Little Known Spaghetti Western actors ~ Antonella Della Porta

[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 Della Porta was the stage name of Maria Antonietta Cirillo born in Reggio Calabria, on August 18, 1927. She was an Italian actress active in cinema and television between the early 1960s and the second half of the 1970s. She appeared in some 52 films and television appearances between 1955 and 2000.

She was sometimes credited as Antonia Della Porta, and has been a character actor in several quality films and historical B-movies, also starring in television dramas and television series with a detective setting. She married the singer Arturo La Porta in the mid-1940s and their son is author, director actor Gabriele La Porta who was born in 1945 and died in 2019.

Antonella Della Porta died in Rome, Italy on July 16, 2002.

Antonella appeared in only one Spaghetti western 1967’s “Faccia a facia” (Face to Face) as Elizabeth Wilkins.

DELLA PORTA, Antonella (aka Antonia Della Porta, Antonella La Porta) (Maria Antonietta Cirillo) [8/18/1927, Reggio Calabria, Calabria, Italy – 7/16/2002, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – film, TV actress, married to singer Arturo La Porta [1924-    ] mother of author, director, actor Gabriele La Porta [1945-2019].

Face to Face – 1967 (Elizabeth Wilkins)

Loose Reins

 

Loose Reins – English title

 

A 2020 Swedish film production

Producers: Tima Persson, Brian Dupre, Joanna Persson, Irma Jämhammar

Director: Alexander Lönn

Story: Tima Persson, Veronika Waga

Screenplay: Tima Persson, Veronika Waga

Cinematography: Johan Kuurne [color]

Music: Veronika Waga

Running time:

 

Cast:
Anne - Asilynn Mede

Tima Persson, Richard Weston, Veronika Waga, Jack Roper, Sandro Khafor

It´s the year of 1879, and two women, Lucy and Malvina - are forced to flee their home in the middle of the night in order to avoid a deadly outcome. With the sheriff and his gruesome men close behind the women do what they can, by any means, to survive.

Who Are Those Gals? ~ Edwige Fenech

 

Edwige Sfenek was born in Bône, Constantine, France on December 24, 1948. As Edwige Fenech she moved from Nice to Rome in 1967 for her first Italian film “Samoa, Queen of the Jungle” by Guido Malatesta. In 1968, she came under contract with Austrian director Franz Antel and from the late 1960s to early 1970s, she acted in various films of Antel (including his “Frau Wirtin” series) as well as that of Franz Marischk.

Fenech starred in many genres of cinema but her greatest commercial success came with commedia sexy all'italiana films, particularly including earlier works Ubalda, “All Naked and Warm” (1972) and “Giovannona Long-Thigh” (1973), as well as the following l'insegnante (school teacher), la soldatessa (soldier), la poliziotta (policewoman) series and other films that featured Fenech in stereotypical professions, which further bolstered Fenech's position as the most popular actress of the genre. She often paired with Carlo Giuffrè and later with Renzo Montagnani in commedia sexy films as well as a regular in giallo films.

Fenech was married to Italian film producer Luciano Martino from 1971 to 1979.

In the mid-1990s, she was engaged to the Italian industrialist Luca di Montezemolo. Her son Edwin (born 1971) has worked at her production company Immagine e Cinema S.r.l. Productions and was the former CEO of Ferrari Asia-Pacific, Ferrari Greater China and Ferrari North America.

Edwige appeared in one Spaghetti western as a supporting role as Manuela in Piero Pierotti’s “Heads or Tails” starring John Ericson and Špela Rozin.

FENECH, Edwige (Edwige Sfenek) [12/24/1948, Bône, Constantine, France -     ] – producer, film, TV actress, married to producer, production manager, director, assistant director, writer, actor Luciano Martino [1933–2013] (1971-1979) mother of producer Edwin Fenech [1971-    ], founder of Immagine e Cinema S.r.l. Productions.

Heads or Tails – 1968 (Manuela)

George Hilton: The World Belongs to the Daring – 2017 [herself]

Special Birthdays

Carmen Tarrazo (actress) would have been 115 today but died in 2003.

Heikki Kuvaja (actor) would have been 100 today but died in 1983.

Armin Müeller-Stahl (actor) is 95 today.

 

Little Known Spaghetti Western actors ~ Luisa Della Noce

[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.]

Maria-Luisa Della Noce was born in San Giorgio di Nogaro, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy on May 28, 1923. She appeared in fourteen films between 1951 and 1982. Her film career began in 1951 with a supporting role in the film by Mario Bonnard, “L’ultima sentenza”, but success came only in 1956 when alongside Pietro Germi, in the double role of lead actor and director, played the part of his wife in “The Railwayman”. The skill and naturalness in the role demonstrated by Luisa Della Noce contributed to the great success of the film and, with this performance, won in 1956 the award for best female performance at the San Sebastian Festival.

Her last appearance on the big screen was in a minor role in 1982 in “Identification of a Woman” by Michelangelo Antonioni.

Luisa appeared in two Spaghetti westerns: “Con lui cavalca la morte” (Death Rides Alone) in 1967 as a pioneer woman and in “John il Bastardo” (John the Bastard) in 1967 as Sara Donald.

DELLA NOCE, Luisa (aka Malù Della Noce, Maria Luisa Della Noce) (Maria-Luisa Della Noce) [5/28/1923, San Giorgio di Nogaro, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy – 4/15/2008, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – film, voice actress.

Death Rides Along – 1967 (pioneer woman)

John the Bastard - 1967 (Sara Donald)

New U.S.A. Blu-ray release of “Forgotten Pistolero”

 

Forgotten Pistolero

(1969)

 

Director: Ferdinando Baldi

Starring: Leonard Mann, Luciana Paluzzi, Peter Martell, Pilar Velázquez

 

Country: U.S.A.

Label: Diabolik DVD

Blu-ray

Region Free

Discs: 2

Disc 1 - Feature in English

Disc 2 - Feature in Italian with Non-Removable English Subtitles

Resolution: 1080p

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Language: Disc 1 English, Disc 2 Italian

Subtitles: Disc 2 English

Running time: 84 minutes

Extras: Leonard Mann Interview conducted by tough guy expert Mike Malloy

ASIN: ‎B0FRVC3JXK

Available: December 16, 2025

Behind the Scenes of Death Rides a Horse (1967)

Thebad.net

By Aaron

November 22, 2025

When fans talk about the golden age of Spaghetti Westerns, Death Rides a Horse (1967) always gallops into the conversation. Directed by Giulio Petroni and starring Lee Van Cleef and John Phillip Law, the film stands out for its moody atmosphere, stylish cinematography, and one of Ennio Morricone’s most haunting revenge-themed scores. But the story behind the film’s production is just as intriguing as the movie itself.

A Director with a Bold Vision

Giulio Petroni wasn’t as widely known as Sergio Leone, but he brought his own sharp eye and political sensibility to the genre. During filming, Petroni pushed for a more psychological approach to the story—focusing on memory, trauma, and the uneasy partnership between an older outlaw and a young man bent on revenge.

Petroni and Van Cleef reportedly enjoyed a strong working relationship, with Van Cleef appreciating Petroni’s willingness to let him shape the character of Ryan into a world-weary mentor figure rather than a typical gunslinger.

Lee Van Cleef at His Post-Leone Peak

Fresh off his international breakthrough in Leone’s films, Lee Van Cleef was now a marquee star in Europe. On set, he was known for his professionalism and calm demeanor. Italian crew members often mentioned that Van Cleef preferred to stay focused between takes, conserving energy for the film’s demanding riding and action sequences.

Despite knee issues that bothered him throughout the late 1960s, Van Cleef insisted on doing much of his own riding, adding authenticity to the film’s rugged tone.

John Phillip Law’s First Ride into the West

This film was John Phillip Law’s first Spaghetti Western, and he approached the role of Bill with a surprising level of seriousness. Cast partly because of his intense eyes and stoic expression, Law trained with horses and firearms before filming began.

Law later mentioned in interviews that he and Van Cleef barely spoke off-camera—something fans have speculated helped enhance their on-screen tension. However, both actors respected each other and worked together seamlessly.

Filming in the Wild Landscapes of Almería

Like many iconic Italian Westerns, Death Rides a Horse was shot in the desert landscapes of Almería, Spain. The region’s dry terrain, isolated hills, and abandoned mining towns provided the perfect visual backdrop for Bill’s journey of vengeance.

Production faced the typical problems of desert shoots: blistering heat during the day, freezing winds in the evenings, and dust storms that sometimes-halted production for hours.

Still, the crew made creative use of the harsh environment. Many of the wide shots—especially the scenes of Bill tracking his memories in fragmented flashbacks—benefited from Almería’s vast, empty horizons.

Morricone’s Score: A Soundtrack with a Life of Its Own

One of the film’s most enduring legacies is its Morricone soundtrack. The composer created a unique blend of eerie chimes, rhythmic guitars, and a lonely vocal motif that would later be sampled in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill.

During recording, Morricone experimented with unusual percussion and echo effects to give the flashback scenes a dreamlike, almost ghostly quality. Even Petroni admitted the score elevated the film far beyond what was on the page.

The Flashback Technique

The movie’s use of stylized flashbacks—distorted visuals, close-ups of key objects, and dramatic lighting—was innovative for the genre at the time. These sequences were filmed with special filters and gels to enhance the feverish sense of trauma and memory.

Petroni reportedly spent more time on these scenes than any other part of the film. The goal: make the audience feel Bill’s childhood memories as fragmented, painful snapshots rather than clear recollections.

A Cult Legacy

While Death Rides a Horse wasn’t the biggest box-office hit of its day, it steadily grew into a cult favorite. Home-video releases in the 1980s and 1990s introduced new fans to its stylish action, morally complex characters, and unforgettable score.

Today, the film is considered one of Lee Van Cleef’s finest post-Leone Westerns and a defining work of Giulio Petroni’s career.

Special Birthdays

Paolo Moffa (director, writer) would have been 110 today but died in 2004.

Little Known Spaghetti Western actors ~ Luccio Dell’Aera

[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.]

Luccio Dell’Aera is/was an Italian character actor who has only one film credit and that was an uncredited role in 1962’s “Il segno di Zorro” (The Sign of Zorro) starring Sean Flynn.

Dell’AERA, Luccio – film actor.

The Sign of Zorro - 1962

Spaghetti Western locations Then & Now “Silver Saddle”

In this scene from 1978’s Silver Saddle we see Geoffrey Lewis leading his horse down a dirt road past a building in the background. This scene was filmed in Nueva Frontera, Tabernas, Almería, Spain.

Here’s the same location as it looked in 2023. Nothing remains of the building. A highway now looms in the background.

European Western Comic Books - OLLANA ALMANACCHI > MAGAZINE (Nathan Never - Nick Raider - Martin Mystère - Mister No - Tex - Dylan Dog - Zagor - Julia - Dragonero - Dampyr - Il Commissario Ricciardi - Furio - Varie)

 

ALMANAC SERIES / MAGAZINE (Nathan Never - Nick Raider - Martin Mystère - Mister No - Tex - Dylan Dog - Zagor - Julia - Dragonero - Dampyr - Inspector Ricciardi - Furio - Various)

An almanac series featuring annual special issues dedicated to Bonelli's most famous characters. Each Almanac contains a previously unpublished comic strip and informative and critical articles related to the genre to which the character refers.

These alternate with the Science Fiction Almanac dedicated to Nathan Never (numbers 1, 8, 14, 20, 26, 32, 38, 44, 50, 56, 62, 68, 74, 80, 86, 92, 98, 104, 110, 116, 122, 128); Almanac of Mystery dedicated to Nick Raider (numbers 2, 7, 13, 19, 25, 31, 37, 43, 49, 55, 61, 67) and then to Julia (numbers 73, 79, 85, 91, 97, 103, 109, 115, 121, 127); Mystery Almanac dedicated to Martin Mystere (started as Martin Mystere Presents Mystery Almanac in which the first six issues are published) (numbers 3, 10, 16, 22, 28, 34, 40, 46, 52, 58, 64, 70, 76, 82, 88, 94, 100, 106, 112, 118, 124, 130); Adventure Almanac dedicated to Mister No (umbers 4, 9, 15, 27, 39), to Zagor (numbers 21, 33, 45, 51, 57, 63, 69, 75, 81, 87, 93, 99, 105, 111) and to special issues on authors (numbers 117, 123, 129); Western Almanac dedicated to Tex (numbers 5, 11, 17, 23, 29, 35, 41, 47, 53, 59, 65, 71, 77, 83, 89, 95, 101, 107, 113, 119, 125, 131); Almanacco Della Paura dedicated to Dylan Dog (begun as Dylan Dog Presenta Almanacco Della Paura, in which the first three issues were published) (numbers 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54, 60, 66, 72, 78, 84, 90, 96, 102, 108, 114, 120, 126). In April 2015, the series changed its format and title to a magazine and expanded to include other series from the publishing house, such as Dragonero and Dampyr. #176 ("The Forgotten") is not a magazine but is called Dragonero #33 Summer 2022.

The Almanac was published in 1993 with issue #1 being released in January of that year and ending in October with issue #192 in 2025. It was published in Milan, Italy by Sergio Bonelli Editore under the editor Graziano Frediani. Each issue contained 176 black and white pages with color covers.

ALMANAC
005 (00.01.94) - Tex - Almanacco del West 1 - 1994
011 (00.01.95) - Tex - Almanacco del West 2 - 1995
021 (00.10.96) - Zagor (1) - Almanacco dell’Avventura 4 - 1997
023 (00.01.97) - Tex - Almanacco del West 4 - 1997
029 (00.02.98) - Tex - Almanacco del West 5 - 1998
033 (00.10.98) - Zagor (2) - Almanacco dell’Avventura 6 - 1999
035 (00.02.99) - Tex - Almanacco del West 6 -1999
041 (00.02.00) - Tex - Almanacco del West 7 - 2000
045 (00.10.00) - Zagor (3) - Almanacco dell’Avventura 8 - 2001
047 (00.02.01) - Tex - Almanacco del West 8 - 2001
051 (00.10.01) - Zagor (4) - Almanacco dell’Avventura 9 - 2002
053 (00.02.02) - Tex - Almanacco del West 9 - 2002
057 (00.10.02) - Zagor (5) - Almanacco dell’Avventura 10 - 2003
059 (00.02.03) - Tex - Almanacco del West 10 - 2003
063 (00.10.03) - Zagor (6) - Almanacco dell’Avventura 11 - 2004
065 (00.02.04) - Tex - Almanacco del West 11 - 2004
069 (00.10.04) - Zagor (7) - Almanacco dell’Avventura 12 - 2005
071 (00.02.05) - Tex - Almanacco del West 12 - 2005
075 (00.10.05) - Zagor (8) - Almanacco dell’Avventura 13 - 2006
077 (00.02.06) - Tex - Almanacco del West 13 - 2006
081 (00.10.06) - Zagor (9) - Almanacco dell’Avventura 14 - 2007
083 (00.02.07) - Tex - Almanacco del West 14 - 2007
087 (00.10.07) - Zagor (10) - Almanacco dell’Avventura 15 - 2008
089 (00.02.08) - Tex - Almanacco del West 15 - 2008
093 (00.10.08) - Zagor (11) - Almanacco dell’Avventura 16 - 2009
095 (00.02.09) - Tex - Almanacco del West 16 - 2009
099 (00.10.09) - Zagor (12) - Almanacco dell’Avventura 17 - 2010
101 (00.02.10) - Tex - Almanacco del West 17 - 2010
105 (00.10.10) - Zagor (13) - Almanacco dell’Avventura 18 - 2011
107 (00.02.11) - Tex - Almanacco del West 18 - 2011
111 (00.10.11) - Zagor (14) - Almanacco dell’Avventura 19 - 2012
113 (00.02.12) - Tex - Almanacco del West 19 - 2012
119 (00.02.13) - Tex - Almanacco del West 20 - 2013
125 (00.02.14) - Tex - Almanacco del West 21 - 2014
131 (00.02.15) - Tex - Almanacco del West 22 - 2015

MAGAZINE
137 (00.02.16) - Tex Magazine 1 - 2016
143 (00.02.17) - Tex Magazine 2 - 2017
144 (00.04.17) - Dylan Dog Magazine 3 - 2017
149 (00.00.18) - Tex Magazine 3 - 2018
150 (00.03.18) - Dylan Dog Magazine 4 - 2018
153 (00.00.18) - Tex Magazine 4 - 70 Anni - 2018
155 (00.00.19) - Tex Magazine 5 - 2019
161 (00.02.20) - Tex Magazine 6 - 2020
167 (00.02.21) - Tex Magazine 7 - 2021
172 (00.12.21) - Zagor Magazine 15 - 1961-2021 La grande avventura - 2021
173 (00.02.22) - Tex Magazine 8 - 2022
179 (00.02.23) - Tex Magazine 9 - 2023
184 (00.12.23) - Tex Magazine 10 - Tex 75 - 2023
185 (00.02.24) - Tex Magazine 11 - 2024
186 (00.04.24) - Avventura Magazine 12 - Tex presenta: I Grandi Eroi di G.L. Bonelli 7 - 2024
189 (00.12.24) - Avventura Magazine 13 - Tex presenta: I Grandi Eroi di G.L. Bonelli 8 - Kociss - 2024
190 (00.02.25) - Tex Magazine 12 - 2025
191 (00.04.25) - Avventura Magazine 14 - Tex presenta: I Grandi Eroi di G.L. Bonelli 9 - Hondo - 2025
192 (00.10.25) - Avventura Magazine 15 - Tex presenta: I Grandi Eroi di G.L. Bonelli 10 - Furio – 2025

Special Birthdays

Elisabeth Markus (actress) would have been 130 today but died in 1970.

Antonio Di Bruno (actor) would have been 115 today but died in 1981.

Nicholas Stuart (actor) would have been 115 today but died in 1985.

Lamberto Antinori (actor) would have been 95 today but died in 2015.

Lilian Terry [singer] would have been 95 today but she died in 2023.

From the WAI! vault

 

Little Known Spaghetti Western actors ~ Roberto Della Casa

[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.]

Roberto Bonacini was born in Rome, Italy on October 14, 1942. He began his career in the 1970s with police, Italian sexy comedy films in a variety of roles from football fan to policeman, doctor to judge, as well as tailor to butcher. In all 85 films and TV series. He is a versatile actor and has a unique charisma that makes him very involved with the viewer. Among his most important remembered roles are "Vieni avanti cretino" directed by Luciano Salce, "Il Petomane" directed by Pasquale Festa Campanile, with Ugo Tognazzi, in "Banzai" with Paolo Villaggio, The Cat in "Il commissario Lo Gatto" directed by Dino Risi, and "Le comiche 2" by Neri Parenti. Today he is more dedicated to the theater with occasional television appearances in fiction or drama series in both Mediaset Rai. He has participated in the Ministries of Public Information, Italian Post, "L'espresso" and other Italian advertising venues both English and French languages. In the theater he has long worked with the Society Actors & Technicians Attilio Corsini and the Italian Drama in Rijeka (Croatia), while Damiani Mangano-management, in comedies of Marin Drzic, Moliere, Goldoni, Peppino De Filippo, Ghigo De clear.

As a songwriter he participated in the 1984 Sanremo Festival with Afternoon in Marrakech, sung by i Trilli.

Under the stage name of Roberto Della Casa he appeared in only one Spaghetti western as the husband in 1978’s “Porno erotico western” (Porno-Erotic Western).

DELLA CASA, Roberto (aka Robert Bonacini) (Roberto Bonacini) [10/14/1942, Rome, Lazio, Italy -    ] – theater, stuntman, film, TV actor, songwriter.

Porno-Erotic Western – 1978 (husband)

Bitter Kill [archived newspaper article.]

 

Robert Goldstein’s

‘Westerns’ in Spain

 

Variety

Madrid, June 9 (1964)

 

     Indie producer Robert Goldstein sewed up two coproduction deals and plans to organize a production base here in film an undetermined number of westerns in the coming future.

     The American producer joined with a new active Spanish company, Pro-Artis to bring “Joaquin Murietta” before cameras this summer under the direction of George Sherman. This project was formerly on the Ocean Films slate as a four-way venture with France, Italy and Yugoslavia. With Ocean heavily committed in the current Clint Eastwood-starrer “Ray, the Magnificent” on the western plains of Castile, Pro-Artis took over “Murietta” and set the deal with Goldstein.

     Jeff Hunter was originally scheduled to star and Goldstein-Pro Artis hope to clinch him. If still available.

     Second in the Goldstein’s coproduction line up with Pro-Artis is “Bitter Kill,” a James Edward Grant screenplay, Sherman will also rein.

 

Submitted by Michael Ferguson

 

Spaghetti Western Locations for “I Want Him Dead”.

Clayton leaves Aloma at Mallek’s hacienda and rides away. Two of Mallek’s me spot him from a hillside and they follow him. Clayton stops by a pool of water in a canyon to get a drink. He spots a lone rider approaching him but not the second man sneaking up behind him with a pistol pointed at his back. The man buffalo’s him with his pistol sending Clayton into the water. The first rider arrives and tells Frank to let him drown but Frank says he wants to have some fun with Clayton. The rider agrees and the rider tells Frank to kill Clayton that they don’t have time to mess around. Suddenly Frank and Clayton begin to fight and then Frank pulls out his whip and gives Clayton a good thrashing. Clayton pulls Frank towards him and puts him in a headlock. The rider pulls his pistol, but Clayton tells him to drop it if he wants Frank alive. The rider shoots twice killing Frank while Clayton jumps for his gun and shoots the rider between the eyes.

This scene was filmed at the Rio Aguas a small stream, dominated by rock walls, near the village of Turre (five kilometers west of Mojacar) where scenes from "Red Sun" (1971) were also filmed.

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

Mario Siciliano (director, writer) would have been 100 today but died in 1987.

Klaus-Peter Thiele (actor) would have been 85 today but died in 2011.

RIP Rolf Becker

 

German film, television and voice actor Rolf Becker died in Hamburg, Germany on December 12^th. He was 90. Becker was born in Leipzig, Danzig Germany on March 31, 1935. He made his German television debut in 1962, appearing in TV movies (playing Charles Lindbergh in a dramatization of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping) and in the 1974 French co-produced anthology Les grands detectives (as Sherlock Holmes in "The Sign of Four," with Roger Lumont as Watson). He appeared over a dozen times on Tatort, including a recurring stint as prosecutor Maurer in the installments with Manfred Krug as investigator Stoever. His film credits include starring roles in “Cardillac” and “Ich liebe dich, ich töte dich” (I Love You, I Kill You), as well as supporting Diane Keaton in “The Little Drummer Girl”. His voice actor career began in the 1980s. He appeared as Noah Curry in the 1980 German western TV film “Der Regenmacher” (The Rainmaker).

From the WAI! vault

 

Little Known Spaghetti Western actors ~ Emy Della Betta

[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.]

Emy Della Betta is/was an Italian actress who appeared in only 2 films and a television mini-series between 1971 and 1982.

I can find no biographical information about her.

Her two films were both Spaghetti westerns as a Mexican brothel girl in the 1971 film “Il tredicesimo è sempre Giuda” (The Last Traitor) and as a Mexican girl and as Juanita in Tara Poki in 1971.

DELLA BETTA Emy [Spanish] – film actress.

The Last Traitor – 1971 (Mexican brothel girl)

Tara Poki – 1971 (Juanita/Anita)

The documentary Los Jerraos

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL OF ALMERÍA

A documentary portrays 'Los Jerraos', the family of specialists from Almería that accumulated 450 productions

[Presentation of the documentary 'Los Herraos' in Fical.- PROVINCIAL COUNCIL OF ALMERÍA]

The Apollo Theatre has been the site chosen for the screening of the documentary about 'Los Jerraos', the family of specialists of long tradition and ethnic Gypsies from Almería that accumulated more than 450 audiovisual productions.

The documentary, directed by the director Rafael Gómez Heredia, commemorates the 75th anniversary of the work made by its members both in the world of cinema, with films and in documentaries, television shows, advertising and television series.

The Gómez family, although better known as 'Los Jerraos', worked as a liaison between film production companies for the hiring of professional staff related to the world of cinema, working the entire family complex in different roles, developing different tasks.

This work by Gómez Heredia has the interpretation of Paco Ardura, Agustín Medina, Juan Muñoz (ex Cruz y Raya), Fernando Esteso and 'Los Jerraos'. It is narrated by the journalist Alfredo Casas and is based on photographs of the family archive, which shows the work of this family in the film industry.

His filmography has titles such as “Twice a Judas”, “100 Rifles”, “Red Sun”, “Marco Anthony and Cleopatra”, “How I Won the War”, “Cristóbal Colón, by Discovery Profession”, “Here Comes Condemor” and “To the East of the West', among others.

The director tells the story of his family in the year in which the 600 years of history of the Gypsy people in Spain are also commemorated. The documentary was awarded the Audience Award, this year 2025, at the Tarazona Comedy Film Festival and the Moncayo

This short film was premiered at the recent Almería Western Film Festival, a film festival that also has the support of the Provincial Council of Almería. Thanks to the collaboration of the 'la Caixa' Foundation with the Almería International Film Festival, this event took place on the penultimate day of the festival itself.

Who Are Those Singers & Musicians? ~ Annarita Spinaci

 

Annarita Spinaci was born in Castelplanio, Anconia, Marche Italy on June 22, 1944. Gifted with a warm and deep timbre of voice and an innate sense of swing, she won the Castrocaro Festival in 1966, singing “E di Mina”, together with Roberta Amadei and thus won the right to participate in the following Sanremo Festival in 1967. She presented herself with a song by Tony Renis, “When I Say I Love You”, paired with the Malagasy group Les Surfs, unexpectedly coming second, a few points from the winning song. The song was a great commercial success, so much so that it triggered the creation of the musical of the same name, released in the same year, which saw Spinaci sing alongside Tony Renis, Lola Falana, Alida Chelli, Enzo Jannacci, Lucio Dalla, Caterina Caselli and others.

She was invited to perform in Japan and South America. In the meantime, she made her debut as a presenter for Radio RAI: she was entrusted with the advertising radio time column Musica espresso. In 1974 she was the first Italian singer to win the Festival of Viña del Mar, Chile, with “Immagina”, a song she had composed a few years earlier with Giancarlo De Bellis. She returned to the same festival in 1976 singing “Días de rosas”, a song by Giorgio Bracardi never released in Italy.

A series of changes of record label and personal choices in private life meant that Annarita began to move away from the world of music and devoted herself exclusively to work as a kindergarten teacher. Her last 45 rpm dates back to 1980 (“Per una volta”).

Spinaci sang the song “Chi non e’ con te” for the soundtrack for 1967’s “Django Kills Silently” starring George Eastman and Liana Orfei

SPINACI, Annarita [6/22/1944, Castelplanio, Anconia, Marche Italy -     ] – actress, singer.

Django Kills Silently – 1967 [sings: “Chi non e’ con te”]

Special Birthdays

Richard Schayer (writer) would have been 145 today but died in 1956.

Peter Lindgren (actor) would have been 110 today but died in 1981.

Don Taylor (director, actor) would have been 105 today but died in 1998.

Kari Sohlberg (cinematographer) is 85 today.

 

Ludmila Senchina (singer actress) would have been 75 today but died in 2018.