Happy 70th Birthday Marta May

Born Maria Jesús Mayor Ávila on June 14, 1939 in Santander, Cantabria, Spain, she studied classical dance and Spanish guitar and then became a stage actress in 1956 before making her film debut in 1957. She would then go to alternate between films and television. Marta married producer, director José María Forn. Marta was active in the film industry until the early 1990s. Marta made five Euro-westerns, sometimes using the aliases Martha Hyier, Martha May and Mary May. Her most memorable role was as Elena, Audie Murphy’s girl, in “The Texican” (1966). Today we celebrate Marta May’s 70th birthday.

BAD KIDS OF THE WEST

Kid il monello del West – Italian title
Kid el travieso del oeste - Argentinian title
Vestens Skræk - Danish title
Kid het tereur von het Westen – Dutch title
Kid Westerns Skrack – Finnish title
Kid-Lannen Kauhu – Finnish title
Little Kid und seine kesse Bande – German title
Mikroi diavoloi... o tromos tou West – German title
Los pequeños coyotes de Kid O'Hara – Spanish title
Western Kid – Swedish title
Westerns skräck – Swedish title
Kid, Terror of the West – English title
Bad Kids of the West – English title

A 1973 Italian production [Ramofilm (Rome)]
Producer: Roberto Amoroso
Director: Tony Good/Serrando Gonzales (Tonino Ricci)
Story: Roberto Amoroso
Screenplay: Mario Amendola, Bruno Corbucci, Roberto Amoroso
Cinematography: Silvio Fraschetti [Technicolor, Panoramico]
Music: Enrico Simonetti
Song: “La banda del west” sung by Renata Cortiglioni
Running time: 90 minutes

Cast:
Kid Terror - Andrea Balestri
Sciantosa - Cristiana
Wilson - Franco Ressel (Domenico Orobana)
McKenzie - Attilio Dottesio
sheriff - Fortunato Arena
midget - Salvatore Furnari
boy - Flavio Colombaioni
Wilson henchman - Nestore Cavaricci
townsman - Sicto Brunetti
with: Walter Battistelli, Carlo Carloni, Mirko Ellis (Mirko Korcinsky), Maurizio Fiori, Barbara Fiorini, Clara Park, Gaetano Scala, R. Gallozzi (Roberto Gallozzi), Ray O’Connor (Remo Capitani), Rinaldo Ballanti, Claudio Cinquepalmi, Giancarlo Jabes (Jean-Claude Jabes), Giuseppe Monte, Alberto Allegrezza, Carla Mancini, F. Migliosi (Fabio Migliosi), Pippo Tuminelli (Giuseppe Tuminelli), Mario Donatone, I. Pizzoferrato (Isabella Pizzoferrato), Bruno Corbucci, Fabio Muscara, Rosa Toros (Rosita Torosh)


This is a Spaghetti Western rip-off of Bugsy Malone. A kid with a wild imagination overhears the plan of a gang of bandits who intend to hold up a bank. He decides to beat them to it and with a gang of other kids robs the bank. When the outlaws try to get the money he sets a trap for the outlaws with the local sheriff.

Happy 80th Birthday Victor Israel

Born José María Soler Vilanova in Barcelona, Barcelona Catalonia, Spain on June 13, 1929, he is one of the most prolific of all Spanish character actors yet often overlooked and underrated in Spanish films. He began acting in the early 1960s and his short, dumpy, pudgy face with thinning hair, crooked teeth and eyes like Jack Elam made for unforgettable characters. He was one of those actors you recognized immediately but didn’t know his name. He usually played timid cowards, padres, working class types and meek victims. His most famous part was never seen by most Americans until the restored version of “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” was released here in the mid-2000s. He was the sergeant Lee Van Cleef encountered at the Confederate hospital while trying to find the whereabouts of Bill Carson. Perfect for Horror films Victor has made quite a few including “The House that Screamed” (1969), “Graveyard of Horror” (1971) and “Horror Express” (1972). Victor now appears only occasionally in films and TV shows. Today we celebrate his 80th birthday.

Happy 80th Birthday Alberto De Martino

Born Alberto Martino De Martino in Rome, Italy on June 12, 1929, his father was Romolo De Martino a makeup artist in the Italian cinema of the 1930s and 40s. Alberto entered film as a child actor. After college he continued his film career as a film editor before landing his first directorial debut with 1961’s “The Invincible Gladiator”. He continued to make Horror films, crime thrillers, sword and sandal films and Spaghetti Westerns. As a film director and screenwriter he directed over 28 films. He also wrote screenplays for over two dozen films. Sometimes he used pseudonyms as Martin Herbert, Herbert Martin, Albert Martin Probably his best westerns were “$100,000 for Ringo” (1965) starring Richard Harrison and “Django Shoots First” (1966) starring Glenn Saxson. Alberto retired from the film industry in the mid-1980s. Today we celebrate his 80th birthday.

Bad Bulls

Os touros bravos – Norwegian title
Bad Bulls – English title

A 2000 Norwegian production [ICE Film (Oslo)]
Producer: Anders Graham
Director: Ove Heiborg, Fredrik Kiøsterud
Story: Ove Hieborg, Fredrik Kiøsterud
Screenplay: Paal Ritter Schjerven
Cinematography: Gaute Gunnari, Patrik Säfström, Fredrik Kiøsterud [color]
Music: Tommy Bere, Geir Bremer (Geir Ovrebo), Cato Kristiansen, Amand Evans
Running time: 15 minutes

Story: Set in the Wild West, Lucky Bullit and his trusty companion Hot Dog find themselves facing the Bad Bulls of Cow Town.

Cast:
Animated characters


“The Bad Bulls had all the cinematographic expressions of a real life western, right down to the wide angles of dusty streets, baked by the merciless hot sun to the stretched shadows of the approaching outlaws. Its 15 minutes is crammed with action packed, gun-pulling, and bar brawling western puppet animation.”

Spaghetti Western Locations

Built in the early 1900s, the train station in Almeria was used in “Giu la testa” (aka Duck You Sucker). When Juan (Rod Steiger) and his family arrive in Mesa Verde you can see the station behind them. It is located about 1 km from the center of Almeria, where Ctra de Ronda and Autovia del Aeropuerto meet in a roundabout. Built in the early 1900s it is still used today by RENFE, the Spanish railway company to connect Almeria to Granada, Barcelona, Madrid, Seville and Cadiz.

BACKLASH - OBLIVION 2

Oblivion 2: Backlash – English title
Oblivion: Badlands – German title
Galaxy Hunter – German title
Il West del futuro – Italian title
Backlash: Oblivion 2 – USA title

A 1994 USA, Romanian co-production [Full Moon Entertainment (Hollywood)]
Producers: Vlad Paunesco, Dana Paunesco, Albert Band, Peter David, Debra Dion
Director: Sam Irvin
Story: Charles Band, Mark Goldstein, John Rheaume, Greg Suddeth
Screenplay: Peter David
Cinematography: Adolfo Bartoli [Fotochem color]
Music: Pino Donaggio (Giuseppe Donaggio)
Running time: 83 minutes

Cast:
Lash - Musetta Vander (Musette van der Merewe)
Jaggar - Andrew Divoff
Sweeney - Maxwell Caulfield
Zack Stone - Richard Joseph Paul
Mattie Chase - Jackie Swanson
Stella Barr - Meg Foster (Megan Foster)
Buster - Isaac Hayes
Bork - Irwin Keyes
Miss Kitty - Julie Newmar (Julie Newmeyer)
Buteo - Jimmie F. Skaags (Jimmie Neumier)
Mr. Gaunt - Carel Struycken
Doc Valentine - George Takei
Crowley - Jeff Weston (Jeff Celentano)
Long John - Brent Huff
sidekick - Michael C. Mahon
Josephine - Nadine Emilie Voindrouh
petrified cowboy - Gunter David
Stogie Joe - Sam Irvin


This futuristic western sequel to “Oblivion” starts with a long title sequence and a seven-minute flashback to the original film. It still is full of action and tongue in cheek humor. The evil Lash (Musetta Vander) hooks up with the even-more-evil twin of her dead reptilian lover (Andrew Divoff). The movie piles on the in-jokes and finds interesting uses for Julie Newmar, George Takei and Isaac Hayes. Not bad for a small budget Sci-Fi Western.


You Tube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLtmjib5FJU