Here’s a trailer from what many consider the first giallo, La Ragazza che sapeva troppo, released in the USA as The Evil Eye. Directed by Mario Bava, the genre maker, starring John Saxon, Leticia Roman, and Valentina Cortese. I read an interview with John Saxon a few years back and he talked about how he got involved with this project. Leticia Roman contacted him and, representing herself as a producer working on the film, offered him the part. After some haggling Saxon accepted. Then, unbeknownst to John Saxon, she approached Mario Bava and said she represented Saxon and if Bava wanted him for the movie, he would have to give Leticia the female lead! Bava agreed and she got the part. During filming (according to the interview) Bava became infatuated with Leticia and was pressuring her to submit to his desires. She told him John Saxon was in love with her and he’s better back off as Saxon was jealous and would walk off the film or worse. Bava left her alone, Saxon knew nothing of all this at the time, he found out later. So here’s to Leticia Roman, a grandmaster of the chessboard of Cinema hustling.