Zorro's Fighting Legion [Serial] Movie

Zorro's Fighting Legion [Serial]
Rating:
Run Time: min
MPAA Rating:
Released: 1939
Directors: Jon English
William Witney
Genre/Type: Adventure
Swashbuckler
Producers:
Plot Synopsis by Hans J. Wollstein
In 1824, Benito Juarez (Carlton Young), the president of the new Mexican Republic, worries that vitally important gold shipments from the San Mendolito Mines shall never reach Mexico City. The president's understandable fears are quelled, however, by local nobleman Don Francisco (Guy D'Ennery), who is organizing a "fighting legion" to protect the shipments and thus the safety of the six months old republic. Secretly opposing Juarez' endeavors are a group of influential capitalists, one of whom masquerades as Don del Oro, an ancient god of the local Yaqui Indian tribe. But when Don Francisco is killed by persons unknown, a visiting relative from California, handsome and affable Don Diego (Reed Hadley), assumes the disguise of Zorro to lead the legion in search of the identity behind the homicidal Don del Oro. To keep his own identity a secret, Don Diego acts the foppish dude, much to the dismay of his pretty cousin Volita (Sheila Darcy), who denounces him as a coward that could learn a thing or two from Zorro. Meanwhile, the Yaquis, acting on a command from Don del Oro, do indeed attack the gold shipment but are foiled by Zorro and the Legion. Just then an explosion set off by white henchmen Moreno (James Pierce) and Valdez (Charles King) causes an avalanche right in Zorro's path, making his sad demise almost a certainty.

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Cast

Actors Character Born
Reed Hadley Zorro
Carleton Young Juarez May 26, 1907 in Fulton, NY
Sheila D'Arcy Volita
Guy D'Ennery Francisco Jun 4, 1884 in California
Charles King Valdez Feb 21, 1895 in Hillsboro, TX
C. Montague Shaw Pablo
John Merton Manuel Feb 18, 1901 in Washington
Joe Molina Tarmac
William Corson Ramon Dec 23, 1909
Budd Buster Juan Jun 14, 1891
Edmund Cobb Gonzalez Jun 23, 1892 in Albuquerque, NM
James Pierce Moreno Aug 8, 1900 in Freedom, IN
Al Taylor Rico Aug 29, 1887 in Massachusetts
Leander de Cordova Felipe Dec 5, 1877 in Kingston, Jamaica
Curley Dresden Tomas Jul 17, 1900 in Chicago, IL

Back to the topReview

Review by Hans J. Wollstein
With a rousing chorus of house composer William Lava's "We Ride!" opening each of the 12 chapters, Zorro's Fighting Legion remains one of Republic Pictures' finest chapterplays and thus one of the best action serials ever made. Reed Hadley, whose mellifluous voice was usually used for playing smooth villains, is perfectly cast here as the serial's dual hero, the foppish Don Diego and his masked alter-ego. Filmed entirely at the legendary Iverson ranch in Chatsworth, CA, and on standing sets at the studio in the San Fernando Valley, Zorro's Fighting Legion actually incorporates a historical setting -- Mexico shortly after the 1810 revolution -- with none other than Benito Juarez making an appearance in the person of Carleton Young (who rather obviously patterned his characterization after Paul Muni in the then-current Juarez). Unlike a great majority of the era's chapterplays, the cliffhanger endings are constantly intriguing, and although a sophisticated modern audience will probably never question whether Hadley or leading lady Sheila Darcy manage to extricate themselves from what seems like certain death, the solutions are always ingeniously thought out by no less than five veteran writers. A highlight of the entire serial is Yakima Canutt, as Hadley's double, performing his legendary runaway stagecoach stunt in chapter seven, a stunt carefully reconstructed forty years later by director Steven Spielberg for his homage to Republic serials, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Only this time, something went wrong and Canutt was seriously hurt. The mishap is left in the releases print and Canutt can be seen taking a highly unanticipated stumble while working his way from the horses back to the coach. Happily, Canutt survived once again and Zorro's Fighting Legion benefited from his groundbreaking work. The end result is a highly entertaining action adventure made even more memorable by Lava's irresistible theme song, the lyrics of which went something like this: "We ride/ With the wind over hill, over dale/ With a spirit that cannot fail/ Men of Zorro are we/ We ride!"
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