Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Giorgio Ferroni

Giorgio Ferroni was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and occasional producer known for his versatile contributions to cinema across multiple genres, including documentaries, historical dramas, peplum adventures, horror, and spaghetti westerns, from the 1930s through the 1970s. Born in Perugia, Umbria on April 12, 1908, he began his career in the mid-1930s directing short documentaries such as “Pompei” (1936), which showcased his early interest in historical subjects. Ferroni gained initial experience at Rome's Cines Studios, where he worked as an assistant director to prominent filmmakers Gennaro Righelli and Carmine Gallone, honing his skills in narrative filmmaking during Italy's fascist-era cinema boom. His directorial debut in feature films came with aviation-themed works like “The Thrill of the Skies” (1939), marking his transition from shorts to dramatic storytelling amid World War II constraints. Postwar, he explored a range of genres, directing romantic dramas such as “Ritorno al Nido” (1946) and “Senza Famiglia” (1946), before venturing into mythological epics in the 1950s and 1960s. Among his most notable works are the peplum films “The Lion of Thebes” (1964) and “Hercules vs. the Moloch” (1963), which exemplified the sword-and-sandal cycle popular in Italian cinema, as well as the Gothic horror classic “Mill of the Stone Women” (1960), praised for its atmospheric tension and literary adaptations. Later in his career, Ferroni entered the Spaghetti western genre with films like “Blood for a Silver Dollar” (1965) and “Wanted” (1967, credited under the pseudonym Calvin Jackson Padget), blending action with moral complexities typical of the subgenre. Married to actress Nada Fiorelli from the 1940s until his death in Perugia on August 17, 1981, at age 73, leaving a legacy of over 20 directorial credits that reflected evolving trends in Italian popular cinema.

Giorgio Ferroni directed five Spaghetti westerns: “Il fanciullo del West” (The Kid of the West) in 1942, “Un dollaro bucato” (Blood for a Silver Dollar) in 1965, “Per pochi dollari ancora” (Fort Yuma Gold) in 1966, “Wanted” in 1967 and “Il pisotlero segnato de Dio” (Two Pistols and a Coward) in 1968

FERRONI, Giorgio (aka Calvin J. Badget, C.J. Padget, Calvin J. Padget, Calvin Jackson Padget, Calvin Jakson Padget, Jackson Padget) [4/12/1908, Perugia, Perugia, Umbria, Italy – 8/17/1981] – producer, director, assistant director, writer, film editor, actor, married to actress Nada Fiorelli [1919–1984] (194?-1981).

The Kid of the West - 1942

Blood for a Silver Dollar – 1965 [as Calvin Jackson Padget]

Fort Yuma Gold – 1966 [as Calvin Jackson Padget]

Wanted – 1967 [as Calvin J. Padget]

Two Pistols and a Coward – 1968 [as Calvin Jackson Padget]

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Vincent Cashino

Born Vincenzo Cascino he is/was an Italian filmmaker. Very little is known about Vincenzo. He was born in Argentina and sometime as an adult moved to Italy and became involved in their film industry as a producer, production manager, director, writer, film editor and actor.

If you Google his name all you’ll find is a list of films he was involved in. I can find no biographical information on him

He appeared in only one Spaghetti western as Baron Vermont in 1965’s “Lo sceriffo non spara” (The Sheriff Won’t Shoot) for which he also produced and wrote the screenplay.

Vincent Cashino co-wrote the screenplay for one Spaghetti western, “Lo sceriffo non spara” (The Sheriff Won’t Shoot) with Reinat Rizlang, Guido Malatesta, J.L Monter, Carmen Martinez and Lionel A. Prestol. He also appeared as an actor in this film playing the role of Baron Vermont.

CASHINO, Vincent (aka V. Cascino) (Vincenzo Cascino) [Argentinian] – producer, production manager, director, writer, film editor, actor.

The Sheriff Won’t Shoot – 1965 (co)

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Juan Rafael Gómez Heredia

Juan Rafael Gómez Heredia is a Spanish director writer and cinematographer. Born in Almeria on October 12, 1974, his family has long been associated with the Spanish film industry. Juan has taken it upon himself to protect that legacy and showcase it to the world in a recent 2025 documentary entitled “The Jerraos” which he produced, directed, wrote and was the cinematographer on. He also did the same for his 2023 Spaghetti western “The Ghost Band y el intrépido Ralph Lee” (The Incredible Stories of the Intrepid Ralph Lee, The Ghost Band).

Heredia has also published a book on the Spanish gypsies who appeared in many Spaghetti westerns and other films made in Almeria. Spaghetti western was released in 2021 and is available on Amazon.

HEREDIA, Juan Rafael Gómez [10/12/1974, Almeria, Andalusia, Spain -     ] – producer director, writer, actor, married to ?

The Incredible Stories of the Intrepid Ralph Lee, The Ghost Band – 2023

The Jerraos - 2025