Little Known Western Actors ~ Paco Catala

[These daily posts will cover little known actors or people that have appeared in more recent films and TV series. Various degrees of information that I was able to find will be given and anything that you can add would be appreciated.]

Francisco J. Catalá Ibañez was born on April 25, 1945, in Alfara del Patriarca, Valencia, Spain. Also credited as Francisco Caralá, Francisco Catala, Paco Catala, Patxi Catala, Francisco Catalá or Pachi Catalá, he had more than a hundred films in his filmography, in most of which he was a secondary or character participant. He worked in all kinds of titles and genres, and under the direction of some of the most outstanding directors of Spanish cinema. He made his debut in "El asfalto", a famous episode broadcast in 1966 of the television series’ Historias para no dormir’ (1964-1968), created by Narciso Ibáñez Serrador. After several uncredited films, his name appears for the first time on the big screen in “Pim, pam, pum... ¡fuego!” directed by Pedro Olea in 1975. He specialized in characters from marginal environments and humble backgrounds thanks to his very characteristic physical features. He combines popular titles such as “The Crazy History of the Musketeers” directed by Mariano Ozores in 1983, “El Cid cabreador” by Angelino Fons in 1983, “Sea Serpent” by Amando de Ossorio in 1984 and in films by emerging directors who make up the new landscape of Spanish cinema with the arrival of democracy.

Paco Catala died in Madrid on August 7, 2020, at the age of 75.

Paco appeared in four Euro westerns: “El regreso de los siete Magnificos” (The Return of the Seven) in 1966, “Al oeste de Río Grande” in 1983, “The New Zorro TV series and “Trinita & Bambino… e adesso tocca a noi” (Sons of Trinity) in 1994 as Porfirio

CATALA, Paco (aka Frank Catal, Francisco Catala, Francisco Catala, Pachi Catala, Paco Catalá, Patxi Catala, Patxy Catala, Pachi Catalá) (Francisco J. Catalá Ibañez) [4/25/1945, Alfara del Patriarca, Valencia, Spain – 8/7/2020, Madrid, Madrid, Spain] – film, TV actor.

The Return of the Seven - 1966

Al oeste de Río Grande – 1983

The New Zorro (TV) – 1990, 1991, 1992 [Season 2, episode 15 “The Marked Man’

     (lancer Perez), season 3, episode 11 ‘The Old Flame’ (Perez), season 3, episode 21

     ‘One Special Night’ (Perez)

Sons of Trinity – 1994 (Porfirio)

New Italian Blu-ray release “Botte di Natale”

 

“Botte di Natale”

(Troublemakers)

(1994)

 

Director: Terence Hill

Starring: Bud Spencer, Terence Hill

 

Country: Italy

Label: Quadrifoglio

#SD2324

PAL

Resolution: 1080p

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 Anamorphic

Languages: Dolby Digital stereo 2.0 Spanish, French Russian, Portuguese, Dolby Digital 5.1 Italian, English

Running time: 107 minutes

EAN: 8181120223240

Extras: Extra Curated Content: Discover unedited scenes, exclusive interviews and behind the scenes, all selected and curated with great passion.

- HD Quality and Blu-ray! Enjoy the movie with improved video and audio quality, available on both HD DVD and Blu-ray for a superior visual experience.

- Special Edition DVD “The 1000 Lives Of Bud Spencer”!

Available: December 27, 2024

Special Birthdays

Rocco Lerro (stuntman, actor) would have been 85 today but died in 2005.

Boxing Day 2024

 

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Merce Castro

[These daily posts will cover little known actors or people that have appeared in more recent films and TV series. Various degrees of information that I was able to find will be given and anything that you can add would be appreciated.]

Not to be confused with the Spanish singer of the same name born in Mexico in 1972. This Spanish actress was born in Pontecesures, Pontevedra, Spain most likely in the late 1940s. I cannot find a specific birthdate. 

This is her only film and only Spaghetti western where she plays Brunetta/Evaa in 1966’s “Joe l’implacable” (Dynamite Joe).

CASTRO, Merce (aka Mercé Castro) (Mercedes Castro) [194?, Pontecesures, Pontevedra, Spain -    ] – film, TV actress.

Dynamite Joe – 1966 (Brunetta/Eva)

Voices of the Spaghetti Western: Buckaroo: “The Winchester Does Not Forgive”

As we know most of the Euro-westerns were co-productions from Italy, Spain, Germany and France which incorporated British and American actors to gain a worldwide audience. The films were shot silent and then dubbed into the various languages where they were sold for distribution. That means Italian, Spanish, German, French and English voice actors were hired to dub the films. Even actors from the countries where the film was to be shown were often dubbed by voice actors for various reasons such as the actors were already busy making another film, they wanted to be paid additional salaries for dubbing their voices, the actor’s voice didn’t fit the character they were playing, accidents to the actors and in some cases even death before the film could be dubbed.

I’ll list a Euro-western and the (I) Italian, (S) Spanish, (G) German and (F) French, (E) English voices that I can find and once in a while a bio on a specific voice actor as in Europe these actors are as well-known as the actors they voiced.

Today we’ll cover “Buckaroo: The Winchester Does Not Forgive”

[(I) Italian, (S) Spanish, (G) German, (F) French, (E) English]

Buckaroo – Dean Reed (I) Massimo Turci, (G) Christian Brückner

Annie McKenzie – Monika Brugger (I) Rita Savagnone, (G) Monika Brugger

Lash – Livio Lorenzon (I) Renato Turi, (G) Hans Wiegner

Johnny McKenzie – Ugo Sasso (I) Bruno Persa, (G) Klaus W. Krause

Miguel Monteiro – Omero Gargano (I) Arturo Dominici, (G) ?

Sandy – Jean Louis (I) Cesare Barbetti, (G) ?

 

Hans Wiegner  (1909 – 1984)

Hans Wiegner was born Charlottenburg, Germany on February 20, 1909. He worked as an actor at various Berlin theatres after World War II. In 1946 he starred alongside O. E. Hasse at the Hebbel Theater in a production of “Wir sind noch einmal davonkamen” and in 1947 alongside Bettina Moissi at the Volksbühne in a production of “Eurydice”. His other stage stations included the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm, the Tribune and the Schiller Theater.

In addition, he occasionally appeared in television plays such as “Elizabeth of England” with Elisabeth Flickenschildt in the title role and alongside Karin Hübner in “The Fairy”, directed by Peter Beauvais.

The focus of his work, however, was his work as a voice actor and dubber. Wiegner appeared in numerous radio play productions and in the cabaret RIAS radio program ‘Die Rückblende’. When the flashback was also broadcast on the ARD program under the direction of Hans Rosenthal, Wiegner was part of the team.

Wiegner's voice was known to a wide audience, especially from his hundreds of dubbing roles. Here he lent his voice to edgy types, gangsters and robbers. For example, he voiced Forrest Tucker in “Chisum” with John Wayne in the lead role. He dubbed Ben Johnson (The Undefeated), Lee Marvin (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance), George Kennedy (Charade), Robert Mitchum (The Death List) and Keenan Wynn (Play Me the Song of Death), among others, but also in a rare comic role of Bud Abbott from the comedy duo Abbott and Costello.

The actor died in Germany on May 21, 1984.

Spaghetti Western Music

 

Spaghetti Western Music: A Short Guide

By Jake Cressy

July 26, 2019

 

Spaghetti Western music specifically refers to Italian produced Western films. They’re also known as Macaroni Westerns in Japan, Italo-Westerns in Germany, and western all’italiana (Italian-style Westerns) in Italy. They technically fit under the broader term, “Eurowesterns” which refers to any Western genre film made in Europe. Alfonso Sánchez, a Spanish journalist, allegedly coined the phrase “Spaghetti Western”

The genre left a remarkable impact on film as a whole, influencing everything from American Clint Eastwood films (Hang Em High) to Bollywood and Japanese films, and of course, Quentin Tarantino, who has directed several films with varying levels of Spaghetti Western influence present. His most recent film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, is very direct about the genre’s influence (There’s even a movie poster within the film entitled “Kill Me Quick Ringo, Said The Gringo,”) an exaggerated homage to the title style of films like “Django, Prepare a Coffin”

The Man Behind The Music

The man who is widely considered to be the father of Spaghetti Western music is Ennio Morricone. IF you doubt his credentials, just take a look at his Spotify page. He’s responsible for the soundtrack to 1966’s The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly which is reason enough to credit him with making the whole genre. Morricone’s total work includes scores for more than 400 movies and TV shows.

In 1963, Morricone worked on his first Western, Duello new Texas, also known as Gunfighters at Red Sands. He saw no notoriety for his work until he partnered with Italian director Sergio Leone in 1964 where he worked on A Fistful of Dollars starring Clint Eastwood.

What Makes Spaghetti Western Music?

Budgetary restraints are partially to thank for the distinct Spaghetti Western sound. Morricone didn’t have access to a full orchestra for The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, so he took advantage of sound effects (whips, gunshots, etc.), choir-like vocalizations, whistling, trumpets, mouth harps, and even the electric guitar.

What Morricone produced was a soundtrack that not only played over the film, but interacted with the action taking place. The music could heighten or downplay the action on the screen to create greater tension or comic relief. It was a revelation at the time, and the effect on modern film score and pop music alike is plain to see.

Beyond the instrumentation used, people online have noted the genres frequent use of “freight train rhythm” (give this a listen if you can’t figure out what that means) and the emphasis on minor modes and scales.

As a primarily instrumental genre, it’s great to listen to if you’re studying or working on something, provided you don’t mind a little intensity in your background music.