Customer Reviews

Zorro's Black Whip [VHS]

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is among the best of the western serials. It doesn't really follow the Zorro tradition either storywise or in geographical setting. But it has some of the best western serial action you'll find. As far as having a female Zorro type character, why not? Hey, Linda does quite well for herself as a dashing heroine. And the minor characters, such as the newspaper editor, add much to the fun. This is for enjoyment and not for nitpicking.

Idaho ~ 1889. While the honest citizens stop growing spuds long enough to foster statehood, dastardly elements in the community try to frustrate the process for their own greedy reasons. Into this conflict rides the Black Whip and saves the day, repeatedly. Let's set the record straight. This 12-chapter serial is guilty of a misnomer. The Black Whip is a mysterious masked rider, but not Zorro. After all, what would Zorro, the hero of Old California, be doing in Idaho territory in 1889? Anyway, Western adventure fans will enjoy the hard-riding, slam-bang action sequences of this breathless serial. The legendary Yakima Canutt is the second unit director, which explains the great stunt work. Typical of all serials, the threadbare plot is merely an excuse for the fast-paced action. George Lewis later played Guy Williams' father in Disney's '50s version of the Zorro legend. Nobody could make Grade B Westerns like Republic Pictures. This may be the only Western set in Idaho. Relax and enjoy the "to-be-continued" nonsense. ;-)

Not only does Zorro not get mentioned at all, why the silly title, as the story has nothing to do with him. The central character is a masked female avenger played by the very capable Linda Sterling. The title should be "The Black Whip", as this is what the heroine is known. Another disappointment is that the episode cliff-hangers are weak and the serial also lacks the atmosphere and pulse-pounding soundtrack music of the Republic Classic Serials such as, Zorro's Fighting Legion, Spy Smasher, Nyoka and the Tigermen, just to name a few. The redeeming factors here are the action sequences that are well handled and there are plenty of fisticuffs, good stunt work coupled with some rough riding from our heroine. The story-line is good, and has all the ingredients of a good action packed western.

A great "movie" for 1944! Lots of action, good plot, a beautiful Zorro babe. Too bad she didn't make more Zorro films. Would have enjoyed getting intoher hot little outfit. We need a modern-day female Zorro. If you enjoy westerns, action-packed movies, good guys v. bad guys, or exciting women, you will like this "movie"!

Lovely Linda Stirling, fresh from her starring role in Republic's "Tiger Woman" serial, got to play another athletic female. As noted in other reviews, this serial has nothing to do with Zorro, except mentioning the name in the title and the similarity of outfits for the masked rider. It's a traditional western with a masked hero known as the Black Whip, who is fatally wounded (!) in the first chapter, limps back to his secret cave, and dies -- only to have his sister take over his mission, combating outlaws who are trying to run the territory and keep out statehood. The undercover operative hero is competently played by George Lewis, usually seen as a bad guy (although he was Zorro's sidekick in the future Republic serial, "Ghost of Zorro," and Zorro's father in the Disney TV series). He and Linda Stirling make a terrific team. In the last scene of the first chapter, they save each other's lives about three times in a two-minute wagon chase sequence.

VCI Entertainment and Republic Pictures present three outstanding serials with 36 Chapters starting with "Zorro Rides Again" (1937)..."Zorro's Fighting Legion" (1939) and "Zorro's Black Whip" (1944) (Dolby digitally remastered), exciting Chapters of vintage serials loaded with thrilling drama and high adventure sequences....there is a great deal of entertainment here for the cliffhanger fans out there... It has more of everything with lots of action, hard riding chases and plenty of shootouts...Republic Pictures stuntman assistant director Yakima Canutt and his department of stunt people Tom Steele, Dale Van Sickel, Babe DeFreest, Helen Thurston, James Fawcett, Ted Mapes, Ken Terrell make every scene and episode a cliffhanger...each episode gets closer to the climatic ending, watch this and relive those thrilling yesteryears of the Saturday Matinee.

First up with Disc One is "Zorro Rides Again" (1937)...12 Chapters under director's John English and William Witney, producer Sol C. Siegel, with screenplay by Franklin Adreon, Johnston McCulley, Morgan Cox, Barry Shipman...the cast include John Carroll (James Vega/Zorro), Helen Christian (Joyce Andrews), Reed Howes (Phillip Andrews), Duncan Renaldo (Renaldo), Noah Beery (J.A. Marsden), Richard Alexander (Brad 'El Lobo' Dace), Bob Kortman ( Trelliger - Henchman), Jack Ingram (Carter - Henchman), Edmund Cobb (Time-bomb - Henchman), Tom London (O'Shea), Lane Chandler (Malloy)...one of the best serials that Republic Pictures produced during the '30s...loaded with six gun action, railroad explosions and airplanes...a winning combination as this formula worked very well...the musical scores are wonderful and John Carroll is great as the Zorro of today... the rest of the cast gives their all especially Duncan Renaldo (Cisco Kid of the '50s TV series) playing an older servant of the Vega family, when he was the same age of our hero John Carroll...after watching this DVD there is no doubt that Republic Pictures was the King of Serials.

CHAPTER TITLES: (Disc One) (Zorro Rides Again)
1. Death from the Sky
2. The Fatal Minute
3. Juggernaut
4. Unmasked
5. Sky Pirate
6. The Fatal Shot
7. Burning Embers
8. Plunge of Peril
9. Tunnel of Terror
10.Trapped
11.Right of Way
12.Retribution

SPECIAL FEATURES: (Disc One)
VCI BIOS:
1. Reed Howes
2. Helen Christian
3. William Witney (Director)
4. John English (Director)
VCI SERIAL TRAILERS: (Disc One)
1. Zorro Rides Again (John Carroll)
2. Adventures of Red Ryder (Don "Red" Barry)

Disc Two and second the this triple bill is "Zorro's Fighting Legion" (1939), 12 episodes of the best of Zorro chapterplays with the great directing team of John English and William Witney, producer Hiram S. Brown Jr, screenplay by Franklin Adreon, Ronald Davidson, Morgan Cox, Barney A. Sarecky, Sol Shor...the cast include Reed Hadley (Don Diego Vega/Zorro), Sheila Darcy (Volita), William Corson (Ramon), Leander De Cordova (Gov. Felipe), Carleton Young (Benito Juarez), James Pierce (Moreno - Henchman), Guy D'Ennery (Don Francisco), John Merton (Commandante Manuel ), Charles King (Valdez - Henchman), Bud Geary (Dungeon thug), Reed Howes (Trooper), Clayton Moore (Fernando), Yakima Canutt (Trooper, also the ace stuntman coordinator of Republic)...the story line has our favorite legendary masked swordsman Zorro escaping a variety of deathtraps, including exploding barns, runaway elevators and avalanches...will Zorro thwart the evil leader Don Del Oro from taking over and ruling Mexico...who is this mystery villain that will keep us guessing until Chapter 12...awesome stuntwork, veteran villians and character actors abound...exciting screenplay with a catchy musical score that stays with you for days...don't pass this one up.

CHAPTER TITLES: (Disc Two) (Zorro's Fighting Legion)
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

BIOS: (Disc Two)
1. Reed Hadley
2. Sheila Darcy
3. John English (Director)
4. William Witney (Director)

VCI Promos: (Disc Two)
1. Stories of the Century (featuring Jim Davis - based on official newspaper files & records)
2. I Married Joan (Joan Davis & Jim Backus)
3. Terry & the Pirates (TV Series)
4. My Little Margie (Gale Storm as Margie & Charles Farrell as Vern)

Disc Three and the final feature of this triple bill is "Zorro's Black Whip" (1940), another great directorial team of Spencer Gordon Bennet and Wallace Grissell, producer Ronald Davidson, screenplay by Basil Dickey, Jesse Duffy, Johnston McCulley, Grant Nelson, Joseph F. Poland... the cast include Linda Stirling (Barbara Meredith - The Black Whip), George J. Lewis (Vic Gordon), Francis McDonald (Dan Hammond), Lucien Littlefield (Tenpoint Jackson), Wally Wales (aka Hal Taliaferro - is Baxter), John Merton (Ed Harris - Henchman), Tom London (Commissioner James Bradley), Jack Kirk (Marshal Wetherby), Jay Kirby (Randolph Meredith), Tom Steele (Ed - Henchman, also double for Wally Wales stuntman), Dale Van Sickel (Rock, also double for George J. Lewis), Helen Thurston (stunt double) and Babe DeFreest (double for Linda Stirling stunt woman)...the plot goes something like this will Idaho become a state of the union or can Hammond stop this with violence and bloodshed...after Randolph Meredith is killed will his sister Barbara take up "The Black Whip"...can government agent Vic Gordon shut down the efforts of Hammond and be of service to "The Black Whip"... a few behind the scenes info with leading the call for justice is serial queen Linda Stirling (Tiger Woman 1944), Mexican born George J. Lewis was picked for the male lead (who mainly play villians throughout his film and television career) and Francis MacDonald who appeared in numerous Hopalong Cassidy, Red Ryder and Rocky Lane films as an outlaw, sheriff, banker and Indian...in any Republic Serial it's always nice to have second unit direction by stunt-man extraordinaireYakima Canutt...this is the type of Saturday Matinee serials I ran to the local theater to see everyweek and came home with the neighborhood kids and played out "Zorro's Black Whip" the rest of the week...gotta love it!

CHAPTER TITLES: (Disc Three) (Zorro's Black Whip)
1. The Masked Avenger
2. Tomb of Terror
3. Mob Murder
4. Detour to Death
5. Take Off That Mask!
6. Fatal Gold
7. Wolf Pack
8. The Invisible Victim
9. Avalanche
10.Fangs of Doom
11.Flaming Juggernaut
12.Trail of Tyranny

BIOS: (Disc Three)
1. Linda Stirling
2. George J. Lewis
3. Spencer Gordon Bennet (Director)
4. Wallace Grissell (Director)

VCI CliffHanger Promo: (Disc Three)
1. Zorro's Black Whip (Linda Stirling & George J. Lewis) (Previews & Coming Attractions)
2. S.O.S. Coast Guard (Ralph Byrd as Lieut. Terry Kent, Bela Lugosi as Boroff and Richard Alexander as Thorg)

Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more of the same from the '40s vintage serial days...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment, stay tuned once again with a top notch serial from VCI...just the way we like 'em!

Total Time: 603 mins on 3 DVD's ~ VCI Entertainment 8342 ~ (12/16/2003)

This is a fun serial that takes place in Idaho before it becomes a state. It is packed with action and an entertaining plot. Serials are done in such a way so that each chapter has a suspenseful ending, which in the next chapter turns out differently than the way one is led to believe. This one is especially good as it features Linda Stirling as the "Black Whip" who takes over the masked riding after her brother, who initially donned the mask, dies of a gunshot wound. She rides in disguise and brings law and order to a Wild West setting, helping Idaho vote for statehood. It is fun and clean and entertaining. It doesn't get much better than this!

Just be aware that this has absolutely nothing to do with the Zorro character. Not only is Zorro not present, he isn't even mentioned. They really should have called it "The Black Whip," but apparently they wanted the name recongition for the box office.

That said, it's a terrific Western. The Black Whip is a black-costumed vigilante who's talented with a whip and rides madly around saving people in the nick of time--more reminiscent of the Durango Kid than of Zorro. The Black Whip is a woman, no less, but no one realizes it. This is the only serial you'll ever see where the hero gets killed in the first chapter! He's immediately replaced by his sister, who seeks revenge.

While William Witney was away in the service during World War II, Spencer Bennet and Wallace Grissell did a good job of keeping up Republic's tradition of great fistfights and chases--hardly a piece of furniture is left standing after these fights. The cliffhangers are very good as well; I particularly liked the explosives thrown down into a tent, the pitchfork on an unconscious victim, and the creeping flames in the mine tunnel. I also like the way the villain got taken care of at the end.

The beautiful Linda Stirling (real name Loraine Schultz, 1921-1997) earned her title "Queen of the Serials" doing a whole bunch of them for Republic in the 1940's. George J. Lewis, who usually played villians, is a questionable choice for Linda's leading man--he's okay, but I could have thought of several who would have been better for the part of hero. Francis McDonald is an excellent villain, and the ever-present Hal Taliaferro is good as Baxter, one of his henchmen. Yakima Canutt is listed as second unit director, so you can bet he either did some of the stunts or at least set them up.

And by the way, can someone tell me how the bad guys can do hand-to-hand combat with the Black Whip and not realize there's a woman under that costume?

When ever I view this film from the year 1944 and 1945 that I saw in a little movie house called the Junior Theater in a little town called Webb City Missouri, needless to say when I was a little boy, for a while I become that little boy again. Thank you Amazon.com for having this film in your stock. I will buy more of these films from you. Signed..... A Little kid Again!

No matter what you may think of this Linda Sterling adventure serial, consider that:
1.) ECHO BRIDGE's reported time of 177 minutes is a full half-hour less than this 12 chapter cliffhanger originally ran.
2.) The company inserts an intermittent watermark at lower screen right.
3.) No sign of restoration on any of their antique film dubs, so quality is solely dependent on source material.

Caveat emptor.