.Westerns...All'Italiana!

Friday, October 9, 2026

Spaghetti Western Trivia ~ Off screen affair

During the making of the 1971 film “Su le mani, cadavere! Sei in arresto” Raise Your Hands, Dead Man,You're Under Arrest” starring actor Espartaco Santoni and Mary Zan (Maria Zanandrea) a brief relationship while making this movie.

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Gerd Ehlers

[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.]

Gerd Ehlers was a German actor known for his work in East German cinema and television productions during the era of the German Democratic Republic.

Born on May 21, 1924, in Reinfeld, Germany, Ehlers built a career primarily with DEFA, the state-owned film studio of the GDR, appearing in supporting and character roles across feature films and television projects from the 1950s through the 1980s. His filmography includes notable appearances in “Karbid und Sauerampfer” (1963), “Das grüne Ungeheuer” (1962), “Nackt unter Wölfen” (1963), and later works such as “Die Geschichte vom goldenen Taler” (1985). He was active in both cinema and television series, contributing to the distinctive style of East German dramatic and historical productions.

Ehlers passed away on June 27, 1988, in East Berlin, East Germany at the age of 64.

Gerd Ehlers appeared in one Euro-western, “Ulzana” as Howard in 1973.

EHLERS, Gerd (aka Gerd Ehler) (Gerd Szczerbicki) [5/21/1924, Reinfeld, Schleswig-Holstein Germany – 6/27/1988, East Berlin, Berlin, East Germany] – film, TV, voice actor.,

Ulzana – 1973 (Howard)

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Otto Lins Morstadt

Otto Lins-Morstadt'' iwas a German silent film director, actor, and screenwriter known for his contributions to German cinema during the late 1910s and early 1920s. Born on 28 May 1889 in Iserlohn, Germany, Lins-Morstadt was active primarily in the silent film era before transitioning to work as an author after his filmmaking career ended.

He entered the film industry in 1916 with an acting role in John Rool and made his directorial debut the following year with “Totenkopfreiter”, in which he also acted and wrote the screenplay.

Frequently taking on multiple roles in his productions, he directed, wrote, and appeared in films such as “Das Mysterium des Kleinods” (1918), “Um hunderttausend Mark” (1919), and “Die Geier der Goldgruben” (1921).

He was married to actresses including Magda Elgen (Editha Camphausen) and Ethel Schwimmer. Lins-Morstadt died on 15 September 1962 in Asunción, Paraguay at the age of 73.

Otto Lins Morstadt directed one silent Euro-western, “Die Geier der Goldgruben” in 1920.

LINS-MORSTADT, Otto (Rudolf Wilhelm Otto Adolf Theo Lins-Morstadt) [5/28/1889, Iserlohn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany – 9/15/1962, Asunción, Paraguay] – director, writer, author, actor, married to actress Ethel Schwimmer (1914-1915), Magda Elgen (Johanna Edith Camphausen) [1890-1945] (1916-1922), married to producer Charlotte Lentz (Charlotte Recke) [1895–1974] (1927-19??) father of painter Juan Joaquin Lins-Morstadt [1929-2015], founded Mercedes Film GmbH (1917-1927).

Die Geier der Goldgruben – 1920

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Don Vicente Escrivá

Vicente Escrivá Soriano was a Spanish film director, producer, and screenwriter known for his prolific and versatile career in Spanish cinema and television, spanning more than fifty years from the late 1940s to the 1990s.

Born on 1 June 1913 in Valencia, he transitioned from literary pursuits, including a National Literature Prize in 1947 for his biographical work on Miguel de Cervantes, to becoming a key figure in post-Civil War Spanish film production.

Escrivá began his film career as a screenwriter in the late 1940s, contributing to notable productions such as “La mies es mucha” and collaborating with directors like José Luis Sáenz de Heredia and Juan de Orduña. In 1950, he co-founded Aspa Films, initially focusing on religious and Christian-themed cinema supported by official and ecclesiastical institutions, producing titles such as “Balarrasa” and “La señora de Fátima”. He made his directorial debut with “El hombre de la isla” in 1959 and subsequently helmed a wide range of films, from the critically recognized “Dulcinea” (1962) to popular comedies, singer vehicles starring Raphael like “El golfo” and “El ángel”, and the erotic “destape” films characteristic of 1970s Spanish cinema, such as “La lozana andaluza” and “Zorrita Martínez”.

In his later years, Escrivá shifted toward television, where he directed highly popular sitcoms including ‘Lleno, por favor’, ‘Este es mi barrio’, and ‘Manos a la obra’, as well as the historical miniseries ‘Réquiem por Granada’. His adaptable approach across genres and media, from politically aligned early works to commercial successes during Spain's democratic transition, marked him as one of the most enduring professionals in Spanish audiovisual history.

Vicente Escrivá died on April 18, 1999, at the age of 85 in his home in Madrid, Spain.

Vicente Escrivá co-wrote the screenplay for one Spaghetti western, “Amore, piombo e furore” (China 9, Liberty 37) with Ennio De Concini, Jerry Harvey and Douglas Venturelli in 1978. Escriva was also a writer and producer of the semi-western “Vente a ligar al Oeste” in 1972 and a production manager on the 1990-1993 television series “The New Zorro” starring Duncan Regehr.

ESCRIVA, Don Vicente (aka Vicente Escriba, Vicente Escriva, Don Vicente Escrivá, Antonio Vies) (Vicente Escrivá Soriano) [6/1/1913, Valencia, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain – 4/18/1999, Madrid, Madrid, Spain] – producer, production manager, director, writer, songwriter, married to producer Teresa Almirón (19??-19??)., founded Aspa Films [1950].

Vente a ligar al Oeste – 1972 [producer, writer]

China 9, Liberty 37 – 1978 (co)

Zorro (TV) – 1990-1993 [production manager]

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Aldo Ricci

Italian Aldo Ricci worked in several capacities in the world of film, He was a producer on five films from 1966 to 1988, a cameraman on eleven films between 1957 and 1972 but was known as a cinematographer on a dozen films between 1965 and 1992. He even appeared on screen in two roles one being in “For a Few Dollars More” in 1965 in an uncredited role.

I can find no biographical information on him.

Aldo Ricci was a cinematographer on three Spaghetti westerns: “I morti non si contano” (Dead Men Don’t Count) with Franco Delli Colli in 1968, “Garringo” in 1969 and “Arriva Sabata!” (Sabata the Killer) in 1970.

RICCI, Aldo [Italian] – producer, cinematographer, cameraman.

For a Few Dollars More – 1965 [actor, cameraman]

Almeria Western Film Festival 2026 2nd day

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 IN Tabernas

10:00 a.m. / Theater / Screening

of Canal Sur Radio and Television Section of Andalusian short films

‘Marcados', by Roberto Navarro (Granada, 10', 2025).

'Las damas del Valdés', by Enrique García (Málaga, 17', 2025).

'The Written Hour', by Coke Arijo (Málaga, 12', 2025).

'The Six Points', by Miguel Nájera (Seville, 14', 2025).

11:30 a.m. / Theater / Screening

Official Section: 'West Another Time' +Info

(Eriko Rassi / Brazil / 2025 / 97' / +14, VOSE).

European theatrical release.

5:00 p.m. / Theater / Screening

of Found Treasures Section / Inclusive Western: 'Soul of the Desert' +Info

(Mónica Taboada Tapia / Colombia-Brazil / 2024 / 87' / NR, VOSE).

9:00 p.m. / Theatre / Screening

Panorama Section: 'The Last Cowboy in Hollywood' +Info

(Jordi Nadal Perelló / Spain / 2026 / 20' / NR, VOSE).

With the presence of the director.

9:30 p.m. / Theater / Screening

Official Section: 'East of Wall' +Info

(Kate Beecroft / USA / 2025 / 97' / +12, VOSE).

National premiere in cinemas. With the presence of the leading actresses.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 AT MINIHOLLYWOOD OASYS

1:00 p.m. / Melmonts Museum / Round table

'Talent behind the scenes: the construction of a shooting', by the Andalucía Film Commission and the TESA association of Almeria.

3:00 p.m. / Melmonts Museum / Presentation and book signing

Literary Western: 'Riding towards adventure Vol II', with its author José Enrique Martínez Moya.

4:00 p.m. / Melmonts Museum / Presentation and book signing

Literary Western: 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly', with its authors Carlos Aguilar and Anita Haas.

4:00 p.m. / Set of 'The Crown' / Workshop

western con smartphone', by Nicolás Fernández and David Oliver.

Prior registration.

5:00 p.m. / Square / Western Show

5:30 p.m. / Saloon / Puppet theater and cinema +info'

New Ennio Morricone Doc to Delve Into Legendary Composer’s Concert Activity

The project is based on the perspective of his manager Luigi Caiola, who produced over 250 Morricone concerts all over the world

Variety

By Nick Vivarelli

March 9, 2026

Oscar-winning composer Ennio Morricone will get the big-screen treatment in a new documentary titled “I Never Wrote Music for Films — We All Love Ennio Morricone.”

The project is based on the perspective of his manager Luigi Caiola, who produced over 250 Morricone concerts all over the world.

“I Never Wrote Music for Films” follows director Giuseppe Tornatore’s widely sold Morricone doc “Ennio” that launched from Venice in 2021.

The new Morricone doc is being produced by Milan-based Marie Mariad Cinema and Chinese multihyphenate Yi Zhou along with Caiola, who managed the maestro from 1997 to 2015, producing his global concert tours as well as the Grammy-winning tribute album “We All Love Ennio Morricone.”

Zhou, who produced and co-directed the doc “Chronicles of Disney,” on Monday announced the new Morricone doc, which she is boarding through her companies Into the Sun Films and Colors of the Sun Ventures.

Morricone, who died in 2020 at age 91, was one of the most prolific and admired composers in film history. Starting in 1946, he composed over 500 scores for film and television, as well as over 100 pieces of music for orchestral performance. At least a dozen of his scores became classics, from the so-called spaghetti Westerns of the 1960s including Sergio Leone’s “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and “Once Upon a Time in the West,” to the Cannes Palm d’Or-winning Roland Joffe film “The Mission” and “Cinema Paradiso” of the 1980s.

Voices of the Spaghetti wester “Boot Hill”

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 “Boot Hill”

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

Cat Stevens – Terence Hill (I) Sergio Graziani, (S) Rogelio Hernández, (G) Ernst Meincke

Arch Hutch Bessy – Bud Spencer (I) Glauco Onorato, (S) Felipe Peña (G) Ulrich Voß

Thomas - Woody Strode (I) Luciano De Ambrosis, (S) José Luis Sansalvador, (G) Helmut Müller-Lankow

Honey Fisher – Victor Buono (I) Carlo Romano, (S) Joaquín Díaz, (G) Roland Knappe

Mamy- Lionel Stander (I) Roberto Bertea, (S) José María Angelat, (G) Karl-Maria Steffens

Judge Boone – Eduardo Cianenelli (I) Lauro Gazzolo, (S) Luis Posada Mendoza, (G) Werner Dissel

Ernst Meincke (1942 - )

Ernst Meincke was born on January 5, 1942 in Valtice, Czechoslovakia and is a German actor and voice actor. From 1962 to 1965, Ernst Meincke studied acting at the University of Film and Television in Potsdam-Babelsberg. While still a student at film school, he received his first two leading roles in the DFF television productions “Bitter ist der Haß” (1964) and “Die Heinitzer” (1965). At this time, he also began to work as a dubbing, radio play and documentary speaker. From 1969 to 1972 he had a permanent engagement at the Kleist Theatre in Frankfurt (Oder). Since then, he has been working as a freelancer. In the 1981 episode ‘Der kleine Doctor’, he played the pathologist Rudolf Virchow in the medical series ‘Famous Doctors of the Charité’. From 2005 to 2011, he took on the continuous role of forensic scientist Dr. Schiller-Bregentz alongside Iris Berben in the ZDF crime series ‘Rosa Roth’.

In addition, Ernst Meincke acted as "Station Voice" of the radio news program ‘hr-info’. In the radio play series ‘Gabriel Burns’, he has voiced the character of Bakerman since 2003. This character also made a crossover appearance in the radio play series ‘Point Whitmark’. Later, Ernst Meincke was also heard in this series in various other supporting roles. In 2005, he worked as a narrator on the Schiller series ‘Tag und Nacht’. From 2007 to 2009, he was the German dubbing voice of the devil, played by Ray Wise, in the US television series ‘Reaper’.