Wild Facts About The Good, The Bad And The Ugly That Are Catching Even Clint’s Biggest Fans Off Guard

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a regular feature at the top of greatest-ever movie lists. And for very good reasons! The flick is directed by the legendary Sergio Leone, for one thing. Ennio Morricone’s searing soundtrack then elevates it further – and stars Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach are the icing on the cake. And yet many incidents behind the scenes may come as a surprise to even die-hard fans... But enough talking. When you have to shoot, you shoot. Right?

40. The bridge was originally blown up with no cameras rolling

Some scenes are difficult to capture twice — especially when an expensive prop gets demolished in take one. So imagine how annoyed you’d be if your set-piece prop got destroyed without so much as a single camera rolling! This is exactly what happened during the first take of the iconic bridge explosion in this movie. Due to a mix-up, the original bridge was blown up while nobody was even filming it. Happily, the Spanish army helped rebuild the bridge, and Leone got the sequence he was looking for.

39. Language was a problem

The movie’s director was Italian. The main stars were American. The movie was mostly shot in Spain. Many of the extras were Italian and Spanish. The result was a whole host of language barriers that were mighty difficult to overcome. Director Leone could barely speak English, for example. And stars Eastwood and Van Cleef had no Italian. But Eli Wallach was able to converse with his director through French, a common language the two shared. 

38. Ennio Morricone didn’t want the trumpet

Ennio Morricone’s soundtrack is one of the most iconic aspects of the entire movie. But, according to IMDb, the composer didn’t initially want to use the trumpet for the film’s signature tune. That was director Leone’s idea. Fortunately, Morricone relented – and the rest, as they say, is movie history.

37. Who was the main star?

Most would identify Clint Eastwood as the main star of the film. The legendary actor is the eponymous Good and has certainly gone on to enjoy the most celebrated career of the guys playing the three titular characters. Yet it’s Wallach’s Ugly — a.k.a. Tuco — who has the most screen time. And it’s Wallach who many would say has the most memorable lines. So, really, it’s anyone’s guess!