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]