At the end of the 18th century, hundreds of Indian sailors, known as lascars, worked amongst European settlers in Aotearoa New Zealand - often under the gruesome working conditions of seal hunting gangs. The story follows a lascar, Dasa, who has been abandoned on the coast of Aotearoa NZ by the East India Company, alongside his sealing gang. When Dasa finds himself in the middle of a conflict between his abusive British superior and two Māori traders, he is faced with a choice: bend the knee or take a stand.
The story, which is well known to every school child, is taken from Parkman's History and is presented without alteration or embellishment, and in the number of people employed and in the character or the scenic mountings is by long odds the greatest Indian production yet offered under the Kalem trade-mark. It will be remembered that Major Gladwynn, Commandant of Fort Detroit in 1763, had declared his love for a young Indian girl and she had become much attached to him. At this period Pontiac was at the height of his power and had sent emissaries about the villages of the Ottawas inciting war against the whites. The final plan involved the entry to the fort of a number of picked chieftains, each carrying a shortened gun beneath his blanket. The mission was ostensibly to be one of peace, but at a signal from Pontiac the chieftains were to drop their blankets and to massacre the whites.
After being unfaithful to "The Stranger", who committed a murder on her account, Cherry Millard, known as "The Siren", leaves to work in a dance hall in the Western town of Nugget. When Burt Hall arrives in town to deliver a will to the heirs of Bruce McClade, he is captivated by Cherry, who learns of Burt's mission. Discovering that the will dictates that Dr. Langdon, a friend of the family, is to receive $25,000, Cherry decides to impersonate Langdon's daughter Rose and thus gain possession of the money. In the meantime, The Stranger, who has been freed from jail, returns, recognizes Cherry as The Siren and kills her. This frees Burt from her evil spell, and The Stranger, now insane, follows The Siren's spirit into the desert.
After the 14th Ammendment to the US Constitution, everyone has rights - except the Native Americans. Cavalry Army General Boyd applies that by breaking past treaties with the Apaches, and suppressing them in the territory under his command. A young Apache - named Cuchillo/Knife, after the massacre of his tribe - is taught that he is the gods' send to protect his people. Brought up to be a great warrior, he will attempt to reason with Boyd, and then fight an uneven battle against the Blue Demons.
When "Billy the Liar" kidnaps a young girl's dog, she calls on her friends and the local child sheriff. He sets off in pursuit but is waylaid by Indians but manages to capture Billy who is sentenced to a severe whipping.
John Wilson goes to the mountain-town bank to draw out the pay-roll. Sam Marvin and Ed Hanley "pike" this proceeding and ride on ahead, up the road, to await the coming of the superintendent in his auto. Jim Carter, the son of Sheriff Carter, also his deputy, observes their actions, and finds their pictures in prison records.
Charles Starrett is once more cast as frontier doctor Steve Monroe in Columbia's Prairie Stranger. In the company of his comic sidekick, mail-order intern Bones (Cliff Edwards), Dr. Monroe sets up his shingle in a small Nevada town. When business is slow, Monroe and Bones take jobs as ranch-hands on a cattle spread, and while thus employed try to solve a series of mysterious livestock poisonings.
A bounty hunter disguises himself as an Indian. He wants to prove against a deceased landowner that she led a double life as a wanted robber and murderer. He pretends to be a shaman in order to confirm his suspicions behind the back of her grieving maid and then disappear with the body. Unfortunately for the bounty hunter this does not agree with the maid, who has her own plans for him...
Idaho Kent, an agent of the pony express company, is asked to reach Sacramento with proof against a dishonest politician candidate for the local elections. Several people, paid by the corrupt man, try to stop him.
Early silent screen leading man Roy Stewart played a dual-role in this independently produced "Northwestern" about identical twins, separated at birth, who grow up on opposite sides of the law.
Charles Starrett plays lawman Steve Forsythe in Ridin' the Outlaw Trail. Somewhere along the line, of course, Steve is obliged to don the mask of The Durango Kid, mysterious righter of wrongs. The "wrongs" in this instance include the theft of $20,000 in gold, and the "kidnapping" of a blacksmith's forge! Jim Bannon, who only a few months earlier had played the heroic Red Ryder, provides the villainy in this fast-paced "Durango Kid" entry
Dolly Mainard, en route to her father, a major at Fort Blaine, is escorted through dangerous Sioux territory by a cavalry detachment and Army scout Jim Cardigan. When Captain Blackwell offends some braves of Chief Gray Wolf's tribe, Jim is sent ahead to the Indian camp to ask for peace. Imprisoned by the Indians, he sends a message to Blackwell not to advance; Donlin, a renegade scout, tears the note in such a way that the message is distorted, and the entire force is killed. When Jim escapes, he is accused of treason by Blackwell, court-martialed, and sentenced to death; however, he escapes and rescues Dolly, her father, and Blackwell from Donlin's band of renegades. Jim discovers the missing portion of the note in Donlin's hat, proving his innocence. Dolly remains to become his wife.
Young Benny Jackson is in danger of losing the beloved family business, Bulletproof Jackson's Saloon to an avaricious developer. In his quest, Benny stumbles across a journal that belonged to his great great grandfather, the famous gunslinger Bulletproof Jackson. Benny opens the journal and we are brought back to the wild west where we learn the true legend of Bulletproof and perhaps the secret that will save the Saloon. But for Benny, the journal holds many more questions than answers...
Three stupid cowboys are lost in the woods without any food on the coldest night of the year. Will they succumb to the cold, cannibalism or the Christmas Spirit? Canada's infamous Astron-6 return to short form to challenge the very idea of storytelling. Grotesque. Absurd. Buñuel by way of the Zuckers and Abrahams.
Through a kindly act Broncho Billy earns the deep gratitute of Marion Rivers, who presents him with a Bible. Not long afterwards, she comes upon him as he is about to hold up the stage, but at sight of the girl he is overwhelmed with shame and taking out the little Bible promises her that he will live honorably. In the meantime, Marion's father holds up the stage at another point, and one of the stagecoach drivers, mounting a bareback pony, rides off for the sheriff. Broncho Billy sees Rivers get away with the money, and when he hears the sheriff and his men coming, for Marion's sake he goes to warn her father. To shield him, he takes the bags of money and rides away with the men after him. He leaves the money at the mile post with a note saying: "SAheriff, I'm through with Bear County, this stick-up was my last", and rides across the border. (Moving Picture World Synopsis)
One of two towns will be selected to be the County Seat and Editor Palmer has a gang working to make sure his town is chosen. Investigating the lawlessness, Red Ryder poses as an outlaw to get into the gang hoping to find out who the boss is. But Palmer knows Red and exposes his true identity when he arrives and Red and Gabby then find themselves prisoners of the gang. [Written by Maurice Van Auken]