Rose of the Rio Grande (1938)
The story, based on a novel by Johnston (Zorro) McCulley, concerns a group of aristocratic vigilantes, who go about trying to restore their prominence in Mexico by killing anyone who stands in their way.
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Powerful
Admirable film.
It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional
The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;
Republic still had the rights to Johnston McCulley's "Zorro" character but that posed no problem for author McCulley...just re-work the story and change the character name...and now 1938 Monogram has their own version, albeit "El Gato" fights for the silk-shirt aristocrats this time out: It is Mexico in the 1830's...a Mexico torn by warfare, whose rightful aristocratic rulers(say what?) are trying to wrest it back from its peon conquerors (say what, again.) But, alas, efforts are in vain as the rebels, headed by the bandit, Captain Lugo (Antonio Moreno), ravage the countryside, burning, looting, spreading terror and death. But....HOPE lives again as a new leader rises, with a song of victory on his lips. He is "El Gato" (John Carroll)---champion of the oppressed, unmerciful to those without mercy...and ruthless in his determination to rid his native land of her spoilers.But when the 'del Torre hacienda' is burned and "El Gato" saves the life of young Don Jose Torre (Don Alvarado), he learns that Jose's sister, Rosita (Movita), is on the way to the border with the del Torre jewels. Knowing she must pass the rebel camp at Cuedabra, "El Gato" ambushes a high general, Castro (Gino Corrado) of the peon army, and takes his place in disguise to save Rosita, and the family jewels, to complete his revenge.Carroll sings two Charles Rosoff-Eddie Cherkose songs along the way---"Song of the Rose" and "Ride, Amigos, Ride" (which Monogram later wore out in their series of mid-40's Cisco Kid westerns starring Gilbert Roland and, later, Duncan Renaldo), and he and Movita duet on a third Rosoff-Cherkose song called "What Care I"