Under Texas Skies

Hollywood didn't go in for continuity too much and the 3 Mesquiteer series probably least of all. Their stories took place in the old west and modern times and of course with many different Mesquiteers. Under Texas Skies is the least typical of Mesquiteer stories however.

Usually the three would be riding into some location, assess the situation and before the film was over clean up the problem. Not so in Under Texas Skies. They begin as individuals and come together as a team by the film's end.

Robert Livingston's father is the sheriff and he has a crooked deputy in Henry Brandon. Brandon is the secret head of a group of outlaws who among other things control a pass that the cattlemen have to take to get to water. Brandon shoots the sheriff and has the blame thrown on Bob Steele who is a fugitive through most of the film.

Livingston and Steele are enemies through most of the film, they only come together after Livingston becomes convinced of Steele's innocence. Hanging around is itinerant peddler Rufe Davis who joins up with them as he's kind of caught up in the action.

Under Texas Skies is not within the 3 Mesquiteer parameter, but it's still a nice western.

If someone has never seen a Three Mesquiteers adventure then Under Texas Skies would be as good a place to start as any. It is in no way the best of the run, but it is the starting point of a new cast of characters. The characters themselves are not new, but the group of actors playing the trio is new. In this film Robert Livingston returns as Stony Brooke after John Wayne played the role in eight movies. Livingston is joined by Bob Steele as Tuscon Smith and Rufe Davis as Lullaby Joslin. The return of Tuscon and Lullaby, previously played by Crash Corrigan and Max Terhune, is shown as a fresh start for the characters. Stony and Tuscon know each other from childhood. Lullaby is new to town, and only recognizes Stony. While the bond between Stony and Tuscon is very well established, Lullaby serves little purpose other than comedy and one important plot twist. There is no real team shown, but the foundation is built for future adventures.

When Tuscon is framed for the murder of Stony's father, Stony turns against his old friend. For much of the movie Tuscon remains on the lam, a situation common to many Bob Steele roles. The person who framed Tuscon is Blackton, the deputy who uses his position as a law man to cover for his evil plans. Local ranchers are aware that something must be done, but rallying them for help is hard to do. The suspense in this movie is upheld by the necessity of Tuscon clearing his name and being able to expose Blackton and his gang. Lullaby is put to work to help Stony get a message to the ranchers, but of course Lullaby unwittingly lets the bad guys know what is going on. This leads to a climax that is worthy of the Three Mesquiteers series.

Blackton is played by Henry Brandon who did not look like a typical western villain. He would have been much better as well dressed lawyer. Having made his mark as Fu Manchu in the serial Drums of Fu Manchu, anything he did afterward would be pale by comparison anyway.

This Saturday matinée entry in the Three Mesquiteers series has plenty of good action sequences. One wonders if Yakima Canutt, who has a part as one of the outlaw henchmen, didn't have a hand in the stunt cinematography credited to William Nobles. This was the seventh trio to play the popular Republic heroes which at one time included the likes of the Duke himself. This trio, Robert Livingston, Bob Steele, and Rufe Davis made seven Three Mesquiteers films and proved to be an effective combination, with Robert Livingston on his white horse playing the indomitable Stony Brooke, Bob Steele as Tucson Smith, the little guy who could fight like nobody else and could whip his weight in bad guys, and Rufe Davis as Lullaby Joslin, who was supposed to be the comic of the three. Though Rufe Davis was likable enough, his humor often seemed forced and usually appealed to small fries only. Robert Livinston bowed out after the seventh film but Bob Steele and Rufe Davis stayed on with a new partner, Tom Tyler, for seven more Three Mesquiteers outings. Then Rufe Davis left the series and Jimmie Dodd continued with Tyler and Steele for six more films. Steele was still playing the role of Tucson Smith when Republic canceled the series in 1943. Bob Steele then changed companies and joined another trio called the Trail Blazers. So one reason to watch this movie is to see Robert Livingston and Bob Steele in action together fighting the bad guys. Plus this Three Mesquiteers outing has a fairly good story to go along with the action with Stony thinking Tucson has killed his father leading to complications since Tucson's sister has had the hots for Stony ever since he pulled her pigtails when they were children together. Lullaby muddies the water by feeding information he picks up in his so-called barber shop to the wrong parties. Watch and enjoy.

Three Mesquiteers series continues with Robert Livingston (Stony Brooke), Bob Steele (Tucson Smith) and Rufe Davis (Lullaby Joslin). Henry Brandon a familiar and reliable heavy in many pictures plays the deputy gone bad and nicely sets the stage in framing Steele for murder of Sheriff Brooke (Wade Boteler). Gorgeous Helen (Lois Ranson) is caught in the middle of the rift between Stony and Tucson. Yakima Canutt, who probably had a hand in the stunts leads the henchmen against our heroes. A couple great scenes between funny men Earle Hodgins and Davis who own the worst barber shop in history.

Rex Lease (Blackton Henchman, Marsden), Jack Ingram (Blackton Henchman, Finley);

This film starts just before the Civil War, with Army soldiers being sent from a troubled part of Texas to the East in preparation for possible conflict. Sure enough, no sooner do they leave than bandits quickly begin robbing stagecoaches along the only road into the area and stealing cattle from local residents. It's during this time that a lone cowboy named "Stony Brooke" (Robert Livingston) arrives in the only town in that area to visit his father, who happens to be the town sheriff, only to find out that he has been murdered recently and the alleged killer, "Tucson Smith" (Bob Steele), has just escaped from jail and is hiding out somewhere in the nearby countryside. Naturally, Stony agrees to join the posse in search of him, but what he doesn't know is that Tucson has been framed for the murder by some of the same people riding with him. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will say that this film essentially serves as a reboot to the Three Mesquiteers franchise, with Bob Steele and Rufe Davis (as "Lullaby Joslin") becoming the newest members of the team. Personally, although I liked the team with Robert Livingston, Duncan Renaldo (as "Rico"), and Raymond Hatton ("Rusty Joslin"), their last film wasn't that great. So maybe a change was needed because this one seemed much better. But that's just my opinion. Be that as it may, I enjoyed this movie, and I have rated it accordingly.