New Frontier [Frontier Horizon] ** (1939, John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, Raymond Hatton, Jennifer Jones) – Classic Movie Review 7163

John Wayne stars as Stoney Brooke in George Sherman’s modest, predictable, but pretty robust 1939 Republic Pictures black and white support Western, in which The Three Mesquiteers help a village settlement against bad guys out to steal their land rights.

It is only a routine B-movie Western, one of so many Wayne made in the Thirties (he made 51), but it is given a lift by the likeable performances of Wayne, Ray Corrigan (Tucson Smith) and Raymond Hatton (Rusty Joslin), as well as by the stalwart, fast moving direction by Sherman. It is notable as the film debut of Jennifer Jones (billed under her real name of Phylis Isley) as Celia Braddock, and also as Wayne’s last film in the Three Mesquiteers series (he made eight) as well as his last B-Western.

It is not to be confused with Wayne’s similarly titled 1935 Western The New Frontier.

New Frontier’s theatrical poster.

Also in the cast are Eddy Waller as Major Steven Braddock, Sammy McKim as Stevie Braddock, LeRoy Mason as M.C. Gilbert, Harrison Greene as William Proctor, Reginald Barlow as Judge Bill Lawson, Burr Caruth as Dr William ‘Doc’ Hall, Dave O’Brien as Jason Braddock, Hal Price  as Sheriff, Jack Ingram  as Henchman Harmon, Bud Osborne as Dickson, Slim Whitaker, Bob Burns, Sam Flint, Cactus Mack, Wilbur Mack, George Montgomery, Charles Murphy, George Plues, Bob Reeves, Bill Wolfe, Herman Hack and Jody Gilbert.

New Frontier [also known as Frontier Horizon, its TV and DVD title] is directed by George Sherman, runs 57 minutes, is made and released by Republic Pictures, is written by Betty Burbridge and Luci Ward, is shot in black and white by Reggie Lanning, is produced by William A Berk and is scored by William Lava.

A restored 35mm print of the film was screened at the New York Cit Museum of Modern Art in a 2007 John Wayne centennial retrospective.

New Frontier [Frontier Horizon] is available for free download at the Internet Archive.

https://archive.org/details/FrontierHorizon

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7163

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com

Ray Corrigan, Jennifer Jones and John Wayne in New Frontier.