Thursday, June 1, 2023

RIP Sergio Calderón

 


Sergio Calderón, the amiable Mexican character actor who made his mark in such notable films as “The In-Laws”, “Men in Black” and “Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World’s End:, died on May 31st. He was 77. Calderón portrayed a Mexican revolutionary at the turn of the 20th century in “Duck, You Sucker!” (1971), by Sergio Leone, and was a murderous Mexican chief of police opposite Albert Finney in John Huston’s “Under the Volcano” (1984). Born on July 21, 1945, Calderón moved from his home in a tropical village to Mexico City when he was 10 and studied at the Instituto Andrés Soler of the Asociación Nacional de Actores. He then made his onscreen debut in “The Bridge in the Jungle” (1970), starring John Huston. Among the three dozen or so films on his résumé were “The Revengers” (1972), “The Children of Sánchez” (1978), “Old Gringo” (1989), “The Missing” (2003), “The Ruins” (2008) and “Little Fockers” (2010). He also showed up on the final season of the FX series ‘Better Things’ last year. Sergio appeared in two European westerns the previously mentioned “Duck You Sucker” in 1971 as a Mexican Revolutionary and in 1988’s “Blood Red” as Perez.

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Matilde Antonelli

 [These daily posts will cover little known actors or people that have appeared in more recent films and TV series. Various degrees of information that I was able to find will be given and anything that you can add would be appreciated.]

Matilde Antonelli appeared in at least seven films from 1970 to 1978. Among those were two credited appearances in Spaghetti westerns in “Django… Adios!” 1971 she appears as Marianne/Mary Ann and in “Savage Guns” 1971 she plays the role of Suzy. I can find no other information on her.

ANTONELLI, Matilde [Italian] – film actress.

Django… Adios! – 1971 (Marianne/Mary Ann)

Savage Guns – 1971 (Suzy)

Spaghetti Western locations Then and Now - “Catlow”

 This riding scene is from “Catlow” and shows Yul Brynner in the lead. The scene was filmed in the Rambla Indalecio/Rioja, Almería, Spain.


Here’s the same location as seen in 2022.





Voices of the Spaghetti Western “Two Violent Men”

 As we know most of the Euro-westerns were co-productions from Italy, Spain, Germany and France which incorporated British and American actors to gain a worldwide audience. The films were shot silent and then dubbed into the various languages where they were sold for distribution. That means Italian, Spanish, German, French and English voice actors were hired to dub the films. Even actors from the countries where the film was to be shown were often dubbed by voice actors for various reasons such as the actors were already busy making another film, they wanted to be paid additional salaries for dubbing their voices, the actor’s voice didn’t fit the character they were playing, accidents to the actors and in some cases even death before the film could be dubbed.

I’ll list a Euro-western and the (I) Italian, (S) Spanish, (G) German and (F) French, (E) English voices that I can find and once in a while a bio on a specific voice actor as in Europe these actors are as well-known as the actors they voiced.








Today we’ll cover “Two Violent Men”

[(I) Italian, (S) Spanish, (G) German, (F) French, (E) English]

Cassidy – Alan Scott (I) Cesare Barbetti, (S) Ángel María Baltanás

Sergeant Bob Logan – George Martin (I) Pino Locchi, (S) Simón Ramírez

Mary Sheridan – Susy Andersen (I) Fiorella Betti, (S) Ana María Saizar

Ann Kenny - María Badmajew (I) Rosetta Calavetta, (S) Matilde Vilariño

Linda Ranson – Silvia Solar (I) Rosetta Calavetta, (S) Mari Ángeles Herranz







Ana María Saizar  (1924 – 2013)

Ana María Saizar was born in San Sebastián, Guipúzcoa, Spain in 1924. Saizar was a Spanish voice actress who began her professional career as a dubbing actress in 1948 at the Sevilla Film Studios. In the 1950s, in Madrid she began to work in the great dubbing studios of the country and specifically, from 1956, at Oro Films, where she remained until the mid-1980s. She dubbed into Spanish the voice of some of the most important Hollywood film stars of the time, such as Sofia Loren, Anne Baxter, Grace Kelly and Carole Lombard.

For television, she highlighted her work as Miss Rottenmeier in the animated series ‘Heidi’ (1975). Although she also voiced Miss Cassandra in ‘The Mayan Bee’, Flower in ‘Once Upon a Time... the man’, Barbara Bain (Hellen Russell) in ‘Space 1999’, Doris Roberts (Mildred Krebbs) in ‘Remington Steele’ and Peg Phillips (Ruth Miller) in ‘Doctor in Alaska’.

She retired in the late 1990s and died in Madrid on December 19, 2013.


Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Franco Antonelli

 [These daily posts will cover little known actors or people that have appeared in more recent films and TV series. Various degrees of information that I was able to find will be given and anything that you can add would be appreciated.]

Franco Antonelli is/was an Italian costumer and wardrobe supervisor but was credited as an actor in “California” starring Guliano Gemma. His career began in 1962 with his participation as a costume designer on “Black Invaders” with Amedeo Nazzari and his last credit was as a wardrobe coordinator on 1987’s “The Last Emperor” with Peter O’Toole. Antonelli also worked on “Flash Gordon” in 1980, “Conan the Barbarian” 1982 and “Red Sonja” in 1985.

ANTONELLI, Franco (aka Antonelli) [Italian] – costumer, stuntman, film actor.

Face to Face – 1967 [costumer]

Little Rita in the West – 1967 [costumer]

Viva Django -1968 [costumer]

A Long Ride from Hell – 1968 [costumer]

Halleluja to Vera Cruz – 1973 [wardrobe]

California – 1977

 

New Italian CD “L'uomo della valle maledetta”

 







“L'uomo della valle maledetta”

(Man of the Cursed Valley)

(1964)

 

Composer: Francesco De Masi)

Country: Italy

Label BEAT

#CDCR149

Tracks: 25

Listening time: 48:58

Extras: 12-page booklet

Available May 31, 2023

 

Beat Records is glad to present the expanded original motion picture soundtrack by Francesco de Masi for the Western movie “L'uomo della valle maledetta”, one of the very first Italian productions inspired of the super popular Hollywood cinematic genre.

Already available in the CDCR series with the code 47, a selection of this score made part of a trio of soundtracks together with the OSTs of “La sfida dei MacKenna” and “…e venne il tempo di uccidere”, a long time sold out.

Transferring the first generation tapes it has been possible to prepare a single CD featuring a lot of unreleased material which will excite all Francesco de Masi and Western symphonic soundtracks fans, it will be a precious complement for all of those who missed the old edition too.

The CD is proposed in a transparent jewel case with a 12 pages colored booklet, graphic layout by Daniele De Gemini, liner notes by Filippo de Masi and mastering by Enrico de Gemini.

Tracklist

1 L'uomo della valle maledetta – Seq. 1 1:34

2 L'uomo della valle maledetta – Seq. 2 1:58

3 L'uomo della valle maledetta – Seq. 3 1:37

4 L'uomo della valle maledetta – Seq. 4 2:12

5 L'uomo della valle maledetta – Seq. 5 * 2:29

6 L'uomo della valle maledetta – Seq. 6 * 2:44

7 L'uomo della valle maledetta – Seq. 7 * 2:32

8 L'uomo della valle maledetta – Seq. 8 * 1:45

9 L'uomo della valle maledetta – Seq. 9 2:23

10 L'uomo della valle maledetta – Seq. 10 1:59

11 L'uomo della valle maledetta – Seq. 11 * 0:48

12 L'uomo della valle maledetta – Seq. 12 * 2:35

13 L'uomo della valle maledetta – Seq. 13 * 1:09

14 L'uomo della valle maledetta – Seq.14 2:28

15 L'uomo della valle maledetta – Seq.15 2:00

16 L'uomo della valle maledetta – Seq.16 2:07

17 L'uomo della valle maledetta – Seq.17 1:31

18 L'uomo della valle maledetta – Seq.18 3:20

19 L'uomo della valle maledetta – Seq.19 0:48

20 L'uomo della valle maledetta – Seq.20 2:12

21 L'uomo della valle maledetta – Seq.21 1:49

22 L'uomo della valle maledetta – Seq.22 1:14

23 L'uomo della valle maledetta – Seq.23 # 1:36

24 L'uomo della valle maledetta – Seq.24 # 1:09

25 L'uomo della valle maledetta – Seq.25 # 1:35

Who Are Those Guys ~ Xan das Bolas

 

Tomás Ares Pena was born in La Coruña, Galicia Spain on October 30, 1908. He was the son of Tomás Ares Alonso [1883-1962], by profession an industrialist, and Ángela Pena Valiño [1888-1938]. He began his acting career in the theater in the 1930s as a comedian and variety actor. After the Spanish Civil War, he began his film career beginning with with “Salomé” (1940).

In the following years he became one of the secondary actors with the longest career in the history of Spanish cinema. His filmography exceeds two hundred and forty titles, and he worked under the direction of some of the most distinguished national filmmakers such as Florián Rey, Luis Lucía, José Luis Sáenz de Heredia, Juan de Orduña, Luis García Berlanga or Juan Antonio Bardem.

On television he worked on the series ‘Crónicas de un pueblo’ and co-starred with Fernando Fernán Gómez in ‘El pícaro’ (1974).

Bolas appeared in 30 European westerns beginning with a role as a beggar in 1954’s “The Coyote” and ending 20 years later as Sam in “Spaghetti Western”.

Xan das Bolas was married to artist Lina Chiverto [1905-19??] (193?-1977)and was the father of  three children. He died on October 13, 1977, in the Clinical Hospital of Madrid.

das BOLAS, Xan (aka Fernando Tomás Ares, Tomas Ares, Tomás Ares, Xan D'as Bolas, Xan Das Bolas, Xan dax Bolas, Xandas Bolas, Xan-Das-Bolas, Xan de Bolas) (Tomás Ares Pena) [10/30/1908, La Coruña, Galicia, Spain – 10/13/1977, Madrid, Madrid, Spain] – theater, film, TV actor, married to artist Lina Chiverto [1905-19??] (193?-1977) father of  three children.

The Coyote – 1954 (beggar)

Three Were Three - 1954

Savage Guns – 1961 (Pedro)

Shadow of Zorro – 1962 (John)

The Sign of Zorro – 1962 (Mexican)

The Terrible Sheriff – 1962 (wagonloader)

Welcome Padre Murray – 1962 (Lopez)

Torrejón City – 1962 (Hawkeye)

Zorro the Avenger – 1962 (soldiers)

Gunfight at Red Sands – 1963 (barber)

Gunfighters of Casa Grande – 1963 (Vasco)

Heroes of the West – 1963 (doctor)

The Implacable Three – 1963 (postmaster)

Relevo para un pistolero – 1963 (hotel desk clerk)

Shoot to Kill – 1963 (Pedro)

Cavalry Charge – 1964 (settler)

Gunmen of the Rio Grande – 1964 (Mexican peon)

In a Colt’s Shadow – 1965 (doctor)

7 Guns for the Mac Gregors – 1965 (barman)

Clint the Stranger – 1967 (Simpson)

Two Crosses at Danger Pass – 1967 (bartender)

Villa Rides! – 1967 (telegrapher)

Between God, the Devil and a Winchester – 1968 (Hoagie)

One by One – 1968 (Ben)

Death on High Mountain – 1969 (saloon waiter)

Garringo – 1969 (Potter)

A Talent for Loving – 1969 (Molina soldier)

Cut-Throats Nine – 1970 (Buddy)

Sabata the Killer – 1970 (telegrapher)

Spaghetti Western – 1974 (Sam)