Sergio Leone’s 1966 western, starring Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef, returns to Sky Cinema Stories on Friday, October 16, at 4.15pm. From a real human skeleton on set to Wallach’s accidental poisoning, here are 10 facts about the film.
Sergio Leone’s The good, the bad and the ugly is one of the most celebrated westerns in cinema history. Released in 1966, it completed the director’s so-called “Dollars Trilogy”, following A fistful of dollars and For a few dollars more.
The film stars Clint Eastwood as the Man with No Name, also known as Joe, alongside Eli Wallach as Tuco Ramirez, “the ugly”, and Lee Van Cleef as Angel Eyes, “the bad”. Despite its enduring popularity, the film could have had a sequel, but the project never came to fruition.
Here are 10 facts about the classic western.
1. A sequel that never happened
Screenwriter Luciano Vincenzoni, a longtime collaborator of Leone, once revealed that a sequel had been considered. The story would have been set around 20 years after the original film. However, Leone, who had no desire to make another western, refused permission to use the title and characters, and the project was abandoned.
2. The famous three-way showdown
The film features one of cinema’s most iconic Mexican standoffs, known in Italian as a “triello”. Three armed men face each other, each unable to attack without risking being shot in return.
Director Quentin Tarantino has repeatedly paid homage to the sequence in his own films, including Reservoir dogs and Inglourious basterds.
3. Tuco’s iconic line was improvised
Wallach improvised one of the film’s most memorable lines: “When you have to shoot, shoot. Don’t talk.” The remark reportedly sent the crew into fits of laughter when he delivered it.
4. Eastwood’s poncho was never washed
The poncho worn by Eastwood as the Man with No Name throughout his appearances in Leone’s westerns was never washed, according to accounts of the production. The garment became one of the actor’s most recognisable trademarks.
5. Wallach was accidentally poisoned
During filming, Wallach accidentally drank acid that had been poured into a soft-drink bottle intended for use in a scene. He tried to counter its effects by drinking large quantities of milk, but continued filming despite developing sores in his mouth.
6. The height difference caused filming problems
The considerable height difference between Eastwood and Wallach sometimes made it difficult to frame the two actors together in the same shot.
7. Charles Bronson turned down two roles
Leone offered Charles Bronson the roles of Tuco and Angel Eyes. The director was particularly concerned that audiences might struggle to accept Van Cleef as a villain after his more sympathetic role as Douglas Mortimer in For a few dollars more.
Bronson declined both offers because he was committed to filming The dirty dozen (1967).
8. Who really is the bad guy?
Although Joe is presented as “the good”, he kills 11 people during the film. Tuco, “the ugly”, is responsible for six deaths, while Angel Eyes, “the bad”, kills three. By that count, the supposedly good character has the highest body count of the three.
9. The skeleton was real
The skeleton discovered by Tuco inside a coffin in the Sad Hill cemetery was a real human skeleton, rather than a prop. It reportedly belonged to a deceased Spanish actress who had expressed a wish in her will to continue appearing in films even after her death.
10. Metallica’s connection to the film
Metallica have used the cemetery sequence, accompanied by Ennio Morricone’s celebrated score, as the introduction to their concerts for years. The music has become an enduring part of the band’s live performances, introducing a new generation of fans to Leone’s western.
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