''Outlaws of Sonora'' is a 1938 American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

" Three Mesquiteers"

B-movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...

directed by

George Sherman George Sherman (July 14, 1908 – March 15, 1991) was an American film director and producer of low-budget Western films. One obituary said his "credits rival in number those of anyone in the entertainment industry." Biography George Sherma ...

. It stars

Bob Livingston Robert Linlithgow Livingston Jr. (born April 30, 1943) is an American lobbyist and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Louisiana from 1977 to 1999. A Republican, he was chosen as Newt Gingrich's successor as Speaker of the U.S. H ...

Ray Corrigan Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (gra ...

and

Max Terhune Max Terhune (February 12, 1891 – June 5, 1973) was an American film actor born in Franklin, Indiana. He appeared in nearly 70 films, mostly B-westerns, between 1936 and 1956. Among these, Terhune starred in ''The Three Mesquiteers'' and ' ...

. Livingston has a dual role as Mesquiteer Stony Brooke and his outlaw

doppelgänger A doppelgänger (), a compound noun formed by combining the two nouns (double) and (walker or goer) (), doppelgaenger or doppelganger is a biologically unrelated look-alike, or a double, of a living person. In fiction and mythology, a doppelg ...

Dude Brannen. Films in the Mesquiteer series are normally considered traditional Westerns but ''Outlaws of Sonora'' is an exception; it has a revisionist theme as an early example of the Outlaw/Gunfighter sub-genre.

Plot

Stony, Tucson and Lullaby are hired by the Mesquite County Cattleman's Association in Cactusville to collect a payroll from a bank in distant Red Rock. Stony is given the warrant and rides to Red Rock where Tucson and Lullaby are waiting. On the way, Stony is waylaid and captured by an outlaw gang led by Dude Brannen who is Stony's

. Posing as Stony, Brannen goes to the bank to collect the payroll. The manager realises he is not Stony and Brannen shoots him. He takes the payroll and escapes as Tucson, Lullaby and the sheriff arrive to investigate the gunshot. Notices are posted for Stony's arrest although his friends do not believe he has become an outlaw. Brannen decides to continue his duplicity and his gang carry out more robberies and murders. They become notorious as the Brooke Gang with Stony publicised as their leader. Having decided that the gang has made enough money to live well and go to Mexico, Brannen has the idea of plastic surgery done to end the resemblance. Stony will be handed over to the authorities and the gang will claim the reward money as bounty. Stony manages to escape but is wounded in the shoulder as he rides away. He eludes his pursuers and makes his way to the remote cabin where the Mesquiteers are based. Believing his story, Tucson and Lullaby have to hide him when a posse arrives. All three ride to another hideout but Stony's wound has made him ill and the others fetch Doc Martin from Red Rock. Doc removes the bullet from Stony's shoulder and dresses the wound. He orders a reluctant Stony to rest and recuperate. Doc returns to his surgery in Red Rock but is then kidnapped by two of Brannen's gang. Thinking quickly, Doc tells them he will need a prescription done before he can perform the operation on Brannen. He writes it in Latin and one of the outlaws takes the note to the chemist while the other takes Doc to a saloon where he will meet Brannen and operate. The chemist reads the prescription and sees it is in fact a secret message. After alerting the sheriff, he gives the outlaw a fake prescription. The outlaw leaves and the posse follow him. Tucson and Lullaby are in the saloon and see Doc being brought in. Then, to their surprise, a man comes in who is a dead ringer for Stony. They assume at first that this must be Brannen but then realise it is Stony himself, now posing as Brannen to try and rescue Doc. More arrivals are Brannen himself, the outlaw with the prescription and the sheriff with his posse. A fracas begins and all the outlaws are captured except Brannen who manages to reach his horse with Stony in pursuit. Stony takes a short cut to ambush him and the gang are all locked up. Doc is praised for his initiative and the Mesquiteers deliver the payroll to their employers.

Cast

as Stony Brooke / Dude Brannen *

as Tucson Smith *

as Lullaby Joslin *

Jack Mulhall John Joseph Francis Mulhall (October 7, 1887 – June 1, 1979) was an American film actor beginning in the silent film era who successfully transitioned to sound films, appearing in over 430 films in a career spanning 50 years. Early years Mu ...

as Dr George Martin *

Otis Harlan Otis Harlan (December 29, 1865 – January 21, 1940) was an American actor and comedian. He voiced Happy, one of the Seven Dwarfs in the Disney animated film ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs''. Early years Harlan was born in Zanesville, Ohio ...

as Pool player * Jean Joyce as Miss McCoy, Secretary * Sterlita Peluffo as Rosita (as Stelita Peluffo) *

Tom London Tom London (born Leonard T. Clapman; August 24, 1889 – December 5, 1963) was an American actor who played frequently in B-Westerns. According to ''The Guinness Book of Movie Records'', London is credited with appearing in the most films in ...

as Sheriff Trask * Gloria Rich as Stony's friend * Edwin Mordant as Banker Pierce * Ralph Peters as Henchman Gabby *

George Chesebro George Newell Chesebro (July 29, 1888 – May 28, 1959) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 400 films between 1915 and 1954. He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and died in Los Angeles, California. Partial filmography * ''Mi ...

as Henchman Slim * Frank LaRue as Coroner *

Jack Ingram Jack Owen Ingram (born November 15, 1970) is an American country music artist formerly signed to Big Machine Records, an independent record label. He has released eleven studio albums, one extended play, six live albums, and 19 singles. Although ...

as Henchman Nick *

Merrill McCormick William Merrill McCormick (February 5, 1892 – August 19, 1953) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 250 films between 1916 and 1953. William Merrill McCormick was born on February 5, 1892, in Denver, Colorado. McCormick ap ...

as Henchman Pete

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Outlaws Of Sonora 1938 films 1938 Western (genre) films American Western (genre) films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films Films directed by George Sherman Republic Pictures films Revisionist Western (genre) films Three Mesquiteers films 1930s American films