At the end of the Mexican-American War, a crooked U.S. Cavalry Captain and his men force a captive Mexican officer to sign the deeds to his vast lands and large hacienda over to the Captain.
The star of Straight Outta Compton and Just Mercy draws on his film school past to crown the greatest in art and entertainment.
Along with Tom Hanks' performance as Fred Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, we've rounded up some of the best biopic look-alikes.
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: Raiders of Old California (1957)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Learn more
More Like This
The Lone Gun
(1954)
Romance
|
Western
Director:
Ray Nazarro
Stars:
George Montgomery,
Dorothy Malone,
Frank Faylen
Last Stagecoach West
(1957)
Western
Director:
Joseph Kane
Stars:
Jim Davis,
Mary Castle,
Victor Jory
High Noon
(1952)
Drama
|
Thriller
|
Western
Director:
Fred Zinnemann
Stars:
Gary Cooper,
Grace Kelly,
Thomas Mitchell
Flesh and the Spur
(1956)
Action
|
Adventure
|
Western
Director:
Edward L. Cahn
Stars:
John Agar,
Marla English,
Mike Connors
One-Eyed Jacks
(1961)
Drama
|
Western
Director:
Marlon Brando
Stars:
Marlon Brando,
Karl Malden,
Pina Pellicer
Posse from Hell
(1961)
Western
Director:
Herbert Coleman
Stars:
Audie Murphy,
John Saxon,
Zohra Lampert
Winds of the Wasteland
(1936)
Certificate: Passed
Comedy
|
Romance
|
Western
Director:
Mack V. Wright
Stars:
John Wayne,
Phyllis Fraser,
Lew Kelly
King of the Pecos
(1936)
Western
Director:
Joseph Kane
Stars:
John Wayne,
Muriel Evans,
Cy Kendall
El Paso
(1949)
Western
Director:
Lewis R. Foster
Stars:
John Payne,
Gail Russell,
Sterling Hayden
The Quiet Gun
(1957)
Western
Director:
William F. Claxton
Stars:
Forrest Tucker,
Mara Corday,
Jim Davis
Raiders of San Joaquin
(1943)
Action
|
Adventure
|
Music
Director:
Lewis D. Collins
Stars:
Johnny Mack Brown,
Tex Ritter,
Fuzzy Knight
Joe Dakota
(1957)
Certificate: Passed
Action
|
Adventure
|
Drama
Director:
Richard Bartlett
Stars:
Jock Mahoney,
Luana Patten,
Charles McGraw
Edit
Cast
| Cast overview: | |||
| Jim Davis | ... | Capt. Angus Clyde McKane | |
| Arleen Whelan | ... | Julie Johnson | |
| Faron Young | ... | Marshal Faron Young | |
| Marty Robbins | ... | Cpl. Timothy Boyle | |
| Lee Van Cleef | ... | Sgt. Damon Pardee | |
| Louis Jean Heydt | ... | Judge Ward Young | |
| Harry Lauter | ... | Lt. Scott Johnson | |
| Douglas Fowley | ... | Sheriff | |
| Lawrence Dobkin | ... | Don Miguel Sebastian (as Larry Dobkin) | |
| Bill Coontz | ... | Turk | |
| Don Diamond | ... | Pepe | |
| Rick Vallin | ... | Burt (as Ric Vallon) | |
 |
Tom Hubbard | ... | Emmet |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (34) »
Storyline
Following the Mexican-American War, a small group of discharged U. S. Cavalrymen, led by Angus McKane (Jim Davis), stays on in California after the war and, through treachery, seizes a Spanish land grant, thereby gaining control of a vast area of what became the states of Arizona and California. Written by Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>
Plot Keywords:
mexican american war | opening action scene | horse chase | horse | cowboy and outlaw |Taglines:
They Plundered for Power Across a Fabulous Empire!Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
Edit
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
1 November 1957 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Gun and the Gavel See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Glen Glenn Sound)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
See more »
Did You Know?
Goofs
Although called "Raiders of Old California", it was set in the Texas/New Mexico area. See more »Quotes
Don Miguel Sebastian: No my child. The land belongs to the people who live on it. And with your help, this time we will make it legal.See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.On IMDb TV, you can catch Hollywood hits and popular TV series at no cost. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free!
Never having heard of producer-director Albert C. Gannaway, I wasn't sure what to expect, even though I am a long-time fan of Jim Davis.
In addition, I had never seen Faron Young in a movie, either, and again had no idea what to expect.
Faron Young, whom I remember from my childhood as a singer, turns out to be one good action hero, an excellent cowboy movie star.
Director Gannaway was an absolute master of camera placement.
So I was not only surprised, I was exceedingly pleased by what I saw in "Raiders of Old California."
The script has some flaws. I never heard of Comanches in California, but except for the title, California doesn't seem to have anything to do with this. It seems, except for the title, to be in Texas and maybe Arizona. "Seems" because of a discussion about the boundaries of the land in question.
But the story moves otherwise beautifully, with superb action, highly professional stunts, and plenty of them, and, again, lots of action, with Faron Young playing his part as if he had made a hundred movies.
Harry Lauter gets one of his best roles, and plays it perfectly. He was an actor! And deserved more and bigger roles.
Jim Davis has never been more evil. Another truly great actor.
Douglas Fowley gives what must be his most unusual performance, as a crusty desert-rat kind of sheriff. Another truly great actor, he more often played a villain, and usually a city slicker, but his characterization here is just eye-popping.
Lee Van Cleef also gives an excellent performance as a nasty character, and his eventual switch to hero roles was gratifying to his fans, and impressive to his audience. He was paid, according to reports, with satchels and briefcases full of money to make a series of Italian westerns, and he earned every penny.
Everything -- except for the occasional script and/or title flaw -- about "Raiders" is excellent. For a very little known western, it is more than excellent, and I highly recommend you give it a look. There is a first-quality print available at YouTube, where I saw it. I hope you like and admire it as much as I do.