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Clint Eastwood cannon from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly traced to Spanish museum
TL;DR
The cannon used by Clint Eastwood in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly has been traced to a museum in southeast Spain. The Sad Hill Cultural Association discovered the weapon while preparing for the film's 60th anniversary.
Key points
- Cannon from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly rediscovered in Spain
- Tracked down by the Sad Hill Cultural Association
- Cannon made in Manchester in 1873
- Originally lent to the film's production by the Spanish military
- Now located in a military history museum in Cartagena
Mentioned in this story
CartagenaToledoBurgos
Sad Hill Cultural AssociationClint EastwoodEli WallachSergio Leone
Six decades after Clint Eastwood nonchalantly used a cigar to light a cannon’s fuse in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly to fell a fleeing Eli Wallach, the Manchester-made weapon has been rediscovered in a museum in south-east Spain.
The artillery piece was tracked down by the Sad Hill Cultural Association, a group of volunteers dedicated to restoring the graveyard near Burgos, northern Spain, built for the climax of Sergio Leone’s seminal spaghetti western.
After coming across images of the cannon in a book on the film, the association set about trying to trace some of the weapons used in preparation for the 60th anniversary of the movie’s release later this year.
The 75mm cannon, made in Manchester by Whitworth in 1873, was one of the antique arms lent to Leone’s production team by the Spanish military. After filming it was returned to the army museum in Madrid. There it languished on outdoor display until 2010, when the museum and its collection were moved to Toledo.
A few months ago, Diego Montero, treasurer of the Sad Hill Cultural Association, visited the Toledo museum to look for the cannon. Further research led to the south-eastern Spanish city of Cartagena, where Montero discovered a group of retired soldiers had been restoring a 19th-century British cannon from the local military history museum.
The cannon before restoration, in the military history museum in Cartagena, south-east Spain. Photograph: Cartagena military history museum
“A few days ago we wanted to check the photos from the book against a more detailed photo, so we wrote to the director of the Cartagena museum, and he sent us a closeup photo of the top of the cannon and of the piece’s number,” said Montero. The serial numbers matched.
“The museum had no idea that they had the cannon that was used in the film. We told them that we were going to put out a press release because we knew that a lot of people would be interested – and they’d get loads of visits.”
Q&A
Where was the cannon from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly found?
The cannon was found in a military history museum in Cartagena, southeast Spain.
Who tracked down the cannon used in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly?
The Sad Hill Cultural Association, a group dedicated to restoring the film's graveyard, traced the cannon.
What is the significance of the cannon's rediscovery?
The rediscovery of the cannon is significant as it marks the 60th anniversary of the film's release and highlights the film's cultural impact.
What type of cannon was used in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly?
The cannon is a 75mm artillery piece made in Manchester by Whitworth in 1873.
