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Post by Zone Fighter on Oct 6, 2004 12:25:19 GMT -8
Zorro Rides Again (1937)
This 12 episode movie serial could have been titled "The Fox vs The Wolf" as the new Zorro takes on a gang of raiders led by a man calling himself "El Lobo". The story is supposed to take place in Mexico but of course most of the cast is not Mexican. It's a more modern Zorro. There are trains, automobiles and airplanes. There are telephones and El Lobo communicates with his employeer, J.A. Marsden, by radio. The new Zorro is armed with a whip and a pair of revolvers.
John Carroll - James Vega/Zorro Helen Christian - Joyce Andrews Reed Howes - Phillip Andrews Duncan Renaldo - Renaldo Noah Beery - J.A. Marsden Richard Alexander - El Lobo Nigel De Brulier - Don Manuel Vega [chapter 1 only]
You have to pretend the silly premise for this serial makes sense in order to enjoy it.
California-Yucatan Railroad, being built for the good of the people of Mexico, is being plaqued by raides from a gang led by a man calling himself El Lobo. Don Manuel Vega, co-owner of the railroad, sends for his nephew James Vega, the great great grandson of Zorro. When Zorro shows up, just in time to stop El Lobo from killing Don Manuel Vega, Joyce Andrews, Phillip Andrews and Renaldo nobody has any idea who the man behind the mask could be. When James Vega shows up, playing the fool, everyone but Renaldo who's assisting him, is taken in by it. When James is asked to ride a horse decended from his great grand father's horse he of course falls off. The horse runs away, but next time Zorro appears he is riding the horse.
Many people die in the fist episode including one small boy. It's the death of the boy and his father which prompts Don Manuel Vega to send for James. When Don Manuel is shot he asks to see Zorro's face before he dies. Phillip and Joyce Andrews turn their heads so Zorro can keep his identity a secret. Immediately upon seeing his nephew's face Don Manuel dies. Zorro then goes on a rampage killing several of El Lobo's men in revenge for his uncle's death.
The first episode (Danger From The Sky) ends with El Lobo in a small airplane trying to bomb the train carrying the railroad payroll. Of course all the railroad management, including James Vega disguised as Zorro, are on board.
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Post by Zone Fighter on Oct 6, 2004 13:16:46 GMT -8
James Vega speaks perfect English but as Zorro he has a slight accent and occasionally uses Spanish words such as addressing Joyce Andrews as "senorita". That's a nice touch.
Chapter 2 A Fatal Minute Zorro uses a rifle to shot down El Lob's plane. El Lobo and pilot make an emergency landing.
The gang plants a bomb to destroy the railroad's supplies. Zorro forces the man who planted the bomb to show him where it is but the crook hits Zorro over the head knocking him out. The bad guy flees the supply room just before the bomb goes off.
Chapter 3 Juggernaut Zorro wakes up and jumps into the supply room's basement just before the bomb explodes, taking out the main floor.
Next day James Vega goes to see banker Marsden, pretending that he may be able to convince his partners to sell the railroad if he has an offer in writting. James then erases all of the letter except for Marsden's signature. He types an order to send new supplies to the railroad, charged to Marsden's account. James also buys a radio so Zorro can listen in on the gangs plans.
El Lobo switches the track the train carrying the new supplies is on, so that it will crash. Zorro shows up and the two men fight over control of the switch. El Lobo knocks Zorro down then uses the switch to closes the track on Zorro's foot. As the train heads for him Zorro frantically waves at it trying to get it to stop.
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Oct 6, 2004 13:49:44 GMT -8
i have this one, so it's nice to read your reviews. i'll have to watch it soon!
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Cory
Ultran
Posts: 52
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Post by Cory on Oct 7, 2004 16:26:11 GMT -8
Interesting... I was thinking the other day about Zorro in a Steampunk sort of setting, but I can settle for planes, trains and so on.
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Post by Zone Fighter on Oct 9, 2004 19:26:12 GMT -8
chapter 4 Unmasked
Zorro uses his whip to pull the switch, saving himself and the train.
El Lobo has the railroad office phone tapped. Having overheard an arangment to pick up the deeds to land the railraod is purchasing El Lobo disguises himself as Zorro and tells the land owner he's come to pick up the papers for the railroad. But the land owners employee realises that this Zorro came in on the wrong horse and signals to the landowner to look out the window. When the landowner lets the fake Zorro know he sees through his disguise El Lobo shots him but the man's friend rushes into the room, snatches the papers and rides away.
Zorro rescues the man with the deed from El Lobo's men. Vegas' partners discover the murder and phone for the police. Zorro arrives and hands the plans over a officer, but he's really one of El Lobo's men in diguse. El Lobo enters the room and holding a gun on Zorro reaches to remove Zorro's mask.
chapter 5 Sky Pirates
As El Lobo reach for Zorro's mask Renaldo enters the room gun in hand. Zorro draws his guns and leaves. The goodguys only have the drop on the bad guys for a very short time as more of the gang come in through another door. However, they have to turn and leave as the real police (rurales) are on the way.
El Lobo has to break his pilot, captured previously, out of jail so he can fly the deeds out of Mexico. James Vega disguses himself as one of El Lobo's men and breaks the pilot out himself, in order to be lead to the gang's hideout. He boards the plane and knocks out the pilot,, but not before the man shooted a warning. With the gang firing at the plane James attempts to take off but ditches the plane.
chapter 6 Fatal Shot
James Vega surived the ditching of the plane unharmed. He takes the deeds from the unconscious pilot and rides away on one of the gangs own horses.
El Lobo captures Philip and Joyce Andrews, minors stockholders in the railroad in order to trap Zorro whom he finally figured is always helping them. Philip and Joyce are revealed to be brother and sister (I wondered what their relationship was). El Lobo gives Joyce a note to take to Zorro. She protests that she doesn't know where to find him but Philip says if it gets her out of the gangs hands she should take it.
Not knowing what else to do Joyce takes the note to James Vega, who sends her on a wild goose chase looking for Zorro as he heads for the old fort where Philip is being held. Vega tells Renaldo to meet him there with a wagon and several cases of dynamite. He shows up with two. I thought several was more than two.
Zorro hiding under the wagon rides it as it rolls down hill towards the door of the fort, he drops off before the wagon hits the door and explodes. Instead of walking through the doorway, Zorro uses his whip to climb a wall. He knocks down the man in charge of a machine gun and turns the weapon on the gang. Philip is released and he rides away. But the man on the wall recovers, he and Zorro wrestle on the wall. They fall off together, still rolling around. As they roll so Zorro is on top, El Lobo raises his gun to shoot Zorro.
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Post by Zone Fighter on Oct 9, 2004 19:32:14 GMT -8
chapter 7 Burning Embers
Renaldo climbs the wall, using Zorro's still attached whip, and uses the machine gun to force El Lobo and his men to drop their guns, again. Zorro takes El Lobo into the gang's office. El Lobo's attemp to kill Zorro with a knife fails (you'll have to watch the episode, for what exactly happens). Zorro finds nothing in the office but on El Lobo's person he finds a letter from Marsden to Brad Dace, El Lobo's real name. Zorro takes the letter as the proof he's need to link Marsden to the gang. He and Renaldo ride away leaving the gang in the fort. A foolish thing to do but there are 5 episodes left after all.
Zorro rides into town, warnins the people that El Lobo's coming and gives the letter tp Joyce who locks it in a strong box and locks the box in a desk drawer. The towns people set up a barricade and are ready for the gang. I'd guess the fight was a draw with about the same number of townspeople ang gang members being killed.
The attack is just a diversion. El Lobo and two of his men enter the town from another direction and toss dynamite at the barricade. Zorro warns the men away. The explosions sends a piece of burning wood into the office where the letter is. Zorro enters the burning building to retreave the strong box. He tosses the strong box out the window but it spotted by El Lobo and his men. With his men covering him El Lobo sneaks towards the building. With the bad guys shooting at him Zorro can't get out the window. The floor colapses out from under him.
chapter 8 Plunge of Peril
Zorro clings onto a shelf mounted on the wall. Outside the gun fire has stopped. El Lobo breaks open the strong box and taking the letter rides off. Zorro is finally able to climb out the window. Zorro rides after the gang as Philip finally notices the office is on fire and calls for buckets of water.
Later, Marsden suggest to El Lobo that if the railroad is to cross the desert they will need water.El Lobo goes the the reservour and shuts off the water supply. Then he decides that it would be a good idea to upon the floodgates, flooding the entire vallely, but those wheels are locked. El Lobo beats up on the old man who refuses to tell where the keys are. The old man's grandson (?) tosses the key out the window. He should be a major league baseball player. They ket lands faraway in the bottom of the valley. El Lobo sends for a hacksaw.
Meanwhile at Casa Vega, James Vega is singing love songs. Apparently he was not listening in on the radio this time. Joyce Andrews chides him for sitting around sing while Philips is working to save the railroad. James, probably tired of playing the fool deepens his voice and sings the Song of Zorro. Which, Zorro sings. When asked how she likes that Joyce admits it was better than she expected (in fact it was the same singer who sings as Zorro) but that James isn't half the man Zorro is. I hope that when she finaly discovers who Zorro is she realises who stupid she's been.
A railroad worker phones in looking for Philip, reporting the loss of water. He gets James he pretends not to be concerned. As Zorro and Renaldo head to the reservoir El Lobo opens the flood gates. Zorro bursts into the control room, knocks down El Lobo and his man and turns off the flood gates. Zorro jumps on a railcar, riding down a steep slop. One of El Lobo's men grabs the control and sets it to high speed. The car crashes at the bottom.
chapter 9 Tunnel of Terror
Zorro rolled of the car before it excellerated and crashed.
Philip and Joyce are using a special train to travel from camp to camp checking flood damage. El Lobo's men have mined tunnel 13. Zorro makes it to the train, the rear car, and is walking across the top of the cars heading for the egineer to warn him when the train enters the tunnel. There's an explosion.
chapter 10 Trapped
The explosion only catches the tail end of the train, but Philip is hurt. Zorro takes his place working on the railroad.
El Lobo and his men enter Casa Vega and force Philip to sign over his share of the railroad by threatening to use a hand brand on Joyce. Then they tell Joyce that if she doesn't sign over her share they will use the brand on Philip. They both sign. The papers are taken to the America where Marsden's office is. James Vega and Renaldo follow. Renaldo is airsick.
Zorro breaks into Marsden's office to get the papers. While jimming the filecabnet he drops his tool and the night watchman hears the sound. He phones Marsden who sends three men. The watchman sticks a gun in Zorro's ribs but Renaldo comes up behind the watchman and knocks him out. Marsden's men show up so Zorro and Renaldo take to the roof where Zorro gives Renaldo the papers. Zorro then fires a shot to draw the three men after him while Renaldo makes good his escape. Zorro appears to fall off the roof.
chapter 11 Right of Way
Zorro's whip saves his life. As James and Renaldo drive away James tears up the bills of sale.
Back in Mexico, Phillip not aware of what Zorro has done, decides to move all of the railroads records to Mexico City so Marsden can't get a hold of them. Philips, Joyce and the records take a special train to Mexico City. It makes only one scheduled stop, for water. At the stop El Lobo and his men board the train. They let it go on but transfer the records from the cargo hold to the egine with the intent of releaseing the other cars. Zorro unable to catch up to the train on horseback and boarded a trunk and concinved the driver to go cross country to catch up with the train. When the truck does catch up the drive tries to turn in front of the train. As the screen displays the title of the final episode the sound of a crash is heard.
chapter 12 Retribution
Despite the sound effects the truck did not in fact crash into the train or the train into the truck. The truck stopped just before hitting the crossroad. El Lobo releases the other cars. Philip uses the emergy brake to stop the car he and Joyce are in. The truck Zorro was riding in was apparently the head vehicle in a convoy becase two other identical trucks follow it all the way, even though it deveated from the planned route.
Zorro's truck catches up with the train, which is just what El Lobo wanted. A trap. This time there is no one to stop El Lobo from unmasking Zorro.
At the gang's new camp El Lobo informs Marsden by radio that he has the records and Zorro, who is James Vega. Marsden instructs him to get Vega's signature on a bill of sale. El Lobo sends his men to get Philip and Joyce Andrews so he will have all the railroad owners names on bills of sale. And witht the company records in his position he'll be able to estabish legal ownership.
El Lobo's men arrive at Casa Vega just in time to see Philip and an officer ride away. They decide to capture Joyce now, worry about Philip later. Renaldo takes Joyce through the secret panel behind the painting of the original Zorro, into Zorro's secret hideout. El Lobo's men see their hideout marked on the Andrews map and phone El Lobo to warn him they've been discovered. Joyce is shocked to learn that James is Zorro. Vega tricks El Lobo into contacting Marsden by radio, to let him know where they will be moving too. Renaldo and Joyce are listening in. Joyce heads off to get some men. Renaldo uses Zorro's horse to go after Philip.
Renaldo catches up with Philp and the police officers. Joyce goes to town and rounds up the the railroad workers. The two groups meet and ride on to the the gang's new camp. El Lobo has Vega untide so he can sign a bill of sale. At that point the possee attacks. El Lobo leaves one man guarding Vega while the rest fight the possee. Vega decks his guard and uses the rope he was tide with to scale the canyon. From his vantage point he can see two men bellow using a cannon on the possee. He takes out the two men and turns the cannon on the gate. El Lobo shows up and shoots Vega in the arm. The possee enters the camp. El Lobo raises two six guns to kill Vega but Zorro's horse appears to stamp El Lobo to death.
Joyce Andrews reads a newspaper account of the finished railroad line, uniting in peace two countries. James Vega doesn't know how to tell Joyce how he feels about her, just keeps saying "Joyce, I...Joyce, I" so his horse buts him in the back, knocking James into Joyce's arms.
THE END
We're not told what happend to investment banker Marsden, the mastermind behind the plot to force the sale of the railroad. Or even if Philip and Renaldo survived the attack on the gang, but presumably they did.
Later "Zorro's Black Whip"
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Post by Zone Fighter on Oct 10, 2004 6:01:43 GMT -8
Zorro Rides Again has several major flaws. Number 1 is that Zorro never marks his enemies with the sign of the Z. He makes the Z once, on an inanitmate object. Impersonating Zorro the raider El Lobo uses a whip to carve a Z on one man's forehead. Otherwise the Z is not used.
Second the bad guys never seem to notice James Vega, major stockholder of the railraod, except when he shows up at Marsden's office. It's Philip Andrew, who ownes less than a quarter of the railroad, they concentrate on. He and his sister own 49%, James Vega 51%. El Lobo never meets Vega face to face until he unmasks Zorro, yet he recognises him.
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Oct 10, 2004 8:45:21 GMT -8
most serials have those same kind of flaws- they were meant to be watched once a week and not consecutively, and no one dreamed they would be. but a little less sloppy writing would have fixed that.
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Post by Zone Fighter on Oct 10, 2004 12:29:12 GMT -8
Interesting... I was thinking the other day about Zorro in a Steampunk sort of setting, but I can settle for planes, trains and so on. If you like a modern day Zorro, you'd probably like the Japanese series Kaiketsu Zubat incolor.inetnebr.com/stuart/zubat/ Zubat is armed with a whip. He leaves a calling card with a large stylized Z on the villains after he's defeated them.
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