Man with the Steel Whip

1954 film by Franklin Adreon

July 19, 1954 (1954-07-19) (U.S.)^[1]

Running time

12 chapters (167 minutes)^[1]CountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBudget$172,794 (negative cost: $174,718)^[1]

Man with the Steel Whip is a 1954 Republic Western serial film. It uses considerable stock footage from the previous Republic serials "Zorro's Black Whip", "The Painted Stallion" and "Daredevils of the West."

Plot

Saloon owner Barnett wants the land on the local Indian reservation for its gold deposits. In order to remove 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, a 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

Stunts

Tom Steele as Jerry Randall/Henchman Tom/Henchman Gage (doubling Dick Simmons)
Babe De Freest as El Latigo (doubling Dick Simmons via stock footage)
Guy Teague as Price
Chuck Hayward as Barn Henchman
Robert "Buzz" Henry as Orco
Walt La Rue as a townsman
Eddie Parker (via stock footage)
Bill Yrigoyen (via stock footage)
Joe Yrigoyen (via stock footage)

Production

Man with the Steel Whip was budgeted at $172,794 although the final negative cost was $174,718 (a $1,924, or 1.1%, overspend). It was the most expensive Republic serial of 1954.^[1]

It was filmed between March 2 and 22 of 1954 under the working title Man with a Whip.^[1] The serial's production number was 1938.^[1]

Man with the Steel Whip used stock footage from all of the previous Zorro serials produced by Republic Pictures. As a result, the costume and body shape of the hero El Latigo change between scenes, even becoming female in scenes taken from Zorro's Black Whip (1944).^[2]^[3]

The serial contains many mistakes; for example, Nancy occasionally refers to the character Jerry Randall as Dick (Richard Simmons' real name).^[2]

The film's special effects were handled by the Lydecker brothers.

Release

Man with the Steel Whip's official release date was July 19, 1954, although that was the date on which the sixth chapter was made available to film exchanges.^[1]

The film's release was followed by a rerelease of The Phantom Rider, retitled as Ghost Riders of the West, instead of a new serial. The next new serial, Panther Girl of the Kongo, followed in 1955.^[1]

Chapter titles

The Spirit Rider (20:00)
Savage Fury (13:20)
Mask of El Latiago (13:20)
The Murder Cave (13:20)
The Stone Guillotine (13:20)
Flame and Battle (13:20)
Double Ambush (13:20)
The Blazing Barrier (13:20)
The Silent Informer (13:20)
Window of Death (13:20) (recap chapter)
The Fatal Masquerade (13:20)
Redskin Raiders (13:20)

^[1]^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Mathis, Jack (1995). Valley of the Cliffhangers Supplement. Jack Mathis Advertising. pp. 3, 10, 138–139. ISBN 0-9632878-1-8.
^ ^a ^b Harmon, Jim; Donald F. Glut (1973). "12. The Westerns "Who Was That Masked Man!"". The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury. Routledge. p. 300. ISBN 978-0-7130-0097-9.
^ Stedman, Raymond William (1971). "5. Shazam and Good-by". Serials: Suspense and Drama By Installment. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 141. ISBN 978-0-8061-0927-5.
^ Cline, William C. (1984). "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 256. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.