sang the blues better than anybody else in Italy and he was always quite a hit with the girls. He felt a bit hedged in and straight-jacketed within the group especially after inviting offers and proposals to go solo started falling into his lap. The record company director Alfredo Rossi along with the songwriter Franco Califano changed his name to Pierfranco Colonna because it sounded more classy for an elegant Italian bluesman especially because the surname of Colonna is well known in Italy for its noble origins. He recorded two records and the public started to notice him, especially after he overwhelmingly won the upcoming-new-talents contest of the very popular Sunday television program ‘Settevoci’ (Seven Voices) hosted by the famous Italian Television Master of Ceremonies Pippo Baudo. They began nicknaming him as the ‘Whiteman with a Black voice’ but that nickname was later tailored to fit another Italian singer with the same tone of voice named Fausto Leali.

In his shows, along with his own songs, he would only do songs of Otis Redding and Georgie Fame with his own group of musicians roped in from other well-known band. In May of 1968 Pierfranco Colonna and his group were the backup attraction in the Rome concerts of Jimi Hendrix. The singer from Turin seemed just one step from great fame and success. Just three months later, on the Adriatic Romagnolo Coast, at the Bobo Club of Misano Mare the first downfall: He never made it to the stage, he was brought down by of an explosive mixture of drugs and alcohol. From then onwards it was a sad endless downwards trail: a few bad records, few and far between public gigs, many hospitals, drug abuse and incarceration in Italy, more drugs and prison in South America, and everywhere else more drugs and hospitals.

In the middle 1990’s he returned to Italy and he managed to break the drugs and booze habit and he tried a comeback to the world of stage and music. In 1999 he made an album called ‘Percorsi’ (Trails). His undying art was still intact and deeply rooted within, but his body was exhausted and his voice worn out. One significantly suggestive title in his album ‘Percorsi’ was, Maledetto Amore (Dammed Accursed Love) that seems to sound like a last verse in a diary: “My soul is a Company that is going broke, I have sold too many shares, I have had too many trials and tribulations, it’s me who is wrong, I say sorry God but I can’t take any more, I want to go away, to rest a little, damned accursed love, dam my… I don’t know what”.

On the 17th of June 1997 the Rai 2 aired the News Health program ‘Tg2 Salute’ by Michele Bovi, dedicated to Pierfranco Colonna and the existential pathological ups and downs of his life

Pier Franco Colonna died from a tumor in Turin on July 9, 2001. He was 56 years-old.

 

COLONNA, Pier Franco (Franco Rosario Castellani) [5/31/1945, Turin, Piedmont, Italy -

7/9/2001, Turin, Piedmont, Italy (tumor)] – singer, formed the bands ‘I Ragazzi del Sole’, ‘Boa Boa’

Unca Dunca (TV) – 1961-1970 [Sings: “Unca Dunca”, “Anche Lei Lo Sa”]

Special Birthdays

 Javier Botet (actor) is 45 today.

RIP Burt Metcalfe

 

Canadian born producer and actor Burt Metcalfe died in Los Angeles, California on July 27, 2022. He was 87. Born Burton Dennis Metcalfe on March 19, 1935, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Before he gave up full-time acting to work on the other side of the camera, Metcalfe played the surfer Lord Byron opposite Sandra Dee and James Darren in “Gidget” (1959), and appeared on the first season of ‘The Twilight Zone’ and starred on the 1961-62 CBS sitcom ‘Father of the Bride’. Metcalfe was a producer on all but five of M*A*S*H‘s 256 episodes from 1972-83 and its showrunner for its last six seasons. He also directed 31 installments of the acclaimed CBS comedy, wrote three and acted in one collecting 13 Emmy nominations along the way. Metcalfe appeared as Constable Springer in his only Euro-western the British-U.S.A. co-produced “The Canadians in 1961 with Robert Ryan, Torin Thatcher and John Dehner.

Spaghetti Western Trivia “God’s Gun” and Lee Van Cleef

 

Recently I read an interview with Gianfranco Parolini aka Frank Kramer and he discussed Lee Van Cleef and “God’s Gun” (1976). He said that they were in the middle of filming in the Sinai desert when a skirmish between Israel and the Palestinians broke out. This was a Gola Globus production and Menahem Golan basically deserted the project leaving him without a penny and above all water. Several of the actors took this as their cue to leave and among them was Lee Van Cleef. Parolini talked him into staying for one more day and they shot over 50 closeups of Lee. Then a double was used and filmed from behind and the closeups of Lee were edited in. This would also explain why most of the main actors including Lee and Richard Boone did not do their own dubbing as they had left the country.

Terence Hill Says He Usually Hates Going To Awards Ceremonies During This Lifetime Achievement Awards

 

The “La Pellicola d’Oro” (Golden Film) awards ceremony took place for the sixth time at the Teatro Ghione in Rome. At this film award, the focus is not on the actors or the director but on the crew behind the scenes, such as producers, cinematographers, architects, makeup artists and make-up artists. or sound engineer. After that, the cast members will award the best actor award. A special honor was given to Terence Hill at the awards ceremony, who received the award for work of a lifetime.

In his acceptance speech, he said that he usually hates going to awards ceremonies, but in this case, it was a special honor because the awards were presented by the members. After accepting the award himself, he was honored to present another lifetime achievement award to brothers Amedeo and Umberto Leurini, whose transportation company has been in the motion picture business since the 1930s.

Terence Hill was once again honored for his lifelong work in Italy. He was honored by the non-profit association “Moige”. The word stands for “Movimento Italiano Genitori”, which roughly translates to “Parents’ Movement in Italy”. Year after year, the association evaluates series, shows, as well as web and streaming content to see how appropriate they are for children and teens, and publishes ratings. this category in TV and web guides.

Now the club has decided to reward Terence Hill “for his solid acting qualities and for the correspondence between the characters he plays and the person he is. His performance is, well, worth it. reliable and watchable. He’s always been a source of reflection for family audiences of all ages.”

Terence thanked him for the award and told of a meeting long ago with a young mother and her two children, who had recently seen “The Devil’s Right and Left Arm” in the cinema. . film. At that time, she asked Terence to continue making such films so that she could watch them with peace of mind. He’s stuck on that. Terence concluded by saying that he misses Italy and will be back soon.

Special Birthdays

 Jerry Hopper (director) would have been 115 today but died in 1988.

Carl Rapp (actor) would have been 105 today but died in 2006.

RIP Tom Deininger

 

Tom Deininger was a German voice actor who died on July 22, 2022. Born in Munich, Germany on September 29, 1950. Deininger was one of the first moderators at the first private Berlin radio station Hundert, 6. He was the "story bear" at Radio Teddy and an actor at the Berlin Tribune and at the Komödie am Kurfürstendamm. Deininger dubbed several Spaghetti westerns including: “Die for a Dollar in Tucson” – 1964 [German voice of Danilo Turk 1997]; ‘Lucky Luke’ (TV) – 1984 [German voice of Pedro Cucaracha]; “They Call Me Renegade” – 1987 [German voice of Ron Althoff]; ‘The New Zorro’ (TV) – 1990-1993 [German voice of Fish]; “Arizona Road” – 1991 [German voice of Franco Diogene]; “Posse” – 1993 [German voice of James Bigwood] and ‘Lucky Luke’ (TV) 2001-2003 [German voice of barkeeper].

RIP Mario Bianchi

 

Italian director, assistant director and writer died in Italy on July 27, 2022. He was 83. Born in Rome on January 7, 1939, the son of director, writer, actor Roberto Bianchi Montero [1907-1986]. Mario directed over 100 films from 1971 to 2001. He was also a screenwriter and assistant director on 21 films. He often used aliases such as Frank Bronston, Renzo Spaziani and Nicholas Moore He directed five Spaghetti westerns including: “In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Colt” – 1971 [as Frank Bronston]; “Kill the Poker Player” – 1972 [as Frank Bronston] where he was also the screenwriter; “Fast-Hand is Still My Name” – 1973 [as Frank Bronston];“For a Book of Dollars” - 1973 [as Renzo Spaziani] and “Zorro” 1996 [as Nicholas Moore] and writer. He was an assistant director on “Black Tigress” – 1967; “Hate Thy Neighbor” and “Vendetta at Dawn” 1968; “Quinto, Fighting Proud” – 1969 and” Shango” – 1970. He spent the majority of the 1990s directing pornography in Italy under the names Nicholas Moore, Tony Yanker and Martin White.

Ethan Hawke and “Strange Way of Life”

 Ethan Hawke signed for Pedro Almodóvar’s Queer Western: ‘Giddy Up’

 

Almodóvar's "Strange Way of Life" stars Hawke and Pedro Pascal as two cowboys with an "intimate" relationship.

 

Indie Wire

By Samantha Bergeson

July 6, 2022

 

Ethan Hawke is getting back on the horse for a Western period piece.

After leading historical drama series “The Good Lord Bird,” Hawke is saddling up to play a cowboy once more, this time for Pedro Almodóvar’s “answer to ‘Brokeback Mountain,'” co-starring Pedro Pascal as Hawke’s love interest in “Strange Way of Life.”

Hawke shared a photo from pre-production atop a horse alongside director Almodóvar. “Giddy up,” Hawke captioned.

The 30-minute short movie starts filming in late August, taking place in Spain’s Almería desert region where Sergio Leone famously filmed Spaghetti Western “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.”

Hawke stars as Jake, a local sheriff who is tasked with capturing gunslinger Silva, played by Pascal. The duo haven’t seen each other in 25 years “so one of them travels through the desert to find the other,” Almodóvar exclusively told IndieWire’s Eric Kohn. “There will be a showdown between them, but really the story is very intimate.”

While Almodóvar stayed mum on the romantic nature of the period piece, the “Parallel Mothers” auteur teased that “masculinity is one of the subjects” challenged by the film. Almodóvar was originally in talks to helm 2004’s “Brokeback Mountain” starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger; Ang Lee ultimately directed the Oscar winner.

“I think Ang Lee made a wonderful movie, but I never believed that they would give me complete freedom and independence to make what I wanted,” Almodóvar told IndieWire. “Nobody told me that — they said, ‘You can do whatever you want,’ but I knew that there was a limitation.”

Hawke and Pascal have held rehearsals over Zoom, which Almodóvar admitted was an “awful way” to work before being in-person. Now, at least Hawke has landed in Spain for horse training.

Hawke previously starred in Western-centric films “The Kid,” “The Magnificent Seven,” and “In the Valley of Violence.”

“The history of genre movies is such that there’s the Hollywood Western, and that’s one thing, but there’s also the low-budget Western,” Hawke explained to NYLON in 2016. “I said, ‘Let’s bring back the Spaghetti Western!’ For me, to get to be in a movie like ‘The Magnificent Seven’, a movie that plays in all the malls across America, where I get to be a dramatic actor, where I don’t have to wear a cape, I get to be a human being — that for me is very rewarding.”

Voices of the Spaghetti Western ~ “Duck You Sucker”

 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 these actors are as well-known as the actors they voiced.

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 these actors are as well-known as the actors they voiced.

Today we’ll cover – “Duck You Sucker”

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

Juan Miranda – Rod Steiger (E) Rod Steiger, (I) Carlo Romano, (S) Joaquín Díaz, (G) Martin Hirthe, (F) André Valmy

Sean H. Mallory James Coburn (E) James Coburn, (I) Giuseppe Rinaldi, (S) José Luis Sansalvador (G) Horst Neindorf, (F) Jean-Pierre Duclos

Dr. Villega – Romolo Valli (E) ?, (I) Romolo Valli, (S) Felipe Peña, (G) Herbert Weicker, (F) Yves Brainville

Horst Neindorf  (1926 – 1999)

Horst Hermann Heinrich Niendorf was a German actor, dubbing speaker, voice actor and director. He was born on June 28, 1926, in Piesteritz, Germany. He appeared in more than ninety films from 1951 to 1996. and died on June 17, 1999, in Xàbia, Spain.

Special Birthdays

 Felipe Cazal (actor) is 85 today.

Spaghetti Western Location ~ Law of Violence

 The town site used in the 1969 film “The Law of Violence is completely gone.

The same location as seen in 2007.

Who Are Those Guys? ~ Radmilo Ćurčić -Cure

 

Radmilo Ćurčić-Cure was born in Krusevac, Serbia, Yugoslavia on June 25, 1930. Little is known about him other than he was a Serbian film, TV actor who made 40 appearances beginning in 1956 and ending in 1987. He appeared in only one Euro-western: 1967’s “The Golden Sling” as Lucky. Radmilo died in Belgrade in 1993.

CURCIC-CURE, Radmilo (aka R. Curcic, Radmilo Curcic-Cure) [6/25/1930, Krusevac, Serbia, Yugoslavia – 1993, Belgrade, Serbia, Yugoslavia] – film, TV actor.

The Golden Sling – 1967 (Lucky)

Special Birthdays

 Bourvil (actor) would have been 105 today but died in 1970.

Adolfo Celi (actor) would have been 100 today but died in 1986.

Dinny Powell (stuntman) is 90 today.

Lillian Bray (actress) is 75 today.

New Blu-ray DVD release “That Dirty Black Bag: Season 1”

 

“That Dirty Black Bag: Season 1”

Directors: Various

Starring:  Douglas Booth, Dominic Cooper, Niv Sultan, Guido Caprino

 

Country: U.S.A.

Label: Amc

Discs: 2

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Language: English DTS-HD MA 5.1

Subtitles: English

Extras: None

Running time: 6 hours, 24 minutes

ASIN: B09ZCYPDCW

Available: July 26, 2022

50th anniversary of “Two Sons of Trinity”

 

Today marks the 50^th anniversary of the premier of “Two Sons of Trinity” directed by Osvaldo Civirani and starring the comedy duo Franco Franchi and Ciccio Ingrassia. The story tells of the sons of Trinity, Franco and Ciccio open up a service station for horses, carriages and drifting cowboys. The efficiency of the operation attracts a good clientele: Jack Gordon, Sartana, Ringo and Django. Requiem, has robbed a train and is stopped by Calamity Jane aunt of the two owners, and handed over to the sheriff. Jane then gives to Franco and Ciccio part of a map to a treasure, which she has received, sending them off to find the treasure. With the help of Lola, the cheater "4 Aces" manages to steal the map and arrives before the cousins at the location of the treasure. Back at the station, the two are joined by band Ching Chung Champer: once again, thanks to the intervention of a group of monks, who previously helped Franco and Ciccio. All works out in the end for the sons of Trinity when they are given money from an inheritance which they us to expand and modernize their service station, which becomes the center for visitors, customers and caravans

I due figli dei Trinità – Italian title

1 2 figli dei Trinita – Italian title
Les deux fils de Trinita – French title
Die Söhne der Dreieinigkeit – German title
Verflixt Halleluja – German title
Zwei Trottel im wilden Western – German title
Ta paidia tou Trinita – Greek title
Trinita'nin çokuclari - Turkish title
Two Sons of Trinity – English title
 
A 1971 Italian film production [Production International (Rome)]
Producer: Osvaldo Civirani, Graziano Fabiani
Director: Glenn Eastman/Richard Kean (Osvaldo Civirani)
Story: Richard Kean (Osvaldo Civirani)
Screenplay: Richard Kean (Osvaldo Civirani)
Cinematography: Walter Civirani [Eastmancolor, CinemaScope]
Music: Sante Maria Romitelli
Running time: 94 minutes

Cast:
Franco Trinita – Franco Franchi (Francesco Benenato)
Ciccio Trinita – Ciccio Ingrassia (Francesco Ingrassia)
Calamity Jane – Anna Degli Uberti
Lola – Lucretia Love (Lucrezia Love)
Alex Armstrong – Franco Ressel (Domenico Orobana)
Ching Chung Champer/Chun Chin Champa/ – Angelo Susani
Father Superior – Freddy Hunger (Goffredo Unger)
Jack Gordon – Fortunato Arena
Requiem – Pasquale Basil
Sheriff – Andrew Scott (Andrea Scotti)
Roger – Fulvio Pellegrino
Edgar – Gianni Pulone (Giovanni Pulone)
Ringo – Bruno Arié
Sabata – Claudio Ruffini
Sartana – Pietro Torrisi
Bandit – Remo Capitani
King Kong – Salvatore Baccaro
Cowboy – Bruno Ukmar
Chan henchmen – Osiride Pevarello, Clemente Ukmar
Requiem henchman – Tony Casale (Antonio Casale)
Padre Superior – Freddy Hunger (Goffredo Unger)
Monks – L. Antonio Guerra (Luigi Antonio Guerra), Gilberto Galimberti, Artemio Antonini, Sergio Ukmar, Roberto Dell’Acqua, Domenico CianfrigliaWith: Riccardo Petrazzi, Antonio Basile, Gigi Bonos, Enrico Chiappafreddo, Giovanni Ukmar, Franco Moruzzi

Special Birthdays

 Philippe Hersent (actor) would have been 110 today but died in 1982.

Renato Terra (actor) would have been 100 today but died in 2010.

Jason Robards (actor) would have been 100 today but died in 2000.

Carlos Lucas (actor) would have been 90 today but died in 2004.

Hannelore Elsner (actress) would have been 80 today but died in 2019.

RIP Paul Sorvino

 

American film and TV actor Paul Sorvino died at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida on July 25, 2022. He was 83. Born Paul Anthony Sorvino in Brooklyn, New York, he is the father of actors Mira Sorvino and Michael Sorvino, was best known for his role in “Goodfellas”, in which he played Paulie Cicero, and his role as NYPD Sergeant Phil Cerreta on the television series ‘Law & Order’. Sorvino appeared with Terence Hill in the 2008 made for TV Spaghetti westerns; “Doc West” and “Triggerman” as Sheriff Roy Basehart.

RIP Carla Cassola

 

RIP Carla Cassola. Theater, film, TV, singer and voice actress Carla Cassola died in Rome on July 24, 2022. She was 74. Cassola was very active in the Italian theater and worked in films with such directors as Tinto Brass, Liliana Cavani, Antonio Rezza and Lucio Fulci. Born on December 14, 1947 in Taormina, Sicily, Italy, she won a Silver Ribbon for her dubbing of Tilda Swinton in the film “Orlando” in 1993. She leaves a son Giulio Pampiglione born in 1978. Carla appeared in two Spaghetti westerns: “Death Rides a Horse” (1968) as Betsy and “The Genius” (1975) with Terence Hill where she played a prostitute.

Who Said That? ~ Ray Owens

 

Clifford Raymond Owens was born in Wisconsin on February 2, 1923. He was an actor and writer, known for “The Doctors” (1963). He worked as a regular voice actor for Fred Ladd, doing such projects as “Gigantor”, “Astro Boy”, “Kimba”, and “The White Lion”, “Superbook” and “The Flying House”. He was also billed as Cliff Owens He was married to Sonia Owens until his death. He died on December 16, 1994, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA. Ray died in Virginia Beach, Virginia on December 16, 1994. He was 71.

OWENS, Ray (Clifford Raymond Owens) [2/2/1923, Wisconsin, U.S.A. – 12/16/1994, Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.A.] – film, TV, radio, voice actor, married to writer, actress Sonia Owens [1925-19??].

 

Ray Owens Euro-western dubbing:

For a Few Dollars More – 1965 [English voice of Mario Brega and Benito Stefanelli]

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – 1966 [English voice of Mario Brega and Pardue]

 

Submitted by Mike Ferguson

European western Comic Books – Albi dell’Intrepidezza

 

Albi of Intrepidity

This comic book collection totaled 232 issues when it was released from 1946-1955. It contains stories on various characters such as Franca by Carlo Cossio, Miriam Peverelli, Leo Veri and Vittorio Cossio, Mirko by Carlo Cossio, Leo Veri and Lupen and V. Cossio; Dix and Tornado Roy by Pini Segna; Kocis, the Lonely Knight,; Nik, the Little Policeman and The Knight of the North by Antonio Chiomenti and Vincenzo Chiomenti; Albo Tris, with Mowgli by Roberto Renzi and Augusto Pedrazza and Panther Blak by Antonio Chiomenti and V. Chiomenti.

Special Birthdays

 Todd Armstrong (actor) would have been 85 today but died in 1992.

Alexis Maah (actor) is 30 today.

Spaghetti Western Location ~ “The Texican”

 In 1966’s “The Texican” starring Audie Murphy and Broderick Crawford. Jess Carlin (Murphy) crosses the Mexican border back into the U.S.A. where he’s a wanted man to find the killer of his brother. On the way he stops at a cantina which was an old adobe building located in Fraga, Spain. The building was probably abandoned then and is still vacant today.

The same location as seen in 2006.

Who Are Those Singers & Musicians ~ Ann Collin

 

Ann Reid was born in Buffalo, New York on February 9, 1943. Ann graduated from Immaculate Academy in Hamburg, New York in 1960. She then married intelligence officer and future author Richard Oliver Collin in 1962 and transferred to Boston University where she graduated with a BA in music. The Collins moved to Washington D.C. where she began a career in music and theater. She appeared in “Funny Girl” with Carol Lawrence. There she met Robert Flack and they collaborated on a few songs.

Ann gave birth to her son Oliver in 1963 and the family moved to Rome. Ann became on of the lead singers in the Rai production of “Hair” playing Sheila and singing “Good Morning Star Shine”. Collin appeared in some films as she worked at the Dino De Laurentis Studio with actors such as Rod Steiger, Christopher Plummer and Orson Welles. Since Spaghetti westerns were popular at the time and she had a role in “It Can Be Done…Amigo!” in 1972 with Jack Palance and Bud Spencer. Her musical career continued to develop with singing and composing jobs in Saudi Arabia and Poland.

She returned to the United States and pursued a teaching career, first at Millikan University in Decatur, Illinois and in 1996 at Genesee Community College. She loved teaching and was rewarded for her devotion with the Chancellors Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activity in 2004. She retired in 2013 while continuing to compose the rest of her life.

One of the great voices of the Spaghetti western was silenced on October 20, 2016, when Ann died of leukemia.

COLLIN, Ann (aka Ann Reid Collin) (Ann Reid) [2/9/1943, Buffalo, New York, U.S.A. –10/20/2016, Buffalo, New York, U.S.A. (leukemia)] composer, songwriter, singer, musician (keyboards), actress, married to intelligence officer, author Richard Oliver Collin [1940-    ] (1962-19??) mother of engineer Oliver Richard Collin [1963-    ].

Ringo and His Golden Pistol – 1966 [sings: "Band of Gold"]

Django Kill... If You Live, Shoot! – 1967 [sings: “My Town”]

Shoot the Living and Pray for the Dead* – 1971 [sings: “That Man”, “I’m Not Your

     Pony”]

His Name Was King* – 1971 [sings: “His Name Was King”]

Requiem for a Bounty Hunter – 1971 [sings: “A Man is Made of Love”]

Deaf Smith & Johnny Ears* – 1972 [sings: “The Ballad of Deaf and Ears”, “Even if

     You’re Not the First One”]

Fast-Hand is Still My Name – 1973 [sings: “That Man”]

Special Birthdays

 Claudio Ermelli (actor) would have been 130 today but died in 1964.

Enzo Petito (actor) would have been 130 today but died in 1967.

Robert Farnon (composer) would have been 105 today but died in 2005.

X Brands (actor, stuntman) would have been 95 today but died in 2000.

Jason Pai Piao (actor) is 95 today.