Spaghetti Western Trivia ~ “Duck You Sucker” relics

 Our friend Tom Marinus finds in 2022 with detector bullet shells in the two positions where the Western machine guns were located "Gi ctor la testa" (Get down, bastard! ). EXCELLENT FIND!!

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Javier Arnal

 [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.]

Javier Arnal is another member of the new group of Spanish western filmmakers. He was born in Calamocha, Teruel, Spain on July 10, 1965. The brother of author Pepe Arnal he’s a composer and musician who has played in such musical groups as Chatarreros De Sangre Y Cielo, the Javier Corcobado backing band and for Vera Acacio. His recordings can be found on Spotify.

Javier also has also been a character actor in some more recent western films and shorts filmed in Almeria. 

ARNAL, Javier [7/10/1965, Calamocha, Teruel, Spain -     ] – composer, musician (guitar),film actor, brother of author Pepe Arnal [1945-2023], member of Chatarreros De Sangre Y Cielo, the Javier Corcobado backing band, playing with Vera Acacio.

6 Bullets to Hell – 2013 (bank clerk)

Resurecction - 2015

Price of Death – 2017 (barber)

For A Pitiful Shot – 2022 [composer]

 

New Japanese Blu-ray, DVD “いとこのためのジャンゴ”

 

いとこのためのジャンゴ

(Django Shoots First)

(1966)

 

Director: Alberto De Martino

Starring: Glenn Saxson, Fernando Sancho, Evelyn Stewart, Nando Gazzolo

 

Country: Japan

Label: Eizō bunka-sha / ORUSTAK SOFT

Bulu-ray / DVD combo and DVD

Region A

Aspect ratio: 16:0 (4k remastered)

Languages: DTS-HDMA 2.0 Italian

Subtitles: Japanese

Running time: 96 minutes

Release date: May 30, 2023

Mark’s Vinyl Corner – ‘The English’

 

The English

Composer: Federico Jusid

(2022)

 

Director: Hugo Blick

Starring: Emily Blunt, Chaske Spencer

 

Country:

Label: Silva Screen Records

2 LP vinyl

#SILED1707

Tracks: 18

 

Track Listing:

1 Opening Credits

2 Tâtaciksta - I Cherish You (feat. Emily Blunt)

3 A Chase Is On

4 Cornelia and Eli

5 Cheyenne Tree Burial

6 Coming For Eli Whipp

7 Crumbling Is Not An Instant’s Act

8 That's My Cattle!

9 And Yet Here We Are

10 Nothing Worth Dying For

11 Powder River

12 "Soon" Has Come (feat. Chaske Spencer)

13 Dvorák: String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96, B. 179, "American": II. Lento (Moyzes Quartet)

14 Long Time TravellerThe Wailin' Jennys

15 Some Say (I Got Devil) (Melanie)

16 American Tune (Crooked Still)

17 Katie Cruel (Ora Cogan)

18 You Cut Her Hair (Tom McRae)

 

Composer Federico Jusid gives more than a nod of homage and recognition to Hollywood westerns scores from the 1950’s and 1960’s in his atmospheric and rich sounding score for The English.  He also weaves elements and sounds that we normally associate with the Euro western or The Spaghetti western, employing harmonica to great effect in the opening track or main title theme which opens each episode. The instrumentation and sound realised here straight away takes us to the style that was employed by Ennio Morricone in many of his western scores. Jusid adds to this choral support, percussive elements, and electric guitar, with the occasional wah wah and whistling effect being brought into the equation.

Free Comic book signing

 

July 1, 2023

A FREE event dedicated to the duo

We’re waiting for you for the presentation of:

'The Beans Though... They’re Nasty'

 

A ComicBook.

A journey.

In the Western Cinema Universe.

Of Terence Hill at Bud Spencer.

Many more .... like Sandra Zingarelli, Eugenio Alabiso and Paolo Fondato who will be present at the signing.

In collaboration with Alberto Baldisserotto

 

Where?

The Holiday Garden

In San Marino at 5:30 pm

 

Presenting Mirco Zani of Radio San Marino RTV

Call for reservations:

338 41.49.238

 

The event will be accompanied by the Traveling Bean Western ' Exhibition... They called them Trinity and Bambino

 

An exhibit from the officially recognized comic book prequel to 'They Called Him Trinity... '.

A selection of 70 works will be visible on Saturday and Sunday, at Galleria Caffè.

 

We'll be waiting for you,

Saddle up your horses to unbound to new prairies to discover!

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Vic Armstrong

 [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.]

Victor ‘Vic’ Monroe Armstrong was born in Farnham Common, Buckinghamshire, England on October 5, 1946. His father was head farrier to the British Olympic equestrian team and a racehorse trainer and Vic wanted to become a steeple race jockey, but his 6-foot height prevented that. He started racing horses at 14. One day in 1966 stuntman Jimmy Lodge came to the stable and Vic loaned him a horse for a film they were making called “Arabesque”. Lodge told Vic they needed someone to ride it. Vic volunteered and fell in love with filmmaking that very day. He loved playing ‘Cowboys & Indians’ as a child and now was his chance to get paid for doing it.

He became a BAFTA winning British film director, stunt coordinator, second unit director, actor and stunt double - the world's most prolific according to the Guinness Book of Records. He doubled Harrison Ford in the first 3 Indiana Jones films, Timothy Dalton for “Flash Gordon”, George Lazenby for the Swiss Alps skiing scenes in the Bond film “On Her Majesty's Secret Service” and Christopher Reeve in “Superman” and “Superman II”.

In 1993, Armstrong's made his directorial debut with action film “Joshua Tree” (a.k.a. “Army of One”), starring Dolph Lundgren, George Segal, Kristian Alfonso and Ken Foree.

He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 2003 when he was surprised by Michael Aspel at Pinewood Studios.

In 2012, Armstrong was Second Unit Director for “The Amazing Spider-Man”. In 2013, he signed on to direct “Left Behind”, a remake of the series that got released in 2014. His next directorial effort was the true story “A Sunday Horse”. He also worked on the 2022 Amazon Prime Video series ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ as second unit director and action director.

Vic’s received several awards for his work including in 2001, he received a Technical Achievement Academy Award for "the Fan Descender for accurately and safely arresting the descent of stunt persons in high freefalls". In 2002, he received the BAFTA Michael Balcon Award.

ARMSTRONG, Vic (aka Munro Armstrong, Victor Armstrong, Victor M. Armstrong) (Victor Monroe Armstrong) [10/5/1946, Farnham Common, Buckinghamshire, England, U.K. -     ] – director, assistant director, stunt coordinator, stuntman, SFX, film, TV actor, brother of producer, production manager, director, assistant director, writer, stuntman, actor Andy Armstrong [1953-    ], married to stuntwoman, actress Wendy Leech [1949-    ] (19??-    ) father of stuntwoman, actress Nina Armstrong [1980-    ], stuntman, SFX Bruce Armstrong, stuntman, SFX Scott Armstrong, stuntwoman, actress Georgina Armstrong, uncle of stuntman James Armstrong and film maker Jesse V Johnson[ awarded BAFTA Michael Balcon Award (for Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding British Contributions to Cinema) [2002], World Stunt Award (Lifetime Achievement Award), Hollywood Stuntman's Hall of Fame.

Billy Two Hats – 1973 (Harry Sweets Bradley) [stunts, horse master]

 

New German/Japanese Blu-ray, DVDs releases “Django - Nur der Colt war sein Freund”, “Gatling Gun”

 

“Django - Nur der Colt war sein Freund”

(Django Shoots First)

(1966)

 

Director: Alberto De Martino

Starring: Glenn Saxson, Fernando Sancho, Nando Gazzolo, Evelyn Stewart

 

Country: Germany

Label: Plaion Pictures

Discs: 2

Blu-ray, DVD combo

Region B

"Western All'Arrabbiata" series #6

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Resolution 1080p from a new 4K transfer of the negative

Languages PCM 2.0 German, English, Italian

Subtitltes: German

Running time 96 minutes

Extras: Featurette “Erikas Saloon” with Erika Blank (ca. 16 min); Featurette “Evelyn im Westen” with Ida Galli (ca. 23 min); gallery; booklet with texts by Marco Koch and Lars Johansen; poster

Released: June 29, 2023

“脱獄の用心棒”

(Gatling Gun)

(1968)

 

Director: Paolo Bianchini

Starring: Robert Woods, John Ireland

 

Country: Japan

Label: Eizō bunka-sha / ORUSTAKSOFT

Released on DVD, and Blu-Ray/DVD combo

Aspect ratio: 1.78:1

Language: Italian

Subtitles: Japanese

Running time: 104 minutes

Extras: TBA

Released June 29, 2023

Voices of the Spaghetti Western – “A Fistful of Knuckles”

 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 “A Fistful of Knuckles”

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

Franco – Franco Franchi (I) Franco Franchi, (S) José Martínez Blanco

Ciccio – Ciccio Ingrassia (I) Ciccio Ingrassia, (S) José María Cordero

Consuelo – Lina Rosales (I) Rosetta Calavetta, (S) Lina Rosales

Ramon Cocos - Francisco Moran (I) Nando Gozzalo, (S) Francisco Moran

Capitan Hernandez - Jesús Puente (I) Carlo Romano, (S) Jesús Puente

Undertaker - Jesús Tordesillas (I) Lauro Gazzolo, (S) Jesús Tordesillas

Marisol – Carmen Esbri (I) Rita Savagnone, (S) Maite Santamarina

Rosetta Calavetta  (1914 – 1993)

Born in Palermo, Calavetta, Italy on August 27, 1914, she made her breakthrough role as a teenager in the 1930 film “Before the Jury” in which she had a small role. She performed on screen several times from then until 1940. She also did her share of acting for the EIAR from 1937 to 1938.

Calavetta also possessed a popular reputation as a voice dubber. She was the official Italian voice of Lana Turner, Marilyn Monroe and Doris Day. Other actresses she dubbed included Lois Maxwell, Eleanor Parker, Susan Hayward, Dorothy Lamour, Ava Gardner, Veronica Lake, Kim Novak, Deanna Durbin, Glynis Johns, Jean Arthur, Shirley MacLaine, Angela Lansbury, Janet Leigh, June Allyson, Lucille Ball, Zsa Zsa Gábor and Ann Sheridan. She also dubbed Italian actresses which include Gina Lollobrigida, Antonella Lualdi, María Mercader, Silvana Pampanini and Milly Vitale.

In Calavetta's Italian dubbed animated roles, she provided the speaking voice of Snow White in “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” as well as Cruella de Vil in “One Hundred and One Dalmatians” and Darling in “Lady and the Tramp”.

Calavetta died on February 3, 1993, in Rome at the age of 78.

RIP Paul de Senneville

 

Paul de Senneville died in France on June 23, 2023. He was born in Paris on July 30 1933, and began his career as a journalist and correspondent for the French newspaper France Soir. He later became the producer of a television program. The biggest passion of his life was music. After writing his first song in 1962, he wrote music for songs for many movies produced by French companies such as Galaxie Universe and Daber Film. In 1976, Paul and Olivier Toussaint built their own record company, Delphine Deschodt, named after Paul's first daughter. Delphine Productions is a leading exporter of French music and is the only specialist in instrumental music. Paul also had a love of horses and found a breeding farm called Mauzan. de Senneville worked on three Euro-westerns as screenwriter on the 1964 French TV series “The Indians” and as a composer on 1974’s “Convoy of Women” and “Lucky Lucky and the Daltons”.

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Dick Armstrong

 [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.]

Richard ‘Dick’ Armstrong was an American character actor. Supposedly born in 1921 he appeared in a dozen or so films and television series between 1974 and 1988. Among thos films were two Euro-westerns: “Another Man, Another Chance” in1977 starring James Caan and Geneviève Bujold, as the wagon train preacher and as a bar patron in 1987’s “They Call Me Renegade” starring Terence Hill – 1987.

It's extremely difficult to find information on character actors with such common names.

ARMSTRONG, Dick (Richard Armstrong) [1921, U.S.A. -     ] – stuntman, film, TV actor.

Another Man, Another Chance – 1977 (wagon train preacher)

They Call Me Renegade – 1987 (bar patron)

Torrejón City film review

 La Abadia de Berzano

By Santiago Aguilar

June 20, 2023

Synopsis: Tom the Good and Tom the Bad, whose physical features are identical, are in Torrejón City, a town in the far West.

Original title: Torrejón City

Year: 1962 (Spain)

Director: León Klimovsky General Production Manager: Esther Cruz

Screenwriters: Rafael J. Salvia, Manuel Tamayo, Ramón Barreiro, Antonio de Lara "Tono", José Antonio Verdugo Torres, León Klimovsky

Photography: Manuel Hernández Sanjuán

Music: Gregorio García Segura

Cast: Tony Leblanc (Tom Rodriguez, the Good / Tim Rod, the Bad), May Heatherly (Ruth), Antonio Garisa (Uncle Sam), Beni Deus (Doug), Venancio Muro (the prosecutor), Francisco Morán (Mac, the owner of the saloon), Mara Lasso (Peggy), Mary Begoña (a girl from the saloon), Xan das Bolas (Hawkeye), Luis Sánchez Polack "Tip" (the undertaker), Esther Cruz "Himilce" (another girl from the saloon), José Canalejas (a Mexican), Simón Arriaga (Vulture), Antonio Moreno (Sheriff Morris), Antonio Peral, José Luis Zalde, José Luis Heredia, Luis Alonso, Agustín Bescos, María Álvarez, Enrique Núñez, Víctor Iregua...

At the beginning of the sixties, sandwiched between the classic aftertaste westerns shot in Spain by Michael Carreras or Joaquín Luis Romero Marchent and the emergence of spaghetti-western, we find the handcrafted pieces of the genre invoiced by Ricardo Blasco, Ramón Torrado, José María Elorrieta or León Klimovsky. They are, for the most part, films of Indians and cowboys that transfer to the screen the topics of the novels that José Mallorquí and Marcial Lafuente Estefanía kiosk —saving the distances— and supply the product to the growing number of theaters with programs in continuous session that cover the leisure offer in new and old neighborhoods of the cities of developmental Spain.

Klimovsky, who has developed his career in Spain during the fifties based on comedies with some estimable incursion into the field of intrigue, will make between 1962 and 1964 two westerns for the producers of Emilio Lárraga and Esther Cruz: Tyrys Films and the Carthago Film Cooperative. The Argentine filmmaker did not have them all with him. The mythology of the frontier was totally alien to him. So the first of them, Torrejón City (1962), points directly to parody, and the second, Fuera de la ley (1964), aims to transcend the legend of Billy the Child:

I think the solution I found, Klimovsky explained years later, was to give depth to the film, that is, to forget the myth for children, the western for big children, and make a deep film that referred not only to the American western, but that could also happen among the blacks of Africa. And I think that, in this sense, I succeeded. That is, universalizing the subject, the problem. I think it was a good action movie[1].

We cannot agree. If something has gone down in history Outside the law is because it served as an excuse for the construction of the West town Lega-Michelena in the Dehesa de Navalvillar, in the municipality of Colmenar Viejo[2]. The clichés accumulate: ranchers who put barbed wire to protect their lands, villains who murder in cold blood whoever is put in front of them, venal sheriffs, horseback riding worthy of a serial ... Daniel J. White's unfortunate score reinforces the parodic tone of the ensemble. And yet, it is not a parody, like his first western. Klimovsky sticks to the falsilla without any irony.

The most reliable clue about the origin of Torrejón City must be sought in the populous poster dedicated to the plot and the script in the credits. Among the six accredited librettists are the humorist Antonio de Lara "Tono", one of the fathers of New Humor back in the twenties and founder of La Codorniz, and the now forgotten film parodist Ramón Barreiro. Tono serves as a link with Eduardo García Maroto's short pre-war parodies Una de... (1934-1936) —with the collaboration of Miguel Mihura in the literary part—, resumed in 1954 with Tres eran tres, which weaves parodies of monsters, Spanish and western, with Xan das Bolas doing the Indian and Manolo Morán in the role of cowboy who will end up putting a ventorro with organ in an Arkansas meadow that looks suspiciously like Madrid. Country House.

For his part, Barreiro has perpetrated in the mid-forties three tapes dedicated to parody the serial of oriental adventures, pirate movies and, of course, the western. Don Buffalo Bill's Nephew (1944) plays with the same tricks as The Marx Brothers in the West (Go West, Edward Buzzell, 1940): the plane of the gold mine, the contrast between the saloon singer and the good girl, the corruption of the powerful, the naïve hero, a secret from the past... The difference is that the eccentric humor of the Americans is exchanged in the Spanish film in subversion of the common places of the genre, with an abundance of anachronisms and puns. We thus approach the universe of the musical revue and this is where the double prominence of Tony Leblanc in Torrejón City comes into play. During all the fifties the Madrid actor has combined his film career with the magazine. For what interests us here is fundamental I have formal mummy, semi-improvised musical comedy premiered at the Teatro Fontalba in 1952 and in which Leblanc shares the stage with Miguel Gila and José Luis Ozores. Other milestones in this decade are Lo verá y lo cantarás in 1954, Luis Escobar's revue Te espero en Eslava, from 1957, and the return with Gila already in 1960 with Este y yo... Limited Company.

As is often the case in the magazine since the premiere of La Gran Vía at the Teatro Apolo in 1886, today plays a major role in this type of show. In 1953 commercial and military agreements were signed that allowed impoverished Spanish society to access US economic aid in exchange for the military giant establishing a quadruple bridgehead in the Mediterranean, thanks to the bases euphemistically called "joint use" of Morón, Rota, Zaragoza and Torrejón de Ardoz. In this air base near Madrid, Ike Eisenhower – the first president of the United States to visit Spain – will land in December 1959 so that Franco can take a mass bath touring all of Madrid in an open car in his company. The arrival of the US military to the capital has meant a small convulsion in customs and the appearance of a neighborhood around Doctor Fleming Street and the emblematic Corea building that will become a symbol of modernity and dishevelment.

This contrast between tradition and modernity is at the base of Torrejón City. Leblanc stars in a story full of westerniles clichés where anachronisms compete with the continuous allusions to Spanish daily life: the portrait of Abraham Lincoln shares a wall with that of Cúchares, the clients of the saloon play mus and in Alcalá de Henares, where Tom el Bueno, democracy is a dispute between Cánovas and Sagasta.

The emblematic films of the genre, such as Assault and robbery of a train (The Great Train Robbery, Edwin S. Porter, 1903) or Alone in the face of danger (High Noon, Fred Zinnemann, 1952), share criteria of referentiality with what Tom the Good reads "to catch the dream", an adventure of "The Guardian of the West", one of the comics that included the comics of the Águila Blanca collection of the editorial of the Mexican newspaper La Prensa. That is, a hodgepodge of aúpa with which, nevertheless, the spectator of 1962 could feel fully identified. Another thing is the arrhythmias that produce such heterogeneous samples in the story and that today considerably unbalance its narrative effectiveness. The comedian is weighed down by the twist that occurs when Tom the Good and Tim the Bad fall in love with the same girl (May Heatherly) and the latter renounces her:

"Goodbye, may you be very happy.

"It turns out he was better than any.

"Nonsense! The good guy is the one who stays with the girl. It doesn't fail.

"And where do you plan to go now, cousin?"

"I will return to the land of my ancestors... To the Torrejón for real. Do you think I have a future there as an American?

"How would I tell you!

Xan das Bolas and Tip —who were already in Tres eran tres— put on the Indian chief's plume and the undertaker's hat respectively. Mary Begoña, vedette of Antonio Garisa's magazine company, is one of the girls of the saloon. The presence of Garisa in the role of the uncle of the girl – Uncle Sam, there would be more – relates Klimovsky's commitment to An Island with Tomato, a path that Leblanc will travel again in his increasingly numerous television interventions, but that in the cinema will hardly have an echo in The dynamite is served (Fernando Merino, 1968), taking as iconographic reference Bonnie and Clyde (Bonnie and Clyde, Arthur Penn, 1967).

Santiago Aguilar

[1] Antonio Gregori: Spanish cinema according to its directors. Madrid: Cátedra, 2009, p. 18.

[2] In the foundation of the town of Hoyo de Manzanares at this time have to see three other parodic westerns co-produced by Eduardo Manzanos and starring Walter Chiari and Raimondo Vianello: El sheriff terrible / Due contro tutti (Antonio Momplet [and Alberto De Martino], 1962), Héroes del Oeste / Gli eroi del West (Steno, 1963) and Los gemelos de Texas / I gemelli del Texas (Steno, 1964).

Who Are Those Guys? ~ Alexander Davion

 

Alexander Avion was born in Paris on March 31, 1929. French-born British actor. He was perhaps best known in the U.K. for his starring role in ‘Gideon's Way’ as Detective Chief Inspector David Keen. Davion appeared in some 70+ films and television series between 1951 and 1989. He was also a stage and voice actor. He was the voice of Captain Greg Martin in the 1966 film “Thunderbirds Are Go”

Alexander was married first to actress Ellen Caryl Klein in the 1950s and was the father of Professor Victoria Michele Davion [1960-2017]. He then married actress Anne Lawson [1940-    ] in 1965 and they had one child named Nicholas Davion in 1966.

Davion appeared in one Euro-western playing Tony in “Charley-One-Eye” (1973) starring Richard Roundtree and Roy Thinnes.

Alexander Davion died in London, England on September 28, 2019, at the age of 90.

DAVION, Alexander (aka Alex Davion, Alex Davlon) [3/31/1929, Paris, Île-de-France, France– 9/28/2019, Norfolk, England, U.K.] – theater, film, TV, voice actor, married to actress Ellen Caryl Klein (195?-196?) father of professor Victoria Michele Davion [1960-2017], married to actress Anne Lawson [1940-    ] (1965-19??) father of Nicholas Davion [1966-    ].

Charley- One Eye – 1973 (Tony)

RIP Carmen Sevilla

 

Spanish actress Carmen Sevilla died at the Jiménez Díaz Foundation in Madrid on June 27, 2023, after suffering from Alzheimer’s for eight years. She was 92. Born María de el Carmen García Galisteo in Seville, Seville, Andalucía, Spain on October 16, 1930. Carmen demonstrated from almost as a child that she had great showmanship. At just 17 years old, she made her film debut. As an actress, she had leading roles in numerous films, including “Imperial Violets” (1952), Academy Award nominee “Vengeance (1958)”, “Don Juan” (1956) and “Searching for Monica” (1962). She also had supporting roles in English-language epic films including “King of Kings” (1961) and “Antony and Cleopatra” (1972). In 1991, at the age of sixty, she began her career as a television presenter working in different shows and specials for the three major Spanish networks until her retirement in 2010. Carmen appeared in two Euro-westerns “The Warriors of Pancho Villa” – 1966 (Reyes Mendoza) and “The Boldest Job in the West” – 1971 (Marion).

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Roland Armontel

 [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.]

Auguste Louis Magnien was born in Vimoutiers, Orne, France on December 21, 1904. He started very young since as a child where he performed alongside Max Linder. Armontel performed in quite a bit of theater such as “Le Train pour Venise” by Louis Verneuil, “Les Jours heureux” by Claude-André Puget, “Bichon” by Jean de Létraz, “La Bonne Soupe” by Robert Thomas, “Messieurs mon mari”, “Mon bébé”, “Il faut marier maman,” and “Une femme par jour”. He also directed three plays

In his film career, he appeared in more than 110 films and TV series between 1932 and 1979.

He appeared in two Euro-westerns playing Judge Thatcher, Becky’s father, in “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and the sequel “Death of Injun Joe” both 1967. This was actually a TV mini-series entitled ‘Tom Sawyers und Huckleberry Finns Abenteuer’ which was converted into two films and released later that year.

Roland Armontel died in Paris on March 8, 1980. He was 75.

ARMONTEL, Roland (aka Armontel) (Auguste Louis Magnien) [12/21/1904, Vimoutiers, Orne, France – 3/8/1980, Paris, Île-de-France, France] – theater, film, TV actor.

Tom Sawyers und Huckleberry Finns Abenteuer (TV) (1968)

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer – 1968 (Judge Thatcher)

Death of Injun Joe – 1968 (Judge Thatcher)

New CD Release: “Gli uomini dal passo pesante” / “Zorro il ribelle”

 

“Gli uomini dal passo pesante” / “Zorro il ribelle”

(The Tramplers / Zorro the Rebel)

Composer: Angelo Francesco Lavagnino

(1966 / 1966)

 

Directors: Sergio Corbucci /

Starring: Joseph Cotton, Gordon Scott / Howard Ross, Dina De Santis

 

Country: Germany

Label: Alhambra

#ALHAMBRA- A9063

Tracks: 35

Listening time: 56:24 / 16:34

Available: June 16, 2023

 

Track lists:

“The Tramplers”

1 The Stagecoach – Main Title 2:12

2 After the Lynching - Lon and Edith 0:45

3 Lon Comes Home 2:55

4 The Cordeen Family 2:40

5 Lon and Hoby – Temple's Plan 2:15

6 Riding Away – Lon and His Mother 2:48

7 Lon and Hoby Meet Charlie Garvey and Bess – Charlie Marries Bess 2:37

8 Surprise Visitors 1:56

9 Leaving Town – Pardners 2:28

10 Lon and Charlie Build a Wooden Cabin 1:45

11 Hired Killers 2:09

12 Lon Rides Back 1:59

13 Meeting Edith Again – On to the Family Ranch 2:44

14 The Cordeen Family Breaks Apart 2:45

15 Hoby`s Disillusionment 1:46

16 Roundup 2:13

17 Cattle Drive 2:17

18 Plans for the Future – Family Feud 2:46

19 Edith Returns 3:12

20 Riding into Town – Edith Confronts Temple 2:26

21 Temple's Descent into Madness 2:16

22 Back Home 1:52

23 Finale 1:37

Bonus Tracks from "Gli Uomini Dal Passo Pesante":

24 Main Theme - Demo Track 0:46

25 Square Dance 2:40

26 Saloon Piano 0:40

 

“Zorro the Rebel”

27 Main Title* 2:14

28 Village Dance 0:55

29 Guitar Duo - Festive Dance 1:49

30 Zorro Intervenes 1:54

31 In the Tavern 2:25

32 Father Carmelo and the Rebels 1:58

33 Zorro Hides 2:14

34 Wedding Ceremony 1:07

35 The Rebels Gather* 1:58

*Damaged Track

From the Land of the Rising Sun to the Wild West: 2 Epic Spaghetti Westerns Influenced by Samurai Movies

 Entertize

By Jeremy Smith

June 10, 2023

A Fistful of Dollars (Yojimbo)

A Fistful of Dollars is perhaps the most famous instance of a Western that was inspired by a samurai movie. Being a direct adaptation of the Akira Kurosawa movie Yojimbo. Director Sergio Leone expertly transposed the story of Yojimbo from its period Japanese setting to the Wild West.

In doing so, the movie established the Man with No Name trope in Hollywood cinema, borrowing from its samurai counterpart. The lead character is shown to make up a fake name at the very beginning.

A Fistful of Dollars was followed by two sequels, collectively dubbed the Dollars trilogy. And it was responsible for launching Clint Eastwood into stardom.

Requiem for a Gringo (Harakiri)

Requiem for a Gringo is one of the most unusual movies on this list, packed with mystical elements that give it a very psychedelic tone.

The Italian-Spanish spaghetti western is an adaptation of the movie Harakiri by Masaki Kobayashi. One of the most celebrated samurai movies of all time. It is a tense and thrilling tale of revenge that asks poignant questions about ethics and morality.

The movie earned great praise for its visual composition, which was designed meticulously by Kobayashi.

This visual style is replaced by a very different aesthetic in Requiem for a Gringo. Where mystical motifs are aplenty to create a sense of otherworldliness for its main character, the Jaguar Man.

Django (Yojimbo)

The 1966 movie Django was another famous Western from the 20th Century. An Italian production that sought to capitalize on the success of A Fistful of Dollars.

The movie also adapted Yojimbo to an extent, introducing a lone stranger who inserts himself between two warring factions.  Django was considered one of the most violent films at the time of its release. And the movie also featured the breakout role for Italian actor and filmmaker Franco Nero.

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Miguel Armario

 [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.]

Miguel Armario Bosch was born in Larache, Tanger-Tetouan, Morocco on January 6, 1916. He debuted in the theater in 1932, and from the first moment he opted for the genre of comedy, appearing with success at that time some of the works of Pedro Muñoz Seca as “Anacleto se divorcia”, “Los extremeños se tocan”, “La venganza de Don Mendo”, “Enrique Jardiel Poncela”, and “Angelina or the Honor of a Brigadier”. Later he would work with his wife, the actress Rosa Sabatini, in the company of Hermano Arroyo.

His film experience was not very prolific and he always played secondary characters. He debuted with “El malvado Carabel” (1956), by Fernando Fernán Gómez. Later, he would appear in, among others, in “Tres de la Cruz Roja” (1961), by Fernando Palacios; “La historia de Bienvenido” (1964), by Augusto Fenollar; “La ciudad no es para mí” (1966), by Pedro Lazaga “Sister Citroën” (1967), and  “Summer 70” (1969) also by Lazaga.

But his real popularity was achieved in 1965 when he begins to interpret the character of Uncle Achilles in the space ‘Antena infantil’ of TVE. Such was the impact of the mini-series that from the following season Los Chiripitifláuticos was given their own series and became a symbol for the generation of Spanish children educated in the 1960s and 1970s.

Armario retired from the stage in 1975, shortly after the death of his wife that same year. Miguel himself, died on April 28, 2000, in Madrid at the age of 84.

Armario appeared in two Spaghetti westerns: “For a Few Bullets More” in 1967 which starred Peter Lee Lawrence as Billy the Kid as a townsman and in 1972’s “Sonny and Jed” as the photographer.

ARMARIO, Miguel (aka Manuel Armario) (Miguel Armario Bosch) [1/6/1916, Larache, Tanger-Tetouan, Morocco – 4/28/2000, Madrid, Madrid, Spain] – film, TV actor, son of newspaper publisher Miguel Armario Peña [18??-1939], married to Rosa Sabatini (Rosa Benito Sabatini) [1910–1975] (19??-1975).

For a Few Bullets More – 1967 (townsman)

Sonny and Jed – 1972 (photographer)

Spaghetti Western Locations Then and Now – “The Mercenary”

 This scene showing the execution of Paco Roman (Tony Musante) in 1968’s “The Mercenary was filmed in Pechina, Almería, Spain.

Here’s the same exact location as seen today in 2023.

European Western Comics – Apaches

 

Apaches

This was an incomplete reprint of Penna D’Oro (Spanish material) and of Billy London by Augusto Pedrazza. The series was published in from February 1971 to July 1971 by GFB in Rome, Italy edited by G. Gioggi. Each issue contained 64 black & white pages with color covers.

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Adolfo Arlés

 [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.]

Adolfo Arlés is a Spanish supporting and character actor who had a short career of 12 films over a 20-year span from 1962 to 1982. He appeared in mainly comedy films.

I can find no further information about him.

ARLES, Adolfo (aka Adolfo Arces) (Adolfo Arlés) [Spanish] – model, film actor.

Charge of the 7th – 1964 (Bonnett's scout)

Heros of the West – 1964 (townsman)

 

Interview with Alberto Dell'Acqua, a circus artist lent to the cinema

 Passion Cinema

By Angelo D’Ambra

June 18, 2023

“I am a circus performer lent to the cinema, son of Fausto Dell'Acqua and Giovanna Huesca, sister of the great clown Nené, unforgettable star of the Togni Circus, an artist moved by a special force that, advanced in years, still pushed him to perform at the Medrano”. This is how Alberto Dell'Acqua begins. With great availability he accepts our questions and begins to navigate in memories, in that dreamy sea of images of memory and emotions of the heart. This star of Italian cinema, a well-known face of the Spaghetti western, still carries all the determination of the circus people: "My family in the years of the Second World War had its own circus, rather large, the Circo Impero which went bankrupt. Slowly, associated with Leone Martini, they got back into the game with Circo Demar and it was there that my brothers and I debuted.

He says that he started performing under the tent as a very young age, following his family and dedicating himself to a plurality of disciplines: “I debuted as a juggler in a troupe number with my brother Arnaldo and my sisters Clara and Fernanda, who later became trapeze artists. My other six brothers and sisters also became artists in our family circus. The feedback from the audience was exceptional. I remember that in 1961, with two troupe numbers, we were awarded as best jugglers and cyclists at the Teatro Sistina with the Silver Mask, on an evening attended by prominent actors such as Liz Taylor and Richard Burton. Over the years I had also dedicated myself to acrobatics, perfecting myself as a trampoline jumper paired with my brother Roberto, aka Ridolini. We were a very close-knit couple, so much so that we put on another lucky number of fallers, but we dedicated ourselves to every circus discipline so much so that in Portogruaro with Roberto I also presented a number of rings. Ours was a family circus and we had to adapt to doing more numbers. Cinema burst into my life in 1964, but I wouldn't be far from the circus. In 1977, in fact, returning from Colombia from my last film, I reunited with my family on a caravan trip to Calabria. It was supposed to be a simple holiday, just relaxation and fun at the Camping "Le Mimose", instead we came across the posters of the Royal Circus of my cousins and the call of sawdust was so strong that we decided to go and spend three days with them. Those three days became seven years."

He found his roots. "Yes, the joy of when I was a child returned to me. I was under a tent again, back at the circus, again with my family. My children integrated perfectly, and I began to teach them. With some tips and a lot of work, in a few months they managed to express excellent artistic qualities. In the meantime, with my wife and sister, I returned to juggling and we also set up a rag woman number. I was the presenter of that show. Over the years my daughter Doriana became a talented trapeze artist. At the age of thirteen she performed in London enjoying great success. She worked at the Robert Brothers Circus, where my great cousin Gianni Fumagalli was also paired with his brother Daris. Back in Italy we worked at the circus of the Huesca brothers, also my cousins, the Budapest Circus which, unfortunately, near Arezzo, exactly in Camucia, a hamlet of the municipality of Cortona, was overwhelmed by a violent storm. It ended up being destroyed. I can't deny that the impact of certain events on the morale of a circus is devastating, but we rolled up our sleeves and put on a fun show called "Long Live the Laughter." The Lazio Coast responded with great participation. Our paths diverged there. My cousins under the direction of the Circus Medrano of the Casartelli brothers reached Greece, while my family and I returned to the Royal Circus of Loris and Rudy Dell'Acqua. We stayed there for a few years refining and retouching the juggling and trapeze numbers of my daughter Doriana. While My son Massimiliano perfected himself with a juggling number with clubs, balloons and cigar boxes. The result was a number worthy of Kris Cremo that literally amazed the audience. We planned to open our own circus, but, after buying all the material, my daughter married Massimo Carbonari and, a few months later, Massimiliano married Debora Orfei, daughter of the great Amedeo. My grandchildren renew the great family tradition, Yasmin, the daughter of Maximilian, for example, is an important antipodist awarded with the Silver Clown at the Monte Carlo Festival. Now the energies of my family are all in the Enchanted Circus, a fresh formula poised between the classicism of circus expressiveness and theater».

Let's talk about cinema now. How did it all start? "I owe my move to cinema to the great master of arms, Freddy Unger. It was he who wanted me as a stuntman for the first time in a feature film entitled "I malamondo", in 1964, produced by Titanus and set to music by Ennio Morricone. I was eighteen years old. Freddy took me under his wing and that same year he proposed me to the director Antonio Margheriti for the part of Publio Valerio in the film "The Giants of Rome", with Richard Harrison. So, the doors of the cinema opened to me. I remember that the assistant director of "I malamondo", Franco Giraldi, who in the meantime had become a director, the following year had Alfio Caltapiano search for me among the circus people. When it became known thanks to Rinaldo Zamperla that I was with my family's circus at La Storta, a village in Rome, I was reached by Giraldi with a proposal to audition for a western. It was the movie "7 Guns for the MacGregors". Everything went well, he liked me, and he took me for the film we went to shoot in Spain."

I remember that movie well... "Wait. There I had my first serious work accident. While I was galloping with one foot in the stirrup, to shoot a scene, the girth of the saddle broke, I fell hitting my head and I was trampled by the horses of the other actors, that is, the other MacGregor brothers. One of them, Nazzareno Zamperla, who shared with me a circus origin, rushed to help me, but I yelled at him not to touch me because I was all broken. I remember that Giraldi and the whole crew ran towards me, they remained there waiting for the ambulance that then took me to the hospital of Guadix, where they found the crack of five ribs and two fractures to the skull. By a special train they then transferred me to Madrid to the "Victoria Clinic" they discovered that I also had a fracture of two vertebrae of the cervical spine. They tied me to the litter box and told the producer to hope the night would pass without problems. Thanking God, it was so. After a few days I was plastered, and I was transferred to Rome in a traumatology center in Garbatella. The doctors removed the cast made in Madrid to make a new one from head to bust that I wore for four months. The film had been suspended until my recovery and when we resumed shooting, on the first day at Cinecittà, apart from the celebrations of the whole crew, the director Franco Giraldi, as terrified, explained to me that I would not ride. He said to me, "Do you see Alberto? Now we're going to shoot the scene where you're on horseback, but you're actually riding a scaffolding and it looks like you're on horseback." I gave him my assent, but when I approached the horse, I climbed on his back and got into position to turn. The crew cheered me on. We shot the scene without any problems and finished the film."

Fortunately, everything went well, he risked a lot. What about the directors, what can you tell me about them? He quoted Giraldi Margheriti. What relationship did you have with them? "I had a professional, natural and trouble-free relationship with everyone. I worked with Gianfranco Baldanello and Fernando Baldi, with Mario Siciliano I made three films, "Trinità e Sartana figli di...", "Quel pomeriggio maledetto" and "Alleluja e Sartana figli di... God." I didn't feel good with only one director, it was Giuseppe Colizzi. With the directors you always compare yourself to give luster to the character you have to play, to give it greater depth. All this is very important, it is rewarding for the actor because it helps him to express himself at his best. For example, in the film "Texas Addio", produced by the great Manolo Bolognini and directed by Professor Baldi in 1966 with Franco Nero and Elisa Montes, I had the opportunity to play a character that gave me so much satisfaction, the gunslinger Jim Sullivan. I can say the same for "Ammazzali tutti e torna solo" by Enzo Girolami Castellari.

Thenhe  reveal to me a curiosity about the language used. He has shot films in Spain, Colombia, Turkey and with artists of various nationalities. What language was he acting in? "In some films I used English as in "The Long Days of Hate" and "Son of Sandokan", but in general on the set you play each one in his own language. So, it was also in Turkey where I played three action films as a protagonist, with good Turkish actors. In one of the three, among other things, I broke my wrist while doing a deadly jump in pirouettes. I also shot two adventure films in Colombia and in one of them I came out of one and went to work on the other, a wonderful feeling a thousand meters high.

Speaking of these action shots, I consider him, especially with regard to spaghetti-westerns, a much more important figure than you might imagine. Proof of this is the fact that in all films, even when he had no leading roles, his presence was characteristic, he was a brand, he became an element of distinction of the entire film. As if the director was fascinated by his acrobatic skills. In all the films there is always the scene of the jump or the somersault, the most dynamic moment, the liveliest sequence. You are an actor who has left his mark because you know that when there is a film with Alberto Dell'Acqua you will find certain characteristics. "As far as the action scenes are concerned, Castellari is really a great director, perhaps because he too was an athlete. I made eleven westerns, including two as a protagonist "Trinity and Sartana Sons of...Bitches" and "Alleluja and Sartana Sons of... God" and yes, in fact in all of them my acrobatic skills emerge. The action scenes in the films I played were invented by me and my master of arms, Freddi Unger first of all, Nazzareno Zamperla, with whom I made three western films, and then Nando Poggi, to whom I was very attached and who worked with me in six films. A great man as well as a master of arms. I also made a couple of films in which I am a circus artist as in "Boot Hill". I also found the detective stories "Il braccio violento della mala", where I am the protagonist, "Quel pomeriggio maledetto", with Lee Van Cleef, and the very nice "Il figlio di Zorro", with Fernando Sancho».

At the end of this long chat, if I had to ask him to choose between cinema and circus, what would you say? "It's a question that puts me in difficulty. Cinema has given me a lot of notoriety and money. It allowed me to travel the world, but my love for the show is called circus. What I experienced, what I knew and what I still draw from circus life is a complete feeling and, in many ways, difficult to communicate. And even today, with an age and its ailments, I live the circus through my children and my grandchildren, protagonists of the beautiful show of the Enchanted Circus”.

Who Are Those Singers & Musicians ~ Gino

 

Born Georgino Cudsi he was born and raised in a remote Sudan village in 1943, his mother was Greek and his father Syrian. His family were traders of Greek origin, Gino Cudsi preferred a career as that of a singer, songwriter rather than a merchant. Starting his career in Greece, where he achieved some successes, he produced his own records and travelled all over Europe including the U.K., Italy, Spain, and Germany. He was sufficient enough to convince Ricordi Records to publish his singles, also in some cases covering other singers’ hits, and in other cases his original work. He adopted the stage name "Gino". Ricordi did not fail to promote him with press information and having him also included in the cast of “Canzonissima” 1966, with the song "Io non ti amo più". He had excellent Italian pronunciation but poor results on the commercial side. Gino was entered as a contestant at Sanremo Song Festival in 1966 singing "Dipendesse Da Me".

Gino sang the main title theme song for the 1966 Spaghetti western “The Hills Run Red” starring Thomas Hunter, Henry Silva, Nicoletta Machiavelli and Dan Duryea

Georgino ‘Gino’ Cudsi died on September 22, 1992. He was only 49 years old.

GINO (aka Gino Cudsi) (Georgino Cudsi) [1943, Soudan – 9/22/1992] – singer.

The Hills Run Red – 1966 [sings: “Home to My Love”]

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKqVXZhvt9k

The Spaghetti Westerns Podcast.

 There will be no podcast this week and is indefinitely postponed until further notice.

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ José Miguel Ariza

 [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.]

Miguel Angel Aristu Mondragón was born in Pamplona, Navarre, Spain in 1943. He was the son of the director of the Bank of Bilbao and the sixth of twelve children. His younger brother is the director, actor Jesús Aristu [1935]. He had lived in the Canary Islands since 1957 when he was 14. At the age of 19 in 1962 he enrolled in the Los Goliardos company founded by Ángel Facio, after finishing his studies at the Official School of Cinematography in Madrid, which he entered in 1962 he joined the theater troupe La República he then joined another company, 2RC Teatro , directed by Rafael Rodríguez, using the stage name Miguel Ángel Aristu in a theater play which toured different cities in the United States and Mexico.

Entering films in the mid-1960s he was billed as José Miguel Ariza and appeared in two dozen films until retiring in 1983. After leaving the acting industry at the young age of 34 he moved to the Canary Islands and opened a comic bookstore in the Las Canteras area and later opened the El Buscón bookstore. After this professional adventure he opened a cafe, in 2003 the theater knocked on his door again. Nacho Cabrera, director of the company La República, invited him to participate in the cast of “Cuando las mujeres asassaultaron los cielos”, a version of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

José Miguel Ariza died in San Miguel Tanatorio, Grand Canary Islands, Spain on February 13, 2018.

Ariza appeared in one Spaghetti western: “Ballad of a Bounty Hunter” in 1965. He also appeared in one episode of the Spanish TV series ‘Curro Jiménez’ as Alguacil in 1977.

ARIZA, José Miguel (aka Jose Miguel Ariza, Miguel Ariza) (Miguel Angel Aristu Mondragón) [1943, Pamplona, Navarre, Spain -2/13/2018, San Miguel Tanatorio, Grand Canary Islands, Spain] – theater, film, TV actor, brother of actor Jesús Aristu [1933-    ], married to ? father of two children, married to María José Ariza, father of a son.

Ballad of a Bounty Hunter – 1965

Clint Eastwood and the Evolution of Masculinity in Film [Part 3]

 Pictures from the Past

By Peter Deleuran

June 7, 2023

Breaking the Mold: The Emotionally Complex Man In an era when men were expected to embody stoicism and emotional restraint, Clint Eastwood's characters dared to reveal a more complex side of masculinity. Through his performances, he shattered the archetype of the emotionless, invulnerable hero, presenting characters who grappled with inner turmoil and confronted their own vulnerabilities.

In films like "Unforgiven," Eastwood's portrayal of William Munny subverted the traditional cowboy archetype. Munny, haunted by his violent past, struggles with guilt and the desire for redemption. Through this character, Eastwood challenged the notion that strength lies solely in physical prowess, delving into the emotional depths of a man grappling with the consequences of his actions.

Similarly, in "Million Dollar Baby," Eastwood's character, Frankie Dunn, evolves from a closed-off boxing trainer to a man who forms a deep emotional connection with his protégé. The film explores themes of compassion, sacrifice, and the transformative power of empathy, portraying a masculinity that goes beyond physical dominance and reveals the capacity for emotional growth and connection.

Photograph of Clint Eastwood looking into the viewfinder of a Panavision camera on the set of the 1973 film Breezy, his third directorial effort. The film was shot in Los Angeles over five weeks starting November 1972. (Source: Wikimedia Commons).

The Vulnerable Hero: Resisting Convention Clint Eastwood's characters often defied traditional notions of heroism, rejecting the idea that strength lies solely in physical prowess or a lack of emotional depth. Instead, he presented vulnerable heroes who were unafraid to confront their own flaws and confrontations.

One prime example is his portrayal of Walt Kowalski in "Gran Torino". Initially depicted as a grizzled, bigoted war veteran, Kowalski's journey challenges audience expectations. As the film progresses, his layers are peeled away, revealing a man scarred by loss and regret. Through Kowalski's transformation and eventual self-sacrifice, Eastwood presents a hero who redefines masculinity by embracing empathy and a willingness to change.

Furthermore, Eastwood's directorial efforts have consistently explored the vulnerability of his male characters. In "Mystic River" the film delves into the aftermath of childhood trauma and its impact on adult masculinity. Eastwood's direction allows the characters to confront their emotional wounds, blurring the lines between strength and vulnerability, and challenging societal expectations of masculinity.

Beyond the Screen: Clint Eastwood's Cultural Impact Clint Eastwood's impact on the portrayal of masculinity in film extends beyond his on-screen performances. As a cultural icon, he has influenced societal perceptions of what it means to be a man. By embodying the strong, silent type, Eastwood offered an alternative vision of masculinity that combined strength with emotional depth. From the emotionally tormented gunslinger to the vulnerable hero, Eastwood's performances challenged societal expectations and offered a more nuanced perspective on what it means to be a man.

Photo of guest star Margaret O'Brien and Clint Eastwood as Rowdy Yates from the television program Rawhide. This episode is "Incident of the Town in Terror". When it's believed Rowdy has contracted anthrax, the town fears for its citizens and livestock and quarantines the drovers and their cattle. 1959. (Source: Wikimedia Commons).