Cheap Zorro's Black Whip, Vol. 1 (DVD) (Spencer Gordon Bennet, Wallace Grissell) Price

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Customer Reviews of Zorro's Black Whip, Vol. 1

Hero Gets Killed in First Chapter!
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. <
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>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. <
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>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. <
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>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. <
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>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? <
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"The King of Serials...VCI Entertainment ~ Zorro's Cliffhanger Collection"
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. <
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>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. <
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>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 <
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>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) <
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>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. <
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>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 <
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>BIOS: (Disc Two) <
>1. Reed Hadley <
>2. Sheila Darcy <
>3. John English (Director) <
>4. William Witney (Director) <
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>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) <
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>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! <
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>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 <
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>BIOS: (Disc Three) <
>1. Linda Stirling <
>2. George J. Lewis <
>3. Spencer Gordon Bennet (Director) <
>4. Wallace Grissell (Director) <
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>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) <
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>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! <
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>Total Time: 603 mins on 3 DVD's ~ VCI Entertainment 8342 ~ (12/16/2003)

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GREAT SERIL WITH LINDA STRILING AS A FEMAIL ZORRO!!!
THIS SHOW IS EATHER 12 OR 15 CHAPTERS AND A LOT OF FUN!!! SEE IT HAVE YOUR KIDS WATCH IT TOO YOU WILL ALL ENJOY IT!!!!