Interviewed ten years ago by Peter J. Hanley for his book Behind-the-scenes of Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, a true labor of love, Fabrizio Gianni was less definite about his contribution to the creation of the so-called “Man with No Name” character. He said he first met Sergio Leone in Munich while being involved in Camillo Mastrocinque’s comedy Volles Herz und leere Taschen (Full Hearts and Empty Pockets, Italian title: … e la donna creò l’uomo), a German-Italian coproduction, starring Thomas Fritsch, Senta Berger and Alexandra Stewart, shot in Rome and at the Bavaria Film studios in Geiselgasteig (near Munich) in 1963. Gianni (p. 145):
“During the lunch, I told [Sergio Leone] about an idea of mine, about a cowboy who always has a cigar in his mouth. I don’t assume paternity of this character, but I certainly told him about this story. I don’t know if he got the idea from me or if he got it from someone else.”
Unfortunately – yet understandably, given the focus of his book – Hanley didn’t ask Gianni about his involvement in La taglia è tua … l’uomo l’ammazzo io. By the way, Gianni can be seen in Behind-the-scenes of Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly on page 138 in a photograph showing the film crew’s football team.
@Toscano, when you got Gianni’s autograph, did you talk to him?