Santa Fe Stampede (1938)

Director:

George Sherman

Writers:

William Colt MacDonald (characters)
Luci Ward (story)

Release Date:

18 November 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

The Three Mesquiteers

Plot:

The Mesquiteers capture a horse thief who escapes justice through a crooked judge. They gather signatures...

Plot Keywords:

Crooked Judge | Saloon | Crooked Lawyer | Petition | Dynamite

Cast

John Wayne	...	Stony Brooke
Ray Corrigan	...	Tucson Smith
Max Terhune	...	Lullaby Joslin
June Martel	...	Nancy Carson
William Farnum	...	Dave Carson
LeRoy Mason	...	Mayor Gil Byron (as Le Roy Mason)
Martin Spellman	...	Billy Carson
Genee Hall	...	Julie Jane Carson
Walter Wills	...	Lawyer Harris
Ferris Taylor	...	Judge Henry J. Hixon
Tom London	...	Marshal Jim Wood
Dick Rush	...	Sheriff Tom
James Cassidy	...	Jed Newton (as John F. Cassidy)

Runtime:

55 min (copyright length)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA High Fidelity Recording)

Certification:

USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:Approved (PCA #4788)

Filming Locations:

Brandeis Ranch, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Republic Pictures (I)

Trivia:

According to the American Movie Channel, this was the first Hollywood film where the villain murders a child.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[after reading a sign that says "Trespassers Will Be Shot"]
Lullaby Joslin: Looks like folks ain't exactly welcome around here.
Stony Brooke: Well, I don't believe in signs.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Gangs of Sonora (1941)

Soundtrack:

Oh! Susanna

Good

Santa Fe Stampede (1938)

*** (out of 4)

In 1935 Republic Pictures started their low-budget western series featuring The Three Mesquiteers with Powdersmoke Range and would end it with 1943's Riders of the Rio Grande. Various actors graced the screen as the trio but the best known films are those with John Wayne whose first appearance was in 1938's Pals of the Saddle. Wayne would make a total of eight Mesquiteers films with Santa Fe Stampede being the third.

The Three Mesquiteers--Stony (John Wayne), Tucson (Ray Corrigan) and Lullaby (Max Terhune)—are asked by a friend (William Farnum) to help keep some bad guys off his property. These bad guys are being controlled by the town's greedy Mayor who knows that a gold mine is on the property. When the local Judge offers no help it's up to the Mesquiteers to help but after the friend is murdered the Mayor makes it appear that Stony killed him in order to take over the mine. Now the boys must try and solve the case before the town folks kill Stony and let the guilty go free.

You certainly shouldn't go into this film expecting anything like The Searchers or Once Upon a Time in the West because films like this were made cheaply, at a fast rate and their purpose was to entertain for an hour and nothing more. If you have a fondness for the "B" pictures of yesterday then you'll know what to expect here and the film pretty much delivers on all grounds. There's certainly nothing original or new here story wise but that's fine since the entertainment level is high and the running time short.

Typical of a "B" Western, the title has absolutely nothing to do with the actual film so if you're expecting any sort of stampede then you'll be in for a big letdown. I'm sure that word was just added for an added boost to get people in the theater but either way you do get the typical "B" Western action. This ranges from various fist fights that break out at any moment including one hilarious scene where the heroes battle the bad guys right inside a court room, which lands them in contempt of court. We also get various shoot outs, which contain some mild excitement even though they are as fake as possible. The biggest highlight to a film like this is a dramatic ending, which usually contains the biggest stunts and here we get Wayne stuck inside a burning building trying to make an escape.

Another key to these films are the main cast members, which always adds a few chuckles and gives the viewer a reason to watch them. There were thousands of these types of films made during the decade yet the one's with Wayne are certainly the most memorable and while the debate of Wayne as an actor will always continue there's no denying his visual impact on any film. You can tell Wayne is having a lot of fun here including a wonderful scene where his friends young daughter shares her thoughts about marrying him. Wayne has all the vibrant energy to carry the film but his two co-stars also add a lot as well. Silent screen star William Farnum is a bit too wooden and over the top but this actually ads more charm to the film.

Santa Fe Stampede also contains a rather shocking and violent scene where the friend is actually killed. The final death sequence was trimmed back when the film was released due to it being too graphic for viewers back then but it's restored here and it's easy to see why so many would have objected to the scene back in its day. The film itself is nothing groundbreaking but fans of the "B" Western or John Wayne should get a kick out of the movie nonetheless.