.Westerns...All'Italiana!

Saturday, November 7, 2026

From the WAI! vault

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ John Ely

[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.]

John Ely was an alias used by Italian actor Giangiacomo Elia. He appeared in eight films between 1971 and 1975 such as “Slaughter Hotel” (1971), “Lady Dynamite” (1973) and “The Return of the Exorcist” (1975). Either he felt he wasn’t getting better roles or decided to try something else to make a living he suddenly left the film industry and his trail ends.

John Ely appeared in two Spaghetti westerns: “Prega il morto e ammazza il vio” (Shoot the Living and Pray for the Dead) as Dick in 1970 and “Il 13 e’sempre Giuda” (The Last Traitor) as Cayuse in 1971.

ELY, John (aka Gian Giacomo Elia) (Giangiacomo Elia) [Italian] – film actor.

Shoot the Living and Pray for the Dead - 1970 (Dick)

The Last Traitor - 1971 (Cayuse)

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Sobey Martin

Sobey Martin was an American television director known for his prolific work on science fiction and adventure series during the 1950s and 1960s. Born in Leipzig, Germany on June 27, 1909, he directed numerous episodes of popular shows produced by Irwin Allen, including '’Lost in Space', 'The Time Tunnel', 'Land of the Giants', and 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'. His credits also extend to western television programs such as 'Rawhide' and 'The Cisco Kid', as well as the feature film 'In the Wild West'.

Martin's directing career focused primarily on episodic television, where he contributed to several high-profile genre series that defined 1960s American broadcast entertainment. His work often involved fast-paced storytelling and special effects-heavy production typical of the era's sci-fi programming.

He also served as an assistant director earlier in his career, gaining experience that informed his later directing roles across various genres.

Sobey Martin died in Los Angeles, California on July 27, 1978 at the age of 69.

Sobey Martin directed one Spaghetti western, “Freddy im wilden Westen” (The Sheriff was a Lady) in 1964

MARTIN, Sobey [6/27/1909, Leipzig, Danzig, Germany – 7/27/1978, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.] – director, assistant director.

The Sheriff was a Lady – 1964

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Odoardo Fiory

Odoardo Fiory was an Italian director, assistant director, writer and actor. Born in Rome on January 4, 1919, he directed two, films in 1954 and 1965, was an assistant director on thirteen films and TV series between 1952 and 1972 such as “Caltiki, the Immortal Monster” (1959), “The White Warrior” (1959) and “Hercules and the Captive Women” (1961), but most of his career was spent as a screenwriter on sixteen films beginning in 1963 and ending in 1980.

Fiory graduated in general medicine and surgery before being hired as an assistant on Francesco De Robertis' film “Alfa Tau” in 1942. After a period as a film war correspondent in North Africa, he began to produce documentaries and worked as an assistant director for early television productions as well as for the cinema from 1953 onwards. From 1963 onwards, he also wrote several screenplays for genre goods. In 1964 he directed his own film and was otherwise responsible for some works as director of the second staff.

Odoardo Fiory wrote and co-wrote three Spaghetti westerns: “Un hombre viene a matar” (Rattler Kid) with Luigi Mondello in 1967, “La salvaje venganza del Gringo” (One by One) with Eduardo M. Brochero, Marino Girolami and Tito Carpi and “…e intorno a lui fu morte” (Tierra Brava) with Eduardo Manzanos Brochero both in 1968.

FIORY, Odoardo (aka Odoardo Fiori, Edoardo Fiory) [1/4/1919, Rome, Lazio, Italy – deceased, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – director, assistant director, writer, actor, married to ? father of three children.

Rattler Kid – 1967 (co)

One by One – 1968 (co)

Tierra Brava - 1968 (co)

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Roberto Scarpa

Roberto Scarpa is/was an Italian cameraman, cinematographer and SFX expert. He was a cameraman on one film in 1964, worked on Special Effects on two films between 1965 and 1969 and was cinematographer on three films between 1964 and 1966. That was the extent of his career and what happened to him is unknown.

Roberto Scarpa was a co-cinematographer on one animated Spaghetti western, “West and Soda” with Luciano Marzetti in 1964

SCARPA, Roberto [Italian] – cinematographer, cameraman, SFX.

West and Soda – 1964 (co)

Western Flair & Italian Fare: Spaghetti Western Restaurant Coming To Old Town Newhall (California)

KHTS

by: Jade Aubuchon

October 21, 2026

After nearly three years in the making, Spaghetti Western Restaurant & Bar is preparing to open in Old Town Newhall, bringing pizza, pasta and a full bar to Newhall Crossing.

The Spaghetti Western concept combines familiar Italian dishes with a playful atmosphere inspired by the intersection of Italian cinema and Santa Clarita’s film history.

The restaurant, planned for 22520 Lyons Avenue next to the Laemmle Theatre, is the latest venture from married restaurateurs AJ Gilbert and Martha Madison.

Despite its name, Spaghetti Western is not a Western-themed restaurant. Instead, the name reflects the Italian-made Western films that helped popularize the genre, including Sergio Leone’s Clint Eastwood-led “A Fistful of Dollars” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” as well as Sergio Corbucci’s “Django.”

Design plans call for movie posters, local production imagery and projected films to reflect the region’s filmmaking roots.

“It’s not a Western restaurant. It’s an Italian restaurant,” Gilbert said while discussing the concept.

The menu is expected to feature pizza, pasta, salads and grilled meats, along with dishes such as steak Florentine, pollo al mattone and local seafood. The owners plan to emphasize fresh ingredients and familiar flavors without limiting the restaurant to a single region of Italy.

The goal, Gilbert and Madison said, is to create a place that feels welcoming rather than formal, with options for a range of occasions, from family dinners and birthday celebrations to date nights and casual evenings out.

“Overall, it’s about fun, it’s about accessibility, and not being too stuffy or pretentious,” Madison said.

That approach will extend beyond the main menu. The owners have discussed a customizable gelato sundae with Italian cookies, chocolates and syrups, as well as a cocktail program that balances sophisticated drinks with more playful creations.

Plans call for dinner service six nights a week, with Mondays off, like many other restaurants on Main Street, alongside Saturday and Sunday brunch. Takeout and catering options are also planned.

The restaurant’s intimate setting will support indoor and outdoor seating and can accommodate larger parties of 24 or more, according to Gilbert.

For Gilbert and Madison, Spaghetti Western represents a return to restaurant ownership and an opportunity to build something in the community they now call home.

The pair moved to the Santa Clarita Valley in 2021 after years in the restaurant industry. Gilbert began managing restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area in the early 1990s, and eventually founded the Luna Park Restaurant Group, while Madison began her restaurant career as a bartender in New York City while attending the American Musical and Dramatic Academy.

Madison has also worked in hospitality recruitment, including as a director of recruitment for One-Haus Hospitality, bringing experience in staffing, hiring and restaurant operations to the new venture.

The couple met in 2003 during the opening of Luna Park’s Los Angeles location and married in 2007. They ran the Luna Park Restaurant Group together until selling the business in 2016.

Their new venture also reflects a connection between the region’s entertainment industry and the Italian films that inspired the restaurant’s name.

Santa Clarita has long been associated with film and television production, but Gilbert said he wanted the restaurant to recognize not only the actors and directors associated with the industry, but also the workers behind the scenes.

“This is a below-the-line town, and so we want to honor the people who built here, live here,” Gilbert said, referring to the production professionals who help bring films and television shows to life.

Voices of the Spaghetti Western –“The Forgotten Pistolero”

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.

Today we’ll cover “The Forgotten Pistolero”

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

Sebastian Carrasco – Leonard Mann (I) Pino Colizzi, (S) Juan Miguel Cuesta, (G) Joachim Ansorge, (F) Roland Giraud

Anna Carrasco - Luciana Paluzzi (I) Rita Savagnone, (S) Mercedes Mireya, (G) Eva Katharina Schultz, (F) Catherine Dagand

Rafael Garcia – Peter Martell (I) Pino Locchi, (S) Juan Logar, (G) Michael Chevalier, (F) Denis Savignat

Tomas - Alberto de Mendoza (I) Sergio Graziani, (S) Claudio Rodríguez, (G) Heinz Petruo, (F) Gabriel Cattand

Isabella Carrasco - Pilar Velazquez (I) Micaela Esdra, (S) Josefina De Luna, (G) Traudel Haas, (F) Martine Sarcey

General Juan Carrasco - José Suárez (I) Luigi Vannucchi, (S) José Suárez, (G) Friedrich Schoenfelder, (F) Henri Poirier)

Francisco - Piero Lulli (I) Renato Turi, (S) Teofilo Martinez, (G) Martin Hirthe, (F) Georges Atlas

Juanito - Luciano Rossi (I) Ferruccio Amendola, (S) Fernando Mateo, (G) Jürgen Thormann (F) Claude Mercutio)

Joachim Ansorge (1939 – 1980)

Joachim Ansorge was a German actor and voice actor known for his extensive work in West German television during the 1960s and 1970s, as well as his contributions to German film dubbing for international productions. Born on September 19, 1939, in Berlin, Germany, Ansorge appeared in numerous television series and movies, including notable roles in ‘John Gabriel Borkman’ (1967), ‘Eine halbe Stunde’ (1968), and episodes of ‘Der Kommissar’.

Among his notable dubbing assignments was voicing Alain Delon in the title role of the thriller "Monsieur Klein" (1976). He also dubbed Guy Michel as Heinrich III in multiple episodes of the historical miniseries ‘Heinrich, der gute König’ (1979). Other film roles included Brad Harris as Don Fernando Hidalgo in the comedy "Zwei tolle Käfer räumen auf" (1979) and Franco Pastorino as Eugenio in "Arme Leute - reiche Leute. He also provided dubbing voices for actors such as Rutger Hauer in several films and series, Terence Hill in ‘Flaming Frontier’, and others in prominent international titles. Ansorge's career was cut short when he died by suicide on April 1, 1980, in West Berlin at the age of 40.

Filming Locations for "Companeros"

We continue our hunt for filming locations for “Companeros”. After Vasco starts a fire to distract the soldiers one is sent to Yuma to summon the fire department and additional help from the citizens. The Swede is hiding in the shadows and watching the procedures. He joins in and commandeers one of the fire wagons.

This scene was shot in Colmenar Viejo.

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/