The Riders of the Whistling Skull

One of the most interesting of the Three Mesquiteer films has the guys getting involved in an archaeological expedition to find a hidden treasure guarded by a legendary Indian cult, presumably descendants of the Aztecs because they believe in human sacrifice. At least Robert Livingston almost ends up being barbecued at the stake.

Mary Russell's father and his partner went off in search of the cult and the partner came back, but he's murdered in one of those locked room puzzles. Despite or maybe because of the fact the Three Mesquiteers were in the room they go along to find a treasure and capture a killer.

These modern Aztec type cultists have kept up with modern weaponry because of their leader and when you find out who it is that will be self explanatory.

I'm agreeing that the film does resemble some of those cult Kharis mummy films some of which were not all that good. The end is a rather spectacular climax where the cultists are wiped out. Mother nature has more to do with it than the Mesquiteers.

Mesquiteer fans should enjoy this.

The Three Mesquiteers accompany an archeological expedition to a lost Indian city of gold called Lukachuke in a mystery western full of humour, intrigue and rollicking action, especially at the end with a landslide. It's called a horror-western but apart from the cursed lost city there isn't much horror. What there is is great landscape, a well-designed lost city and plenty of fun. Definitely top tier of its type.

Stuntman actor Ray Corrigan stars as one of the three mesquiteers in "Riders of the Whistling Skull". Costars Robert Livingston (Stony) and Max Terhune (Joslin) accompany him to Lukachuke, along with "Betty" (Mary Russell). The acting and story are very "B" feature, from Republic. They pack a lot into those 58 minutes, so no time for goofing around. Some great old scenery of Painted Canyons in Mecca California from the 1930s, but it's all pretty forced. The group travels into the hills to see what the heck happened to the archeology professor. Directed by Mack Wright, who had started in silents. Wright worked six times with John Wayne and six times with Gene Autry. It's all very okay.

The Three Mesquiteers (Stony, Tucson, & Lullaby) ride with a band of explorers searching for Professor Marsh an archeologist, the father of the female lead, who has discovered a lost city with hidden treasure, but who has been held by a prisoner by an Indian tribe, who has killed Marsh's partner, through a traitor amid the archeology party. Its up to the Mesquiteers to discover the villain among them and save the party from thirst and the murderous rampage of the tribe. Very enjoyable 3M film with nice emphasis of the comradery between the three friends, and also gives a nice glimpse of the style Republic used in their westerns and serials set out west. Wright's direction is quicker than what else I've seen of him, but he rushes through the end which is the drawback of the film. Nice location shooting in Nevada, and a good supporting cast make this one a winner. Rating, based on B westerns, 9.

Riders of the Whistling Skull (1937)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

A woman's father goes missing looking for a lost Indian city. Soon a survivor from the exploration shows up with bizarre terrors so The Three Mesquiteers (Robert Livingston, Ray Corrigan, Max Terhune) agree to help the woman search for her father and the lost city.

RIDERS OF THE WHISTLING SKULL often gets called the best "Western- horror" film but that's a bit of a stretch. I'm not going to challenge it being called the best of its sub-genre but at the same time, to be honest, there aren't too many horror elements, although the haunting and curse of the lost city is enough to make it of slight interest to horror fans who might not other wise watch a film with The Three Mesquiteers.

With that said, for the most part this is a pretty entertaining Western as Livingston, Corrigan and Terhune are all in fine form and Mary Russell is also good in her role as the daughter. The supporting players contain some very bad performances but nothing to take away from the entertainment. There are several nice action scenes and of course several scenes where our heroes are in peril and have to find a way out.

I thought the stuff dealing with the lost city was handled well. RIDERS OF THE WHISTLING SKULL isn't going to be mistaken for the work of John Ford but it's entertaining.