New Frontier

"New Frontier" as it is titled here is a nice enough Mesquiteers effort, but the difficulty it seems to have with time sequencing and time setting makes it tough for anyone who cares about history or logic to watch it all the way through without scratching one's head. One never really knows whether the picture is set in 1915 (50 years after the late 1860s) or in contemporary 1939. And by the way, I think I figured it out... why Stony and Tucson were riding with the Pony Express in "1861" (before the Civil War)...it took me a while! Nonetheless, the producers must have gotten a good horse laugh with this one knowing how confusing it all could be. The picture might have been more aptly titled "The Town that Time Forgot," since the valley of New Hope seems to never have seen nor heard of automobiles, paved roads, or restrictions on open gun play. But when it comes time to build the dam the latest in 1939 trucks and other heavy motorized equipment grind away at the construction scene. Oh well, at least we have the Mesquiteers doing their best to save their friends' and their own homes from the dastardly State and some in-cahoots swindling developers. Ray Corrigan and John Wayne do their work but kind of get lost in all the action. And even though there are some curious moments in the film (like when Wayne nonchalantly knocks a supporting henchman just doing his work into the roaring rapids below) one can rightly get caught up in rooting for the residents in the valley facing eviction from their homes. This movie has an average amount of action (some good horse-mounted riding, for example) and a good cast, including some nice moments with Eddy Waller, who in a decade or so later would find lots of work sidekicking with Rocky Lane as Nugget. Expert cutting and B&W cinematography garner some points, too, so check you logic at the foyer, find your favorite theater seat, and enjoy John Wayne's final Mesqiiteers appearance in a fairly good show.

This film begins with the residents of a small ranching community being informed that they must relocate from their homes due to the construction of a new dam, which will flood the entire area. Needless to say, the residents are not too happy with this decision, and they have decided to resist any and all attempts by anyone seeking to evict them from their lands forcibly. So, rather than take a loss on their investment by having the matter delayed any further, the greedy corporate developers decide to trick the ranchers into accepting worthless land in the desert under the false promise that a huge irrigation pipeline will be built to satisfy all of their water requirements. And to further assist them in their underhanded scheme, the Three Mesquiteers are duped into convincing the local ranchers that the deal is actually legitimate. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was the last film to feature John Wayne in the role of "Stony Brooke," with Robert Livingston being called back afterward. Apparently, John Wayne was a much too valuable commodity to waste on grade-B westerns of this type. And judging by this rather mediocre addition to the series, I can certainly understand that reasoning. Be that as it may, although this wasn't a terribly bad film necessarily, I honestly didn't care that much for it, and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly below average.

New Hope Valley is celebrating its 50th anniversary, but the celebration is short lived by the arrival of assemblyman Proctor and developer Gilbert, who announce that New Hope Valley is being condemned so that the land can be used for the site of a new dam which will give water to nearby developing communities. This riles the residents who attack the developers while they are on construction. Gilbert, who is stopping at no lengths to see the project completed, is convinced that the residents will listen to Stony, Tucson, and Rusty, so he tells them of their plan of moving to a new piece of land where they will have irrigation and the chance to start anew on their farms. However the Three Mesquiteers learn that this was just a dupe by Gilbert & Proctor since they have no plans to carry water to that new valley, and the three go to confront Gilbert and his men before they flood New Hope Valley. Another well done entry in the 3 Mesquiteers series despite the fact that the villainous element isn't seen until 30 minutes into the picture and there is very little in the ways of action until the very end. Like their next film Wyoming Outlaw, this is another entry in the series dealing with issues of the times primarily the leaving of the town versus the use of progress to help nearby communities. Well done with an excellent finale at the dam. Rating, based on B westerns, 7.

This is a typical short 57 mins. formulaic film from the budget minded Republic Studios, from 1939.It is interesting only because it was the first attempt at film stardom for Phyllis Isley, aged 20 at the time, whose name was changed in 1942 to the better known, Jennifer Jones, at the request of David O. Selznick, her mentor and later husband.

She plays Celia Braddock who assists the "Three Mesquiteers" (whose number includes a young John Wayne), to prevent a ruthless claim-jumping construction company from stealing ranchers' properties in "New Hope Valley", in order to build a lucrative dam there.She gets to ride a horse but is given rather a trite script to say.After a second Republic Film that year ("Dick Tracy and the G-Men), Phyllis and her then husband, Robert Walker, decided they were not being regarded seriously enough by Hollywood and returned back to New York to pursue their still unrealised dreams of stage stardom.

Due to its short run time, the film on video normally comes with another Republic title, e.g. "Randy Rides Again".The present title is only now interesting to see the embryonic talent of Jennifer Jones in order to compare to her more mature, later work.Otherwise it is mediocre and I rated it at 5/10

"Impoverished by civil war, and faced with the painful labor of reconstruction, thousands of Americans cut the old tries and took the immigrant trail to the free lands of the far west – and a new beginning," according to the opening...

A pioneering family led by soldier Eddy Waller (as Steven Braddock) finds a beautiful area to settle and they name the place "New Hope Valley" because if symbolizes new hope. Fifty years later, the family and other residents celebrate the town's golden anniversary. On hand are Republic Pictures' "The Three Mesquiteers" – leader John Wayne (as Stony Brooke), partner Ray Corrigan (as Tucson Smith) and comic sidekick Raymond Hatton (as Rusty Joslin). They seem to be, herein, based in "New Hope" and riding the (?) Pony Express. Trouble arrives when nasty government men and land contractors declare "New Hope Valley" is condemned, so they can level the town and build a damn. Outraged citizens convince Mr. Wayne to lead the opposition...

This routine round-up was the last series appearance for two of the Mesquiteers. Wayne was obviously off to greener pastures due to his choice role in director John Ford's "Stagecoach" (1939). He would be replaced by returning "Stony" Robert Livingston. Also calling it quits, Mr. Corrigan went on to star in his own series, with Bob Steele taking over the "Tucson" role. Republic remembered they already had a "New Frontier" (1935) starring John Wayne, so they re-titled this "Frontier Horizon". Making her film debut herein is pretty young Phylis Isley, who became very popular after changing her name to "Jennifer Jones" and hooking up with producer David O. Selznick. In Hollywood, being noticed by John Ford or David Selznick certainly helped.

*** New Frontier Horizon (8/10/39) George Sherman ~ John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, Raymond Hatton, Jennifer Jones