The Three Mesquiteers


The Three Mesquiteers is the umbrella title for a Republic Pictures series of 51 Western B-movies released between 1936 and 1943, including eight films starring John Wayne.

Format

The name was a play on words, referring to mesquite, a plant common in the Western states, and the characters of the 1844 Alexander Dumas novel The Three Musketeers. Each film featured a trio of stars, with the composition of the trio varying according to the individual movie. The series was based on a series of Western novels by William Colt MacDonald, which began with The Law of 45's in 1933.
The series blended the traditional Western period with more modern elements, which was not unknown with other B-Western films and serials. Toward the end of the series, during World War II, the trio of cowboys were opposing Nazis.

Previous Non-''Republic'' Films

The cast list varied but always focused on a trio of cowboys. The original trio of characters were:
The other members of this trio over the entire series were:
Stars in supporting roles at various times included:
Actress Lois Collier was sometimes called the Fourth Mesquiteer because seven of the movies featured her as the female lead.

Reception

The Three Mesquiteers series was extremely popular at the time of its release. The series was the only one of its kind to be specifically named and ranked in contemporary polls of the top western film stars. For example, from 1937 to the end of the series in 1943, The Motion Picture Herald consistently ranked the series in its top ten, reaching a peak of 5th place in 1938, when a pre-Stagecoach John Wayne was the series lead.

Influence

The success of the series led to many "trigger trio" imitators at other studios. The first was The Range Busters from Monogram Pictures which starred original Mesquiteer Ray "Crash" Corrigan as the character "Crash" Corrigan. Monogram also released The Rough Riders, again poaching a Mesquiteer in the form of Raymond Hatton, and The Trail Blazers. Producers Releasing Corporation produced two similar series, The Texas Rangers and The Frontier Marshals.

Films

produced 51 films in The Three Mesquiteers series between 1936 and 1943: