The Three Mesquiteers Trio Westerns of Republic Pictures

Variant 7 - seven films
Robert Livingston (as Stony Brooke) Bob Steele (as Tucson Smith) Rufe Davis (as Lullaby Joslin)	UNDER TEXAS SKIES (1940) THE TRAIL BLAZERS (1940) LONE STAR RAIDERS (1940) PRAIRIE PIONEERS (1941) PALS OF THE PECOS (1941) SADDLEMATES (1941) GANGS OF SONORA (1941)

In the next Mesquiteers grouping, Livingston continued as Stony Brooke, but found himself with two new range partners. With this team, the Mesquiteers reverted back to the traditional characterizations of Stony, Tucson and Lullaby.

Bob Steele seemed to be always busy and was the lead in a series of cheap 'Billy the Kid' oaters at Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC). When Republic called, Steele quickly joined their payroll (leaving Buster Crabbe to replace him in those PRC Billy the Kid/Billy Carson adventures).

The new Lullaby Joslin was Rufe Davis. Some of you may remember Davis, along with Autry sidekick Smiley Burnette, as the two railroaders on TV's PETTICOAT JUNCTION comedy.

(From Old Corral collection)

In the above lobby card from PALS OF THE PECOS (Republic, 1941), Bob Livingston is in the blue shirt, Bob Steele has the reddish shirt and tan trousers, and Rufe Davis is wearing a vest and light colored shirt. Wearin' the rope is Robert Frazer. On the left is heroine June Johnson, daughter of Chic Johnson of the Olsen and Johnson comedy team.

(From Old Corral collection)

Above - the heroine and heroes in a crop from a SADDLEMATES (Republic, 1941) lobby card - from L-to-R are Livingston, Davis (standing), Steele, and in the center is pretty Gale Storm (who is best remembered from 1950s TV as MY LITTLE MARGIE).

(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Above from left to right in this lobby card from SADDLEMATES (Republic, 1941) are Gale Storm, George Lynn (suit), Cornelius Keefe (cavalry uniform). At the desk is Forbes Murray and then Bob Livingston, Bob Steele and Rufe Davis.

(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Above - a crop from publicity material for SADDLEMATES (Republic, 1941). From left to right are Rufe Davis, Bob Livingston, and Bob Steele.

At the expiration of his first series of Republic contracts, Bob Livingston wound up at Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) as the replacement for George Houston in the Lone Rider films (Houston quit the business, left Hollywood, and died a couple years later of a heart ailment).

But Livingston would return to Republic to replace Eddie Dew in the remainder of the short-lived 'John Paul Revere' cowboy series with Smiley Burnette. Livingston had once been a 'shining star' at Republic, but times had changed. Circa 1944 - 1945, Smiley Burnette became the sidekick for a new Republic cowpoke named Sunset Carson, and with Rogers, Allan Lane and Wild Bill Elliott also doing series westerns, the former Mesquiteer and Lone Ranger was no longer a priority.

After some non-western films, his starring career faded and he wound up playing supporting roles, often as the bad guy, in Tim Holt RKO westerns and Gene Autry's series at Columbia.

(From Old Corral collection)

From L-to-R are Smiley Burnette, Bud Geary, Bob Livingston, George J. Lewis and Leander de Cordova in a lobby card from the last film of the short-lived John Paul Revere series, THE LARAMIE TRAIL (Republic, 1944).