The Nephews of Zorro (1969)

Franco Franchi and Ciccio Ingrassia are cousins from Sicily who stow away in a ship’s cannons to make their way to California.

They want to pan for gold, but first need to visit their uncle, Don Diego de la Vega, hoping he’ll finance their adventure.

Don Diego is a leading citizen in Las Palmas, a town under the thumb of corrupt Judge Ramirez and a villainous military leader posing as Capt. Martinez.

They tax the poor, supposedly on behalf of Spain, but take the riches for themselves.

And the only man willing to stand up to them is Zorro, who takes back from the rich and returns confiscated valuables to the poor.

Currently, Raphael de la Vega (Dean Reed) is riding the countryside as Zorro, though no one knows that except his father Don Diego, the former Zorro.

Not even Raphael’s fiancee, the lovely Carmencita (Agata Flori) knows, though she’s beginning to question her man’s bravery while finding herself more and more infatuated with the man in black.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, Franco and Ciccio prove adept at just two things: repeatedly being conned out of whatever grubstake they lay their hands on and putting Zorro in ever greater danger through their bumbling.

Ciccio Ingrassia, pretending to be Zorro in order to impress Carmencita in The Two Nephews of Zorro (1969)

Franco Franchi as Franco La Vaccza, having been mistaken for a cannonball in The Two Nephews of Zorro (1969)

Review:

A routine and forgettable Franco and Ciccio outing that strikes comedy gold in one sequence.

Carmencita, unsure of her fiancee’s bravery, admits she might not be able to resist Zorro should he show up in her room one night.

Overhearing the conversation, and having discovered Raphael de la Vega’s stash of Zorro outfits, Franco and Ciccio each independently decide to dress as Zorro and test Carmencita’s infatuation with the sword-swinging hero.

They show up one by one, leaving Carmencita befuddled. And beyond befuddled when a third Zorro — the real Zorro — arrives.

Only she finds it hard to believe Raphael is the real Zorro because his pants keep falling down.

His own Zorro outfits stolen by Franco and Ciccio, Raphael has been forced to borrow his father’s old Zorro costume, only to discover it’s a bit too large.

Otherwise, the film’s biggest appeal is getting to see Dean Reed in the Zorro role, though the action scenes are pretty poorly choreographed compared to the better Zorro films.

Dean Reed as Zorro, realizing he’s rescued two jokesters, not two wronged men, in The Two Nephews of Zorro (1969)

Franco Fantasia as Don Diego de la Vega, alarmed to learn Zorro’s hideout has been discovered in The Two Nephews of Zorro (1969)

Directed by:
Mercello Ciorciolini
as Frank Reed

Cast:
Franco Franchi … Franco La Vacca
Ciccio Ingrassia … Ciccio La Vacca
Dean Reed … Raphael de la Vega / Zorro Jr.
Agata Flori … Carmencita
Ivano Staccioli … Capt. Martinez imposter
Ignazio Spalla … Sgt. Alvarez
as Pedro Sanchez
Mario Maranzana … Judge Ramirez
Franco Fantasia … Don Diego de la Vega / Zorro
Carlo Gaddi … Capt. Martinez
Antoniettaz Fiorito … Manuela
Evi Farinelli … Rosita
Andrea Fantasia … Lt. Gonzalez

Also with: Enzo Andronico, Carlo Taranto, Adriano Micantoni, Umberto D’Orsi, Brizio Montinaro, Fidel Gonzales, Clemente Ukmar, Angelo Gaste, Sergio Testori, Giorgio Chalet, Lino Banfi, Veriano Genesi, Vincenzo De Palo, Antonio Danesi, Giglio Gigli, Bruno Ukmar, Riccardo Pizzuti, Franco Ukmar, Mario Del Vago

aka:
I Nipoti di Zorro
The Cousins of Zorro

Music: Piero Umiliani
Song: “Zorro,” performed by Dean Reed

Dean Reed as Raphael de la Vega, wanting no one — not even his fiance — to know he’s the real Zorro in The Two Nephews of Zorro (1969)

Agata Flori as Carmencita, a girl who admires Zorro and questions Raphael’s courage, not knowing they’re the same man in The Two Nephews of Zorro (1969)

Memorable lines:

Sorry, I watched a foreign language version of this film.

Trivia:

* Agata Flori appeared in just 13 films, but six of them were Euro Westerns. The others included “Seven Guns for the MacGregors” (1966), “Seven Women for the MacGregors” (1967), “I Came, I Saw, I Shoot” (1968), “They Call Me Hallelujah” (1971) and “The Return of Hallelujah” (1972).

* Dean Reed sings the theme song here. He also sings in another of his Spaghetti Westerns, “The Winchester Does Not Forgive” (1967). He was found dead at age 47.

* In 1975, Franco Franchi starred in a comedy called “Dream of Zorro.” Ignazio Spalla returned for that film; Ciccio did not. The comedy duo made about a dozen comedy Spaghetti Westerns together.

Franco Franchi as Franco La Vacca and Ciccio Ingrassia as Ciicio La Vacce, spotting Zorro in the home where they’re staying in The Two Nephews of Zorro (1969)

Mario Maranzana as the crooked Judge Ramirez, spotting a troubling development in The Two Nephews of Zorro (1969)

Ivano Staccioli as the man impersonating the famed Capt. Martinez in The Nephews of Zorro (1969)

Dean Reed as Zorro, wondering how his hideout was discovered in The Two Nephews of Zorro (1969)

Ignazio Spalla (Fernando Sanchez) as Sgt. Alvarez, watching Franco and Ciccio quarrel in The Two Nephews of Zorro (1969)

Agata Flori as Carmencita, befuddled when three Zorros show up in her room in The Two Nephews of Zorro (1969)

Franco Franchi as Franco La Vacca and Ciccio Ingrassia as Ciccio La Vacca, thinking they’ve struck gold when a gold watch comes floating down a creek in The Two Nephews of Zorro (1969)

Dean Reed as Raphael de la Vega and Adriano Micantoni as Marquis Manuel Salazar Mendoza, minister of justice, discuss what to do with Ciccio and Franco while Carmencita (Agata Flori) and Don Diego (Franco Fantasia) listen in in The Nephews of Zorro (1969)