Rocky Mountain Rangers (1940)

Good concept, poorly executed.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Before we start let me say that this 3 Mesquiteer western goes nowhere near the Rocky Mountains. But a group called The Rocky Mountain Rangers does send a detachment of men to help that other Ranger outfit in Texas deal with the infamous Barton gang. Add to that the 3 Mesquiteers and these outlaws don't have a chance.The Panhandle has become a no man's land that's run by outlaws chief among them the notorious Barton gang. LeRoy Mason perennial B western villain plays the notorious King Barton, as mean an outlaw as we've ever seen on the big screen or small. The Texas Rangers can't go in there officially, but nothing is going to stop the 3 Mesquiteers especially their young friend Sammy McKim is killed.Their ace in the hole is the fact that Robert Livingston looks like another notorious outlaw The Laredo Kid. With Duncan Renaldo and Raymond Hatton as backup, Livingston waits to make his move.This Mesquiteer saga should please fans of all generations.

I liked this one, as it does have lots of great action....and Dennis Moore, who was one of my favorite bad guys.However, the ruse of having Livingston put on a silly makeshift scar to make him appear more like the Laredo Kid is just too much. It doesn't even look real to a ten year old. They could have just had The Laredo Kid wear a mustache and then Stoney don one, too. Oh well.Major spoiler................Just as frustrating is when The Laredo Kid is double-crossed and shot. For some strange reason, everyone accepts the fact that he's died clinging to a saloon bar. Basic science tells us that it's not possible. He would have fallen to the floor, which is exactly what the director should have had him do. He could have finished his business from there. Dead men don't stay on their feet leaning across a bar! So lame! Even so, it's a pretty good movie, overall.

This film got enough "only-in-the-movies" head-shakes from me that it also gets my "below-average" rating. The Three Mesquiteers bring a group of reinforcers to The Texas Rangers, who lack authority to address rampant bullying and lawlessness in a nearby area, which later became the "panhandle" of Oklahoma. The plan is to lure the boss desperado and his gang into Texas, where the good guys can do battle with the villains. Another part of the plan involves one of the Mesquiteers impersonating a look-alike fugitive. But then the REAL wanted man arrives on the scene. ROCKY MOUNTAIN RANGERS might give realists such as me a mild workout.