Traição no Deserto

An American Western; A story about three cowboy pals known as the Three Mesquiteers who befriend a woman and then are involved in foiling enemy agents who plan to smuggle poisonous gas into Mexico. This is the first in a long series of films based on the Western novels of William Colt MacDonald involving a trio of travelling cowboys set in the modern West. It's a formulaic oater of modest means but it keeps a good brisk flow of drama. The plot is protracted and the falsely accused of murder device is well-worn. John Wayne is lively and has presence as the hero with the stubble. Doreen McKay as a strong female character makes their scenes together attractive.

After saving a girl, Ann (Doreen McKay) on a runaway horse, The Three Mesquiteers and in particular Stony (John Wayne) find themselves aiding her as she is in fact a government agent. Ann is trying to get to the bottom of who is smuggling a chemical used to create poisonous gas out of the country and in to Mexico. But after posing as a foreign Agent Stony fids himself being taken a prisoner.

A little different from the other three Mesquiteers entries, mainly because of the cloak and dagger and inclusion of the poisonous gas, Pals of the Saddle is a fast-paced western ( well sort of western as Wayne and co. Dressing as cowboys, riding horses etc and theres the rugged landscape, but apart from that it's setting is 1938), has some good surprising twists, the usual non-taxing fun - if you're looking for lighthearted, action western with nary a psychological depth then look no further. Also, this film is loaded with some death-defying stunts.

Pals of the Saddle (1938)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

The first of eight Three Mesquiteer films John Wayne made for Republic from 1938-39. In the film, Wayne is accused of murder so he and the two others must try and clear his name while bringing down bad guys trying to sell poison gas. This is one of the better films in the series that I've seen. Wayne is his usual self, although he certainly wasn't the legend he was to become. The story movies pretty fast at 55-minutes and the supporting cast adds nice support. The fight scenes are all pretty well done.

This film begins with the announcement that war has broken out in Europe and that the United States has announced it neutrality. To that effect, with the discovery in the American Southwest of an important mineral known as monium, which is useful in the production of poison gas, the Roosevelt Administration has instituted a strict embargo on the product preventing its export. Needless to say, this doesn't sit well with some of the countries currently at war--with one in particular intent on acquiring sufficient quantities at all costs. What this nation doesn't count on, however, is a head-to-head confrontation with the Three Mesquiteers who just happen to stumble upon their smuggling operation. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was the first film in the series to feature John Wayne in the role of "Stoney Brooke" (typically played by Robert Livingston). Quite frankly, although I was fond of Robert Livingston in that role, I have to say that John Wayne performed at least as well--if not better. Be that as it may, although rather short (approximately 55 minutes) and quite dated, I enjoyed this film, and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

Remember Saturday mornings at the movies? This is a perfect example of the memories. Almost an hour of good guys, bad guys, pretty gal in trouble and gun play. Three saddle pals stop foreign spies from smuggling a dangerous chemical into Mexico. The chemical is used to make poison gas. Fast horses and stray bullets travel with the familiar generic background music.

John Wayne, Ray 'Crash' Corrigan and Max Terhune are the saddle pals. Doreen McKay is the government agent that needs help catching the bad guys.