Friday, January 31, 2025

Spaghetti Western Trivia - Joë Hamman in Arizona?

 

In 1914 Joë Hamman signed with Éclair to make films at their new facility in Tucson, but Arizona Bill never made it to Arizona; World War I broke out and he was quickly mobilized. ... When Joë Hamman returned to filmmaking after the war, he formed his own production company, the Films Joë Hamman, and as a first production planned a western-themed adventure made in the Camargue region of southern France.

Little Known Western Actors ~ Fabian Cevallos

[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.]

Fabian Cevallos was a character actor born in Cuenca, Ecuador in 1946. While he was still young his family moved to Quito the county’s capitol. Fabián, fate later placed him in France to try his luck. As a child, he was amazed watching a film by Gerard Philipe, a mythical French figure, he decided to be an actor like Philipe and pursue without faltering an apparently unrealizable ideal. Paris welcomed the young immigrant when he was just 14 years old in 1959. He entered the Institute of Dramatic Arts, assuming the role that life had in store, demanding sacrifice, and that will to move mountains. For six years he acted in France, before moving to Italy (1968) and appearing in some films, including a 1967 Spaghetti western “Prega dio… e scavatti la fossa!” (Pray to God and Dig Your Grave).

Fate granted him an appointment again through a publication dated 1970, this one, requesting a photographer to personify a reporter in "Sierra Maestra", a film about the Latin American revolution, based on the diaries of the French writer Regis Debray, who was imprisoned after the assassination of Ernesto "Che" Guevara. He had never taken a photograph; but, with a certain audacity and decision he presented himself, being accepted by the director Ansanno Giannarelli, who asked him for a good characterization of the assigned role, when the film began to be shot. Soon they realized that he was not a photographer, without being able to turn back, the photographic director taught him the technique, thus giving birth to his brilliant career. The film crew traveled for two years through Venezuela and other countries until concluding this feature film that made history.

By 1973 he joined Sigma, an international news agency, becoming its correspondent. He covered politics, fashion, magazines, traveling as a special envoy to many countries. His passion for the seventh art made him knock on the doors of film sets, to rub shoulders with the greatest Italian directors: Antonioni, Pasolini, Fellini, Scola, Visconti, Bertolucci or other nationalities such as Wenders, Polanski, Blake Edwards, Francis Ford Coppola, Claude Lelouch and Emir Kusturica, managing to photograph more than 150 films.

In 1990 Fabián Cevallos conceived a photo that became the poster for the international version of the film "The Godfather III" by Francis Ford Coppola, who approved enthusiastically, because it reflected the spirit of the work. He also photographed "Dracula".

Today he lives in Paris.

CEVALLOS, Fabian (aka Fabian Cevalios, Fabien Cevallos) [1946, Cuenca, Ecuador – cameraman, photographer, film, TV actor.

Pray to God and Dig Your Grave – 1967

New German DVD release of “Sartana”

 








“Sartana”

(Blood at Sundown)

(1966)

 

Director: Alberto Cardone

Starring: Anthony Steffen, Gianni Garko, Erika Blanc

 

Country: Germany

Label: Subkultur Entertainment (Lisa Film Kollektion #13)

Resolution: 1080p

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Languages: DTS-HD MA Mono German, Italian

Subtitles: German

Running time: 105 minutes

Extras: Italian trailer, German trailer, reconstructed German theatrical version; Featurette: Viva Sartana, gallery

ASIN: ‎B0DSHSY52J

Available January 31, 2025

Alessandro Borghi has returned to Arezzo to shoot a western film

Last spring he had shot some scenes of Amelio's "Battlefield" at the Pescaiola station, this time the clapperboard was in San Giuliano. And May Clooney and Sandler had arrived

Alessandro Borghi in Arezzo to shoot the scenes of the new film in which he will be the protagonist entitled "Heads or Tails" in San Giuliano. This is a return to the city for Borghi, who just last spring had been in Pescaiola to shoot another film.

The film "Heads or Tails?"

Some scenes of what will be a western have been shot in the outskirts of Arezzo in recent days. The film "Heads or Tails?" is directed by Matteo Zoppis and Alessio Rigo De Righi and is produced by Ring Film Srl. The filming locations were different in various parts of Italy, including Lazio and Tuscany.

Borghi's return to Arezzo

The famous Italian actor, protagonist of successful films and TV series such as ‘Suburra, Supersex’, ‘The Eight Mountains’ and ‘Devils’ has also been spotted in the city center. For him this is a return in 2024, having recently been in Arezzo also to shoot Gianni Amelio's latest film entitled "Campo di battaglia" at the Pescaiola station.

Arezzo, land of films

And there are now many productions that in recent years have chosen Arezzo to set TV series and feature films. The most important example dates back to last May when some scenes of an American film starring George Clooney and Adam Sandler were shot in the Petrarca theater. Going backwards, another famous example of recent times is that of the Netflix series ‘Decameron’, also shot in Ponte Buriano. And in the future? Certainly in the spring a German production will arrive in the city for two days of filming.



Special Birthdays

Fred Rains (director) would have been 165 today but died in 1945.

Albert Maurer (director) would have been 135 today but died in 1969.

Willi Schrade (actor) is 90 today.









Consuela Darie (actress) is 85 today.



Thursday, January 30, 2025

Little Known Western Actors ~ Livio Ceserani

[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.]

Livio Ceserani was an Italian character actor who I can find no biographical information on.

He appeared in only one film that I can find reference to and that was his only Euro-western appearance in an uncredited role in 1958’s “Il terrore dell’Oklahoma” (The Terror of Oklahoma).

CESERANI, Livio [Italian] – film actor.

The Terror of Oklahoma – 1958

Spaghetti Western Voices ~ “Death at Owell Rock”

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 “Death at Owell Rock”

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

Harry Boyd/Jeffries - Mark Damon (I) Pino Locchi, (S) Jordi Brau, (G) Harald Juhnke

Lawrence White - Stephen Forsyth (I) Cesare Barbetti, (S) Salvador Vives, (G) Reinhard Glemnitz

Jane White – Luciana Gilli (I) Rita Savagnone (S) Mercedes Montalà, (G)           ?

Lisabeth - Pamela Tudor (I) Maria Pia Di Meo, (S) Concha García Valero, (G) Helga Trümper

Judge Warren – Luciano Pigozzi (I) Ennio Balbo, (S) Eduardo Muntada, (G) Leo Bardischewski

Doc Lester - Giovanni Pazzafini (I) Arturo Dominici, (S) Camillo García, (G) Wolfgang Hess

Pablo/Pedro Rodriguez - Pedro Sanchez (I) Bruno Persa, (S) Pepe Mediavilla, (G) Bruno W. Pantel









Jordi Brau  (1958 -

Jordi Brau Riera was born in Barcelona, Spain on April 18, 1958, so obviously his dubbing of Mark Damon was for a video or DVD release not the original film which was released in 1967. He was rained at l'Institut del Teatre de Barcelona. He initially worked mainly in film, television and theater.His first experiences with dubbing films took place in the 1980s. First when he voiced himself in “El vicari d'Olot” and then when he did background voices for the film “Tokyo Story.” Brau also dubbed in French (Vicky Cristina Barcelona) and did the English voice-over for Delta Airlines. He was awarded the prize of the APEI (Associació Professional Espanyola d'Informadors de Premsa, Ràdio i Televisió) for his achievements. In 2013, he, Luis Posada and Óscar Barberán founded their own studio, Polford. Since then, he has also trained new voice actors at the Polford studios. His son David is also a voice actor.


Special Birthdays

Kurt Waitzman (actor) would have been 120 today but died in 1985.









Marilyn Buferd (actress) would have been 100 today but died in 1990.









Gene Hackman (actor) is 95 today.


 







Elsa Martinelli (actress singer) would have been 90 today but died in 2017.








Kati Bus (actress) would have been 80 today but died 2009.



Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Little Known Western Actors ~ Enrico Cesaretti

[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.]

Enrico Cesaretti is/was an Italian character actor. Most likely born in the 1930s. He appeared in around 140 films and television appearances between 1954 and 1998. Some of his best-known films were “The Pink Panther” in 1963 as a hotel guest and the “Godfather Part III” in 1990 as a stockholder. He also had a long career as a fotoromanzi actor.

I can find no biographical information on him.

Enrico appeared in four Spaghetti westerns: “Arizona Colt” (The Man from Nowhere) in 1966 as a doctor’s assistant, “È tornato Sabata... hai chiuso un'altra volta” (Return of Sabata) in 1971 as a roulette croupier), “La vita, a volte, è molto dura, vero Provvidenza?” (They Call Me Providence) in 1973 as a tribunal guard.

CESARETTI, Enrico [Italian] – fotoromanzi, film, TV actor.

The Man from Nowhere – 1966 (doctor’s assistant)

Hey Amigo, to Your Death!  - 1970 (John)

Return of Sabata – 1971 (roulette croupier)

They Call Me Providence – 1973 (tribunal guard)

New Italian Blu-ray release of “The Dead Don’t Hurt”

 








The Dead Don’t Hurt

(2024)

 

Director: Viggo Mortensen

Starring: Vicky Krieps, Viggo Mortensen, Solly McLeod

 

Country: Italy

Label: Eagle Pictures

Language: English

Subtitles: Italian

Running time: 129 minutes

ASIN: ‎B0DN1RNVJT

Available: January 29, 2025

Who Are Those Guys? ~ Dan Duryea

 

Daniel Edwin Duryea was born in White Plains, New York on January 23, 1907. He graduated from White Plains High School in 1924 and Cornell University in 1928. While at Cornell, Duryea was elected into the Sphinx Head Society, Cornell's oldest senior honor society. He majored in English, and in his senior year succeeded Franchot Tone as president of the college drama society.

As his parents did not approve of his choice to pursue an acting career, Duryea became an advertising executive. After six stress-filled years, he had a heart attack that sidelined him for a year Returning to his earlier love of acting and the stage, Duryea made his name on Broadway in the play “Dead End”, followed by “The Little Foxes”. He also appeared on Broadway in “Many Mansions” (1937) and “Missouri Legend” (1938).

In 1940, Duryea moved to Hollywood to appear in the film version of “The Little Foxes”. He continued to establish himself with supporting and secondary roles in films such as “The Pride of the Yankees” (1942) and “None But the Lonely Heart” (1944). As the 1940s progressed, he found his niche as the "sniveling, deliberately taunting" antagonist in a number of films noir (“Scarlet Street”, “The Woman in the Window”, “The Great Flamarion”, “Criss Cross”, “Too Late for Tears”, “Johnny Stool Pigeon”), and Westerns such as “Along Came Jones” and “Black Bart”, although he was sometimes cast in more sympathetic roles (“Black Angel”, “One Way Street”). In 1946, exhibitors voted him the eighth most promising "star of tomorrow"

In his last years, Duryea reteamed with Jimmy Stewart for the adventure film “The Flight of the Phoenix”. He worked in overseas film productions including the British neo-noir thriller “Do You Know This Voice?” (1964), the Italian Western “The Hills Run Red”, (1966) and the spy thriller “Five Golden Dragons” (1967) in West Germany, while continuing to find roles on American television. He also appeared twice on the big screen with his son, character actor Peter Duryea from his marriage to actress, singer Hele Bryan, in the low-budget Westerns “Taggart” (1964) and “The Bounty Killer” (1965).

Duryea died in Los Angeles of cancer on June 7, 1968.

DURYEA, Dan (Daniel Edwin Duryea) [1/23/1907, White Plains, New York, U.S.A. – 6/7/1968, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. (cancer)] – theater, film, TV actor, singer, married to Helen Edith Bryan [1910-1967] (1932-1967) father of actor Peter Duryea [1939–2013], Richard Duryea [1942-    ].

The Hills Run Red – 1966 (Colonel Winnie Getz)

Special Birthdays

José Luis De Villalonga (actor) would have been 105 today but died in 2007.









Manfred Lehmann [voice actor] is 80 today.









Franco Bixio (composer, singer) is 75 today.



Tuesday, January 28, 2025

RIP Fiore De Rienzo

 


Italian journalist, assistant director, screenwriter, film actor, Rai television host of ‘Chi l’ha visto? (Have You Seen It?) died in Rome on January 28th he was 65. Fiore was the father of the late actor Libero De Rienzo who died of a heart attack as the age of 44 in 2021. De Rienzo worked as an actor from 1972 until 2004, appearing 19 times in films and TV mini-series. His only Spaghetti western appearance was in 1984’s “Arrapaho”.

RIP Horst Janson

 


Veteran German film, television and theater actor Horst Janson died in Grünwald, Munich, Bavaria, Germany on January 28th. He was 89. Born in Mainz-Kastel, Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany on October 4, 1935, Janson’s long and illustrious career included appearances on many well-known TV series and films, showcasing his versatility as an actor. From performances in Forsthaus Falkenau to graceful roles in romantic TV adaptations, he left his mark on numerous significant productions. Janson's dedication to theater was also evident as he performed at the Karl-May Festival and was recognized for his enduring passion for acting. Horst appeared in six Euro-westerns: “Ruf der Wildgänse” in1961 as Sven Sandbo, “Long Live Your Death” in 1971 as Sheriff Randall, “They Call Me Providence” in 1972 as Sheriff Villaggio, ‘Karl-May-Spiele: Unter Geiern - der Geist des Llano Estacado’ (TV) in 1998 as Old Shatterhand, ‘Karl-May-Spiele: Der Schatz im Silbersee’ (TV) in 2001 as Old Firehand and was the narrator on the video film “Winnetou and the Secret of Ghost Canyon” in 2007.

Little Known Western Actors ~ Julio Cesar

[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.]

Julio Cesar Sempere was a Spanish child actor. He appeared in four films among which two were Spaghetti westerns, as Diego as a boy in “Le tre spade di Zorro” (Three Swords of Zorro) in 1963 starring Guy Stockwell. In the film he was credited as Julio Cesar, and as Pecos in 1965's "Sie nannten ihn Gringo" (The Man Called Gringo) starring Götz George.

Another child actor named Humberto Sempere who appeared as Teddy/Tommy in the 1968 Spaghetti western “Anche nel west c'era una volta Dio” (Between God, the Devil and a Winchester) is his brother. They are the grandsons of cinematographer Francisco Sempere Humberto [1915-1979].

Film historian Mike Ferguson suggested, and I agree, Julio may be a relative of Vicente Sempere Pastor [1935-1975]. who was a Spanish production manager, but I can find no direct relationship for them.

SEMPERE, Julio César (aka Julio C. Semper) [195?, Madrid, Madrid, Spain -     ] – film actor, grandson of cinematographer Francisco Sempere Humberto [1915-1979], brother of actor, singer Humberto Sempere [1952-    ].

Three Swords of Zorro - 1963 (Diego Guadalupe as a child.

The Man Called Gringo – 1965 (Pecos)


Celebrating movie icons: The films of Sergio Leone

National Public Radio

August 30, 2024

 

DAVID BIANCULLI, HOST:

This is FRESH AIR. I'm David Bianculli, professor of television studies at Rowan University. Let's continue with our series about classic films and movie icons featuring interviews from our archives. Today, we're looking at Westerns. And though it's common to think of the genre as classically American, thanks to the films of John Ford and others, in the 1960s, some of the best Westerns were imported from Italy. That's when the Italian director Sergio Leone made such films as "A Fistful Of Dollars," "For A Few Dollars More," "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" and "Once Upon A Time In The West."

His brutal Westerns revived the genre, made a movie star of Clint Eastwood and created a visual style that influenced many film directors around the world. He also introduced many of us to the film music of Ennio Morricone. Yet despite all that, Leone's films at the time were disparagingly called spaghetti Westerns. In 2005, Terry Gross spoke with Christopher Frayling, one of the world's leading experts on Leone. At the time, Frayling had written the book "Once Upon A Time In Italy: The Westerns Of Sergio Leone."

TERRY GROSS: What's a scene from Leone's first Western, "A Fistful Of Dollars," that you loved in 1967 when you first saw it and that you still love now, that you could describe for us?

CHRISTOPHER FRAYLING: (Laughter) Gosh. Four or five bad guys sitting on a five-bar gate in the main street of a flyblown Spanish town standing in for a northern Mexican town. And the man with no name, the hero, walks up to them. And there's this satisfying sort of crunch on the soundtrack as his boots walk down the main street, and lots of dust. And they start - in true macho style, they start abusing each other, and they start laughing at him. And he looks down and lights his cigarillo and says, my mule don't like you laughing. He gets the crazy idea you're laughing at him. Now, if you just apologize to my mule - and then there's silence. And there's a whirring sound on the soundtrack. And you get the eyes, and you get the puff of smoke, and suddenly an explosion and all five bad guys fall off the five-bar gate.

It's a sort of parody of the Western confrontation. It's so extreme and very, very stylish. And it was the first really big close-up of the young Clint Eastwood, who was fantastically good-looking in those days, only with a designer stubble smoking a cheroot with his eyes screwed up as he looked into the sun. It's a very memorable moment. It's stayed with me ever since.

GROSS: Well, I think we should hear that scene because it's classic Clint Eastwood...

GROSS: ...Talking between his teeth. So here's that scene that you're talking about. And the explosion that we hear at the end is him shooting all those guys who are waiting for him.

LORENZO ROBLEDO: (As Baxter Gunman #1) Adios, amigo. Listen, stranger. Didn't you get the idea? We don't like to see bad boys like you in town. Go get your mule. You let him get away from you?

CLINT EASTWOOD: (As Joe) See, that's what I want to talk to you about. He's feeling real bad.

ROBLEDO: (As Baxter Gunman #1) Huh?

EASTWOOD: (As Joe) My mule. You see, he got all riled up when you went and fired those shots at his feet.

LUIS BARBOO: (As Baxter Gunman #2) Hey, you making some kind of joke?

EASTWOOD: (As Joe) No. You see, I understand you men were just playing around. But the mule, he just doesn't get it. Of course, if you were to all apologize...

EASTWOOD: (As Joe) I don't think it's nice, you laughing. You see, my mule don't like people laughing, gets the crazy idea you're laughing at him. Now, if you apologize like I know you're going to, I might convince him that you really didn't mean it.

GROSS: That's a scene from Sergio Leone's first western, "A Fistful Of Dollars." Why did Sergio Leone love Westerns? Why did he want to make them in Italy?

FRAYLING: Well, you got to imagine a child growing up in 1930s Rome at a time when Mussolini was the dictator and when most American movies were banned, and those that were seen were dubbed into Italian. And the young Leone first saw Hollywood Western movies in the 1930s at that time, and his heroes were Gary Cooper and Clark Gable and films like "Stagecoach." And to him, they represented an absolute model of freedom. He lived in suburban Rome in cramped conditions. And he saw these wide-open spaces, this unimaginable desert that goes on forever. He saw these - he couldn't understand what they were saying. He never heard - in fact, he never learned to speak English, Sergio Leone. That's what's so extraordinary. But they were dubbed into a different language, not very well.

But nevertheless, they clicked in his mind. Then in the 1950s, when he went into the film industry, he found that nobody was really very interested in the Western. A lot of Hollywood veteran directors went over to Italy to make epics, films like "Ben-Hur" and "Helen Of Troy" and "Quo Vadis." And Leone hung around these films. Sometimes he was the assistant director. And he talked to directors like Fred Zinnemann, who'd made "High Noon," Robert Aldrich, who'd made "The Last Sunset" and "Apache" and films like that. And they all said to him, the Western's dead. It's finished. We don't make Westerns anymore.

So basically, Leone made Westerns because Hollywood had stopped making them, and because in Europe, and particularly in Italy, there was this huge interest in the Western and a huge knowledge of it, as well. So the whole thing starts in a kind of folk memory of American Westerns that went back to the 1930s. And it's partly political. But the other thing was that Leone felt that Westerns had got a bit talky. There was too much talking in them. He liked Westerns where Rin Tin Tin did all the thinking, you know?

GROSS: (Laughter).

FRAYLING: Old-fashioned Westerns where - lots and lots of action and not too much talk. He didn't like psychology. Freudian Westerns got on his nerves.

GROSS: Well, you know, but he knew he was making Westerns that were different from American ones. Like, he said - and I think this is to you that he said this, in your interview with him - that John Ford, the great director of Westerns, was full of optimism, whereas I on the contrary am full of pessimism.

FRAYLING: Well, that's the thing. He loved the look of the Western and the idea of the Western and the fairy tale of the Western. But he didn't like some of the ideologies. He didn't like John Wayne very much and some of the sort of crusading element of the Western that you got in '50s and early '60s Westerns. So loved the visuals, didn't like the ideology very much. So he takes the concept of the Western and makes it much, much more cynical. I mean, the hero, for example, when people ask him - why are you doing this for us? - as someone actually asks in "A Fistful Of Dollars," the first of his Westerns, why are you doing this for us? Instead of saying, you know, because a man's got to do what a man's got to do, or there's some things a man can't just ride around, things like that, he says $500? He works strictly for ready cash, so he has a very streetwise, 1960s cash-only attitude to life, and this was a very different kind of hero to the old-fashioned crusading hero.

And I think that the modern movie action hero begins with the Clint Eastwood character in "A Fistful Of Dollars," where you identify with the hero not because of what he believes in anymore 'cause he doesn't actually believe in anything. You identify with him because of his style - you know, the way he wears his clothes, the way he walks, the personal style of the man. And that, of course, is the basis of identification of all modern action heroes, and I think it begins with Clint Eastwood in "A Fistful Of Dollars."

GROSS: Let's talk a little bit about the casting in those Westerns. His casting is so good. Of course, Clint Eastwood is the most famous character in his Westerns, the Man With No Name in the "Fistful Of Dollars" trilogy. Clint Eastwood was known as Rowdy Yates on "Rawhide," the TV cattle herding series. What did Leone see in Eastwood, you know, in the mid-1960s when he cast him?

FRAYLING: Well, it was partly because Clint Eastwood wasn't very expensive (laughter). He came for $15,000-16,000 in those days, and they had a very, very limited budget on "Fistful Of Dollars." But mainly, he wasn't the first choice, either, that Leone had in mind Henry Fonda, right at the - even at that early stage. He had in mind James Coburn and one or two other actors, but they all proved to be - and Charles Bronson - and they all proved to be either too expensive, or they didn't read the script. And it has to be said, the script, in its early stages, which was badly translated from the Italian, is a very peculiar read. We will go to the Hill of Boots, you know, that sort of thing.

FRAYLING: And so I'm not surprised that they turned it down. Then Sergio Leone watched an episode of "Rawhide" on 16mm in Rome, at an agency, and saw Clint Eastwood. And what he saw was this man who walks in this very cat-like, light way - that light Californian voice, the squint of his eyes. And the legend has it - I don't know if it's true or not - that Leone started coloring in the picture with some stubble and some rough clothes, a sheepskin waistcoat, a dirty denim shirt. Roughed him up a bit, made a lot of makeup. There's a lot of makeup in these films. There's a surprising amount, by today's standards, to make him look much more dark and sunburned. He wanted a sort of rougher character. And, of course, the cheroot, the cigar, 'cause in the 1960s, the cheroot was sort of masculine and hard and a controlled person.

So he roughed Clint Eastwood up a bit, and together, they discussed the part. I think that Clint Eastwood is probably the only actor in history who's actually fought hard for less lines (laughter), that he read the script and thought he was saying much too much. It was much too talky. And he had these long speeches of motivation and everything, and Clint Eastwood just put a line through them and said, look - you can say this in one line.


Special Birthdays

 Willy Schultes (actor) would have been 105 today but died in 2005.









Luis de Pablo (composer) would have been 95 today but died in 2021.



Monday, January 27, 2025

Little Known Western Actors ~ Enzo Cerusico

[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.]

Enzo Cerusico was born in Rome on October 22, 1937. He was the son of a production manager, and started his career as a child actor in 1948, playing a role of some importance in Alessandro Blasetti's “Heart and Soul”. Cerusico's family had hoped he would follow tradition and become a physician. But during his teen years, Cerusico realized he wouldn't be a good doctor and decided he "didn't want to be one among many, as just mediocre."

He then studied acting first at the Accademia Sharoff and later with Alessandro Fersen, and had his breakout on stage in the 1960s, playing the title role in “Meo Patacca”. He then began his film and television where he appeared in around 80 films and TV appearances from 1948–1992

Enzo appeared in only one Spaghetti western as Joaquin, Zorro’s mute assistant, in 1975’s “Zorro” starring Alain Delon.

CERUSICO, Enzo (aka Henry Cerdan, E. Cerusico) [10/22/1937, Rome, Lazio, Italy – 7/1/1991, Rome, Lazio, Italy (cancer)] – writer, film, TV actor, son of production manager, actor Fernando Cerusico, married to Tiziana CasettiJune (1974-1991).

Zorro – 1975 (Joaquin)

Spaghetti western locations Then and Now – “Navajo Joe”

The Indian burial ground seen at the end of “Navajo Joe” (1966) was filmed in the outskirts of Guadix, Granada Spain. Still unused property it looks much the same today.

The same location as seen in 2023.



European Western Comic Books – Capitan Audax

 








Captain Audax

The is western adventure series was about the young Redcoat Dan Larson called Audax (a tribute to the famous King of Royal Mounted by Grey and Dean) written by Luciano Secchi (Esselle) with drawings by Sergio Montipò and Birago Balzano (#s13/17). Covers by Enzo Carretti (E. Car). In the center of the album Red Ryder by Fred Herman. Enzo Ferraro signs the column “Comics-Gazete” and Raffaele Cormio “How a comic is born”. The continuation of the series was announced in “Almanacco dell’Ardimentoso”, which was never published.

The comic book was published beginning in August 1963 and ended with issue #17 in December 1964. It was published by ECG in Milan, Italy under the directior of Luciano Secchi. Each issue contained 48 black & white pages with color covers.

 

Titles

01 (00.08.63) - "Le Giubbe Rosse" (The Redcoats)

02 (00.09.63) - "Il marchio del pistolero" (The Mark of the Gunslinger)

03 (00.10.63) - "Un losco affare" (A Shady Deal)

04 (00.11.63) - "Il passato che ritorna" (The Past That Returns)

05 (00.12.63) - "Il giorno della vendetta" (The Day of Vengeance)

06 (00.01.64) - "Duello sotto la tempesta" (Duel in the Storm)

07 (00.02.64) - "Le sorelle del Diavolo" (The Devil’s Sisters)

08 (00.03.64) - "Furore" (The Grapes of Wrath)

09 (00.04.64) - "Missione tragica" (Tragic Mission)

10 (00.05.64) - "L'evaso" (The Escapee)

11 (00.06.64) - "Il giocatore" (The Gambler)

12 (00.07.64) - "I tre Bill" (The Three Bills)

13 (00.08.64) - "La maschera di cera" (House of Wax)

14 (00.09.64) - "L'inafferrabile" (The Elusive)

15 (00.10.64) - "Forte Apache" (Fort Apache)

16 (00.11.64) - "Il rinnegato" (The Renegade)

17 (00.12.64) - "Il mercato di schiavi"(The Slave Market)

Special Birthdays

Diego Jiménez Flores (actor) is 65 today.



Sunday, January 26, 2025

From the WAI! vault

 


Little Known Western Actors ~ Pedro Casablanc

[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.]

Pedro Manuel Ortiz Domínguez was born in Casablanca, Morocco on April 17, 1963. He earned a licentiate degree in Fine Arts from the University of Seville.[5] He trained his acting chops at the Centro Andaluz de Teatro (CAT), later moving to the Teatro de la Abadía in Madrid. He’s appeared in 170 films and TV appearances since 1990. He’s also directed two short films for which he also wrote the screenplays “Burbuja” in 2009 and “Sacrilegio” in 2023.

Pedro’s appeared in two Spaghetti westerns “…Y la muerte lo seguía” (And Death Followed Him) in 2011 as Borracho and as a saloon patron 2016’s “Six Bullets to Hell

CASABLANC, Pedro (Pedro Manuel Ortiz Domínguez) [4/17/1963, Casablanca, Morocco -     ] – director, writer, theater, film, TV actor, married to film, TV, voice actress Sara Illán.

And Death Followed Him – 2011 (Borracho)

Six Bullets to Hell – 2016 (saloon patron)

The Cortijo del Fraile, closer to its rehabilitation

 

Awarded 135,000 euros for a joint venture for the design of the plan for its rehabilitation and use

La Voz de Almeria

January 22, 2025

The Provincial Council of Almeria has awarded the contract for the drafting of the master plan that will set the guidelines for rehabilitating and giving cultural and tourist use to the Cortijo del Fraile, the Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC) located in the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park linked to an extensive artistic and audiovisual production with special prominence in the works 'Blood Wedding', by Federico García Lorca and 'Puñal de claveles', by Carmen de Burgos, and the setting for films such as 'Death had a price', 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' in cinema 'I am the revolution' and the series 'Paco's Men'.

The design of the plan for this property, acquired by the institution in 2022, will be carried out by the joint venture formed by 3XC Arquitectos, Carlos Corredera Arqués and Natán Quesada Sánchez, which has been awarded the contract for 130,514.23 euros in accordance with the agreement adopted by the local government board consulted by Europa Press.

The Provincial Heritage Commission already authorized in May 2023 the new uses proposed for this property and its surroundings, which covers a total area of 305,376 square meters including the delimitation of the BIC with the typology of Historic Site as well as the surrounding agricultural space.

In this context, the master plan proposed by the successful bidder --which will have a period of one year to submit the document-- will have to detail a proposal for rehabilitation, protection and adaptation, as well as an approach to zoning and uses of the property and the environment; analysis of financial sustainability and proposals for management modalities of the site.

Three phases

The master plan will therefore be deployed in three phases: a first of analysis and diagnosis with an advance of intervention criteria; a second of social participation and a final one with a model of intervention, rehabilitation and adaptation of the property and the environment, as well as a management system. In the case of the participation phase, the successful bidder will seek the "involvement of all those sectors that could be of interest" or that contribute "to a greater degree of interaction".

The roadmap will identify and define the investments to be made on the various heritage elements and all the interventions in the infrastructures associated with their enhancement, specifying not only the proposals or management modalities, but also the relevant administrative, legal, economic-financial, institutional and social procedures and procedures.

The UTE must present to the Provincial Council, in addition to the master plan itself, a summary document "very visual and synthetic" for public exhibition as well as a "360 tour" that, in video format, shows a flight simulation and tour of the entire area of action with the proposed result.

Currently, the Cortijo del Fraile has a "partial and very limited" use as storage in the corrals that are on the main façade and "totally abandoned in the housing area and the rest of the complex".

"Its poor state of conservation and total abandonment do not enable the possibility of any use. The surrounding landscape, belonging to the estate, has been modified in order to form irrigated plots that are part of a large agricultural exploitation," the document details.


Spaghetti Western Locations for “The Forgotten Pistolero”

We continue our search for locations for “The Forgotten Pistolero”. Ignacio enters the store where Isabella is busy dusting the goods and asks him what he is going to do? He tells Isabella he would like to move away and maybe find peace somewhere else. She tells him as long as the murderer of her father is there she cannot leave.

This scene was filmed at a soundstage in Rome.

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

Bernhard Minetti (actor) would have been 120 today but died in 1998.









Cris Huerta (actor) would have been 90 today but died in 2004.









Nando De Luca (singer) is 85 today.


 

Saturday, January 25, 2025

Spaghetti Western Podcast Season 9, Episode 3 #143

 

Please join me today for another episode of The Spaghetti Western Podcast We’ll cover in our ongoing series of the History of the Spaghetti Western the 1965 film “$100,000 for Ringo” starring Richard Harrison. Then we’ll discover who Alfred Thomas was and Whatever Happened to Spaghetti western leading man Mike Marshall. The Film of the Week is “The Return of Ringo” starring Giuliano Gemma and we’ll discuss its various 45, LP and CD releases along with the singers Bobby Solo and Maurizio Graf. We’ll have a book of the week, some posters and an autograph to show. So please join me at high noon today PST as we kick off another interesting season of podcasts.

From the WAI! vault