The Three Mesquiteers

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The Three Mesquiteers is the umbrella title for a Republic Pictures series of 51 American Western B-movies released between 1936 and 1943. The films, featuring a trio of Old West adventurers, was based on a series of Western novels by William Colt MacDonald. The eponymous trio, with occasional variations, were called Stony Brooke, Tucson Smith and Lullaby Joslin. John Wayne, who played Stony Brooke in eight of the films in 1938 and 1939, was the best-known actor in the series. Other leads included Bob Livingston, Ray "Crash" Corrigan, Max Terhune, Bob Steele, Rufe Davis and Tom Tyler.

The Three Mesquiteers
Poster for The Three Mesquiteers (1936)
Written byWilliam Colt MacDonald (based on novels by)
StarringBob Livingston
Ray Corrigan
Syd Saylor
Max Terhune
John Wayne
Ralph Byrd
Duncan Renaldo
Raymond Hatton
Tom Tyler
Bob Steele
Rufe Davis
Jimmie Dodd
Production
company
Release date
September 22, 1936 to May 21, 1943
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Background

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William Colt MacDonald wrote a series of novels about The Three Mesquiteers, beginning with The Law of 45's in 1933. The name "Mesquiteer" was a play on words, referring to mesquite, a plant common in the Western United States, and the characters of the 1844 Alexander Dumas novel The Three Musketeers.[1] The film series blended the traditional Western period with more modern elements,[2] a technique used in other B-Western films and serials. Toward the end of the series, during World War II, the trio of cowboys were opposing Nazis. One film, Outlaws of Sonora (1938), has a revisionist theme as an early example of the outlaw/gunfighter sub-genre.[3]

Previous non-Republic films

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The Mesquiteers

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Theatrical release poster for Pals of the Saddle (1938) starring John Wayne

In the Republic series, the cast list varied but always featured a trio of cowboys. The original and most frequently recurring Mesquiteer characters were:

Other members of the trio over the entire series were:

  • Ralph Byrd as Larry Smith (one film, replacing Bob Livingston, injured during filming)
  • Raymond Hatton as Rusty Joslin (nine films)
  • Duncan Renaldo as Rico Rinaldo (seven films)
  • Kirby Grant as Tex Reilly (in Red River Range, Tex and Stony Brooke swap identities so that Stony can take Tex's place in an undercover investigation of cattle rustlers)

Stars in supporting roles at various times included:

Actress Lois Collier was sometimes called the Fourth Mesquiteer because seven of the movies featured her as the female lead.[5]

Max Terhune, when playing Lullaby Joslin, would sometimes appear with a ventriloquist dummy called Elmer.

Reception

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The Three Mesquiteers series was extremely popular at the time of its release. The series was the only one of its kind to be specifically named and ranked in contemporary polls of the top Western film stars. From 1937 to the end of the series in 1943, the Motion Picture Herald consistently ranked the series in its top 10, reaching a peak of fifth place in 1938, when a pre-Stagecoach John Wayne was the series lead.[6]

Influence

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The success of the series led to many "trigger trio" imitators at other studios. The first was The Range Busters (1940–43) from Monogram Pictures, which starred original Mesquiteer Ray "Crash" Corrigan as the character "Crash" Corrigan. Monogram also released The Rough Riders (1941–42), again poaching a Mesquiteer in the form of Raymond Hatton, and The Trail Blazers (1943–44). Producers Releasing Corporation produced two similar series, The Texas Rangers (1942–45) and The Frontier Marshals (1942).[6] On television, NBC broadcast Laredo from 1965 to 1967. It starred Neville Brand, William Smith and Peter Brown as a trio of Texas Rangers.[7]

Films

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Republic Pictures produced 51 films in The Three Mesquiteers series between 1936 and 1943:

Year Title Director Mesquiteers Lead actress
1936 1. The Three Mesquiteers Ray Taylor Bob Livingston
(Stony Brooke)
Ray Corrigan
(Tucson Smith)
Syd Saylor
(Lullaby Joslin)
Kay Hughes
2. Ghost-Town Gold Joseph Kane Max Terhune
(Lullaby Joslin)
3. Roarin' Lead Sam Newfield
Mack V. Wright
Christine Maple
1937 4. Riders of the Whistling Skull Mack V. Wright Mary Russell
5. Hit the Saddle Rita Cansino
6. Gunsmoke Ranch Joseph Kane Jean Carmen
7. Come On, Cowboys Maxine Doyle
8. Range Defenders Mack V. Wright Eleanor Stewart
9. Heart of the Rockies Joseph Kane Lynne Roberts
10. The Trigger Trio William Witney Ralph Byrd
(Larry Smith, Tucson's brother)
Sandra Corday
11. Wild Horse Rodeo George Sherman Bob Livingston
(Stony Brooke)
June Martel
1938 12. The Purple Vigilantes Joan Barclay
13. Call the Mesquiteers John English Lynne Roberts
14. Outlaws of Sonora George Sherman none
15. Riders of the Black Hills Ann Evers
16. Heroes of the Hills Priscilla Lawson
17. Pals of the Saddle John Wayne
(Stony Brooke)
Doreen McKay
18. Overland Stage Raiders Louise Brooks
19. Santa Fe Stampede June Martel
20. Red River Range Lorna Gray
1939 21. The Night Riders Doreen McKay
22. Three Texas Steers Carole Landis
23. Wyoming Outlaw Raymond Hatton
(Rusty Joslin)
Pamela Blake
24. New Frontier Jennifer Jones
25. The Kansas Terrors Bob Livingston
(Stony Brooke)
Duncan Renaldo
(Rico Renaldo)
Julie Bishop
26. Cowboys from Texas Carole Landis
1940 27. Heroes of the Saddle William Witney none
28. Pioneers of the West Lester Orlebeck Beatrice Roberts
29. Covered Wagon Days George Sherman Kay Griffith
30. Rocky Mountain Rangers Rosella Towne
31. Oklahoma Renegades Nate Watt Florine McKinney
32. Under Texas Skies George Sherman Bob Steele
(Tucson Smith)
Rufe Davis
(Lullaby Joslin)
Lois Ranson
33. The Trail Blazers Pauline Moore
34. Lone Star Raiders June Johnson
1941 35. Prairie Pioneers Lester Orlebeck Esther Estrella
36. Pals of the Pecos June Johnson
37. Saddlemates Gale Storm
38. Gangs of Sonora John English June Johnson
39. Outlaws of Cherokee Trail Lester Orlebeck Tom Tyler
(Stony Brooke)
Lois Collier
40. Gauchos of El Dorado
41. West of Cimarron
1942 42. Code of the Outlaw John English none
43. Raiders of the Range Lois Collier
44. Westward Ho
45. The Phantom Plainsmen
46. Shadows on the Sage Lester Orlebeck Jimmie Dodd
(Lullaby Joslin)
Cheryl Walker
47. Valley of Hunted Men John English none
1943 48. Thundering Trails Nell O'Day
49. The Blocked Trail Elmer Clifton Helen Deverell
50. Santa Fe Scouts Howard Bretherton Lois Collier
51. Riders of the Rio Grande Lorraine Miller

References

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  1. ^ "The Three Mesquiteers". B-Western Movies. p. 1. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  2. ^ Powell, Larry; Amsbary, Jonathan H. (2018). Becoming John Wayne: The Early Westerns of a Screen Icon, 1930–1939. McFarland. p. 118. ISBN 978-14-76629-94-0.
  3. ^ "Outlaw (Gunfighter) Film". AllMovie. p. 11. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  4. ^ Kehr, Dave (September 28, 2012). "Tall in the Saddle in 2 Eras at Once". New York Times. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  5. ^ Magers, Boyd; Fitzgerald, Michael G. (2004). Westerns Women: Interviews with 50 Leading Ladies of Movie and Television. McFarland. pp. 58–62. ISBN 978-07-86420-28-5.
  6. ^ a b "The Three Mesquiteers". B-Western Movies. p. 2. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  7. ^ Hathorn, Billy (2013). "Roy Bean, Temple Houston, Bill Longley, Ranald Mackenzie, Buffalo Bill, Jr., and the Texas Rangers: Depictions of West Texans in Series Television, 1955 to 1967". West Texas Historical Review. 89. West Texas Historical Association: 115–116.
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