Red River Range

An American Western; A story about organized cattle rustlers who are operating with portable slaughterhouses and refrigerator vans. The governor asks a trio of cowboys from Mesquite County, Texas to go undercover to investigate. This installment of The Three Mesquiteers, based on the characters created by William Colt MacDonald, has the heroes in a modern day setting and it has John Wayne in a charismatic turn in a fast moving adventure. It is a low-budget production with a very straightforward plot and characteristic chases and shoot-outs. There isn't much tension build up in the conflict with the rustlers but there are some funny moments including John Wayne being told how to ride a horse and pretending he cannot. The film setting and location photography is arguably the redeeming point of this B-movie, it's running time another.

No matter what film John Wayne appears in he's always interesting to watch. Besides the fact that as an actor he was used by novelists and directors to reinvent the American west, as a personality he was endearing to watch, especially in this film where he is more important than the storyline.

AMC just premiered this film on their network. One can see that it came from a well cared for 35mm print. It appears the picture and sound were digitally mastered. It looked great in all its sweeping black and white glory. It is the best print I have ever seen of this film and compares very favorable to the other prints of this series shown on AMC.

Personally, I like John Wayne as an actor in this series of films as Stony Brook then the A pictures he would soon start to make. Who cannot like that corny dummy Elmer. There is a kind of humor in these movies made by Republic that I have never seen from any other studio. My gut feeling is that it is a Americana feeling, and I like that. As in PALS OF THE SADDLE, Wayne's character as Killer Madigan is right on target while being slightly offbeat and wonderful at the same time.

Great music, sound effects,humor and a rousing adventure make this a nifty film.

Red River Range (1938)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

"B" Western from Republic has The Three Mesquiteers (led by John Wayne) trying to determine the cause of various cattle going missing. This is really no better or worse than the thousands of "B" films made during this period but you do have Wayne here, which puts it a notch above other films that did this very storyline. There's some nice action but the story is oh so predictable.

As of now, the only way to view these is on AMC but that means you also get commercials. Hopefully one day all the films will be released in a box set.

This film begins with cattle ranchers reporting that a significant number of their cattle have been stolen with no clues being left behind as to who might have taken them or how they were taken. Everything is a mystery. To that effect, not knowing where else to turn, the ranchers petition the governor for assistance and, rather than sending one investigator, he sends the Three Mesquiteers to check it out. To their surprise, once they arrive, they meet a friend named "Tex Reilly" (Kirby Grant) who has been hired by a private company to also investigate the situation. What none of them realize, however, is that the cattle rustlers have not only adopted an innovative system to avoid detection, but they also have a high-ranking member from the local town on their side who provides them with enough inside information to stay one step ahead. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was an okay addition to the Three Mesquiteers series with John Wayne once again performing in the role of "Stony Brooke." Additionally, both Ray Corrigan (as "Tucson Smith") and Max Terhune ("Lullaby Joslin") also reprise their roles as well. Yet in spite of the solid performances of both John Wayne and Ray Corrigan, the film suffered--once again--from the exceedingly corny comic relief provided by Max Terhune. Maybe it's just me, but I don't find his ventriloquist act to be very entertaining. Be that as it may, although I don't consider this particular film to be one of the better additions to the series, I suppose it passed the time well enough, and I have rated it accordingly. Average.