Spaghetti
Western Director ~ Buzz Kulik
Seymour
"Buzz" Kulik was an American film and television director and
producer renowned for his prolific output of over 70 works, including
pioneering made-for-TV movies and the first television miniseries.
Born
in Kearny, New Jersey on July 23, 1922, Kulik served as a first lieutenant in
the U.S. Army during World War II and was discharged in 1945. After the war, he
worked in the mail room at the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency in New
York before entering the television industry in 1947 as a camera director at
Yankee Stadium broadcasts.
Kulik
quickly rose in live television, directing episodes of acclaimed anthology
series such as ‘Lux Video Theatre’, ‘Kraft Theatre’, ‘Playhouse 90’, ‘Climax’,
and ‘You Are There’, as well as Westerns like ‘Gunsmoke’ and dramas including ‘Dr.
Kildare’ and ‘The Twilight Zone’. In the early 1960s, he expanded into feature
films with titles like “The Explosive Generation” (1961), “Warning Shot”
(1967), “Villa Rides!” (1968), and “Riot” (1969), often eliciting strong
performances from actors through his craftsman-like approach.
His
most enduring legacy lies in television long-form storytelling, where he
directed the groundbreaking miniseries ‘Vanished’ (1971), considered the
genre's first entry, alongside high-profile adaptations such as ‘From Here to
Eternity’ (1979), ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ (1989), ‘Rage of Angels’
(1983), and ‘George Washington’ (1984). Notable made-for-TV movies under his
direction include the Emmy-winning ‘A Storm in Summer’ (1970) and ‘Brian's Song’
(1971), the latter also earning a Directors Guild of America award and later
released theatrically, as well as Emmy-nominated works like ‘Babe’ (1975), ‘Kill
Me If You Can’ (1977), ‘The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case’ (1976), ‘Ziegfeld: The
Man and His Women’ (1978), and ‘Women of Valor’ (1986), along with feature
films “Shamus” (1973) and “The Hunter” (1980, marking Steve McQueen's final
role).
Throughout
his career, Kulik amassed five Emmy nominations, including for ‘Dr. Kildare’
(1962) and ‘George Washington’, solidifying his reputation as a director who
brought prestige and emotional depth to television productions. He died of
heart failure on January 13, 1999, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los
Angeles, at the age of 76, survived by his wife, a son, and a daughter.
Buzz
Kulik directed one Spaghetti western, “Rio Morte” (Villa Rides!) in 1967.
KULIK,
Buzz (aka Buzz Kycik) (Seymour Kulik) [7/23/1922, Kearney, New Jersey, U.S.A. – 1/13/1999, Los Angeles,
California, U.S.A. (heart failure)] – producer, director, writer, married to
Lorraine Greenberg [1923-2009] (1945-1999) father of actress Jennifer Kulik
Perez [1949- ], attorney Glen Kulik
[1953- ].
Villa Rides! – 1967
Spaghetti
Western Screenwriter ~ Albert Dieudonné
Albert
Dieudonné was a French actor, screenwriter, film director, and novelist,
renowned for his iconic portrayal of Napoleon Bonaparte in Abel Gance's epic
silent film Napoléon (1927).Born in Paris on November 26, 1889, Dieudonné began
his film career as an actor in 1908 with a small role in “The Assassination of
the Duke of Guise”, an early cinematic milestone directed by Charles Le Bargy
and André Calmette.
Over
the next two decades, Dieudonné established himself in the French film
industry, appearing in numerous silent pictures and collaborating frequently
with director Abel Gance, He transitioned into directing with his debut feature
“Sous la griffe” (1917), a drama he also wrote, followed by “Son crime” (1921)
and “Gloire rouge” (1923), where he showcased his multifaceted talents behind
and in front of the camera. In 1924, he helmed “Catherine”, a historical drama
with Jean Renoir serving as assistant director, further highlighting his
contributions to early French cinema.
Dieudonné's
career pinnacle came with his role as Napoleon in Gance's ambitious “Napoléon”,
a technically innovative film originally conceived as the first installment of
a six-part epic on the emperor's life. As a longtime friend of Gance, Dieudonné
earned the part through a dramatic audition at Fontainebleau Palace, where he
donned period attire and delivered a monologue so convincingly that a caretaker
mistook him for the historical figure's ghost.
In
his later years, Dieudonné shifted toward writing, adapting his own novel into
the 1930 film “La Douceur d'aimer” and penning the screenplay for “La Garçonne”
(1936), a adaptation of Victor Margueritte's controversial novel. He continued
acting sporadically into the sound era but largely retired from the spotlight,
spending his final years in the village of Courçay, where he was buried in the
local cemetery, following his death in Boulogne-Billancourt at age 86, on March
19. 1976.
Albert
Dieudonné co-wrote on silent Euro-western, “Les Chacals” with André Hugon in
1917.
DIEUDONNE, Albert (aka Albert Dieudonné) (Albert Alfred Sorre)
[11/26/1889, Paris, Île-de-France, France – 3/19/1976, Boulogne-Billancourt,
Hauts-de-Seine, France] – director, writer, novelist, actor, uncle of actress
Hélène Dieudonné (Hélène
Jeanne Aimée Dieudonné) [1884-1980], married to Yvonne Anne Dessertenne
[1901-1982] (1930-1951), married Eugénie Lamaze [1901-1985] (1952-1976).
The Jackals – 1917 (co)
Spaghetti
Western Cinematographer ~ Robert Paynter
Robert
Paynter was an English cinematographer renowned for his versatile visual style,
blending innovative lighting, location photography, and atmospheric effects in
over two dozen feature films, as well as the landmark music video for Michael
Jackson's Thriller.
Born
in south London on March 12, 1928, and educated at Mercers' School in Holborn,
Paynter began his career during World War II as a teenage assistant at the
Crown Film Unit under the Central Office of Information, where he progressed
from errands to operating cameras on documentaries. After the war, he joined
British Transport Films as an assistant cameraman, shooting acclaimed shorts
like “Snowdrift at Bleath Gill” (1955), which captured dramatic chiaroscuro
scenes of a train rescue in Yorkshire blizzards. From the late 1950s to the
1960s, he worked extensively on ITV commercials for brands including Guinness
and Oxo, honing his technical skills before transitioning to features.
Paynter's
breakthrough came with Michael Winner's “Hannibal Brooks” (1969), a war
adventure filmed on location in Bavaria, leading to a decade-long collaboration
on 10 films, including the Western “Lawman” (1971) shot in Mexico and the
prequel to “The Turn of the Screw, The Nightcomers” (1971), praised by Marlon
Brando for its efficient lighting. In the 1980s, he partnered with director
John Landis on five projects, creating moody visuals for horror-comedy “An
American Werewolf in London” (1981), the festive satire “Trading Places” (1983)
starring Eddie Murphy, and “Spies Like Us” (1985). His work with Richard Lester
on “Superman II” (1980) and “Superman III” (1983) adopted a static,
pastel-toned comic-book aesthetic to match the franchise's tone, though it
involved recreating footage after a directorial change.
Among
his most iconic contributions, Paynter shot the 14-minute ‘Thriller’ (1983)
music video. He also brought vibrant, cartoonish colors to Frank Oz's “The
Muppets Take Manhattan” (1984) and “Little Shop of Horrors” (1986), while later
projects like” When the Whales Came” (1989), starring Paul Scofield and Helen
Mirren, featured soft-focus seascapes. A full member of the British Society of
Cinematographers, Paynter appeared in cameos in several of his films and
continued working into his later years, including a role in Landis's “Burke and
Hare” (2010). He was married to Marjorie Dawson for 50 years until her death in 2001 and is survived by two children.
Robert
Paynter was a cinematographer on one Spaghetti western, “Chato’s Land” in 1971.
PAYNTER,
Robert (Robert William Paynter) [3/12/1928, London, England, U.K. -
10/20/2010, Isel of Wight, England, U.K.] – cinematographer, cameraman, married
to Marjorie Dawson [1923-2001] (1950-2001) father of Jill Paynter [1948-200?],
cameraman Jeff Paynter [1952- ], one
other daughter.
Chato's Land – 1971
