The Trail Blazers

This film begins with the Three Mesquiteers serving as guards for a wagon carrying valuable telegraph equipment out west for a friend named "Jim Chapman" (Carroll Nye), who has staked all his money on setting up a telegraph office he hopes will stop outlaw activity in that area. To that end, upon being greeted by a squad of cavalry, the Three Mesquiteers relinquish the cargo to them and ride off, feeling assured it is in safe hands. What they don't realize, however, is that the men they just entrusted their cargo to were actually bandits in disguise. Not long after, the cargo is destroyed, and the men driving the wagons are killed. Needless to say, the news devastates Jim Chapman, who now considers moving back East. However, he is quickly persuaded to use what little telegraph wire he has to connect the small town where he lives to the local Army fort 30 miles away, so it would be possible to alert the cavalry to outlaw activity in that area much faster. Needless to say, when word of this reaches the outlaws, they become determined to prevent that as well, and tragedy soon strikes again. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was an okay Three Mesquiteers movie with Robert Livingston, Bob Steele, and Rufe Davis revising their roles as "Stony Brooke", "Tucson Smith", and "Lullaby Joslin" respectively. Surprisingly, although I've never been too keen on the Lullaby Joslin comedy aspect, there was one scene in the stagecoach that I thought was quite amusing. But maybe that's just me. In any case, although I don't consider this film to be one of the best in the series, it was okay for the time spent watching it, and I have rated it accordingly.