The big fort built in Spain for this movie was also used in "Reason to Live, Reason to Die" and "Conan the Barbarian". Also the producer didn't like the script and had Larry Cohen re-write it. When this movie came out, it didn't play in my hometown until a few weeks later. I took the day off and drove all over 150 miles to a larger city that had the film on it's first day of release in 1970 and saw it. I really liked it too!! I was certain it was going to be BIG box office in the U. S. but it was only a modest hit here but did very well in Europe. It was shot entirely in Spain in 1969. I loved the opening sequence of the film and the music is really delicious.
Lee Van Cleef did a national tour covering many cities (New York, Washington, D. C., Atlanta, Ga, Cleveland, Ohio etc etc) supporting this film. I one of his interviews on national TV. Lee came out in a nice suite and smoked a couple of cigarettes but in a long black cigarette holder like Bette Davis and President Roosevelt often used. Captain Kangaroo was also on the show and Lee sat next to him. They played a cut from El Condor and it was Lee and Patrick O'Neal walking down into the vault and Lee's eyes really gleamed when he saw all the gold bars. O'Neal ask Lee what he would do with all that and Lee answered "I would just sit down here and look at it"! They cut there and switched back to Lee sitting next to Captain Kangaroo and the audience clapped. Later after I saw the film in 1970, I thought about Lee being on TV and smiled went I said to myself "That was Jaroo sitting next to Kangaroo!"
Although this film was shot in Spain and used some of the same support players that had often appeared in SWs and used some of the same shooting places, it is a US production and was shot in English.
Also it was in this interview on TV that Lee said he was ready to change direction with his career and he had always wanted to star in his own U. S. TV series after years of playing in various episodes of many TV shows starring other actors and he also would loved to do a comedy and do a musical. Lee said he was going to try real hard to move his career into a new direction.
And finally I remember reading in a fan magazine in 1972 or so that Clint Eastwood saw this film and was very impressed with Marianna Hill and contacted her to be in his next western and that he and Hill had a hot affair that went on behind the scenes during the entire shoot. Could be gossip but it is true she played in a Clint Eastwood western just a couple of years later and Clint "got the girl" in one hot scene in the film.
Love these pictures!!!!
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ReplyDeleteThe big fort built in Spain for this movie was also used in "Reason to Live, Reason to Die" and "Conan the Barbarian". Also the producer didn't like the script and had Larry Cohen re-write it. When this movie came out, it didn't play in my hometown until a few weeks later. I took the day off and drove all over 150 miles to a larger city that had the film on it's first day of release in 1970 and saw it. I really liked it too!! I was certain it was going to be BIG box office in the U. S. but it was only a modest hit here but did very well in Europe. It was shot entirely in Spain in 1969. I loved the opening sequence of the film and the music is really delicious.
ReplyDeleteLee Van Cleef did a national tour covering many cities (New York, Washington, D. C., Atlanta, Ga, Cleveland, Ohio etc etc) supporting this film. I one of his interviews on national TV. Lee came out in a nice suite and smoked a couple of cigarettes but in a long black cigarette holder like Bette Davis and President Roosevelt often used. Captain Kangaroo was also on the show and Lee sat next to him. They played a cut from El Condor and it was Lee and Patrick O'Neal walking down into the vault and Lee's eyes really gleamed when he saw all the gold bars. O'Neal ask Lee what he would do with all that and Lee answered "I would just sit down here and look at it"! They cut there and switched back to Lee sitting next to Captain Kangaroo and the audience clapped. Later after I saw the film in 1970, I thought about Lee being on TV and smiled went I said to myself "That was Jaroo sitting next to Kangaroo!"
Although this film was shot in Spain and used some of the same support players that had often appeared in SWs and used some of the same shooting places, it is a US production and was shot in English.
Also it was in this interview on TV that Lee said he was ready to change direction with his career and he had always wanted to star in his own U. S. TV series after years of playing in various episodes of many TV shows starring other actors and he also would loved to do a comedy and do a musical. Lee said he was going to try real hard to move his career into a new direction.
And finally I remember reading in a fan magazine in 1972 or so that Clint Eastwood saw this film and was very impressed with Marianna Hill and contacted her to be in his next western and that he and Hill had a hot affair that went on behind the scenes during the entire shoot. Could be gossip but it is true she played in a Clint Eastwood western just a couple of years later and Clint "got the girl" in one hot scene in the film.