Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Vincent Eagle

Born Vincenzo dell'Aquila in 1935 in Naples, Italy. He used the aliases Enzo Dell’Aquila and Vincent Eagle. He was mainly a writer who worked on fifteen films between 1964 and 1975. He was also an assistant director on one film in 1965 and directed seven films between 1963 and 1998.

After graduating from the Centro sperimentale di cinematografia (CSC), where he studied with Fernando Di Leo and directed the short film “Un cuore per odiarvi”, Dell'Aquila directed an episode of the sketch comedy “Gli eroi di ieri, oggi, domani” in 1963 and then devoted himself mainly to screenwriting. Until 1969, he mainly wrote spaghetti western scripts; One of his two independent productions also falls under this genre in 1967. In the early 1970s, Dell'Aquila moved to television, where he was responsible for the program ‘L'altra domenica’. In 1981, he directed ‘Rosso Tiziano’ for Rai

As Vincent Eagle he directed one Spaghetti western, “…e venne il tempo uccidere” (Tequila Joe) in 1968.

EAGLE, Vincent (aka Enzo Dell Aquila) (Vincenzo dell'Aquila) [1935, Naples, Campania, Italy -     ] – director, assistant director, writer.

Tequila Joe – 1968

 

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Steven Carabatsos

Steven William Carabatsos was born October 2, 1938, in Manhattan, New York. He is an American screenwriter and television story editor best known for his contributions to the original Star Trek series during its first season in the mid-1960s.

Carabatsos graduated Hunter College in 1962.

As story consultant, Carabatsos worked on 12 episodes of Star Trek, providing script development and continuity support during a pivotal period of the show's production. He co-wrote the teleplay for the episode "Court Martial," a legal drama centered on Captain Kirk facing a court-martial for negligence, in collaboration with Don M. Mankiewicz. Additionally, Carabatsos penned the script for "Operation – Annihilate!," the season one finale involving a planetary crisis caused by parasitic creatures that the Enterprise crew must resolve.

Beyond Star Trek, Carabatsos contributed to several notable television series in the 1960s and 1970s, including writing for medical drama ‘Ben Casey’, soap opera ‘Peyton Place’, western ‘The Big Valley’, police procedural ‘Kojak’, and adventure series ‘The Fugitive’.

Carabatsos also ventured into film screenwriting, co-writing the 1970 western “El Condor” starring Jim Brown and Lee Van Cleef, and providing the screenplay for the 1977 horror film “Tentacles”, a Jaws-inspired story about a giant octopus terrorizing a coastal community. Other cinematic credits include story contributions to the 1987 adventure comedy “Hot Pursuit” and the 1980 Disney family film “The Last Flight of Noah's Ark”. These projects highlight his versatility across genres.

Steven Carabatsos co-wrote the screenplay for one Spaghetti western, “El Condor” with Larry Cohen in 1969.

CARABATSOS, Steven (aka Steve Carabatsos, Steven W. Carabatsos) (Steven William Carabatsos) [10/2/1938, Manhattan, New York, U.S.A. - 10/24/2025, Mammoth Lakes, California, U.S.A.] – writer.

El Condor – 1969 (co)

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Ernest Gregl

Ernest Gregi (often credited as Ernest Gregl) was born in February 23,1934 in Nova, Croatia. He is best known as a cinematographer for animated films, notably working on the 1966 feature “Alice of Wonderland” in Paris. He was involved in camera work for this collaborative animation project produced by William L. Snyder and directed by Milan Blazekovic.

Gregi died in Zagreb, Croatia on September 1, 2021 at the age of 87.

As Ernest Gregl he was a co-cameraman on 1957’s “Cowboy Jimmy” with Vladimir Svenda.

GREGL, Ernest (aka Ernest Gregl) [2/23/1934, Nova Gradiska, Croatia – 9/1/2021, Zagreb, Croatia] – director, cinematographer, animator, SFX.

Cowboy Jimmy – 1957 (co)