Santa Fe Stampede

Santa Fe Stampede (1938)

*** (out of 4)

In 1935 Republic Pictures started their low-budget western series featuring The Three Mesquiteers with Powdersmoke Range and would end it with 1943's Riders of the Rio Grande. Various actors graced the screen as the trio but the best known films are those with John Wayne whose first appearance was in 1938's Pals of the Saddle. Wayne would make a total of eight Mesquiteers films with Santa Fe Stampede being the third.

The Three Mesquiteers--Stony (John Wayne), Tucson (Ray Corrigan) and Lullaby (Max Terhune)—are asked by a friend (William Farnum) to help keep some bad guys off his property. These bad guys are being controlled by the town's greedy Mayor who knows that a gold mine is on the property. When the local Judge offers no help it's up to the Mesquiteers to help but after the friend is murdered the Mayor makes it appear that Stony killed him in order to take over the mine. Now the boys must try and solve the case before the town folks kill Stony and let the guilty go free.

You certainly shouldn't go into this film expecting anything like The Searchers or Once Upon a Time in the West because films like this were made cheaply, at a fast rate and their purpose was to entertain for an hour and nothing more. If you have a fondness for the "B" pictures of yesterday then you'll know what to expect here and the film pretty much delivers on all grounds. There's certainly nothing original or new here story wise but that's fine since the entertainment level is high and the running time short.

Typical of a "B" Western, the title has absolutely nothing to do with the actual film so if you're expecting any sort of stampede then you'll be in for a big letdown. I'm sure that word was just added for an added boost to get people in the theater but either way you do get the typical "B" Western action. This ranges from various fist fights that break out at any moment including one hilarious scene where the heroes battle the bad guys right inside a court room, which lands them in contempt of court. We also get various shoot outs, which contain some mild excitement even though they are as fake as possible. The biggest highlight to a film like this is a dramatic ending, which usually contains the biggest stunts and here we get Wayne stuck inside a burning building trying to make an escape.

Another key to these films are the main cast members, which always adds a few chuckles and gives the viewer a reason to watch them. There were thousands of these types of films made during the decade yet the one's with Wayne are certainly the most memorable and while the debate of Wayne as an actor will always continue there's no denying his visual impact on any film. You can tell Wayne is having a lot of fun here including a wonderful scene where his friends young daughter shares her thoughts about marrying him. Wayne has all the vibrant energy to carry the film but his two co-stars also add a lot as well. Silent screen star William Farnum is a bit too wooden and over the top but this actually ads more charm to the film.

Santa Fe Stampede also contains a rather shocking and violent scene where the friend is actually killed. The final death sequence was trimmed back when the film was released due to it being too graphic for viewers back then but it's restored here and it's easy to see why so many would have objected to the scene back in its day. The film itself is nothing groundbreaking but fans of the "B" Western or John Wayne should get a kick out of the movie nonetheless.

This film essentially begins with the Three Mesquiteers heading over to see an old friend named "Dave Carson" (William Farnum) who lives out in the country with his three children. Upon their arrival, Dave tells them that he has just struck gold, but hasn't registered his claim yet. Unfortunately, while he is telling them of his strike, two cowboys sent to spy on him have overheard what he has said and, upon being detected, grab the nearest horses and hurriedly ride off. Naturally, the Three Mesquiteers and Dave immediately give chase but, although they manage to catch one of the horse thieves, the other one escapes and reports this news to his boss "Mayor Gil Byron" (LeRoy Mason). To that effect, once Dave and the Three Mesquiteers ride into town with their prisoner, the mayor has already convinced "Judge Henry J. Hixon" (Ferris Taylor) to free the suspect and, to further add insult to injury, the crooked judge fines the Three Mesquiteers $100 apiece for daring to protest. Infuriated with this ruling, the Three Mesquiteers convince a number of local townspeople to sign a petition to the territorial governor asking for an investigation on those who control the city hall. Unfortunately, when Mayor Byron hears about this, he sends his men to stop the petition from being delivered--and he doesn't care who he has to kill in the process. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this turned out to be one of the better films in the Three Mesquiteers series as it contained a bit more drama and suspense than some of the others. I especially liked the performance of LeRoy Mason who added a certain amount of menace to the overall plot. Be that as it may, although this film is somewhat dated, I still enjoyed it for the most part, and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

This was a definite look back at the past when John Wayne was very young and starting out on a great career in films. There really is no stampede, except the bad guys trying to blame Stony Brooke, (John Wayne) for a crime he did not commit. However, the local town people want justice and are convinced that Stony is responsible for this crime and must pay for it. Stony is put in jail and his lady friend, Nanvy Carson visits him while the jail is set on fire and they are both destined to die in the blaze. Tucson Smith,(Ray Corrigan) and Lullaby Joslin, (Max Terhune) try to come to his rescue. Lullaby Joslin is also a ventriloquist and there are some funny scenes with his dummy talking and making jokes. If you look real close, you will see the famous villain of all Western Films, Charlie King. Great John Wayne Classic film, enjoy.

"Santa Fe Stampede" is one of many Three Mesquiteers films made by Republic in the late 30s and early forties. The trio in this outing consisted of John Wayne, Ray "Crash" Corrigan and Max Terhune. For Wayne, this was the third of eight Three Mesquiteer films he appeared in and was his final "B" western series prior to his emergence as a major star.

As usual the title of the movie bears little or no resemblance to the plot of the picture. The "Santa Fe" of the title is "Santa Fe Junction" and there is no stampede to be found, or for that matter, no cattle.

What the film does have is a great cast. Wayne, Corrigan and Terhune look comfortable in their hero roles. Former silent screen star William Farnum, with his stage trained voice and elocution, plays the boys' friend and partner. The chief villain is played by Republic's busiest bad guy of the period, LeRoy Mason. In his gang of henchmen are such "B" western stalwarts as Charlie King, Bud Osborne and Dick Alexander. Tom London also appears as a marshal.

In the video I watched, issued by Republic Pictures Home Video there are three minutes cut out. The key scene deleted involves the fate of the Farnum character and his young daughter, which some must have thought was too disturbing for young audiences. But I do not understand why the video didn't contain the complete version.

Nevertheless, "Santa Fe Stampede" is a good way to spend an hour.

The Mesquiteers capture a horse thief who escapes justice through a crooked judge. They gather signatures urging the governor to investigate but a friend with the petition is murdered. Stony is accused.

There's no stampede as the title suggests but there's the usual formulaic story of the 3 mesquiteers coming to the rescue, tackling a crooked mayor, shootout, fisticuffs, however the death of Wayne's friend and the young girl adds some sombreness and drama - the plot twists and turns. Wayne is framed, and a lynch mob - with women among the men demanding him dead - is formed. The highlight is the burning of the sheriff's office where Wayne is imprisoned and it's also dynamited.

A good entry featuring the three fast galloping heroes.