Spaghetti Western Director ~ Henry Levin
Henry Levin was an American film director renowned for his versatile and prolific output across multiple genres, helming over 50 feature films from 1944 to 1980. Born in Trenton, New Jersey on June 5, 1909. Levin began his entertainment career as a stage actor and director before transitioning to Hollywood in the early 1940s, initially working as a dialogue director at Columbia Pictures. His debut feature, the thriller “The Cry of the Werewolf” (1944), marked the start of a journeyman career that saw him collaborate with major studios like Columbia, Twentieth Century-Fox, and MGM, producing B-movies and occasional prestige pictures in styles ranging from film noir and swashbucklers to musicals, westerns, comedies, and science fiction.
Levin's most acclaimed works include the musical biopic “Jolson Sings Again” (1949), which captured the life of entertainer Al Jolson and earned praise for its energetic performances, and the adventure epic “Journey to the Center of the Earth” (1959), a science fiction classic based on Jules Verne's novel that featured groundbreaking special effects and starred James Mason and Pat Boone. He also directed the fairy-tale anthology “The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm” (1962), a lavish Cinerama production nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Cinematography, and the youth-oriented comedy “Where the Boys Are” (1960), which became a box-office hit and defined spring break culture for a generation. Other significant films encompass the historical drama “Genghis Khan” (1965) with Omar Sharif and the blaxploitation actioner “That Man Bolt” (1973), showcasing his adaptability to evolving cinematic trends.
Throughout his career, Levin maintained a reputation as a reliable studio craftsman rather than an auteur, often prioritizing efficient storytelling and commercial appeal over artistic innovation, which allowed him to sustain steady employment amid Hollywood's upheavals. He occasionally ventured into television and production, and his final years included work on projects like the family film “Scout's Honor” (1980), during the production of which he passed away in Glendale, California on May 1, 1980, at age 70. Levin's contributions, though understated, reflect the breadth of mid-20th-century American cinema, bridging low-budget programmers with ambitious spectacles.
Henry Levin directed one Spaghetti western, “La marca de Cain” (The Desperados!) in 1969.
LEVIN, Henry [6/5/1909, Trenton,
New Jersey, U.S.A. – 5/1/1980, Glendale, California, U.S.A.] – producer,
director, actor, married to Mildred Levin, married to Ethel Rubin (1952-19??),
married to Jan Watson (1958-1972) father of one child, married to Rozann Levin.
The
Desperados! – 1969
Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ José María Elorrieta
José María Elorrieta was a Spanish film director, screenwriter, and producer known for his prolific and versatile career in Spanish cinema, spanning multiple popular genres including fantasy comedies, adventure films, international co-productions such as Spaghetti Westerns, and later horror pictures. Born in Madrid on February 1, 1921, he initially studied law under family pressure before entering filmmaking, starting with the self-produced children's puppet film “La ciudad de los muñecos” in 1946 and building a body of work that adapted to evolving commercial trends and censorship constraints.
He directed and wrote numerous films across the 1950s and 1960s, ranging from folkloric dramas and religious stories to light-hearted fantasy comedies like “Mi adorable esclava” (1961) and “Una bruja sin escoba” (1967), the latter a time-travel comedy co-produced with the United States. His international projects included adventure and western titles such as “Los 7 de Pancho Villa” (1967), “El tesoro de Makuba” (1967), and “Apache Fury” (1964), often released under alternative credits like Joe De Lacy.
In the early 1970s, Elorrieta shifted toward more explicit horror, directing key entries in Spanish fantastic-terror cinema such as “Las amantes del diablo” (1971), “La llamada del vampire” (1972), and “El espectro del terror” (1973), contributing to the genre's growth as commercial viability improved. He died suddenly on February 22, 1974, in Madrid at age 53 while shooting the comedy “Las alegres vampiras de Vögel”, which was completed by another director. He was the father of actress Beatriz Elorrieta and director-composer Javier Elorrieta, passing his passion for cinema to the next generation.
Wrote and co-wrote Spaghetti westerns: “El hombre de la diligencia” (Apache Fury” with José Luis Navarro, “Fuerte perdido” (Massacre at Fort Grant) with José Navarro, “El secreto del captain O’Hara” (The Secret of Captain O’Hara) with Manuel Martinez Remis and Arturo Ruiz Castillo both in 1964, “Un dólar para Sartana” (Raise Your Hands Dead Man, You’re Under Arrest) with Sergio Bergonzelli, José Luis Navarro and Enrico Zuccarini in 1971 and “Si quieres vivir... dispara” (If You Shoot... You Live) in 1974.
ELORRIETA, José María (aka Joe De Lacy,
Joseph De Lacy, Joseph de Lacy, J. Douglas, Elorrieta, J.M. Elorrieta, Jose M.
Elorrieta, Jose Mª Elorrieta, José Mª Elorriet, José María Elorrieta, J.E.
Lacy, Joe Lacy) (José María
Elorrieta de Lacy) [2/1/1921,
Madrid, Madrid, Spain – 2/22/1974, Madrid, Madrid, Spain] – producer, director,
composer, married to father of director, writer, composer, actor, Javier
Elorrieta (Javier Elorrieta Pérez de
Diego) [1950- ], actress Beatriz Elorrieta, grandfather
of actress Bárbara Elorrieta [1978- ].
Apache Fury – 1963
(co) [as Joe De Lacy]
Massacre at Fort
Grant – 1964 (co) [as J.
Douglas/Joseph E. Lacy]
The Secret of
Captain O’Hara – 1964 (co)
Raise Your Hands
Dead Man, You’re Under Arrest – 1971 (co)
If You Shoot... You
Live – 1974
Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Yaroslav Prokhorov
Yaroslav Prokhorov is a Spanish producer, director, writer, cinematographer, cameraman, film editor, musician, son of choir director Elena Prokhorova born in Ibiza, Balearic Islands in 1990.
Yaroslav Prokhorov was a cinematographer on two Euro-westerns: “Bienvenido a Casa” and “The Last Shot” both in 2017.
PROKHOROV,
Yaroslov (aka Yaroslav Starovich) [1990, Ibiza, Balearic Islands, Spain - ] – producer, director, writer,
cinematographer, cameraman, film editor, musician, son of choir director Elena
Prokhorova,
Bienvenido
a Casa - 2017
The
Last Shot – 2017
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