The Three MesquiteersWilliam Colt MacDonald was a western pulp writer who churned out rough and tumble cowboy heroes. His Three Mesquiteers own a special place in the hearts of western buffs. There was nothing comparable to the camaraderie of three dynamic heroes. MacDonald's pulp trio might be a dim memory to other than die-hard cowboy movie fans but once they helped launch a Hollywood dream factory. His sagebrush trio, modelled on Alexandre Dumas' Three Musketeers, were highly commercial material during the Great Depression. When a group of Hollywood "poverty row" film producers formed Republic Pictures in the mid-1930s they aimed straight at the juvenile and hayseed markets with a production schedule of oaters and cliffhanger serials. The "Skeeters" were half of the studio's two-pronged sagebrush assault. The other half was built around some singin' cowpoke named Gene Autry.
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Bygone Saddle Pals
The "skeeters" flicks were trio westerns. Customers got not just one but two straight-shootin', hammer-fisted heroes plus the comedic sidekick for the price of a single admission. The formula was successful enough that it was widely imitated for a brief period. They Mesquiteers rode on the Republic backlot from 1936 to 1943. Filmography is a complete list of the skeeters films. Recently updated, it features reviews from trade papers for more than 30 of their movies. This sagebrush trio rode into my life in the 1950s when the tiny television screen busted out with B western good guys like Buck Jones, Tim McCoy, Johnny Mack Brown, Tex Ritter, Jimmy Wakely, Lash LaRue and many others. The films are stilted and a bit ridiculous when viewed today but the memories of role models who taught me honour, fair play and going the distance for what's right are indelible. A recent film school grad from UCLA, I was studying journalism in 1971. A "j-school" prof and fellow film buff suggested an "independant study" of the film subject of my choice. You might say I cut to the chase. A low-budget Los Angeles TV station was running Republic oaters. The Mesquiteers were among the fare. I sought out and saddled up with with some of the men I admired, interviewing Duncan Renaldo, Max Terhune, Rufe Davis, Bob Steele and Raymond Hatton.
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A Chance to Go Back in Time
Thanks to these movie Mesquiteers, I wrote a history of the series. I am in the process of posting this and more Hollywood trade paper reviews collected from the library of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences. Pull up a chair on the ol' 3M Ranch bunkhouse porch and cast an eye around the place. Welcome.  View My Guestbook Sign My Guestbook Or
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Ride On, Mesquiteers!
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