50th Anniversary of “The Specialist”

50 years ago today on November 26, 1969 “The Specialist” (aka Drop Them or I’ll Shoo) premiered in Rome, Italy. The film was directed by the other Sergio, Sergio Corbucci and starred French singing idol Johnny Hallyday. The Supporting cast was headed by Mario Adorf, Francois Fabian and Serge Marquand. The film’s story revolves around a stranger named Hud (Hallyday) who comes to Blackstone, a town where his brother had been falsely accused of robbing a bank. Hud is determined to avenge his brother, who has been hanged without a proper court hearing. Eventually Hud finds out it was one of the town's most dignified citizens who really robbed the bank. That puts him in great danger. The Italian, French, German co-production was later released in Germany on April 10, 1970 and in France on April 22, 1970.

Gli specialisti - Italian title
Le spécialiste - French title
Die Spezialisten - German title
Fahrt zur Hölle, ihr Halunken - German title
Lännen spesialisti - Finnish titl
A szakérto - Hungarian title
El especialista - Spanish title
Drop Them or I’ll Shoot - English title

A 1968 Italian, French, German co-production [Adelphia Cinematografica (Rome), Les Films Marceau (Paris), Neue Emelka (Munich)]
Producer: Sergio Corbucci
Director: Sergio Corbucci
Story: Sabatino Ciuffini, Sergio Corbucci
Screenplay: Sabatino Ciuffini, Sergio Corbucci
Cinematography: Dario Di Palma [Technicolor, Techniscope]
Music: A.F. Lavagnino (Angelo Francesca Lavagnino)
Running time: 104 minutes

Cast:
Hud Dixon/Brett/Brad - Johnny Hallyday (Jean-Philippe Smet)
Francisco Rafael Fatorro/El Diablo - Mario Adorf
Virginia Pollicut - Françoise Fabian (Michele Fabianera)
Sheba - Sylvie Fennec
Valencia - Angela Luce (Angela Savino)
Boot - Serge Marquand
gambler - Gino Pernice (Luigi Pernice
Deputy Sheriff Gideon - Gaston Moschin (Gastone Moschine)
barman - Mimmo Poli (Domenico Poli)
Pedro - Pietro Ceccarelli
Judge Ham - Mario Castellari
Mac Lane - Riccardo Dominici
Rosencranz - Andrés José Cruz
Buddy - Christian Belegue
Mix - Stefano Cattarossi
Apache - Gabrielle Tavernese
Doctor Logan - Lucio Rosato
El Diable henchman - Riccardo Pizzuti
Lord/Oscar - Renato Pinciroli
townsman - Elio Angelucci, Ettore Arena
with: Brizio Montinaro, Franco Marletta (Francesco Marletta), Kim Dimon (Kiem Diemon)

Dianik Zurakowska, the Congolese who was sister-in-law to Carmen Sevilla

Congolese Dianik Zurakowska appeared in multiple films of the 60s and 70s.

Libertad Digital

By Manuel Román

11/16/2019

The Spanish cinema of the mid 60's and 70's incorporated foreign beauties, in search of novelties. Sculptural models, blond faces to contrast with the natives, with a predisposition for high-pitched scenes, were common in comedies. In the case at hand today, with Dianik Zurakowska as the protagonist, she diversified her appearances on the screen in other genres: terror, spaghetti western, suspense ...

Dianik Zurakowska , whose name appeared in deals and publications sometimes with altered spellings and which looked Russian, she was actually from the former Republic of the Congo, then Zaire. Wrong are the biographical records that, therefore, considered her Belgian. Born in Elizabethville in 1947, daughter of Polish and Norwegian. The fact is that in the mid 60's she landed in Madrid where she shot her first film. And in Spain she continued to live and develop her acting career for a decade. Blonde, with clear eyes, I think that are blue, whitish face, look between naive and enigmatic, served for several directors and producers who tried to turn her into a "sex-symbol".

Reviewing her filmography it turns out that she intervened in more or less secondary roles, in white comedies, although she accepted more important roles, but where she had to appear without much clothes. That happened in The Orgy of the Dead, The Night Orgy of Vampires, Sexy Cat and Blood Cauldron, titles dated between 1971 and 1973. There Dianik appeared showing the splendor of her naked body, usually looking at the camera with the eyes of a lamb, as if she had not broken a plate in her life. The truth is that it was mimetic in their interpretations and we cannot praise their interpretive talent, which was rather scarce. Now, they hired her for her physique, because her nudes could attract spectators, let's not fool ourselves. Game that accepted those actresses who without being endowed for it made a living by showing their charms.

Dianik's voice was doubled as her foreign accent required it. We remember some commercial tapes, such as Two Magazine Girls, with Lina Morgan, and Separate Marriages. The most dramatic cut and exhibiting the beauty of her gaze, was The Lost Eyes. Dianik Zurakowska came to appear in about thirty films. Paul Naschy had her in his deals, although she ended up being upset by the treatment she received from the actor and director Gore. The truth is that the werewolf brand and some other title with it ... left it marked.

Perhaps an independent woman, she did not give papal for the whispering press. Very disciplined, she learned to handle the "play-back", figuring to sing when who really did it through a couple of lyric pieces was a soprano. It was in a series of Spanish Television, directed by the imaginative and great creator Fernando García de la Vega, in Bohemios a and Las Golondrinas : "Anthology of the Zarzuela".

And one day, José García Galisteo, brother of Carmen Sevilla, Pepito for the world of cinema, much appreciated as an assistant cameraman and director of photography, turned on the charms of Dianik Zurakowska and made her his companion. Until they priced and each one looked for the sentimental life on the other hand. Dianik, a polyglot, traveled to the United States and then settled in Paris, where he shot more films. But here, we have lost sight of her, let's say more than forty years ago. What does not prevent us from continuing to remember her great beauty.

Special Birthdays

Hans Bergmann (actor) is 90 today.

Karin Schubert (actress) is 75 today.

European Western Comic Books Albi Nuove Avventure – Lone Ranger

A pocket edition of the ALBI NEW ADVENTURE series which presents: THE ADVENTURES OF THE GRAN CAPO BAKALON (Big Chief Wahoo) (GB) by Allen Saunders and Elmer Woggon; GENNY THE STEERING WHEEL (Flyin 'Jenny) (GV) by Russell Keaton; LONE RANGER (LR) by Charles Flanders; THE RED KNIGHT (Red Ryder) (CR) of Fred Harman; LIGHTNESS SHOT (Hopalong Cassidy) (CF), TOM MIX and DICK MONTES (Monte Hale) (DM), all taken from Fawcett's comic books, with texts by Otto Binder and Paul S. Newman and drawings by Carl Pfeufer and John Jordan . And again IL FANTASMA MASCHERATO (The Phantom) (FM), PIPPO IL GUASTAFESTE (PG) and the FOUR GUYS (4R).

The comic book series began printing from #1 May 23, 1948 until July, 1949 by Corrado Tedeschi Editore under the direction of Corrado Tedeschi in Florence, Italy on weekly basis with 20-32 pages with color covers and black and white pages.

Titles

01 (23.05.48) - “La base segreta” (GV) (The Secret Base)
02 (30.05.48) - “La grande battaglia” (GV) (The Great Battle)
03 (19.06.48) - “Il cavallo selvaggio” (GB) (The Wild Horse)
04 (26.06.48) - “La Maga Rossa” (FM) (The Red Magician)
05 (03.07.48) - “La corsa dei cani” (GB) (The Dog Race)
06 (10.07.48) - “Brividi in jeep” (PG) (Chills in a Jeep)
07 (07.08.48) - “La roccia del tesoro” (4R) (The Rock Treasure)
08 (14.08.48) - “La carovana del tesoro” (LR)  (The Treasure Caravan)
09 (21.08.48) - “La freccia rossa” (LR) (The Red Arrow)
10 (28.08.48) - "L’accusato" (CF) (The Accused)
11 (25.09.48) - "La "gang" della Freccia Nera (LR) (The Gang of the Black Arrow)
12 (02.10.48) - "Tre contro la morte" (LR) (Three Against Death)
13 (09.10.48) - "L’assalto alla carovana” (LR) (The Assault on the Caravan)
14 (16.10.48) - "Il mistero del cadavere scomparso" (LR) (The Mystery of the Dead

                           Body)
15 (23.10.48) - "Il biglietto ingannatore" (CR) (The Deceitful Ticket)
16 (30.10.48) - "La valigia della morte" (CF) (The Suitcase of Death)
17 (06.11.48) - "Il fantasma della caverna" (LR) (The Ghost in the Cave)
18 (13.11.48) - "L’infame ricatto" (CR) (The Infamous Blackmail)
19 (20.11.48) - "Fiamme tra il grano" (LR) (Flames in the Wheat)
20 (27.11.48) - "La sfida di Moschito" (CF) (The Challenge of Moschito)
21 (00.00.00)
22 (00.00.00)
23 (00.03.49) - “La caccia allo sciacallo” (DM) (The Jackal Hunt)
24 (00.04.49) - “La lotta per la terra” (CF) (The Struggle for the Land)
25 (00.06.49) - “La città fantasma” (DM) (The Ghost Town)
26 (00.07.49) - “La giustizia del west” (CF) (The Justice of the West)

Special Birthdays

Mona Goya (actor) would have been 110 today, she died in 1961. 

Saturno Cerra (actor) would have been 95 today, he died in 2015.

Sad Hill Blu-ray fund raiser

If you want to get in on the ground floor for some great incentives here’s a link to the Sad Hill International Blu-ray fund raiser.  https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sad-hill-unearthed-international-blu-ray--2#/

Spaghetti Western Locations for “The Relentless Four”

We continue our search for film locations for “The Relentless Four”. With Alan dead the town’s people pick up the reward money while Mrs. Anders and her daughter drive their buggy into town and apologize to Ranger Garrett.

This scene was filmed at the Mini Hollywood / Oasys movie set.

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/