The Marshal of Mesa City

It's Mesa City, Arizona 1880. The town is a violent place run by corrupt Sheriff Jud Cronin (Leon Ames). School teacher Virginia King (Virginia Vale) has had enough of the violence and Jud's advances. She is set to leave town. Her stagecoach is stopped by Jud's men. Retired lawman Cliff Mason (George O'Brien) comes to her rescue. He gets selected as the new Marshal. Cronin sends in infamous gunman Duke Allison (Henry Brandon).

It's an old fashion western. The good guy is in white. There is a damsel in distress. It's simplistic. It's old school. On the superficial side, George O'Brien is a bit wide. I'd like a fitter actor as the leading man. Duke is the more compelling character. If Cliff is Wyatt Earp, Duke is his Doc Holliday. Apparently, this is a remake of The Arizonian (1935). I've never seen that movie. It could be this has all the standard premise that is in every other western.

I thought I'd get your attention. This movie may not be any better than Stagecoach but I submit it's just as good and twice as entertaining.

Other reviewers have down a good job declaring the merits of this oater and particularly the obvious parallels it shows between its plot and the Wyatt Earp story. If you like Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer then you'll enjoy George O'Brien as Wyatt Earp, I mean Cliff Mason, and Henry Brandon as Doc Holiday, I mean Duke Allison. Duke has been hired to shoot down Marshall Mason but is taken by his character - and even reluctantly becomes his Deputy. Watch Mason Ala Wyatt Earp walk straight into the group of surly armed outlaws led by hulking Harry Cording and disarm them all with his icy gaze and fearless demeanor. The final shootout that takes place in a cloud of smoke and dust years before John Ford shot the OK Corral shootout in My Darling Clementine in a similar manner is very effective. Give this one a chance, western fans, and see what you think.

Turner Classic Movies made a recent Monday morning memorable by presenting this little-known (in fact, unknown to me) gem.

First, the cast was one of the most impressive ever found in a B western, including as a bad guy the excellent Leon Ames. Mr. Ames, suave and debonair and very citified in so many films, was just about perfect as a corrupt sheriff.

His henchmen, not necessarily big names, were all huge in talent and were absolutely delightful to watch. Hmmm, "delightful" might be misleading: I don't mean they were fun, because they were, after all, bad guys, but I do mean they were such great cowboy villains that it was a real treat to see them getting an opportunity to perform in a high-class western.

George O'Brien was actually not very tall, despite a reference to that effect by the leading lady, the more than lovely Virginia Vale. But he was very manly and had a great physique, looking like a weight-lifter, and he could move gracefully and handle his fight scenes well.

In scenes where he attempted to intimidate bad guys without using his weapons, he was, therefore, very believable.

One very surprising actor, one I didn't, I blush to admit, recognize (and I used to see him at Sons of the Desert meetings when I lived in Los Angeles), was the great Henry Brandon in an unusual role.

Naturally, being Henry Brandon, he was winning and likable, and also very believable.

Western fans will love this; classic movie fans will love this; movie history buffs will love this. I know I did.

When hooligans start shooting up mesa city, school marm virginia king (dale) has had enough and takes the wagon to yuma. But when the stage gets held up, retired marshal cliff mason (o'brien) comes to her rescue. But the sheriff and the judge are just as crooked, and no-one can stop the thugs. So back in town, it's going to be a showdown between mason and the sheriff. Leon ames always played the underhanded, smarmy cowboy or businessman. It's well done, and a typical western. But there's something about it that makes it a little more fun.. maybe it's the dedication mason has to his job. He keeps going, against a mostly crooked town. Only 163 votes so far, so turner classics doesn't seem to show this one. Directed by david howard, who died young at 45, just a couple years after making this film.

George O'Brien stars in The Marshal Of Mesa City as a Wyatt Earp type figure who is drafted reluctantly to cleaning up said town by the good citizens. The Doc Holiday of the film is Henry Brandon who plays a notorious gunslinger who aligns himself with O'Brien.

The corruption is systemic in Mesa City, the actual leader of the outlaws is sheriff Leon Ames, he's the county sheriff and O'Brien is the town marshal, just like John Behan and Virgil Earp in real life. Ames is a pretty shrewd villain and he's got quite a few tricks up his sleeve. He's also got a Snidely Whiplash like interest in the town school teacher Virginia Vale. That alone puts him in direct conflict with O'Brien.

Playing a nice role is the screen's greatest mother figure of the time Mary Gordon who runs the boarding house where Vale lives and who does her best to get O'Brien and Vale together. It seemed like Gordon who is known mostly for being Mrs. Hudson in the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes mysteries was everyone's dear little Irish mother on screen though she came from Scotland. She's quite the little cupid here.

The Marshal Of Mesa City is a nice no frills B western from RKO that holds up a lot better than some of the singing cowboys of the day in terms of structure and plot.