RIP Sanjulian

 

Spaniard Manuel Pérez-Sanjulian Clemente, known professionally as Sanjulián, passed away at 85 on October 14 in Sitges, Spain. For generations of readers, Sanjulián’s paintings helped define the look of horror and fantasy on the comic-book newsstand. His work for Warren Publishing’s Vampirella, Creepy, and Eerie brought a striking painterly sophistication to stories filled with monsters, vampires, and the macabre. His talent extended far beyond horror magazines. Sanjulián illustrated fantasy novels, including Conan the Barbarian stories, and created film-related artwork connected to major franchises such as Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings. His paintings earned admiration from filmmakers including George Lucas and Peter Jackson. Sanjulian worked in the art department on the 2016 Spaghetti western “Stop Over in Hell”.

From the WAI! vault

 

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Lilly Eisenlohr

 [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.]

Lilly Eisenlohr was born Ellinor Maritana Suess in Lodz, Poland on August 17, 1900. Her parents were the violinist Rosa Schindler-Süss and the Łódź merchant Georg Süss. She acquired German citizenship, which she renounced on October 18, 1920, in favor of Polish citizenship.

Lilly Sueß gained her acting skills at the Max Reinhardt Drama School in Berlin. Between 1923 and 1933 she performed in the theatres of Königsberg (1923/1924), Hamburg (1924/1925 and 1928/1929), Mannheim (1925/1926), Wiesbaden (1926–1928) and Berlin (1932/1933). After emigrating to the United States, she initially settled and acted on stages in New York City, later moving to Los Angeles.

On February 3, 1921, she married the German playwright, writer and publisher, Friedrich Eisenlohr, in Munich. During their stay together in Wiesbaden (1926–1928), Friedrich Friedrich's autobiographical novel Das gläserne Netz: ein Roman aus dem Anfang des XX. Jahrhunderts (1927) was published, dedicated to "Lili Ferrat Eisenlohr, Meine Frau". The nickname "Ferrat" appearing in the dedication was a reference to the surname Eisenlohr. Her marriage to Friedrich ended in 1935 after the Nuremberg Laws came into force. As a result of anti-Semitic persecution, in the same year, Lilly Eisenlohr left Europe for the United States, where she continued her acting career as Lili/Lily Valenty.

While still in Germany, she began her film career, appearing in silent films and in her first sound films. In the 1960s, she began appearing in films and television series. She starred, alongside Anna Magnani and Elvis Presley.

Eisenlohr died in Los Angeles, California on March 11, 1987, at the age of 86.

EISENLOHR, Lilly (aka Lilly Süeß-Eisenlohr, Lili Valenty, Lilly Valenty, Lili Eisenlohr Valenty) (Ellinor Maritana Sueß) [8/17/1900, Lodz, Poland – 3/11/1987, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.] – theater, film actress. sister of translator, writer Ilona Ralf Sues [1896-19??], Harry Egon Arno Suess [1905-1970] married to playwright, writer and publisher, Friedrich Eisenlohr [1889-1954] (1921-1935).

Texas Fred’s Brautfahrt – 1919

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Josef Mach

Josef Mach was a Czech film director, screenwriter, and actor known for his work in mid-20th-century Czechoslovak cinema and for directing the East German Western ''Die Söhne der großen Bärin'' (1966).

Born on February 25, 1909, in Prostějov, Mach began his career as a journalist and stage performer before entering the film industry in 1938 as an assistant director of short films at Grafo Film Studio. After World War II, he directed numerous films, including ''Nikdo nic neví'' (1947), ''Rodná zem'' (1954), ''Horká láska'' (1958), and the East German production ''Die Söhne der großen Bärin'' (1966), working across Czechoslovak studios and DEFA.

His career as a director extended through the 1970s, though he later found himself outside mainstream critical attention in Czechoslovakia.

Mach died on July 7, 1987, in Prague at the age of 78.

As mentioned above Josef Mach directed one Euro-western, “Die Söhne der großen Bärin” (The Sons of Great Bear) in 1965

MACH, Josef [2/25/1909, Prostejov, Moravia, Austria-Hungary – 7/7/1987, Prague, Czechoslovakia] – journalist, director, assistant director, writer, actor.

The Sons of Great Bear – 1965

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Hal G. Evarts

Hal G. Evarts was an American short story writer and novelist known for his prolific contributions to western fiction in the early 20th century. His stories and novels drew on his experiences exploring the American West, offering vivid portrayals of frontier life, nature, and adventure. Born in Topeka, Kansas on August 24, 1887, Evarts became a writer in the pulp and magazine tradition, authoring numerous novels and over one hundred short stories that appeared in newspapers and magazines. His works often captured the passing of the Old West and themes of survival and exploration, with several novels entering the public domain and remaining accessible today. Notable titles include The Yellow Horde, The Settling of the Sage, and Tumbleweeds, which exemplify his focus on western settings and narratives. His career reflected the popularity of western genre writing during the 1920s and earlier.

Evarts died of a heart attack on October 18, 1934, at age 47 aboard the steamship Malolo as it neared Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Hal G. Evarts wrote the screenplay for the U.S.A. western “The Big Trail”, This film was reshot with additional footage for Spanish, German, Italian and French releases with additional starring actors for their specific European releases the following year in 1931: “La Gran jornada” (Spanoish), “Die Große Fahrt” (German), “Il grande sentiero” (Italian), “La Piste des géants” (France).

EVARTS, Hal G. (Harry George Evarts) [8/24/1887, Topeka, Kansas, U.S.A. – 10/18/1935, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (heart attack).] – novelist, writer, married to Sylvia Abraham [1890-1977] (1911-1934) father of writer Harry George Evarts Jr. [1915-1989].

The Big Trail – 1930

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Manuel Rojas

Manuel Rojas Hidalgo was born in Seville Spain on September 23, 1930. He was a Spanish director on four films, a cameraman on five films and a cinematographer on one hundred seventy-three films between 1955 and 1996.

Even though his career spanned forty years plus there is no biographical information that I can find on him.

We do kown Manuel died sometime in Spain in 1995 at the age of 65. Another ignored crew member of the Spaghetti western and Spanish film industry.

Manuel Rojas was a cinematographer on two Spaghetti westerns: “Vivi preferibilmente, morti” (Sundance Cassidy and Butch the Kid) with Cesare Allione and “Te Deum” (Sting of the West) in 1972.

ROJAS, Manuel (aka Manolo Rojas) (Manuel Rojas Hidalgo) [9/23/1930, Seville, Spain – 1995] – producer, director, writer, cinematography, cameraman, married to model, actress Pamela Sue Martin [1953-    ] (1982-1984)

Sundance Cassidy and Butch the Kid – 1969 (co)

Sting of the West – 1972

A Brief(ish) History of the Spaghetti Western [Part 2 of 2]

By David F Walker

Aug 10, 2026

 

The success and popularity of A Fistful of Dollars led to the production of hundreds of Eurowesterns. Production money came primarily from Italy, Germany, and Spain—where many of the films were shot. The casts were an international ensemble of actors selected to draw in audiences from various countries. American actors in a cast gave a film credibility, while a Polish actor like Klaus Kinski guaranteed audiences in Eastern European counties—leading to Kinski starring in more than twenty films. Casts and crews struggled to communicate with each other over language barriers, and frequently two actors in a scene wouldn’t even know what they were saying to each other, because neither spoke the same language. No dialog was recorded on set, with everything being recorded in postproduction, often times with American voice actors dubbing in new dialog for Italian, German, or Spanish actors—which explains why spaghetti westerns are notorious for their horrible dubbing. As this assembly-line filmmaking process cranked out new movies all the time, the films were released all over the world, in various languages, under as many as ten different titles. Yet despite the global popularity of the genre, only a select few spaghetti westerns made it to America during their heyday.

The era of the spaghetti western would prove to be a prolific time, especially for Italian cinema, as the Eurowestern allowed directors, writers, producers, actors, cinematographers and composers the chance to practice their craft; and expand the boundaries of filmmaking itself.  The exciting creative experimentation that was going on under the auspices of the genre are evident in the way many of the films were shot and edited, and especially in the way music was composed and used as accompaniment to the action on screen. This is never more apparent than magical scores of Ennio Morricone, set to the action of some of the genre’s most important films, and the works of some of its most important directors.

Despite all the creative experimentation that was going on under the guise of making westerns, there was also a startling lack of originality. Italian exploitation cinema and its filmmakers have long been known for cannibalizing other films, including their own. The spaghetti western was no different. At times it almost seems as if there was only two or three plot lines making up the majority of all Eurowesterns. Hundreds of variations of the MSSVF (Mysterious Stranger Seeking Vengeance Films) sprang up, all of which were merely re-interpretations of A Fistful of Dollars (which of course was Yojimbo). Sergio Corbucci’s Django alone inspired over 30 “sequels.” Countless other films exploited the HGSPV (Hired Guns Saving Poor Villagers) theme (borrowed from Kurosawa’s The Seven Samurai); which gave way to the politically charged leftist messages of the ZRF (Zappata-esque Revolution Film). Characters like the Evil Homosexual In White (EHIW), and the BTR (Bandito Turned Revolutionary) and scenarios like the Gatling Gun Massacre (GGM) became so common place, it’s a wonder audiences didn’t grow weary of seeing the same things done over and over again.

The spaghetti western audience, however, remained faithful, and the genre as a whole grew in popularity. The lack of originality was forgiven by the predominantly working-class audience that was looking for escapist entertainment, punctuated with action and violence. And as the popularity of spaghetti westerns grew, so did their influence on American movies. The once uniquely American genre was re-invented by European filmmakers, and the influences soon became increasingly evident. American westerns became grittier and more violent, infused with a moral ambiguity, while the anti-hero replaced the hero. Films like The Professionals, The Wild Bunch, and High Plains Drifter bare so many spaghetti influences that some have mistaken them for actual Eurowesterns. Even non-westerns like Bonnie & Clyde and Easy Rider share similarities with films like Django and The Great Silence, and reflect the growing anti-establishment sentiments of 1960s youth culture.

Today, the legacy of the spaghetti western lives on, not just in the films themselves, but also in the movies that have been influenced by the bombastic exploits of Django, Sartana, Ringo, Trinity, and all the other gunslingers that populated the gritty world of the Eurowestern. Every action film you can think of  has either been directly or indirectly influenced by the spaghetti western. And with the release of Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained in 2012, the spaghetti western will enjoy renewed interest that will only ensure the continued survival and impact of the genre.

Spaghetti Western Locations for “Companeros”.

Zaira and her girls arrive in a coach at the front gate of the fort and the corporal greets them and orders the main gat to be opened. Zaira drives the coach into the fort and the girls are unloaded and they all are escorted into one of the main buildings. Then the empty coach is taken to the rear by one of the soldiers. He stops the coach and sees a hand come from one of the windows of the coach beckoning him to come closer. Thinking it’s one of the girls left inside he goes to the window pears inside and is greeted by the fist of Vasco and knocked out. Vasco takes a lantern and starts a fire in a nearby covered wagon and leaves the scene.

This scene was filmed at film set in Madrid.

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 Birthday

Amleto Novelli (director, actor) would have been 145 today but died in 1924.

Anthony Dawson (actor) would have been 110 today but died in 1992.

Klaus Kinski (actor) would have been 100 today but died in 1991.

Bobby Hanna [singer] would have been 85 today but died in 2014.

Vanessa Van Dyke (actress) is 50 today.