Patriot Day 2009 - Remembering 9/11/2001

10,000 Ways to Die

10,000 Ways to Die
Author: Alex Cox
Publisher: Kamera Books
Pages: 336
Photos: minimal


Some generous British friends of mine sent me Alex Cox's new book “10,000 Ways to Die” in June as it was released in England 3 months before it was made available here in the U.S. On September 1st. I was holding off on purchasing it because the shipping charges alone were almost as much as the book. If I had waited it still would have been well worth the wait. This is one of the best books ever written on the subject. I've seen Cox enough to know and appreciate his insight and humor. In this revised edition of a book he wrote some 40 years-ago as a graduate student at U.C.L.A. He spent quite a lot of time watching some 200 films in preparation of writing this new book, and he gives the reader an exciting ride through the genre. Told from his viewpoint as a director and a fan of the genre you will see some of these films from a different perspective and whether you agree or disagree with the assessment you will come away with an insightful knowledge not touched on by other previous writers. Cox pulls no punches so be forewarned he tackles Corbucci, Eastwood and Leone, Sabata and Sartana. If he doesn't like a film, director, story or character, whatever he'll say so. Alex dislikes comedy Spaghetti's, children, supposedly funny old-timers and cute characters. He covers the major films year by year and also brings up the rest which were released during the same time. This is an essential addition to your library and a fun read at the same time. I don't know when I've enjoyed a book so much and it was the best read of the summer. It's now available through U.S.A. Amazon for under $18.00

Remembering Wayde Preston

Born William Erskine Strange on September 10, 1929 in Denver, Colorado and raised in Laramie, Wyomiong. He was a football and track star in high school and drafted into the Army during the Korean War. After the service he became a park ranger and then took a job as a pilot with TWA. He took up acting and appeared in a “Maverick” episode as Waco Williams. It drew more viewers than any other episode. He was then given his own Warner Brothers series “Colt .45”. Wayde appeared as Christopher Colt, a government agent posing as a gun salesman traveling throughout the West. Like James Garner and Clint Walker, Preston walked out on Warner Brothers and was replaced by Donald May in 1959 and 1960. Preston would star in over 20 films and TV series from 1957-1991. After the end of “Colt .45” Wayde went to Europe where he would appear in over a half-dozen Spaghetti Westerns such as “Today We Kill... Tomorrow We Die!” (1967) with Brett Halsey, “A Long Ride from Hell” (1968), with Steve Reeves (1970) and “A Man Called Sledge” with James Garner (1970). Preston would return to the United States in the early 1970s and became a flight instructor at Van Nuys, California. He passed away on February 6, 1992 at a hospice in Lovelock, Nevada. Today we remember Wayde Preston on what would have been his 80th birthday.

Spaghetti Western Locations

Western Leone is the last of the three tourist attractions in Tabernas. It is north of Mini Hollywood on the same expressway. Look for the billboards directing you to the location. The owners have added a set of buildings and a small Indian village to make it a viable tourist attraction. The only building worth seeing is the house used in “Once Upon a Time in the West”. It has been converted into a saloon and you can buy a beer or a soda and sit at a table and look at the binders they have of photos taken of different films which used this location. They also have a stunt show and when I was there in 2003 it was the exact show used at Texas Hollywood. Still it's a thrill to walk through the same door as Charles Bronson, Jason Robards and Claudia Cardinale. Infact what looks like the original stove Jill and Cheyenne prepared coffee over sits on the front porch.

BLOOD CALLS TO BLOOD

Sangue chiama sangue – Italian title
Le sangre reclame le sang – French title
El Sancho…c’est le temps de mourir – French title
Sangue chama sangue - Portuguese title
Blood Calls to Blood – English title

A 1968 Italian production [Zalo Foroproduzione (Rome)]
Producer: Felice Zappulla
Director: Lewis King (Luigi Capuano)
Story: Fulvio Pazziloro
Screenplay: Fulvio Pazziloro
Cinematography: Tino Santoni (Clemente Santoni), Pablo Ripoll [Eastmancolor, Panavision]
Music: Frank Mason (Francisco De Masi)
Running time: 97 minutes

Cast:
Angel - Stephen Forsyth
Sancho Rodriguez - Fernando Sancho (Fernando Les)
Michaela - Antonella Judica
padre - German Cobos
with: Frank Farrel (Francisco Fantasia), Léa Nanni, Rick Palanse, Francesco Porzi, Vittoria Solinas, Claudio Lo Cascio


In a frontier town between the USA and Mexico, Sancho and his gang assault a monastery, kill a few monks who try to oppose the invasion of the sacred building, and go away with a precious loot, including the sacred custody, a work of art in gold and diamonds. Andrej, a lonesome cowboy, is informed of his brother's death - one of the monks - and starts a search for the gang, and to find who the murder of his brother was. Among the lawless and godless men, a fight for getting the better part of the loot is taking place - and blood is flowing as much as bullets. The infighting ends was Sancho kills his own second-in-command, and rests the only gangster alive, owner of the sacred, and valuable relic. It's then that Andrej confronts him, and once again blood calls to blood, before the precious loot can be returned to the surviving monks.

RIP Mike Bongiorno

Mike Bongiorno has died. The King of Italy's TV hosts since the 1950s, was born in New York on May 26, 1924, had a heart attack around noon today while he was in Monte Carlo. Nothing could have predicted his death, the popular television host left yesterday morning from Milan, to spend a short vacation in Monte Carlo before diving into a new television adventure, a quiz show on the Sky Network, that would have brought back the lucky series "Rischiatutto". Mike Bongiorno appeared in one European western 1972's "They Call Me Providence" as Mike Goodmorning.

Who Are Those Guys - Leo Anchóriz

Born Leopoldo de Anchóriz Fustel in Almeria, Spain on September 22, 1932. He was friends with director, screenwriter José María Forqué and Jaime de Armiñán with whom he either collaborated on screenplays with or acted under. He entered films in the late 1950s and acted until the late 1970s making over three dozen appearances on film and TV. Although he would play various characters during his Spaghetti Western career, he was best as a villain resembling a Mexican Frank Wolff. One third of his films were Spaghetti Westerns yet I feel he could have been used in even more films as he had a great screen presence. Anchóriz was only 54 when he passed away on February 17, 1987 in Madrid, Spain.


ANCHORIZ, Leo (aka Leo Anchoris) (Leopardo de Anchóriz Fustel) [9/22/1929, Almeria, Andalucía, Spain – 2/17/1987, Madrid, Madrid, Spain] – screenwriter.
7 Guns for the MacGregors – 1965 (Santillana)
Up the MacGregors – 1966 (Maldonado)
Finger on the Trigger – 1967 (Ed Bannister)
I Came, I Saw, I Shot – 1968 (Garrito)
Kill Them All and Come Back Alone – 1968 (Deker/Dexter)
Western, Italian Style – 1968 [himself]
A Bullet for Sandoval – 1969 (Friar/Father Converso)
The Magnificent Bandits – 1969 (Colonel Minas)
What Am I Doing in the Middle of a Revolution? – 1971 (Carrasco)
Three Musketeers of the West – 1973 (Cabezon)
Spaghetti Western – 1974 (sheriff)