Little Known Spaghetti Western actors ~ Carlos Deschamps

[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.]

Carlos Deschamps is/was a character actor of possible Spanish origin. He only appeared in one film that I can find reference to and there is no biographical information available on him.

Carlos Deschamps only film appearance where he’s credited as Jackson in the 1964 Spaghetti western “Der letzte Mohikaner” (The Last Tomahawk) as Jackson in 1964. I watched the film again recently and heard no one called Jackson.

DESCHAMPS, Carlos – film actor.

The Last Tomahawk – 1964 (Jackson)

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ James Campbell

James Campbell is a writer/director based in the Northeast of England. He graduated from the Northern School of Art in June 2015. His works includes “Ripper” (2016), “Please Don't Die” (2018), “Tiger Man” (2020), “1986” (2021), and the western-horror feature “The Moonshine Gang of Cheyenne” (2022) starring Steven Ogg, Pollyanna McIntosh, and Richard Brake.

Campbell has directed two Euro-westerns: “The Moonshine Gang of Cheyenne” in 2018 and “Bushwhacker Blues” in 2022.

CAMPBELL, James [British] – producer, director, writer.

The Moonshine Gang of Cheyenne - 2018

Bushwhacker Blues – 2022

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Alain Baudry

Alain Baudry is/was a French assistant director, writer and actor who was an assistant director on the 1971 television film “Vipère au poing”, appeared as an actor as an assistant director on the 1969 TV movie ‘Agathe ou Les Mains vides’ and co-wrote the screenplay for one film which was  the Euro-western  “Uncas, el fin de una raza” (Fall of the Mohicans) with Vinicio Marinucci and José Luis Martínez in 1965.

I can find no biographical information on him online or in print.

BAUDRY, Alain [French] – assistant director, writer, actor.

Fall of the Mohicans – 1965 (co)

 

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Luigi Ciccarese

Luigi Ciccarese was born in Rome, Italy in 1952. He’s worked as a cinematographer on ninety-six films 1972 and 2010. He was a cameraman nine films between 1972 and 1991 and the executive producer on the 1993 film “Dangerous Attraction”. He’s best known as the director of photography on “Terminator II” in 1989 and “First Action Hero” in 1994.

He has been director of photography for numerous Italian directors, including Roberto Mauri, Mario Bianchi, Lorenzo Gicca Palli, Luigi Petrini, Mario Siciliano and Massimo Pirri. He has also collaborated on some films directed by Umberto Lenzi, Lucio Fulci and Claudio Fragasso. The directors to whom he was most attached are Bruno Mattei and Ninì Grassia.

In some films Ciccarese has been credited as Luis Chickers, Louis C.K. Rees or even Louis Smith.

Luigi Ciccarese was a cinematographer on five Spaghetti westerns: “Un animale chiamato uomo” (An Animal Called Man) and “Bada alla tua pelle Spirito Santo! – 1972” (Return of the Holy Ghost) both in 1972, “Corte marziale” (Court Martial) in 1973, “Scalps” with Julio Burgos in 1986 and “L’Apache Bianco” with Julio Burgos in 1987.

CICCARESE, Luigi (aka Luigi Ceccarese Gigi Ciccarese, Luis Chickers, Louis C.K. Rees, Louis Smith) [1952, Rome, Lazio, Italy -     ] – producer, cinematographer, cameraman.

An Animal Called Man – 1972

Return of the Holy Ghost – 1972

Court Martial - 1973

Scalps – 1986 (co)

White Apache – 1987 (co)

CSC – Cineteca Nazionale and MAXXI – National Museum of XXI Century Arts present the film festival "Genres, yesterday and today"

 

CSC

February 19, 2026

Scheduled at the MAXXI Auditorium from February 28, with free admission.

After the excellent response recorded by the review "The great restored Italian cinema", the CSC - Cineteca Nazionale and the MAXXI - National Museum of XXI Century Arts are once again collaborating together for a new review dedicated to genre cinema of yesterday and today, in a happy and fertile comparison.

The curator of the festival, the historian and film critic Fabio Melelli, explains: "Genres have always been the backbone of national cinema, today they are more alive than ever, sometimes declined in a different way from the past, but always present on Italian screens, whether small or large. The review intends to examine some of the most significant works of Italian film production, of yesterday and today, in which the classic genres find an absolutely peculiar and authorial location. A review that takes its cue from the Po Valley Gothic by Pupi Avati, represented by one of his most recent titles, 'Il signor Diavolo', an authentic summa of the Bolognese master's work, ideally compared with the masterpiece of the seventies thriller, 'Deep Red' by Dario Argento, then passing through the classic noir by Fernando Di Leo, 'Milano Calibro 9', also celebrated for his extraordinary soundtrack, in a rock-progressive theme, by Osanna and the contemporary neo-noir 'Dogman' by Matteo Garrone. Without forgetting the great season of the Italian western, evoked with two of his most famous and beloved films, an unattainable model for legions of filmmakers, the elegiac and fairytale 'Once upon a time in the west' by Sergio Leone and the visionary and surreal 'Django' by Sergio Corbucci».

The President of the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia Gabriella Buontempo said: "This exhibition is part of the fruitful collaboration between the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and MAXXI – National Museum of XXI Century Arts. The films proposed by the Cineteca Nazionale find new life and an audience of enthusiasts for a cycle of screenings that relaunch the great Italian cinema as an opportunity for meeting and debate, renewing the ritual of Sunday screening for the whole family and creating new habits for the new generations. Great authors and popular films, as in the great tradition of our cinema».

SUNDAY 8 MARCH

at 16:30 Once Upon a Time in the West by Sergio Leone (1968)

Introduced by Fabio Melelli

A lone gunslinger, Harmonica, arrives in Flagstone to meet Frank, but only finds his henchmen trying to kill him. In the meantime, Frank and his other gunslingers exterminate the entire McBain family at Sweetwater: they are hitmen of the railroad magnate Morton who wants to take possession of that land, destined to become the nerve center of the new railway route. To mess up his plans, however, comes Jill, a former prostitute from New Orleans, whom Brett McBain married and who is therefore now the owner of the land.

Once the courtly rules of the genre have been subverted in the dollar trilogy, Leone tries to immerse himself in the classic atmosphere of the western by keeping the figure of the infallible and solitary gunslinger (Harmonica) steady, but opening the story to the legendary spaces of Monument Valley and taking inspiration from one of the main themes of the conquest of the West, the advance of civilization along the railroad tracks. With Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale and Henry Fonda. Music by Ennio Morricone. From a story by Leone, Dario Argento and Bernardo Bertolucci.

SUNDAY 29 MARCH

at 16:30 Django by Sergio Corbucci (1966, 92')

Introduced by Fabio Melelli

Border between the United States and Mexico: in a remote village, devastated by the clashes between a racist sect commanded by Major Jackson and the revolutionaries led by General Rodríguez, Django arrives, a war veteran seeking revenge for the murder of his wife. After getting the better of Jackson's men and winning the trust of the revolutionaries, Django is betrayed. Seriously injured, the man decides to face his nemesis once and for all... A true cult movie of the spaghetti western genre, Django has given rise to an endless saga, with often apocryphal titles. In the central role we find Franco Nero: thanks to this film the Italian actor has achieved enormous popularity even on the international territory. Recently honored by Tarantino in his "Django Unchained".

All appointments are free admission subject to availability.

https://www.fondazionecsc.it/csc-cineteca-nazionale-e-maxxi-museo-nazionale-delle-arti-del-xxi-secolo-presentano-la-rassegna-cinematografica-i-generi-ieri-e-oggi/?fbclid=IwY2xjawQItFNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe6xz4WJNNlRD_99owq4nRWu4PyzrcVZYAVlh3n9MkyLTcv5XvG2pi53va_Iw_aem_uyJdgMcwmFUo3LbBNKvW-w

Voices of the Spaghetti Western – “May God Forgive You... But I Won't”

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.

Today we’ll cover “May God Forgive You... But I Won't”

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

Cjamango McDonald – George Ardisson (I) Sergio Graziani, (G) Gert Günther Hoffmann

Dick Smart - Anthony Ghidra (I) Alessandro Sperlì, (G) Friedrich W. Bauschulte

Virginia Stuart - Cristina Iosani (I) Fiorella Betti, (G) Renate Küster

Garcia Ramirez 'Barrica' - Pedro Sanchez (I) ?, (G) Alexander Welbat

Stuart - Luigi Pavese (I) Corrado Gaipa (G)            Kurt Mühlhardt

Scott – Jen Louis (I) Cesare Barbetti (G) Rolf Schult

Special Birthdays

Josefina Serratosa (actress) would have been 115 today but died in 1990.

Alfonso Rojas (actor) would have been 110 today but died in 1996.

Fred Coplan (actor) would have been 105 today but died in 2004.

Craig Hill (actor) would have been 100 today but died in 2014.

Helga Sommerfield (actress) would have been 85 today but died in 1991.

RIP Jaime Pérez Cubero

 

Production and costume designer, set decorator and art director Jaime Pérez Cubero died in Madrid, Spain on June 24, 2025. He was a month shy of turning 93. Born Jaime Pérez-Fogón Cubero in Madrid on July 25, 1932. He was the son of director, writer, cinematographer Andrés Pérez Cubero and the brother of cameraman, cinematographer Raúl Pérez Cubero who also died in 2025. Jaime began working in the art department of various studios beginning in 1956 on the film “Tarde de toros” and worked in various capacities until 1999. Jaime worked along with his fellow artist José Luis Galicia on many films. Coincidentally José died the month before. Jaime Pérez Cubero worked on 47 westerns beginning with “The Shadow of Zorro” in 1962 as a set decorator and finished with “Tequila” as a costume designer in 1973. The Shadow of Zorro – 1962 [set decorator], Terrible Sheriff – 1962 [art director], Gunfight at High Noon – 1963 [set decorator], The Implacable Three – 1963 [production designer], The Sign of the Coyote – 1963 [set decorator], Ride and Kill – 1964 [set decorator], Seven Guns from Texas – 1964 [art director], Tomb of the Pistolero – 1964 [set decorator], Welcome Padre Murray – 1964 [production designer], A Coffin for the Sheriff – 1965 [production designer], Fistful of Knuckles – 1965 production designer], Gunman’s Hands – 1965 [set decorator], The Outlaw of Red River – 1965 [production designer], The Relentless Four – 1965 [set decorator], Seven Hours of Gunfire – 1965 [set decorator], Dollars for a Fast Gun – 1966 [set decorator], Kid Rodelo – 1966 [art director], Mutiny at Fort Sharp – 1966 [art department], Ringo and Gringo Against All – 1966 production designer], Ringo the Face of Revenge – 1966 [set decorator], Seven Guns for the MacGregors – 1966 [art director], Vengeance Ranch – 1966 [set decorator], Adios, Hombre – 1967 [production designer], Bandidos – 1967 [production designer], Django Kill – 1967 [art director], The Hellbenders – 1967 [art director], Rattler Kid – 1967 [production designer], Two Crosses at Danger Pass – 1967 [set decorator], Death Knows No Time – 1968 [set decorator], Go for Broke – 1968 [set decorator], Kill Them All and Come Back Alone – 1968 [art department]. Killer Adios – 1968 [production designer], One by One – 1968 [production designer], Ringo the Lone Rider – 1968 [set decorator], A Stranger in Paso Bravo – 1968 [set decorator], The Taste of Vengeance – 1968 [set decorator], Death on High Mountain – 1969 [production designer], $20,000 for Seven – 1969 [production designer], Gunman in Town – 1970 [set decorator], Matalo! – 1970 [art director], Santana Kills Them All – 1970 [set decorator], The Bandit Malpelo – 1971 [set decorator], Dead Men Ride – 1971 [production designer], Cut-Throats Nine – 1972 [set decorator], His Name was Holy Ghost – 1972 [production designer], Fast Hand is Still My Name – 1973 [set decorator], Tequila – 1973 [costume designer]

Little Known Spaghetti Western actors ~ Rolando De Santis

[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.]

Rolando De Santis was an Italian character actor. He appeared in several Federico Fellini films and over fifty films and television appearances between 1966 and 1998.

As is the case with most character actors no matter how many films they appeared in very little if anything is known about their personal lives or biography. Such is the case with De Santis.

Roland De Santis appeared in sixteen Spaghetti westerns: “Django” as a klan member in 1966, “Sentenza di morte” (Death Sentence) as a saloon patron in 1967, “ Un uomo chiamato Apocalisse Joe” (A Man Called Apocalypse Joe) as a Berg gunman in 1970, “Black Killer” as an O’Hara henchman, “Gli fumavano le colt…lo chiamavano Camposanto” (Bullet for a Stranger) as a soldier, “In nome del padre, del figlio e della Colt” (In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Colt) as a party guest, “Spara Joe... e così sia!” (Joe Dakota) as a dance attendee, “Era Sam Wallash!... Lo chiamavano… e “Cosi sia”” (Savage Guns) as Sam Judd all in 1971, “Hai sbagliato… dovevi uccidermi subito!” (Kill the Poker Player) as the hotel manager, “Jesse e Lester: due fratelli in un posto chiamoto Trinita” (Jesse and Lester Two Brothers in a Place Called Trinity) as a saloon patron, “El retorno de Clint el solitario” The Return of Clint the Stranger) as a saloon patron all in 1972, “ Zanna Bianca” (White Fang) as a saloon patron in 1973, “Prima ti suono e poi ti sparo” (Trinity, the Bell, the Guitar) as a saloon patron and “La Spacconata” (White Fang and the Gold Diggers) as a saloon employee both in 1974, “California” as a demobilization officer in 1977 and “Anno 2020 – I gladiatori de futoro” (2020 Texas Gladiators) as one of Catch Dog’s henchmen.

De SANTIS, Rolando (aka Chiodo) [Italian] – film, TV actor.

Django – 1966 (klan member)

Death Sentence – 1967 (saloon patron)

A Man Called Apocalypse Joe - 1970 (Berg gunman)

Black Killer – 1971 (O’Hara henchman)

Bullet for a Stranger – 1971 (soldier)

In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Colt – 1971 (party guest)

Joe Dakota – 1971 (dance attendee)

Savage Guns – 1971 (Sam Judd)

Kill the Poker Player - 1972 (hotel manager)

Jesse and Lester Two Brothers in a Place Called Trinity – 1972 (dance attendee)

The Return of Clint the Stranger – 1972 (saloon patron)

White Fang – 1973 (saloon patron)

Trinity, the Bell, the Guitar – 1974 (saloon patron)

White Fang and the Gold Diggers – 1974 (saloon employee)

California – 1977 (demobilization officer)

2020 Texas Gladiators – 1982 (Catch Dog henchman)

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Alfio Caltabiano

Alfio Caltabiano was a director, writer, master of arms, stunt coordinator, stuntman, film actor born in Pistoia, Tuscany on July 17, 1932. He was known his prolific work in 1960s and 1970s Italian genre cinema, especially Spaghetti Westerns and action-adventure films.

He began his career in the mid-1950s as a stuntman and master of arms, leveraging his imposing 6'2" frame for demanding physical roles, fight choreography, and uncredited stunt work on major productions. He frequently appeared in supporting parts as tough-guy or villainous characters in films such as “L'armata Brancaleone” (1966), “Keoma” (1976), and “California” (1977), sometimes using pseudonyms including Al Northon, Alf Thunder, and Alf Randall.

Caltabiano transitioned into directing and writing, debuting as a director with “Ballata per un pistolero” (Ballad of a Gunman, 1967), which he also scripted, and went on to helm and write several other genre entries through the 1970s. His multifaceted involvement in low- to mid-budget Italian films, often blending action, stunts, and screenwriting, made him a recognizable figure in the Euro-Western scene.

He largely retired from filmmaking after 1977 and died on June 23, 2007, in Rome, Lazio, Italy from a heart attack a month shy of turning 75.

Caltabiano directed two Spaghetti westerns: “Ballata per un pistolero” (Ballad of a Gunman) in 1967, “Così Sia” (They Called Him Amen) and “Oremus, Alleluia e Cosi Sia” (They Still Call Me Amen) both in 1972.

CALTABIANO, Alfio (aka Alfio Caltapiano, Alfio Caltaviano, Al Northon, Alf Randal, Alf Thunder) [7/17/1932, Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy – 6/23/2007, Rome, Lazio, Italy (heart attack)] – director, writer, master of arms, stunt coordinator, stuntman, film actor.

Ballad of a Gunman – 1967

They Called Him Amen – 1972 [as Alf Thunder]

They Still Call Me Amen – 1972 [as Alf Thunder]

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Luigi Batzella

Luigi Batzella was born in San Sperate, Sardinia, Italy on May 27, 1924, and was an Italian filmmaker active primarily in the mid-20th century, known as a director, editor, screenwriter, and occasional actor who specialized in low-budget genre productions including spaghetti westerns, gothic horror, and exploitation cinema. He frequently used pseudonyms such as Paolo Solvay to credit his work, reflecting the pseudonymous practices common in Italy's prolific B-film industry during the 1960s and 1970s. Batzella's output emphasized sensational themes with constrained resources, yielding films like the spaghetti western “A Pistol for Django” (1971) and the gothic horror “The Devil's Wedding Night” (1973), which exploited vampire lore and erotic elements to appeal to niche audiences. His later efforts ventured into more extreme subgenres, including the nazisploitation picture “The Beast in Heat” (1977), notorious for its graphic depictions of wartime atrocities reimagined through lurid, fictional narratives, and “Nude for Satan” (1974), a macabre tale blending occult horror with nudity. These productions, while commercially marginal and critically overlooked, exemplified the Italian exploitation wave's reliance on shock value and formulaic storytelling over narrative depth or technical polish, influencing cult followings in grindhouse and home video circuits. Batzella's career waned by the 1980s amid shifting market demands, leaving a legacy tied to the unpretentious, often reviled underbelly of Eurocinema rather than mainstream acclaim.

Luigi Batzella died in San Sperate, Sardinia, Italy on November 18, 2008, at the age of 84, from Parkinson's disease.

Batzella co-wrote screenplays for two Spaghetti westerns: “Anche per Django le carogne hanno un Prezzo” (Django’s Cut Rate Corpses) in 1971 with Mario DeRosa and Gaetano Dell’Era, “La colt era il suo Dio” (God is My Colt. .45) with Arpad De Riso.

BATZELLA, Luigi (aka Gigi Batzella, A.M. Frank, Paull' Hamus, Paul Hamus, Dean Jones, Ivan Katansky, Ivan Kathansky, Paul Selvin, Paul Selway, Paolo Solvay, Paul Solvay, Ivan Kathansky) [5/27/1924, San Sperate, Sardinia, Italy – 11/18/2008, San Sperate, Sardinia, Italy (Parkinson's disease)] – director, assistant director, writer, composer, film editor, stuntman, actor.

Django’s Cut Rate Corpses – 1971 (co)

God is My Colt .45 – 1972 (co) [as Ivan Katansky]\

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Raimund Cerny

Raimund Cerny also spelled Czerny) was an Austrian cinematographer and camera operator known for his pioneering work in early Austrian cinema, including wartime newsreels during World War I and silent films in the post-war period. Born on January 6, 1876 in Pollerskirchen, Moravia, Austria-Hungary, he contributed to the development of Austrian film news reels and production in the 1910s and 1920s. He died on April 20, 1954, in Vienna, Austria at the age of 78.

Raimund Cerny’s only Euro-western was “Miß Cowboy” in 1920.

CERNY, Raimund (aka Raimund Czerny) [1/6/1876, Pollerskirchen, Moravia, Austria-Hungary – 4/20/1954, Vienna, Austria] – cinematographer.

Miß Cowboy - 1920

 

José Enrique Martínez Moya: "Clint Eastwood sent me a photograph from the United States in 1994"

This retired professor, passionate about western cinema, has just published the second part of Riding Towards Adventure, a work that covers the last fifteen years of filming in Almeria

Diario de Almeria

By Diego Martínez

February 22, 2026

-You have just published the second part of Cabalgando hacia la Aventura (Riding Towards Adventure). With this 850-page volume it can be said that he has already published the total and real history of cinema in Almeria.

-Yes, between the first volume of 2011 and this one of 2025 it can be said that the story of the relationship of this province with industry has been told. Although we cannot forget other important books, such as Almeria, a world of a movie, which can be considered as the basis of everything.

-It covers almost the last thirteen years of filming in Almeria where you have included feature films, short films, documentaries and video clips. Many think that little has been filmed, but according to his book it has not been like that.

-A lot has been filmed, more than people think. The origin of this boom coincides with the filming of “Exodus Gods and Kings” by Ridley Scott. Some 213 shoots between feature films and television series. And short films, video clips or advertising... not to mention.

-In this period, what shootings could you highlight for their particularity or even for the impact they had in Almeria and the province?

-There are many, but I could name: “Exodus: Gods and Kings”, “Terminator 6”, ‘Game of Thrones’, ‘Doctor Who’... and Spanish films and series such as “Lejos del mar”, “Vivir es fácil con los ojos cerrados”, “Amanece”, “Mar de plástico”, “Jaguar”, “Vis a vis” and “Entre tierras”.

-If in the 1960s and 1970s the western genre predominated, with spaghetti western at the forefront. In this period, already in the twenty-first century, which gender is the dominant one.

-All kinds, highlighting adventures, biblical and war focused on Middle Eastern countries such as Afghanistan or Iraq.

-As a researcher and film historian, you believe that Almeria continues to have the weight it once had for production companies when choosing this land.

-Of course, Almeria is Almeria in the world of cinema and has never lost its prominence. The incredible landscapes, the light and the sun have been and are the fundamental asset.

-You have known most of the towns that were in the province. However, it has also seen the progressive deterioration of many of them. Do you think that something more could have been done to preserve this rich heritage?

"I've known them all, because some of them reached the eighties. It is a pity that they have not been maintained, but the weather, the wind, the rain, the weak materials and the abandonment have done the rest. I have gone so far as to do projects to rehabilitate some, such as El Cóndor, but nothing was ever done.

-In this book I think that apart from filming and curiosities of certain recordings, you have included a section of blunders that you included in the previous volume. With what intention did he do it?

-Since the nineties I have seen that I have been copied a lot, but I was never named. That's why I came up with this game. In this book I have uncovered some of them.

-You also talk about Film Studies and the attempts that have been made on several occasions. But the reality is that nothing was done. Were these studies really necessary in Almeria?

-Years ago, when the possibility arose, I think so. Today, seeing the current technology, there would be no need for large facilities, with medium-sized studios we would get by.

-Although they are beginning to recognize it, but I understand that both the Stars of the Walk of Fame project and routes like Leone's were devised by you.

-Certainly. Since the 70s I started to walk the desert on the back of a fixed-gear bicycle. In the eighties and nineties, the routes were extended. Already in the 2000s I gave away and offered many routes, always selflessly. The Walk of Fame, really Bulevar de las Estrellas is a part of the Almeria Film Project that I gave to the Almeria City Council in 2006, it was executed with the current mayor, formerly Councilor for Tourism in 2008 and was presented at Fitur in 2011, where it cannot be present due to situations that I do not think it is convenient to relate. This part was inaugurated in 2012 with the star to my dear and remembered friend the actor Eduardo Fajardo. By the way, I am never invited to anything and I think that there are not very successful criteria to choose the winners of these "stars" of fame.

-The Casa del Cine is a reality, which has carried out some activities since its opening. What do you think the Casa del Cine lacks to make it a first-class tourist attraction?

-Since it was inaugurated, with the presence of Eduardo Fajardo, the House has been "a ghost house" that offered practically nothing. With the arrival of LaOficina, coordinated by Carlos Vives, things have changed a lot. There are many activities and exhibitions, and it has taken a lot of life, as I tell in this book. Of course, it would have to be provided with material (books, videos, photography, scripts, filming props...) and turned into a real Museum of Cinema.

-What have been the five major productions shot in this land for José Enrique?

-This is very difficult to answer. There are great movies. Perhaps I would choose “For a Few Dollars More”, “The Wind and the Lion” in the first places and then the grandiloquent and monumental “Lawrence of Arabia”, “Patton” and “Conan the Barbarian”.

-In your work you make known the Route 66 project. What is the idea of this project?

-Since I have devised so many routes, I considered offering a special route similar to the Mother Route of the United States. This route would run through part of the province of Almeria, to show the great variety of landscapes that have been portrayed by celluloid: deserts, mountains, forests, beaches, sets. Almeria is more than just a stunning desert.

-What a shame that David Lean died in 1991 when two years earlier he was looking for locations for Nostromo. Do you think it would have been the movie of the story?

-A real shame, as our mutual friend Eddie Fowlie told me, in his hotel in Carboneras. Lean was a genius and had large capitals at his disposal. He got to have everything located and planned for this shoot, mainly focused on the Mojacar area... and even the agreed hotels. A pity, it would have been another boost to the fame of the province.

-I imagine that you are still working on issues related to cinema. What is he focused on now? Will there be more books in the future?

-Indeed. I'm already working on another film book also related to Almeria, of which I have already written 400 pages. It will be something different, novel.

-What do you think could be done to encourage filming in this land more?

-That the Filming Almería and Almería Film Office be transformed into a single Office, highly coordinated and equipped with technical means and qualified professionals with a command of languages and contacts in all the offices of the province. Have a well-located and easily accessible space, such as the Casa del Cine, where spaces could be set up and try to get the private sector involved by creating staff associations (figuration, specialists, horsemen, props, land...) to avoid wasting time in long casting queues.

-I think your house has almost become a museum of the western. What is the most valuable thing you have on a sentimental level about cinema?

-Many years ago, I did not give value to an object that I had with me from 1970 to 1997 and that I got rid of and that I do not stop regretting today: my fixed-gear BH bicycle that accompanied me on so many adventures. Today would be my Jewel, but... I have quite a few things, but what I may have with the most sentimental "value" is the photo that Clint Eastwood sent me from the United States and that I received at Christmas 1994. When I wrote to his agent William Morris, I thought he was going to waste his time, but he listened to the letter and sent me two dedicated photos. Then I wrote to him again and sent him material related to the Conference dedicated to “For a Few Dollars More”, in 2005, but I didn't get a response.

Who Are Those Guys? ~ Paolo Figlia

 

Paolo Figlia was one of those stuntmen/actors you often saw but didn’t know his name. Figlia who sometimes used the alias Frank Fargas was born in Palermo, Sicily, Italy on June 17, 1933. He performed stunts in sixty-five films between 1966 and 1982 and has credited roles as an actor in forty-one films during this same time. He participated particularly within the Western and "poliziottesco" (Italian crime film) genres, during the 1960s and 1970s. He often played supporting roles, such as henchmen, bandits, or men of the underworld.

Figlia died in Palermo on July 29, 1988, at the age of only 55 after appearing in forty Spaghetti westerns 

FIGLIA, Paolo (aka Frank Fargas) [6/17/1933, Palermo, Sicily, Italy – 7/29/1988, Palermo, Sicily, Italy] – stuntman, film actor.

El Rojo – 1966 (Lansky/Lasky henchman) [stunts]

Fort Yuma Gold – 1966 [stunts]

The Hills Run Red – 1966 (soldier) [stunts]

Johnny Yuma – 1966 (Pedro henchman) [stunts]

The Man from Nowhere – 1966 (townsman) [stunts]

Ringo and His Golden Pistol – 1966 (Perez henchman)

Day of Anger – 1967 (Perkins’ henchman) [stunts]

Death Rides Along – 1967 (Chris) [stunts]

Django, the Last Killer – 1967 (Mack McRay) [as Frank Fargas] [stunts]

The Great Silence – 1967 (Jack)

Rick and John Conquer the West – 1967 (Confederate soldier)

Pecos Cleans Up – 1967 (‘El Supremo’ henchman)

Poker With Pistols – 1967 (Master henchman)

Pray to God and Dig Your Grave – 1967 (Cipriano lieutenant)

Professionals for a Massacre – 1967 (Union officer buying guns)

$10,000 Blood Money – 1967 (bounty hunter)

The Two Faces of the Dollar – 1967 (bandits)

Totò Ciak! – Toto contro Ringo – 1967 (saloon patron)

And for a Roof a Sky Full of Stars – 1968 [stunts]

And Now… Make Your Peace With God – 1968 (Boyd) [stunts]

Once Upon a Time in the West – 1968 (Frank’s henchman)

Shadow of Sartana… Shadow of Death – 1968 (Benny Randall) [as Frank Fargas]

Tequila Joe – 1968 (Mulligan henchman) [as Frank Fargas]

Death on High Mountain – 1969 (brawler) [stunts]

The 5-Man Army – 1969 (Mexican soldier) [stunts]

4 Came to Kill Sartana – 1969 (Donovan) [as Frank Fargas] [stunts]

Night of the Serpent – 1969 (Hernandez soldier)

No Room to Die – 1969 (Burt Kelly)

The Price of Power – 1969 (deputy)

Fistful of Lead – 1970 (Mantas’ henchman) [stunts]

Shango – 1970 (Martinez soldier)

They Call Me Trinity – 1970 (Harriman henchman)

Duck You Sucker – 1971 (Mesa Verde bank guard) [stunts]

A Man Called Django! – 1971 (Carranza henchman) [stunts]

Trinity is STILL My Name – 1971 (saloon patron) [stunts]

It Can be Done... Amigo! – 1972 (Big Jim henchman) [stunts]

Jesse and Lester, Two Brothers in a Place Called Trinity – 1972 (miner) [stunts]

Man of the East – 1972 (saloon patron, brawler) [brawler]

Sting of the West – 1972 (Man at water trough)

They Call Me Providence – 1972 (deputy sheriff)

Special Birthdays

Victor Tourjansky (actor) would have been 135 today but died in 1976.

Danika La Loggia (actress) is 95 today.

José Galera Balazote (actor) would have been 90 today but died in 2005.

Corrado Pani (actor) would have been 100 today but died in 2005.

RIP José Luis Galicia

 

I’ve just recently heard from author Jaime Ramos Altamira of the passing of two Spanish film giants who worked behind the scenes of dozens of films. Both died two months apart and worked with each other their entire careers mostly on the same films. The first I will post today and the other tomorrow. The first to pass was José Luis Galicia who worked in several art departments as an art director, set designer, production designer and costume designer. Jaime died in Madrid on June5, 2025. He was born on June 1, 1930, in Argüelles, Madrid, Spain. Jaime was several and successive things: poet, cartoonist, engraver, film decorator (120 films to his credit and the creation in 1962, in the Madrid in the town of Hoyo de Manzanares, the set of Golden City, a personal madness in the form of a false town in the far-west where Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood filmed “A Fistful of Dollars”. He was the grandson and son of artists (his father was the painter Francisco Galicia), nephew of the writer León Felipe and cousin and friend of the bullfighter Carlos Arruza. And, of course, a painter himself with more than 60 individual exhibitions to his credit. Here’s a list of the fifty Spaghetti westerns he worked on: The Shadow of Zorro – 1962 [set decorator], The Terrible Sheriff – 1962 [art director], Zorro the Avenger – 1962 [art department], Gunfight at High Noon – 1963 [art department] Implacable Three – 1963 [production designer], The Sign of the Coyote – 1963 [set decorator], Ride and Kill – 1964 [set decorator], Seven from Texas – 1964 [art director], Tomb of the Pistolero – 1964 [set decorator],

Welcome Padre Murray – 1964 [production designer], A Coffin for the Sheriff – 1965 [production designer], A Fistful of Knuckles – 1965 [production designer], Outlaw of Red River – 1965 [production designer], Kid Rodelo – 1966 [art director], Mutiny at Fort Sharp – 1966 [art department], Ringo and Gringo Against All – 1966 [production designer], Ringo the Face of Revenge – 1966 [set decorator],Seven Guns for the MacGregors – 1966 [set decorator], Sugar Colt – 1966 [production designer], Vengeance Ranch – 1966 [set decorator], Adios, Hombre – 1967 [production designer], Django Kill – 1967 [art director], For a Few Bullets More – 1967 [art director], Rattler Kid – 1967 [costume designer], Two Crosses at Danger Pas – 1967 [set decorator], Death Knows No Time – 1968 [set decorator], Fedra West – 1968 [set decorator], Go for Broke – 1968 [set decorator], Killer Adios – 1968 [production designer], One by One – 1968 [set decorator], A Pistol for 100 Coffins – 1968 [production designer], Ringo the Lone Rider – 1968 [set decorator], A Taste of Vengeance – 1968 [set decorator], Death on High Mountain – 1969 [production designer], $20,000 for Seven – 1969 [costume designer], Apocalypse Joe – 1970 [production designer], Arizona Colt Returns – 1970 [production designer], Gunman in Town – 1970 [set decorator], Matalo! – 1970 [art director], Reverend Colt – 1970 [set decorator], Bad Man’s River – 1971 [production designer], The Bandit Malpelo – 1971 [set decorator], Dead Men Ride – 1971 [production designer], In the Name of the Father, of the Son and of the Colt – 1971 [production designer], Cut Throats Nine – 1972 [set decorator], His Name was Holy Ghost – 1972 [costume designer], Kill the Poker Player – 1972 [set decorator], Fast Hand is Still My Name – 1973 [set decorator], Tequila – 1973 [production designer], Stop Over in Hell – 2016 [art department]

Little Known Spaghetti Western actors ~ Pietro De Santis

[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.]

Pietro De Santis was an Italianh character actor. Most likely a theater actor during his earlier career. According to the IMDb and other sources he appeared in only two films one in 1954 the other in 1968. I can find no biographical information on him.

Pietro appeared in only one Spaghetti western: “Giurò... e li uccise ad unon ad uno” (Gun Shy Piluk) in 1968.

De SANTIS, Pietro [Italian] – film actor.

Gun Shy Piluk – 1968

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Mario Caiano

Mario Caiano was born in Rome on February 13, 1933. He was an assistant director, director, writer and actor. Mario was the son of producer, production manager, director, writer Carlo Caiano. He was renowned for his contributions to spaghetti westerns, gothic horror, and peplum films during the 1960s and 1970s, He entered the film industry early, writing scripts for 27 films and television projects starting in 1954 before making his directorial debut in 1962. Over his career, Caiano helmed nearly 50 feature films, often under pseudonyms like Allen Grünewald, blending low-budget exploitation with genre innovation.

Caiano's breakthrough came with “The Sign of the Coyote” (1963), widely regarded as the first Italian western, predating the spaghetti western boom and setting a template for masked avenger tales in the genre. His peplum adventures include “Ulysses Against the Son of Hercules” (1962) and “The Tyrant of Lydia Against the Son of Hercules” (1963), capitalizing on the sword-and-sandal craze. In horror, his standout works include “Nightmare Castle” (1965), a gothic chiller starring Barbara Steele, and later entries like “Eye in the Labyrinth” (1972) and “Vampire in Venice” (1988), which explored supernatural themes with atmospheric flair. Caiano also ventured into crime thrillers and action, directing films such as “Weapons of Death” (1977) and “Shanghai Joe” (1973), showcasing his versatility across B-movie landscapes.

Throughout his prolific output, Caiano emphasized practical storytelling and visual economy, often collaborating with genre icons like Paul Muller and Mimmo Palmara, while his screenplays — such as for “In the Folds of the Flesh” (1970) —added psychological depth to lurid narratives.

Mario Caiano passed away in Rome on September 20, 2015 at age 82, leaving a legacy as a journeyman filmmaker who helped shape Italy's vibrant genre cinema.

Mario Caiano directed ten Spaghetti western mostly using aliases: “Il segno di Zorro” (The Sign of Zorro) in 1962, “Il segno di Coyote” (The Sign of the Coyote) in 1963, “Le pistole non discutono” (Bullets Don’t Argue) in 1964, “Una bara per lo sceriffo” (A Coffin for the Sheriff) and “Uncas! El fin de una raza” (The Last of the Mohicans) both in 1965, “Ringo, il volto della vendetta” (Ringo the Face of Revenge) in 1966, “Adios, Hombre” (7 Pistols for a Massacre” and “Un treno per Durango” (A Train for a Durango) both in 1967, “Il suo nome gridava vendetta” (The Man Who Cried for Revenge) in 1968 and “Il mio nome è Shangai Joe” (Shanghai Joe) in 1973.

CAIANO, Mario (aka Mario Cajano, Mario Calani, Allan Grunewald, Allen Grünewald, William Hawkins, Mike Perkins, Edoardo Re, Manfred Riegert, Fred Wilson) (Mateo Cano Jiménez) [2/13/1933, Rome, Lazio Italy - 9/20/2015, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – director, assistant director, writer, actor, son of producer, production manager, director, writer Carlo Caiano [1904-1993]

The Sign of Zorro – 1962 [as Nick Jordan]

The Sign of the Coyote – 1963

Bullets Don’t Argue - 1964 [as Mike Perkins/Manfred Reiger]

A Coffin for the Sheriff - 1965 [as William Hawkins]

The Last of the Mohicans - 1965 [as Mathew Kane]

Ringo, the Face of Revenge – 1966

7 Pistols for a Massacre – 1967

A Train for Durango – 1967 [as William Hawkins]

The Man Who Cried for Revenge – 1968 [as William Hawkins]

Shanghai Joe – 1973

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Lucio Manlio Battistrada

Lucio Manlio Battistrada was born on December 9, 1920, in Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He was commonly known as Lucio Battistrada and was a cinema and television screenwriter and writer, he worked hand in hand with directors: Carlo Lizzani, Armando Crispino, Giuliano Montaldo, Florestano Vancini. His filmography, which ranges from drama to comedy, from westerns to war films, from detective stories to thrillers, includes: the scriptment for “Il principe ribelle” (1947) by Pino Mercanti; the screenplay for “Il sole negli occhi” (1953) by Antonio Pietrangeli, the scriptment and screenplay for “L’oro di Roma” (1961) and the screenplay for “Requiescant” (1967) by Carlo Lizzani.

In all he wrote around thirty-six screen plays and teleplays for film and television from 1953 to 1989. He was also an assistant director on two films 1942 and 1943.

Lusio Manlio Battistrada died in Rome on February 8, 2017, at the age of 96.

Manlio wrote the screenplays for three Spaghetti westerns: “Uno straniero a Paso Bravo” (A Stranger in Paso Bravo) with Fernando Morandi in 1966, “John il Bastardo” (John the Bastard) with Armando Crispino and “Requiescant” (Kill and Pray) with Adriano Bolzoni, Armando Crispino both in 1967.

BATTISTRADA, Lucio Manlio (aka Lucio M. Battistrada, Lucio Battistrada Giuliani) [12/9/1920, Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna, Italy - 2/8/2017, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – assistant director, writer.

A Stranger in Paso Bravo 1966 (co)

John the Bastard – 1967(co)

Kill and Pray – 1967 (co)

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Maurizio Centini

Italian cinematographer and cameraman Maurizio Centini was born in Rome on December 13, 1940, and worked in the Italian film industry from 1969 to 1986 and was a cinematographer or cameraman on 40 films including one Spaghetti western 1978’s “Porno-Erotic Western”. Most of his career was spent in the adult and erotic film industry.

Centini died in Rome on December 27th. He was 84.

Maurizio Centini’s Spaghetti western: “Porno erotico western” (Porno-Erotic Western) in 1978.

CENTINI, Maurizio (aka Maurice Arcean, Maurice Arceau, Maurice Centine) [12/13/1940, Rome, Lazio, Italy – 12/27/2024, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – cinematographer, cameraman.

Porno-Erotic Western – 1978

Unanimous vote in the Chamber for 2028, Morriconi's year

 

Veltroni: good news

Here we are. As we had anticipated the work of the Culture Committee of the Chamber of Deputies ended with the unanimous vote on the resolution proposed by the president of the same commission Hon. Mollicone (Fdi) and entitled "Initiatives for the centenary of the birth of Maestro Ennio Morricone".

The resolution, in particular, commits the Government "to adopt initiatives within its competence aimed at declaring 2028 the 'Morricone Year', promoting a national program of initiatives and celebrations for the centenary of the birth of Maestro Ennio Morricone; to adopt initiatives aimed at supporting, including financially, the realization of exhibitions, concerts, film retrospectives, study conferences and educational projects in Italy and abroad; to adopt initiatives at the Ministry of Culture for the digitization of the documentary heritage left by Morricone and acquired by the Ennio Morricone Foundation..."

"It is really good and important news," comments Walter Veltroni, president of the Foundation, also emphasizing the value of the unanimity of the vote. "For me, for the Foundation, it is an important recognition of the value of the figure of this extraordinary musician and artist," Veltroni continues. And it is important that, in promoting initiatives to remember Morricone, the role of protecting the extraordinary archive of the Maestro is emphasized as central, which is at the center of the Foundation's initiative born, at the behest of the family, only a few months ago and already at work." On behalf of the Foundation, I would like to thank the Hon. Mollicone, who chairs it, and the entire culture committee of the Chamber of Deputies. We are obviously ready to collaborate in the construction of the busy program of events and studies, the dialogue with the Ministry of Culture has already begun, and I thank Undersecretary Mazzi for this. The common intent is to make 2028 a truly Morriconian year, in the sense that Ennio would have liked it, certainly not of mere "celebration" but of the full enhancement of an extraordinary creative work made up of many faces, from popular music to high music, from soundtracks to works that he loved to call "absolutes".

Many beautiful discoveries and rediscoveries await us from an artist who has given a lot and has been much loved in Italy and all over the world"The resolution also emphasizes how the Morricone year must also serve "to promote at educational institutions, universities and institutions of higher education in the arts, music and dance, without prejudice to the autonomy of the same, specific educational courses and the establishment of scholarships named after Ennio Morricone, aimed at supporting research and training in the field of musical composition applied to cinema; to promote, in collaboration with Rai and the Italian cultural institutes in the world, the creation of documentaries, television specials and initiatives for the dissemination of the work of Maestro Ennio Morricone at an international level, in agreement with the rights holders". "November 10, 2028 – commented the Hon. Mollicone – marks the centenary of the birth of Maestro Ennio Morricone (Rome, November 10, 1928-Rome, July 6, 2020), world-renowned composer, conductor and academic, winner of two Academy Awards; the artistic and cultural legacy of Maestro Morricone represents a priceless heritage for Italy and for universal culture, having composed over 500 soundtracks for films and television productions, as well as an important work of absolute music and popular music – mostly recorded at Forum studios; his work is unanimously recognized as an Italian excellence capable of transcending genres and geographical borders, contributing significantly to the dissemination of the image and prestige of our country in the world.

The centenary celebration offers a unique opportunity to honor the memory of the Maestro, enhance his work and stimulate knowledge of Italian music and culture, especially among the new generations. In 2025, the Ennio Morricone Foundation was born at the behest of the Morricone family, which aims to enhance and promote the master's works and his heritage of scores, scores, tapes, letters and much more in Italy and around the world; the Ministry of Culture has already begun discussions with the Morricone family and the Ennio Morricone Foundation.

German Blu-ray reissue of “Django Nudo

 

“Django Nudo”

(Nude Django)

(1968)

 

Director: Byron Mabe

Starring: Steve Stunning, Donna West, Steve Allen

 

Country: Germany

Label: Fokus Media / XCess

Limited edition softbox

Resolution 1080p

Aspect ratio: 1.78:1

Language: DTS mono German

Running time: 75 minutes

re-issue of the January 30, 2022 release

Extras: audio commentary with Christian Kessler and Heinz Klett; original trailer; German lobby cards; US press photos; advertising materials

Available: March 3, 2026