Stories from the set

Clint Eastwood's famous squint arose because of the bright sun and high-wattage lamps during filming.

Filming was completed in 1964, but the film was not released in US theaters until 1967.

The film's release in the US was delayed because the screenwriters of Yojimbo (1961), Akira Kurosawa and Ryuzo Kikushima, sued the makers of A Fistful of Dollars for copyright infringement. Kurosawa and Kikushima won the case and received 15 percent of the worldwide box office of Sergio Leone's film, as well as exclusive distribution rights in Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. According to Kurosawa, A Fistful of Dollars earned him more money than his own Yojimbo (1961).

Henry Fonda, Steve Reeves, Rory Calhoun, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Henry Silva and Eric Fleming all auditioned for the lead role.

«A Fistful of Dollars» is a remake of «Yojimbo» (1961).

In American trailers, as well as in promotional materials, the film's title was given as «A Fistful of Dollars», however, in the film itself — «Fistful of Dollars».

Initially, Sergio Leone did not intend to invite Ennio Morricone to work on the film, as he was not impressed by any of the soundtracks that Morricone had made for other pictures. However, the initial sketches of the future compositions that were heard in the film made Leone change his point of view and immediately sign a contract with Morricone. Subsequently, Morricone would write the music for all of Leone's subsequent films.

"A Fistful of Dollars" is called the first spaghetti western, but before the film's release, about 25 similar films had already been made in Italy. However, "A Fistful of Dollars" became the first film to receive international distribution.

"A Fistful of Dollars" was the first collaboration between Sergio Leone and Ennio Morricone.

At school, Sergio Leone and Ennio Morricone were in the same class.