Product Description

Ride the trail to whip crackin' excitement with Zorro's Black Whip. This 12-chapter serial is the follow-up to 1940's The Mark of Zorro and the sixth film in the Zorro saga. It's the 1880s and Dan Hammond (Francis McDonald) is hellbent on blocking a proposal for Idaho's statehood. To not be opposed, he murders political rival Randolph Meredith (Jay Kirby). Randolph's sister Barbara (Linda Stirling, Tiger Woman in Perils of Darkest Jungle), stealthy with a bullwhip and six-shooter, dons a black suit and mask, becoming the titular "Black Whip". As the avenging vigilante female succesor to the world-renowned hero Zorro, Barbara sets out to foil the evil Hammond and his henchmen at every turn.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #117085 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-08-31
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 240 minutes

Customer Reviews

Linda Sterling at her best
This is among the best of the western serials. It doesn't really follow the Zorro tradition either storywise or in geographical setting. But it has some of the best western serial action you'll find. As far as having a female Zorro type character, why not? Hey, Linda does quite well for herself as a dashing heroine. And the minor characters, such as the newspaper editor, add much to the fun. This is for enjoyment and not for nitpicking.

Republic Pictures Cracks the Whip.
Idaho ~ 1889. While the honest citizens stop growing spuds long enough to foster statehood, dastardly elements in the community try to frustrate the process for their own greedy reasons. Into this conflict rides the Black Whip and saves the day, repeatedly. Let's set the record straight. This 12-chapter serial is guilty of a misnomer. The Black Whip is a mysterious masked rider, but not Zorro. After all, what would Zorro, the hero of Old California, be doing in Idaho territory in 1889? Anyway, Western adventure fans will enjoy the hard-riding, slam-bang action sequences of this breathless serial. The legendary Yakima Canutt is the second unit director, which explains the great stunt work. Typical of all serials, the threadbare plot is merely an excuse for the fast-paced action. George Lewis later played Guy Williams' father in Disney's '50s version of the Zorro legend. Nobody could make Grade B Westerns like Republic Pictures. This may be the only Western set in Idaho. Relax and enjoy the "to-be-continued" nonsense. ;-)

Masked Female Avenger
Not only does Zorro not get mentioned at all, why the silly title, as the story has nothing to do with him. The central character is a masked female avenger played by the very capable Linda Sterling. The title should be "The Black Whip", as this is what the heroine is known. Another disappointment is that the episode cliff-hangers are weak and the serial also lacks the atmosphere and pulse-pounding soundtrack music of the Republic Classic Serials such as, Zorro's Fighting Legion, Spy Smasher, Nyoka and the Tigermen, just to name a few. The redeeming factors here are the action sequences that are well handled and there are plenty of fisticuffs, good stunt work coupled with some rough riding from our heroine. The story-line is good, and has all the ingredients of a good action packed western.