Zorro Rides Again
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| Zorro Rides Again | |
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| Directed by | William Witney John English |
| Produced by | Sol C. Siegel |
| Written by | Franklin Adreon Morgan Cox Ronald Davidson John Rathmell Barry Shipman Johnston McCulley (original Zorro novel) |
| Starring | John Carroll Helen Christian Reed Howes Duncan Renaldo Noah Beery Richard Alexander |
| Music by | Alberto Colombo Walter Hirsch Eddie Cherkose (aka Eddie Maxwell) Lou Handman |
| Cinematography | William Nobles |
| Editing by | Helene Turner Edward Todd |
| Distributed by | Republic Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 20 November 1937 (serial) 22 September 1938 (film) 1950s (TV) 16 January 1959 (film) |
| Running time | 12 chapters (212 min) |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $98,110 (negative cost: $110,753) |
| Followed by | Zorro's Fighting Legion (1939) |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Zorro Rides Again (1937) is a 12-chapter Republic Movie serial. It was the eighth of the sixty-six Republic serials, the third with a western theme (a third of Republic's serials were westerns) and the last produced in 1937. The serial was directed by William Witney & John English and starred John Carroll as a modern descendant of the original Zorro. The plot is a fairly standard western storyline about a villain attempting to illicitly take valuable land (in this case a new railroad). The setting is a hybrid of modern (1930s) and western elements that was used occasionally in B-Westerns (such as the western feature films also produced by Republic).
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[edit] Plot
In contemporary (for the 1937 production) California, villain J. A. Marsden aims to take over the California-Yucatan Railroad with the aid of his henchman El Lobo. The rightful owners, Joyce and Phillip Andrews, naturally object. Their parter, Don Manuel Vega summons his nephew, James Vega, to help them as he is the great grandson of the original Zorro, Don Diego de la Vega. He is disappointed, however, to find that his nephew is a useless fop (presumably Don Manuel had not paid too much attention to his family history).
Nevertheless, James Vega installs himself in the original Zorro's hideout and adopts the Zorro identity to defeat Marsden and El Lobo.
[edit] Cast
| James Vega / Zorro | John Carroll |
| Joyce Andrews | Helen Christian |
| Phillip Andrews | Reed Howes |
| Renaldo | Duncan Renaldo |
| J. A. Marsden | Noah Beery |
| Brad "El Lobo" Dace | Richard Alexander |
| Don Manuel Vega | Nigel De Brulier |
| Trelliger | Robert Kortman |
| Carter | Jack Ingram |
| Manning | Roger Williams |
| Larkin | Edmund Cobb |
| Carmelita | Mona Rico |
| O'Shea | Tom London |
| O'Brien | Harry Strang |
| Duncan | Jerry Frank |
[edit] Production
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2008) |
Zorro Rides Again was filmed between 8 September and 5 October 1937 under the working title Mysterious Don Miguel. The sixth chapter was released to film exchanges on 20 November 1937 (recorded as the release date for the serial). The serial was re-edited into a 68-minute movie version which was released 22 September 1938 and re-released 16 January 1959. Additionally, the serial was re-edited into a television series of six 26½-minute episodes in the early 1950s.
The serial was budgetted for $98,110 but went over-budget. The final negative cost was $110,753, going over budget by $12,643 (12.9%). If it had remained on budget it would have been the cheapest Republic serial produced that year (and third cheapest since Republic began making serials) but as it was The Painted Stallion (the other western serial of 1937) was made for less at $109,164.
[edit] Chapter titles
- Death from the Sky (29 min 41s)
- The Fatal Minute (18 min 1s)
- Juggernaut (16 min 18s)
- Unmasked (16 min 19s)
- Sky Pirate (16 min 54s)
- The Fatal Shot (16 min 32s)
- Burning Embers (15 min 30s)
- Plunge of Peril (17 min 10s)
- Tunnel of Terror (17 min 07s)
- Trapped (17 min 23s)
- Right of Way (15 min 47s)
- Retribution (15 min 47s)
[edit] Clffhangers
- Death from the Sky: Zorro, Joyce and Philip, aboard a train, are bombed from the air by El Lobo.
- The Fatal Minute: Knocked unconscious in a warehouse, Zorro is caught in the detonation of a hidden bomb.
- Juggernaut: Zorro's foot is caught in the tracks of a railroad, helpless before an oncoming Express Train.
- Unmasked: Under cover of his heavies' guns, El Lobo reaches to remove Zorro's mask.
- Sky Pirate: Zorro's plane comes under fire as it taxies for takeoff.
- The Fatal Shot: Fighting Trelliger, Zorro falls to the courtyard. El Lobo pulls a gun on the prone vigilante.
- Burning Embers: Zorro is caught in a burning building when the floor gives way beneath him.
- Plunge of Peril: Attempting to escape on a funicualr railway, Zorro plummets down a cliff.
- Tunnel of Terror: Zorro is trapped atop the carriage of a train as it enters a tunnel - which explodes.
- Trapped: In a rooftop chase, Zorro loses his balance and falls from the skyscraper.
- Right of Way: Zorro, in a truck, is set for a collision with El Lobo, in a train.
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- This Zorro uses twin pistols as his main weapons of choice, rather than a more traditional sword or whip.
- Despite being the same character and actor, the secret identity of the title character is extended to Zorro appearing separately to James Vega in the opening credits.
[edit] See also
- Zorro - Article about the character
- Zorro's Fighting Legion (1939) - A Later Zorro Movie Serial
- Zorro's Black Whip (1944) - A Later Zorro Movie Serial
- Son of Zorro (1947) - A Later Zorro Movie Serial
- Ghost of Zorro (1949) - A Later Zorro Movie Serial
[edit] References
- Valley of the Cliffhangers Supplement; Mathis, Jack, 1995, ISBN 0-9632878-1-8
- Zorro Rides Again at the Internet Movie Database
[edit] External links
- Zorro Rides Again at the Internet Movie Database
- Zorro Rides Again at Todd Gault's Movie Serial Experience
| Preceded by S.O.S. Coast Guard (1937) |
Republic Serial Zorro Rides Again (1937) |
Succeeded by The Lone Ranger (1938) |
| Preceded by none |
Zorro Serial Zorro Rides Again (1937) |
Succeeded by Zorro's Fighting Legion (1939) |
| Preceded by none |
Witney-English Serial Zorro Rides Again (1937) |
Succeeded by The Lone Ranger (1938) |
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| Notable Books |
| The Curse of Capistrano | Zorro |
| Notable Films |
| Douglas Fairbanks: The Mark of Zorro | Don Q, Son of Zorro |
| Robert Livingston: The Bold Caballero |
| John Carroll: Zorro Rides Again |
| Reed Hadley: Zorro's Fighting Legion |
| Tyrone Power: The Mark of Zorro |
| Linda Stirling: Zorro's Black Whip |
| George Turner: Son of Zorro |
| Clayton Moore: Ghost of Zorro |
| Guy Williams: Zorro, the Avenger | The Sign of Zorro |
| Rodolfo de Anda: La Gran Aventura Del Zorro |
| Frank Langella: The Mark of Zorro |
| Alain Delon: Zorro |
| George Hamilton: Zorro, The Gay Blade |
| Anthony Hopkins / Antonio Banderas: The Mask of Zorro |
| Antonio Banderas: The Legend of Zorro |
| Television |
| Zorro | The New Adventures of Zorro | Zorro and Son | Zorro | Kaiketsu Zorro | The New Adventures of Zorro | Zorro: La Espada y la Rosa |Zorro: Generation Z |
| Notable Stage Productions |
| Zorro in Hell (2006) |Zorro (2008) |
