Now, I just think that this one is up me street – an action packed swashbuckler with John Derek and Barbara Rush.

John Derek had played Robin Hood a few years before and was good in this type of role – plus the fact that he looked the part.

Barbara Rush was very beautiful and a good actress too.

It was in Technicolor – so an added bonus for this type of film

Producer Sam Katzman offers us a 16th-century swashbuckler, with John Derek as Robin Hood-like buccaneer Prince Roland. Having lost his throne to his evil older brother Stephan (Whitfield Connor), Roland forms a band of volunteers to oust Stephan and bring peace and harmony to his land (by busting several heads along the way). Barbara Rush co-stars as Nita, the daughter of a deposed count and a fine swordswoman in her own right.

This isn’t really a pirate movie, though there are a few sequences set at sea in 16th-century sailing ships. Instead, most of the action takes place in a small kingdom in the Netherlands where the evil king is trying to squash a revolt led by his virtuous younger brother.

Carla Balenda, in a supporting role as a haughty Spanish princess, manages to impress. As for John Derek, he looks the real dashing hero

Director: Sidney Salkow

Writers: John O’Dea, Samuel Newman (screenplay) Stars: John Derek, Barbara Rush, Carla Balenda, Whitfield Connor, Edgar Barrier, Robert Shayne, Harry Lauter

Action scenes ABOVE and BELOW

An interesting snippet here – John Hart played a minor uncredited role at the very bottom of the cast list, but the very next outing he had was on TV playing The Lone Ranger – replacing Clayton Moore for a couple of seasons. Clayton Moore had contract problems with the producers – he eventually returned to the role though.