California (1963) User Reviews

"You don't have to know my rules to die."

[classicsoncall · 4/10 · 14 September 2006]

This was a tough movie to follow because the sound was so poor. It had the feel of a 1950's 'B' Western making it hard to imagine it was made as late as 1963. That would explain Jock Mahoney's aged appearance since his 1958 TV series "Yancy Derringer", flourishes of which we see in the character of Don Michael O'Casey. Here he shows some of that Yancy charisma with the ladies, along with the stunt riding skills that made him a hit as Range Rider in the early Fifties.

Set in 1842 California, the story revolves around the question of that territory's statehood. Don Francisco Hernandez (Michael Pate) has allied himself with General Miguel Torena against that prospect in the hopes of becoming it's first Mexican governor. His romantic ambitions call for a marriage to a woman who doesn't love him, Marianna De La Rosa (Susan Seaforth), who in turn finds she has feelings for the handsome renegade Don Mike. There's also a woman in the middle, Carlotta Torres, who does love Francisco, but realizes that he's an evil and ambitious man.

Though the viewer finds himself siding with the cause of 'Viva Hernandez', it's a tenuous position since the film builds little in the way of sympathy for one side or the other. Don Francisco's hopes for power are crushed when the General confesses that he's on the outs with his superiors in Mexico City, and when Irish Mexican O'Casey defeats him in a sword duel, he knows enough to call it quits. Until he makes a run for it, and is gunned down by a Hernandez loyalist. Oh yeah, Don Francisco was Michael O'Casey's uncle, but it's not that important.

There's really little to recommend this film other than an offbeat treat for fans of Jacques/Jack/Jock O'Mahoney. Though as mentioned earlier, you'll be watching an older Yancy putting his spell on the ladies as he finds a way to outwit the bad guys.

Good movie when nothing else is on

[ddubin-89327 · 4/10 · 24 August 2015]

If you have nothing else to do or to watch, this is the movie for you. It is an action movie with too little action, but it does have a great score and evokes Zorro at certain points, but only momentarily. The story itself if typical of the late 1950s and early 60s, an outsider comes into a local situation, sees the evil in it and sets about righting wrongs to win the girl in the end. However, its premise is a bit stretched as is the acting. There are some areas where you must suspend history. First of all, the rifles the army uses are rolling block Spencers or Springfields of the 1870s, not 1840s. I also saw at least on revolver, which was not produced until the 1850s. However if you enjoyed Mahoney in Yancy Derringer, you'll like this movie.

Good cast, but bum script and miserable production values!

[JohnHowardReid · 5/10 · 31 January 2017]

This small-budget black-and-white western starts off with some impressive stock footage (some of it ex-color and ex-3-D) tied together with a ludicrously pretentious commentary. The movie ends with a competently staged sword duel between aging hero, Jock Mahoney, and morose villain, Michael Pate. In between are long stretches of instant information dialogue and clichés of the order, "You better get out of here!" The producer/director is a gent named Hamil Petroff. According to IMDb, Petroff was an extremely minor jack-of-all-trades with other insignificant credits as a sound technician, a choreographer, and an actor. His only other movie as a producer and director was "Runaway Girl" in 1965, again with Jock Mahoney as the lead. Needless to say, Petroff's direction here is stolidly uninteresting, although the film editor, Bert Honey (who also worked on "Runaway Girl") has made a commendable effort to pep up some of the longer takes by rapid inter-cutting between reverse angles.

Alas, despite her prominent billing, Faith Domergue has only a secondary role – and to her lot fall most of the dialogue's clichés! The script does somewhat better with Nestor Paiva, who steals the movie's acting honors. His little farewell speech, in which he philosophically, even cheerfully, resigns himself to his fate, is one of the movie's high spots. On the other hand, Michael Pate's villain lacks both charm and sparkle.

Production credits are generally no more than fair. In fact, budget restrictions are painfully evident in the telephone booth sets.

kind of a historical story...

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 19 September 2018]

Jock Mahoney and Faith Domergue star in this film, which wants to tell a story of California's fight for statehood. Michael O'Casey's mother was a Hernandez, proud Californian, but when O'Casey comes to town to get her a tombstone, the town is on the verge of a battle scene. General Micheltorena is coming to rape and pillage, in the name of "peace keeping", but has left a trail of destruction where-ever he goes. The budget for this thing must have been about four dollars! whenever they talk about fighting back and getting the neighbors and ranchers to stand up to the soldiers, all we ever see is O'Casey taking on everyone in sight! He enlists the local cantina owner, as well as the local female mexican ranch-owner. and of course they fight over him. Lots of complicated, little sub-plots here... the cantina owner is schtupping Don Francisco, who is also supposed to marry the ranch-owner. Directed by Hamil Petroff, who directed a whopping TWO films... and had only acted in seven. It's kind of hit or miss. Has moments of good acting and story, but they spend an awful lot of time cracking jokes and showing us how the protective aunt must chaperone the female land owner. showing on epix channel. mildly entertaining, but it aint no shakespeare.