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.