this is pure fantasy but when i was doing the poll voting for favorite actors in westerns, i thought what past action superstars would have been good in spaghetti westerns. i know most of them did not do them because the italian producers could not afford them going by most of the film’s low budgets.i would have thought kirk douglas and james stewart would have been good in their 1950’s modes as both had an underlining air of quiet simmering anger and violence about them in many of their westerns which would have served them well in spaghettis.what do other members think and who else do you think would have been good? i know sw’s did not come into being until early 1960’s but as i said this is just a bit of fun. thanks
I like this question…
To begin with, I agree that Douglas and Stewart would have fitted well because of their, as you put it, “underlying air of quiet simmering anger”. I also think Randolph Scott would have been an obvious candidate. His work with Boetticher alone gives evidence of that. And also in the ‘wrong age but right attitude’ category would be Robert Mitchum. Not to forget Marlon Brando. I always thought he should have made more westerns, period.
Next category would be ‘right age, wrong budget’ in which I would include Paul Newman who also still had that simmering anger thing at that time and was good in everything he was in.
And lastly, ‘right age, right budget, but never really did’ category. Top of which would be Lee Marvin. He wasn’t a really big budget star in the mid sixties and would have been perfect in these films. As would Henry Silva, who I know made one but could have been used so much more.
But the man I would most like to have seen in Spaghettis, at any time in his career, would have been Emilio Fernandez. Not a big star of course but all Wild Bunch fans will remember him as General Mapache where his greasy haired nastiness stole the screen from everyone. He would have been the bad guy to beat all bad guys in Spaghettis in my opinion. Of course, Fernando Sancho wouldn’t have got so much work, but hey, it would have been worth it.
Lee Marvin was one of the actors considered for the No Name part in FISTFUL
For some reason I can’t imagine him in this part, but in my opinion he would have made a great spaghetti heavy
Paul Newman would be the obvious choice for me
He is never mentioned as one of the actors they thought of when preparing FISTFUL
Of course they may have guessed he was out of their league financially, but apparently they did think of other actors who were far too expensive, like Marvin, like Coburn, like Brynner. If i’m not mistaken even Steve McQueen was named once during a brain storm session. In other words: I do not understand why they didn’t think of Newman. His intense, cold eyes, that simmering anger … Look at films like Hombre and The left-handed Gun and you see a spaghetti western actor.
Being half Dutch I might be fifty percent prejudiced, but I guess Rutger Hauer would have been a good psychopatic villian, Kinsky style
If they ever consider a remake of The Great silence (I hope they don’t), he’s the man
By the way, preparing a review of The Great Silence, I just read that Corbucci first thought of Ernest Borgnine as Tigrero
[quote=“scherpschutter, post:3, topic:1038”]Being half Dutch I might be fifty percent prejudiced, but I guess Rutger Hauer would have been a good psychopatic villian, Kinsky style
If they ever consider a remake of The Great silence (I hope they don’t), he’s the man[/quote]
Yes, I could see Rutger Hauer in there. Or any of Horst Frank’s parts too.
Mmm. Not sure that would have worked. I like Ernie but I can’t see him in that role. Maybe Klaus made too big an impression to imagine someone so different in the part but I still don’t think Borgnine would have suited that character.
I had the same reaction when I read it
Along with Fitzcarraldo, this Tigrero sort of epitomizes who and what Kinski was, both as a man and as an actor
Still, Borgnine could be very mean, in a slimy way too (look at bad day at Black Rock) and I guess he would have made quite a nasty bounty hunter. But it would have been another Tigrero, that is for sure.
Talking about Dutchmen: Jeroen Krabbé could have been a good spaghetti villain too, but more the Luigi Pistilli/Pollycot type
I feel Sophia Loren should have been in spaghetti westerns.
He’s not a big name star really, but I always though Fred Ward would’ve been terrific in Spaghetti westerns.
Completely agree with you on all of these, amigo!
Agree with that, too!
And with your view on Lee Marvin, as well.
Fernandez would have been perfect in Spaghetti Westerns. But, I have to disagree with you on one point. He WAS a big star, amigo. Probably one of the biggest stars in the history of Mexican Cinema–and he was also one of their greatest directors.
The guy had a crazy life…and he wasn’t too far removed from the character he portrayed in Peckinpah’s film.
Now…I would like to add a few names to this interesting list…
Rory Calhoun
Jock Mahoney
John Derek
Henry Darrow
I have always thought these guys should have made at least one or two Spaghetti Westerns!
Of course, none of them are in the realm of a Kirk Douglas or Paul Newman.
Hell, yeah!!! Totally agree, companero!
Burt Lancaster would have been a great cast for a SW! In Western like Lawman, Valdez is coming, Vera Cruz, The Professionals (and many more) he had really good performances.
Robert Mitchum would have been a fine cast in a Film Noir-SW Hyprid.
Jack Nicholson would be a great SW Villain or a great Antihero.
thanks guys for your intresting comments on this question. i’m glad it’s seeming an intresting topic.some intresting names there in newman, brando, nicholson and john derek, rory calhoun and jock mahoney were intresting suggestions all of which made many amercian “b” westerns, many similar budget wise to spaghettis.not sure about randolph scott but another in similar vein from the 1950’s and again had the air of “quiet simmering underlying anger” was joel mccrea.
Look at Giuliano Gemma, then at Burt Lancaster (especially in Vera Cruz) and you know who Gemma’s favourite actor was
Oh yes. All woman.
Marlon Brando would have been great in a spaghetti western. Too bad he refused the role of Navajo Joe. Burt is good of course but Brando could have been something really outstanding.
Lots of good picks here so far, I think Jock Mahoney would have been a bigger star had he done SW’s.
Also how about Richard Boone.he would have been great in SW’s…that cameo in God’s Gun doesn’t count imo
Or Steve McQueen?
I always thought that Al Lettieri would have made a good Fernando Sancho type character in a spaghetti.
I also reckon Walter Matthau would have been good (not necessarily the main star) in a light hearted western as a small town bumbling sheriff.
I always find Al Lettieri fascinating to watch.
Frank Wolff reminded me of Lettieri in A Stranger in Town, so yes, I guess Lettieri would’ve been great in a spaghetti
I always felt that The Getaway had a certain spaghetti feel, with McQueen as a blend of Gemma in Return of Ringo and Van Cleef in Death Rides a Horse. A spaghetti western on wheels, so to speak, with a true twilight feeling of the spaghettis of the seventies.
Lettieri is great in that one too.
Toots from Belgium could have provided a great spaghetti score, by the way