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4.0 out of 5 stars
Review specific to ALPHA VIDEO's "Purple Vigilantes", August 29, 2010
ALPHA VIDEO is a provider of vintage programming that's often unavailable elsewhere. Alpha's prices are fair, but so is transfer quality of some of their offerings. None have undergone restoration, yet this product's rareness and reasonable cost make it a worthwhile purchase.
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 Sneezewood.
In THE PURPLE VIGILANTES, the Mesquiteers try to restore order after outlaws infiltrate a group of armed citizens who have been chasing bad guys out of town.
Parenthetical number preceding title is 1 to 10 imdb viewer poll rating.
(7.1) The Purple Vigilantes - Bob Livingston/Ray Corrigan/Max Terhune/Joan Barclay/Earl Dwire (uncredited: George Montgomery/Jason Robards Sr.)
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.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
"The Three Mesquiteers Series ... Purple Vigilantes (1938) ... Republic", September 19, 2006
Republic Pictures presents "PURPLE VIGILANTES" (24 January 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
Sol C. Siegel - Producer
Betty Burbridge - Screenwriter
Oliver Drake - Screenwriter
Ernest W. Miller - Cinematographer
Alberto Colombo - Musical Direction/Supervision
Les Orlebeck - Editor
Our story line and plot, Our heroes Stony Brooke (Robert Livingston), Tucson Smith (Ray "Crash" Corrigan) and Lullaby Joslin (Max Terhune) members of the Three Mesquiteers inspired by the terrorist activities of the bigoted "White Legion" of the mid-1930s --- In this oater , a group of greedy masked vigilantes impersonate a more well-intentioned group of masked men, causing the blame instead to fall on them --- David Ross (Earl Dwire) organizes the ranchers into a vigilante group to rid the town of outlaws --- The plan succeeds but the trouble starts when some of the men form a new vigilante group and posing as the original one plunder for loot --- Seasoned villains George Chesboro and beady-eyed Earl Dwire make sinister appearances here --- In the 14th film in this series George Sherman directs and the great Cinematographer Ernest W. Miller is behind the camera --- One of my favorite character actors appears Earle Hodgins, always a pleasure to behold.
the cast includes:
Robert Livingston ... 'Stony' Brooke
Ray Corrigan ... 'Tucson' Smith
Max Terhune ... 'Lullaby' Joslin
Joan Barclay ... Jean McAllister
Earl Dwire ... David Ross
Earle Hodgins ... J. T. McAllister
Francis Sayles ... Wiliam Jones
George Chesebro ... Eggers
Robert Fiske ... George Drake
Jack Perrin ... Duncan
Ernie Adams ... Blake
William Gould ... Jenkins, Saloon Owner
Harry Strang ... Murphy
Ed Cassidy ... Sheriff Jim (as Edward Cassidy)
Brandon Beach ... Townsman (uncredited)
Billy Bletcher ... Leader of the Purple Vigilantes (voice)
Bob Burns ... Vigilante Recruit
Fred Burns ... Townsman
Frank Ellis ... Bartender
Elmer ... Elmer, Lullaby's Dummy
Jack Kirk ... Tom Purdy
George Montgomery ... Gambler (as George Letz)
Edward Peil Sr. ... Deputy
Jason Robards Sr. ... Prosecuting Attorney
Wally West ... Townsman
BIOS:
1. Robert Livingston (aka: Robert Edgar Randall)
Date of birth: 9 December 1904 - Quincy, Illinois
Date of death: 7 March 1988 - Tarzana, California
2. Ray Corrigan
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 ~ (4/25/2005)
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