Il grande sperone

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.

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.

An American Western; A story about a trio of cowboys who foil an attempt by a town mayor's gang to steal a gold mine from a friend. This is a routine B-film, light on actual stampede but heavy on scenes that some young viewers may find disturbing. The plot is standard fare involving the framing of a man for a crime and a potential miscarriage of justice. It is directed in a straightforward way for a short feature but the film has a strong third act of peril, danger, fist fighting and thrills. John Wayne has charisma, carrying the show with moral spirit and fortitude. Head baddie LeRoy Mason is suitably nefarious.

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.

Stony, Tucson, and Lullaby riding hard again as The Mesquiteers is all the action you need in this classic Republic film. The boys start off with helping Dave Carson, played by silent film star William Farnum with his goldmine grubstake. LeRoy Mason brilliantly plays the mayor with a band of henchmen, a crooked sheriff, lawyer, and judge have some other ideas. And these are the creme of the crop henchman and B western stalwarts including, Richard Alexander, Yakima Canutt, George Chesebro, and Charles King. Singer, dancer, actress June Martel is stunning as Nancy Carson holding the fort after the runaway buckboard disaster. Martin Spellman shows his great child acting skills and is ever ready to mix it up with the villains. The superb acting and non-stop action is all you need in this one. A stampede would've gotten tired out trying to keep up with everything going on in this film anyway.