Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Theo Bouwmeester

Theodorus Maurita Frenkel was born on July 14 1871, in Zutphen, Gelderland, Netherlands. He was a Dutch film director, actor and screenwriter of the silent era. He worked in England under the name Theo Bouwmeester for the Natural Color Kinematograph Company, using the surname of his renowned mother and uncle (both who were accomplished actors), before working in Germany in 1913 and 1914 and then returning to the Netherlands, a neutral country, before World War I. He directed more than 200 films between 1908 and 1928. He also appeared in 21 films between 1911 and 1948. His nephew Theo Frenkel Jr. (1893–1955) was a film actor.

Theo Bouwmeester died in Amsterdam on September 20, 1956.

Bouwmeester’s only Euro-western was “Fate” in 1911.

BOUWMEESTER,Theo (aka Theo Frenkel, Theo Mann-Bouwmeester) (Theodorus Maurita Frenkel) [4/19/1850, Zutphen, Gelderland, Netherlands - 4/18/1939, Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands] – director, actor, son of actress Theo Mann-Bouwmeester (Theodora Bouwmeester) [1850- 1939] composer, conductor Gottfried Mann [1858-1904], nephew of actor Louis Bouwmeester (Louis Frederik Johannes Bouwmeester) [1842-1925].

Fate – 1911

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Don Balluck

Donald Eugene Balluck was born in Cleveland, Ohio on June 25, 1929. He was an actor, playwright and television writer for such durable series as ‘Little House on the Prairie’ and ‘Father Murphy’. Balluck began his career as an actor in Cleveland and moved to New York in 1956 and to Los Angeles four years later to pursue writing. His first teleplay, an episode of ‘Dr. Kildare’ starring Richard Chamberlain, was broadcast in 1964. Balluck went on to write episodes of ‘Run for Your Life’ and ‘Daniel Boone’, then became executive story editor for ‘High Chaparral’. With producer and actor Michael Landon, Balluck worked as executive story consultant and wrote for ‘Little House on the Prairie’ and its spinoff, starring Merlin Olsen, ‘Father Murphy’. More recently, Balluck was executive story supervisor for ‘Fantasy Island’ and ‘Hell Town’ and wrote for ‘Magnum, P.I.’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Adept at westerns as well as police drama, Balluck was an active member of the Western Writers of America. He earned its Golden Spur Award for a 1982 episode of ‘Father Murphy’ titled “Knights of the White Camelia.” Balluck rarely ventured into motion pictures but did script the 1969 western “Four Rode Out” starring ‘Bonanza’ television veteran Pernell Roberts.

Balluck died from lung cancer and emphysema on April 7, 2000, in Burbank, California. He was 70.

As mentioned above his only screenplay credit for a Euro-western was for “Cuatro cabalgaron” (Four Rode Out) in 1968 with Paul Harrison.

BALLUCK, Don (Donald Eugene Balluck) [6/25/1929, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A. – 4/7/2000, Burbank, California, U.S.A.] – producer, writer, married to actress Rhea Mae ‘Riki’ Gordon [1934-1973] (1957-1969) father of Professor Pamela Jo Balluck [1959-    ], Cynthia Balluck [1960-    ].

Four Rode Out - 1968 (co)

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Wolfgang Braumann

Wolfgang Braumann was born on January 7. 1938 in Potsdam, Germany. Braumann was a German cinematographer known for his extensive contributions to DEFA children's films in East German cinema.

Braumann established himself as a leading figure in DEFA productions, where he served as chief cinematographer on nearly 40 films over approximately 25 years, many of which continue to air regularly on television. He developed a distinctive visual style featuring hand-held camera techniques for heightened realism, atmospheric backlighting, elaborate production design, special effects, and camera placement at children's eye level to treat young performers as equal creative partners. Braumann frequently collaborated with directors such as Walter Beck, Hans Kratzert, Egon Schlegel, Jörg Foth, and Günter Meyer, and his notable credits include “Hut ab, wenn du küßt!” (1971), “Der Prinz hinter den sieben Meeren” (1982), “Zille und ick” (1983), “Das Eismeer ruft” (1984), and “Der Froschkönig” (1988).

Although best remembered for his work in children's cinema, Braumann also contributed to other genres within DEFA, including comedies and musicals. He was married to costume designer Barbara Braumann, with whom he had one child, and he resided in Potsdam throughout his life. Braumann died on April 8, 2017, at the age of 79.

Wolfgang was the cinematographer on one Euro-western “Tecumseh” in 1972.

BRAUMANN, Wolfgang [1/7/1938, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany – 4/8/2017, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany] – cinematographer, cameraman, married to costume designer Barbara Braumann (Barbara Müller) [1940-    ] (19??-2017), father of a son.

Tecumseh – 1972