Spaghetti Western Locations

Continuing our search for “Return of the Seven” filming locations. The morning following Chris’s recruiting of Frank, Delgado, Colbee and Manuel, Chris rides along the streets of town and as he goes toward the prison he picks up Vin, Frank and Colbee and they arrive at the prison to pick-up Delgado.

The streets seen and used in this scene are located near the Plaza de Fiestas in Nuevo Baztan a town located south of Madrid and they can be found next to the Goyeneche Palace.

For a more detailed view of this site and other Spaghetti Western locations please visit my friend Captain Douglas’ excellent website: http://www.western-locations-spain.com                       

and Yoshi Yasuda’s location site: http://y-yasuda.net/film-location.htm     
 
 
[Captain Douglas has dedicated and entire section of his website to “The Return of the Seven” with behind the scenes photos and stories, highly recommended.]
 

Happy 85th Birthday Lance Howard

Harold Rance Beckenholdt was born on November 17, 1928 in Duncan, Oklahoma. He changed his name to "Rance Howard" when he became an actor. In 1949 he married actress Jean Speegle [1927- ], their sons are actor/director Ron Howard [1954- ] and actor Clint Howard [1959- ].

 
Howard is known for his character roles on television in such 1960s TV series as ‘Gentle Ben’ as Henry Broomhauer and on ‘Babylon 5’ in which he had a recurring role as David Sheridan, the father of Babylon 5 captain John Sheridan. He also starred in the short-lived 2000 TV series ‘Driving Me Crazy’.
 
Howard has acted in over 100 films, including his first film in 1956 called “Frontier Woman”, the 1967 movie “Cool Hand Luke”, “The Music Man” (1962) (in an uncredited bit-part playing "Oscar Jackson"), and many other films. He often takes parts as a priest or reverend, county sheriff or western marshal and has made numerous appearances in films by Joe Dante.

An accomplished rider Rance was who Lee Van Cleef went to when he got his part in "High Noon" and did not know how to ride a horse.
 
Howard has appeared in one Euro-western “Another Man, Another Chance” (1977) as the wagon master.
 
Today we celebrate Ron Howards’ 85^th birthday.

THE SPIKES GANG

The Spikes Gang – U.S.A. title

Tres forajidos y un pistolero – Spanish title
Harry Spike’s bande – Danish title
Rosvoporukka – Finnish title
Du sang dans la poussiere – French title
The Spikes Gang – French title
Vier Vogel am Galgen – German title
La banda di Harry Spikes – Italian title
O Bando de Spikes – Portuguese title
Tres forajidos y un pistolero – Spanish title
Spikes gang – Swedish title
Demir mizraklilar – Turkish title
Harry Spikes – U.K. title
The Spikes Gang – English title
 
A 1974 U.S.A., Spanish co-production [Duo Productions (Madrid), Mirisch Corporation, SanfordProductions (Hollywood)]
Producers: Richard Fleischer, Walter Mirisch
Director: Richard Fleischer
Story: “The Bank Robber” by Giles Tippette
Screenplay: Irving Ravetch, Harriett Frank, Jr.
Cinematography: Brian West [DeLuke color]
Music: Fred Karlin (Frederick Karlin)
Running time: 96 minutes
 
Cast:
Harry Spikes – Lee Marvin
Wilson ‘Wil’ Young – Gary Grimes
Les Richter – Ron Howard (Ronald Howard)
Tod Hayhew – Charlie Martin (Charles Martin Smith)
Billy Blanco/Kid White – Arthur Hunnicut
Jack Basset – Noah Beery, Jr.
Abel Young - Marc Smith
Cowboy – Don Fellows (Donald Fellows)
Clara Cratchitt – Susan Coyne
Billy – Elliott Sullivan
Sheriff – Robert Beatty
Posse leader – Ralph Brown
Gillis – Bill Curran
Doctor – Ricardo Palacios (Ricardo Diez)
Sheriff of Carrizo Springs – David Thomson
Bank teller – Bert Conway
Pawnbroker – Adolfo Thous
Shop keeper – Rafael Albaicin (Ignacio-Rafael Escudero)
Mexican – Tito Garcia (Pablo González)
Morton – Allen E. Russell
Mrs. Young – Frances O’Flynn

Harry Spikes, an aging bank robber in the last days of the fading "Old West." He’s found injured and near death by three impressionable and delusion boys. They sneak back to one of the boys home and is mended back to health in the barn. The three youths who are lifelong friends, Tod, Wil, and Les are encouraged by Spikes's reminiscences of adventure and personal freedom. Bored with farm life and a future of more of the same, they run away from home seeking excitement and easy living. They become reunited with Spikes on several occasions agreeing to follow his tutoring, ultimately resulting in the gravest of consequences.
 
YouTube Film Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da1M3mpBtBc

Happy 70th Birthday Franco Aloisi

Franco Aloisi was born November 16, 1943 in Genoa, Liguria, Italy. Born to a mother from Genoa and a father from Sicily, his parents were artists who specialized in drawing profiles of emperors from ancient Roman coins. From them he learned the taste of design. He entered the School of Rapallo by Luciano Bottaro, with the original idea, of using an old farmhouse for the production of a making cartoon feature films. The idea came from the fact that Walt Disney’s first studio was in the garage of his uncle Robert in the suburb of Burbank, Los Angeles; which was the beginning of Walt Disney Productions.

 
After the experience of the School of Rapallo, he followed his own personal interpretation as an illustrator and author, he moved to Genoa in early 1951, where he began his collaboration with Alpe Editions of Milan, for which he created such characters as: the Monkeys and Trik Trak, the gorilla Napoleon, and Robot Man. These were followed in the same period: Re Pistachio, which was also published in France by the publisher Victor Broussard as Roy Pistache, Peter and Genius, The Incredible Ernesto, Nicolino and Carmelino, these characters were a posthumous tribute to his father who died prematurely.
 
The common denominator of all these characters is the ironic and surreal, which will always be a hallmark of the entire production of Aloisi, even in later years. In 1963 Franco Aloisi left Genoa for Rome and in the capital he encountered the world of entertainment. Here in 1963 he contributed to the television broadcast of the Grand Prix along with the team of Liguria.
 
In 1965 he became involved in RAI radio broadcasts, then the television comedies and TV series by Anton Giulio Majano “La donna di fiori” with Mario Landi, and some major film productions such as “Bronte, Cronaca di un Massacro” (1972) directed by Florestan Vancini. Aloisi also appeared in his only Euro-western “Full House for the Devil (1968). During this era he experiences the world of film dubbing, becoming the Italian voice of a young Kurt Russell in the movie “The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes” (1969). Franco then decides to return to the world of ' illustration and visual arts and opened a studio in Tuscany, where he still works, devoting himself to painting, which according to critics, with production of oils on canvas, serigraphs and sculptures.
 
Today we celebrate Franco Aloisi’s 70^th birthday.

Guess Who I Am

I’m an Italian actor born in Rome in 1942.
 
In most of my films I used an Americanized version of my real name.
 
I appeared in 6 Euro-westerns one as Zorro
 
Guess who I am.

Philippe Rège correctly guessed this week's photo of  Renato Rossini (aka Red Ross, Howard Ross)

New CD Release

In Einem Wilden Land

(Striving for Freedom)
(2013)
 
Composer: Karim Sebastian Elias
Director: Rainer Matsutani
Starring: Nadja Uhl, Benno Fürmann, Gojko Mitic,
 
Country: Germany
Label: Alhambra
#A 9015
Tracks: 26
Total time: 72:26
ASIN: B00GI4JG48
Available: November 15, 2013
 
Track Listing:
01 Die Siedler (1:51)
02 Aufbruch (4:21)
03 Ankunft im fernen Land (1:45)
04 Registrierung (2:43)
05 Hoffnung (2:39)
06 Schicksalsnacht (3:19)
07 Mila im fernen Land (3:47)
08 Indianerdorf (1:26)
09 Der Siedlertreck zieht los (1:18)
10 Hoffnung (1:34)
11 In einem wilden Land (2:30)
12 Indianer (2:20 )
13 Mila und Buffalo Hump (1:48)
14 Gefangennahme (1:57)
15 Das Gewehr (3:55)
16 Zum Llano (7:42)
17 Verhandlungen (2:18)
18 Skalp (2:18)
19 Überfall (4:08)
20 Friedensabstimmung (3:29)
21 Donnerherz (2:58)
22 Nachtlager (1:57)
23 Massaker (3:20)
24 Friedensvertrag (1:54)
25 Ankunft am Llano (0:53)
26 Finale (4:12)

New Film Release

Ça caille a l’ombre – French title
Hace frio en la sombra – Spanish title
 
A 2012 French production [Pioux Productions (Paris)]
Producer:
Director: Pierre-Yves Hampartzoumian
Story:
Screenplay:
Cinematography: Pierre-Yves Hampartzoumian, Guillaume Chabert
Music: Guy-Roger Duvert
Running time: 10 minutes
 
Cast:
Mamie Cathy – Gaella
Duelists – Kevin, Christophe
Sheriff – Julien
Soldiers – Thomas, Arnaud
Cavalry – Natacha, Felix
Deputies – Mathieu, Sabine, Yann
Observer – Guy Roger
Chief bandit – Christophe
Bandits – Rafa, Riccardo

An old woman watches the comings and goings in an western town including a duel, a bank

robbery and a posse.