Elliot Belt's appearance is an obvious nod on Lee Van Cleef, particularly his acting roles as merciless bounty hunter.
Other notable westerns he starred in were $10,000 Blood Money (1967) as an unofficial Django, Veangeance is Mine/$100,000 for a Massacre (1967), They Call Him Cemetery (1971) alongside William Berger as well as a supporting role in Bad Man's River with Lee Van Cleef.
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This camp is briefly mentioned in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, as Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef) uses it as an excuse to rule his camp with iron fist.
Baron also appeared as the villain in Ruggero Deodato's sci-fi actioner The Atlantis Interceptors (1983), in Code Name: Wild Geese (1984), directed by Antonio Margheriti starring Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine and Klaus Kinski, and in Overdose (1987), by French softcore/exploitation director Jean-Marie Pallardy.
Lucas took inspiration from western film actors such as Lee Van Cleef's portrayal of Angel Eyes in The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly and of Colonel Mortimer in For a Few Dollars More while Corey Burton uses Peter Lorre's voice as inspiration.
Giulio Petroni (September 21, 1917 – January 31, 2010) was an Italian director, writer and screenwriter, best known for his spaghetti westerns Tepepa (1969), with Orson Welles and Tomas Milian, Death Rides a Horse (1967), with Lee Van Cleef in one of his first starring roles, and A Sky Full of Stars for a Roof (1968).
Sheriff of Cochise featured numerous younger actors who later became well known in the industry: Dan Blocker, Peter Breck, Charles Bronson, Mike Connors, David Janssen, Stacy Keach, Sr., Michael Landon, Jack Lord, Gavin MacLeod, Doug McClure, Ross Martin, Martin Milner, Roger Smith, Lee Van Cleef, and child actor Johnny Crawford.
Pike teams up with dishonest gambler Tyree (Fred Williamson) and are forced to trust each other while being pursued by various outlaws and gunmen trying to possess the money, including the ruthless bounty hunter Kiefer (Lee Van Cleef) and corrupt sheriff Kane (Barry Sullivan).
Ironically, Lee Van Cleef, star of the first Sabata film had been offered the role, but had to decline because he was committed to The Magnificent Seven Ride in the role of Chris Adams, which Brynner had made famous in The Magnificent Seven.
The recruits are three young actors who would come to define menace in the ’50s and beyond: Neville Brand, Jack Elam and Lee Van Cleef, who here has his best role before For a Few Dollars More.