Three Texas Steers

Before he was famous, John Wayne made a bunch of "Three Mesquiteers" movies with Ray Corrigan and Max Terhune. They're pretty silly, but since it was his time as Star of the Week, I watched a few of them. They're formula, one-hour westerns, where the three cowboy friends ride into town, solve a problem, capture the bad guy, kiss the girl, and ride off in the sunset in search of the next town.

In Three Texas Steers, it involves a circus (though you'd never know from the title). Carole Landis owns a circus, and when she refuses to sell to the bad guys, she starts getting harassed. In comes the cute cowboy and his two pals (no offense Ray and Max, but we all know why John Wayne became famous) and they try their best to save the day. It might take them a really long time, though, like, almost an hour. Honestly, folks, watching one of Duke's pre-Stagecoach westerns is probably enough. He made dozens and dozens of them, but as young and cute as he is, you'll enjoy yourself more if you watch the better quality, post-Stagecoach westerns.

After the success of 'Stagecoach', as well as seeing his wife give birth to their second child, Patrick Wayne, the previous year, the 32 year old John Wayne continued to act in westerns and immortalize the American West.

This film essentially begins with a young circus owner named "Nancy Evans" (Carole Landis) refusing to sell some land she just inherited to her trusted business manager "George Ward" (Ralph Graves) for personal reasons unrelated to the business at hand. To that effect, in his desperation to own that land, George begins a campaign of sabotage aimed at forcing her sell it in order to save her circus. And when that fails, he then hires men to go after her as well. What he doesn't count on, however, is the involvement of the Three Mesquiteers who happen to own land adjacent to her run-down ranch and are more than willing to help her out any they can. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that I don't consider this to be one of the better Three Mesquiteers films ever produced due in large part to the heavy focus on "Lullaby Joslin" (Max Terhune) who is typically there in a supporting role to provide comic relief. That being said, rather than featuring a prominent actor like John Wayne (as "Stony Brooke) or even Ray Corrigan ("Tucson Smith") for that matter, the director (George Sherman) chose to showcase the weakest of the Three Mesquiteers instead. And that would have been fine if Max Terhune was actually funny. But he wasn't--and this had a negative impact on the movie as a whole. At least, that is how it seemed to me. In any case, I didn't particularly care for this specific addition to the series, and I have rated it accordingly. Below average.

Three Texas Steers (1939)

*** (out of 4)

Fast paced Three Mesquiteers film has the gang trying to rescue a circus owner who's being harassed for her property. The story itself really isn't anything new or groundbreaking but if you've ever wanted to see John Wayne act next to a midget and gorilla then this is the film for you. The film never takes itself too serious and plays everything for laughs, which is a good thing because how can you take Wayne and a midget serious? There are a couple good chase scenes as well as a nice fight to go along with all the circus stuff. Roy Corrigan, one of the Mesquiteers, also worked as the gorilla!!!

Carole Landis with her great beauty and talent showed why she was an A-list actress. Too bad with her tragic life, she left us way too soon. John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, and Max Terhune had all they could handle chasing the unscrupulous George Ward, deftly played by Ralph Graves. Terhune, as Lullaby showed his skilled vaudevillian talents throughout, especially with his sidekick Elmer. This movie was packed with action and the most enjoyable of the Three Mesquiteers series.