New Frontier (1939)

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Blistering performances.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

SYNOPSIS: Just as the good citizens are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of New Hope (which occurred shortly after the end of the Civil War), word is brought that a neighboring city intends to flood the valley to ensure its water supply.NOTES: Number 25 of the 52-picture Three Mesquiteers series, and Wayne's last "B" western. The print under review is from the Republic Collection. Although the cassette blurb claims the print was "mastered from original film negatives", this is demonstrably untrue. It was in fact obviously duped from a 16mm television print, and not from the original 35mm negative, let alone the 36mm theatrical print. The grading is terrible, the lack of contrast so bad that many shots look almost completely washed out.COMMENT: A John Wayne-Jennifer Jones picture? Yes indeed. Actually it was her first film and she appeared under her real name, Phylis Isley. She is billed after Wayne, Corrigan and Hatton and her role is fairly large, though she has but a few lines and only one close-up, and I think only three brief scenes with Wayne. The producers seem unsure what to do with her. In her introductory and longest scene, she has her hair long and dark. In her next scene and throughout the rest of the film she wears it short and light. We wonder if it's the same girl. She often stands in a shot while Eddie Waller does all or most of the talking. His is really the main role after Wayne's. Both Corrigan and Hatton have so little to do, it's hardly fair to call this a Three Mesquiteers movie. Even Sammy McKim has a bigger part than Corrigan.As with Miss Jones, the script bears every evidence of being changed or made up on the run. A couple of good guys unexpectedly change into villains and the plot leads into a series of climaxes, all of which unexpectedly fizzle out or come to nothing. Oddly, for a western, although plenty of confrontations occur, there is no bloodshed at all. Not a drop. The villains are routed with no more than a dozen or so fists raised in anger, and the climax, instead of an expected Poverty Row duplication of The Rains of Ranchipur, comes to nothing. All the lead-up with the dam waters being released raises expectations. We assume the farmsteads have been swept away before Wayne turns the water off. But, would you believe, the flood waters are neither shown wreaking havoc (no Lydecker special effects or miniatures in this movie) or even mentioned.Aside from its cleverly contrived introduction when the audience is fooled into thinking a recreation of the Pony Express run is the actual McGuffin, the plot manages to whip up surprisingly little interest. Lackluster direction, dull locations and the paucity of action doesn't help. It's fortunate Miss Jones was cast in the film because the novelty of her presence is just about the only reason anyone would want to watch it from start to end. Even Wayne himself is less forceful than usual. Of course, fans of garrulously verbose Eddy Waller will be cheering themselves hoarse, but if Eddy's total fan following overflows a phone booth, I'd be very surprised.Note the prominence given Wayne's name in the poster. Also that Phylis Isley is pictured pointing a rifle when in fact, true to her Jennifer Jones screen image, she does no such thing.

FRONTIER HORIZON is the last in a series of B-movie westerns teaming John Wayne with stuntman Ray Corrigan and Raymond Hatton as a trio of crime-fighters in the Old West. This time around, they're called in to help prevent land owners being harassed by a crooked real estate boss and his men, but the whole thing feels entirely cheap and unfocused. Long segments of the running time stretch out without much going on and the heroes have little to do except occasionally jump into action. Watch out for Hollywood starlet Jennifer Jones in her screen debut.

Three Mesquiteers film starring John Wayne, Ray 'Crash' Corrigan, and Raymond Hatton. This time around the trio are helping ranchers fight crooked land grabbers. This was Wayne's final entry in this series of B westerns before moving on to bigger and better things. It's also the film debut of Jennifer Jones, billed under her pre-Selznick name of Phylis Isley. She does a fine job. Corrigan and Hatton are fun. Nice support from Eddy Waller. LeRoy Mason plays the heavy for the second consecutive Mesquiteers film. This is a pretty standard B western with a wonky timeline (supposed to be the 1910s but it's more like the 1870s). There's little to recommend about it outside of its appeal to Wayne (and maybe Jennifer Jones) completists.

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.