''The Three Mesquiteers'' is a 1936 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, starring

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. ...

(in the role later played by John Wayne),

Ray "Crash" Corrigan Ray "Crash" Corrigan (born Raymond Benitz; February 14, 1902 – August 10, 1976) was an American actor most famous for appearing in many B-Western movies (among these the Three Mesquiteers and Range Busters film series). He also was a st ...

and

Syd Saylor Syd or SYD may refer to: *Syd (name), including a list of people with the name * ''Syd.'', taxonomic author abbreviation of Hans Sydow (1879–1946), German mycologist * Sydney, New South Wales, Australia ** IATA code for Sydney Airport, New South ...

. It is first in a 51-film series of " Three Mesquiteers" films based on characters from the novels written by William Colt MacDonald, eight of which starred John Wayne. The film was directed by Ray Taylor, and produced by Nat Levine and written by Jack Natteford.

Plot

Set in the year 1919, following World War 1, military veterans Lullaby Joslin and Bob Bryant are recovering from their wounds at a U.S. Veterans Hospital and decide to head out to

San Juan Basin The San Juan Basin is a geologic structural basin located near the Four Corners region of the Southwestern United States. The basin covers 7,500 square miles and resides in northwestern New Mexico, southwestern Colorado, and parts of Utah ...

, New Mexico with some other veterans and apply for ownership of land being given away through the

Homestead Acts The Homestead Acts were several laws in the United States by which an applicant could acquire ownership of government land or the public domain, typically called a homestead. In all, more than of public land, or nearly 10 percent of t ...

. Lullaby and Bob and the other veterans arrive at Carrizozo, NM and meet Stony Brooke and Tucson Smith, as well as Brack Canfield who advises the men to keep going west for their own good. Bob and the other veterans exchange their vehicles for horses and covered wagons for the trek to the San Juan Basin, Lullaby continues on with his motorcycle side car. Brack Canfield tells his brother Olin that what happens next has to look like an accident. Shortly afterwards there is the sound of a blast and an rockslide occurs on the trail, the caravan of veterans are forced to hurry out of the way, and everyone survives. Stony and Tucson ride back to investigate the landslide and discover that it was no accident, as there are remnants of a dynamite blast. Canfield's men realize that the veterans have survived and attempt to drive off the veterans' horses. Stony and Tucson begin a gunfight with them, Lullaby appears on a hill in his motorcycle side car, and waves on the people behind him, but it is a bluff. Canfield's men take Lullaby's bluff seriously and withdraw thinking there is a gang on its way.

Cast

as Stony Brooke *

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 ...

as Tucson Smith *

as Lullaby Joslin *

Kay Hughes Kay Hughes (born Catherine Mary Hughes; January 16, 1914 – April 4, 1998) was an American actress in the 1930s and 1940s who appeared mainly in Western films and serials. Biography Hughes was born in Los Angeles, California. When she was a ...

as Marian Bryant *

J.P. McGowan John Paterson McGowan (February 24, 1880 – March 26, 1952) was a pioneering Hollywood actor and director and occasionally a screenwriter and producer. McGowan remains the only Australian to have been made a life member of the Screen Directo ...

as Brack Canfield *

Al Bridge Alfred Morton Bridge (February 26, 1891 – December 27, 1957) was an American character actor who played mostly small roles in over 270 films between 1931 and 1954. Bridge's persona was an unpleasant, gravel-voiced man with an untidy mous ...

as Olin Canfield *

Frank Yaconelli Frank Yaconelli (October 2, 1898 – November 19, 1965) was an Italian-born American film actor. Biography When he was a child his family emigrated to the United States, settling in Boston. Yaconelli was a character actor playing supporting rol ...

as Pete (Italian vet) *

John Merton John Merton (born Myrtland F. LaVarre; February 18, 1901 – September 19, 1959) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 250 films between 1927 and 1959, mostly as a villain. He was the brother of filmmaker André de la Varre a ...

as Bull (chief henchman) * Gene Marvey as Bob Bryant * Milburn Stone as John (a vet) *

Duke York Duke York ( Charles Everest Sinsabaugh; October 17, 1908January 24, 1952), was an American film actor and stuntman who appeared in nearly 160 films between 1932 and 1952. He was also known as Duke Owl. Early years The son of Mr. and Mrs. Floyd ...

as Chuck (one-armed vet) *

Nina Quartero Nina Quartero (born Gladys Quartararo; March 17, 1908 – November 23, 1985) was an American actress whose career spanned from 1929 to 1943. Career Born in 1908 in Mount Vernon, New York, as Gladys Quartararo, she came from a close family and ...

as Rosita (waitress) (billed as Nena Quartaro) * Allen Connor as Milt (one-legged vet)

References

External links

''The Three Mesquiteers'' at the Internet Movie Database
* * * 1936 films 1936 Western (genre) films Three Mesquiteers films Films directed by Ray Taylor Films set in 1919 American black-and-white films Republic Pictures films American Western (genre) films Films produced by Nat Levine Films about veterans 1930s English-language films 1930s American films {{1930s-Western-film-stub