Zorro's Black Whip (1944)

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Zorro is gone and replaced by the Black Whip. Its 1880 something and one of the territories in the American west wants statehood to bring law and order but a band of outlaws doesn't want it. So the black whip rides to the rescue. At first its the publisher of the paper in disguise but when he dies his sister takes on the role. Good western serial and one of the few real action ones with a woman in the lead. Linda Sterling makes a dynamite action queen, even if she was doubled for most of the action. If there is a flaw it's that its that Republic was moving toward the machine like precision in the construction of their serials. The construction is Spartan and there is nothing extraneous anywhere so things can feel rather sparse. You can almost guess what the cliffhanger is going to be (especially if you've seen other serials since many are lifted from others in the Republic canon). Still its a very good serial, better if you aren't tearing through a great number in a short period them like I am.

For someone who had dreams of being a college English teacher, Linda Stirling's reign as Republic Pictures Queen of Serials was indeed a detour. Reporting to work on the set of Zorro's Black Whip, she had trouble controlling her horse which nearly bowled over the set. She thought she had lost the job, but the studio asked her back because they appreciated her spunky spirit. She still continued to have trouble controlling the horse all through her career. She laughed about how the crew would have to come looking for her to find her sitting on the ground, with the horse grazing nearby. "They put makeup on my bruises and put me back on the horse again." Babe DeFreest of course did the majority of stuntwork for her in "Zorro's Black Whip." In comparison, she had to wear a skimpy leopard outfit in "The Tiger Woman" during the shooting in a cold January. That's why she seems to be gritting her teeth when she smiles. When "Zorro's Black Whip" was shot, it was in the hot summer months. The all black outfit she wore gave her a skin reaction which lasted for years. Such were the trials and tribulations of a movie serial actress.

I love serial films, with 12 or 15 chapters of light hearted adventure all revolving around a cliffhanger ending. Forgot logic, ignore the plot holes, and just enjoy the ride.Zorro's Black Whip is one of my favorite serials, which starred the fantastic Linda Sterling (actress in many other serials) in the title role, a masked vigilante defending the territory of Idaho against outlaws out to run it to suit themselves. With the help of undercover government agent Vic Gordon, Barbara (as the newspaper publisher) and the mysterious Black Whip (Barbara in her undercover identity) work to stop lawlessness, defend new settlers (which would vote in favor of statehood), and unmask the identity of the mastermind behind the whole outlaw operation.The use of a woman as the secret masked hero is rare in that era, but held her own throughout the film. Sure, she mostly used a gun or her whip to disarm her opponents, but she was willing to mix it up hand to hand. Plus, she was one clever heroine to get out of the various deathtraps sprung on her.Zorro's Black Whip is a stellar example of what a serial film should be, and has all the elements of it. Masked hero's, secret villains, recycled footage from other films, a recap episode, cliffhanger endings, and lighthearted popcorn fare in twelve exciting chapters.

This serial from Republic is one of a long line of Zorro epics. This one is different in that the the Zorro character is played by the lovely Linda Stirling and the hero by veteran character actor/villain George J Lewis. The chief baddies are played competently by Francis MacDonald and Hal Taliaferro (aka Wally Wales). Roy Barcroft must have been busy.The second unit direction is handled by Yakima Canutt so you know thatyou will be treated to the best stunt work the industry had to offer.With the usual narrow escapes, rides to the rescue, fisticuffs and explosions, this serial is one of the better efforts from the Republic thrill factory.