Saloon owner Barnett wants the land on the local Indian reservation for its gold deposits. In order to remove the people living on the reservation, he forms a gang to attack the local ranchers and frame the Indians. Rancher Jerry Randall opposes him using the legendary masked identity of El Latigo, a friend to the Indians.
Cast
Richard Simmons as Jerry Randall, a rancher, and the secret identity of El Latigo, legendary masked hero
Man with the Steel Whip was budgeted at $172,794 although the final negative cost was $174,718 (a $1,924, or 1.1%, overspend). It was the most expensive Republic serial of 1954.[1]
It was filmed between March 2 and 22 of 1954 under the working title Man with a Whip.[1] The serial's production number was 1938.[1]
Man with the Steel Whip used stock footage from all of the previous Zorro serials produced by Republic Pictures. As a result, the costume and body shape of the hero El Latigo change between scenes, even becoming female in scenes taken from Zorro's Black Whip (1944).[2][3]
The serial contains many mistakes; for example, Nancy occasionally refers to the character Jerry Randall as Dick (Richard Simmons' real name).[2]
Man with the Steel Whip's official release date was July 19, 1954, although that was the date on which the sixth chapter was made available to film exchanges.[1]
The film's release was followed by a rerelease of The Phantom Rider, retitled as Ghost Riders of the West, instead of a new serial. The next new serial, Panther Girl of the Kongo, followed in 1955.[1]
