Come on, Cowboys

This film essentially begins with the Three Mesquiteers helping out a friend named "Jefferson Harris" (Edward Cassidy) by performing in an act for a traveling circus that he half owns. It is then revealed that Jefferson's partner, "Thomas Rigby" (Edward Piel Jr.) is using this circus to launder counterfeit money and, in order to increase his profit margins, wants to possess the other half of the circus as well. To that effect, unable to get Jefferson's half of the circus legally, Rigby plants some counterfeit money on him and then secretly turns him in to some federal agents. What he doesn't count on, however, is just prior to being sent to prison, rather than selling his half of the circus over to him, Jefferson leaves it to his young daughter "Nancy Harris" (Anne Bennett) who is coming out West with her governess "Ellen Reed" (Maxine Doyle) to see him one last time. Not only that, but the Three Mesquiteers have pledged to protect her interests while also getting to the bottom of the counterfeiting ring in the process. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this film was a definite improvement over its immediate predecessor "Gunsmoke Ranch" due in large part to the fact that "Lullaby Joslin" (Max Terhune) wasn't featured quite as much. Be that as it may, while this was certainly not a great Western by any means, I supposed it managed to pass the time well enough, and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

Robert Livingston, Ray Corrigan and Max Terhune aka 'the Three Mesquiteers' start out performing for their friend Jeff Harris (Ed Cassididy) in the circus. Things heat up fast when Jeff's unscrupulous partner Rigby (Edward Peil Sr.) has him framed for counterfeiting. Of course Lullaby, Tucson and Stoney agree to take care of his daughter while he's in the hoosegow. On the next stage beautiful governess Maxine Doyle throws a wrench in the works. The judge (Horace Murphy) wants one of the Mesquiteers to 'get hitched' to the governess as a condition of keeping custody of the child. Ray Corrigan makes a great ape and 'plays a little game of truth' with one of the henchmen. Yakima "Yak" Canutt does some great stunt work, Fern Emmett has a funny scene with a case of mistaken identify with Lullaby and Willie Fung does a wonderful job of being the 3 Mesqiteer's sidekick. Can the Mesquiteers keep custody of the child whilst proving their friend's innocence? Come on Cowboys has a good mix of action, suspense and humor to keep you hanging on to find the answer.

Daft plot has Mesquiteers agreeing to adopt little Nancy, the requirements being that they must stay out of trouble for one week and that either Stony or Tucson must marry Nancy's plank-like governess. They also perform in a circus and round up a gang of not very sinister counterfeiters.

The boys bicker in the usual manner, Crash fights the bad guys in his ape suit, Lullaby leaves a trail of playing cards which appear, magically, from his mouth and Elmer insults the punters at the circus.

I suspect the Saturday matinée crowd would have loved this one despite a paucity of action.

An offbeat oater that shows some imaginative aspects but fails to produce much tension. The 3 Mesquiteers are trying to stop a conspiracy of counterfeiters from bilking good townsfolk and a wacky circus. Trouble for the 3Ms is it's sometimes hard to tell the good guys from the bad as they plow their way along.

Anyway, there's lots of hard-riding, but little fast-shooting, and no flying-fists. Still the general absence of cowboy cliches, along with a humorously versatile Lullaby (Terhune) hold interest. Besides, where else can you catch a cowboy ventriloqist and his goofy dummies, plus a guy who deals cards by spitting them out, and that's along with little girl Nancy (Bennett) who could pass for Shirley Temple's twin. Anyway, if you can manage the murky storyline and flat showdown, there's a number of novel touches to keep viewers like me riding along.

Rigby, one half of the Rigby-Harris Circus, is running a counterfeiting ring and is trying to buy out his partner so that he can have a front where he has total control of. Harris refuses to sell, so Rigby frames Harris for his crimes and now thinks he has control over the circus. Rigby doesn't realize that Harris' stake in the show is through his visiting daughter Nancy, who Harris has adopted by Stony, Tucson, and Lullaby, who suspect Rigby of being the ringleader. Our three heroes try to get the evidence that will convict Rigby, but have to work against time since Nancy can only be adopted if Stony makes the ultimate sacrifice of (shudder) marrying Nancy's governess Ellen. This entry in the 3 Mesquiteers series is not exactly a winner, but if you like the comedic aspects of the series, you'll enjoy the film nevertheless. The plot really is not fleshed out, Rigby is not the vilest of villains, and action is almost non existent. One of the film's highlights is Corrigan (as Tucson) get into his ape suit to intimidate a henchman. Rating, 5.