 |  | The Three Mesquiteers Republic Pictures 51 Films 1936 - 1943 |
| Variant 8 - seven films | |
| Bob Steele (as Tucson Smith) Tom Tyler (as Stony Brooke) Rufe Davis (as Lullaby Joslin) | OUTLAWS OF CHEROKEE TRAIL (1941) GAUCHOS OF EL DORADO (1941) WEST OF CIMARRON (1941) CODE OF THE OUTLAW (1942) RAIDERS OF THE RANGE (1942) WESTWARD HO (1942) THE PHANTOM PLAINSMEN (1942) |
| Tom Tyler had been out of series westerns since starring in 8 quickies for Sam Katzman's Victory Pictures for the 1936-37 season. Since then, he had done various supporting roles and bit parts in films like GONE WITH THE WIND and John Ford's DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK. He was also wrapped in gauze as Kharis in THE MUMMY'S HAND (Universal, 1940). Probably one of Tyler's most memorable supporting roles is that of Luke Plummer, who falls flat on his face in the saloon after being gunned down by John Wayne in the closing minutes of STAGECOACH. Tyler wound up at Republic as the star of THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL (1941) serial, which many consider to be the finest of the genre. The studio needed a replacement for Livingston. Tyler had done a nice job in MARVEL ... he was still youthful, good looking and an imposing figure ... and he was a known cowboy star. Plus his price was very reasonable as he had received $250.00 per week for four weeks of effort on the cliffhanger. And so, Tyler signed a term player's contract(s) with Republic for the period July 8, 1941 through July 7, 1943. The initial salary was $150.00 per week with a raise to $200.00 weekly in year two. Top billing in this new Mesquiteers grouping went to Bob Steele, with Tyler as the second lead. | |  (From Old Corral image collection) Tom Tyler as Captain Marvel |
Lois Collier is the heroine shown in the lobby card above. She did a fair amount of B films and some TV work, and was the girlfriend to BOSTON BLACKIE in that early 1950s TV series which starred Kent Taylor. Collier did a lot of work at Republic including the female lead in THE FLYING DISC MAN FROM MARS (1950) serial. And she was also the female interest in many of the later 3M features, including: OUTLAWS OF CHEROKEE TRAIL (1941), GAUCHOS OF ELDORADO (1941), WEST OF CIMARRON (1941), RAIDERS OF THE RANGE (1942), WESTWARD HO (1942), THE PHANTOM PLAINSMEN (1942) and SANTA FE SCOUTS (1943).