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.

It's a better 60-minutes than average horse opera. I like the way the plot involves dueling lawmen, one a county sheriff (Ames), the other a town marshal (O'Brien). Also, the judge and town mayor are on different sides. So it's not just good guys versus bad; it's one town faction versus another. Of course, O'Brien's faction are the good guys while Ames' are crooked as the proverbial dog's hind leg.

At first, I thought RKO might be trying to pair up Brandon (Duke) with O'Brien for a series like the Three Mesquiteers, but that's not the way things turn out. The oater's also notable for including Leon Ames who later went on to an A-movie stint with MGM and a lengthy TV career, usually as an amiable father. Though getting close to middle-age (40), O'Brien looks like one of the physically strongest of the cowboy heroes, with biceps like proverbial ham-hocks. Anyway, it's a generally well done little matinée special that manages to avoid many clichés of its type.

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.

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.

A low budget movie about a corrupt sheriff, a pretty school marm, and a drafted marshal is a likely recipe for the routine. MOMC not only avoids the routine but also raises itself above many "A" westerns of the 40's and 50's. The four principals are all excellent and bring life to their characters. Ames is convincingly detestable as the scheming suitor who can't understand "no", all the while maintaining his private gang of hoods. Vale, the co-star of a number of O'Brien westerns, has an appealing vivacity and makes one understand why Ames is infatuated. Henry Brandon has an interesting role as Duke Allison, a gunfighter brought in to handle O'Brien. His entrance in a saloon is a standout. Another nice moment is when he "turns in" his gun to O'Brien. If you look closely, you'll see he isn't completely comfortable handling his six-shooters but this is a minor quibble and doesn't detract from his performance. George O'Brien brings an easy going confidence to his role as an ex-marshal just trying to get on with his life. He's not non-violent in the Destry mold but he doesn't seek confrontation as many "B" western marshals would. I don't know how real western marshals acted but I would expect some would act with the quiet, low key manner of O'Brien's. Much of the credit for the standout moments in this movie go to the writers including the uncredited Academy Award winning writer Dudley Nichols. The script clearly is a cut or two above most movies of this ilk. A good cast and script can only go so far, however, without a director equal to them. As Howard proves, one doesn't need a big budget when provided good ingredients and recipe. He gets the most out of the characters and makes them real people, people with personalities you believe. The climactic showdown in the smoke is an inspired scene that brings a close to this worthy movie.

This isn't the greatest western ever or even a great western. It won't replace Josey Wales in my video library and people won't be comparing it to High Noon. What it is is an excellent example of how much can be accomplished on a low budget with second tier, but not second rate, actors. It is a fine little western, better than many Randolph Scott oaters, and well worth a look.