Rebellion

"Rebellion" is a routine series western starring Tom Keene for the Poverty Row company, Crescent Pictures. What sets this entry apart is the casting of a young Rita (Cansino) Hayworth in the lead female role.

In the year 1850, after listening to a plea from Paula Castillo (Hayworth), Captain John Carroll (Keene) is dispatched by President Zachary Taylor (Allan Cavan) to California. He is to prevent a rebellion by beleaguered former Mexicans. It seems that they are being terrorized by some ruthless Americans, following the annexation of California by the U.S. in 1848.

The bad guys are led by (Harris) William Royle and his henchman Hank (Jack Ingram) who have plans to take over the Mexicans lands for themselves and drive the Mexicans away. Opposing him are a group of Mexicans led by Paula's brother Ricardo (Duncan Renaldo).

Harris has installed two of his flunkies, the dim-witted and whiskey guzzling Judge Moore (Robert McKenzie) and Honeycutt (Roger Gray) as Land Commissioner. After Ricardo is killed freeing Captain Carroll from jail, the Captain takes command of the Mexicans and soon takes down the bad guys.

Rita Hayworth just starting out is clearly a cut above your average "B" western heroine. She clearly out acts everyone else in the cast. She would have to wait a few more years though, for her big break. Tom Keene was a poverty row cowboy through most of the 1930s. Around 1944, he changed his name to Richard Powers and took mostly character roles under that name for the rest of his career. Oddly enough, he's probably best remembered for his final film in the cult classic "Plan 9 From Outer Space" (1959) in which (as Keene) he played a military officer. Duncan Renaldo would be a fixture in many "B" oaters of the 30s and 40s before taking on the role of The Cisco Kid in 1943.