Zorro's Black Whip (1944)

Hammond, owner of the town's stagecoach line and a leading citizen, is opposed to Idaho becoming a state, and kills Randolph Meredith, owner of the town's newspaper, for endorsing it. ... See full summary »

Directors:

Spencer Gordon Bennet, Wallace Grissell

Writers:

Basil Dickey (screenplay), Jesse Duffy (screenplay),

Stars:

George J. Lewis, Linda Stirling, Lucien Littlefield

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George J. Lewis	...	Vic Gordon
Linda Stirling	...	Barbara Meredith (The Black Whip)
Lucien Littlefield	...	'Tenpoint' Jackson
Francis McDonald	...	Dan Hammond
Hal Taliaferro	...	Henchman Baxter
John Merton	...	Henchman Ed Harris
John Hamilton	...	Mr. Walsh (Banker) [Chs.1-3,10-12]
Tom Chatterton	...	Crescent City Councilman
Tom London	...	Commissioner James Bradley [Ch.1]
Jack Kirk	...	Marshal Wetherby
Jay Kirby	...	Randolph Meredith [Ch.1]
Si Jenks	...	Zeke Hayden [Chs. 6-7]
Stanley Price	...	Hedges, Hammond's Clerk-Henchman
Tom Steele	...	Henchman Ed [Chs. 1, 9, 12] / Rancher [Ch. 7]
Duke Green	...	Trail Heavy Evans [Chs. 1-2, 8] / Ranchhouse Heavy Brown [Ch. 9]

Storyline

Hammond, owner of the town's stagecoach line and a leading citizen, is opposed to Idaho becoming a state, and kills Randolph Meredith, owner of the town's newspaper, for endorsing it. Meredith's sister Barbara, expert with a bullwhip and pistol, dons a black costume and mask and becomes "The Black Whip", dealing a blow to Hammond and his gang each time they perform some heinous act in their efforts to keep the town, and their power over it, unchanged. Aided by government agent Vic Gordon, Barbara confronts Hammond in a final showdown just as the town votes on whether or not to accept statehood.

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Plot Keywords:

pistol | showdown | mask | whip | idaho | 

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Taglines:

MASK OF MYSTERY! Who is this daring figure who conquers villainy and evil with the crack of a blazing black whip!

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 November 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Rächer mit der Maske

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

211 min 211 min (12 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Black Whip is actually a creation of the studio, not Johnston McCulley.

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Quotes

Dan Hammond: Looting, arson, murder - it's going on all over this territory. Immigrants crossing our borders are being attacked and slaughtered. My stages are beind held up almost every run. No man's life or property is safe and not a hand is being raised to put a stop to it!
Randolph Meredith [Ch.1]: It can't be stopped - as long as we have no organized law enforcement in this territory. That's why my paper has been hammering on the benefit that statehood would bring us.
Marshal Wetherby: Well, that's our answer. I'm marshal here, but my authority ...

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Connections

Featured in The American Experience: Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst (2004)

User Reviews

A typical serial

This is exactly the sort of Saturday matinee serial I loved during World War II. I was under ten years of age. And that's the audience this serial is designed for. Looking at it now, one must roar at its ineptitude and stupidity. The budget must have been next to nothing, given the shortcuts and repeats. The acting? Well, this is Republic pictures, 1944. They read the lines....and no doubt had one take to make them convincing.

One and half stars.