Monday, June 15, 2026

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Franca Dolbeck

[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.]

Franca Dolbeck appeared in only two films. One was in 1961 and the other her only Spaghetti western, “Uccidi o muori” (Kill or be Killed) in 1966.

I can find no biographical information on her.

DOLBECK, Franca – film actress.

Kill or be Killed – 1966

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Niksa Fulgosi

Niksa Fulgosi was a film and TV director and screenwriter who was born in Split, Croatia, Yugoslavia on March 25, 1919. Niksa studied law at the University of Zagreb. Before World War II he was a sport. journalist and an associate of several Zagreb and Belgrade newspapers and magazines. After the liberation, the director of two economic institutions; since 1948 he was a member of the National Assembly of Radio-Zagreb, since 1951 he began writing screenplays and comics. He directed numerous commissioned films for Zagreb Film and Zora Film in the period between 1957 and 1963 de directed and wrote screenplays for 22 films. His films, show a sense for clear and economical presentation of content and, especially, for very dynamic editing (he edited many films himself); among the most successful are “Dangerous Games” and “Beware of Glasses” (1963). In 1955, she directed the film “Mala Jole”, a comedy about maritime life, about the first female cadets in the navy, based on his own screenplay; Work on the film was suspended before the end of filming (the partially completed version is not known to the general public). Since 1961, he was an assistant director on 4 plays and films, and then devoted himself (since 1970 exclusively) to work on television such as ‘Feuilleton’. Fulgosi died in Zagreb, Croatia on September 30, 1996, at the age of 77.

Niksa Fulgosi co-directed one Spaghetti western, “La spina dorsale del diavolo” (The Deserter) with Burt Kennedy in 1971.

FULGOSI, Niksa (aka Niksa Fulgozi) [3/25/1919, Split, Croatia, Yugoslavia – 9/30/1996, Zagreb, Croatia] – director, assistant director, writer.

The Deserter – 1971 (co)


Spaghetti Western Screenplay ~ Robert Cheetham

Robert Cheetham Houghton was a South African writer and actor born in February of 1924. He’s best remembered for his role as Ken in 1966 film “Born Free”, the story of George and Joy Adamson and the orphaned lion cub, Elsa, they adopt. He also wrote teleplays for the 1990 TV series ‘Bushmaster’. Cheetham has passed away but no specific information on him can be found.

Robert Cheetham co-wrote the screenplay for one Euro-western, “Barrett” with Denver Morgan, Harriett Meier in 1989.

CHEETHAM, Robert (Robert Cheetham Houghton) [2/?/1924, South Africa – deceased] – writer, actor, co-founded Dynamotion scriptwriting company.

Barrett – 1989 (co)

 

Spaghetti Western Animator ~ Vladimir Jutrisa

Vladimir Jutrisa was a Croatian director, animator and writer. Born in Zabreb on November 26, 1923 he directed fourteen films between 1960 and 1983 and wrote the screenplay for the 1972 film short “Ecce Homo”. Most of his film work was an animator where he was involved in thirty-five films between 1954 and 1980. His rare skill in moving figures, especially stylized animals, brought him a worldwide reputation. One of the champions of the Zagreb School of Animated Film, he was also considered one of the best animators of the world of cartoons. He received multiple awards for his work.

Vladimir Jutrisa was an animator on one Euro-western, “Cowboy Jimmy” with Berislav Fabek, Leo Fabiani, Vjekoslav Kostanjsek, Josip Peciknk and Vjekoslav Radilovic in 1957.

JUTRISA, Vladimir [11/26/1923, Zagreb, Yugoslavia – 1/16/1984, Zagreb, Croatia, Yugoslavia] – director, writer, animator.

Cowboy Jimmy – 1957 (co)

Spaghetti Western locations Then & Now “The Man Called Noon”

Here’s a 1973 shot of the hidden cabin that Rubal Noon/Jonas Mandin and J.B. Rimes make their stand against Judge Niland and Peg Cullane. It’s located in Manzanares el Real, Spain.

Here’s the same location as seen in 2021.



European Westerns ~ Collana Excelsior (Corral Kid)

 








Corral Kid

This comic book series is a A reprint series featuring Western comics originally published by Editrice Fumetti, Ariete (Albi Ariete Grandi Avventure, 1955), Astra (Collana Jolly, 1959), and De Leo. Starting in March, it switched to a pocket-sized format and was released under the title “Super Girls Vignette in minigonna” (issues 1–8; March–October 1967).

The comic book series was published in 1966 to 1967 with issue #1 release in February 1966 and ended in February 1967 with issue # 11. The publisher was DNP in Milan, Italy under the direction of Carla Castelli. Each issue contained 112 black & white pages with color covers.

 

Titles

01 (00.02.66) - “Texas” (Texas)

02 (00.03.66) - “La notte maledetta” (The Cursed Night)

03 (00.04.66) - "Pistoleros" (Pistoleros)

04 (00.05.66) - "I maledetti" (The Damned)

05 (00.06.66) - "L'ultima rapina" (The Last Heist)

06 (00.07.66) - “La legge della pistola” (The Law of the Gun)

07 (00.08.66) - “Uccideteli tutti” (Kill Them All)

08 (00.10.66) - "Il cavaliere della prateria" (The Knight of the Prairie)

09 (00.11.66) - “La vendetta del meticcio” (The Half-Breed’s Revenge)

10 (00.12.66) - “Corral Kid - Avventure del West” (Corral Kid - Adventures of the West)

11 (00.02.67) - “Corral Kid” (Corral Kid)

Special Birthdays

Amerigo Anton (director, writer) would have been 115 today but died in 1982.







Mick Dillon (actor) would have been 100 today but died in 2006.







Jesús Guzmán (actor) would have been 100 today but died in 2023.







Ingrid Van Bergen (actress) is 95 today.  



Sunday, June 14, 2026

From the WAI! vault

 



Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Antonella Dogan

[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.]

Antonella Dogan is an Italian model and film actress born in Foggia, Apulia, Italy in 1946. She appeared in nine films from 1970 to 1978. Among those were two Spaghetti westerns “Black Killer” as Maureen in 1971 and “Campa carogna… la taglia cresce” (Those Dirty Dogs) as Manuela in 1973.

DOGAN, Antonella (aka Mirella Donan) [1946, Foggia, Apulia, Italy -     ] – film actress.

Black Killer – 1971 (Maureen)

Those Dirty Dogs - 1973 (Manuela) [as Mirella Dogan]