ALPHA VIDEO'S Hit the Saddle / Call the Mesquiteers Double F
Annie Van Auken | Planet Earth | 08/30/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Specialists in lesser known programmers, 'B' unit films and TV shows, Pennsylvania-based ALPHA VIDEO is owned by Jerry Greene, founder of Collectable Records. Quality of their unrestored movie transfers varies from fair to good, based on condition of source material stock (often old 16mm broadcast prints). The only extras provided are a catalog insert and DVD-accessible title list.
The Three Mesquiteers movies were inspired by a number of William Colt MacDonald dime novels. This trio's popularity led to imitations by other studios: Range Busters, Rough Riders, Texas Rangers and lesser three-man oaters all descended from the Mesquiteers.
Although THE THREE MESQUITEERS (1936) is officially the first entry in this series, that honor technically goes to RKO's POWDERSMOKE RANGE (1935). It starred Hoot Gibson as Stony Brooke, Harry Carey as Tucson Smith and 'Big Boy' Williams as Lullaby Joslin. The actual TM series came after the creation of REPUBLIC Pictures that very same year.
Fifty-one Mesquiteer westerns were made by REPUBLIC between 1936 and '43, with the main actors never constant. Stony was played by John Wayne, Tom Tyler and Robert Livingston. Lullaby was variously Jimmie Dodd, Rufe Davis, Sid Saylor or Max Terhune, with Raymond Hatton appearing 9 times as 'Rusty' Joslin. Bob Steele and Ray Corrigan split the Tucson role almost equally. Athough the cast rotated often, one constant was a ventriloquist's dummy named Elmer Sneezeweed.
RELATED ITEM--
This DVD, plus 10 other previous Mesquiteer issues are available in: ALPHA's THREE MESQUITEERS ULTIMATE COLLECTION, Volume 1. All discs are in their original keepcases.
Parenthetical numbers preceding titles are 1 to 10 imdb viewer poll ratings.
(6.7) Call the Mesquiteers (1938) - Bob Livingston/Ray Corrigan/Max Terhune/Lynne Roberts/Earle Hodgins/Eddy Waller/Sammy McKim/Hal Price
(6.8) Hit the Saddle (1937) - Bob Livingston/Ray Corrigan/Max Terhune/Rita Hayworth/J.P. McGowan/Ed Cassidy/Sammy McKim/Yakima Canutt"