Lady von Kalifornien

Rita Hayworth was one of Hollywood's biggest stars in the 1940s. But the road to get there was long and arduous. By the time she received her first co-starring role, in October 1936 "Rebellion," the 18-year-older was already a veteran of the screen, appearing in 12 movies, mostly in uncredited or small parts. The young actress, whose birth name Rita Cansino is listed in the credits, appeared largely in dance numbers or playing exotic roles with heavy accents.

The head executive of Fox Film, Winfield Sheehan, spotted Cansino dancing in a Los Angeles nightclub in 1935, and screen-tested her with positive reviews. A year later Rita got her first large speaking part alongside veteran actor Tom Keene in "Rebellion." She plays Paula Castillo, whose family's ranch in Southern California is being overwhelmed by American arrivals who recognize the former Mexican territory is now a new state. Her plea to President Zachary Taylor (Allan Cavan) at the White House to enforce the treaty the government signed with Mexico sends Army Captain John Carroll (Tom Keene) to enforce the law in the area and to make things safe for Paula and her former Mexican family.

The executive Sheehan no longer had a say in the picture after his position was eliminated by the merger of Fox with 20th Century. As an independent producer, he did press the new studio to place Cansino's in the lead in 1936's "Ramona," but the studio went with Loretta Young instead and didn't renew Cansino's contract. Edward Judson, a rich oilman twice Rita's age, swooped in as her acting manager, sensing there was something special in her. He lined up several pictures at low budget studios for the freelancing teenage actress. Cresent Pictures gave her the female lead in "Rebellion." Four movies later, Judson was able to swing a deal with Columbia Pictures in 1937, launching her big-studio career with her new stage name Rita Hayworth. The actress fell in love with Judson, marrying him on May 22, 1937, upsetting her father, who didn't speak to her until she received a divorce for cruelty in 1942. "He helped me with my career," Hayworth said after the divorce about her ex, "and helped himself to my money." She was flat broke after separating from Judson, who kept the secret from her that he was married twice before, and had sapped all her finances.

Co-star Tom Keene, known as George Duryea when he broke into silent movies in 1928, had his biggest role before "Rebellion" as John Sims in King Vidor's 1934 classic "Our Daily Bread." He mainly played in Westerns throughout his long career, and was in the 1957 cult sci-fi classic "Plan 9 From Outer Space." "Rebellion" allowed Keene to witness a young actress hone her acting skills, and could claim he was in her first lead picture before she hit the big-time.

Tom Keene is sent to California to bring law and order just as the territory becomes a state. It seems that the Americans are running off the Mexicans from their land unjustly. Keeane ends up helping the Mexicans when their leader is killed.

Better than average western is helped a great deal by the dressing the plot is given.You may have seen it before but the window dressing is such it doesn't completely seem like it. It is also on interest because it stars Rita Hayworth in one of her first roles.

Worth a look.

7 out of 10

A forgotten B western for a fly by night poverty row outfit Rebellion is only worth remembering for being a film that had a future movie legend in the female lead. Rita Cansino later Rita Hayworth is on a mission to President Zachary Taylor to get justice for her people, the former Mexican citizens who are being exploited by ruthless Americans come over into California. Hayworth's brother Duncan Renaldo the future Cisco Kid plays the brother and now 'outlaw' leader.

Taylor is as good as his word, he sends a soldier, his personal military aide Tom Keene to investigate and settle the issues. I'd say Keene went way beyond his orders with what you see here. But he's a cowboy hero and gets the job done.

It's a pretty shoddy B western that if not for Rita Hayworth would be obscure and forgotten.

Rita Hayworth -- still credited as Rita Cansino -- shows up in President Zachary Taylor's office. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is not being administered, and lots of bandits have taken over the area between modern-day San Diego and Los Angeles. Taylor responds with concern, hints at dark forces to his aide, Captain Tom Keene, and sends the grinning youngster out to the Coast to administer it personally. He shows up alone and unarmed at the offices of self-proclaimed Judge and professional drunkard Robert McKenzie, shows his papers. Whereupon Roger Gray tears them up and has McKenzie throw him in jail. Miss Hayworth's brother, Duncan Renaldo, rescues him, but gets shot and dies, and Gray takes over the Renaldo-Hayworth ranch.

It's one of those movies where everyone is an idiot, and history is reduced to piffle to fit the dumb narrative that the film makers have settled on. Keene spends the first twenty minutes grinning like he's read John T. Neville's script and knows he's going to be awarded Miss Hayworth as an attendance prize, while the adults who finally show up, including Theodore Lorch, will do the actual work of rooting out the bad guys. Miss Hayworth would 'star' in four of these movies before heading back to Columbia. Keene, a capable actor under good directors, would continue to decline, try changing his name, and die in 1963 at the age of 66.

"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.