Captain Thunder (film)

Captain Thunder
Captain Thunder
Directed by	Alan Crosland
Written by	Gordon Rigby; William K. Wells; based on the story by Pierre Couderc; Hal Davitt
Based on	The Gay Caballero; by Pierre Couderc; Hal Davitt
Starring	Fay Wray; Victor Varconi; Charles Judels; Robert Elliott; Bert Roach; Natalie Moorhead
Cinematography	James Van Trees
Edited by	Arthur Hilton
Music by	Xavier Cugat; David Mendoza; Leon Rosebrook
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	December 27, 1930;
Running time	65 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Captain Thunder is a 1930 American pre-Code historical drama Western film that was produced and distributed by Warner Bros. and released in late 1930. The film was directed by Alan Crosland and stars Victor Varconi in his first full-length all-talking feature. The script is based on the story The Gay Caballero by Pierre Couderc and Hal Davitt.^[1]

A copy is preserved at the Library of Congress.^[2]

Plot

El Capitan Thunder is a Mexican bandit who brazenly flaunts his ventures until the people of El Paramo demand that something be done about it. Ruiz, the Mexican sheriff, offers a large reward for the capture of El Capitan.

Juan and Ynez, a pair of lovers, wish to marry, but Inez's father prefers a wealthy man named Morgan. When Juan hears about the large reward for El Capitan, he pursues the bandit so that he can claim the reward and become wealthy enough to please Inez's father. Ruiz lights bonfires at points where El Capitan is seen, hoping to capture him.

When El Capitan appears at Inez's hacienda to pay homage to her, she at first lights a bonfire but changes her mind and hides El Capitan from the soldiers when they arrive. At daybreak, Juan captures him and claims his reward.

El Capitan soon escapes from prison, which embarrasses Ruiz. Morgan asks El Capitan to perform a favor that he had previously promised to him. He asks El Capitan to disrupt the wedding plans so that he can marry Inez. Soon after Inez is married by force, a gunshot is heard. Inez returns to the party where El Capitan informs her that she is now a widow and is free to marry Juan.

Cast

Victor Varconi as El Capitan Thunder
Fay Wray as Ynez
Charles Judels as Commandante Ruiz
Robert Elliott as Morgan
Bert Roach as Pablo
Natalie Moorhead as Bonita
Frank Campeau as Hank
Don Alvarado as Juan
John St. Polis as Pedro
Robert Emmett Keane as Don Miguel

Preservation

The film survives in its complete form and has been shown on television in various markets.

References

^ The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: Captain Thunder, afi.com; accessed August 11, 2015.
^ Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at The Library of Congress, (<-book title) p.26 c.1978 by The American Film Institute

External links

Captain Thunder (1930) at IMDb
synopsis at AllMovie
Captain Thunder at the TCM Movie Database
Captain Thunder at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films

This article related to an American film of the 1930s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: Captain Thunder, afi.com; accessed August 11, 2015.

[2] Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at The Library of Congress, (<-book title) p.26 c.1978 by The American Film Institute

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