From the WAI! vault

 

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actor ~ Maily Doria

[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.]

Mathily ‘Maily’ Doria is/was an Italian model and supporting actress. She was born on July 16, in the late 1940s or early 1950s. She appeared in five films between 1971 and 1985.

I can find no biographical information on her.

Maily Doria appeared in three Spaghetti westerns: “Il 13 e’sempre Giuda” (The Last Traitor) as Emilia and “Lo sceriffo di Rockspring” (The Sheriff of Rock Spring) as Pearl Reese both in 1971 and “Allegri becchini... arriva Trinità” (They Called Him... Trinity: Himself – His Colt – His Revenge) as Adelita in 1972.

DORIA, Maily (aka May Doria) (Mathily Doria) [7/16/19?? – Italy -     ] – model, film actress.

The Last Traitor – 1971 (Emilia)

The Sheriff of Rock Springs – 1971 (Pearl Reese) [as May Doria]

They Called Him... Trinity: Himself – His Colt – His Revenge – 1972 (Adelita]

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Richard Groschopp

Richard Groschopp was a German film director and screenwriter known for his prolific career spanning the Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany, and the German Democratic Republic, during which he directed more than sixty films between 1932 and 1971. His work encompassed short documentaries, satirical pieces, crime stories, spy thrillers, and adventure films, with a significant impact on East German cinema through his contributions to the DEFA studio.

Beginning his career in the early 1930s with short films under the Weimar Republic, Groschopp continued directing during the Nazi era and, after World War II, became a key figure at DEFA, where he produced over fifty short films between 1953 and 1958 before focusing on feature-length productions in various genres, including popular Western-inspired "Indianerfilme." He is particularly remembered for titles such as “Chingachgook, the Great Snake” (1967), “The Baldheaded Gang”, and “Ware für Katalonien”.

Born on February 19, 1906, in Kölleda, Thuringia, Groschopp lived through major political shifts in German history and retired in the early 1970s, passing away on July 8, 1996, in Kleinmachnow near Berlin. His body of work reflects both the constraints and opportunities of filmmaking across three distinct German regimes.

As mentioned above Richard Groschopp directed one Euro-western, “Chingachgook, die große Schlange” (Chingachgook, the Great Snake) in 1967

GROSCHOPP, Richard (Richard Robert Louis Groschopp) [2/19/1906, Kölleda, Thuringia, Germany – 7/8/1996, Kleinmachnow, Brandenburg, Germany] – producer, director, writer, cinematographer, film editor, married to Gertrude Ihle [19??-1962] (1929-1962) father of Renate Groschopp [1932-    ] Regine Groschopp [1943-    ], married to author Ursula Madrasch [1916-2004] (1965-1996).

Chingachgook, the Great Snake – 1967

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Sergio Corbucci

Sergio Corbucci was an Italian film director renowned for his influential work in the Spaghetti western genre, characterized by graphic violence, fast-paced action, and social-political undertones. Born in Rome on December 6, 1926, he began his career as a film critic before transitioning to assistant directing under notable filmmakers such as Roberto Rossellini, eventually making his directorial debut in the early 1950s with low-budget dramas, followed by peplum films in the late 1950s.

Corbucci's breakthrough came in the mid-1960s amid the boom in Italian westerns, where he emerged as a key rival to Sergio Leone, directing over a dozen films in the genre that emphasized bleak, snow-swept landscapes, anti-heroes, and critiques of capitalism and authority. His most acclaimed works include “Django” (1966), starring Franco Nero as a drifter towing a coffin in a tale of revenge and betrayal; “The Mercenary” (1968), a politically charged adventure set during the Mexican Revolution; and “The Great Silence” (1968), a stark, revisionist western featuring Jean-Louis Trintignant as a mute gunslinger confronting bounty hunters in the snowy Utah mountains. These films, often scripted by Corbucci himself or in collaboration with writers like Massimo De Rita, blended operatic drama with dark humor and were shot economically in Spain and Italy, contributing to the genre's global popularity despite initial critical dismissal.

Beyond westerns, Corbucci's prolific output spanned more than 60 films, including early sword-and-sandal epics like “The Sign of the Gladiator” (1959) and later comedies such as “Di che segno sei?” (1975), reflecting his versatility amid Italy's post-war cinema landscape. He frequently used pseudonyms like Stanley Corbett for international releases and collaborated with composers like Ennio Morricone on select projects, though his style diverged toward more visceral, less mythic storytelling than Leone's. Corbucci died of a heart attack in Rome at age 63 on December 1, 1990, leaving a legacy that has inspired modern filmmakers, including Quentin Tarantino, who has cited Django as a pivotal influence on his own works like Django Unchained (2012).

Sergio wrote screenplays for ten Spaghetti westerns: “Massacro al grande Canyon” (Massacre at Grande Canyon) with Albert Band and Edward C. Geltman in 1963, “Minnesota Clay” with Adriano Bolzoni and José Gutiérrez Maesso in 1964, “Django” with Bruno Corbucci, Franco Rossetti, José G. Maesso and Piero Vivarelli in 1965, “Il grande silenzio” (The Great Silence) with Vittoriano Petrilli, Mario Amendola and Bruno Corbucci in 1967, “Gli specialist” (Drop Them or I’ll Shoot) with Sabatino Ciuffini and “Il mercenario” (The Mercenary)with Adriano Bolzoni, Sergio Spina and Luciano Vincenzoni in 1968, “Vamos a matar, companeros!” (Companeros!) with Massimo De Rita, Fritz Ebert and Dino Maiuri in 1970, “Che c’enteriamo noi con la rivoluzione?” (What Am I Doing in the Middle of the Revolution?) with Sabatino Ciuffini and Massimo Franciosa in 1971, “J. and S. – storia criminale del far west” (Sonny & Jed) with Sabatino Ciuffini, Mario Amendola, Adriano Bolzoni and José María Forquéin in 1972 and “Il bianco, il giallo, il nero” (The White, the Yellow and the Black) with Mario Amendola, Renee Asseo, Luis G. de Blain and Santiago Moncadain in 1974.

CORBUCCI, Sergio (aka Stanley Corbett, Corbucci, Enzo Corbucci, S. Corbucci, Gordon Wilson Jr.) [12/6/1926, Rome, Lazio, Italy – 12/1/1990, Rome, Lazio, Italy (heart attack)] – producer, director, assistant director, writer, actor, brother of director, writer, composer Bruno Corbucci [1931-1996], married to Mirta Guarnaschelli (19??-19??), married to Nori Bonicelli [1929-2021 (19??-1990).

Massacre at Grande Canyon – 1963 (co) [as Stanley Corbett]

Minnesota Clay – 1964 (co)

Django – 1965 (co)

The Great Silence – 1967 (co)

Drop Them or I’ll Shoot – 1968 (co)

The Mercenary – 1968 (co)

Companeros! - 1970 (co)

What Am I Doing in the Middle of the Revolution? – 1971 (co)

Sonny & Jed – 1972 (co)

The White, the Yellow and the Black – 1974 (co)

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Karl Löb

Karl Löb is an Austrian cinematographer known for his prolific career in German-language cinema, where he served as director of photography on more than ninety films from the 1930s to the 1970s.

Born on March 15, 1910, in Teplitz-Schönau, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary, Löb began his career in the early 1930s as a camera assistant on Austrian and German productions before advancing to principal cinematographer by the mid-1930s. After World War II, he became one of the most continuously employed cinematographers in West German cinema, contributing to a diverse range of popular genre films including Edgar Wallace crime thrillers, Dr. Mabuse series entries, Karl May westerns, and various comedies and musicals. His notable works include “The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse”, “Unter Geiern”, “Der Hexer”, and “Die Herren mit der weißen Weste”. Löb remained active until the mid-1970s and died on January 20, 1983, in West Berlin.

He was a cinematographer on over ninety films and television series between 1931 and 1974. He was also a cameraman on fifteen films between 1933 and 1970.

Karl Löb was a cinematographer on four Euro-westerns: “Der letzte Ritt nach Santa Cruz” (The Last Ride to Santa Cruz” in 1963, “Unter Geiern” (Frontier Hellcat) in 1964, “Old Surehand - I. Teil” (Flaming Frontier) in 1965 and “Winnetou und sein Freund Old Firehand” (Thunder at the Border) in 1966.

LOB, Karl (aka Karl Loeb) (Karl Löb) [3/15/1910, Teplitz-Schönau, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary – 1/20/1983, West Berlin, Berlin, West Germany] – cinematographer, cameraman.

The Last Ride to Santa Cruz - 1963

Frontier Hellcat – 1964

Flaming Frontier – 1965

Thunder at the Border – 1966

Spaghetti Western Locations for “Companeros”.

We continue our hunt for filming locations for “Companeros”. After El Vasco and his men catch Yodlaf who they call The Penguin in bed with Lola who is trying to throw them off as they are looking to find out where the young students had come from. Since there is only one room in the cantina/hotel they had to have come from the room occupied by Lola and Yodlaf. The Penguin is taken away by El Vasco’s men and prepared by execution for helping the opposition.

Yodlaf is buried in the ground with only his head exposed. The followers of El Vasco prepare to ride their horses over The Penguin and crush his head like a melon. 

This scene was filmed on the outskirts of El Argamasón, Carboneras, Spain.

For a more detailed view of this site and other Spaghetti Western locations please visit my friend Yoshi Yasuda’s location site: http://y-yasuda.net/film-location.htm and Captain Douglas Film Locations http://www.western-locations-spain.com/

Special Birthdays

Pietro Tordi (actor) would have been 120 today but died in 1990.

Tiberio Mitri (actor) would have been 100 today but died in 2001.

Sian Barbara Allen (actress) would have been 80 today but died in 2025.

RIP Kay Fischer

 

Czechoslovakian born German actress died in Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, Spain on August 4, 2025. She was 91. Born Kai Anne Inge Fischer in Prague Czechoslovakia on March 18, 1934. After World War II Kai's family moved to Munich, where she completed her enrollment and took her first job as a stenographer, from where she became a model and mannequin. Although Kai had no real dramatic training, she made her debut on stage in the cabaret in Walter Novak's “Schwabinger Brettl”. In the mid-50s, she began to play on the screen. The hot-blooded redhead quickly became known as seductresses, ladies with easy virtue, hard-boiled customs officers or gangster molls (like her Bettina in “Das Wirtshaus im Spessart” (1958)). She occasionally appeared in international productions. Kai appeared in 91 films between 1955 and 1999. In 1970, she released an album of "cheeky songs" under the title Kai Fidelity. In 1984 she ran several photo shops in Munich and also wrote crime novels under various pseudonyms. Kai retired to Spain’s Canary Islands and there she died off the radar. Fischer appeared in one Spaghetti western, “Bullets Don’t Argue” in 1964 as Elena/Helen the cantina singer with Rod Cameron. She was also to appear in the 1970 Spaghetti “A Rope for Django” which was to star Mark Damon, but the film was never made.

From the WAI! vault