The Desperate Mission (TV 1969)

A man who has lost everything joins others paid to convey a wealthy man's wife - and a mysterious treasure - to safety in San Francissco.

Director:

Earl Bellamy

Writers:

Richard Collins, Jack Guss

Stars:

Ricardo Montalban, Slim Pickens, Roosevelt Grier

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ricardo Montalban	...	Joaquin Murieta
Slim Pickens	...	Three-Finger Jack
Roosevelt Grier	...	Morgan
Jim McMullan	...	Arkansaw
Earl Holliman	...	Shad Clay
Ina Balin	...	Otilia Ruiz
Robert J. Wilke	...	Gant
Miriam Colon	...	Claudina, Otilia's Servant
Anthony Caruso	...	Don Miguel Ruiz
Eddra Gale	...	Delores the Bartender
Armando Silvestre	...	Diego Campos, Don Miguel's Man
José Chávez	...	First Monk
Ben Archibek	...	Frankie Gant
Pancho Córdova	...	Father Augustine (as Francisco de Córdova)
Charles Horvath	...	Yuma

Storyline

19th Century figure Joaquin Murietta is a formerly wealthy and respected California landowner. However, he has lost his land, his wife, and everything else he held dear. Embittered and questioning his previous faith in God and man, he joins a disparate group of men hired to convey a wealthy man's wife away from the bandit-ridden countryside to safety in San Francisco. Murietta discovers that the convoy is also carrying a treasure of great material and religious value. He finds himself challenged to decide what he believes, and what he should do, in the face of threats to himself, to the convoy, and to the people of southern California.

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Plot Keywords:

california | lasso | horse | betrayal by friend | long hair | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Western

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 December 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

Joaquin Murietta

Filming Locations:

Durango, Mexico

Company Credits

Production Co:

20th Century Fox Television, Montalban Enterprises Production, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed in 1969, not broadcast until 1971.

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Goofs

During the showdown between Murietta and Clay in the wide shots the sky is dark blue but in the closeup of Murrietta the sky behind him is pitch black.

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Quotes

Claudina, Otilia's Servant: Why are only the poor so devoted to God?
Otilia Ruiz: Someone had to pay attention to God. The rich are too busy.

User Reviews

Okay TV Movie

Wealthy Spaniard Ricardo Montalban loses his land and roams the west, joining up with redneck Earl Holliman's band of mercenaries, including Slim Pickens and Rosey Grier. They're hired by a Mexican landowner to escort his wife to San Francisco, a mission that masks an ulterior motive.

This has pretty good production values for a late-sixties/early-seventies made-for-television movie. It's fairly decent too, but a lack of action and focus in the first hour keeps it from being as good as it could have been. Basically, it's a TV show that looks like a feature film.

Still, it's worth watching for the great performances and characterizations. The charismatic Montalban is perfectly cast as a wise, cultured hero. He and the likable, but shifty Holliman contrast nicely and play well together, for a while at least.