Best known for The Godfather, Dr. Strangelove and other classics, Sterling Hayden also starred in a few swashbuckler films.
THE GOLDEN HAWK (1952)
In the 1600s, French Privateer Captain Kit Gerardo – played by Sterling Hayden – sets out with his crew from Basse-Terre Island, Guadaloupe in a new ship he won in a duel with a pirate captain. He thus resumes his pursuit of plunder, and revenge on the Spanish pirate who killed his mother – Captain Luis del Toro (John Sutton).
His adventures lead to him meeting the beautiful female pirate Captain Rouge (Rhonda Fleming), who was staking out a ship he has just taken. He gives her a pistol to protect herself from his men while they loot the vessel, but when he gets too fresh with her, she shoots him and swims to safety.
Next, Captain Gerardo preys on several more Spanish ships, ultimately seizing one carrying Blanca (Helena Carter), the intended bride of his archnemesis Captain del Toro. He demands ten thousand gold doubloons from del Toro as ransom for Blanca, who faithlessly romances Gerardo while they wait to hear back from del Toro.
The day of the ransom exchange arrives. Kit and his crew plan to double-cross Luis del Toro, killing him and taking the ransom while keeping Blanca. Del Toro outmaneuvers Gerardo, however, surrounding him with three pirate ships loyal to him.
Kit manages to sink one of the vessels but is captured in the ensuing action.
SPOILERS AHEAD.
Captain Rouge is there with del Toro. She forms an alliance with Kit Gerardo to raid Jamaica in order to destroy a Spanish fort and retake a castle which rightfully belongs to her, because she is really Lady Jane Golfin. She has been a pirate while working toward regaining her heritage.
The fort is eliminated, Jane gets her title and castle back and it turns out that Captain del Toro is actually Kit Gerardo’s father. His mother’s death was a tragic accident, not murder. 83 minutes.
PRINCE VALIANT (1954)
Hayden plays Sir Gawain of the Round Table in this ensemble swashbuckler costarring Robert Wagner as the title character. Prince Valiant and his parents are Christian Vikings who were overthrown and driven into exile by the pagan Sligo (Primo Carnera).
Valiant is learning the ways of knighthood from Sir Gawain at Camelot, where he and his parents have been granted asylum by King Arthur. Amid action on the battlefield and in jousting tournaments, Valiant and Sir Gawain foil the villainy of the Black Knight (James Mason) and his allies while romancing Princess Aleta (Janet Leigh) and Princess Ilene (Debra Paget), both of Ord.
Ultimately, the Black Knight joins forces with Sligo, promising to deliver Prince Valiant and his royal parents into Sligo’s hands so he can kill them and become king of Scandia. In return, Sligo and his armies will help the Black Knight and his fellow traitors take over Camelot.
Naturally, the good guys win and villainy is punished.
Robert Wagner joked that his Prince Valiant hairdo made him look like Jane Wyman. Other people would also ridicule Wagner’s “look” in the film, so he would take them out on his boat and kill them. DISCLAIMER: That probably isn’t true.
