IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032164/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 7,5
Directors: John English, William Witney
Main Cast: Reed Hadley, Sheila Darcy, William Corson, Leander De Cordova
"With a rousing chorus of house composer William Lava's 'We Ride!' opening each of the 12 chapters, Zorro's Fighting Legion remains one of Republic Pictures' finest chapterplays and thus one of the best action serials ever made. Reed Hadley, whose mellifluous voice was usually used for playing smooth villains, is perfectly cast here as the serial's dual hero, the foppish Don Diego and his masked alter-ego. Filmed entirely at the legendary Iverson ranch in Chatsworth, CA, and on standing sets at the studio in the San Fernando Valley, Zorro's Fighting Legion actually incorporates a historical setting - Mexico shortly after the 1810 revolution - with none other than Benito Juarez making an appearance in the person of Carleton Young (who rather obviously patterned his characterization after Paul Muni in the then-current Juarez). Unlike a great majority of the era's chapterplays, the cliffhanger endings are constantly intriguing, and although a sophisticated modern audience will probably never question whether Hadley or leading lady Sheila Darcy manage to extricate themselves from what seems like certain death, the solutions are always ingeniously thought out by no less than five veteran writers. A highlight of the entire serial is Yakima Canutt, as Hadley's double, performing his legendary runaway stagecoach stunt in chapter seven, a stunt carefully reconstructed forty years later by director Steven Spielberg for his homage to Republic serials, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Only this time, something went wrong and Canutt was seriously hurt. The mishap is left in the releases print and Canutt can be seen taking a highly unanticipated stumble while working his way from the horses back to the coach. Happily, Canutt survived once again and Zorro's Fighting Legion benefited from his groundbreaking work. The end result is a highly entertaining action adventure made even more memorable by Lava's irresistible theme song, the lyrics of which went something like this: 'We ride/ With the wind over hill, over dale/ With a spirit that cannot fail/ Men of Zorro are we/ We ride!'" - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/zorros-fighting-legion-serial-v56207/
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