Gunsmoke Ranch

Republic's Three Mesquiteers series (51 in all) was popular in its day and remains one of the most memorable of them all. Based on characters created by William Colt MacDonald who in turn was inspired by the original Three Musketeers from the classic 19th century novel by Alexandre Dumas, the idea is: One for all and all for one. The cowboy trio usually consisted of a lover, a scrapper, and a jokester. Robert Livinston starred in the series from the beginning as the dashing man on the white horse Stony Brooke. He appeared in 39 of the 51 features. He was spelled for awhile by none other than John Wayne himself, before the Duke made a splash with "Stagecoach." Ray "Crash" Corrigan was Tucson Smith from the beginning of the series in 1936. He ultimately portrayed the "middle cowboy" in 24 outings. In the first of the Three Mesquiteers films, Syd Saylor played Lullaby Joslin. After only one film, Saylor was replaced by Max Terhune, who had an unusual talent for a comical sidekick. He was a ventriloquist. Elmer the dummy became somewhat of a 4th Mesquiteer, or was Terhune the dummy?...never mind. This trio stayed together for fourteen movies (1936-1938). "Gunsmoke Ranch" was their fifth oater. These Three Mesquiteers are the ones most fans remember best.

As with many Hollywood films from the days of the Great Depression, Roosevelt's New Deal is promoted. Keeping it as apolitical as possible, no mention is made of FDR or any of his programs. Flood control and with it cheap electricity was one of the main planks in Roosevelt's restructuring of the American economy. A devastating flood forces farmers to pull up steaks and head for Gunsmoke Valley, Arizona, where they can start anew on land each bought from the unscrupulous Realtor and land developer Phineas T. Flagg (even the name sounds lowdown and mean), played with verve by Kenneth Harlan. Naturally one of the farmers has a beautiful daughter, Marion (Jean Carmen). It doesn't take Stony long to start drooling and howling at the moon. Tucson and Lullaby do their best to thwart their saddle pal's efforts to win the damsel's hand. The farmers discover that the land has been condemned so the government can flood it when a dam is built. To keep the farmers from being swindled out of their land, the Three Mesquiteers take charge. There lies the rest of the movie.

There's usually plenty of action in any Republic shoot-'em-up. This one is no exception, except most of the action comes with a big shootout near the end with lots of dare devil stunts. Yakima Canutt is on hand to make sure all the tricks of the trade are utilized to make the action exciting and realistic. Canutt even plays one of the henchmen. He's the one who throws the first egg during the big street brawl.

By this time, the singing cowboy craze was taking off. A popular radio singer and recording artist named Gene Autry was beginning to change the direction of B westerns by always performing many of his songs, or introducing new ones, in his films. To roll with the flow Stony attempts to sing a ballad called "When the Campfire is Low on the Prairie." Needless to say, Gene didn't have a thing to worry about. Fans were quick to throw water on the campfire. Not until Roy Rogers (and to some extent Tex Ritter) began plying his trade did Gene have any serious rival. One song that Gene sang early in his career, "That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine," is used briefly in the film during the social gathering just before Stony sings. The old standard "When You and I Were Young, Maggie" is a sing-a-long near the beginning of the flick.

Lullaby and his dummy Elmer are satisfactory in the humor department but a couple of clowns billed as Oscar and Elmer are lame by today's standards and that's being kind. Elmer's character is now politically incorrect. Audiences who saw this when it was first released probably found Oscar and Elmer hilarious. Several comedians in those days used stuttering as a gimmick to get laughs. Porky Pig is a classic example of utilizing stuttering to provoke laughter. Even as late as 1992 Austin Pendleton cracked up viewers with his stuttering in "My Cousin Vinny."

There should be more action and less talk and romance in "Gunsmoke Ranch," but it's still worthwhile for B western fans. Those who enjoy the Three Mesquiteers should find this entry acceptable, though not up to par for the series.

I'm sure this particular Three Mesquiteer film resonated well with people in the dust bowl. Though it's not The Grapes Of Wrath, Gunsmoke Ranch is about people dispossessed from their land and at the mercy of one ruthless conman.

People have been flooded out of their homes in the Mississippi Valley and have headed west for a new start as they've taken an option on land in the far west. Robert Livingston, Ray Corrigan, and Max Terhune however know the man behind the scheme and its Kenneth Harlan who they know to be a conman.

Harlan runs true to form and when the new arrivals have made sufficient improvements he plans to sell the land to the state for a new dam and he can get a lot more back on improved land.

I'm sure that every farmer who was dispossessed of his land due to flood or drought or whatever wanted to kill Harlan who watched this film in 1937. Very rarely do B westerns deal with modern relevant topics and this one is not only good but a rarity.

Pretty funny-bad Western here, which feature that all-time famous (sarcasm) trio, The Three Mesquiteers, as they help people who have just escaped a flood (which caused DESOLATION, PESTILATION and FAMINE, (so say the cue cards). They are offered ranch land in Arizona by a unscrupulous shyster, and it's up to the three to make sure Justice Is Served! So in less in an hour, we have laughably bad fights, a joke of a song, scary stunt handling, a guy doing a non-stop comedy routine with a dummy, and rather offensive jibes at stuttering people. All this, and this rather curious confusion with the 1930's wardrobe mixed in with western drag. Highly strange, but not really worth your time.

These B-westerns were a staple of my diet as a kid growing up in the 40s and even the 1950's. We played outside all the time and there was no T.V. to watch so the movies became Radio come to life. We could see the action and not just hear it. Cowboys weren't that far fetched in those days as lots of large ranches were still running beef cattle in the western states so to see cowboys on the screen was to live the life. Mostly old timers like myself will enjoy Gunsmoke Ranch but if you sit down with your grandchild (and they are young enough) to watch don't be surprised if they like it too. Don't be too critical and remember this little studio made this on a very small budget.

Ray Corrigan, Robert Livingston, and Max Terhune try to prevent a crooked real estate tycoon from swindling a group of displaced flood victims by selling them worthless farm land for twenty-five times the original price as part of a bigger scheme.

Another light-weight, but watchable entry in Republic Pictures' Three Mesquiteers series, this one has the usual good photography, humor, and decent action scenes, including a good climax. Particularly enjoyable is the excellent rocky desert scenery.

It's not the best or most memorable Mesquiteers adventure. However, it's fun while it lasts, with scene-stealing Terhune and his dummy getting the best moments this time around.