Who Are Those Guys? - Lloyd Battista

Lloyd Battista was born in Cleveland, Ohio on May 14, 1937. After graduating from the renowned Drama Dept. of Carnegie Tech. Battista has spent a lifetime in theater and film and has produced an impressive list of credits. As an actor he has been seen on and off Broadway well over a dozen times ranging in vehicles as diverse as “Sexual Perversity” in Chicago to “The Homecoming” with The Royal Shakespeare Company. On television he has guest starred on countless prime time shows ranging from "Here's Lucy" and "Mission Impossible", to "Perry Mason" and "Walker, Texas Ranger". He has been seen in over a dozen movies made for television, plus Spelling Entertainment's mini-series of James Michener's "Texas". Mr. Battista is also recognizable from being a regular for five years on CBS's classic daytime drama, "Love of Life". In film appearances Lloyd’s been killed by John Wayne, hit over the head by Woody Allen and Diane Keaton, been the President of Nicaragua, been brother to Ringo Starr and rode into the sunset in four Spaghetti Westerns where he’s always worn a black hat. Perhaps his favorite action sequence was his underwater struggle with Flipper in "Flippers New Adventure". His voice is easily recognized from the long running radio drama, CBS “Mystery Theatre of the Air”. Lloyd has directed for the theatre in New York, Hollywood, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland as well as on the radio air waves for the BBC. He is a published poet and restaurant critic who’s "The Nose Knows" (with an intro by Dom DeLuise) was published in 1996. As a screenwriter, he is rather well known in the world of Spaghetti Westerns for his authoring and coauthoring of "Blindman” “Get Mean” and “Comin' At Ya" along with “Treasure of the Four Crowns”.

BATTISTA, Lloyd (aka Lloyd Batista, Llyod Batista) [5/14/1937, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A. –

     ] - screenwriter, radio, TV actor, poet, author.

The Silent Stranger – 1968 (The American)

Blindman - 1971 (Domingo) [screenwriter]

Get Mean - 1975 (Sombra) [screenwriter]

Comin’ At Ya! – 1981 [screenwriter]

The New Zorro (TV) – 1990 (Ricardo Cortez/Senor Moreno) [as Lloyd Batista]

Spaghetti Western Locations

 

 

The camera zooms into witness the execution of three townsmen who are part of the revolutionary movement in Mesa Verde. This wall looks the same today as it did when the film was made here in Gaudix. The wall is located on Placeta Santiago. The man who spits on the poster of the Governor was Luis Bermúdez who was a resident of Gaudix and wore his tell-tail hat until the day he died.

[Thanks to my friend Ray Watts for the use of the pictures in today's post.]

For a more detailed view of this site and other Spaghetti Western locations please visit my friend Yoshi ‘Garringo’ Yasuda’s excellent website: http://y-yasuda.net

Remembering Tano Cimarosa

Gaetano Cimarosa was born on January 1, 1922 in Messina, Sicily, Italy. He was the brother of actors Michele [1929-1993] and Giovanni ‘Gianni’ Cimarosa. Known to filmgoers as Tano Cimarosa, he played characters in the Italian cinema since 1955. Tano played supporting roles in films of every genre with extraordinary flexibility. He was appeared in such films as “Police Chief Pepe” (1969) ”The Most Beautiful Wife” (1970), “Detenuto in attesa di giudizio” (1971) “Bread and Chocolate” (1974) and “Cinema Paradiso” (1988). Between 1975 and 1980, he became deeply involved in three films which he directed. During the Spaghetti western era he appeared in four Euro-westerns; “God May Forgive You, Not Me” (1968), “Death on High Mountain” (1969), “A Man Called Amen” (1972) and its sequel “They Still Call Me Amen” (1973). Tano continued working in films until his death on May 24, 2008 in his home town of Messina. Today we remember Tan Cimarosa on what would have been his 90^th birthday.

Remembering Marcello Bonini Olas

Marcello Bonini Olas was born on January 1, 1917 in Rimini, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He studied drama at the Academy of Dramatic Arts under the direction of Nera Grossi Carini and later debuted on stage with Nino Besozzi. In the decade 1960-70 Marcello was the theater director of the Company Plautina of Rome, for which he specialized in classical texts: Plautus, Machiavelli, Pirandello, Feydeau. He was also very active around Europe, where he starred in several recitals, adapting the writings of Chekhov, Pirandello, etc.. In addition to his stage work he also appeared on television and made his film debut in “Catherine of Siena” (1947). His film career consisted of some forty films, including his only Euro-western “Shotgun” starring Tab Hunter, where he played the father of Durango. His film roles were always supporting and or character roles. Today we celebrate Marcello Bonini Olas’ 95^th birthday.

Remembering Piero Pierotti

Piero Pierotti was born on January 1, 1912 in Pisa, Tuscany, Italy. After having worked for years as a journalist and theater director, he graduated in film directing at the Experimental Centre of Cinematography in Rome in 1939. He then directed several documentaries. In 1941, he began working as an assistant director until 1957, working with various directors. Among these films were “Enrico Caruso” (1951), “Giuseppe Verdi” (1953), Raffaello Matarazzo. Later, he worked as a scriptwriter and screenwriter, then, from 1958 until his death, he devoted himself to directing, especially adventure films with much success. The first of these was “The Black Archer” (1958). He directed and wrote screenplays for four Euro-westerns “The Lost Treasure of the Aztecs” (1964), “Zorro the Rebel” (1966), “Heads or Tails” (1968) as Peter Stanley, and the screenplay only for  “Zorro, the Navarra Marquis” (1969). Pierotti retired in the late 1960s dying in Rome on May 4, 1970. Today we remember Piero Pierotti on what would have been his 100the birthday.

Happy New Year 2012!