Plot: The story of a man (Jim Davis) determined to establish his own empire in California. Marshal Faron Young and a few other law-abiding citizens fight back.
Starring . . .
Jim Davis
Arleen Whelan
Faron Young
Lee Van Cleef
Harry Lauter
Louis Jean Heydt
Marty Robbins
Douglas Fowley
Lawrence Dobkin
Bill Coontz
Don Diamond
Rick Vallin
Tom Hubbard
Edward Colmans
Gerald Mohr (Narrator)
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Storyline Roundup: (note: SPOILERS)
The Mexican-American War has been over for three years, but ex-captain Angus Clyde McKane (Davis) and his old crew are forcing peaceful Mexican settlers off their land. McKane claims he owns the large stretch of land that was once belonged to Don Miguel Sebastian (Dobkin), who gave the people permission to live there.
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| Cleef, Lauter, Davis |
Marshal Faron Young (guess who?) and his father, Judge Ward Young (Heydt) come to McKaneville, the county seat of McKane county, to try and put a stop to the violence. The only law in McKaneville is the sincere but incompetent sheriff (Fowley) who, as he says himself, just "strings along."
McKane's top man, Pardee (Van Cleef) comes to talk the the Youngs in the sheriff's office. He explains that, in order to move a herd of cattle through to Santa Fe, McKane is moving people off the land. Pardee tells them McKane has the document known as the "Sebastian Land Grant."
"We'd like to see this deed," Marshal Young says. Pardee says to come on out anytime, and McKane will show them the grant. The marshal and the judge still aren't very impressed, and Pardee keeps talking. Marshal Young tells him to remove his hat while talking to a judge.
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| Fowley, Young, Heydt |
"You heard me."
A fight erupts, and the marshal lands Pardee facedown in the dirt outside the office.
After that, the Youngs go and talk to one of the settlers who complained about McKane. The man has no deeds to back up his ownership of the land, but is sure that Sebastian would not sell the land out from under his friends.
Then, they go and see McKane, who produces a deed and gives them a story about buying the deed from a drunk Mexican in Mataroros before the war was over, and that they paid for it by covering the man's gambling debts. Pardee and another one of McKane's men, Boyle (Robbins) back up the story. There is one more signature on the paper—that of witness Scott Johnson. McKane says that Johnson will further enforce the story, but as soon as the Youngs leave, McKane sends Pardee to tell Johnson what to say when the marshal comes by.
Johnson (Lauter) regrets his past with McKane. Pardee threatens Johnson's wife (Whelen), but despite that, Johnson levels with the marshal and the judge, and plans on leaving town with his wife and then coming back to testify against mcKane.
"Leavin' town's a dead give away of what you aim to do," the marshal tells him. "McKane's men would hunt you down."
Even as they speak, McKane and his men descend upon Johnson's home and shoot at the Youngs and the Johnsons. Scott gets wounded while they are escaping. Unsure if he'll live, he tells the judge that Sebastian is not dead as everyone believes, but is very much alive. . . . somewhere.
Pardee heard Johnson confessing. Neither McKane nor his men are aware of Sebastian's location, but one of the settlers is. They kill the him after learning that Sebastian is in La Crista. The settler's widow tells Marshal Young where and why the men are going.
On the way to La Crista, the marshal is attacked by Indians, but he manages to fight them off. He catches up with McKane's men and shoots Boyle. He takes the nearly-dead Boyle to a priest in La Crista.
McKane's men trick a local man (Diamond) into telling them where Sebastian is.
Marshal Young finds out where Sebastian is, too—Young is sitting alone with Boyle, and Boyle tells him that the priest who came to see him was Miguel Sebastian.
Meanwhile, Judge Young goes to see McKane about the murder of the Mexican settler. He gives McKane a subpoena to appear in court the next day at 10:00 A.M.
Marshal Young has a little difficulty getting Sebastian to town in one piece, and it is morning by the time they get there. And court is soon is session. (Scott Johnson is not yet well enough to testify.)
McKane has a plan up his sleeve; he persuaded several men to join him in return for land—he plans to found his own government. He will have a herd of cattle stampeded through town during the trial and will kill every man in the courtroom who is not on his side.
During the trial, it is learned that McKane traded Sebastian—the land for his life—the day the war ended. McKane forged official documents stating that Sebastian was dead.
The jury is dismissed as the case enters a new level, but just then, cattle start pouring onto the streets of McKaneville, and people pour out of the courtroom.
Two men are killed in the stampede: the sheriff and McKane himself. The plan backfired,and the brief incident took McKane's life.
"Well, I guess that settles his claim," Marshal Young says soberly.
Sebastian gives legal deeds to the settlers on his land, and the film ends as Marshal Young and Judge Young ride away.
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According to Live Fast, Love Hard: The Faron Young Story, Young did all of his own stunts, and the knife fight scene with an Indian resulted in Faron getting three stitches in his left eyelid. He zigged to the left when he should have zagged to the right.
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| Screenshots from knife fight scene |
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Raiders of Old California is a 1957, Republic Studios Production
72 minutes running time.
Associate Producers and Written by: Sam Rocea
Thomas G. Hubbard
Photographed by: Charles Straumer, A.S.C.
Supervising Editor: Carl Pingitore
Technical Advisor: Bill Ward
Assistant Director: Les Guthrie
Script Supervisor: Mai Deitrech
Production Assistant: Richard La Croix
Makeup: Carlie Taylor
Wardrobe: Bob Richards
Sound Mixer: Leon M. Leon
Produced and Directed by: Albert C. Gannaway