User reviews

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

John Wayne said farewell to the Three Mesquiteers film series and to the character of Stoney Burke he had played in them. The Mesquiteers would continue on without the Duke as they had before him. Herbert J. Yates and Republic finally decided that Wayne had become too big a star to continue him in B westerns. His next film after this was a loan out to RKO, Allegheny Uprising.

In fact there was another change in the cast, Max Terhune left the series even before this and was replaced by Raymond Hatton.

New Frontier, not to be confused with the Kennedy administration, also has Phyllis Isley as the leading lady. Her next film would win her an Academy Award and a name change to Jennifer Jones. Of course that is the Song of Bernadette. She never did do a film with Wayne after this, but I'm guessing it was because the Duke didn't want to work for David O. Selznick.

This entry in the Mesquiteers films deals with the right of eminent domain. The Mesquiteers ranch and the property of all the others in New Hope Valley has been condemned because the state wants to build a dam for a large city and create a reservoir where their property is. This subject was dealt with in a quite serious way in Elia Kazan's film Wild River about the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Of course here it's all part of land swindle, but Stoney, Tucson, and Rusty put things to right in the end and do it with the same pioneer spirit their ancestors showed.

You would expect anything else from a John Wayne film?

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.

New Frontier (1939)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

The final Three Mesquiteer film for John Wayne has the boys trying to help some settlers who are about to lose their land to some bad men. At the moment I can't recall how many of the Wayne films I've seen from this series but this is just like most of them. The film contains some pretty good action scenes and Wayne is good as usual but the stories aren't really that strong. Jennifer Jones has a small supporting role and does a pretty nice job.

As of now the only way to view these films is by AMC, which also includes commercials.

"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 hour-long mini-western is forgettable, silly, and downright lousy. It stars "the three Mesquiteers" (John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, and Raymond Hatton) in another short western where they help out folks in a small town and then ride off in the sunset. It's low-budget, forgettable, and simple. It was the last Mesquiteers movie Duke made, because Stagecoach was released and elevated him to bigger and better films, but the series did continue without him.

There is one reason to rent New Frontier: Phylis Isely. If you don't know that name, look for the beautiful face. There's one beautiful girl in town with dark hair, and expressive mouth, and a distinctive way of talking that blends innocence with maturity. She's the girl in gingham that John Wayne bumps into and spills all the napkins. Recognize her now? It's Jennifer Jones in her film debut using her birth name before David O. Selznick got ahold of her.

Again, you don't have to watch this movie. If you're a John Wayne fan, there are so many other movies to see. I'm Jonesy's biggest fan, so naturally I had to see it. She looked extremely young (as she should at twenty years old!) and her acting was pretty green, but it was worth watching her first attempt. What a doll.

(1939) Frontier Horizon / New Frontier WESTERN

Starring John Wayne, Ray "Crash" Corrigan, and Raymond Hatton as "The Three Mesquiteers"- the low budget Western equivalent of "The Three Musketeers". And while I was watching this film, I couldn't believe how original and entertaining this film was in comparison to 2007 "3:10 To Yuma" and Coen's version of "True Grit". It takes place right after the Civil War focusing on a small town called "New Hope" which the residents have so much pride on had just learned that a water damn is needed to go through so that bigger towns or cities can have water, and that a cash settlement is going to be offered to them if they move away from their properties. Of course, the residents refuse to leave and are willing to fight for it, until a better proposal, has been offered on the table. Viewers are not clear who are the bad guys are until shady deals are proposed. Had the budget been higher, my rating would have been higher as well.

Great acting, great directing by George Sherman, and a great story line dealing with eminent domain make New Frontier a great western classic. John Duke Wayne rides like the wind in this Three Mesquiteers series. The sound track by by William Lava was exceptional for the time. The action commences when the New Hope Valley ranchers learn their land has been condemned. From there, Eddy Waller leads the town folk in defending their land. This was the perfect vehicle for Jennifer Jones to start her long career. New Frontier is a wonderful movie the whole family will enjoy.

"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

Starring: John Wayne, Ray Corrigan and Raymond Hatton.

A great western style movie full of action. This story is about Three Mesquiteers who trade their property to these guys who capture them and they don't have time to warn their friends, The Ranchers. A fantastic movie that the whole family will enjoy!

The Three Mesquiteers convince a group of settlers to exchange their present property for some which, unbeknownst to our good guys, is going to be worthless. They are captured before they can warn the ranchers.

John Wayne's last turn as Stony Burke - he of the Mesquiteers- comes to an end in a rather weak entry, which seems to be going through the motions, doesn't have much excitement and is drawn out. It's still watchable at least for the principal players, but overall not a strong entry.

Three Mesquiteers film starring John Wayne, Ray 'Crash' Corrigan, and Raymond Hatton. This time around the trio are helping ranchers fight crooked land grabbers. This was Wayne's final entry in this series of B westerns before moving on to bigger and better things. It's also the film debut of Jennifer Jones, billed under her pre-Selznick name of Phylis Isley. She does a fine job. Corrigan and Hatton are fun. Nice support from Eddy Waller. LeRoy Mason plays the heavy for the second consecutive Mesquiteers film. This is a pretty standard B western with a wonky timeline (supposed to be the 1910s but it's more like the 1870s). There's little to recommend about it outside of its appeal to Wayne (and maybe Jennifer Jones) completists.

This film essentially begins with the residents of a small ranching community being told that they must move from their homes due to a new dam being built which will flood the entire area. Needless to say, the residents are not too happy with this decision, and they decide to resist any and all attempts by anyone seeking to forcibly evict them from their lands. 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 of a 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.

Yes, the U.S. Constitution allows such an evil as eminent domain. And, yes, it is probably more often abused than used as intended.

"New Frontier" tries to maintain a neutral attitude toward the basic concept of legalized property theft, but eminent domain is definitely property theft.

Oh, sure, it's always claimed to be "the greatest good for the greatest number," as a judge says in the movie. But what it means, always, is the ones with the political pull get to force the others to get out of the way.

Think about the 1950s "Urban Renewal," which meant mostly removing inner-city black people, and from private homes into tenements, which so sadly often became slums.

And think about Kelo, surely the second-worst decision ever by the U.S. Supreme Court, and which is the subject of the 2017 movie, "Little Pink House."

That decision said phooey on human rights. Mere individuals had to move out so a large and politically connected development corporation could steal their property, their homes, in order to build for rich people -- so the city could get more property tax. (Nothing ever happened, as far as building. But the victims did get forced out and lost their homes. The land is, as of this writing, just rubble-strewn vacant lots.)

Never mind human rights. Never mind justice.

What counts is corporate interests. And more tax revenue.

Dealing with eminent domain, and providing lots of action, "New Frontier" is one more entry in the very uneven Three Mequiteers series, but with more story than usual, and some really excellent acting, as well as excellent directing by George Sherman, and excellent music by William Lava.

(Some of the IMDb commentary was written by people who obviously were not paying attention to the movie. No, the Three Mesquiteers were NOT Pony Express riders. They were re-enacting Pony Express riding as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the founding of New Hope Valley. Some people just lust to find errors when they should have been watching the movie.)

"New Frontier" has a good script, giving each of the Mesquiteers opportunity to shine before the camera, as well as many others of the cast, including the villain played by Leroy Mason.

One of my favorites, Dave "Tex" O'Brien, has a good part as well as performing stunts, with the stunt crew led by the extraordinary Yakima Canutt.

And be on the lookout for a relative newcomer, a young woman named Phyllis Isley. Not long after, she became Jennifer Jones.

I highly recommend "New Frontier" and you can find a copy at YouTube.

An American Western; A story about three cowboys, The Three Mesquiteers, who convince a group of settlers to exchange their present properties for some which, unbeknownst to them, are going to be worthless. They are captured before they can warn the ranchers. The storyline is robust enough to be watchable. Jennifer Jones as the stereotypical prairie flower is a good distraction from the predictable plot. There are inconsistencies, such as in the timeline, and anachronisms such as period costumes, hairstyles and makeup, and with props and land structures. The set piece finale is short, unremarkable, and rushed.