New Frontier (1939) User Reviews

FIRST MOVIE OF JENNIFER JONES

[m0rphy · 5/10 · 13 March 2003]

This is a typical short 57 mins. formulaic film from the budget minded Republic Studios, from 1939.It is interesting only because it was the first attempt at film stardom for Phyllis Isley, aged 20 at the time, whose name was changed in 1942 to the better known, Jennifer Jones, at the request of David O. Selznick, her mentor and later husband.

She plays Celia Braddock who assists the "Three Mesquiteers" (whose number includes a young John Wayne), to prevent a ruthless claim-jumping construction company from stealing ranchers' properties in "New Hope Valley", in order to build a lucrative dam there.She gets to ride a horse but is given rather a trite script to say.After a second Republic Film that year ("Dick Tracy and the G-Men), Phyllis and her then husband, Robert Walker, decided they were not being regarded seriously enough by Hollywood and returned back to New York to pursue their still unrealised dreams of stage stardom.

Due to its short run time, the film on video normally comes with another Republic title, e.g. "Randy Rides Again".The present title is only now interesting to see the embryonic talent of Jennifer Jones in order to compare to her more mature, later work.Otherwise it is mediocre and I rated it at 5/10

Very disappointing!

[JohnHowardReid · 4/10 · 13 April 2018]

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.

Dam builders are villains to the disposessed

[weezeralfalfa · 5/10 · 12 July 2018]

One of 51 Republic B westerns in the late '30s and early '40s under the banner of The Three Mesquiteers: a combination of mesquite and musketeer. The identity of the actors varied. John Wayne was in only 8 of them, this being the last one before he graduated to A pictures. It's an early example of the directing of B westerns by George Sherman, who would eventually move to Columbia, then to Universal, always directing almost exclusively B westerns. Here, Wayne is Stony, Ray Corrigan is Tucson, and Ray Hutton is Rusty......Just after the Civil War, Major Braddock decided to move from the decimated South to the Wild West. He landed in The New Hope Valley, as he called it, and started a community. Now, they are celebrating their 50th anniversary, which would make it about 1915. But, aside from one bulldozer, it seems it should be more like their 25th anniversary, as there is no other hint of motor vehicles nor electricity use.......As part of their celebration, they have a curious reenactment of the Pony Express riders, featuring the 3Ms as the riders(who were way overweight compared to the real scrawny riders!) The 3Ms hand the mail pouch off to each other out in the boonies, where no one could see them, then are chased into town by a trio of 'Indians'. Of course, the real riders went extinct 55 years before, after their 18 month existence.......The screen play, at least, is a bit different from that of the usual B western of this era. The central problem is that the government wants to build a dam to provide more water and electricity for the neighboring growing city of Metropole, and the dam will flood the area of New Hope Valley, meaning that everyone will be dispossessed, with no evident suitable nearby area to resettle. Naturally, the residents are hopping mad that the government could do this to them. They try, to no avail, to get the court to declare the project too costly in disrupted lives. Therefore, some harass the surveyors and other workmen. At one point, there's a serious confrontation, when the supply wagons try to roll in. The workmen roll a flaming oil tanker wagon down to crash into the barricade erected by the settlers. Later, when the dam floodgates are being opened to flood the valley, the settlers again attack the dam crew, and close the floodgates, after learning that their promised new homes are still located in a waterless rocky desert, with the promised water pipe not even started. Then, the film comes to an abrupt ending, Supposedly, a tunnel has been dug, in record time, through the intervening mountain, to allow the pipeline to reach the New New Hope Valley....... Not too bad of a story. See it at YouTube......Forgot to mention that this was the first film role of Jennifer Jones. She played Celia: daughter of Major Braddock, who founded the New Hope settlement. Not much of a role compared to her next film.

Farewell to The Mesquiteers

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 30 October 2006]

John Wayne said farewell to the Three Mesquiteers film series and to the character of Stoney Burke he had played in them. The Mesquiteers would continue on without the Duke as they had before him. Herbert J. Yates and Republic finally decided that Wayne had become too big a star to continue him in B westerns. His next film after this was a loan out to RKO, Allegheny Uprising.

In fact there was another change in the cast, Max Terhune left the series even before this and was replaced by Raymond Hatton.

New Frontier, not to be confused with the Kennedy administration, also has Phyllis Isley as the leading lady. Her next film would win her an Academy Award and a name change to Jennifer Jones. Of course that is the Song of Bernadette. She never did do a film with Wayne after this, but I'm guessing it was because the Duke didn't want to work for David O. Selznick.

This entry in the Mesquiteers films deals with the right of eminent domain. The Mesquiteers ranch and the property of all the others in New Hope Valley has been condemned because the state wants to build a dam for a large city and create a reservoir where their property is. This subject was dealt with in a quite serious way in Elia Kazan's film Wild River about the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Of course here it's all part of land swindle, but Stoney, Tucson, and Rusty put things to right in the end and do it with the same pioneer spirit their ancestors showed.

You would expect anything else from a John Wayne film?

Social Awareness, B western style.

[Mike-764 · 7/10 · 16 July 2007]

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.

Fun

[Michael_Elliott · 27 February 2008]

New Frontier (1939)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

The final Three Mesquiteer film for John Wayne has the boys trying to help some settlers who are about to lose their land to some bad men. At the moment I can't recall how many of the Wayne films I've seen from this series but this is just like most of them. The film contains some pretty good action scenes and Wayne is good as usual but the stories aren't really that strong. Jennifer Jones has a small supporting role and does a pretty nice job.

As of now the only way to view these films is by AMC, which also includes commercials.

"You don't know what kind of people you're dealing with, Mister!"

[classicsoncall · 5/10 · 23 August 2019]

John Wayne appeared in eight films featuring the Three Mesquiteers, all with Ray Corrigan as Tucson Smith, and two with Ray Hatton as Rusty Joslin; this was one of them. I saw the picture under the alternate title "Frontier Horizon". Wayne's character is Stoney Brooke, leader of the good guy bunch, but the trio gets sidetracked in the early going when they support some land developers to convince fellow citizens it would be a good idea to take up an offer to relocate their homes, as their New Hope Valley has been targeted for flooding by the city government of Metropole. I'd be a little bit wary if the name of the new development I was expected to move into were named Devil's Acres, but that's what the screenwriters came up with here. The whole idea of building a huge dam only to use it later on in the story to flood New Hope didn't make a lot of sense to me, other than as a ruse to get the land by hook or crook, which of course is what the Abbott Construction Company did with shady M.C. Gilbert in charge. Perennial baddie LeRoy Mason had the role of Gilbert, smarmy as ever and about to get his comeuppance by the Mesquiteers.

Of note for movie fans, this flick had the first appearance of young actress Jennifer Jones, appearing under her real name, Phyllis Isley. She really doesn't have a whole lot to do in the story as the daughter of Major Steve Braddock (Eddy Waller), New Hope Valley's oldest citizen and a respected patriarch of the town. With the Mesquiteers quickly reversing course to lead the New Hopers to victory against the land swindlers, the picture ends on a positive note, but as I watched that final pivotal scene I had to wonder to myself. How in the heck could Stoney Brooke turn off the floodgates of that monstrous dam simply by turning a single valve?

A Town Time Forgot on the New Frontier

[glennstenb · 7/10 · 27 December 2019]

"New Frontier" as it is titled here is a nice enough Mesquiteers effort, but the difficulty it seems to have with time sequencing and time setting makes it tough for anyone who cares about history or logic to watch it all the way through without scratching one's head. One never really knows whether the picture is set in 1915 (50 years after the late 1860s) or in contemporary 1939. And by the way, I think I figured it out... why Stony and Tucson were riding with the Pony Express in "1861" (before the Civil War)...it took me a while! Nonetheless, the producers must have gotten a good horse laugh with this one knowing how confusing it all could be. The picture might have been more aptly titled "The Town that Time Forgot," since the valley of New Hope seems to never have seen nor heard of automobiles, paved roads, or restrictions on open gun play. But when it comes time to build the dam the latest in 1939 trucks and other heavy motorized equipment grind away at the construction scene. Oh well, at least we have the Mesquiteers doing their best to save their friends' and their own homes from the dastardly State and some in-cahoots swindling developers. Ray Corrigan and John Wayne do their work but kind of get lost in all the action. And even though there are some curious moments in the film (like when Wayne nonchalantly knocks a supporting henchman just doing his work into the roaring rapids below) one can rightly get caught up in rooting for the residents in the valley facing eviction from their homes. This movie has an average amount of action (some good horse-mounted riding, for example) and a good cast, including some nice moments with Eddy Waller, who in a decade or so later would find lots of work sidekicking with Rocky Lane as Nugget. Expert cutting and B&W cinematography garner some points, too, so check you logic at the foyer, find your favorite theater seat, and enjoy John Wayne's final Mesqiiteers appearance in a fairly good show.

Aside from being Jennifer Jones' debut, there isn't a lot to distinguish this film.

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 17 December 2011]

This is a Three Mesquiteer movie from Republic Pictures. This was a very popular series from the 1930s and 40s and while they were generally pretty well made and enjoyable, the composition of the cast changed frequently. While the most popular trio probably was the one that consisted of Robert Livingston, Ray Corrigan and Max Terhune, many other guys were members of this movie gang. In "New Frontier", you may be surprised to see John Wayne in the lead, though he played the leader of this group for eight movies. And, while the bizarre duo of Max Terhune and his dummy (literally a ventriloquist's dummy) are not in this one, the very familiar Raymond Hatton plays the third Mesquiteer. As for the middle guy, Ray Corrigan was on hand for this.

Like many of the B-westerns of the day, this one actually is set in the modern day. It's very surreal to see cowboys riding about on horses one minute and the next seeing modern construction machinery! It's one of those weird things you just have to accept in films with Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and the Mesquiteers.

One standout thing about this otherwise ordinary film is the presence of Jennifer Jones. Here she plays the usual not too romantic female lead who falls, kind of, the the leader of the Mesquiteers. She's pretty bland here--but this sort of role is almost always bland and forgettable. What's amazing is that Jones did these sort of roles for such a short period and was soon making A-pictures--culminating with her receiving an Oscar for Best Actress for "The Song of Bernadette" only four years later.

The plot is very different--which is a plus. However, it's also a reasonably dull plot. A town is condemned by the state. That's because a dam is going to be built to flood the valley. The folks are naturally mad, but they are assured that they will be relocated to much better land--land that is fertile and with plenty of water. However, after using the Mesquiteers to sell the idea to the town, the trio learn that the project is a shame. What are they to do to be niceness and justice to the modern range? Overall, it's exactly what a fan of these films should expect. Quickly made, a relatively bad old print and a threadbare story. It's enjoyable but no better than average--at best.

Although this is a low budget quickie I've seen worse

[jordondave-28085 · 6/10 · 19 April 2023]

(1939) Frontier Horizon / New Frontier WESTERN

Starring John Wayne, Ray "Crash" Corrigan, and Raymond Hatton as "The Three Mesquiteers"- the low budget Western equivalent of "The Three Musketeers". And while I was watching this film, I couldn't believe how original and entertaining this film was in comparison to 2007 "3:10 To Yuma" and Coen's version of "True Grit". It takes place right after the Civil War focusing on a small town called "New Hope" which the residents have so much pride on had just learned that a water damn is needed to go through so that bigger towns or cities can have water, and that a cash settlement is going to be offered to them if they move away from their properties. Of course, the residents refuse to leave and are willing to fight for it, until a better proposal, has been offered on the table. Viewers are not clear who are the bad guys are until shady deals are proposed. Had the budget been higher, my rating would have been higher as well.

A weaker Mesquiteers entry

[coltras35 · 4/10 · 13 February 2022]

The Three Mesquiteers convince a group of settlers to exchange their present property for some which, unbeknownst to our good guys, is going to be worthless. They are captured before they can warn the ranchers.

John Wayne's last turn as Stony Burke - he of the Mesquiteers- comes to an end in a rather weak entry, which seems to be going through the motions, doesn't have much excitement and is drawn out. It's still watchable at least for the principal players, but overall not a strong entry.

In some ways, a precursor to "Little Pink House"

[morrisonhimself · 10/10 · 26 October 2018]

Yes, the U.S. Constitution allows such an evil as eminent domain. And, yes, it is probably more often abused than used as intended.

"New Frontier" tries to maintain a neutral attitude toward the basic concept of legalized property theft, but eminent domain is definitely property theft.

Oh, sure, it's always claimed to be "the greatest good for the greatest number," as a judge says in the movie. But what it means, always, is the ones with the political pull get to force the others to get out of the way.

Think about the 1950s "Urban Renewal," which meant mostly removing inner-city black people, and from private homes into tenements, which so sadly often became slums.

And think about Kelo, surely the second-worst decision ever by the U.S. Supreme Court, and which is the subject of the 2017 movie, "Little Pink House."

That decision said phooey on human rights. Mere individuals had to move out so a large and politically connected development corporation could steal their property, their homes, in order to build for rich people -- so the city could get more property tax. (Nothing ever happened, as far as building. But the victims did get forced out and lost their homes. The land is, as of this writing, just rubble-strewn vacant lots.)

Never mind human rights. Never mind justice.

What counts is corporate interests. And more tax revenue.

Dealing with eminent domain, and providing lots of action, "New Frontier" is one more entry in the very uneven Three Mequiteers series, but with more story than usual, and some really excellent acting, as well as excellent directing by George Sherman, and excellent music by William Lava.

(Some of the IMDb commentary was written by people who obviously were not paying attention to the movie. No, the Three Mesquiteers were NOT Pony Express riders. They were re-enacting Pony Express riding as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the founding of New Hope Valley. Some people just lust to find errors when they should have been watching the movie.)

"New Frontier" has a good script, giving each of the Mesquiteers opportunity to shine before the camera, as well as many others of the cast, including the villain played by Leroy Mason.

One of my favorites, Dave "Tex" O'Brien, has a good part as well as performing stunts, with the stunt crew led by the extraordinary Yakima Canutt.

And be on the lookout for a relative newcomer, a young woman named Phyllis Isley. Not long after, she became Jennifer Jones.

I highly recommend "New Frontier" and you can find a copy at YouTube.

Phylis Isely at 20 years old!

[HotToastyRag · 2/10 · 23 June 2023]

This hour-long mini-western is forgettable, silly, and downright lousy. It stars "the three Mesquiteers" (John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, and Raymond Hatton) in another short western where they help out folks in a small town and then ride off in the sunset. It's low-budget, forgettable, and simple. It was the last Mesquiteers movie Duke made, because Stagecoach was released and elevated him to bigger and better films, but the series did continue without him.

There is one reason to rent New Frontier: Phylis Isely. If you don't know that name, look for the beautiful face. There's one beautiful girl in town with dark hair, and expressive mouth, and a distinctive way of talking that blends innocence with maturity. She's the girl in gingham that John Wayne bumps into and spills all the napkins. Recognize her now? It's Jennifer Jones in her film debut using her birth name before David O. Selznick got ahold of her.

Again, you don't have to watch this movie. If you're a John Wayne fan, there are so many other movies to see. I'm Jonesy's biggest fan, so naturally I had to see it. She looked extremely young (as she should at twenty years old!) and her acting was pretty green, but it was worth watching her first attempt. What a doll.

A GREAT Jammed-Packed Action Movie!

[[e-mail] · 13 January 2003]

Starring: John Wayne, Ray Corrigan and Raymond Hatton.

A great western style movie full of action. This story is about Three Mesquiteers who trade their property to these guys who capture them and they don't have time to warn their friends, The Ranchers. A fantastic movie that the whole family will enjoy!

Modest, overpadded land rights oater

[shakercoola · 4/10 · 2 January 2021]

An American Western; A story about three cowboys, The Three Mesquiteers, who convince a group of settlers to exchange their present properties for some which, unbeknownst to them, are going to be worthless. They are captured before they can warn the ranchers. The storyline is robust enough to be watchable. Jennifer Jones as the stereotypical prairie flower is a good distraction from the predictable plot. There are inconsistencies, such as in the timeline, and anachronisms such as period costumes, hairstyles and makeup, and with props and land structures. The set piece finale is short, unremarkable, and rushed.

You can see why Wayne left

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 18 November 2017]

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.

Greener Pastures

[wes-connors · 3/10 · 24 April 2014]

"Impoverished by civil war, and faced with the painful labor of reconstruction, thousands of Americans cut the old tries and took the immigrant trail to the free lands of the far west – and a new beginning," according to the opening...

A pioneering family led by soldier Eddy Waller (as Steven Braddock) finds a beautiful area to settle and they name the place "New Hope Valley" because if symbolizes new hope. Fifty years later, the family and other residents celebrate the town's golden anniversary. On hand are Republic Pictures' "The Three Mesquiteers" – leader John Wayne (as Stony Brooke), partner Ray Corrigan (as Tucson Smith) and comic sidekick Raymond Hatton (as Rusty Joslin). They seem to be, herein, based in "New Hope" and riding the (?) Pony Express. Trouble arrives when nasty government men and land contractors declare "New Hope Valley" is condemned, so they can level the town and build a damn. Outraged citizens convince Mr. Wayne to lead the opposition...

This routine round-up was the last series appearance for two of the Mesquiteers. Wayne was obviously off to greener pastures due to his choice role in director John Ford's "Stagecoach" (1939). He would be replaced by returning "Stony" Robert Livingston. Also calling it quits, Mr. Corrigan went on to star in his own series, with Bob Steele taking over the "Tucson" role. Republic remembered they already had a "New Frontier" (1935) starring John Wayne, so they re-titled this "Frontier Horizon". Making her film debut herein is pretty young Phylis Isley, who became very popular after changing her name to "Jennifer Jones" and hooking up with producer David O. Selznick. In Hollywood, being noticed by John Ford or David Selznick certainly helped.

*** New Frontier Horizon (8/10/39) George Sherman ~ John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, Raymond Hatton, Jennifer Jones

"Better keep your eyes peeled for Injuns!"

[utgard14 · 5/10 · 26 August 2017]

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.

Any Hope For New Hope?

[frank4122 · 10/10 · 18 April 2019]

Great acting, great directing by George Sherman, and a great story line dealing with eminent domain make New Frontier a great western classic. John Duke Wayne rides like the wind in this Three Mesquiteers series. The sound track by by William Lava was exceptional for the time. The action commences when the New Hope Valley ranchers learn their land has been condemned. From there, Eddy Waller leads the town folk in defending their land. This was the perfect vehicle for Jennifer Jones to start her long career. New Frontier is a wonderful movie the whole family will enjoy.