Zorro's Fighting Legion
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''Zorro's Fighting Legion'' is a 1939
Republic Pictures Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...
film serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, ge ...
consisting of twelve chapters starring Reed Hadley as
Zorro Zorro ( or , Spanish for "fox") is a fictional character created in 1919 by American Pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo de Los Ángeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed as a dashin ...
and directed by
William Witney William Nuelsen Witney (May 15, 1915 – March 17, 2002) was an American film director, film and television director. He is best remembered for the action films he made for Republic Pictures, particularly serial film, serials: ''Dick Tracy Return ...
and John English. The plot revolves around his alter-ego Don Diego's fight against the evil Don Del Oro. The serial is unusual in featuring a real historical personage, Mexican President
Benito Juárez Benito Pablo Juárez García (; 21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Mexican politician, military commander, and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. A Zapotec peoples, Zapotec, he w ...
, as a minor character. It is the second in a series of five Zorro serials: '' Zorro Rides Again'' (1937), '' Zorro's Black Whip'' (1944), '' Son of Zorro'' (1947) and '' Ghost of Zorro'' (1949).


Plot

The mysterious Don Del Oro ("Lord of Gold"), an idol of the
Yaqui The Yaqui, Hiaki, or Yoeme, are an Indigenous people of Mexico and Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribe, who speak the Yaqui language, a Uto-Aztecan language. Their primary homelands are in Río Yaqui valley in the no ...
, emerges and attacks the gold trade of the Republic of Mexico, intent on becoming Emperor. A man named Francisco is put in charge of a fighting legion to combat the Yaqui tribe and protect the gold; he is attacked by men working for Don Del Oro. Francisco's partner recognizes Zorro as the hidalgo Don Diego Vega. Francisco asks Diego, as Zorro, to take over the fighting legion and defeat Don Del Oro.


Cast

* Reed Hadley as Don Diego Vega/Zorro Though there were numerous Zorro serials, Hadley was the only actor to play the original Zorro in any of them. * Sheila Darcy as Volita * William Corson as Ramón * Leander De Cordova as Governor Felipe * Edmund Cobb as Manuel González * John Merton as Comandante Manuel * C. Montague Shaw as Chief Justice Pablo/Don Del Oro *
Budd Buster Budd Leland Buster (June 14, 1891 – December 22, 1965), was an American actor known for B western films. He was sometimes credited as Bud Buster, and as George Selk in his later work. Early life Buster was born either Budd Leland Buster or ...
as Juan * Carleton Young as
Benito Juárez Benito Pablo Juárez García (; 21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Mexican politician, military commander, and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. A Zapotec peoples, Zapotec, he w ...
*
Bud Geary Bud Geary (born Sigsbee Maine Geary;Freese, Gene Scott (2014). Hollywood Stunt Performers, 1910s—1970s: A Biographical Dictionary'. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 103. ."California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994", Famil ...
as Don Del Oro (body and voice)


Production

''Zorro's Fighting Legion'' was budgeted at $137,826, although the final negative cost was $144,419 (a $6,593, or 4.8%, overspend). It was filmed between 15 September and 14 October 1939 under the
working title A working title is a preliminary name for a product or project. The usage is especially common in film and TV, gaming, music and publishing. It is often styled in trade publications as (wt) and is synonymous with production title and tentative ...
''Return of Zorro''. The serial's production number was 898. This film was shot in
Simi Hills The Simi Hills are a low rocky mountain range of the Transverse Ranges in eastern Ventura County, California, Ventura County and western Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, of Southern California, United States. The range runs ma ...
and
Chatsworth, Los Angeles Chatsworth is a suburban neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, in the San Fernando Valley. The area around the town was home to Native Americans, who left caves containing rock art. Chatsworth was explored and colonized by the Spanish Empire ...
.


Stunts

*
Dale Van Sickel Dale Harris Van Sickel (November 29, 1907 – January 25, 1977) was an American college football, basketball and baseball player during the 1920s, who later became a Hollywood motion picture actor and stunt performer for over forty years. Van ...
doubling Reed Hadley * Yakima Canutt *James Fawcett * Ted Mapes * Ken Terrell


Release


Theatrical

''Zorro's Fighting Legion''s official release date is 16 December 1939, although this is actually the date the sixth chapter was made available to film exchanges. The serial was re-released on 24 March 1958, making it the last serial released by Republic, which re-released serials for several years following the release of their final serial '' King of the Carnival'' in 1955.


Television

In the early 1950s, ''Zorro's Fighting Legion'' was one of fourteen Republic serials edited into a television series. It was broadcast in six 26½-minute episodes.


Chapter titles

209 minutes = 3h, 28m, 58s #The Golden God ''(27 min 21s)'' #The Flaming "Z" ''(16 min 37s)'' #Descending Doom ''(16 min 40s)'' #The Bridge of Peril ''(16 min 42s)'' #The Decoy ''(16 min 38s)'' #Zorro to the Rescue ''(16 min 37s)'' #The Fugitive ''(16 min 23s)'' #Flowing Death ''(16 min 23s)'' #The Golden Arrow ''(16 min 36s)'' – Re-Cap Chapter #Mystery Wagon ''(16 min 37s)'' #Face to Face ''(16 min 20s)'' #Unmasked ''(16 min 34s)'' Source:


Differences from the Zorro canon

The story takes a few liberties with
Zorro Zorro ( or , Spanish for "fox") is a fictional character created in 1919 by American Pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo de Los Ángeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed as a dashin ...
's official timeline: it takes place in Mexico instead of Alta California; Zorro wears a masquerade mask, rather than the traditional bandana; the characters Don Alejandro Vega (Don Diego's father) and Bernardo are absent; and Zorro's horse, Tornado, was changed to white (much like Kaiketsu Zorro). However, this story is presented as a further adventure of Zorro, a sequel to the traditional "Mark of Zorro" origin story originally starring
Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor and filmmaker best known for being the first actor to play the masked Vigilante Zorro and other swashbuckler film, swashbu ...
and
Noah Beery Sr. Noah Nicholas Beery (January 17, 1882 – April 1, 1946) was an American actor who appeared in films from 1913 until his death in 1946. He was the older brother of Academy Award-winning actor Wallace Beery as well as the father of characte ...
, which would be remade the year after ''Zorro's Fighting Legion'' with
Tyrone Power Tyrone Edmund Power III (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include ''Jesse James (193 ...
and Basil Rathbone: Don Diego is said to be visiting from Los Angeles, and the serial intentionally did not remake the Zorro story; instead, it shows Zorro visiting Mexico because his help is needed there. The people of Mexico immediately recognize Zorro when he first appears, strongly suggesting that Zorro is a well-known hero. The date given for the movie is 1824, which in and of itself establishes that it takes place well after Zorro's California adventures: Zorro opposed a corrupt Spanish Colonial government in his canon tales, and California ceased being a Spanish Colony in 1821.


References


External links

*
Stomp Tokyo Review of ''Zorro's Fighting Legion''Serial Pictorial Number Six: ''Zorro's Fighting Legion''


Download or view online


Complete serial at The Internet Archive
* * * * * * * * * * * *

{{Authority control 1939 films 1939 Western (genre) films American Western (genre) films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films Films directed by William Witney Films directed by John English Republic Pictures film serials Zorro films Films set in Mexico Articles containing video clips Films based on works by Johnston McCulley 1930s American films English-language Western (genre) films