Ghost of Zorro is a 1949 Republic Movie serial. It uses substantial stock footage from earlier serials, including Son of Zorro and Daredevils of the West. This film was shot in Chatsworth, Los Angeles.

Ghost of Zorro
Directed byFred C. Brannon
Written byRoyal K Cole
William Lively
Sol Shor
Produced byFranklin Adreon
StarringClayton Moore
Pamela Blake
Roy Barcroft
George J. Lewis
Eugene Roth
CinematographyJohn MacBurnie
Music byStanley Wilson
Distributed byRepublic Pictures
Release dates
  • March 24, 1949 (1949-03-24) (U.S. serial)[1]
  • June 30, 1959 (1959-06-30) (U.S. feature)[1]
Running time
12 chapters / 167 minutes (serial)[1]
69 minutes (feature)[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$165,086 (negative cost: $164,895)[1]

Plot

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The year is 1865 and the telegraph is heading west. George Crane, wanting to keep law and order out of his territory, is out to stop the construction. One of the main engineers on the job is Ken Mason, the grandson of the original Zorro. As Crane hires his men to stop the work, Mason finds himself in the legendary role his ancestor originated.

Cast

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Production

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Ghost of Zorro was budgeted at $165,086 although the final negative cost was $164,895 (a $191, or 0.1 percent, under-spend).[2]

It was filmed between January 11 and February 2, 1949.[1] The serial's production number was 1702.[1]

Stunts

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  • Tom Steele as Ken Mason/Zorro (doubling Clayton Moore)

Special Effects

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Special effects by the Lydecker brothers.

Release

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Theatrical

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Ghost of Zorro's official release date is March 24, 1949, although this is actually the date the sixth chapter was made available to film exchanges.[1]

A 69-minute feature film version, created by editing the serial footage together, was released on June 30, 1959. It was one of fourteen feature films Republic made from their serials.[1]

Chapter titles

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166 minutes = 2h, 45m, 12s

  1. Bandit Territory (19min 56s)
  2. Forged Orders (13min 13s)
  3. Robber's Agent (13min 09s)
  4. Victims of Vengeance (13min 07s)
  5. Gun Trap (13min 11s)
  6. Deadline at Midnight (13min 18s)
  7. Tower of Disaster (13min 14s)
  8. Mob Justice (13min 18s)
  9. Money Lure (13min 15s)
  10. Message of Death (12min 39s) - a re-cap chapter
  11. Runaway Stagecoach (13min 48s)
  12. Trail of Blood (12min 59s)

Source:[1][3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Mathis, Jack (1995). Valley of the Cliffhangers Supplement. Jack Mathis Advertising. pp. 3, 10, 110–111. ISBN 0-9632878-1-8.
  2. ^ Foguel, Israel, ed. (2016). Zorro: Astuto Como A Raposa (1st ed.). p. 31. ISBN 978-85-920512-4-2.
  3. ^ Cline, William C. (1984). "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 248–249. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.
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Preceded by Republic Serial
Ghost of Zorro (1949)
Succeeded by
Preceded by Zorro Serial
Ghost of Zorro (1949)
Succeeded by
none