The Bold Caballero
Cast & Crew
Wells Root
Robert Livingston
Heather Angel
Sig Rumann
Ian Wolfe
Robert Warwick
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Zorro, the masked deliverer of Indians of Spanish-ruled California, is about to be hanged when General Palma is declared governor of Santa Cruz. Palma is to replace the tyrannical commandante, Sebastian Golle, who has been pilfering King Charles' tax money and terrorizing the natives. With the help of the Indians, Zorro escapes and, posing as Don Diego Vega, a gentleman pauper from Mexico, offers his services to Palma and his lovely daughter Isabella. Palma, however, refuses Diego and unwittingly sends him out as bait for Zorro. But as Palma chases the elusive hero, he is killed by a bandit who leaves Zorro's "Z" mark on his dead body. After Isabella is made governor, Golle plans to marry her and receive Santa Cruz as her dowery, and Diego agrees to do his wooing for him. Golle, meanwhile, has been taxing the Indians beyond their means and enslaving the sons of those who cannot pay. When Golle's soldiers herd the slaves into the public square, their mothers cry for Zorro to deliver them. Hoping to expose Golle's barbarism, Diego brings Isabella to the square, where she promises to free the slaves once information on Zorro's whereabouts is brought to her and offers a public bounty of two hundred pieces of gold for the outlaw. Zorro, however, steals the gold and buys the slaves' freedom himself. Then, on Isabella's birthday, Golle stages a burlesque bullfight in which a child is placed in the ring, hoping to lure Zorro out of hiding. When Isabella pleads with the foppish Diego to save the child, he fights the bull bravely and adeptly, revealing his true virility and love for Isabella. Seeing them kiss, Golle accuses Diego of betraying him, and Diego fends off Golle and his soldiers and escapes. When Zorro's mark is found on Golle's wounded body, Isabella finally realizes Diego is Zorro and escapes from Golle's clutches to capture him, still determined to avenge her father's murder. Golle captures them both, however, and fatally whips Isabella's female companion, planning to blame her death on Zorro. When Zorro finds the woman marred with the same backwards "Z" found on Palma, Isabella finally realizes it was Golle who killed her father. Just as Zorro is about to be hanged, the natives stage an uprising and help him defeat Golle. Zorro's loyal priest then blesses Isabella and Zorro, and the couple falls through the gallows box and kisses.
Director
Wells Root
Cast
Robert Livingston
Heather Angel
Sig Rumann
Ian Wolfe
Robert Warwick
Emily Fitzroy
Charles Stevens
Walter Long
Ferdinand Munier
Chris-pin Martin
Carlos De Valdez
Soledad Jimenez
Slim Whitaker
Crew
Eloise
Harry Grey
Carlos Hajos
Harry Jones
Nat Levine
Albert E. Levoy
Jack Marta
Johnston Mcculley
Lester Orlebeck
Wells Root
Murray Seldeen
Alvin Wycoff
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working titles for this film were The Mask of Zorro and The Beloved Rogue. This film was based on Johnston McCulley's character of Zorro, which first appeared in McCulley's story "The Curse of Capistrano" in All-Story Weekly (9 August-6 September 1919). Although onscreen credits state "Idea by Johnston McCulley"-suggesting that he contributed only to the screen treatment-and credit Wells Root with an original screenplay, a modern source credits McCulley and Root as co-screenwriters. Another modern source says this film is based on McCulley's story "The Return of Zorro." The Bold Caballero was Republic's first all-color feature. The film was screened in Lincoln, NE, the week of March 8, 1937 at a length of 60 minutes, as compared to the original length of 71-72 minutes. "The Curse of Capistrano" was published in book form under the title The Mark of Zorro in 1924. Among adaptations of McCulley's story is the 1920 film The Mark of Zorro, which was produced by Douglas Fairbanks Picture Corp., directed by Fred Niblo, and starred Douglas Fairbanks (see below); for a list of other "Zorro" films consult that entry. In 1974, 20th Century-Fox Television produced a version of The Mark of Zorro, directed by Don McDougall and starring Frank Langella and Ricardo Montalban. Modern sources list the following additional cast members: John Merton, Jack Kirk, Vinegar Roan, George Plues, Henry Morris, Chief Thunder Cloud, Pascale Perry, Jack Roberts, William Emile, Gurdial Singh, Steve Clark, Herman Hack, Rube Dalroy, Bill Wolfe, Si Jenks, Harrison Greene, Jimmy Aubrey, Jack Rockwell, Artie Ortego, Dick Botiller, Wally West, Ed Phillips, Sherry Tansey, Henry Hall, Ben Corbett and Bud McClure.
