Kids in Westerns were fairly common as far back as the 1930's, but it's always surprising to me when a youngster is killed or allowed to die like you find here in "Santa Fe Stampede". Young Julie Carson (Genee Hall) and her father Dave (William Farnum) are snuffed by henchmen of Santa Fe Junction's mayor, Gilbert Byron (Le Roy Mason). Though you only see their buckboard crash over a small cliff, this viewer was left wondering if there was some way to have the young lady saved from the wreckage, but that wasn't to be. Considering that a lot of these programmers were meant for Saturday afternoon matinée crowds catering to youngsters, I tried to imagine how kids of the same age might have reacted to the scene.
For his trouble, Stony Brooke (John Wayne) is framed for the murders, and it's up to his partners Tucson Smith (Ray Corrigan) and Lullaby Joslin (Max Terhune) to come to the rescue. Together, the trio is The Three Mesquiteers, summoned by Dave Carson for their help in securing his gold claim before things go horribly bad. With virtually every authority figure in town in the pocket of crooked Mayor Byron, it won't be easy for the boys to pull off their heroics. But don't worry, the Mesquiteers will wrap this up in under an hour like they always do.
For John Wayne, this was his third appearance for Republic Pictures as a Mesquiteer, replacing Robert Livingston in the series who was promoted to feature films. Wayne appeared in six films with Corrigan and Terhune; in the final two Terhune was replaced by Ray Hatton. The Mesquiteers series was somewhat of a merry-go-round for the principal players, who found themselves trading off partners over the course of fifty one pictures. Other 'B' Western greats who appeared in the series included Duncan Renaldo, Bob Steele, Rufe Davis, and Tom Tyler, along with a handful of others who appeared in a limited number of stories. Of those I've seen, the pictures with Wayne seem to be the ones where the boys have the most fun in between corralling desperate outlaws.
Here's something that caught my eye while watching this flick - this is the ONLY 'B' Western I've seen to date in which a cowboy, in this case a villain, uses a rifle with a scope! I don't know when they were invented and first used, but it seemed unusual here, I guess that's why I noticed it.
Thinking back on some of the other Mesquiteers movies I've seen, I can't remember if the female lead ever became a serious romantic interest for the members of the trio. Wayne and Corrigan seemed to be jockeying for position to romance June Martel's character in this one, but nothing comes of it. Contrast that with virtually all of Wayne's pictures for Lone Star in the early 1930's; in those he closed out each story in a clinch with a pretty lady.
For his trouble, Stony Brooke (John Wayne) is framed for the murders, and it's up to his partners Tucson Smith (Ray Corrigan) and Lullaby Joslin (Max Terhune) to come to the rescue. Together, the trio is The Three Mesquiteers, summoned by Dave Carson for their help in securing his gold claim before things go horribly bad. With virtually every authority figure in town in the pocket of crooked Mayor Byron, it won't be easy for the boys to pull off their heroics. But don't worry, the Mesquiteers will wrap this up in under an hour like they always do.
For John Wayne, this was his third appearance for Republic Pictures as a Mesquiteer, replacing Robert Livingston in the series who was promoted to feature films. Wayne appeared in six films with Corrigan and Terhune; in the final two Terhune was replaced by Ray Hatton. The Mesquiteers series was somewhat of a merry-go-round for the principal players, who found themselves trading off partners over the course of fifty one pictures. Other 'B' Western greats who appeared in the series included Duncan Renaldo, Bob Steele, Rufe Davis, and Tom Tyler, along with a handful of others who appeared in a limited number of stories. Of those I've seen, the pictures with Wayne seem to be the ones where the boys have the most fun in between corralling desperate outlaws.
Here's something that caught my eye while watching this flick - this is the ONLY 'B' Western I've seen to date in which a cowboy, in this case a villain, uses a rifle with a scope! I don't know when they were invented and first used, but it seemed unusual here, I guess that's why I noticed it.
Thinking back on some of the other Mesquiteers movies I've seen, I can't remember if the female lead ever became a serious romantic interest for the members of the trio. Wayne and Corrigan seemed to be jockeying for position to romance June Martel's character in this one, but nothing comes of it. Contrast that with virtually all of Wayne's pictures for Lone Star in the early 1930's; in those he closed out each story in a clinch with a pretty lady.