Heart Of the Rockies

Republic release of Sol C. Siegel production. Directed by Joseph Kane. Screenplay by Jack Natteford and Oliver Drake from original story by Bernard McConville. Photography Jack Marta; editor Lester Orlebeck; musical director Raoul Kraushaar. Completed July 12, 1937. Running time 58 minutes.

National Board of Review: The Three Mesquiteers get into trouble with national park rangers when they hunt for cattle-killing bears in a national park, not knowing that the stepfather of their youthful friends is responsible. A refreshingly different western with plenty of action and no love interest.

Weekly Variety, September 22, 1937: With all this talk about the success of Charlie McCarthy, the Bergen dummy, on the air and his chances in pictures, these Three Mesquiteers westerns have had the jump on the film entry of the precocious mouthpiece by nearly a year, featuring Max Terhune, old-time vaudevillian, and his dummy chatter. Now since McCarthy is a cinch to make a film go, it wouldn’t be surprising if some exhibs took cue and Republic pride in the ‘first’ dummy feature player. He has figured thus far in every one of the Mesquiteer films.

This one is a tangle inside and outside the law, the trio being accused by national park rangers of killing bears which they believed had been raiding their stock. In the meantime, cattle rustlers had been doing the dirty work in the herds and shifting the blame to the griz. Romance is on the light side, only portion being a stepfather’s attempt to marry off his daughter, Lynn Roberts, to a man much her senior. Boys stop hunting long enough to see that it’s a fliv. Republic would be smart, in connection with the Terhune dummy, to write Max some good material, the quality of the stuff so far having been a deterrent to its rise.

Two good fist fights are provided, but Livingston close-upped most of the time, was outpointed quite a little. Always manages to get in that lucky one, however. For the scenery lovers, ‘Heart of the Rockies’ is long in that department--some excellent background footage. Keeps up to par on b.o. possibilities.

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