Wednesday, October 7, 2026

RIP George Fenton

 


British composer George Fenton, whose work included music for films such as “Gandhi”, “Groundhog Day” and “The Fisher King”, as well as TV shows like ‘Planet Earth’ and ‘Bergerac’, died in London, England on October 5th three weeks before turning 77. The prolific musician received five Oscar nominations for his film scores, including those for “The Remains of the Day” and “Cry Freedom”. Fenton was born George Richard Ian Howe Fenton in Bromley, Kent on October 19, 1949. According to a biography on his official website, his father was a mechanical engineer, and his mother had been a dancer before becoming a nurse during the war. He also founded the Association of Professional Composers, which later merged with The Ivors Academy; and he is one of only a handful of musicians to receive the Academy's fellowship, alongside Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sir Elton John, Kate Bush, Bruce Springsteen and George Michael. George composed the score for one Euro-western, “Grey Owl” in 1999.

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Peter Eherer

[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.]

Peter Eherer was born in Germany on February 14, 1963. For a while he worked at BMW Deutschland and then followed his dream to become an actor.

He’s appeared in thirty films between 2003 and 2026.

Peter Eherer has appeared in two Euro-westerns: “Ynd sei kenrten niemals wieder” as Sheriff Veerden in 2013 and “Im Tal von Achor” as Frank Breckenridge in 2022.

EHERER, Peter [2/14/1963, Germany -     ] – film actor.

Und sei kenrten niemals wieder – 2013 (Sheriff Veerden)

Im Tal von Achor – 2022 (Frank Breckenridge)

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Wolfgang Liebeneiner

Wolfgang Georg Louis Liebeneiner was a German director, actor, screenwriter, and theatre practitioner whose career spanned the Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany, and post-war West Germany and Austria.

Born in Liebau, Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire on October 6, 1905, Liebeneiner began as a stage actor in Munich and Berlin during the late 1920s, debuting on film in 1931, before transitioning to directing with comedies in 1937. His prominence grew under the Nazi regime, where he held influential administrative roles, including dean of the artistic department at the Deutsche Filmakademie Babelsberg, head of the film department in the Reichsfilmkammer, and production chief at Ufa studios from 1942 to 1945; Goebbels appointed him a professor in 1943. He directed several propaganda features that aligned with regime ideology, such as the Bismarck biopics “Bismarck” (1940) and “Die Entlassung” (1942), which glorified Prussian militarism, and “Ich klage an” (1941), which portrayed euthanasia of the incurably ill as compassionate, echoing Nazi policies on racial hygiene and the T4 program.

After the war, Allied authorities permitted Liebeneiner to resume work without severe denazification penalties, allowing him to direct commercially successful films in the 1950s, including the family musical “Die Trapp-Familie” (1956), which inspired “The Sound of Music”, and historical dramas like “Königin Luise” (1957). Relocating to Vienna in 1954, he adapted plays for television, staged theatre productions, and contributed to opera and operetta, maintaining productivity into the 1960s and 1970s despite his prior regime ties. His oeuvre reflects both artistic versatility and pragmatic adaptation to authoritarian cultural controls, with over 30 directorial credits underscoring his enduring influence on German-speaking cinema.

Liebeneiner died in Mödling, Lower Austria, Austria on November 28, 1987, at the age of 82.

Wolfgang Liebeneiner co-directed on Euro-western, “Moartea lui Joe Indianul” (Death of Injun Joe) with Mihai Iacob in 1967.

LIEBENEINER, Wolfgang (Wolfgang Georg Louis Liebeneiner) [10/6/1905, Liebau, Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire – 11/28/1987, Mödling, Lower Austria, Austria] – director, writer, film editor, actor, married to actress Ruth Hellberg (Ruth Holl) [1906–2001] (1934-1943), married to actress, singer Hilde Krahl (Hildegard Kolacný) [1917–1999] (1944-1987) father of actress Johanna Liebeneiner [1945-     ].

Death of Injun Joe – 1967 (co)


Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Bob Enescelle Jr.

Bob Enescelle Jr. was an alias for Roberto Infascelli was an Italian film producer, director, and screenwriter known for his influential work in the poliziottesco genre during the 1970s.

Born in Rome on December 11, 1938, he entered the film industry in the 1960s, initially producing spaghetti westerns such as ''The Stranger Returns'' (1967) and serving as executive producer on ''Blindman'' (1971). In the following decade, he became a prominent figure in Italian crime cinema, producing key titles including ''La polizia ringrazia'' (1972), ''La polizia chiede aiuto'' (1974), and ''Febbre da cavallo'' (1976), while also directing ''La polizia sta a guardare'' (1973) and contributing screenplays to films like ''L'ultimo treno della notte'' (1975). His productions helped shape the poliziottesco style, characterized by gritty urban crime stories and intense action sequences.

Infascelli's career ended abruptly with his death in a road accident in France on August 8, 1977. He was only 38.

AS Bob Enescelle Jr. he was a screenwriter on one Spaghetti western, “Un uomo, un cavallo, una pistola” (The Stranger Returns) with Giuseppe Mangione.

ENESCELLE Jr., Bob (aka Infascelli, Bob Raymond) (Roberto Infascelli) [12/11/1938, Rome, Lazio, Italy – 8/18/1977, France] – producer, production manager, director, writer, son of producer director, writer Carlo Infascelli [1913–1984], brother of producer, production manager Paolo Infascelli [19??-2008], director, assistant director, writer, actress Fiorella Infascelli [1952-    ], grandfather of actor and radio host Roberto Infascelli [1981-    ].

The Stranger Returns – 1967 (co)

Blindman - 1971 [executive producer]


Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Roberto Reale

Roberto Reale was an Italian cameraman and cinematographer born in Rome on October 28, 1926. He was a cameraman on five films television series between 1952 and 1966. He worked further as a cinematographer eight films between 1954 and 1969.

Like most blue-collar workers in the film industry little is known about his biography. Reale died in San Cesareo a suburb of Rome on February 6, 2021 at the age of 94.

Roberto Reale was a co-cinematographer on one Spaghetti western, “Los pistoleros de Arizona” ($5,000 on One Ace) with Carlo Carlini and Christian Matras in 1964.

REALE, Roberto [10/28/1926, Rome, Lazio, Italy – 2/6/2021, San Cesareo, Rome, Lazio, Italy]– cinematographer, cameraman.

$5,000 on One Ace – 1964 (co)

The Tabernas desert enshrines the eternal myth of the "spaghetti western"

The 16th edition of the Almería Western Film Festival crowns Rada Rassimov and the eternal Eli Wallach

Under the relentless sun of Almeria, the myth of the Wild West continues to beat with untamed force and the province is preparing for the 16th edition of the Almeria Western Film Festival (AWFF) between October 8 and 12, 2026. From the town of Tabernas, where the gullies and imposing cannons served as a dusty canvas for Sergio Leone's imagination, the only film event in Europe dedicated exclusively to keeping alive the flame of spurs, duels in the sun and steely gazes. A festival that coincides with the sixtieth anniversary of the filming of 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' and where the organization will pay tribute to the faces who chiseled the genre from this land.

"In recent years, AWFF has established itself as a window of encounter between the public and international filmmakers from the five continents," said Juan Francisco Viruega, director of the event, explaining that "this edition is especially dedicated to the bridge, an architectural element that, through artistic disciplines such as literature, painting or cinema, it has represented the connection between different cultures and ideologies."

Thus, the spiritual return of 'the ugly' to his 'Spanish Hollywood' will take place on Friday, October 9, at 7:00 p.m., in a scenario with telluric overtones: the fictitious cemetery recreated in Oasys MiniHollywood. There, the Leone in Memoriam award will be posthumously presented to legendary American actor Eli Wallach, whose interpretation of Tuco Benedicto Pacífico Juan María Ramírez continues to be claimed by filmmakers of the stature of Quentin Tarantino as the true emotional engine of Leone's masterpiece. His daughter, also actress Roberta Wallach, will travel expressly from the United States to collect the award from a province that already had the honor of receiving her father in life in May 2006 and in what was the last and unforgettable visit of the actor to the province.

Then, with 90 years behind him, Wallach collected the 'Almeria, land of cinema' award within the framework of Almeria in short, alluding to that "small town, without hotels, without cars, with few people, cheap and with a great climate", marveling at finding forty years later "a very beautiful and clean city". About Tuco, the ragged gunman who gave him immortality, he humbly acknowledged that he never imagined such an impact, but that "I had always thought I was attractive." The tribute act this year will include the recreation of a scene from the film, with the music of Ennio Morricone playing under the Almeria sky by the hand of the San Indalecio de La Cañada Musical Group. A commemorative plaque will also be unveiled that will seal the eternal idyll between the actor and this land.


New French Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray release “Et pour quelques dollars de plus”

 








“Et pour quelques dollars de plus”

(For a Few Dollars More)

(1965)

 

Director: Sergio Leones

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volonte

 

Country: France

Label: ESC Films

4K UltraHD BluRay, Bluray, 2 bonus-BluRay steelbook limited numbered collector's edition

60-page book, poster, 10 lobby cards and press booklet

Languages: French 5.1 & original mono; English 5.1 & original mono

Subtitles: French

Running time: 132 minutes

Extras: Commentary by Christopher Frayling; commentary by Tim Lucas; « Pour une poignée de westerns – Épisode 2 » discussion with Jean François Rauger, Frédéric Mercier et Raphaëlle Pireyre (45 min); Analyse de séquences par Frédéric Mercier (La préparation du braquage & Le Duel au chapeau) (20 min); « Une violente histoire de vengeance » avec l’historien Fabio Melelli (15 min); « Personne ne tire sur le Colonel » avec le biographe de Lee Van Cleef, Mike Malloy (12 min); « Construire l’Ouest » avec la fille du chef décorateur et du costumier, Carlo Simi - Crafting the West (16 min); « Des coupes et du rythme » avec le monteur Eugenio Alabiso (18 min); « Les cordes du western » avec le guitariste et compositeur Bruno Battisti D'Amario (6 min); « La voix immortelle » avec la vocaliste Edda Dell’Orso - Timeless Voice (14 min); « Pour quelques notes de plus » avec le biographe d’Ennio Morricone, Alessandro De Rosa (14 min); « La mélodie du dollar selon Ennio » : Etude de l’historien de la musique Lovely Jones (27 min)

Archival extras: « Les archives de Chirstophe Frayling » (1 min); « Un nouveau standard » (20 min); « De retour » : interview with Clint Eastwood (7 min); « Tre Voci (Trois voix) » (11 min); « La sortie dans la version originale américaine » (5 min); « Restauration à l’italienne » (5 min); « 1965 – 2004 : les décors avant - après » (12 min); Générique d’ouverture français; trailers

Available: October 7, 2026

 

[Available from FNAC | [From Amazon.fr]

Who Are Those Guys? – Eugenio Galadini

 

Eugenio Galadini was born in Rome sometime in 1897. He was an Italian theater and film actor, active as a character actor and second-tier performer for over forty years. During his career he worked in prose, musical comedy and numerous films, moving from post-war popular cinema to the Spaghetti western of the sixties. In this last phase he also used the pseudonym Graham Sooty, as well as some graphic variants of the surname such as Galandini, Galantini and Galatini.

His theatrical activity is documented as early as 1926, when he participated in Giuseppe Rossi's “Blood Signal”, a work presented as a railway drama in Grand Guignol style. This presence places the beginning of his professional activity long before his film debut and confirms a training gained mainly on the stage.

For about twenty years, the documentation on his career has remained fragmentary. Galadini belongs in fact to that generation of company actors and character actors for whom theatrical archives preserve discontinuous information. When he landed permanently in the cinema, he already had a long-acting experience behind him, evident in the ability to sustain even very short parts with an immediately recognizable physiognomy.

Eugenio Galadini belongs to the large group of Italian character actors capable of crossing different genres and eras without almost ever occupying the center of the scene. His activity, which began on stage, continued in the cinema from the second post-war period until the early seventies and experienced a significant parenthesis in musical comedy thanks to the Marquis Facconi of the first edition of Rugantino.

His documented film debut took place in 1946 with Duilio Coletti's “Il Passatore”, in which he played a brigand. The following year he participated in Carlo Borghesio's “How I Lost the War”, thus entering the Italian film production of the first post-war period.

The years immediately following saw him engaged with great regularity. In 1951 he took part in Aldo Fabrizi's “La famiglia Passaguai”; in 1952 he appeared in “Una madre ritorna” by Roberto Bianchi Montero; in 1953 he participated in “Amarti è il mio peccato” by Sergio Grieco and in “Non vogliamo morire” by Oreste Palella. His professional profile was now that of a reliable character actor, often used in secondary parts that required stage presence rather than extensive narrative development.

A new important chapter in his theatrical activity opened in 1962 with the first edition of “Rugantino” by Garinei and Giovannini, performed at the Teatro Sistina in Rome.

In 1961 he had meanwhile appeared in “The Magnificent Three” and “The Usual Robbers” in Milan. In 1964 he played Dominique in Steno's “Texas Twins”, with Walter Chiari and Raimondo Vianello, and also took part in “Primitive Love”. His film activity, however, was about to move towards a completely different genre.

Starting from the mid-sixties Galadini in fact entered the Spaghetti western permanently, frequently adopting the Anglo-Saxon pseudonym Graham Sooty, according to the practice of the time that tended to present Italian technical and artistic casts with names with an international appearance. Specialist repertoires attribute to him numerous participations in the genre, sometimes even under variants of the name such as Jim Bathlin.

In the 1965 In the “A Colt’s Shadow”, directed by Giovanni Grimaldi, he played Buck, credited as Graham Sooty. In 1966 he was Jefferson in “For the Taste of Killing” by Tonino Valerii, again under the pseudonym Graham Sooty. Around the same time, he appeared in “Starblack”, “A Taste for Killing”, “Arizona Colt”, and other western productions, often in roles as lawmen, landlords, bandits, or frontier characters.

He also worked with Franco Franchi and Ciccio Ingrassia, protagonists of an important part of Italian comic cinema of the sixties. In these productions his role remained that of the character actor capable of adapting to the farcical register without losing the credibility built in gender roles.

At the beginning of the seventies he participated in Per grazia ricevuta by Nino Manfredi and in Will the lawyer Franco Benenato be able to defeat his bitter enemy the praetor Ciccio De Ingras?, then in 1972 he appeared in Un apprezzato professionista di sicuro avvenire by Giuseppe De Santis, one of the last documented titles of his career. Some reconstructions place the end of his film activity in 1973.

He died in Rome in 1972 according to the specialist repertoires that report his personal data, although it has not been possible to find a complete date of death in more detailed personal or biographical sources. It is precisely this gap that testifies to how much still remains to be reconstructed on the lives of Italian character actors who worked for decades without receiving the same attention reserved for the protagonists.

In all he appeared in some 78 films.  

GALADINI, Eugenio (aka Jim Bathlin, Eugenio Caladini, Eugenio Galandini, Giulio Galadini, Eugenio Galantini, Eugenio Galatini, Graham Sooty) [1897, Rome, Lazio, Italy – 1972, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – theater, film, TV actor.

The Magnificent Three – 1961 (peon)

Lost Treasure of the Aztecs – 1964 (old Aztec)

The Magnificent Brutes of the West – 1964 (Uncle Sal Capone) [as Jim Bathlin]

The Twins from Texas – 1964 (undertaker)

The Big Gundown – 1966 (photographer)

In a Colt’s Shadow – 1966 (Buck) [as Graham Sooty]

Johnny Colt – 1966 (Henry Williams) [as Giulio Galadini, Graham Sooty]

The Man from Nowhere – 1966 (waystation proprietor)

A Taste for Killing – 1966 (Jefferson) [as Graham Sooty]

The Bang-Bang Kid – 1967 (old man) [as Graham Sooty]

The Handsome, the Ugly and the Stupid – 1967 (old stbleman)

And for a Roof a Sky Full of Stars – 1968 (sheriff)

One After the Other – 1968 (undertaker) [as Graham Sooty]

Tequila Joe – 1968 (Connors)

The Forgotten Pistolero – 1969 (Chico)

Dead Men Don’t Make Shadows – 1970 (old merchant)

Special Birthdays

Nick Brady (actor) would have been 95 today but died in 1999.

Tuesday, October 6, 2026

RIP Renato Cortesi

 


Italian theater, film, TV and voice actor Renato Cortesi died in Rome on October 3rd at the age of 87. Born in Bergamo on July 28, 1939, Cortesi spanned more than half a century of cinema, television, and theater, lending his voice to unforgettable performances and famous animated characters. After studying at the Piccolo Teatro di Milano school, Cortesi began his theatrical activity at a very young age at the University Theater, performing in works by Thornton Wilder, Eugène Ionesco, and Sławomir Mrożek. In 1966 he moved to Rome, where he had the opportunity to collaborate with Renzo Ricci. At the same time, he began what would become a long career in dubbing. The legacy in dubbing Among the actors he voiced are Gérard Depardieu, André Dussollier, William Hurt, Liam Neeson, Jeff Bridges, Jean-Claude Dreyfus, Rutger Hauer, Brad Dourif, Dan Aykroyd, Geoffrey Rush, Burt Reynolds, Viggo Mortensen, Ben Kingsley, and Gene Hackman. Cortesi leaves behind his son Marco, a dubbing director, and was cousin to the voice actress Isa Bellini. Cortesi was the Italian voice of Denver John Collins in 1971’s ‘Doc’.

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Süheyl Eğriboz

[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.]

Süheyl Eğriboz was born in Gönen, Balikesir, Turkey on June 25, 1927. He studied at Pertevniyal High School for a while. He entered the cinema in 1940 by starring in the movie “Akasya Palas”. For a while, he appeared on stage at Muammer Karaca and Ses Theater. Later, he left the theater and continued his film acting. In the following years, he took roles in photonovels and TV series as well as cinema. He was known for his villain roles. He starred in nearly 400 films in “Yeşilçam” where hhe has the title of the 8th actor.

In the movie “Hazrat Omar's Justice”, shot in 1971, he was injured as a result of the attack of 3-4 people with sticks during the Ramadan Feast because he killed Omar bin Khattab as part of his role, and 18 stitches were placed on his head.

Süheyl died from a brain aneurism on January 10, 2014, at the age of 87.

Süheyl Eğriboz appeared in one Spaghetti western, “Küçük Kovboy” (Cowboy Kid) as a henchman in 1972.

EGRIBOZ, Süheyl (aka Suheyl Egriboz, Süjheyl Egriboz, John McIntire) (Süheyl Eğriboz) [6/25/1927, Gönen, Balikesir, Turkey – 1/10/2014, Istanbul, Turkey] – theater, photonovels,  film, TV actor.

Cowboy Kid – 1972 (henchman)

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Carlo Linconti

Carlo Linconti was a Italian-Canadian producer, director and writer. He produced twenty-six films and television series from 1987-2024, while writing three screenplays and directing fourteen.

Born in Veroli, Italy on August 15, 1949, he emigrated to Toronto, Ontario, Canada via the U.S. in 1955.

Liconti began his filmmaking career in 1975 after attending York University and Ryerson Polytechnical Institute. He started in commercial production, setting up his own studio: Leader Media, which became one of Canada's leading commercial houses producing well over 200 commercial spots. He produced and directed his first feature film “Concrete Angels” in 1985. His other credits include, among others the feature film “Brown Bread Sandwiches” starring Giancarlo Giannini and Kim Cattrall, which he also wrote and directed, as well as “Vita Cane” and “Foreign Bodies”. He directed ‘The Campbells’ and ‘My Secret Identity’ and produced/directed documentaries including ‘Dragons of Crime’ for A&E and CBC. He also produced the movie-of-the-week “Greener Fields”, the first Canadian-Italian co-production under the new treaty.

In the mid-2000s Liconti was responsible for setting up an independent TV network based out of Toronto.

Liconti has produced a feature film and television series in Cuba with his company Leader Media, the first production company to have an official treaty co-production with the country.

Carlo died in Toronto on November 28, 2025, at the age of 76.

Carlo Linconti directed one Euro-western, “Bordello” in 2023 and seven episodes of the Euro-western TV series, ‘The Campbells’ from 1989 to 1990.

LICONTI, Carlo [8/15/1949, Santa Francesca, Lazio, Italy – 11/28/2025, Toronto, Ontario, Canada] – producer, director, writer, married to ? father of producer, playwright, actress Natalie Liconti [1995-    ], founded Leader Media [1986-2015].

The Campbells (TV) – 1989-1990 (co)

Bordello – 2023


Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Luigi Emmanuele

Luigi Emmanuele was an Italian assistant director and screenwriter. Luig was born in Italy on February 16, 1911. He was an assistant director on five films between 1952 and 1958. Most of his career was spent writing scripts and screenplays on sixteen films between 1953 and 1974.

Luigi died in Italy on September 3, 1986 at the age of 75.

Luigi Emmanuele wrote and co-wrote screenplays for two Spaghetti westerns: “Las malditas pistolas de Dallas” (The Return of Clay Stone) in 1964 and “I lunghi giorni dell’odio” (This Man Can’t Die) with Gino Mangini and Gianfrano Baldanello.

EMMANUELE, Luigi (aka Luigi Emanuele, Lewis Emman) [2/16/1911, Italy – 9/3/1986, Italy] – assistant director, writer.

The Return of Clay Stone - 1964

This Man Can’t Die – 1967 (co)

 

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Giovanni Raffaldi

Giovanni Raffaldi is/was an Italian cameraman and cinematographer. He worked behind the camera as an operator on fifteen films between 1950 and 1967. He was a cinematographer on forty-one films between 1954 and 1984. Raffaldi is best remembered for his work on “Empire in the Sun” (1956), “War Between the Planets” (1966) and “Our Men in Bagdad” (1966).

Giovanni Raffaldi was a cinematographer on four Spaghetti westerns: “Vamos a matar Sartana!” (Let’s Go and Kill Sartana) with Jaime Deu Casas and “Lo sceriffo di Rockspring” (The Sheriff of Rock Springs) both in 1971, “Il magnifico west” (The Magnificent West) and “…e il terzo giorno arrivò il Corvo” (On the Third Day Arrived the Crow) with Franco Villa both in 1972.

RAFFALDI, Giovanni (aka Gianni Raffaldi, John Raffaldi) [Italian] – cinematographer, cameraman.

Let’s Go and Kill Sartana – 1971 (co)

The Sheriff of Rock Springs – 1971

The Magnificent West - 1972

On the Third Day Arrived the Crow – 1972 (co)

A new Irish Spaghetti western short release “Ringo’s Tally”

 

Ringo’s Tally – International title

 

A 2026 Irish short film production [

Producers: Anthony Murphy, Tom Kerrisk, John Farrelly

Director: Anthony Murphy

Story: Anthony Murphy

Screenplay: Anthony Murphy

Cinematography: Ross Power

Music: Tom Kerrisk

Running time: 13 minutes

 

Cast:

Johnny Ringo - Anthony Murphy

The Devil - Tom Kerrisk

 

Legendary gunslinger Johnny Ringo encounters a mysterious stranger by a campfire in the desert. What begins as a friendly encounter turns into an interrogation about the men Ringo has killed and the sins he has tried to forget. When the stranger's true identity is revealed, Ringo understands that the time has come to pay his debt.

The only American artist Ennio Morricone called a genius: “I couldn’t decide on one favorite album of his”

 FAR OUT

By Reuben Cross

September 23, 2026

While his compositions and scores are celebrated around the world, there was always a fiercely patriotic side to Ennio Morricone, a proud Italian who rejected the notion that the arts ought to revolve around America.

He famously refused to ever move to Hollywood despite being offered plenty of work in the film industry, preferring to compose scores for films by European directors and forming illustrious partnerships with many fellow Italians. In addition to scoring all of the films in the Dollars trilogy, Morricone worked on every single one of Sergio Leone’s films after this point, while also contributing to movies directed by other celebrated filmmakers from his homeland, such as Dario Argento and Tinto Brass.

That doesn’t mean he didn’t occasionally break his rule of working with those from outside of his home country, but he evidently preferred to associate himself with his compatriots. Later in life, he worked with the likes of Brian De Palma (The Untouchables) and Quentin Tarantino (The Hateful Eight, for which Morricone won an Oscar for ‘Best Original Score’) on scores for their films, but he was still selective about those he worked with. If Morricone didn’t feel as though it was a perfect fit for him, then there was little chance of him budging on his position.

That being said, there has always been an undeniable influence from some Western styles in his composition, particularly coming from the American jazz scene, which he was exposed to from early on in his musical career.

A trumpeter first and foremost, Morricone started out in the 1940s playing jazz music, and as the world’s primary proponent of the genre, the American greats ended up having a significant influence on his style, with one composer and bandleader particularly catching his attention.

It would be hard for anyone to ignore Miles Davis, but as a fellow trumpeter whose adventurous and experimental approach to form and genre aligned with Morricone’s own established ethos of mixing classical, contemporary and avant-garde styles in order to create masterful works, he was naturally impressed with everything he heard from the man.

In a 2010 retrospective on Davis’s career, Morricone was asked to name his favorite album from the composer, but rather than give a straightforward answer, he instead offered a level of praise that he hadn’t bestowed upon any other American musician. “I love Miles Davis,” he proclaimed, adding, “I couldn’t decide on one favorite album of his, but he is what I would call a genius.”

Granted, there are so many albums to choose from in his catalogue, with so many different bases covered, so it’s understandable that Morricone was unable to put his finger on a single album from his œuvre.

One could argue that there are significant parallels between records like the cinematic Sketches of Spain and Morricone’s most ambitious scores, but there have also been times when the expansive and exploratory Bitches Brew, which draws from modernist composers like Karlheinz Stockhausen, can be linked to what Morricone offered as a composer.

There is so much that links the two, and there are many obvious reasons as to why there would be a mutual respect for one another’s work. Whether it’s the overt similarities in their muted trumpet playing style or their fiercely individualistic approaches, there was a definite kinship between Davis and Morricone, and while they never found themselves collaborating, for either of them to have shown respect to the other just demonstrates how elevated they were in their respective fields.

Special Birthdays

Hermann Basler (actor) would have been 130 today but died in 1982.








David Howard (director) would have been 130 today but died in 1941.

Spartaco Conversi (actor) would have been 110 today but died in 1989.








Marco Guglielmi (actor) would have been 100 today but died in 2005.



Monday, October 5, 2026

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Willy Egger

[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.]

Willy Egger was born on March 8, 1929, in Vienna, Austria. He was an Austrian film producer and occasional actor. As a film producer, he was involved in a total of 56 film and TV productions between 1952 and 2001 as production manager or executive producer but appeared in some films he co-produced. In total, he was in front of the camera in 11 films, even in small roles.

In the Karl May film adaptations of the sixties, he was involved in “The Treasure of the Aztecs”, “The Pyramid of the Sun God” and “The Legacy of the Inca” as a production manager. In “The Treasure of the Aztecs” and in “The Pyramid of the Sun God”, he also appeared in front of the camera in a small role as Bazaine's secretary and was dubbed by Claus Jurichs.

Since the 1970s, Willy worked as a production manager, including Billy Wilder's star drama “Fedora”, which was filmed at the Bavaria Studios in Munich, among other places. Since the late 1980s, he served in this capacity in Horst Wendlandt's Rialto Film. With his help, Walt Disney films and operetta productions for WDR were created. Towards the end of his career, he was also involved in the production of several successful comedies by German star comedians Loriot, Otto Waalkes and Hape Kerkeling.

He also worked for television (for television films for ZDF) and sporadically appeared in front of the camera with guest roles in some films he produced. Willy Egger was a Protestant, married to Magda Egger in his first marriage, and after the divorce in his second marriage to the hairdresser Bärbele Z. He has three children (Gerhard from his first marriage, Susanne and Michael from the second) and most recently lived in Berlin where he died on August 2, 2005, at the age of 76.

Willy Egger appeared in two Euro-westerns: “Die Pyramide des Sonnengottes” (Pyramid of the Sun God” as Bazaine’s secretary in 1964 and reprised the role in the sequel “Der Schatz der Azteken” (Treasure of the Aztecs) in 1965.

EGGER, Willy (aka Willi Egger, Willy P. Egger) (Wilhelm Egger) [3/8/1929, Vienna, Austria – 8/2/2005, Berlin, Berlin, Germany] – producer, film, TV actor, married to Magda Eggerová father of Gerhard Egger, married to hairdresser Bärbele Z. father of Susanne Egger, Michael Egger.

Pyramid of the Sun God – 1964 (Bazaine’s secretary)

Treasure of the Aztecs – 1965 (Bazaine's secretary)

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Vance Lewis

Vance Lewis was an alias used by Luigi Vanzi an Italian film director, assistant director, and screenwriter known for his contributions to the Spaghetti Western genre, most notably directing the "Stranger" trilogy starring Tony Anthony in the late 1960s.

Born on June 8, 1924, in Ferrara, Italy, Vanzi entered the film industry in the early 1950s as an assistant director, contributing to productions such as “Love in the City” (1953) and “The Young Girls of San Frediano” (1954). He made his directorial debut with the documentary-style “World by Night” (1960) and subsequently helmed films across various genres, including the peplum “Seven from Thebes” (1964) and the controversial “So This Is God's Country?” (also known as “America paese di Dio”, 1966). His most prominent works remain the Spaghetti Westerns “A Stranger in Town” (1967), “The Stranger Returns” (1967), and “The Silent Stranger” (1968), often credited under the pseudonym Vance Lewis, which formed a loose series centered on a mysterious gunslinger.

Vanzi continued directing into the 1970s with projects such as “East Connection” (1970) and the crime drama “1931: Once Upon a Time in New York” (1972), occasionally using pseudonyms like Roy Ferguson and Gigi Vanzi. He died on January 22, 1992, in Rome, Italy at the age of 67.

Luigi Vanzi as Vance Lewis directed three Spaghetti westerns: “Un dollaro tra i denti” (A Stranger in Town) in 1966, “Un uomo, un cavallo, una pistola” (The Stranger Returns) in 1967 and “Lo straniero di silenzio” (The Silent Stranger) in 1968.

LEWIS, Vance (aka Roy Ferguson, Gigi Vanzi) (Luigi Vanzi) [6/8/1924, Ferrara, Italy – 1/22/1992, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – director, assistant director, writer, married to ? father of actress Alessandra Vanzi [1955-    ].

A Stranger in Town – 1966

The Stranger Returns - 1967

The Silent Stranger – 1968

 Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Jacques Emmanuel


Jacques Emmanuel Welfling was a French screenwriter, actor, and dialogue writer renowned for his contributions to mid-20th-century cinema, particularly in comedy and drama genres. Born in Paris on January 13, 1920, he penned screenplays and adaptations for over 30 films, often collaborating with prominent directors and stars, while also appearing in supporting roles in more than a dozen productions. His work emphasized witty dialogue and character-driven narratives, reflecting the vibrant post-war French film industry. He also worked as a librettist for operas.

Emmanuel's screenwriting career gained prominence in the 1950s with notable credits including the screenplay for “Don Juan” (1956), a lavish adaptation starring Fernandel, and “The Law Is the Law” (1958), a comedy featuring Noël-Noël and Micheline Presle that highlighted his skill in blending humor with social commentary. He continued to write prolifically into the 1960s and beyond, contributing to films like “Trois enfants... dans le désordre” (1966), directed by Léo Joannon and starring Bourvil, where he crafted the screenplay and original story, and “Les gros malins” (1969), an adaptation known for its satirical take on rural life. As an actor, he took on character roles such as the notary in the period comedy “Dames galantes” (1990) and the publisher in “Amazing Monsieur Fabre” (1951), often bringing a subtle, understated presence to the screen.

Throughout his career, Emmanuel worked across various formats, including television episodes for series like ‘Les Globe-trotters’ (1967) and ‘Félix’ (1964), demonstrating versatility in adapting stories for both big and small screens. His collaborations with esteemed figures such as Brigitte Bardot, Fernandel, and Jean Carmet underscored his integral role in French cinematic circles, though he remained more behind-the-scenes than in the spotlight. Emmanuel passed away in Saint-Cloud, France on June 11, 1998, at age 78, leaving a legacy of enduring contributions to French film storytelling.

Jacques Emmanuel co-wrote the screenplay for one Euro-western, “Dynamite Jack, la terreur de l'Arizona” (Dynamite Jack) with Jean Bastia, Jean Manse and Jack Ary.

EMMANUEL, Jacques (aka J. Emmanuel) (Jacques Emmanuel Welfing) [1/13/1920, Paris, Île-de-France, France – 6/11/1998, Saint-Cloud, Hauts-de-Seine, France] – writer, actor.

Dynamite Jack – 1960 (co)


Spaghetti Western Animator ~ Vjekoslav Radilovic

Vjekoslav Radilovic was a Czechoslovakian director, writer and animator. He was born in Celje on April 16, 1926. Radilovic directed one film “Inka” in 1992 and wrote for two films in 1992 and 1997. Most of his career was spent as an animator on eight films between 1957 and 1997.

Radilovic died at the age of 70 in Zagreb, Croatia on November 3, 1996.

Was an animator on one animated on one Euro-western, “Dynamite Jimmy” with Berislav Fabek, Leo Fabiani, Vladimir Jutrisa, Vjekoslav Kostanjsek andJosip Peciknk.

RADILOVIC, Vjekoslav [4/16/1926, Celje, Slovenia – 11/3/1996, Zagreb, Croatia] – director, writer, animator.

Cowboy Jimmy – 1970 (co)

"The Mute, the Lame and the Blind"

 

The Mute, the Lame and the Blind – International title

 

A 2025 Italian short film production [?]

Producer: Christian Canderan

Director: Christian Canderan

Story: Christian Canderan, Chiara Errico

Screenplay: Christian Canderan, Chiara Errico

Cinematography: Christian Canderan [color]

Music: www.pixabay.com

Running time: 60 minutes

 

Cast:

Pauli Nauli, Narcisio Levan, Paolo Bortolin, Marco Antonini

 

Director Stefano discovers the talent and irony of Narcisio, Paolo and Marco, three men with different disabilities. Together, they embark on the challenge of shooting a western movie. The filming becomes an adventure of laughter, dreams and discoveries, proving that disability does not define the individual and celebrating art as pure freedom.

Spaghetti Western locations Then & Now – “Chato’s Land”

In 1972 “Chato’s Land” the posse stopped at the ranch of Ezra Meade where they rest up have dinner and then once again depart on their obsession to find Chato.

Meade’s ranch set was built in the Tabernas Desert.

Here’s the same location as seen in 2026.




European Western Comics - Collana Strenne Corticelli

 








Corticelli Gift Books Series

This comic book series was published in Milan by Ugo Mursia Editore. It revives the name of the Milanese publisher Corticelli, whose publishing assets were acquired by Mursia. Featuring an elegant hardcover format, the series, as stated by the publisher, "is the only Italian one privileged to introduce young readers to classic and modern texts of high literary merit, presented in unabridged editions with an elegant, understated design." The few works that are necessarily abridged are marked in the list with an (R). While featuring foreign authors, the series also publishes works by Salvatore Gotta, Giana Anguissola, Wanda Bontà, Gianni Rodari, and Mino Milani. Page counts range from 160 to 440. Illustrators include Franco Donatelli, Giuseppe Pagotto, and Mario Uggeri. The volumes do not bear numbering on the covers, only on the title page; for cataloging convenience, individual titles are therefore listed by author.

The first issue was release on an unknown date and ended with issue 111 in 1982. Each issue contained between 160 and 440 black and white pages with color covers.


Titles of western importance:

James Fenimore Cooper

000 (00.00.00) - “L'ultimo dei Mohicani” - 324 pgg. (The Last of the Mohicans)

 

Jack London

000 (00.00.00) - “Il richiamo della foresta” - 284 pgg. (The Call of the Wild)

000 (00.00.00) - “Zanna Bianca” - 264 pgg. (White Fang)

 

Mino Milani

074 (00.00.00) - “Tommy River e lo scozzese” - 204 pgg. (Tommy River and the

                             Scotsman)

000 (00.00.00) - “L'avventura di Tommy River” - 256 pgg. (The Adventure of Tommy

                            River”

000 (00.00.00) - “Tommy River” - 244 pgg. (Tommy River)

000 (00.00.00) - “Il ritorno di Tommy River” - 248 pgg. (The Return of Tommy River)

000 (00.00.00) - “Tommy River sulla via del Nord” - 220 pgg. (Tommy River on the

                             Northern Trail)

000 (00.00.00) - “Tommy River e la lunga pista” - 252 pgg. (Tommy River and the Long

                             Trail)

000 (00.00.00) - “Tommy River addio” - 244 pgg. (Goodbye Tommy River)

000 (00.00.00) - “Sir Crispino” - 224 pgg. (Sir Crispino)

000 (00.00.00) - “Le avventure di Martin Cooper” (contiene “Il Paese delle Grandi

                             Orme” e “In fondo al pozzo”) - 264 pgg. (“The Adventures of Martin

                             Cooper” (contains “The Land of Great Footprints” and “At the Bottom

                             of the Well”)

000 (00.00.00) - “Le nuove avventure di Martin Cooper” - 176 pgg. (The New

                             Adventures of Martin Cooper)

 

Mark Twain

000 (00.00.00) - “Le avventure di Huck Finn” - 324 pgg. (“The Adventures of Huck Finn

000 (00.00.00) - “Le avventure di Tom Sawyer” - 276 pgg. (The Adventures of Tom

                            Sawyer)

000 (00.00.00) - “Le nuove avventure di Tom Sawyer” - 200 pgg. (The New Adventures

                            of Tom Sawyer

Special Birthdays

Gustavo Serena (actor) would have been 145 today but died in 1970.







Mariano Ozores (director, writer) would have been 100 today but died in 2025.








José Panizo (actor) would have been 90 but died in 2018.









Vic Armstrong (actor) is 80 today.


 






Renato Serio (composer) would have been 80 today. but died in 2024.

Sunday, October 4, 2026

From the WAI! vault

 



Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Marshall Efron

[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.]

Marshall Efron was born in Los Angeles, California on February 3, 1938. Efron was an American actor, humorist, and voice artist whose career spanned radio satire, television sketches lampooning consumerism, and animated films. Born to accountant Jacob Efron and homemaker Ida Plotkin, he began performing in the 1960s on listener-sponsored Pacifica radio stations WBAI in New York and KPFK in Los Angeles, delivering wry, illustrated commentaries that honed his deadpan style. Efron gained prominence in the 1970s as a regular on the PBS anthology series ‘The Great American Dream Machine’, where his segments skewered advertising and American excess through absurd, low-budget vignettes, contributing to the show's cult status for its irreverent public-television satire. Later, he transitioned to voice acting, providing character voices in films including “THX 1138” (1971), “Robots” (2005), and “Ice Age: The Meltdown” (2006), as well as animated series like ‘The Smurfs’ and ‘Transformers’. His work emphasized precise, understated humor over broad comedy, reflecting a commitment to intellectual parody amid the era's countercultural media landscape.

Efron died from a heart attack at the actor’s home in Englewood, New Jersey on September 30, 2019 at the age of 81

Marshall Efron appeared in one Spaghetti western, “Duelo a muerte en O.K. Corral” (‘Doc’) as the Mexican bartender.

EFRON, Marshall (Marshall Harold Efron) [2/3/1938, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. – 9/30/2019, Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.A. (cardiac arrest)] – writer, theater, film, radio, TV, voice actor.

‘Doc’ – 1970 (Mexican bartender)