Raiders of Old California (1957)

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.

Director:

Albert C. Gannaway

Writers:

Samuel Roeca (as Sam Roeca), Tom Hubbard (as Thomas G. Hubbard)

Stars:

Jim Davis, Arleen Whelan, Faron Young

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

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.

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Plot Keywords:

mexican american war | opening action scene | horse chase | horse | cowboy and outlaw | 

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Taglines:

They Plundered for Power Across a Fabulous Empire!

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Genres:

Drama | History | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 November 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Gun and the Gavel

Filming Locations:

Kanab, Utah, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Albert C. Gannaway Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

72 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Glen Glenn Sound)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Although called "Raiders of Old California", it was set in the Texas/New Mexico area.

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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.

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Connections

Edited into Six Gun Theater: Raiders of Old California (2015)

User Reviews

I guess the film makers just didn't care...

As a history teacher, this sort of western irritates the life out of me. While it's supposed to be set just after the Mexican War (which ended in the late 1840s), nothing about the film looks right—nothing. The guns are all repeating cartridge pistols circa 1870s-1880s, the cavalry uniforms from the 1860s and the whole look of the film is just another late 1800s film. So why, then, did they bother setting the film in this much earlier era if they just didn't care what they slapped on the screen? I guess they just wanted to churn out anything—hoping the public just would watch it anyways.

The film involves a very common theme to westerns—the baddies who are trying to grab up all the land and force the good people off their own property. In this case, an evil American is trying to force Mexicans off their land now that it's become a US territory. Unfortunately, it's all very familiar, the acting is unspectacular (at best) and the production just looks cheap and slapped together. My feeling is that since there were at least 13923035440509 other westerns made during this era, why not try watching one of the others first? After all, it's most likely a lot more interesting and better produced than this cheapie. And, perhaps my score of 3 is a bit generous.