West of Cimarron

Having survived the horrific carnage of the American Civil War, the Three Mesquiteers arrive in Texas hoping for a fresh start. Instead of peace and quiet, Tucson, Stony and Lullabye find themselves caught up in a deadly conflict between a band of rebel guerillas and the Union Army. Convinced that Ken Morgan and his bushwackers are undermining reconstruction efforts, Colonel Conway wants to take them down and restore peace to the territory. Morgan believes that Conway's men are carpetbaggers bleeding the local citizenry dry with unfair taxes. The real culprits are a group of rogue soldiers led by Captain Hawks, who have been robbing the locals blind right under Conway's nose. As tensions rise between the heavily armed rivals, the Mesquiteers must step in to diffuse the powderkeg which is set to explode.

Following Robert Livingston's second departure from the Mesquiteers franchise, Tom Tyler was tapped to replace him. Tyler thus began a long successful career in westerns, with notable exceptions being his portrayal of the title role in 1941's Adventures of Captain Marvel serial and as Kharis, the mummy, in Universal's The Mummy's Hand (1940). This entry in the Mesquiteers series created controversy when it was rejected by the Production Code Authority for "an excessive number of killings." Republic Pictures studio heads complained to The New York Times that Frank Capra was making the murder-filled Arsenic and Old Lace for Warner Brothers at the same time "without interference" and accused the PCA of being bought off by Warners. Even more controversial today is Rufe Davis's widely broad and inappropriate performance of "Any Watermelons Today?" while wearing blackface. This improved Alpha Video edition of West of Cimarron has been remastered from newly discovered film elements.