Red River Range [Blu-ray]

I just received this and the other three new BR discs from the John Wayne Three Mesquiteers era. The Amazon.com review of the story almost takes longer to read than the movie is long. I'm just kidding but its a 56 minute film as they all are and I surmise the reason they are on separate discs and so expensive is because the market is small. On all films the picture quality is sharp and stunning at times and the sound is robust. These are fun films and its a hoot to see young Duke riding a big white horse with his oversized white hat. Some of the horse chase scenes in all the films is really stirring as the camera is just ahead of the horses and to see them charging at full speed in HD is pretty cool. These are sort of silly/stupid scripts and sadly Duke Wayne isn't the main star...he is co starring so he's not on camera as much as I'd like but I am a fan and am glad I picked them up. This will be my review for all four films as they were all made within a couple year period all directed by the same man and all pretty enjoyable with their own quirkiness. I just wanted to let folks know that they are a quality presentation and the covers are retro cool with original graphics also displayed on the BR disc itself.

Republic Pictures presents "RED RIVER RANGE" (22 December 1938) (56 mins/B&W) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) -- The series was based on a series of western novels by William Colt MacDonald, which began with "Law of the .45's" in 1933 --- The Three Mesquiteers is the umbrella title for a series of 51 western B-movies released between 1936 and 1943, including 8 films starring John Wayne --- The name was a play on The Three Musketeers, and each film featured a trio of stars --- The series blended the traditional Western period with more modern elements, which was not unknown with other B-Western films and serials --- Towards the end of the series, during World War II, the trio of cowboys were opposing Nazis --- The Three Mesquiteers series was extremely popular at the time of its release --- The series was the only one of its kind to be specifically named and ranked in contemporary polls of the top western film stars --- For example, from 1937 to the end of the series in 1943, The Motion Picture Herald consistently ranked the series in its top ten, reaching a peak of 5th place in 1938, when a pre-Stagecoach John Wayne was the series lead

Under the production staff of:
George Sherman - Director
Betty Burbridge - Screenwriter
William Colt MacDonald - Screenwriter
Stanley Roberts - Screenwriter
Luci Ward - Screenwriter
Jack A. Marta - Cinematographer
John Marta - Cinematographer
William Lava - Composer (Music Score)
Tony Martinelli - Editor
William A. Berke - Associate Producer

Our story line and plot, Our heroes Stony Brooke (John Wayne), Tucson Smith (Ray "Crash" Corrigan) and Lullaby Joslin (Max Terhune) members of the Three Mesquiteers which finds the boys working as government agents to stop some cattle rustling --- the meatpacking industry has hired its own agent, Tex Reilly (Kirby Grant), to get a line on the rustling --- That in itself was an interesting aspect of this oater, the inflation of meat prices as a result of cattle rustling --- One never does think of the economic hurt, those rustlers cause --- Kirby's cover is blown before he can infiltrate and folks in the Red River country already know the Mesquiteers are coming --- So Wayne and Grant switch places and Wayne poses as an escaped killer --- The focus of the investigation is a dude ranch where some mighty strange goings on are occurring --- Can't reveal what the scheme is, but I assure viewers it's a lulu --- Lorna Gray, aka Adrian Booth, is the heroine, while raucuous comedy relief is provided by old-timer Mrs Maxwell played by Polly Moran.

the cast includes:
John Wayne ... Stony Brooke
Ray Corrigan ... Tucson Smith
Max Terhune ... Lullaby Joslin
Polly Moran ... Mrs. Maxwell
Lorna Gray ... Jane Mason
Kirby Grant ... Tex Reilly
Sammy McKim ... Tommy Jones
William Royle ... Payne
Perry Ivins ... Hartley
Stanley Blystone ... Randall
Lenore Bushman ... Evelyn Maxwell
Burr Caruth ... Pop Mason
Roger Williams ... Sheriff Wood
Earl Askam ... Henchman Morton
Olin Francis ... Henchman Kenton
Ed Cassidy ... Marshal
Elmer ... Elmer, Lullaby's Dummy
Al Taylor ... Henchman Slick

Special footnote -- The 32 year old John Wayne was fortunate enough to have talented writers around him to write novels that could be adapted into vehicles for his career, as well as short stories and screenplays that would immortalise him as the American hero --- This film is one such example --- When you watch this film you're not watching it for the story (like you would do in 'Rio Grande' or 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance'), you're watching it to see John Wayne in action --- He is the romantic embodiment of what it was like for the settling community to live in the post-civil war era --- Despite the fact that most of these westerns distort history, what Wayne delivers gives you access to his humanity --- That's what we like about him.

BIOS:
1. John Wayne (aka: Marion Robert Morrison)
Date of Birth: 26 May 1907 - Winterset, Iowa
Date of Death: 11 June 1979 - Los Angeles, California

2. Ray 'Crash' Corrigan (aka: Raymond Benard)
Date of Birth: 14 February 1902 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Date of Death: 10 August 1976 - Brookings Harbor, Oregon

3. Max Terhune
Date of Birth: 12 February 1891 - Anderson, Indiana
Date of Death: 5 June 1973 - Los Angeles, California

If you crave action, drama and plenty of adventure check out other western double features --- Ask Amazon.Com to carry the volumes as they are not available on Amazon as of yet --- you can order and pick up your copy now from VCI Entertainment

THREE MESQUITEERS WESTERN DOUBLE FEATURES FROM VCI ENTERTAINMENT
VOL 1 -- GHOST TOWN GOLD & COME ON COWBOYS - (VCI #7215)
VOL 2 -- HIT THE SADDLE & HEART OF THE ROCKIES - (VCI #7218)
VOL 3 -- THE THREE MESQUITEERS & ROARIN' LEAD - (VCI #7254)
VOL 4 -- PURPLE VIGILANTES & PRAIRIE PIONEERS - (VCI #7277)
VOL 5 -- OUTLAWS OF SONORA & WEST OF CIMARRON - (VCI #7290)
VOL.6 -- CALL THE MESQUITEERS & RIDERS OF THE WHISTLING SKULL - (VCI #7310)
VOL.7 -- GANGS OF SONORA & PIONEERS OF THE WEST - (VCI #7321)
VOL.8 -- CODE OF THE OUTLAW & OKLAHOMA RENEGADES - (VCI #7330)
VOL.9 -- GAUCHOS OF EL DORADO & OUTLAWS OF CHEROKEE TRAIL - (VCI #7332)
VOL.10 - HEROES OF THE SADDLE & THE KANSAS TERRORS - (VCI #7337)
VOL.11 - RIDERS OF THE RIO GRANDE & SHADOWS ON THE SAGE - (VCI #7339)

Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc) and Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele") as they have rekindled my interest once again for B-Westerns and Serials --- If you're into the memories of B-Westerns with high drama, this is the one you've been anxiously waiting for --- please stand up and take a bow --- all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Time: 56 min on VHS/DVD ~ Republic Pictures ~ (4/15/1997)

THIS IS ANOTHER GRADE B WESTERN, BUT IT IS VERY WELL DONE. THESE 3 ACTORS HAVE GREAT CHEMISTRY.,WORKING TOGETHER. THIS IS MY KIND OF MOVIE.