Man with the Steel Whip
Saloon owner Barnet wants the Indian reservation land on which he knows there is gold, and organizes a gang, aided by some renegade Indians, to raid and terrorize close-by settlers,hoping to arouse them to drive off the Indians. Rancher Jerry Randall, accompanied by school teacher Nancy Cooper, sets out to defeat the plot. In order to win the loyalty of the innocent tribe members, Randall masquerades as a legendary friend of the Indians, El Latigo.
Man with the Steel Whip is a 1954 Republic Movie serial. It uses considerable stock footage from previous Republic serials “Zorro’s Black Whip”, “The Painted Stallion” and “Daredevils of the West”. As with any serial from the 1950s, it is not considered to be one of the best examples of the format. It uses the standard plot of an illicit “land grab” coupled with a new spin on the Zorro story (as Republic wished to use old stock footage from their Zorro serials but had since lost the license for that property).
Plot
In a version of a standard western plot, the saloon owner Barnett wants the land under the local Indian Reservation for its gold deposits. In order to drive off the people living on the reservation, he forms a gang to attack the local ranchers and frame the Indians. Rancher Jerry Randall opposes him using the legendary masked identity of “El Latigo”, friend to the Indians.
Cast
Richard Simmons as Jerry Randall, a rancher, and the secret identity of El Latigo, legendary masked hero
Barbara Bestar as Nancy Cooper, school teacher
Mauritz Hugo as Barnett, saloon owner and villain attempting a land grab
Dale Van Sickel as Crane, a henchman
Lane Bradford as Tosco
Pat Hogan as the Indian Chief
Roy Barcroft as the Sheriff
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