New Book Release!

AIM FOR THE HEART: THE FILMS OF CLINT EASTWOOD
Howard Hughes
I.B. TAURIS
30 JULY 2009 U.K.
1 SEPTEMBER 2009 U.S.A.
304 pages, Hardback,
w/45 b&w illustrations
ISBN-10: 1845119029
ISBN-13: 978-1845119027
$19.14 at Amazon.com

Clint Eastwood is one of the world's most popular action stars, who has matured into a fine American producer-director. Entertaining, illuminating and packed with information, this is the first book to cover his full life in the movies, from his beginnings in 1950s B-movies and in TV's Rawhide showing how as both actor and filmmaker Eastwood aims for the heart of the drama, whatever the story. Howard Hughes follows Eastwood's craft through over 50 movies. He looks at his launch into superstardom in Sergio Leone s 1960s spaghetti westerns. Back in America, he built on his success as western hero with such films as High Plains Drifter and The Outlaw Josey Wales, winning an Oscar for Unforgiven in 1992. He blasted his way through the seventies and eighties as Inspector Harry Francis Callahan, the last hope for law enforcement in San Francisco. He also monkeyed around in two phenomenally popular films with Clyde the orangutan, which brought tough-guy Eastwood to a whole new audience and made him the biggest box office star of his generation. Aim for the Heart also looks at Eastwood's more unusual roles, including The Beguiled, The Bridges of Madison County, Million Dollar Baby and Gran Torino. Since 1970, he has enjoyed parallel success as director-producer of his own Malpaso Productions, with Bird, Mystic River, Letters from Iwo Jima and Gran Torino demonstrating formidable directing credentials. Aim for the Heart covers all Eastwood's movies of many genres in detail, and Eastwood's story is illustrated with film stills, glimpses behind the scenes, and rare poster advertising material. Aim for the Heart also includes the most comprehensive credits filmography ever compiled on Eastwood's work, as star and director.

About the Author
Film writer Howard Hughes is the author of the Filmgoers' Guides: 'Once Upon a Time in the Italian West: The Filmgoers' Guide to Spaghetti Westerns'; 'Crime Wave: The Filmgoers' Guide to the Great Crime Movies', and 'Stagecoach to Tombstone: The Filmgoers' Guide to the Great Westerns', all I.B. Tauris. He is currently writing Cinema Italiana: The Complete Guide from Classics to Cult, which I.B.Tauris will publish in 2010.

Who Are Those Gals?

Also called the “Cuban H-Bomb” Chelo Alonso was born Alicia Isabella Garcia on April 10, 1933 in Lugareño, Camaguez, Cuba. She initially achieved recognition in Cuba for her dancing ability, becoming a sensation at Cuba's National Theatre in Havana. She them migrated as the new exotic dancing talent at the Folies-Bergere in Paris with a mixture of Afro-Cuban rhythms from her homeland and "bump and grind". She then started to receive movie offers and appeared in several sword and sandal and adventure films. These films made good use of her dark looks and dancing ability.

In 1961, Alonso married Aldo Pomilia, a production manager and producer for many of her films. She has one son, Aldino Pomilia. Chelo Alonso appeared in several European Westerns such as “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (1966), “Run, Man, Run” (1967) and “Night of the Serpent” (1969). She always caught the viewers attention even as in “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” where she had no lines.
After the death of her husband in 1986, Alonso moved to the city of Siena in Tuscany, Italy. She retired from film and started a cat-breeding business, as well as a four star hotel.

RIP Lola Lemos

Spanish actress Lola Lemos died in Madrid, Spain on August 6th, she was 96. Lola was born during a theatrical tour by her parents on May 5, 1913 in Brea de Aragón in Zaragosa, Spain. Her family’s lineage in the theater goes back to the 18th century. Her brother was actor Carlos Lemos (1909-1988). Lola took dramatic lessons and appeared in her first film “Llegaron dos hombres” in 1959. Her film career was not very extensive although she would appear in over 30 films. In contrast it was in television that she would find her greatest popularity. She appeared in such series as “Historias para no dormer”, “Estudio 1” and “Novela”. Late in life she became the consummate grandmother figure in such shows as “Menudo is mi padre” (1996-1998), playing the mother in “El Fary” and “Abierto 24 horas” (2000-2001) giving life to the ghost’s mother Pilar Bardem. During her long life and career Lola Lemos appeared in one Euro-western 1965’s “Dos mil dolares por Coyote” (aka “Ballad of a Bounty Hunter”) starring James Philbrook.

THE BIG GUNDOWN

La resa dei conti – Italian title
El halcón y la presa – Spanish title
La presa – Spanish title
Luodin laki - Finnish title
Colorado – French title
Un maudit de plus – French title
Colorado – Polish title
O grande pistoleiro - Portuguese title
Der Gehetzte der Sierra Madre – German title
En blodig kniv, et dödande skott – Swedish title
Account Rendered – English title
The Big Gundown – U.S.A. title

A 1966 Italian, Spanish co-production [PEA (Rome), Tulio Demicheli (Madrid)]
Producer: Alberto Grimaldi, Tulio DeMicheli
Director: Sergio Sollima
Story: Fernando Morandi, Franco Solinas
Screenplay: Tulio Demicheli, Sergio Donati, Sergio Sollima
Cinematography: Carlo Carlini [Technicolor, Techniscope]
Music: Ennio Morricone
Song: “Somewhere” sung by Cristy (Maria Brancucci)
Song: “Run, Man, Run” sung by Cristy (Maria Brancucci)
Running time: 108 minutes

Cast:
Jonathan “Colorado” Corbett - Lee Van Cleef (Clarence Van Cleef, Jr.)
Manuel “Cuchillo” Sanchez - Tomas Milian (Tomas Rodriguez)
Brokston – Walter Barnes
Captain Segura - Fernando Sancho (Fernando Les)
Lizzie Miller- Luisa Rivelli (Rosella Lanfranchi)
widow - Nieves Navarro (Nieves Garcia)
Jess - Benito Stefanelli
Brokston - Walter Barnes
Baron Von Schulenberg - Gérard Herter (Gerhard Haerter)
Rosita Sanchez - Maria Granada (Manuela Barrosa)
Jack - Lanfranco Ceccarelli
Sheriff Jellicol - Roberto Camardiel (Roberto Escudero)
Hondo - Nello Pazzafini (Giovanni Pazzafini)
Mitchell - Spartaco Conversi
Rocky - Romano Puppo
Mr. Lynch - Calisto Calisti
Shemp Miller - Ángel del Pozo (Angel Merino)
Mr. Miller - Tom Felleghy (Tamas Fellegi)
Brother Smith & Wesson - Antonio Casas (Antonio Barros)
Paco Molinas - José Torres (José Medina)
Sheriff of Willow Creek - Fernando Sánchez Polack
Mexican barber - José Zalde
Mexican barman - Angelo Susani
Mexican prostitute - Silvana Bacci
Mormon leader - Herman Reynoso (Hermano Reynoso)
Sarah - Maribel Martín (Maria Martinez)
outlaws - Barta Barry (Bernabe Barri), Luis Gaspar (Luis Osorio)
pioneer - Lorenzo Robledo
widow’s men - Frank Braña (Francisco Pérez), Antonio Molino Rojo, Luis Barboo, Fernando Bilbao
Willow Creek prostitute - Christine Heffernan
wedding guests -  Mark Spencer (Raniero Darascenzi) José Galera Balazote
with; Santiago Santos

After years of playing supporting roles, even in his first two Leone films Lee Van Cleef was offered a starring role in a big budget Spaghetti Westerns. “Mr. Ugly come to town” shouted the film’s advertisements, still using the incorrect tagged character from “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” Here was Lee’s chance to make a lead man’s name for himself and he doesn’t disappoint. Playing against the multi-talented and scene stealing Tomas Milian he comes across as a silent leading man and anti-hero should. No one did it better than Lee. He had the look and that was enough for most fans of the genre but Lee could also act when given a good script and he has one here. He plays Jonathan Corbett and ex-lawman looking to possibly run for the U.S. Senate in the upcoming election. He finds a benefactor in railroad owner Brokston who needs someone in his back pocket to help push an intercontinental railroad through Congress. Lee’s no one’s pawn and he accepts Brokston’s backing conditionally and to show his thanks he takes on the job of hunting down a Mexican peasant named Cuchillo who is suspected of raping and killing a 12 year-old girl and is on the run back to Mexico. Van Cleef at first finds his prey an easy catch but Cuchillo is no fool and years on the run as a thief have made him a difficult man to capture. Milian turns the table on Corbett several times and eventually he begins to realize he is being set up by Brokston to eliminate a witness against his new son-in-law who is the real criminal. In the end Corbett allows justice to take place between Cuchillo and Shep and then he gets his own revenge with the help of Cuchillo when Brockston tries to take control one last time.

If you haven’t seen the uncut version of this film you are truly missing a classic. Most fans of the genre rank this Sollima classic up with any of the Leone films. The uncut version is finally available thanks to Franco Cleef’s painstaking editing of several versions and reinserting missing scenes from the U.S. video release. Have you ever seen the Father Smith & Wesson scene or the 3 bullets for 3 guns scene pictured below. I doubt it, but they are all now available in this fairly new DVD version. Sollima followed up the success of this film with “Run, Man, Run” with Milian reprising his Cuchillo role but Van Cleef was replaced with Donal O’Brien. The results are nowhere near the same proving Lee Van Cleef was what makes “The Big Gundown” the classic that it is.

You Tube link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z4T3QvglSE

Happy 70th Birthday Kate O'Mara

Born Kate Carroll on August 10, 1939 in Leicester, England, the daughter of actress Hazel Bainbridge. Originally a speech therapist she decided on an acting career and made her stage debut in 1963 in “The Merchant of Venice”. She would go on to be a Glamour Girl at Hammer Studios and appear in two European Westerns “The Desperados!” in 1969 with Jack Palance and Vince Edwards and again the following year in 1970’s “Cannon for Cordoba” with George Peppard. She’s probably best known for her television work in such dramas as “The Brothers”, “Triangle” and “Howard’s Way”. She would also make recurring appearances as the villainous ‘Rani’ in “Doctor Who” and as Caress Morell the sister of Alexis Colby on “Dynasty”. Still going strong she appeared in 2008 as Marlene Dietrich in the stage play entitled “Lunch with Marlene”, and later that year she played Mrs. Cheveley in Oscar Wilde's stage play “An Ideal Husband”. Today we celebrate Kate O’Mara’s 70th birthday.

Remembering Jeff Corey

Born Arthur Zwerling on August 10, 1914 in Brooklyn, New York he started out appearing in Shakespearean plays in the 1930s before moving to Hollywood in the ‘40s and became a highly respected character actor. His career came to a screeching halt when he was called before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. His behavior and unwillingness to answer questions led to his being blacklisted for the next twelve years. He then decided to become and acting teacher, his students, at various times, included: Robert Blake, Richard Chamberlain, James Dean, Jane Fonda, Peter Fonda, Michael Forest, Penny Marshall, Rita Moreno, Jack Nicholson, Leonard Nimoy, Anthony Perkins, Rob Reiner, Barbra Streisand and Robin Williams.

In 1962, Corey began working in films again, and remained active into the 1990s. He made guest appearances in many TV shows. His best known appearance probably was as Sheriff Bledsoe in 1969’s “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”. Although he primarily worked in American films and television he did make two appearances in European westerns: he appeared as President Abraham Lincoln in 1965’s “Treasure of the Aztecs” with Pierre Brice and Lex Barker and as Merridew with Yul Brynner in 1971’s “Catlow”. Corey died on August 16, 2002 as a result of a fall at his home. Today we remember him on what would have been his 95th birthday.

Remembering Ken Annakin

After early experiences making documentary films Kenneth ‘Ken’ Annakin, born August 10, 1914 in Beverly, Yorkshire England, made his feature film debut in 1947 for the Rank Organization with “We of the Fast Riding”. Ken quickly moved on and directed three films for Gainsborough Pictures about the Huggetts, a working class family living in suburban England. He gained worldwide recognition for his series of films he directed for Walt Disney among which were 1952’s “The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men”, 1953’s “The Sword and the Rose” and most importantly 1960s “The Swiss Family Robinson”. He was then asked to direct the British segments for Darryl F. Zanuck’s film “The Longest Day” (1962). Then came his most ambitious films “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines” and “The Battle of the Bulge” both in 1965. He also directed smaller but well received films such as “The Fast Lady” (1962), “Quartet” (1965), “The Informers” (1963) and earlier successes such as “Trio” (1950) and “Across the Bridge” (1957). Ken Annakin directed several films with a European Western slant “The Hellions” in 1961 which was based in South Africa and the 1972 big budget version of Jack London’s “The Call of the Wild” starring Charlton Heston. Among other things he was also a screenwriter, song writer and singer. He was knighted and became a member of the British OBE in 2002. It has always been rumored that Star Wars character Annakin Skywalker was named after Ken by his friend George Lucas but he denied this after Ken’s death on April 22 in Beverly Hills, California, U.S.A. of this year. We remember this great director today on what would have been his 95 the birthday.