* ActingForTwo: Bernie Grant voices two of the three Rojo brothers, and they both interact with each other on a fairly regular basis onscreen. To a lesser extent, Grant also voices John Baxter, but he and Ramon only interact directly once—[[spoiler:when Ramon kills the corrupt Sheriff in cold blood]]. Likewise, Grant's wife Joyce Gordon voices both Marisol and Doña Consuelo Baxter, but the two never interact with each other, and the only scene in which they appear together has the former unconscious!
* ActorInspiredElement: Creator/ClintEastwood helped in creating his character's distinctive visual style. He bought the black jeans from a sport shop on Hollywood Boulevard, the hat came from a Santa Monica wardrobe firm and the trademark black cigars came from a Beverly Hills store. Eastwood himself cut the cigars into three pieces to make them shorter. Eastwood himself is a non-smoker.
** When Eastwood arrived on the set, he was struck by how little the Italian crew and writers knew about the American West they were filming about. For example, he had to point out that coonskin caps were worn by frontiersmen and trappers in the Davy Crockett era, circa the 1820s, not by gunfighters and townsmen in the American West and Mexico of the 1870s, as the scriptwriters had written.
* BeamMeUpScotty: It's "You see, my mule don't like people laughing," not "My mule doesn't like to be laughed at."
* BreakthroughHit: For Creator/SergioLeone. His previous film was a sword-and-sandal picture called ''The Colossus of Rhodes'', which wasn't a hit critically or commercially.
* CaliforniaDoubling: [[https://www.fistfuloflocations.com/fod_compix.html Filmed]] in locations around UsefulNotes/{{Madrid}}[[note]]Unfortunately, the set where it was filmed [[https://meglioungiornodaleone.wordpress.com/hoyo-de-manzanares-2/ is no more]][[/note]], and in other parts of UsefulNotes/{{Spain}}.
* CompletelyDifferentTitle: Japan: ''Wilderness Bodyguard''
* CreatorBacklash: Music/EnnioMorricone felt this was his worst film score, since he was still developing as a composer and he recycled some of his earlier work (including an arrangement of Music/WoodyGuthrie's "Pastures of Plenty" which he had worked on several years earlier, as the Main Title) for the soundtrack.
* {{Defictionalization}}: Cimarron Arms now sells [[https://www.cimarron-firearms.com/uberti-man-with-no-name-single-action-45-colt-5-1-2-in-snake-inlay-rh-side.html replicas of Clint's revolver]] to buy. The gun first appeared in ''Series/{{Rawhide}}'', but the marketing specifically calls it "The Man With No Name" edition, and they also sell replicas of the iconic poncho, too.
* EnforcedMethodActing: A combination of the heavy smoke in the cigars, his allergy to horses, and the bright sunlight is what created Creator/ClintEastwood's now iconic ClintSquint.
* ExecutiveMeddling: A ten-minute prologue (hastily filmed by the studio and featuring a body double for Creator/ClintEastwood whose back is facing the camera) was attached to the film when it was first aired on network TV. Why? The guy in charge of ABC HATED the film's amoral plot and refused to air it unless the studio "fixed" what he saw was the impure motive of Joe. Hence the prologue, which rewrites the entire plot via a single ten minute scene where it is "revealed" that Joe was a former convict who was given his freedom in exchange for doing the bidding of the warden of his jail, in terms of driving out the gangs from the town in which the film takes place. Thankfully, the scene only was used for the ABC Sunday Movie Night broadcasts and was soon destroyed by the studio afterwards... although it has somehow made it onto the DVD as a special feature.
* FakeNationality: Everybody who isn't Creator/ClintEastwood, most notably Italian Creator/GianMariaVolonte as Mexican Ramon.
* FollowTheLeader: Everyone and their dog knows this film is an unauthorized remake of {{Creator/Akira Kurosawa}}'s ''{{Film/Yojimbo}}''. For posterity, Kurosawa is on record as enjoying the film, calling it "a fine movie, but [...] MY movie," Leone had been assured by his production company that legal issues over the similarity had been ironed out before shooting, and ''eventually'' a legal settlement was reached.
* HostilityOnTheSet: Gian Maria Volontè reportedly didn't get along with Creator/SergioLeone, who found Volonté's theatrical acting style and arrogant on-set manner tiresome.
** Volonté tried to become friendly with Creator/ClintEastwood, but he spoke little English and Eastwood spoke little Italian. Their political differences further prevented their striking up a rapport; Eastwood was a conservative Republican, while Volonté was a committed leftist, and Eastwood in any case didn't know enough about Italian politics to respond.
* InternationalCoproduction: This was an Italian/German/Spanish co-production, so there was a significant language barrier on set. Leone did not speak English, and Eastwood communicated with the Italian cast and crew mostly through actor and stuntman Benito Stefanelli, who also acted as an uncredited interpreter for the production and would later appear in Leone's other pictures.
* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: While the original English-language theatrical cut is available on DVD in the Netherlands, the PG-rated US theatrical cut hasn't been seen anywhere since the UsefulNotes/{{home video distribut|ors}}ion rights formerly held by the CBS/Fox Company reverted to MGM/UA in 1987. That said, videotapes and videodiscs of the US theatrical cut aren't all that uncommon. The same isn't really true for the UK theatrical cut, however; if you want that, you'll need either PAL video equipment or to live in a PAL country.
* LateExportForYou: The film was made in 1964, but wasn't released in America until 1967.
* LoopingLines: Similar to other Italian films shot at the time, all footage was filmed silent, and the dialogue and sound effects were dubbed over in post-production. Since all of the footage was filmed silently, Creator/ClintEastwood did not add his voice to the soundtrack until 1967, when the movie was prepared for U.S. release.
* MoneyDearBoy: Gian Maria Volonte didn't think much of this film (or [[Film/ForAFewDollarsMore its sequel]]), telling interviewers that he considered them paycheck roles between his more personal projects. Additionally, Eastwood and Leone both claimed that Volonte was [[ThePrimaDonna difficult to work with]], arguing with his costars about Italian politics and, on one occasion, storming off the set and driving to a hotel until Leone calmed him down.
* PropRecycling: Joe's famous snake handled pistol was first used in ''Series/{{Rawhide}}'', which Rowdy Yates took from an outlaw he killed. He also wore the same boots from the series.
* RealLifeRelative: Real-life husband-and-wife voiceover artists Bernie Grant and Joyce Gordon voice Ramon Rojo and his whore/hostage Marisol, and also in-universe husband and wife John and Consuelo Baxter, in the English dub.
* ScrewedByTheLawyers: The fact that it cribbed ''Yojimbo''[='=]s plot almost verbatim meant that Creator/AkiraKurosawa was able to successfully sue for copyright infringement. As a result, Kurosawa's production company obtained exclusive rights to release the film on Japan and the film [[LateExportForYou took a whopping three years for its release to be allowed on the United States.]]
* StarMakingRole: For Creator/ClintEastwood.
* TroubledProduction: Mostly due to Creator/SergioLeone's fractious relationship with Jolly Films, who gave the film a minuscule budget, assured Leone that legal issues over the ''Film/{{Yojimbo}}'' similarities had been cleared before shooting started ([[BlatantLies they hadn't]], resulting in a long, acrimonious lawsuit which delayed the movie's release) and fumbled its initial release, dumping it into second-run theaters and as the second feature on double bills. Creator/ClintEastwood remembers that midway through production, a Jolly executive visited the set to watch a day's shooting, then after viewing the rushes commented "Jesus, what a piece of shit!" to everyone within earshot. Eventually the movie became a hit despite its shabby treatment, allowing Leone to make ''Film/ForAFewDollarsMore'' without Jolly's help. That film's title was explicitly a TakeThat directed at Jolly Films.
* VacationDearBoy: Creator/ClintEastwood said at the time:
-->I've never been to Italy. I've never been to Spain. I've never been to Germany. I've never been to any of the countries (co-producing) this film. The worst I can come out of this is a nice little trip. I'll go over there and learn some stuff. I'll see how other people make films in other countries.
* WagTheDirector: At first, Creator/ClintEastwood had some major disagreements with Creator/SergioLeone, particularly over the script which he found too verbose, but after convincing Leone to cut his dialogue to a minimum, the two men began to collaborate more productively.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Originally, Creator/SergioLeone intended Creator/HenryFonda to play the "Man with No Name." However, the production company could not afford to employ a major Hollywood star. Next, Leone offered Creator/CharlesBronson the part. He, too, declined, arguing that the script was bad. Creator/JamesCoburn was offered the role, but he wanted too much money. Creator/LeeMarvin and Creator/CliffRobertson also considered.
* WorkingTitle: ''The Magnificent Stranger''. Some recently-discovered rushes disclose that the movie was called ''Ray the Magnificent'' on set.
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