Overland Stage Raiders **½ (1938, John Wayne, Louise Brooks, Ray Corrigan, Max Terhune) – Classic Movie Review 4672

The legendary silent film icon Louise Brooks plays Beth Hoyt in her last film that teams her with the young John Wayne, as his familiar nice-guy cowboy character Stony Brooke, in director George Sherman’s routine, quickly made (in just two weeks) but lively 1930 Republic Studios Western. It is the second of Wayne’s eight appearances as Stony Brooke in the 51-film Three Mesquiteers series, starting with Pals of the Saddle, then this one.

Luci Ward’s screenplay about villains attempting to rob the good guys of their hard-earned gold ore is based on William Colt MacDonald’s characters and a story by Bernard McConville and Edmond Kelso. The three Mesquiteers buy a plane to fly the gold out after shipments from a mining town have been hijacked, but then the stage line owner brings Eastern gangsters in.

Also in the cast are Ray Corrigan as Tucson Smith, Max Terhune as Lullaby Joslin, Frank La Rue [LaRue], Anthony Marsh, Ralph Bowman [John Archer], Gordon Hart, Roy James, Olin Francis, Fern Emmett, Henry Otho, George Sherwood, Arch Hall Sr [Archie Hall] and Yakima Canutt, who plays the bus driver and also did the stunts.

Running 58 minutes, it is shot in black and white by William Nobles and produced by William Berke, using stock music.

Brooks (November 14, 1906 – August 8, 1985), whose salary was only $300, later called Wayne ‘A purely beautiful human being. This is no actor but the hero of all mythology brought to life.’ Later, Brooks found work as a salesgirl at Saks Fifth Avenue at $40 a week.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 4672

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