Friday, May 30, 2025
Little Known Western actors ~ Rosario Gómez Cortes
[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.]
Rosario Gómez Cortes was most likely a local villager hired as an extra.
I can find no biographical information on him.
CORTES, Rosario Gómez [Spanish] film actress.
Sabata – 1969 (villager)
New Italian Book “Il Cinema di Ronolo Guerrieri”
Il Cinema di Ronolo Guerrieri
By Giuseppe Costigliola
Country: Italy
Publisher: La Cineteca di Caino
Language: English
Pages: 708
ISBN-13 979-1256860289
Available: February 28, 2025
This book is more than a biography: it’s a journey into
the cinema of a memorable season of history, in the past of all of us. There is
a flow of prestigious names and forgotten figures but no less noble, in a
pertinacious search for relationships, references, connections between those
who in various ways have composed the evocative fresco of our cinematography.
In the first of the two volumes that make up the work we analyze the years of
the director's training, a starting point for a journey into the adventurous
and imaginative world of genre film, an opportunity to remember characters,
retrace events, narrate anecdotes of an unforgettable season of Italian art and
culture.
Cannes, Heads or tails? by Rigo de Righi and Zoppis in Un Certain Regard
Spettacoli
April 10, 2025
"Testa o croce?" (Heads or Tails) by Alessio Rigo de Righi and Matteo Zoppis will be presented in the official selection of the Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section. The cast of the film includes Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Alessandro Borghi and John C. Reilly, Peter Lanzani, Mirko Artuso, Gabriele Silli, with the participation of Gianni Garko. At the beginning of the 20th century, Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show arrived in Rome to sell the myth of the frontier to Italians, with blank rifles and cowboy shows. Here, in the setting of a taming competition that has become a legend between Italian cowboys and cowboys, Rosa, the young wife of the local squire, falls in love with Santino, the cowboy who wins the challenge.
Following the murder of her husband, Rosa and Santino
flee together, but justice, as always, is sold to the highest bidder and a
large bounty is placed on Santino's head. With Buffalo Bill on their trail,
Rosa dreams of America, the real one, not the one of advertising posters with
bison, but her dream will have to deal with reality. Because, as in any
self-respecting western ballad, fate flips the coin. And often, the truth
remains buried underground. Alessio Rigo de Righi and Matteo Zoppis (born in 1986)
are two Italian-American directors. Their collaboration began with the short
documentary "Black Beast" and the award-winning documentary "Il
Solengo". Their first fiction feature film, "King Crab"
premiered at the Directors' Fortnight in Cannes 2021. Their work focuses on
tales and legends of the peasant tradition and on the incomplete and imperfect
mechanism of the oral tradition that ends up giving rise to new stories.
Special Birthdays
Günter Rätz [director, writer, animator] would have been 90 today but died in 2024.
Edoardo Torricella (actor) is 90 today.
Thursday, May 29, 2025
Little Known Western actors ~ Rafael Cortés
[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.]
Rafael Cortés was a Spanish character actor. Looking at his filmography he was most likely born sometime in the decade of 1910. He had a long career in films beginning in 1941’s “Porque te vi llorar” as a policeman until his final appearance as a casino patron in the Spanish TV series ‘La máscara negra’ in 1982. In all, Rafael in his forty-year career, appeared in around 250 films.
Among them were 24 Spaghetti westerns: “Due contro tutti” (The Terrible Sheriff) as a cockfight observer, “ Il segno di Zorro” (The Sign of Zoro) as a soldier, both in 1962 “Los pistoleros de Casa Grande” (Gunfighters of Casa Grande) as a rancher, “Il segno di Coyote” (Sign of the Coyote) as a soldier both in 1963, “Minnesota Clay” as a wounded soldier, “Le pistole non discutono” (Bullets Don’t Argue) as Coogan, “El secreto del captain O’Hara” (The Secret of Captain O’Hara) as Chief Running Deer, “Camino del sur” (Seven from Texas) as a hoedown attendee), “El hijo de Jesse James” (The Son of Jesse James) as a landowner), “I gemelli del Texas” (Twins from Texas) as a gambler all in 1964, “Per mille dollari al Giorno” (Renegade Gunfighter) as a disgruntled farmer in 1965, “Dove si spara di piu” (The Fury of Johnny Kid) as a drunk in the saloon, “Ringo e Gringo contro tutti” (Rebels on the Loose) as a military officed at the dinner party, “Dos pistolas gemelas” (Vengeance Ranch) as a saloon patron) all in 1966, “Custer of the West” a man in the crowd as the train station, “Dio non paga il sabato” (Kill the Wicked) as a townsman both in 1967, “Tierra Brava” as the cantina bartender, “Comanche blanco” (White Comanche) as a saloon patron, “Una pistol per cento bare” (A Pistol for 100 Coffins) all in 1968 as a quarry prisoner, “La marca de Cain” (The Desperados!) as a townsman, “Bruciatelo vivo!” (Land Raiders) both in 1969, “Whiskey e fantasmi” (Whisky and Ghosts) as a roulette player in 1974, “Zorro” as a villager in 1975 and in “Potato Fritz” (Montana Trap) as an immigrant in 1976.
CORTES, Rafael (Rafael Cortés) [Spanish]
– film, voice actor.
The Terrible Sheriff – 1962 (cockfight observer)
The Sign of Zorro – 1962 (Mexican peon)
Gunfighters of Casa Grande – 1963 (rancher)
Sign of the Coyote – 1963 (soldier)
Minnesota Clay – 1964 (wounded soldier)
Bullets Don’t Argue – 1964 (Coogan)
The Secret of Captain O’Hara – 1964 (Chief Running Deer)
Seven from Texas – 1964 (hoedown attendee)
The Son of Jesse James – 1964 (landowner)
The Twins from Texas – 1964 (gambler)
Renegade Gunfighter - 1965 (disgruntled farmer)
The Fury of Johnny Kid – 1966 (drunk in saloon)
Rebels on the Loose – 1966 (officer at dinner party)
Vengeance Ranch – 1966 (saloon patron)
Custer of the West – 1967 (man in crowd at train station)
Kill the Wickeds - 1967 (townsman)
Tierra Brava – 1968 (cantina bartender)
White Comanche – 1968 (saloon patron)
A Pistol for 100 Coffins – 1968 (quarry prisoner)
The Desperados! – 1969 (townsman)
Land Raiders – 1969 (townsman)
Whisky and Ghosts – 1974 (roulette player)
Zorro – 1975 (villager)
Montana Trap – 1976 (immigrant)
New CD reissue “North Star”
North Star
Composer: John Scott
(1996)
Director:
Starring: James Caan,
Country: England
Label: JOS Records
#JOS120
Tracks: 20
Listening time: 1 hour, 7 seconds
Available: now
Track listing
1. North star main theme (2:36)
2. The miners association (3:22)
3. McLennons saloon tune (1:26)
4. The sacred cave (3:48)
5. Chase from the sacred cave (2:28)
6. Indians Lament (1:33)
7. The claims office (1:57)
8. McLennons piano (0:56)
9. Escape with Sarah (2:01)
10. Blizzard chase (Pursuit) (3:58)
11. With the Indians (3:29)
12. The cabin (4:34)
13. McLennons posse wants blood (1:54)
14. Burn out (5:07)
15. Rock maze hunt (5:37)
16. Massacre of sheriffs posse (2:49)
17. Death in sacred cave (3:27)
18. Arreste of McLennon (1:43)
19. Gold on the beach (3:21)
20. North star end credits (4:01)
These secret pieces from spaghetti westerns have been found: here's how to listen to them
Jeymes Samuel has dug into the archives of CAM Sugar, the world's largest catalog of Italian film soundtracks.
Esquire
By Giuseppe Giordano
5/19/2025
The director, composer and music producer Jeymes Samuel (also known as The Bullitts), a great fan of the western world since he was a child, has dug into the archives of CAM Sugar, the world's largest catalog of Italian film soundtracks, to bring to light rare, unreleased and often forgotten songs, which he has collected in the Spaghetti Western Collection (CAM Sugar/UMe), which will be released on June 20th. It is already possible to pre-order it.
"The result - reads a press release - is a compilation that combines the dusty drama of the Italian Far West with the musical richness of jazz, soul, funk and psychedelic rock. From a musical point of view, the collection highlights the unique sound of the soundtracks of Italian westerns, which have been able to blend with genius the most iconic elements of the rebellious and experimental music of the 1960s".
The original soundtracks are taken from legendary Italian western films made between 1963 and 1972, a golden age of Italian genre cinema.
Below you can find the list of tracks contained in the Jeymes Samuels' Spaghetti Western Collection.
The list of songs from the Italian Far West
SIDE A
A1 - Ennio Morricone – Sonny
A2 – Piero Umiliani – They Call Him Django
A3 – Daniele Patucchi - He killed him like a dog... but he**
laughed again – M14 (Tensivo Suspense)
A4 – Gianni Ferrio – That Man
A5 – Ennio Morricone – A Gringo Like Me
SIDE B
B1 – Nico Fidenco – The Yankee Fellow*
B2 – Alessandro Alessandroni – Gray Skies**
B3 – Nino Oliviero – Cuando se muere el sol*
B4 – Michele Lacerenza - Concert for a killer
B5 – Francesco De Masi - Find A Man
B6 – Francesco De Masi - Arizona Colt
SIDE C
C1 – Caterina Caselli – The path of all hope
C2 – Nico Fidenco - Clayton
C3 – Gianni Ferrio - Give Me Back
C4 – Angelo Francesco Lavagnino - Vendetta per vendetta**
C5 – Carlo Rustichelli - I Must Go
SIDE D
D1 – Gianni Ferrio – He was a Cowboy
D2 – Marcello Giombini - Ballad for a gunslinger
D3 – Carlo Savina - Hey Amigo You're Dead
D4 – Francesco De Masi - Jerry Theme
7'' DELUXE
SIDE A – The Light
SIDE B – The Light (Instrumental)
10'' DELUXE
SIDE A – Unbroken
SIDE B – Unbroken (Instrumental)
Not previously released on vinyl**
Not published in digital format *
The collection will be available in digital format, CD,
2LP vinyl and in a prestigious deluxe edition: a box set that includes an
exclusive booklet edited by Samuel himself, with original storyboards,
interviews and official collectible artwork.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
Little Known Western actors ~ Ramón Cortés
[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.]
Ramon is/was a Spanish character actor. He has two film credits at the IMDb both were Spaghetti westerns: “Tumba para un forajido” (Tomb for an Outlaw) in 1965 and “Legge della violenza – tutti o nessuno” (The Law of Violence) in 1969.
Other than that I have no biographical information on him.
CORTES, Ramón (Ramón Cortés) [Spanish] –
film actor.
Tomb for an Outlaw - 1965
The Law of Violence – 1969
Voices of the Spaghetti Western “Kitosh, the Man Who from the North”
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 “Kitosh, the Man from the North”
[(I) Italian, (S) Spanish, (G) German, (F) French, (E) English]
David/Kitosch – George Hilton (S) Simón Ramírez, (G) Michael Chevalier
Eva/Ada – Krista Nell (S) Mari Ángeles Herranz, (G) ?
Major Zachary Baker – Piero Lulli (S) Ángel María Baltanás, (G) Christian Rode
Tonnerre – Ricardo Palacios (S) José María Cordero, (G) ?
José/Joseph Donnell/McCoy/‘Renegade’ – Gustavo Rojo
(S) Carlos Revilla, (G) Karlheinz Brunnemann
Who Are Those Guys? Fred Evans
Frederick William Evans was born in Lambeth, London, England on February 20, 1889. Fred was a British music hall and silent film comedian, who became famous around the time of the First World War for portraying his character Pimple known in the U.S.A. as Flivver in more than 200 short movies. He was described as "second only in popularity to Charlie Chaplin in Britain at the height of his career," and as displaying "a proto-Pythonesque humor of the absurd." Critic Barry Anthony wrote that "in many ways the topical skits of Pimple have more in common with The Crazy Gang, Benny Hill, the Goons, Monty Python or topical sketch shows like French and Saunders and The Fast Show than with the classic Hollywood silent comedies."
Evans was born into a family of music hall and circus performers. His grandfather, also named Fred Evans, was a popular clown who staged harlequinades; his uncle Will Evans was a leading music hall comedian; and his parents were members of several touring musical troupes. He was a childhood friend of Charlie Chaplin. As a child he performed with his brother Joe as part of his parents' pantomime act, the Florador Quartet. Fred and Joe then worked together and individually in music halls, and for Sanger's Circus, before joining filmmakers Cricks and Martin in 1910. Evans' early screen appearances were as Charley Smiler, a disaster-prone 'dude' character dressed in a frock coat, waistcoat and spats.
In 1912, Fred and Joe Evans began working at the Ec-Ko studios in Teddington, and set up their own production company, Folly Films. Unable to use the Charley Smiler character because of legal threats from Cricks and Martin, Evans devised a new character, Pimple, an accident-prone clown with a tight jacket, baggy pants, big boots, cricket cap, and lank strands of hair around a central parting. The films were scripted by Joe Evans. The films were extremely successful in Britain, and by 1915 the Evans brothers produced some six titles each month, most of which are now lost. Evans promoted the films by travelling around the country to present them, sometimes also performing a live act as part of a mixed program. He also toured as part of an Army campaign to promote and raise funds for servicemen fighting the war, but in 1916 received a medical discharge from the forces. He continued to make films, but his popularity declined. He returned to performing in the music halls, and had his performances filmed, but was declared bankrupt in 1920. His last films were made in 1922.
Fred Evans died in St. Germans, Cornwall, England, U.K. from a heart attack on August 31, 1951.
EVANS, Fred (Frederick
William Evans) [2/20/1889,
Lambeth, London, England, U.K. – 8/31/1951, St. Germans, Cornwall, England,
U.K. (heart attack)] – producer, director, writer, puppeteer, circus performer,
actor, grandson of clown Frederick William Evans [1842-1909], nephew of
director, writer, actor Will Evans (William
Edward Evans) [1873–1931], singer May Evans [1874-1911], son of clown Fred Evans
[1864-1952], theater actress Beatttie Evans [1868-1964], brother of director,
writer, actor Joe Evans (Joseph
Evans) [1891-1967], singer May Evans
[1874-1911], half-brother actor Frank Evans, father of Josey Lilian Evans
[1911- ], make-up artist Betty May
Evans [1913-2002], Peggy Adelaide Evans [1915-2005], with Lilly Poole
[1881-1951], married to dancer DaisyVictoria Styles [1907- ] (1923-1936) father of four children
[1924-1930], married to Virgina Gladys Brooker [1915- ] (1938- father of three children ? [1939-
], ? [1940- ], ? 1941 ], co-founded Folly
Films [1912].
Cowboy Mad – 1912
(Charlie Smiler)
The Adventures of
Pimple: The Indian Massacre – 1913 (Pimple/Flivver)
Big Chief Little
Pimple – 1914 (Pimple/Flivver)
Broncho Pimple –
1914 (Pimple/Flivver)
Lieutenant Pimple
Goes to Mexico – 1914 (Lieutenant Pimple/Flivver)
The Passing of Black
Pete – 1914
Ragtime Cowboy Pimple – 1915 (Pimple)
Special Birthdays
Francisco Sánchez Muñoz (cinematographer) is 100
today (?).
Heinz Reincke (actor) would have been 100 today but
died in 2011.
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Little Known Western actors ~ Gonzalo Cortés
[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.]
Gonzalo Cortés was born in Málaga, Spain in 1997 and is a graduate in Dramatic Arts, Cortés stood out from an early age in various theater companies while pursuing his studies, with various plays such as "Clásicas invidious," "El pro Dell Hortelano," "Y vault a Granada...", etc. Cortés has several awards and national and international audiovisual projects under his belt, with films such as "Siempre es Otoño," "Der Jung Hauptling Winnetou", "Dos Lunas," "Tres Day's para la Guerra," and television series such as "That Dirty Black Bag", "Eva & Nicole", among others. Not to mention his short films such as "Un day caldera," "La Ultimo legroom," "XY," and medium-length films such as "Sacro," among his most notable. Cortés has received several awards throughout his career, including Best Actor in both the audiovisual and theatrical fields. Today he is involved in several audiovisual projects as well as touring theater productions.
Gonzalo has appeared in nine films and TV appearances so far in his career. He’s also the screenwriter for the 2024 film “Dos Lunas”.
Cortes has appeared in two Euro-westerns: “Der junge Hauptling Winnetou” (The Young Chief Winnetou) in 2020 as Ahiga and as a townsman in the 2021 TV series “Quella sporca sacca near” (That Dirty Black Bag) as a townsman.
CORTES, Gonzalo (Gonzalo
Cortés) [1997, Malaga, Malaga, Spain - ] – stage, film, TV actor.
The Young Chief Winnetou – 2020 (Ahiga)
That Dirty Black Bag (TV) – 2021 (townsman)
“Sette Dollari sul Rosso” Free showing
A FREE screening of the film "Seven Dollars on the Red" followed by a meeting with guests and friends, actresses, directors and producers during which we will talk about "Spaghetti westerns" and 35mm cinema.
A man has been looking for years for the bandit who killed his wife and kidnapped his son. One day he arrives in the town where the man sows terror: alongside the sheriff he manages to exterminate the gang and kill the enemy. His son, raised by the deceased, outlaw confronts him and dies. Italian/Spanish 1966, 95 minutes, in Italian without subtitles
FREE ADMISSION within the limit of available seats
Institut of France Centre Saint-Louis May 28, 8 p.m.
New German book release “Karl May auf der Bühne - Band IV”
Karl May auf der Bühne - Band IV
(Karl May on Stage - Volume IV)
Authors: Nicolas Finke, Reinhard Marheinecke
Country: Germany
Publisher: Karl-May-Verlag GmbH
Language: German
Pages: 400 pages, 532 photos
ISBN: 978-3-7802-0148-5
Available: May 27, 2025
In the fourth volume of "Karl May on Stage",
the authors Nicolas Finke and Reinhard Marheinecke review the Karl May stage
stories of the festivals in Mörschied, Pluwig or Pullman City (Lower Bavaria).
The authors also document numerous Karl May productions that have been
performed on international terrain since the first half of the 20th century –
whether in today's Holland, Hungary and Croatia, Switzerland, the Czech
Republic or the USA. Impressive and at least as exciting as Karl May's Wild West,
Balkan and Oriental stories were also those plays dedicated to the multifaceted
life story of the Saxon writer, from early productions in the 1930s to tours by
and with actors such as Ilja Richter and Dietmar Mues, who said in an
interview: "Karl May would have to be performed in a circus tent."
New Django miniature figurine
Travel with us to the heart of the Western. A wild space in a distant time where History merges with legend giving rise to the myths that literature, cinema, comics and miniatures have been responsible for immortalizing. Cowboys, gunslingers, vigilantes, Indians, trappers, gold prospectors and much more will face each other in our miniature Wild and Wild West.
Django
Collection: The
Wild & Wild West
Tribute to Sergio
Corbucci
Sculptor: Marco
Navas, the miniaturist
Material: High
quality resin
Measurements:
9.5cm high X 7.5cm wide
Edition: Limited and numbered to 100 copies
Tequila & Boom-Boom
Tequila & Boom-Boom
A 1995, Italian animated Cd Rom PC Windows game [Dynabyte
Director Alessandro Belli
Story: Paolo Costabel
Animation: Alessandro Barbucci, Paola Laterza, Vito Lo
Russo
Music: Marco Caprelli
Cast: Ted Rusoff (voice of 'Tequila' & ‘Black Hats), Leslie La Penna (voice of John Good) & Marvin Drake (voice of Jonthan Adams), Teo Bellia (It voice of Tequila), Neri Marcorè (it voice of Boom-Boom/Mr. Vyle /Pianist), Pino Ferrara (It voice of Jack) &Ambrogio Colombo (it voices of Mr. Mole /Mr. Smith /Barber /Slimey)
Take one look at any screenshot and you'd be forgiven for thinking it was a Don Bluth animated movie. The graphics are spectacular with lengthy cut-scenes. The animation is smooth, but they do repeat often. Perhaps as a budgetary constraint or as a means to reduce time sent in the translation, the dialogue scenes are animated in short cartoon loops. It can distract from the overall presentation, and it does draw attention to the unimaginative script and often bland voice acting, but I doubt many players will mind too much.
You begin as a lone bobcat named Tequila entering a small wild west town named Stinky Town, a once prosperous site that was betrayed by the false promise of gold in the nearby mountains. The first place you'll visit is the saloon occupied by a poker-playing gang. This is where shit will go down! Seriously, you've been playing the game for five minutes and you'll be the instigator of a deadly fight between two ne'er-do-well gamblers.
It transpires that Tequila is not a man of the law like his cowboy swagger may suggest, but an outlaw rogue. Thankfully he's the lovable kind. So lovable that the sheriff of this place is an old friend. If you're wondering who the Boom Boom of the title is, I can tell you it's not any dubious act he gets up to on the first floor of the saloon. Boom Boom is an old canine partner in crime who refuses to leave the stench of Stinky Town as he stubbornly believes that there's gold in them there hills.
There's not much of a story overall, just a collection of
gorgeous looking connected scenes. It plays well for it's intended target
audience of primary school children (5-11), but there's little more in this
respect for discerning adults. The puzzles are fairly simple too, with the only
real difficulty coming in the odd pixel hunts and unexpected QTE's. What kept
me playing was the stunning way it looks.
Submitted by Michael Ferguson
Special Birthdays
Mal Evans (actor) would have been 90 today but died in 1976.
Peter Sasdy (director) is 90 today.
Monday, May 26, 2025
Little Known Western actors ~ Enrique Cortés
[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.]
Enrique Cortés is/was a Spanish character actor with, according to the IMDb, two films to his credit; “La copla andaluza” in 1959 and his only Spaghetti western appearance in an uncredited role in “Tumba para un forajido” (Tomb for an Outlaw) in 1965.
I can find no biographical information on him.
CORTES, Enrique (Enrique Cortés)
[Spanish] – film actor.
Tomb for an Outlaw – 1965
New British 4K release of “For a Few Dollars More”
For a Few Dollars More
(1965)
Director: Sergio Leone
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria
Volonte
Country: England
Label: Arrow Video
2-Disc Limited Edition (4K UHD version)
Disc 1: 4K-UltraHD BluRay
Video: 4K
(2160p) Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible); New 4K restoration from the original
2-perf Techniscope negative
Languages:
English DTS-HD MA 5.1)
Subtitles:
English SDH
Extras: Audio
commentaries by Christopher Frayling and by Tim Lucas; original Italian credits
and intermission break (separate from main feature); Trailers, TV and radio
spots.
Running time: 132 minutes
Disc 2: Extras BluRay
New Extras:
"A Violent Tale of Vengeance" interview with Fabio Melelli; "No
One Shoots at the Colonel" interview with Mike Malloy; "Crafting the
West" interview with Carlo Simi's daughter Giuditta Simi; "Cuts and
Rhythm" interview with editor Eugenio Alabiso; "Western Strings"
interview with guitarist Bruno Battisti D’Amario; "Timeless Voice"
interview with singer Edda Dell’Orso; "For a Few Notes More"
interview with Morricone biographer Alessandro de Rosa; "For Ennio's
Dollar Score" visual essay on the film’s soundtrack by musician Lovely
Jon; Full-length 1h interview with Sergio Leone;
Archival
Extras: On Location in Almería and Granada featurette by Alex Cox; two
interviews with Christopher Frayling; "Back for More" interview with
Clint Eastwood; "Tre Voci" featurette; "Restoration Italian
Style" featurette on the film’s remastering for DVD; the original American
release version; location comparisons 1965–2004; alternate credits sequences;
image galleries.
Reversible
sleeve featuring original and new artwork by Tony Stella
Bound
collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film
Double-sided
fold-out poster featuring original / new artwork by Tony Stella
Available: May 26, 2025
Spaghetti Western locations Then and Now “For a Few Dollars More”
After Indio and his gang rob the bank in El Paso they ride off to a desert oasis and meet up with Manco. Indio tells the gang they will hideout in the village of Agua Caliente but he wants to make sure it is safe so he sends Manco in ahead of them to clear the path of anyone who might get in their way. Manco runs into three Mexican gunmen who challenge his presence. But he’s joined by Colonel Mortimer and the two show their prowess with pistols but shooting apples off a nearby tree that a young boy is trying to harvest. The three Mexicans quickly dissolve back to where they came from. Manco and the colonel go into a posada and are soon joined by Indio and the rest of the gang. While they enjoy a dink Wild, the hunchback, recognizes the colonel from their run-in at the saloon in El Paso. It results in a duel with the colonel shooting and killing Wild.
Although the exterior of the cantina was a building in Los
Albaricoques, the interior of the building used for this scene was at the foot
of the road off highway M-340A just before Oasys/Mini Hollywood.
The building as seen today that was used for the interior
scene shown above.
European Western Comic Books – Il cavaliere nord
Il cavaliere nord
This comic book series was published in 1955 with issue #1
rleased on April 19th and it ended with issue #18 released on August
16 of that year. It was published in Milan, Italy by M.Tomasina Tip. Edit.
(MTO) by chief editor Marino Tomasina. Texts were written by Antonio Chiomenti,
with drawings by Vincenzo Chiomenti. In issues #1/18, the comic strip Il
giustiziaziere is presented on the back cover, while the comic strip Difficile
impresa is on the last page. Both stories were written by V. Chiomenti. Each issue contained 32
black and white pages with color covers.
Titles
01 (19.04.55) - “Il messaggio” (The Message)
02 (26.04.55) - “L’assalto dei Kiowa” (The Kiowa Assault)
03 (03.05.55) - “Il lago ghiacciato” (The Frozen Lake)
04 (10.05.55) - “Lunga Piuma” (Long Feather)
05 (17.05.55) - “La fattoria in fiamme” (The Farm in Flames)
06 (24.05.55) - “Il generale delle Giubbe Rosse” (The
Redcoat General)
07 (31.05.55) - “Battaglia fra le rocce” (Battle in the
Rocks)
08 (07.06.55) - “Il figlio del Sakem” (The Son of Sakem)
09 (14.06.55) - “La valle della luna” (The Valley of the
Moon)
10 (21.06.55) - “I due rivali” (The Two Rivals)
11 (28.06.55) - “La belva” (The Beast)
12 (00.00.55) - “Lotta sulla neve” (Snow Fight)
13 (00.00.55) - “I tre banditi” (The Three Bandits)
14 (00.00.55) - “La grotta dell’oro” (The Cave of Gold)
15 (00.00.55) - “La bufera di neve” (The Blizzard)
16 (00.00.55) - “La spedizione scomparsa” (The Missing
Expedition)
17 (00.00.55) - “La trappola di ghiaccio” (The Ice Trap)
18 (16.08.55) - “Cervo Veloce” (Fast Deer)
Special Birthdays
James Kenyon (cinematographer) would have been 175 today but died in 1925.
Lesley Selander (director) would have been 125
today but died in 1979.
Sunday, May 25, 2025
Little Known Western actors ~ Max Cort
[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.]
Thanks for information from Abel Haro, Max Cort is an alias used by Juan Cortés who was a Spanish character actor who appeared in over 85 films and TV series from 1941 to 1974. I can find no biographical information on the man. He must have been born sometime in the early 1920s and by the quick termination of his career I’m guessing he died sometime in the mid-1970s. He was also billed as Clyde Ceryll a few times.
It amazes me how many of these actors who had either long careers or appeared in many films and some major titles are basically unknown entities. Cortés for example appeared in 19 Euro westerns with such hits as “Bullets Don’t Argue”, “A Fistful of Dollars”, “Adios Gringo”, “A Few Dollars for Django” and “For a Few Bullets More”. Although his roles may have been small his career was long.
We can add him to the long list of forgotten or ignored actors who made the genre what it was and now is forgotten.
For a complete list of Juan Cortes' westerns see my previous post on him on June 16, 2021.
CORTES, Juan (aka Clyde Ceryll, Max Cort, Juan Cortés, Juan Cortez) (Juan Cortés) [192?, Spain - ] – film, TV actor.
Veinte mil dolares un cadaver ($20,000 for Every Corpse) – 1969 (railroad representative)
RIDE AND KILL
Ride and Kill
Cavalca e uccidi (Ride and Kill) (Italian title),
Brandy (Spanish title)
El sheriff de Losatumba (Spanish title)
‘Brandy, The Sheriff of Losatumba’ (Spanish title)
El Sheriff de los Atumba (Spanish title)
En voor een whisky meer (For a Few Whisky More) (Belgium
title)
Et pour un whisky de plus (And For a Whisky More) (Belgium,
French title)
Cavalga E Mata (Brazilian title)
Ride and Kill (Canadian English title)
Pour un whisky de plus (For a Few Whisky More) (Canadian French
title)
Pour un Whisky de Plus (For One More Whiskey) (French
title)
Gesetz der Bravados (Law of Bravados) (German title)
Οι δολοφόνοι του Τέξας Oi dolofonoi tou Texas (The
Killers of Texas), Μπραντυ Ο Σερι8Φης (Brandy The Sheriff) (Greek title)
Jedz i zabijaj! (Polish title)
Ride and Kill (UK USA title)
A 1964 Italian, Spanish coproduction [PEA (Produzioni Europee Associate) [Alberto Grimaldi] (Rome), Copercine Cooperativa Cinematográfica & Fenix Films-Fénix Cooperativa Cinematográfica [Eduardo Manzanos] (Madrid)
Distributors PEA (04/30/64, Italy), Tolerius Films (09/09/64, Spain)
Producers: Alberto Grimaldi, Eduardo Manzanos &
Rafael Marina
Director J. L. Boraw / José Luis Borau; 2nd Unit D: Mario Caiano; Ass D: Juan J. Arambillet & Carlos Aured
Novel: El Sheriff de Losatumba (The Sheriff of Tombstone) by Jose Mallorqui
Figueroa (1958)
Screenplay: Joe Baker (José Luis Borau)
Ch: Edmund H. North, D.D. Beauchamp & Felix Jackson,
from “Destry” (1954)
Cinematography: Manuel Merino (Spanish) & Aldo Greci
(Italian) [Eastmancolor - Totalscope 2,35:1]; Camera Operator Javier Pérez; Assistant
Cameraman: José A. Martín; 2nd Unit Photography: Henry Stewart, Mario Sbrenna;
2nd Unit Cam Operator Ramón Sempere; 2nd Unit Photographic Assistant Francisco
Alcocer
Film Editor Mercedes Alonso (Spanish) & Daniele
Alabiso & Enzo Alabiso (Italian)
Music Riz Ortolani
Running time: 88m (US tv), 86m (Fr vhs), 82m (Sp), 70m (Ger vhs)
Cast:
Alex Nicol (Robert “Brandy”), Margaret Grayson / Maite Blasco [María Teresa Blasco Ranera] (Eva Delannoy), Antonio Casas [Antonio Casas Barros] (Sheriff Clymer), George Rigaud / Jorge Rigaud [Pedro Jorge Rigato Delissetche] (David “Beau” Pritchard), Luis Induni / Albert Lockwood? [Luis Radici Induni] (Steve Donnelly/Tunell), Robert Hundar [Claudio Undari] (Roy Moody), Lawrence Palmer / Renzo Palmer (Pastor Andrews), Natalia Silva (Alice Garrido/McCormick/McCornick), John Mac Douglas / Giuseppe Addobbati (Judge Stauffer), Pauline Baards / Paola Barbara (Mrs. Stauffer), Antonio Gradoli / Anthony Gradwell (Lustus Underhill, banker), José Canalejas (Chirilo, Moody’s lieutenant), Mark Johnson (Chico, sheriff’s assistant), Miguel del S. Castillo & Juan Lizárraga (Ranchers at meeting), Giovanni Petti /Giovanni Petrucci (Lewitt, city councilman), Héctor Quiroga (Murray, rancher), Alfonso Rojas (Hamlin, saloon owner), José Villasante (Patrick, rancher), Victor Rojas Bayo (Rancher spokesman at meeting), Alfonso de la Vega (Blond town spokesman at meeting), Elena Santonja (Mrs. Murray), Wilfredo Casado (Saloon bartender), Rafael Hernández (Council clerk), Pedro Fenollar (Saloon patron), Manuel Ayuso (Mayor), Francisco Braña (Wagon driver), Antonio Orengo (Rancher), Jorge del Moral, Rafael Bejarano (Cowboy #2), Antonio Zamora (Councilmen), Vicente Cárdenas.
[Ex: Compton Cameo [Tony Tenser & Michael Klinger] (06/65, UK), Austria-Filmverleih (06/03/65, Ger), (10/23/68, Fr), Rank Organization (69’s, Bel), Compton Group (70’s, Aus and NZ), France-Film [J.A. DeSèv & Georges Arpin] (Can-Fr, 73), Paramount TV (06/03/74, US and Can), Palace Video Productions (84, Greece), Videocine (89, FR, vhs), Budget Video, (90’s, US, vhs), BGV (90’s, Fr, vhs), SK Video Film [Josef Koschier] (90’s, GER, vhs), SWV-Something Weird Video [Mike Vraney] (2002, US, vhs), ESI (04/10/02, Fr, dvd), Pidax [Edgar Maurer & Timo Schröder] (08/18/23, Ger, dvd/bluray)]
Synopsis: 1880. Tombstone. Brandy, the town drunk, has been appointed by corrupt officials to replace the local sheriff, after he was killed by their hired gunman.
[Filmed at Golden City, Hoyo de Manzanares, Madrid,
Spain, in late 1963]
RIDE AND KILL was Spanish director/scripter José Luis Borau’s first feature following several shorts. It appears to have had two significant influences both American, that he borrowed from.
It was perhaps Borau rather than pulp writer Jose Mallorqui (EL COYOTE) who came with using several plot devices from William Marshall’s “Destry” (1954, Universal-International), aka ‘Honor y Venganza’ (Sp), which was Marshall’s own remake/sequel to “Destry Rides Again” (1939, US, Universal). In both “Destry” and RIDE AND KILL one of the lead characters is called ‘Brandy’, and the just murdered Sheriff is replaced by the Town drunk, as a joke. The new Sheriff then swears to give up drinking and sets to work cleaning up the town. This was Borau’s only western. Pity!
At some point
co-producer Eduardo Manzanos must have purchased the 1958 novel “The Sheriff of
Losatumba” (sic) by Jose Mallorqui and started things in motion. In May of
1963, Dave Diamond, of the Samuel Bischoff-Diamond Corporation (Hw), arrived in
Spain with a copy of a script entitled “Brandy”, by Gertrude Nare ‘George’ Fox
(1890-1967), and was looking for interested partners. He must have contacted
Manzanos and struck a deal. Due to the usual Italian and Spanish production
rules, Ms. Fox as a nonmember couldn't receive credit. It was her only known work. Or, perhaps
Diamond left empty-handed. Instead, he went home and produced Burt Topper’s
“The Strangler” (04/64, US, Allied Artists), with Victor Buono (BOOT HILL).
RIDE AND KILL was Alex Nicol’s ninth western, and the third in Europe, following SAVAGE GUNS (07/62) and GUNFIGHTERS OF CASA GRANDE (04/64). He had first arrived in Europe for the war movie “5 Branded Women” (1960). Nicol next was in the obscure BIRTH OF A GUNFIGHTER (10/64). Following that he returned to directing and turned-out episodes of “The Legend of Jesse James”, “Daniel Boone” (both 1966, US) and “Wild, Wild West” (1967-68, US), before starring in A*P*E aka Super Ape / 킹콩의 대역습 / King Kong eui daeyeokseup (US/South Korea, 07/76).
RIDE AND KILL was producer Alberto Grimaldi’s fifth western, made between SONS OF VENGEANCE (12/63) and THE MAN OF THE CURSED VALLEY (05/64).
American teen
actor Mark Johnson, who played the young ‘deputy’, was an army brat and grew up
in Madrid. He later returned to Hollywood and became a successful producer,
with such titles as Terence Hill’s “Don Camillo” (It/US, 1984), “The Natural”
(1985, US), “Galaxy Quest” (1999, US), “The Alamo” (2004, US), “The Chronicles
of Narnia” (2005-10, US) and the upcoming “The Magnificent Seven: The Series
(2025, US), amongst others.
By Michael Ferguson
Who Are Those Singers & Musicians? Teddy Reno
Ferruccio Merk Ricordi aka Teddy Reno was born in Trieste, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy on July 11, 1926. Reno made his debut on Radio Trieste during the Anglo-American administration of the city, launching the song "Eterno ritornello (Te vojo ben)". He later he was a singer for the orchestra of Teddy Foster, with whom he toured across Europe and North Africa. In 1948, he founded one of Italy's first record companies, CGD (i.e. Compagnia Generale del Disco), which he later sold to Ladislao Sugar, a publisher of Hungarian origin and future owner of the Sugar Group. He enjoyed a great degree of success as a singer in the 1950s. In the 1960s. He then focused his career on discovering and producing new talents, mainly through the Festival degli sconosciuti (Festival of the Unknowns) which he created in 1961. Some of Reno's discoveries at the Festival include The Rokes, Dino and Rita Pavone, whom he married in 1968. He’s the father of father of singer-songwriter George Merk (Giorgio Merk Ricordi).
Reno was also active as a film and stage actor and a television and radio presenter
Reno sings “Rita sei tutti noi” with Rita Pavone in her 1967 Spaghetti western musical film “Little Rita of the West”.
RENO, Teddy (Ferruccio Merk Ricordi)
[7/11/1926, Trieste, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy - ] – singer, songwriter, actor, married to
Vania Protti (19??-19??) father of Franco Ricordi, married to Rita Pavone
(1968- ) father of Alessandro Merk
Ricordi [1969- ], Giorgio Merk
Ricordi.
Litte Rita of the West – 1967 [sings: “Rita sei tutti
noi” (co)]
Saturday, May 24, 2025
RIP Éric Legrand
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