''California Conquest'' is a 1952 American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film directed by

Lew Landers Lew Landers (born Louis Friedlander, January 2, 1901 – December 16, 1962) was an American independent film and television director. Biography Born as Louis Friedlander in New York City, Lew Landers began his movie career as an actor. In 1914, ...

and starring

Cornel Wilde Cornel Wilde (born Kornél Lajos Weisz; October 13, 1912 – October 16, 1989) was a Hungarian-American actor and filmmaker. Wilde's acting career began in 1935, when he made his debut on Broadway. In 1936 he began making small, uncredited ap ...

and

Teresa Wright Muriel Teresa Wright (October 27, 1918 – March 6, 2005) was an American actress. She won the 1942 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Carol Beldon in ''Mrs. Miniver''. She was nominated for the same award in 1941 for her ...

.The New York Times
"''California Conquest at Palace''" (June 7th, 1952 - retrieved on October 31st, 2011). The film is set in the early 1840s, and deals with a conspiracy by native Hidalgo

Californios Californios (singular Californio) are Californians of Spaniards, Spanish descent, especially those descended from settlers of the 17th through 19th centuries before California was annexed by the United States. California's Spanish language in C ...

to deliver the then- Mexican territory of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

to the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

Plot synopsis

Don Arturo Bordega (Cornel Wilde) is part of the old Spanish

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

, and a vocal advocate for California's

annexation Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held t ...

by the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. On his way to a secret meeting in support of that goal, he is attacked by

bandits Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, kidnapping, and murder, e ...

led by José Martínez (

Alfonso Bedoya Benito Alfonso Bedoya y Díaz de GuzmánSan Antonio Light, Dec. 17, 1957, p. 20 (April 16, 1904 – December 15, 1957) was a Mexican actor who frequently appeared in U.S. films. He is best known for his role in ''The Treasure of the Sierra Madre' ...

), but narrowly escapes. The planned "guest of honor" at the secret meeting to which Bordega is en route is none other than then-

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

John Charles Fremont. Martinez's bandits attempt to assassinate Fremont while he is traveling to the same meeting, but succeed only in lightly wounding him. At the meeting, he reveals that the US has no plans to annex California. It is subsequently revealed that the Brios brothers, Ernesto (Eugene Iglesias) and Fredo (

John Dehner John Dehner (DAY-ner; born John Dehner Forkum; November 23, 1915February 4, 1992), also credited Dehner Forkum, was an American stage, radio, film, and television character actor. From the late 1930s to the late 1980s, he amassed a long list o ...

), have paid Martinez to violently oppose the movement advocating American annexation of California, as part of their plot to deliver California to the imperial domain of the

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

Czar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...

(in exchange for a promise to appoint first Ernesto, and later Fredo, as the Russian colonial governor). Martinez's men violently seize a quantity of rifles from

gunsmith A gunsmith is a person who repairs, modifies, designs, or builds guns. The occupation differs from an armorer, who usually replaces only worn parts in standard firearms. Gunsmiths do modifications and changes to a firearm that may require a very ...

Sam Lawrence ( Hank Patterson), in order to arm a force in support of the Russian conquest of California. This invokes the wrath of his beautiful daughter, Julia (Teresa Wright), who winds up joining Arturo Bordega in his mission to infiltrate Martinez's bandit group, in order to foil their part in the scheme. During a period in which they learn the nature of the Brios' plot, Martinez is killed by Julia Lawrence and Ernesto Brios is slain by Bordega in a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in ...

. Arturo Bordega and Julia Lawrence then travel to

Fort Ross Fort Ross (, , Kashaya: ) is a former Russian establishment on the west coast of North America in what is now Sonoma County, California. Owned and operated by the Russian-American Company, it was the hub of the southernmost Russian settlemen ...

on the northern coast, where they are able to capture Fredo Brios and also a (fictional) Russian

princess Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for ...

, Helena de Gagarine, and a high-ranking Russian army officer, and succeed in thwarting the conspiracy. During the course of their travels together, Bordega and Lawrence fall in love, and the film concludes with their stated intent to marry and "have 14 children".

Cast

as Don Arturo Bordega *

as Julie Lawrence *

as José Martínez * Lisa Ferraday as Helena de Gagarine *

Eugene Iglesias Eugene Luis Francisco Iglesias Carrillo (3 December 1926 – 4 February 2023) was an American actor from Puerto Rico who was active mainly in 1950s and 1960s. In 1955, Iglesias appeared as Alfredo on the television western ''Cheyenne'' in the ...

as Ernesto Brios *

as Fredo Brios *

Ivan Lebedeff Ivan Lebedeff (born Ivan Vasilyevich Lebedev (), 18 June 1894 – 31 March 1953) was a Russian film actor, lecturer and writer. He appeared in 66 films between 1926 and 1953. In 1940, his novel, ''Legion of Dishonor'', was published. Biography ...

as Alexander Rotcheff * Tito Renaldo as Don Bernardo Mirana *

Renzo Cesana Renzo Cesana (30 October 1907, Rome – 8 November 1970, Hollywood, California) was an actor, writer, composer, and songwriter most famed for his title role on the American television show '' The Continental''. He was also known as Renato Cesana. ...

as Fr. Lindos *

Baynes Barron Baynes Barron (May 29, 1917 – July 21, 1982) was an American film and television actor. Born in New York. Barron served within World War II as a sergeant in the 28th Infantry Division. Barron began his career in 1946, first appearing in the ...

as Igna'cio *

Rico Alaniz Americo Zorilla "Rico" Alaniz (October 25, 1919 – March 9, 2015) was a Mexican-American actor. Early years Alaniz was born in Juárez, Mexico, and began riding when he was a child. Selected filmography * '' The Capture'' (1950) - Policema ...

as Pedro * William Wilkerson as Fernando (as William P. Wilkerson) * Edward Colmans as Juan Junipero * Alex Montoya as Juan

References

External links

* {{Sam Katzman 1952 films 1952 Western (genre) films English-language Western (genre) films American Western (genre) films Films set in California Films set in the 1840s * * Films directed by Lew Landers Films produced by Sam Katzman Columbia Pictures films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films

Plot synopsis

Cast

See also

References

External links