Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Giorgio Gentili

Giorgio Gentili was born in Rome in 1928. Gentili started in the film industry as a production secretary at a young age; from 1959 he was regularly an assistant director for several directors. Between 1966 and 1972 he often collaborated with Carlo Lizzani. During this period, the films that Gentili probably directed, but which are officially attributed to the American television director Stanley Prager, were made: The curious “Two Numbers Too Big”, in which Dustin Hoffman debuted, and “Bang Bang Kid”. After the end of the 1970s, Gentili seems to have left the film business. Some sources also credit Gentili with directing the Italo Western “Sledge” (1970), for which he was only involved as an assistant.

Gentili used the alias Stanley Prager and co-directed one Spaghetti western, “Bang, Bang” (Bang Bang Kid) with Luciano Lelli.

GENTILI, Giorgio (aka Dan Ash, G. Gentili, Stanley Prager) [1928, Rome, Lazio, Italy -     ] – director, assistant director, writer, actor.

Bang Bang Kid – 1967 (co) [as Stanley Prager]

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ S. Clarke-Hook

S. Clarke Hook was born Sydney Clarke-Hook in Hornsey, Middlesex, England on July 7, 1857. He was one of most popular boys’ story paper writers of his era. He was best-known for his stories of “Jack, Sam and Pete”, a trio of rich adventurers whose comic exploits took them all over the world, and which began in Alfred Harmsworth’s The Marvel in 1901 and ran until 1922.  He also wrote countless other stories, mainly school stories, for many other Harmsworth papers. For a long time, it was thought that his first name was Samuel, until Bill Lofts, writing in The Collectors’ Digest in November 1973, revealed that it was actually Sydney. Yet, despite his popularity and longevity – his working career spanned around 35 years – nothing has been written before about his life.

Sydney Clarke Hook subsequently died at Rogate Lodge, Surrey Road, Bournemouth, on August 14, 1923, at the age of 66.

Sydney Clarke-Hook wrote the screenplay for one silent Euro-western “Jack, Sam and Pete” in 1919.

CLARKE-HOOK, S. (Sydney Clarke-Hook) [7/7/1857, Hornsey, Middlesex, England, U.K. 8/14/1923, Bournemouth, Dorset, England, U.K. - author, writer, married to Alice Elizabeth Gray [1858-1947] (1876-1923) father of Sydney Victor Clarke-Hook [1877-1883], Beatrice Madeline Clarke-Hook [1880-1882], author Herbert Clarke Clarke-Hook [1883-1957], Evelyn Irene Clarke-Hook [1886-1930], Mabel Inez Clarke-Hook [1887-1960], Sybil Dora Clarke-Hook [1893-1977].

Jack, Sam and Pete – 1919

 

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Frank Kesson

Frank Kesson was born on August 27, 1885, in Cleveland, Ohio and was an American cinematographer. He worked with Byron Haskin in “The Sea Beast” (1926), the Spanish western film “El hombre malo” (1930), “El cantante de Nápoles” (1935) with William Rees, “La dama atrevida” (1931), “La llamada sagrada” (1931), “Die heilige Flamme” (1931),[5] and “Millionaires” (1926).

He died on September 29, 1939, in Cleveland at the age of 54.

As mentioned above Frank Kesson was a cinematographer one two Euro-westerns “El hombre malo” and “Lopez, le bandit” both in 1930.

KESSON, Frank [8/27/1885, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A. – 9/29/1939, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.] – cinematographer.

El hombre malo – 1930