From Far & Wide, From High & Low Vol 5
A wildly diverse list of 100 films from multiple genres.
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- DirectorJames L. BrooksStarsShirley MacLaineDebra WingerJack NicholsonFollows hard-to-please Aurora looking for love and her daughter's family problems.TERMS OF ENDEARMENT swept the Oscars with 11 nominations and took home 5 top honors including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay. It was also one of the biggest box office hits of the 80s. James THE SIMPSONS MOVIE L. Brooks directed this lovely and heartfelt drama about the friendship & rivalry between Aurora Greenway and her daughter Emma (the unforgettable Shirley MacLaine & Debra Winger). Jack THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK Nicholson plays Aurara's love interest offering up another charming and eccentric performance. Also appearing in this sentimental tear-jerker were Danny BATMAN RETURNS DeVito, John 3RD ROCK FROM THE SUN Lithgow & Jeff SPEED Daniels. Larry THE LAST PICTURE SHOW McMurtry wrote the novel on which the film was based and it's immediate sequel; THE EVENING STAR.
- DirectorRobert HarlingStarsShirley MacLaineBill PaxtonJuliette LewisAfter the death of her daughter, Aurora struggled to keep her family together, but she has a grandson in jail, a rebellious granddaughter and another grandson living almost on the poverty line.Robert STEEL MAGNOLIAS Hartling directed this charming adaption of the best-selling novel by Larry BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN McMurtry which he also adapted into a screenplay. The film stars Academy award winner Shirley BEING THERE MacClaine as Aurora Greenway who struggles with the complexities of motherhood, friendship and relationships with her usual passion, good humor and occasional exasperation. Her Oscar winning co-star from TERMS OF ENDEARMENT Jack THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK Nicholson reunites with MacClaine in this sequel which wasn't well received by critics or fans. I'd watch it just for the cast which includes Juliette Lewis, Bill ALIENS Paxton, Marion HAPPY DAYS Ross, Scott V: THE SERIES Wolf, Ben THE LAST PICTURE SHOW Johnson and Miranda THE CRYING GAME Richardson as Patsy; Aurora's oldest rival and dearest friend. It's a lovely, good natured film and a wonderful follow up to the classic tearjerker from 1983.
- StarsLeVar BurtonRobert ReedJohn AmosA dramatization of author Alex Haley's family line from ancestor Kunta Kinte's enslavement to his descendants' liberation.Alex Haley's sensational best-selling novel ROOTS: THE SAGA OF AN AMERICAN FAMILY was the basis for this unforgettable mini series which ran over 8 nights & shot to the absolute top of the ratings capturing 140 million views in the United States alone. ROOTS remains one of the most watched television series to this day & is ESSENTIAL, powerful viewing even after all these years despite the controversies. Haley settled out of court with a writer named Harold Courlander who wrote a novel called THE AFRICAN 9 years before the publication of ROOTS which was more than similar to the point of plagiarism. Critics were also concerned that the author had falsified much of his ancestry calling into question the historical accuracy of the magnificent book which had been promoted as 'non-fiction'. Regardless, legendary Hollywood producer David THE THORN BIRDS Wolper scooped up the rights and set about making one of the most challenging, brave & influential television series in history. ROOTS told the story of a young African man named Kunta Kinte played by STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION's LaVar Burton who is taken to American as a slave at the turn of the 18th century & the subsequent generations born from him who struggle to overcome their lowly station in life. At times heart-breaking and painful to watch this epic saga unfolds with an unflinching eye fixed squarely on the disgraceful period of slavery that existed in the United States. One of the most prestigious casts ever assembled propels this masterpiece to even greater heights. You'll see everyone from Maya THE COLOR PURPLE Angelou to Cicely FRIED GREEN TOMATOES Tyson, from Lorne BONANZA Greene to Ed LOU GRANT Asner, from Richard SHAFT Roundtree to Sandy VALORIE'S FAMILY Duncan and future stars like Todd DIFFERENT STROKES Bridges and Tracy FULL HOUSE Gold in supporting roles. Everywhere you look, there's a star! There's also a meaty supporting role for O.J. THE TOWERING INFERNO Simpson which is painful and cringe worthy when glimpsed today. ROOTS went on to win a total of 9 Emmy awards out of an astonishing 37 nominations and was followed by a sequel mini-series called ROOTS: THE NEXT GENERATION, a tv movie called; ROOTS: THE GIFT in 1988, a spin off mini-series called QUEEN: THE STORY OF AN AMERICAN FAMILY in 1993 & a remake mini-series produced in 2016 for the History channel.
- CreatorErnest KinoyStarsDebbi MorganDorian HarewoodPaul KosloThe dramatization of Alex Haley's family line from post Civil War America to the writer's search for his roots.ROOTS: THE NEXT GENERATION was a 7 part 'event' mini-series from producer David WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY Wolper who spared no expense assembling one of the greatest casts ever to grace network tv. The stellar line up includes; Marlon SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE Brando, James STAR WARS Earle Jones, Ruby D, Irene FAME Cara, Kristoff BIRDS OF PREY St. John, Debbie A DIFFERENT WORLD Allen, Andy MATLOCK Griffith, Kim THE FACTS OF LIFE Fields, Philip MIAMI VICE Michael Thomas, Pam FOXY BROWN Grier, Henry TENTACLES Fonda Debbie ALL MY CHILDREN Morgan Diahann DYNASTY Carroll & Robert THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO Culp to name a few. These actors focus on those next generations of African Americans born out of slavery to combat another century of racism as their stories are told from the start of 20th Century and WWI to the Great Depression straight on through the turbulent Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. This amazing story was drawn from the final 7 chapters of ROOTS: THE SAGA OF AN AMERICAN FAMILY which had been left untold at the time of the 1977 series. This Emmy winning mini series was seen by over 110 million people in the USA alone but it's not held in the same reverence as the 1st.
- StarsJonathan Rhys MeyersMalachi KirbyForest WhitakerAn adaptation of Alex Haley's "Roots." Chronicles the history of an African man and his descendants sold into slavery in America.Mark Wolper & the History Channel brought this 4 part mini series to television screens based on the classic novel :ROOTS: THE SAGA OF AN AMERICAN FAMILY by Alex Haley. Malachi Kirby (best known for episodic appearances in series like EASTENDERS & DOCTOR WHO) stars as Kunta Kinte; a young African enslaved & transported to America where he and his descendants must learn to survive & rise above the genocidal hate & racism this new world has to offer. ROOTS isn't bad but it suffers by comparison to the original. It's not as impactful culturally or artistically as the 1977 mini series & it lacks the depth David Wolper much longer version afforded in translating the novel to film. I don't think this articulation of the book was especially well cast either. I didn't hate ROOTS, far from it! But I'd watch the original over it every time.
- DirectorSpencer Gordon BennetStarsBuck JonesTim McCoyRaymond HattonThe Rough Riders are called upon to help save a stagecoach line.Back in 1929 William Colt MacDonald published the 1st novel (Restless Guns) to feature two of the three character who would become quite well known as THE THREE MESQUITEERS. The trio made their debut in print with 1933's The Law of the Forty Fives and were immediately embraced by Republic Pictures who cranked out FIFTY ONE B&W B-movies between 1936-1943. The name is obviously a play on the word mesquite and the classic French novel THE THREE MUSKETEERS by Alexander Dumas. The popularity of the films did not go unnoticed by poverty row studio Monogram Pictures who hired Raymond SIX GUN GOSPEL Hatton away from Republic to their own branded cowboy trio. Hatton played Sandy Hopkins. Buck FORBIDDEN TRAILS Jones played Buck Roberts and Tim GHOST TOWN LAW McCoy played Tim McCall. All three had been kicking around the back lots since the silent era and were displaced by the glut in the market for 'Singing Cowboy' western/musicals. The Monogram rip-off marketed as THE ROUGH RIDERS series (beginning with ARIZONA BOUND) was surprisingly well produced although lets attribute the movie's broad appeal to the undeniable rapport between the lead actors. It's among their best work. Monogram produced 8 films between 1941-1942 with good intensions of making 8 more the following year however it was not to be. Tim McCall enlisted with the US army and was unavailable to star in the 9th Rough Riders film. Rex Bell (a perfectly suitable replacement) was brought in as a new cowboy for the 1st planned film of the second series DAWN ON THE GREAT DIVIDE but tragedy halted future productions when a fire broke out in the Coconut Grove nightclub killing star Buck Jones before the film's release in 1942. That put the nail in the coffin for this obscure franchise. ARIZONA BOUND is a well crafted, formulaic oater about our heroes tracking stage robbers led by Tristram CAPTAIN VIDEO OF THE STRATOSPERE Coffin. Retro genre fans will appreciate it for what it was, when it was. Adelede Buffington (aka: Jesse Bowers) & Oliver RIDERS OF THE WHISTLING SKULL Drake wrote the amiable, pedestrian script for director Spencer THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN AFRICA: MIGHTY JUNGLE ADVENTURER Gordon Bennet. Followed by THE GUNMAN FROM BODIE.
- DirectorSpencer Gordon BennetStarsBuck JonesTim McCoyRaymond HattonBuck poses as a wanted killer and Sandy as a cook as the trio help ranchers stop a ruthless crook from taking over the area s water rights and help an orphaned baby.Tim BELOW THE BORDER McCall, Buck DOWN TEXAS WAY Jones & Raymond RIDERS OF THE WEST Hatton return in their 2nd Monogram Picture to feature THE ROUGH RIDERS. This entertaining B-movie franchise was a close copy of Republic's enormously popular THE THREE MESQUITEER western horse operas even going so far as to cast Hatten who starred in 9 previous movies based on the William Colt MacDonald novels. Here the lawmen are trying to find out who hired a band of murderous outlaws to terrorize a rancher and his family. Frank THE SINGING SHERIFF LaRue, Christine DAWN ON THE GREAT DIVIDE McIntyre & Dave REEFER MADNESS O'Brien co-starred in this regrettably forgettable horse opera. Frequent series writer Adelede ARIZONA BOUND Buffington wrote the script under the alias Jesse Bowers for director Spencer CAPTAIN MEPHISTO AND THE TRANSFORMATION MACHINE Gordon Bennet. This modest success was followed almost immediately by FORBIDDEN TRAILS; the 3rd of 9 in this cultish western movie series. B&W
- DirectorRobert N. BradburyStarsBuck JonesTim McCoyRaymond HattonWhen two outlaws are released from prison, they travel to Arizona to "take care of" the newly retired Marshal that put them behind bars.This would be the final film for director Robert SING, COWBOY, SING! Bradley and the 2nd collaboration between writers Oliver BOSS OF HANGTOWN MESA Drake & frequent THE ROUGH RIDERS scribe Jesse Bowers (aka: Adelede THE GUNMEN FROM BODIE Buffington). This would be the third film in Monogram Pictures THE THREE MESQUITEER copy THE ROUGH RIDERS which starred a trio of lawmen (Buck LAW OF THE TEXAN Jones, Tim RIDERS OF BLACK MOUNTAIN McCoy & Raymond OUTLAWS OF STAMPEDE PASS Hatton) hunting recently released bandits. Christine MR. RIGHT GOES WRONG McIntyre, Tristram COSMO JONES AND THE SPY SMASHER Coffin & Charles THE WISTFUL WIDOW OF WAGON GAP King co-starred in this unfashionable horse opera that gets by much of the time on the good graces of the aging male leads. Beyond that this is turgid and overly familiar oats & cheese. This B&W Monogram franchise showed promise but was derailed by WWII and a fire at the Coconut Grove night club which left the producer burned and star Buck Jones dead. How many of you remember the catchy theme song which introduced/closed each adventure? It was a manly ballad written by Ed Kay. How many of you know that every movie ended with the trio saying their goodbyes & riding off in opposite directions until they meet again? "So long, Rough Riders!" To be exact. Not many. And probably fewer who even care. I love these oft overlooked, slices of American western lore even if they don't always make great movies. FORBIDDEN TRAILS is about par for the course in terms of quality and was followed by the similar BELOW THE BORDER.
- DirectorHoward BrethertonStarsBuck JonesTim McCoyRaymond HattonA gang of rustlers blackmails young Joe Collins into helping them, Sandy poses undercover as a janitor in the leader's saloon, and Buck impersonates a well-known crooked fence.
- DirectorHoward BrethertonStarsBuck JonesTim McCoyRaymond HattonWhen two of their Marshal friends are killed, the Rough Riders are sent to investigate. They have to find the killers in a ghost town where the houses and an old mine are interconnected by secret passages and tunnels.
- DirectorHoward BrethertonStarsBuck JonesTim McCoyRaymond HattonThe sixth film of Monogram's eight-film series, "The Rough Riders," has U. S. Marshals Buck Roberts (Buck Jones) and Tim McCall (Tim McCoy) coming to a Texas town to visit their friend, U. S. Marshal Sandy Hopkins (Raymond Hatton), only to learn that he has disappeared, and is suspected of the murder of John Dodge (Jack Daley), owner of practically the whole town, except the hotel Sandy owns and runs when he isn't on an assignment as a Marshal. The murder has been committed by the henchmen of Bart Logan (Harry Woods), who intends to take over the dead man's property and whose men are holding Sandy prisoner to make it appear that he fled after arguing with and killing Dodge. Just before the murder, Logan sent a letter to Dodge with the news that the latter's long-missing wife is returning, and in a short while, Stella (Lois Austin), a Logan accomplice, arrives posing as the missing Ann Dodge, thus establishing her right to the Dodge property. Sandy, allowed to escape, returns unsuspectingly to town and is jailed by Sheriff Trump (Glenn Strange). Mary (Luana Walters), Sandy's niece, appeals for help to Dave Dodge (Dave O'Brien), the murdered man's son, who doesn't know his mother since she left when he was a baby. Meanwhile, Tim has taken charge of the town under his authority as a U.S. Marshal, and Buck, pretending to be a fugitive criminal, has worked his way into the Logan gang. Locating a photograph of the real Mrs. Dodge, he confronts Logan with the picture, who confesses the plot. Buck immediately arrests the whole gang, but Logan escapes. Dave traps him in an old mine, where he is captured by Buck and Tim.
- DirectorHoward BrethertonStarsBuck JonesTim McCoyRaymond HattonCorrupt businessman Mason and larcenous banker Miller combine to rustle the cattle and foreclose on the mortgages of local ranchers to gain control of the valley. but the undercover Riders thwart their plans.
- DirectorHoward BrethertonStarsBuck JonesTim McCoyRaymond HattonThe Rough Riders arrive to fight Rand, Ludlow and their gang. Buck poses as a preacher, Tim as a preacher, and Sandy as an undertaker. Buck not only wants the outlaws, but also their unknown boss.Monogram Pictures was a legendary poverty row studio that ran between 1931-1953 churning out scores of B&W B-movies in every genre imaginable; from nudist documentaries to jungle adventures but found their greatest success with westerns. Robert Bradbury wrote/directed a slew of them featuring his son Bob Steele. The pair were a cornerstone of the studios lasting success. Steele was a fixture of the Republic Pictures franchise THE THREE MESQUITEERS and Monograms' THE ROUGH RIDERS was a close copy even going as far as to poach an actor synonymous with the brand. Raymond REQUIUM FOR A COWBOY Hatton who co-starred in 9 Mesquiteer pics jumped ship to play Marshall Sandy Hopkins starting with ARIZONA BOUND and would remain until the series folded unexpectedly in 1942. Top billed Buck LAW FOR TOMBSTONE Jones returned as Marshall Buck Roberts. Making his 8th and final appearance was Tim CODE OF THE CACTUS McCoy as Marshall Tim McCall. The patriotic McCoy gave up his acting career to enlist in the army with WWII raging. He was replaced in the aborted 9th THE ROUGH RIDERS flick by the unpopular Rex Bell who may be best remembered for his tumultuous marriage to the silent era movie queen Clara Bow. The trio are out to bust bad guys played by Harry DAYS OF JESSE JAMES Woods and Roy THE KETTLES ON OLD MACDONALD'S FARM Barcroft. This is as dry as toast by horse opera standards but genre addicts may want to have a look. The pedestrian story was prepped by Adelede Buffington under the alias Jesse Bowers for director Howard CHARLIE CHAN IN THE TRAP Bretherton. This isn't among their better work and made for a disappointing conclusion to THE ROUGH RIDERS which was abruptly cancelled with WEST OF THE LAW. Ed Kay's manly ballad which played over the credits throughout was heard one last time as Sandy, Buck & Tim parted ways in their traditional fashion; "So long, Rough Riders!". A new slate of eight films was to begin with 1942s DAWN ON THE GREAT DIVIDE however that would be the only one produced. Monogram scrapped any plans to even market the 9th entry as a part of the long forgotten brand. Their spirit would live on in similar Monogram staples like THE RANGE BUSTERS or the NEVADA JACK MCKENZIE adventures which starred Hatton in character as Sandy Hopkins 18 times!
- DirectorHoward BrethertonStarsBuck JonesMona BarrieRaymond HattonBuck Roberts is leading a wagon train of railroad supplies and Jim Corkle and his henchman Loder are out to stop them by using white men dressed as Indians for the attacks.Despite the underwhelming success of the 1st slate of western Monogram Pictures released under the umbrella; THE ROUGH RIDERS the B-movie studio was prepared to move forward with another 8 films for the 1942 kickoff. Unfortunately the star; Buck Jones (who played cattle rancher Buck Roberts since ARIZONA BOUND) kicked off before DAWN OF THE GREAT DIVIDE saw release! The silent era cowboy star died in the infamous Coconut Grove nightclub blaze that claimed the lives of 500 & nearly cost series producer Scott Dunlap his own! It was a PR disaster as was the loss of actor Tim McCoy who left poverty row to enlist in the US Army. McCoy, like Jones was a veteran actor displaced by a glut of 'singing cowboys' who found a late-in-life second chance at fame as one of THE ROUGH RIDERS. With two thirds of the trio gone Monogram cancelled the series refusing to even promote DAWN ON THE GREAT DIVIDE as part of a franchise. Raymond Hatton appeared in 9 enormously successful THE THREE MESQUITEERS matinees for Republic before jumping ships to play Marshal Sandy Hopkins in this copycat series. After it's cancellation Monogram paired Hatton (as Marshal Hopkins) opposite John Mac Brown in 18 spin-off films bannered under the brand; NEVADA JACK MCKENZIE. Clara Bow's ex; Rex TOMBSTONE: THE TOWN TOO TOUGH TO DIE Bell who was hired to replace McCall got lost in the shuffle, failing to leave much of a good impression and vanished from continuity never to be heard from again. This turgid western melodrama was based on a dusty old story written in 1913 called Wheels of Fate and adapted by Adelede JIGGS & MAGGIE OUT WEST Buffington for director Howard Bretherton. Bretherton was a hugely prolific B-movie director you probably never heard of but was responsible for many of the 66 HOPALONG CASSIDY features made between 1936-1948. Our heroes on horseback foil bandits out to rob a supply coach in this dusty, generic tale. Christine GASOLINE ALLEY McIntyre, Robert BATMAN AND ROBIN Lowrey & Harry MR. MOTO ON DANGER ISLAND Woods rounded out the respectable cast. The famous tune written by Ed Kay for THE ROUGH RIDERS series is absent from the opening/closing credits and the even more famous standardized ending to every previous film where the trio part ways with a wave and goodbye was eliminated, sadly. I'm knocking a star off for that lapse in judgement. DAWN ON THE GREAT DIVIDE won't disappoint fans of the genre but as you can imagine 80 year old B&W westerns are a hard sell in the new millennium even when you take into consideration that THE LONE RANGER's steed SILVER has a major supporting role!
- DirectorUlli LommelStarsSuzanna LoveJohn CarradineRon JamesThrough the reflection in the mirror, a girl witnesses her mother's boyfriend's murder.Cultish film-maker Ulli THE DEMONSVILLE TERROR Lummel co-wrote, produced & directed this pandering, stupid trash as a vanity picture for Dupont heirs Nick & Suzanna Love. Suzanne took top billing & shared scripting duties with her then husband Lummel while Nick was cast as her brother. THE BOOGEY MAN was a shameless rip-off of several popular movies including HALLOWEEN, THE EXORCIST, NIGHTMARE and THE AMITYVILLE HORROR & concerned a pair of grown siblings recovering from a childhood trauma. It seems the boy murdered his mothers' lover while she was engaging in child abuse and S&M foreplay. The nasty sequence is endlessly repeated in flashbacks until a mirror that 'witnessed' the murder is broken releasing an invisible demon that hurls pitchforks and assorted cutlery at the grown kids as well as their adopted family & neighbours. Neither are especially bad. Suzanne made a number of B movies throughout the decade including BRAINWAVES for her husband while Nick worked steadily into the new millennium & may be best remembered for TWIN PEAKS or WILD AT HEART. John THE HOWLING Carradine plays a quack investigating the bloody nonsense claiming the lives of the largely unknown cast. Craig Harris opened the cans of tomato soup which passed for special make up fx as he did on only 1 other flick; TOXIC ZOMBIES. THE BOOGEY MAN (aka; SPECTOR) sold enough VHS rentals to warrant several stock footage drenched sequels beginning with REVENGE OF THE BOOGEYMAN in '83.
- DirectorBruce PearnUlli LommelPaul WillsonStarsSuzanna LoveUlli LommelShannah HallLacey travels to Hollywood, to the home of a film director, where she brings along the last surviving haunted mirror shard from the end of the first movie as proof to her horrifying experiences.Ulli CURSE OF THE ZODIAC Lummel & his wife; Dupont heiress Suzanne RETURN OF THE BOOGEYMAN Love starred in this direct-to-video sequel to their unexpectedly popular slasher THE BOOGEY MAN. They also served as producers & wrote this DOG although neither would care to admit to having done so in the opening credits. Ulli is utterly unbelievable as a Hollywood director planning to make a movie about a possessed mirror. Love presents a shard of glass hoping to convince him the story is true but sets off another supernatural killing spree the day he's hosting a pool party. Bruce Pearn who was working as an electrician on CAMPSITE MASSACRE joined the fray as producer/director filming about 40 minutes of worthless new footage. Mostly the REVENGE OF THE BOOGEYMAN is material lifted from the 1980 pic rotten with child abuse & the rock bottom special effects of Craig TOXIC ZOMBIES Harris. Like the 1st, this nasty video scored enough VHS rentals from high school drop outs to warrant a sequel. In 2002 Lommel (now divorced) re-edited the mess to include 90% of stock footage borrowing also clips from I.F.O.: IDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT & BOOGEYMAN III! He called it BOOGEYMAN II: REDUX as if anyone cared. I've heard that fan boys produced webisodes of a BOOGEYMAN anthology series but IF they exist I have zero interest in seeing them or the rumoured BOOGEYMAN: REINCARNATION which was said to be cobbled together after Lummel's death in 2017.
- DirectorDeland NuseUlli LommelStarsKelly GalindoSuzanna LoveOmar KaczmarczykPoor Annie every time she falls asleep, her dreams are haunted by visions of a faceless man committing unspeakable crimes. Just like a kid afraid of the dark, the Boogeyman has made her afraid to close her eyes. Annie soon realizes her hideous dreams are predictions. If she can harness this terrifying power, perhaps she can prevent the bloody slaughter she forsees, and track down the Boogeyman before his body count climbs any higher. Their actions are very brave, but are Annie and her friends the hunters... or the hunted?
- DirectorStephen KayStarsBarry WatsonEmily DeschanelLucy LawlessA young man tries to deal with the childhood terror that has never stopped haunting him.
- DirectorJeff BetancourtStarsDanielle SavreMatt CohenChrissy CalhounA young woman attempts to cure her phobia of the boogeyman by checking herself into a mental health facility, only to realize too little too late that she is now helplessly trapped with her own greatest fear.
- DirectorGary JonesStarsErin CahillCharles HittingerMimi MichaelsWhen a college student witnesses the alleged suicide of her roommate, it sets into motion a series of horrific events that cause her to fear the supernatural entity. As she tries to convince the rest of her dorm that the Boogeyman does exist, the evil force grows stronger and her friends begin to pay the price. Now she must stop this ultimate evil before the entire campus falls prey.
- DirectorRob SavageStarsSophie ThatcherChris MessinaVivien Lyra BlairStill reeling from the tragic death of their mother, a teenage girl and her younger sister find themselves plagued by a sadistic presence in their house and struggle to get their grieving father to pay attention before it's too late.
- DirectorRay TaylorStarsRobert LivingstonRay CorriganSyd SaylorWhen a group of World War 1 buddies head west to farmstead, they run into trouble.In 1929 William Colt MacDonald published a western novel called Restless Guns that by 1933s The Law of the 45s had evolved into THE THREE MESQUITEERS brand.First Division was quick to rush an adaption of the best seller into theatres with others (Grand Nationals' TOO MUCH BEEF and R.K.O.'s. POWDERSMOKE RANGE) in the works but it was Republic Pictures who defined the property on film; churning out 51 enormously popular B-movies bannered under MacDonald's play on words. THE THREE MESQUITEERS was a fusion of the desert plant mesquite and the Alexander Dumas French novel The Three Musketeers. The cinematic trend of the trigger trio caught on leading to a glut in the market with THE ROUGH RIDERS, FRONTIER. MARSHALS and THE RANGE BUSTERS packing the Saturday matinee bijous. THE THREE MESQUITEERS famously starred Bob DEATH RIDES THE PLAINS Livingston as Stony Brooke (the 1st of 29), Ray SADDLE MOUNTAIN ROUNDUP Corrigan as Tucson Smith (the 1st of 24) and Syd THE CRAWLING HAND Saylor as Lullabye Joslin (just this once). This 20th century tale of WWI veterans homesteading out west was capably directed by the usually reliable Ray FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE Taylor. Mascot mogul Ned Levine produced this B&W cult classic based on a script by Jack HIS PRIVATE SECRETARY Hattford & Charles DAREDEVIL DRIVERS Condon. The cast included poverty row mainstays like J.P. DICK TRACY RETURNS McGowans and Kay RIDE, RANGER, RIDE! Hughes. Hughes would return for for the next film in the series but star Saylor would not. Max Terhune would would assume the part of Lullabye Joslin beginning with GHOST TOWN GOLD (the 1st of 21). THE THREE MESQUITEERS is a charming piece of western movie history that's hard not to recommend even though it undoubtedly felt fresher to audiences weened on the silent era.
- DirectorJoseph KaneStarsRobert LivingstonRay CorriganMax TerhuneThe three Mesquiteers try to recover the gold stolen by a gang in its effort to ruin the banker/mayor who ordered them to leave town.
- DirectorSam NewfieldMack V. WrightStarsRobert LivingstonRay CorriganMax TerhuneHackett, the executive of the local Cattleman's association which also runs the local orphanage is using the Association police to rustle cattle and embezzle its funds.
- DirectorJoseph KaneStarsRobert LivingstonRay CorriganMax TerhuneFlagg is relocating flood victims to Gunsmoke Ranch. The Three Mesquiteers know Flagg to be a crook and try to warn them. They ignore the warning and improve the land only to find that it has been condemned for a new dam.