New Frontier (1939)

This is a Three Mesquiteer movie from Republic Pictures. This was a very popular series from the 1930s and 40s and while they were generally pretty well made and enjoyable, the composition of the cast changed frequently. While the most popular trio probably was the one that consisted of Robert Livingston, Ray Corrigan and Max Terhune, many other guys were members of this movie gang. In "New Frontier", you may be surprised to see John Wayne in the lead, though he played the leader of this group for eight movies. And, while the bizarre duo of Max Terhune and his dummy (literally a ventriloquist's dummy) are not in this one, the very familiar Raymond Hatton plays the third Mesquiteer. As for the middle guy, Ray Corrigan was on hand for this.Like many of the B-westerns of the day, this one actually is set in the modern day. It's very surreal to see cowboys riding about on horses one minute and the next seeing modern construction machinery! It's one of those weird things you just have to accept in films with Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and the Mesquiteers.One standout thing about this otherwise ordinary film is the presence of Jennifer Jones. Here she plays the usual not too romantic female lead who falls, kind of, the the leader of the Mesquiteers. She's pretty bland here--but this sort of role is almost always bland and forgettable. What's amazing is that Jones did these sort of roles for such a short period and was soon making A-pictures--culminating with her receiving an Oscar for Best Actress for "The Song of Bernadette" only four years later.The plot is very different--which is a plus. However, it's also a reasonably dull plot. A town is condemned by the state. That's because a dam is going to be built to flood the valley. The folks are naturally mad, but they are assured that they will be relocated to much better land--land that is fertile and with plenty of water. However, after using the Mesquiteers to sell the idea to the town, the trio learn that the project is a shame. What are they to do to be niceness and justice to the modern range? Overall, it's exactly what a fan of these films should expect. Quickly made, a relatively bad old print and a threadbare story. It's enjoyable but no better than average--at best.

New Frontier (1939) ** 1/2 (out of 4) The final Three Mesquiteer film for John Wayne has the boys trying to help some settlers who are about to lose their land to some bad men. At the moment I can't recall how many of the Wayne films I've seen from this series but this is just like most of them. The film contains some pretty good action scenes and Wayne is good as usual but the stories aren't really that strong. Jennifer Jones has a small supporting role and does a pretty nice job.As of now the only way to view these films is by AMC, which also includes commercials.

New Hope Valley is celebrating its 50th anniversary, but the celebration is short lived by the arrival of assemblyman Proctor and developer Gilbert, who announce that New Hope Valley is being condemned so that the land can be used for the site of a new dam which will give water to nearby developing communities. This riles the residents who attack the developers while they are on construction. Gilbert, who is stopping at no lengths to see the project completed, is convinced that the residents will listen to Stony, Tucson, and Rusty, so he tells them of their plan of moving to a new piece of land where they will have irrigation and the chance to start anew on their farms. However the Three Mesquiteers learn that this was just a dupe by Gilbert & Proctor since they have no plans to carry water to that new valley, and the three go to confront Gilbert and his men before they flood New Hope Valley. Another well done entry in the 3 Mesquiteers series despite the fact that the villainous element isn't seen until 30 minutes into the picture and there is very little in the ways of action until the very end. Like their next film Wyoming Outlaw, this is another entry in the series dealing with issues of the times primarily the leaving of the town versus the use of progress to help nearby communities. Well done with an excellent finale at the dam. Rating, based on B westerns, 7.

This is a typical short 57 mins. formulaic film from the budget minded Republic Studios, from 1939.It is interesting only because it was the first attempt at film stardom for Phyllis Isley, aged 20 at the time, whose name was changed in 1942 to the better known, Jennifer Jones, at the request of David O. Selznick, her mentor and later husband.She plays Celia Braddock who assists the "Three Mesquiteers" (whose number includes a young John Wayne), to prevent a ruthless claim-jumping construction company from stealing ranchers' properties in "New Hope Valley", in order to build a lucrative dam there.She gets to ride a horse but is given rather a trite script to say.After a second Republic Film that year ("Dick Tracy and the G-Men), Phyllis and her then husband, Robert Walker, decided they were not being regarded seriously enough by Hollywood and returned back to New York to pursue their still unrealised dreams of stage stardom.Due to its short run time, the film on video normally comes with another Republic title, e.g. "Randy Rides Again".The present title is only now interesting to see the embryonic talent of Jennifer Jones in order to compare to her more mature, later work.Otherwise it is mediocre and I rated it at 5/10