Zorro's Fighting Legion (1939)

The masked hero leads a fighting force to fight a villian who plots the conquest of The Republic of Mexico.

Directors:

John English, William Witney

Writers:

Ronald Davidson (original screenplay), Franklin Adreon (original screenplay)

Stars:

Reed Hadley, Sheila Darcy, William Corson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Reed Hadley	...	Don Diego Vega / Zorro
Sheila Darcy	...	Volita
William Corson	...	Ramon
Leander De Cordova	...	Governor Felipe
Edmund Cobb	...	Gonzalez
John Merton	...	Manuel [Ch. 1-9]
C. Montague Shaw	...	Pablo
Budd Buster	...	Juan
Carleton Young	...	Benito Juarez [ch 1-2, 12]
Guy D'Ennery	...	Don Francisco [Ch. 1]
Paul Marion	...	Kala [Ch. 10-12] (as Paul Marian)
Joe Molina	...	Tarmac
James Pierce	...	Moreno (as Jim Pierce)
Helen Mitchel	...	Doña Maria
Curley Dresden	...	Tomás

Storyline

It'a 1824 and Don Del Oro, a man completely hidden in a suit of armor, plans to become emperor of Mexico. Don Diego arrives and as the masked Zorro takes up the fight. He organizes the Legionnaires to fight Del Oro's henchmen and the Yaqui Indians. CHAP. 1, GOLDEN GOD: An explosion sends a landslide down on Zorro. CHAP. 2, FLAMING Z: Zorro is trapped in a building as it explodes. CHAP. 3, DESCENDING DOOM: Zorro is trapped in an elevator shaft with the car plummeting down at him. CHAP. 4, BRIDGE OF PERIL: Zorro is on a narrow suspension bridge when the suport ropes are cut. CHAP. 5, DECOY: Zorro is on a wagon that explodes. CHAP. 6, ZORRO TO THE RESCUE: Zorro is locked in a dungeon cell with a moving wall that is about to crush him. CHAP. 7, FUGITIVE: Zorro falls beneath a runaway stagecoach. CHAP. 8, FLOWING DEATH: Zorro is in a mine shaft when an avalanche of water is released. CHAP 9, GOLDEN ARROW: A man at close range shoots an arrow at the unsuspecting Don Diego. CHAP. 10, MYSTERY...

---

Plot Keywords:

swordsman | masked hero | gold bullion | dual identity | b movie | 

---

Taglines:

WHIPS CRACK! SWORDS FLASH! BULLETS FLY! (original print ad-all caps)

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | History | Western

---

Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

CHAPTER TITLES: 1. The Golden God; 2. The Flaming "Z"; 3. Descending Doom; 4. The Bridge of Peril; 5. The Decoy; 6. Zorro to the Rescue; 7. The Fugitive; 8. Flowing Death; 9. The Golden Arrow; 10. Mystery Wagon; 11. Face to Face; 12. Unmasked.

---

Goofs

Arrows shot make a cartoon twang sound.

---

Quotes

Don Diego Vega: What Diego can't do, Zorro can!

---

Connections

Edited into Matinee Movie Serials: Zorro to the Rescue (2018)

---

Soundtracks

We Ride!
Music by William Lava
Lyrics by Eddie Cherkose
Sung by Zorro's Legionaires over the credits and throughtout the serial.

User Reviews

Good Stuff

Along with "King of the Rocket Men", this was still being repeated on BBC TV in the early to mid eighties. If I was loading up a time capsule of this period both these series would definitely go in.

Someone watching it for the first time will think it is silly but this is one of the best examples of the "Serials". Don Del Oro will make you laugh (When I was little my nickname for him was Mr Dustbin head) and it was funny upon being shot at he says "Your bullets can't harm me" then he stumbles back, seemingly less than happy. I also like the way he dispenses with Sebastian in the first episode.

I watched this again because I had good memories of it from years back, there are some good stunts and good music, it has the ingredients you expect including water,rockfalls,runaway carts... Apart from the first episode(with Ralph Faulkner)the swordplay wasn't nearly as good as I remembered it, and yes it features the inevitable "flashback" episode! It gets 8 out of 10 because it still suffers from slow pace, padding and the other tricks. If you are interested in these serials I recommend the book by William Witney, "In a Door, Into a Fight, Out a Door, Into a Chase" although there is only a small entry about this series in it.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 December 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

Return of Zorro

Filming Locations:

Burro Flats, Simi Hills, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

212 min (12 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA High Fidelity Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1