6 Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Dennis Ford

Dennis Ford is an alias used by director, writer Lucio Dandolo whose real name is Lucio Giachin. He directed three films between 1971 and 1975 and co-wrote the screenplay for the only Spaghetti western he co-directed with Demofilo Fidani, “Il suo nome era Pot… ma… lo chiamavano Allegria!” (His Name Was Pot... They Called Him Allegria) with Demofilo Fidani in 1971.

Other than that, I can find no biographical information on him.

FORD, Dennis (aka Lucio Dandolo) (Lucio Giachin) [Italian] – director, writer.

His Name Was Pot... They Called Him Allegria – 1971 (co)

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Fernando Cerchio

Fernando Cerchio was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and editor whose career spanned from the late 1930s to the early 1970s, encompassing documentaries, adaptations, peplum epics, comedies, and spaghetti westerns. Born in Luserna San Giovanni in the province of Turin on August 7, 1914, Cerchio contributed to over 30 feature films, often working within the popular genres of post-war Italian cinema while establishing himself as a reliable craftsman at Rome's Cinecittà studios. He directed 28 films between 1945 and 1969, in addition to his editing and screenwriting contributions.

Cerchio's early training included attendance at the School of Fine Arts and enrollment in the directing course at Rome's Experimental Center of Cinematography in 1939. He began his professional journey in 1938 as an editor at the LUCE Institute, producing documentaries that later included a 1945 work on the Piedmontese Resistance titled Aldo dice 26×1. His directorial debut came in 1945 with the comedy “La buona fortuna”, followed by an adaptation of Rossini's opera “La Cenerentola” filmed in Turin in 1949, marking the start of a prolific output that blended historical dramas, adventure tales, and genre entertainment.

Among his most notable works are the peplum epic “Nefertite, regina del Nilo” (1961), featuring Vincent Price, and comedies starring Totò such as “Totò contro Maciste” (1962) and “Totò e Cleopatra” (1963). Cerchio also ventured into spaghetti westerns with films like “Per un dollaro di gloria” (Mutiny at Fort Sharp, 1966), which critiqued military incompetence during the American Civil War era, and “La morte sull'alta collina” (Death on High Mountain, 1969).

His death in Mentana, near Rome on August 19, 1974, concluded a career defined by versatile, genre-driven storytelling that reflected the evolving landscape of Italian film production.

Fernando Cerchio co-wrote on Spaghetti western, “El escuadrón de la Muerte” (Mutiny at Fort Sharp) with Ugo Liberatore in 1965 a film he also directed.

CERCHIO, Fernando (aka Florinde Cerchio, Fred Ringold, Fred Ringoold) [8/7/1914, Luserna San Giovanni, Piedmont, Italy – 8/19/1974, Mentana, Lazio, Italy] – director, assistant director, writer, film editor, married to ? father of cinematographer, cameraman Carlo Cerchio.

Mutiny at Fort Sharp – 1965 (co)

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Alan Hume

Alan Hume was a British cinematographer best known for his long association with the Carry On comedy film series, where he served as director of photography on 16 of the films, as well as his contributions to the James Bond franchise and major productions like “Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi”.

Born in Putney, London on October 16, 1924, Hume began his career in the film industry during World War II, starting as a clapper loader at Olympic Film Laboratories and working on early projects such as “The First of the Few” (1942) and “In Which We Serve” (1942). By 1943, he had advanced to focus puller, contributing to David Lean's “Oliver Twist” (1948) as a camera operator. After wartime service in the Royal Navy, where he credited much of his photographic training, Hume returned to the industry and was elected to the British Society of Cinematographers in 1964, later serving as its president from 1969 to 1971 and accumulating 22 years on the society's board.

Hume's breakthrough came with the Carry On series, beginning as camera operator on the first four films, including “Carry On Sergeant” (1958), before becoming director of photography starting with “Carry On Regardless” (1961) and continuing through to “Carry On Columbus” (1992). His work on these low-budget comedies, totaling involvement in nearly all 30 entries, was marked by efficient techniques to capture fast-paced action, such as innovative close-ups in “Carry On Cabby” (1963).

In the 1970s and 1980s, Hume transitioned to higher-profile action films, serving as second-unit director of photography on “The Spy Who Loved Me” (1977) and then as full director of photography for “For Your Eyes Only” (1981), “Octopussy” (1983), and “A View to a Kill” (1985) in the James Bond series. He also handled challenging international shoots, including extreme conditions on Baffin Island for Bond sequences. Among his other significant credits were “Return of the Jedi” (1983), “Runaway Train” (1985), “A Fish Called Wanda” (1988), and “Shirley Valentine” (1989), alongside television work on ‘The Avengers’ (1965–1968) and ‘Space Precinct’ (1994–1995). Hume retired in 1998 and published his autobiography, A Life Through the Lens: Memoirs of a Film Cameraman, in 2004

Hume died in Giles, Buckinghamshire, England on July 13, 2010, at the age of 85.

Alan Hume was a cinematographer on one Euro-western, “Carry on Cowboy” in 1965.

HUME, Alan (George Alan Hume) [10/16/1924, London, London, England, U.K. - 7/13/2010, Giles, Buckinghamshire, England, U.K.] – cinematographer, cameraman, SFX, married to Sheila Nevard (1946-2010) father of film editor Lindsey Hume [1946-1967], cameraman Martin Hume (Martin Christopher Hume) [1949-    ], title designer Pauline Hume [1950-    ], cameraman Simon Hume [1955-    ], grandfather of camera assistant Lewis Hume.

Carry on Cowboy 1965