Eduardo Ciannelli Movies
Italian-born actor Eduardo Ciannelli was mostly known for his sinister gangster roles, but he first rose to fame as an opera singer and musical comedy star! The son of a doctor who operated a health spa, Ciannelli was expected to follow his father's footsteps into the medical profession, and to that end studied at the University of Naples. Launching his career in grand opera as a baritone, Ciannelli came to the U.S. after World War I, where he was headlined in such Broadway productions as Rose Marie and Lady Billy. He switched to straight acting with the Theatre Guild in the late 1920s, co-starring with luminaries like the Lunts and Katherine Cornell. Cianelli's resemblance to racketeer Lucky Luciano led to his being cast as the eloquent but deadly gangster Trock Estrella in Maxwell Anderson's Winterset, the role that brought him to Hollywood on a permanent basis (after a couple of false starts) in 1936. He followed up the film version of Winterset with a Luciano-like role in the Bette Davis vehicle Marked Women (1937), then did his best to avoid being typed as a gangster. After inducing goosebumps in Gunga Din (1939) as the evil Indian cult leader ("Kill for the love of Kali!"), Ciannelli did an about-face as the lovable, effusive Italian speakeasy owner in Kitty Foyle (1940)--and was nominated for an Oscar in the process. During the war, the actor billed himself briefly as Edward Ciannelli, and in this "guise" brought a measure of dignity to his title role in the Republic serial The Mysterious Dr. Satan (1945). He returned to Italy in the 1950s to appear in European films and stage productions, occasionally popping up in Hollywood films as ageing Mafia bosses and self-made millionaires. In 1959, he was seen regularly as a nightclub owner on the TV detective series Johnny Staccato. Had he lived, Eduardo Ciannelli would have been ideal for the starring role in 1972's The Godfather, as he proved in a similar assignment in the 1968 Mafia drama The Brotherhood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1969
- R
Cesare (Alex Cord) is the foreign car dealer who caters to the jet set. A previous favor by a mobster who saved his life has him indebted to the mafia to repay the kindness. With a stiletto, he kills three enemies of the organization, but is hung out to dry when the gang refuse to acknowledge his actions or even admit they know him. As the police close in on the auto dealer, he is caught between the law and the mob with no protection from either side. Britt Eklund and Barbara McNair are the main female leads. Roy Scheider has a small part in this violent and erotic crime drama. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alex Cord, Britt Ekland, (more)
- 1969
Ed (Don Galloway) and fellow police officer Ray Leonard (Linden Chiles) are suspected of killing a dope peddler in cold blood. Even worse, Ray was driving the dead man's "business" car while moonlighting as a cabbie, suggesting that he himself was involved in drug-running. Though suspended from the force, Ed mounts his own investigation to clear himself and prove his colleague's innocence beyond all doubt. Featured in the cast are two craggy-faced gangster movie veterans, John Marley and Eduardo Ciannelli). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A tough adventurer and his sidekick find outlaws and rowdy women in this action-filled spaghetti western. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Terence Hill, Bud Spencer, (more)
Italo Bombolini (Anthony Quinn) is the mayor of the hillside village of Santa Vittorio. The wine-loving town leader erases a pro-Mussolini slogan when he hears of the fascist being killed and hanged from a meathook. His wife Rosa (Anna Magnani) throws him out of their wine shop when he and his friends celebrate and he gives away too much wine. When he hears the retreating Nazi Army will soon be in town, hundreds of villagers turn out to hide the wine in an old Roman cave. The people work day and night, hiding 1 million bottles just before the Nazis enter the town. SS officers threaten death to anyone who withholds the wine. Italo presents a single bottle to the irate general (Hardy Kruger), as the hapless Germans are powerless to force the villagers to produce the coveted bottles. Not even a pistol to the head of their beloved mayor is effective as the town stands by, watching in complete silence. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Quinn, Anna Magnani, (more)
Mackenna's Gold is a colorful, action-packed western feature with an all-star cast. Mackenna (Gregory Peck) has committed to memory the map that leads to some hidden Apache gold. The Indians now want the gold to finance their fight against the white men who invade their territory. Mexican bandit Colorado (Omar Sharif) wants the gold for himself, and the local preacher (Raymond Massey) and the editor of the newspaper (Lee J. Cobb) also get gold fever. Burgess Meredith plays the storekeeper and Edward G. Robinson is long-time town resident Old Adams. Everyone goes looking for the hidden treasure as the Indians dwindle their numbers with violent attacks. The search is monitored by U.S. calvary Sergeant Tibbs (Telly Savalas). Colorado captures Mackenna to lead him to the gold as death comes to those who show the most avarice. Music is provided by Quincy Jones. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif, (more)
In Martin Ritt's The Brotherhood, Kirk Douglas plays Frank Ginetta, an old-line Mafioso who resents the newer policies encouraged by his younger brother Vince (Alex Cord). Frank resists all attempts at modernizing his operation, whereupon Vince cajoles his father-in-law Dominick Bertolo (Luther Adler) to spearhead an inter-mob rebellion. Summing up Bertolo as a rat and a liar, Frank has the man murdered in a graphically brutal fashion. It is up to Vince to exact retribution by killing his own brother. Lewis John Carlino's screenplay includes many of the elements that would gain legendary status upon the release of The Godfather, including the dreaded "kiss of death." Star Kirk Douglas also served as producer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirk Douglas, Alex Cord, (more)
- 1967
Written by William Read Woodfield and Allan Balter, "The Council" was the second multipart story of Mission: Impossible's second season. In their most ambitious assignment to date, the IMF must destroy a criminal empire that threatens to drain America's gold reserves. As part of the plan, Rollin concocts a dangerous strategy of his own, one that requires him to impersonate crooked businessman Frank Wayne (Paul Stevens). As it turns out, the success of the mission hinges upon a mob flunkey who has been targetted for extermination--and has already been buried alive. Part One of "The Council" was first broadcast November 19, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Barbara Bain, (more)
- 1967
In the second half of the two-part Mission: Impossible adventure "The Council", the IMF's plan to topple a gangland syndicate is threatened when one of the mobsters apparently sees through Rollin's impersonation of crooked businessman Frank Wayne (Paul Stevens). Meanwhile, the real Stevens lies unconscious on the operating table of a master plastic surgeon. And in a startling development, Phelps is the victim of a mob "hit"--or is he? Written by William Read Woodfield and Allan Balter, Part Two of "The Council" originally aired on November 26, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Barbara Bain, (more)
- 1966
In this episode from The Man from U.N.C.L.E. series, the two good guy spies must stop a criminal mastermind from altering the course of the Gulf Stream. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Little does Richard Kimble (David Janssen)--alias "Paul Miller"--know what he is getting into when he traces the elusive one-armed murderer Fred Johnson (Bill Raisch) to the town of Clark City, Kentucky. It seems that Johnson, travelling under the name "Cramer", is employed by the gambling syndicate which owns the town lock, stock and barrel. Johnson orders Kimble to be beaten and chased out of town by a pair of corrupt cops, but Kimble turns the tables and arranges for Johnson's arrest. Unfortunately, the gambling bosses have decided that under the circumstances, both of the "fugitives" are eminently disposable. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
All hell breaks loose in a Texas town when an escaped convict heads home in Arthur Penn's Southern gothic melodrama. Appointed by local kingpin Val Rogers (E. G. Marshall), benevolent Sheriff Calder (Marlon Brando) manages to keep the peace in Tarl, but the situation starts to fester one Saturday when news filters in that wild child Bubber Reeves (Robert Redford) has jumped prison. Bubber's impending arrival arouses hostility among Tarl's citizens, such as Edwin Stewart (Robert Duvall), who believes that Bubber will come after him to settle an old score, and Damon Puller (Richard Bradford), who, between grope sessions with Edwin's wife Emily (Janice Rule), uses Bubber as an excuse to terrorize black residents. As the atmosphere heats up, Calder wants to keep Bubber alive, and he convinces Bubber's wife Anna (Jane Fonda) and her lover, Val's son Jake (James Fox), to find Bubber and coax him into surrender. Val's fear that Bubber will kill his son, however, sparks a long confrontation that leaves rational law and order pummeled into the ground by the town's ignorant cruelty. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marlon Brando, Jane Fonda, (more)
- 1965
The sheriff of a small town is the target of feuding families in this western. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1964
Friedrich Durrenmatt's misanthropic theatrical piece The Visit has never been totally successful in any production, not even in the original Broadway presentation starring Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. The film version keeps this failure record consistent. Ingrid Bergman plays a fabulously wealthy woman who returns to her impoverished home town. Years earlier, she had been driven from town in disgrace after sleeping with solid citizen Anthony Quinn. She now offers a deal to the city elders: Bergman will alleviate the city's financial difficulties--in exchange for Quinn's life. The original play ended with the lynching of the seducer; the film ends with Bergman halting the execution, proclaiming that by allowing Quinn to live, the townsfolk will be forced to feel the pangs of guilt over what they might have done for the rest of their lives. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ingrid Bergman, Anthony Quinn, (more)
- 1963
Damon Runyon's story "Little Miss Marker" gets a mid-'60s update in this comedy. Steve McCluskey (Tony Curtis) is the manager of a nightspot in Lake Tahoe owned by Bernie Friedman (Phil Silvers). Steve is the kind of guy who has heard every sob story in the book and is not easily impressed, but his hard heart begins to soften a bit when he meets Penny Piper (Claire Wilcox), a young orphan girl with no one to turn to and nowhere to go. Steve grudgingly takes her in and soon grows fond of the tyke. Penny thinks that Steve needs to get married and settle down, so she starts playing Cupid, trying to set him up with pretty Chris Lockwood (Suzanne Pleshette). However, Steve is still reeling from his failed first marriage and isn't so sure that another trip to the altar would be good for him. The film's finale sends Steve on a wild chase through Disneyland. Forty Pounds of Trouble marked the feature directorial debut of Norman Jewison, who would go on to make In the Heat of the Night, Fiddler on the Roof, and Jesus Christ Superstar. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Curtis, Phil Silvers, (more)
- 1962
Elderly Mr. Marino (Eduardo Ciannelli) begs famous attorney Vernon Wedge (Brian Keith) to clear Marino's son Benjy (Rod Lauren) of a murder charge. This proves difficult in that the police have an airtight case against Benjy. But Wedge proceeds with his defense, demanding that a special forensic test be made of the murder weapon -- in full view of the jury. (Trivia note: in the original script, the accused murderer's last name was Bleeker, but this was changed when celebrated Italian-born character actor Eduardo Ciannelli was cast as the boy's father.) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
After being injured in a train wreck, salesman Pedro Siqueras (David Opatoshu) is told by a doctor that he will never walk again. But after spending time in a wheelchair, Siqueras discovers that he has regained the use of his legs. However, he does not reveal this recovery, having already collected a sizeable insurance settlement. Ultimately tiring of faking paralysis, Siqueras concocts a scheme whereby he can undergo a "miraculous" cure -- a scheme that involves the unwitting aid of a genuine paraplegic named Maria (Miriam Colon). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Robert Stack plays a dual role in this episode, as Federal agent Elliot Ness and his lookalike, two-bit bookie Whitey Steele. Posing as Whitey, Ness heads to San Francisco in hopes of smashing a heroine distribution ring operating out of a racetrack-infromation service run by hoodlums Joe Kulak (Oscar Beregi) and Gregory Pindar (Eduardo Ciannelli). Tension begins to mount when it looks like Ness' cover will be blown right in the middle of a huge gangland convention attended by the top mobsters from 24 different cities. Murray Hamilton steals the show as a shady newspaper reporter who never lets anyone (least of all the audience) know which side he's really on. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
In this sequel to the first-season episode "Noise of Death", Henry Silva returns as drug kingpin Little Charlie Sebastino. After a little girl dies from an overdose, Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) persuades the Chicago media to bear down on the city's illegal heroin traffic. Withering in the glare of publicity, the higher-ups in the Mob shut down Little Charlie's operation--leading to a bloody chain reaction of betrayal and revenge. The episode's stellar supporting cast includes Eduardo Cianelli and Will Kuluva as fraternal mob kingpins, Paula Raymond as Kuluva's two-timing wife, and Conrad Janis, miles removed from his mild-mannered portrayal of Pam Dawber's father on Mork and Mindy, as a dope-addicted jazz drummer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Paladin (Richard Boone) attempts to protect a demented old prospector (Eduardo Ciannelli) from claim jumpers who want to plunder the old man's abandoned mine, called Lucifer's Pit. But the prospector wants nothing to do with Paladin: he is convinced that the gunslinger is actually Lucifer himself, and will claim his soul in exchange for protection! Originally scheduled to air on November 29, 1958, this is the final episode of Have Gun, Will Travel's second season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
The Hargrove Finance Company has been robbed and Frank Anderson (James Anderson) lies dead. Identified by witnesses as one of the robbers, old Pop Renzi (Eduardo Ciannelli) is accused of murder. At the behest of Renzi's little grandson Nicky (Bobby Clark), Perry (Raymond Burr) agrees to handle Pop's defense--which proves a formidable task indeed, thanks to the obstreperous attitude of the dead man's sexy widow Iris (Nita Talbot). Veteran movie "gunsel" Elisha Cook Jr. appears in this episode, which was directed by the prolific Buzz Kulik. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Taking a brief respite from professional gunslinging, Paladin (Richard Boone) opts instead for the more pleasurable pursuit of judging a wine exhibit. Unfortunately, gunplay is lurking around the corner, thanks to an Irish-born oil driller named Tim Gorman (Richard Shannon). Insisting that Gorman's oil rigs are polluting his vineyard, Italian winemaker Renato Donatello (Eduardo Ciannelli) asks Paladin to intervene--with the expected violent results. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The American government inexplicably tries to send a box of wasps into space, but the mission ends when the rocket crashes in Africa. While on an expedition to recover the insects, an adventurer (Jimmy Lynn Davis) and his team finds the wasps have grown to immense proportions due to accidental radiation treatments. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
Cary Grant scored still another box-office smash with his 1958 vehicle Houseboat. Grant plays a widowed father who packs himself and his spoiled kiddies off to a ramshackle houseboat. Enter Sophia Loren, who is attempting to break loose from her tyrannical father's (Eduardo Cianelli) iron grip. She hires on as Grant's housekeeper and his children's governess. Though Grant struggles valiantly to maintain a "hands off" policy, he and Loren are billing and cooing by fadeout time--but not before plenty of reversals, recriminations and sitcom-style mishaps. As a bonus, the kids end up behaving like little angels (not surprising, since Loren has threatened from time to time to turn them into genuine angels if they don't toe the line). According to most sources, the on-screen romance between Cary Grant and Sophia Loren in Houseboat spilled over into their private lives as well, though Sophia put an end to this dalliance when she married Italian movie mogul Carlo Ponti. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cary Grant, Sophia Loren, (more)
- 1957
You knew what you were in for when you saw the title, so don't grouse. Don Taylor stars as a doctor/adventurer who ventures into the South America jungle with explorer Eduardo Cianelli. Taylor and Cianelli stumble upon a race of green-skinned Amazon women, all of whom look suspiciously like unemployed startlets. The Amazons are hold white woman Gianna Segale captive as a good-luck fetish (shades of Trader Horn). Some nice Brazilian location photography by Mario Page lifts this nonsense above the usual perils-in-the-jungle syndrome. Love Slaves of the Amazons was produced, directed and written by Curt Siodmak, who in happier days penned the scripts for Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1942), Son of Dracula (1943) and Beast With Five Fingers (1946). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Taylor, Gianna Segale, (more)
