The Three Mesquiteers
The Three Mesquiteers | |
---|---|
Written by | William Colt MacDonald (based on novels by) |
Starring | Bob Livingston Ray Corrigan Syd Saylor Max Terhune John Wayne Ralph Byrd Duncan Renaldo Raymond Hatton Tom Tyler Bob Steele Guinn "Big Boy" Williams Rufe Davis Jimmie Dodd |
Production company | |
Release date | September 22, 1936 to May 21, 1943 |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Three Mesquiteers is the umbrella title for a Republic Pictures series of 51 American Western B-movies released between 1936 and 1943, including eight films starring a trio of stars including John Wayne. The series was based on a series of Western novels by William Colt MacDonald, which began with The Law of 45's in 1933.[1]
Format[]
The name was a play on words, referring to mesquite, a plant common in the Western states, and the characters of the 1844 Alexander Dumas novel The Three Musketeers. Each film featured a trio of stars, with the composition of the trio varying according to the individual movie.
The series blended the traditional Western period with more modern elements,[2] which was not unknown with other B-Western films and serials. Toward the end of the series, during World War II, the trio of cowboys were opposing Nazis.
Previous non-Republic films[]
- The Law of the 45's (1935, Normandy Pictures) starred Guinn "Big Boy" Williams as Tuscon "Two Gun" Smith and Al. St. John as Stony Brooke; there was no Lullaby Joslin in the film.
- Powdersmoke Range (1935, RKO Pictures) starred Harry Carey as Tucson Smith, Hoot Gibson as Stony Brooke, and Guinn "Big Boy" Williams as Lullaby Joslin.
The Mesquiteers[]
The cast list varied but always focused on a trio of cowboys. The original (and most frequently recurring) trio of characters were:
- Stony Brooke
(played by Bob Livingston in 29 films, John Wayne in 8 films, and Tom Tyler in 13 films)[3] - Tucson Smith
(played by Ray Corrigan in 24 films, and by Bob Steele in 20 films) - Lullaby Joslin
(played by Syd Saylor in one film, Max Terhune in 21 films, Rufe Davis in 14 films, and by Jimmie Dodd in six films)
The other members of this 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)
- Elmer as Elmer (Lullaby Joslin's (Max Terhune) Ventriloquist Dummy)
- Kirby Grant as Tex Reilly (one film, Red River Range) (pretended to be Stony Brooke while Stony Brooke was under cover)
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.[4]
Reception[]
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. For example, 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.[5]
Influence[]
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).[5]
Films[]
Republic Pictures produced 51 films in The Three Mesquiteers series between 1936 and 1943:
References[]
- ^ B-Westerns, retrieved 14 November 2007
- ^ Powell, Larry; Amsbary, Jonathan H. (2018). Becoming John Wayne: The Early Westerns of a Screen Icon, 1930-1939. McFarland. p. 118. ISBN 978-1-4766-2994-0. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
- ^ Kehr, Dave (September 28, 2012). "Tall in the Saddle in 2 Eras at Once". The New York Times. New York, NY, USA. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- ^ Magers, Boyd; Fitzgerald, Michael G. (2004). Westerns Women: Interviews with 50 Leading Ladies of Movie and Television. McFarland & Co. Inc. pp. 58–62. ISBN 9780786420285. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ^ a b B-Westerns, retrieved 14 November 2007
External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Three Mesquiteers. |
- English-language films
- Three Mesquiteers films
- Western (genre) film series
- Republic Pictures films
- 1930s Western (genre) films
- 1940s Western (genre) films
- American Western (genre) films
- American films
- American black-and-white films