Executive producer: Herbert J. Yates. Copyright 12 May 1939 by Republic Pictures Corp. No recorded New York opening. U.S. release: 19 June 1939. U.K. release through British Lion. Never theatrically released in Australia.
U.K. release title: Danger Rides the Range.
SYNOPSIS: Crooked manager tries to cheat a circus girl out of her ranch.
NOTES: Number 23 of the 52-picture "Three Mesquiteers" series, and the last for Max Terhune, who had played Lullaby Joslin in every one of the movies thus far except Powdersmoke Range (Guinn "Big Boy" Williams) and The Three Mesquiteers (Syd Saylor).
COMMENT: Although most of the action highlights are obviously made up of stock footage (the circus fire scenes were extracted from the 1937 Circus Girl and were used again by Monogram in The Ape), this one comes across as a most engaging entry. It's nice to see such a great deal of the picture devoted to Max Terhune, who even takes the main action role at the climax, while Wayne and Corrigan dispatch the villains in disappointingly short order. And in addition to the usual by-play with Elmer Sneezeweed, Max also enjoys a couple of run-ins with an over-friendly gorilla (which, although credited to an animal named "Naba", is obviously a stunt man in a fur suit).
Wayne plays with his usual mixture of steadfastness and charm. It's also pleasing to see Carole Landis as the heroine, though as a brunette here she's not particularly recognizable.
I didn't spot stuntman David Sharpe on-screen. He possibly performs that death-defying leap from horseback to the runaway circus team. Roscoe Ates makes a last-reel entrance to provide some comic relief whilst Billy Curtis is off somewhere and while Max Terhune (as mentioned above) is actually doing the action honors.
Ralph Graves amounts to no more than a serviceable heavy. Black-hatted John Merton has to help him out. The villain's villainy is so obvious, the heroine seems pretty dumb not to tumble to him much earlier. Still, that plot seems pretty preposterous anyway.
Although director Sherman's handling rates only a nod for competently routine, production values are considerably enhanced by all the stock footage. And there is one staged-for-real rough-and-tumble in a small hotel room in which our heroes take on three heavies.
U.K. release title: Danger Rides the Range.
SYNOPSIS: Crooked manager tries to cheat a circus girl out of her ranch.
NOTES: Number 23 of the 52-picture "Three Mesquiteers" series, and the last for Max Terhune, who had played Lullaby Joslin in every one of the movies thus far except Powdersmoke Range (Guinn "Big Boy" Williams) and The Three Mesquiteers (Syd Saylor).
COMMENT: Although most of the action highlights are obviously made up of stock footage (the circus fire scenes were extracted from the 1937 Circus Girl and were used again by Monogram in The Ape), this one comes across as a most engaging entry. It's nice to see such a great deal of the picture devoted to Max Terhune, who even takes the main action role at the climax, while Wayne and Corrigan dispatch the villains in disappointingly short order. And in addition to the usual by-play with Elmer Sneezeweed, Max also enjoys a couple of run-ins with an over-friendly gorilla (which, although credited to an animal named "Naba", is obviously a stunt man in a fur suit).
Wayne plays with his usual mixture of steadfastness and charm. It's also pleasing to see Carole Landis as the heroine, though as a brunette here she's not particularly recognizable.
I didn't spot stuntman David Sharpe on-screen. He possibly performs that death-defying leap from horseback to the runaway circus team. Roscoe Ates makes a last-reel entrance to provide some comic relief whilst Billy Curtis is off somewhere and while Max Terhune (as mentioned above) is actually doing the action honors.
Ralph Graves amounts to no more than a serviceable heavy. Black-hatted John Merton has to help him out. The villain's villainy is so obvious, the heroine seems pretty dumb not to tumble to him much earlier. Still, that plot seems pretty preposterous anyway.
Although director Sherman's handling rates only a nod for competently routine, production values are considerably enhanced by all the stock footage. And there is one staged-for-real rough-and-tumble in a small hotel room in which our heroes take on three heavies.