Westerns are not the most frequent category of cinema covered
on this podcast. In fact, this episode marks only the third one in the ten
years we’ve been doing this! That might be considered strange when you know
just how many fine examples of the genre were made in Spain employing Spanish
actors and technicians. Because of the low costs of production many westerns were
shot in the Spanish countryside and on the standing sets built for countless
Italian movies including some American productions. The cleverest of filmmakers
found ways to make those places look fresh and interesting. Such is true of THE
MAN CALLED NOON (1973).
We discovered this film while digging into the credit listings
of one of Paul Naschy’s most impressive female co-stars. The sight of Patty Shepard
aiming a six-gun while dressed in an all black cowboy ensemble encouraged our curiosity
and the online plot synopsis grabbed our attention. Based on a Louis L’amour novel?
Directed by the guy who made THE ITALIAN JOB (1969)? The lead is played by Rambo’s
boss? And the luminous Rosanna Schiaffino is in it as well? How could we resist?
The mystery at the heart of this twisty tale is unraveled
slowly over the film’s running time so we do our best to keep spoilers out of
our discussion. There are so many reveals and discoveries along the way that we
thought it would be best to let new viewers find them as the story plays out. This
is a movie with a lot of interesting characters and learning about them is more
than half the fun.
We don’t have any new emails or messages to respond to in
this episode so if you have any comments for the show we can be reached at naschycast@gmail.com or over on the
FaceBook page. We’d be thrilled to hear from you!
