The Bandit Queen (1950 film)
Encyclopedia
The Bandit Queen is a 1950 American Western film
directed by William Berke. The movie featured Barbara Britton
and Phillip Reed
as the leaders of a Robin Hood
type band. The Bandit Queen was produced by Lippert Pictures Inc. and shot in the Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park
as well as the San Fernando Valley
. Set near Madera, California
during the California Gold Rush
, The Bandit Queen is a 70 minute black-and-white
movie that was a serial
film depiction of Joaquin Murrieta
's life. Martha Vickers
was initially slated to "play a two-gun gal of the West in her come-back picture" in this movie. This release
marked the final "Lippert Studios" film in 1950 with Britton starring in the title role
as a Spanish American
aristocratic
daughter who avenged her parents' deaths in recovering stolen wealth through the use of a bullwhip
. The Baltimore Afro-American
described
The Bandit Queen as, "a pistol-packin mama story".
child of an American father and Spanish mother, Dones
Jose and Zara Montalvo, as portrayed by Victor Kilian
and Cecil Weston who is credited as Cecile Weston. The Montalvo family possessed land rights
or Spanish land grants to a hacienda
with gold mines present. Abroad, the daughter came home to California
and witnessed her parents being murdered by Hank (John Merton) and an unknown man, Sheriff Jim Harden, who was played by Barton MacLane
. Montalvo initially approached Harden about the crimes but eventually recognized him as part of murderers' gang. She teamed up with Phillip Reed
, in the role of Joaquin Murietta, to regain her rightful inheritance
. Together they assumed false identities with Montalvo hidden behind the alias
of a Zorro
-like character named Lola Belmont with Murietta as Carlos del Rio.
Dan Hinsdale (Willard Parker
), who was an attorney
, later informed her about his purchase of her family's ranch
o at a reduced fee because of back taxes
owed by Montalvo's parents. Montalvo sought the aid of Father
Antonio (Martin Garralaga
), who along with Murietta, is one of the few people to know their double identities. Antonio warned her that her outlaw
gang was wanted by the Spanish
authority and its soldiers. Upon learning this, Belmont and del Rio furtively worked to regain stolen gold and "land rights" on the behalf of other neighboring rancheros.
- The Baltimore Afro-American
, April 21, 1951.
- The Modesto Bee, February 8, 1959.
- Southeast Missourian
, March 22, 1951.
- Times-News (Hendersonville, North Carolina), January 29, 1951.
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
directed by William Berke. The movie featured Barbara Britton
Barbara Britton
Barbara Britton was an American film and television actress.She was the first actress to play Laura Petrie on television on the pilot program, Head of the Family, which was retooled and became The Dick Van Dyke Show with the role taken over by Mary Tyler Moore. The California native signed a film...
and Phillip Reed
Phillip Reed
Phillip Reed was an American actor. He was perhaps best known for his role as Steve Wilson in a series of four films based on the Big Town radio series. Television appearances include a lead role in the 1955 anthology drama series Police Call. He also appeared as King Toranshah in the 1965 Elvis...
as the leaders of a Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
type band. The Bandit Queen was produced by Lippert Pictures Inc. and shot in the Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park
Vasquez Rocks
Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park is a 905-acre northern Los Angeles County, California, USA park acquired by the Los Angeles County government in the 1970s...
as well as the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
. Set near Madera, California
Madera, California
Madera is a city in and the county seat of Madera County, California, United States. It is a principal city of the Madera–Chowchilla Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Madera County, and Metropolitan Fresno. It is located in California's San Joaquin Valley. As of the 2010...
during the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
, The Bandit Queen is a 70 minute black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
movie that was a serial
Serial (literature)
In literature, a serial is a publishing format by which a single large work, most often a work of narrative fiction, is presented in contiguous installments—also known as numbers, parts, or fascicles—either issued as separate publications or appearing in sequential issues of a single periodical...
film depiction of Joaquin Murrieta
Joaquin Murrieta
Joaquin Carrillo Murrieta , also called the Mexican or Chilean Robin Hood or the Robin Hood of El Dorado, was a semi-legendary figure in California during the California Gold Rush of the 1850s...
's life. Martha Vickers
Martha Vickers
Martha Vickers was an American television and film actress.-Early life and career:Born Martha MacVicar in Ann Arbor, Michigan, she began her career as a model and cover girl...
was initially slated to "play a two-gun gal of the West in her come-back picture" in this movie. This release
Film release
A film release is the stage at which a completed film is legally authorized by its owner for public distribution.The process includes locating a distributor to handle the film...
marked the final "Lippert Studios" film in 1950 with Britton starring in the title role
Title role
The title role in the performing arts is the performance part that gives the title to the piece, as in Aida, Giselle, Michael Collins or Othello. The actor, singer or dancer who performs that part is also said to have the title role....
as a Spanish American
Spanish American
A Spanish American is a citizen or resident of the United States whose ancestors originate from the southwestern European nation of Spain. Spanish Americans are the earliest European American group, with a continuous presence since 1565.-Immigration waves:...
aristocratic
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
daughter who avenged her parents' deaths in recovering stolen wealth through the use of a bullwhip
Bullwhip
A bullwhip is a single-tailed whip, usually made of braided leather, which was originally used as a tool for working with livestock.Bullwhips are pastoral tools, traditionally used to control livestock in open country...
. The Baltimore Afro-American
Baltimore Afro-American
The Baltimore Afro-American, commonly known as The Afro, is a weekly newspaper published in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. It is the flagship newspaper of the Afro-American chain and the longest-running African-American family-owned newspaper in the United States.-History:The newspaper was founded in...
described
Film criticism
Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films, individually and collectively. In general, this can be divided into journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, and other popular, mass-media outlets and academic criticism by film scholars that is informed by film theory and...
The Bandit Queen as, "a pistol-packin mama story".
Plot
As the lead actress, Britton was the protagonistProtagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
child of an American father and Spanish mother, Dones
Don (honorific)
Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...
Jose and Zara Montalvo, as portrayed by Victor Kilian
Victor Kilian
Victor Arthur Kilian was an American actor who was blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio bosses in the 1950s....
and Cecil Weston who is credited as Cecile Weston. The Montalvo family possessed land rights
Land rights
Land law is the form of law that deals with the rights to use, alienate, or exclude others from land. In many jurisdictions, these species of property are referred to as real estate or real property, as distinct from personal property. Land use agreements, including renting, are an important...
or Spanish land grants to a hacienda
Hacienda
Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...
with gold mines present. Abroad, the daughter came home to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and witnessed her parents being murdered by Hank (John Merton) and an unknown man, Sheriff Jim Harden, who was played by Barton MacLane
Barton MacLane
Barton MacLane was an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. Although he has appeared in many classic films from the 1930s through the 1960s, he was known for his role as Gen...
. Montalvo initially approached Harden about the crimes but eventually recognized him as part of murderers' gang. She teamed up with Phillip Reed
Phillip Reed
Phillip Reed was an American actor. He was perhaps best known for his role as Steve Wilson in a series of four films based on the Big Town radio series. Television appearances include a lead role in the 1955 anthology drama series Police Call. He also appeared as King Toranshah in the 1965 Elvis...
, in the role of Joaquin Murietta, to regain her rightful inheritance
Inheritance
Inheritance is the practice of passing on property, titles, debts, rights and obligations upon the death of an individual. It has long played an important role in human societies...
. Together they assumed false identities with Montalvo hidden behind the alias
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of a Zorro
Zorro
Zorro is a fictional character created in 1919 by New York-based pulp writer Johnston McCulley. The character has been featured in numerous books, films, television series, and other media....
-like character named Lola Belmont with Murietta as Carlos del Rio.
Dan Hinsdale (Willard Parker
Willard Parker
Willard Parker was an American film actor.He was born in New York City on 5 February 1912. He was earlier a tennis pro. Although he had some stage experience, he mainly appeared as a second lead in films from 1938. He was tall and had wavy hair...
), who was an attorney
Attorney at law
An attorney at law in the United States is a practitioner in a court of law who is legally qualified to prosecute and defend actions in such court on the retainer of clients. Alternative terms include counselor and lawyer...
, later informed her about his purchase of her family's ranch
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
o at a reduced fee because of back taxes
Back taxes
Back taxes is a term for taxes that were not paid when due. They are typically taxes that are owed from a prior year....
owed by Montalvo's parents. Montalvo sought the aid of Father
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
Antonio (Martin Garralaga
Martin Garralaga
Martin Garralaga was a Spanish-born film and television actor who portrayed more than 200 roles in film and television....
), who along with Murietta, is one of the few people to know their double identities. Antonio warned her that her outlaw
Outlaw
In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...
gang was wanted by the Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
authority and its soldiers. Upon learning this, Belmont and del Rio furtively worked to regain stolen gold and "land rights" on the behalf of other neighboring rancheros.
Partial cast
- Willard ParkerWillard ParkerWillard Parker was an American film actor.He was born in New York City on 5 February 1912. He was earlier a tennis pro. Although he had some stage experience, he mainly appeared as a second lead in films from 1938. He was tall and had wavy hair...
- Dan Hinsdale - Barbara BrittonBarbara BrittonBarbara Britton was an American film and television actress.She was the first actress to play Laura Petrie on television on the pilot program, Head of the Family, which was retooled and became The Dick Van Dyke Show with the role taken over by Mary Tyler Moore. The California native signed a film...
- Zarra Montalvo/Lola Belmont - Barton MacLaneBarton MacLaneBarton MacLane was an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. Although he has appeared in many classic films from the 1930s through the 1960s, he was known for his role as Gen...
- Sheriff Jim Harden - Phillip ReedPhillip ReedPhillip Reed was an American actor. He was perhaps best known for his role as Steve Wilson in a series of four films based on the Big Town radio series. Television appearances include a lead role in the 1955 anthology drama series Police Call. He also appeared as King Toranshah in the 1965 Elvis...
- Joaquin Murietta/Carlos del Rio - Martin GarralagaMartin GarralagaMartin Garralaga was a Spanish-born film and television actor who portrayed more than 200 roles in film and television....
- Father Antonio - Victor KilianVictor KilianVictor Arthur Kilian was an American actor who was blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio bosses in the 1950s....
- Don Jose Montalvo - Cecil Weston - Doña Zara Montalvo
- John Merton - Hank
Reviews
The Bandit Queen received the following reviews:- The Baltimore Afro-American
Baltimore Afro-American
The Baltimore Afro-American, commonly known as The Afro, is a weekly newspaper published in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. It is the flagship newspaper of the Afro-American chain and the longest-running African-American family-owned newspaper in the United States.-History:The newspaper was founded in...
, April 21, 1951.
- The Modesto Bee, February 8, 1959.
- Southeast Missourian
Southeast Missourian
The Southeast Missourian is a daily newspaper published in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, United States, and serves the southeastern portion of Missouri.- History :...
, March 22, 1951.
- Times-News (Hendersonville, North Carolina), January 29, 1951.
See also
- 1950 in film1950 in filmThe year 1950 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 15 - Walt Disney Studios' animated film Cinderella debuts.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:*Ambush...
- Cinema of the United StatesCinema of the United StatesThe cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
- List of American films of 1950