The Purple Vigilantes (1938)

You won't be disappointed!

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

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

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

A whole lot of familiar character faces from B westerns get into this 3 Mesquiteers movie about an idea for a vigilante committee that backfires on its originator.One of those familiar faces is Earl Dwire who is tired of a lawless element in town making it not a fit place to raise families in. So he organizes a vigilante committee and runs the saloon element out. But some more unscrupulous folks see real possibilities in these caped crusaders for some real outlaw work. Dwire gets framed for the murder of the sheriff and the Mesquiteers have to clear him.In black and white the title The Purple Vigilantes doesn't really mean a lot. The robes and hoods may be purple for all we know.Robert Livingston as Stoney Brooke is busy romancing Joan Barclay, daughter of Earle Hodgins whom is their chief suspect. In the end his partners Ray Corrigan and Max Terhune put the kibosh on that budding affair.I have to say the villain is a shrewd one and the guys have quite a lot to do to best him. He makes fools of them a couple of times.A good crusade for the 3 Mesquiteers.

Davis Ross creates a group of vigilantes to drive out a casino owner who has a bad influence on the town. When a couple of members of the group realize that they could have the same influence on the innocent members of the town and clean up financially, they create the Purple Vigilantes headed by the mysterious Number One. When these vigilantes murder during their plundering, Ross is accused of being the head of this group while being completely innocent. Stony, Tucson, and Lullaby try to get Ross safely out of town, under the sheriff's watch, see their plan fail when the sheriff is killed and Ross is framed for the murder. The Three Mesquiteers try to find the secret to the Purple Vigilantes and discover it's leader who could be banker McAllister, lawyer Drake, or Jones, a mysterious stranger. Our heroes try many methods before trying to bait a trap with a record of their crimes. The first 40 minutes of the film shape up to be perhaps the best of the entire series with brilliantly filled action sequences, gunfights, and use of the caves as the HQ of the Vigilantes, but the climax of the film is really weak as a setup to the mystery villain's identity revelation as well as the final conflict against the Vigilantes. Fine film to watch, but could have been better. Rating, 6.

The Three Mesquiteers series of B-westerns were a staple of Saturday matinees in the late 30's and 1940s. The stars in this one, Corrigan, Livingston and Terhune were the best of the various incarnations of the trio ( Which once included a young John Wayne !) In this film , a group of greedy masked vigilantes impersonate a more well-intentioned group of masked men, causing the blame instead to fall on them. Seasoned villains George Chesboro and beady-eyed Earl Dwire make sinister appearances here.This outing is fast-paced, well-acted and the stars give it their all. An above average Mesquiters film !