Frank Yaconelli Movies

After a couple of false starts, William Colt MacDonald's "Three Mesquiteers" stories were converted into a western film series by Republic Studios. The Mesquiteers, a trio of wandering do-gooders, are muscular Tucson Smith, played by Ray "Crash" Corrigan; hotheaded Stony Brooke, played by Robert Livingston; and comic sidekick Lullaby Joslin, portrayed in this first series entry by Syd Saylor. The three heroes waste no time getting down to business once they're discharged from WWI military service: Tucson and Stony take on a gang of greedy cattlemen, Stony romances homesteader's daughter Marian (Kay Hughes), and Lullaby rounds up stray cattle while astride a motorcycle. J. P. Gowan plays the villain, as he would in several subsequent Mesquiteers entries. Among the film's many assets is the excellent location photography by William Nobles. The Three Mesquiteers proved to be a moneyspinner, encouraging Republic to stay with the series through six years and 51 entries. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The first of thirteen singing-Westerns starring former San Francisco Opera barytone Fred Scott, Romance Rides the Range was thoroughly geared to the handsome singer's forté: light opera. Scott played Barry Glendon, an opera singer who returns to the old homestead after an especially successful season. At the ranch, he encounters neighbors Carol Morland (Marion Shilling) and her brother Jimmy (Buzz Barton, who had been conned into buying a parcel of useless land. In love with Carol, Barry cons the con-men (Robert Kortman and Theodore Lorch) into believing that the Morland property contains a hidden gold mine. Veteran funnyman Cliff Nazzarro (an expert in the art of the "double take") provided comic relief and Scott sang Only You and On the Range, both by Fred Stryker and Johnny Lange. Filmed at Placerito Canyon near Newhall, California, Romance Rides the Range was produced by poverty row company Spectrum ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Although some purists hold out for Duck Soup (1933), many Marx Brothers fans consider A Night at the Opera the team's best film. Immediately after the credits roll, we are introduced to Groucho Marx as penny-ante promoter Otis B. Driftwood. After a sumptuous dinner with a beautiful blonde at a fancy Milan restaurant, Driftwood tries to cadge another free meal from his wealthy patroness, Mrs. Claypool (Margaret Dumont). The dignified dowager complains that Driftwood had promised to get her into high society, but has done nothing so far. Otis B. counters by introducing Mrs. C to pompous opera entrepreneur Gottleib (Sig Rumann); all Mrs. Claypool has to do is invest several hundred thousand dollars in Gottleib's opera company, and her entree into society is in the bag. Contingent upon this plan is Driftwood's signing of Rodolfo Lassparri (Walter Woolf King), a self-important tenor. Backstage at the opera, Driftwood meets Fiorello (Chico Marx), who poses as a manager and offers to sell Driftwood the "world's greatest tenor"-not Lassparri, as Driftwood assumes, but Fiorello's pal Ricardo Baroni (Allan Jones). Instantly the two sharpsters try to draw up a contract ("The party of the first part shall hereafter be known as the party of the first part..."), which they proceed to tear up piece by piece whenever coming across a clause that displeases them (Driftwood: "That's a sanity clause"; Fiorello: "You no foola me. There ain't no Sanity Claus"). Having lost Lassparri to Gottleib, Driftwood sails back to America with Mrs. Claypool and the opera company. Gottleib arranges for Driftwood to get the tiniest, least accessible stateroom on the ship. Unpacking his trunk, Driftwood discovers that he's got to share his postage-stamp quarters with Ricardo Baroni, who has stowed away because he's in love with the opera troupe's leading lady Rosa (Kitty Carlisle). Also hiding out in Driftwood's trunk is Fiorello, who's come along because he's still Ricardo's manager, and the wacky Tomasso (Harpo Marx), Lassparri's former dresser, who has come along for the hell of it. Anxious to arrange a tete-a-tete with Mrs. Claypool in his stateroom, Otis finds out that his unwelcome guests won't leave until they're fed ("Do you have any stewed prunes? Well, give them some black coffee, that'll sober 'em up"). After ordering a huge dinner, Otis and his new friends are crowded even farther by a steady stream of intruders, including an engineer and his assistant, a cleaning lady, a manicurist, a girl looking for her Aunt Minnie, and a dozen waiters. The celebrated "stateroom scene" comes to a rollicking conclusion when Mrs. Claypool has the misfortune of opening the door. On the last night of the voyage, Fiorello, Tomasso and Ricardo sneak out of their stateroom to enjoy an impromptu ethnic festival in steerage. Ricardo sings, Fiorello "shoots the keys" on the piano, and Tomasso plays the film's theme song Alone on the harp. The stowaways are caught and thrown in the brig, but with Driftwood's help they escape. To avoid recapture, the stowaways don heavy beards and pose as three famed Russian aviators. After making a shambles of a public reception, the three reprobates hide out in Driftwood's New York apartment, where everyone conspires to drive an investigating detective (Robert Emmet O'Connor) crazy. Driftwood is fired from the opera company for associating with the stowaways, while Rosa is dismissed for refusing Lassparri's affections. In order to restore Rosa's job and put the deserving Ricardo in Lassparri's place during the opening performance of La Traviata, Driftwood, Fiorello and Tomasso concoct a scheme that will reduce the opera to comic chaos. The actual night at the opera in A Night at the Opera must be seen to be believed, but the spirit of the scene can be summed up by Gottleib's anguished cry "A battleship in Il Trovatore!" Opera was the Marx Brothers' first film for MGM, and they dearly coveted a hit after the disappointing box-office showing of their final Paramount films. With the blessing of MGM production chief Irving Thalberg, the Marxes went on the road with their brilliant writing staff (including George S. Kaufman, Morrie Ryskind and Al Boasberg) to test their comedy material before live audiences. As a result of this careful preplanning, Night at the Opera was a smash-hit gigglefest, grossing over $3 million and putting the Marxes back on top in the hearts and minds of filmgoers everywhere. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this adaptation of Alberto Casella's stage play, Death assumes human form in order to discover why men fear him. Posing as a Prince Sirki (and played by Fredric March), Death appears as a house guest at the villa of an Italian duke. While "Sirki" is present, Death takes his titular holiday, and no one on Earth dies. Grazia (Evelyn Venable) the fiance of the duke's son, becomes attracted by the strangely ethereal Sirki. Against his better judgment, Sirki falls in love, and Death for the first time experiences Humanity. Disturbed by the sensation, he decides to shuffle off his mortal coil, but before leaving he tries to shun Grazia, who insists upon going with him. The duke, who has been in on Sirki's secret all along, begs Death not to take away the girl. To scare her off, Death assumes his actual form, only to discover that this is how Grazia has always seen him. Determining that love is as strong as death, Death allows the willing Grazia to accompany him into the nether world. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Curley Fletcher's famous lament "The Strawberry Roan became Ken Maynard's favorite Western and went a long way to popularize the Singing Cowboy trend. Ranch owner Big Jim Edwards (James Marcus) promises a job to anyone who can round up the Strawberry Roan, a wild stallion that has been rustling his mares. A neighbor, Colonel Brownlee (William Desmond), sweetens the pot by actually promising his cattle ranch to whomever can ride the dangerous animal. Ken Masters (Maynard) takes up both challenges but is defeated every step of the way by nasty foreman Bart Hawkins (Harold Goodwin), who is jealous of the newcomer's rapport with Big Jim's pretty daughter, Alice (Ruth Hall). The rustlings continue and Alice almost perishes in a stampede but Ken ultimately proves that Bart has been forcing the roan into committing the crimes. Filmed at scenic Lone Pine, CA, The Strawberry Roan was renamed Flying Fury in the UK. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Having recently signed with Universal, Western star Ken Maynard became his own producer with this early talkie Western directed by Harry Joe Brown. Maynard plays Bud Rand, who, with his young ward, Billy (Jackie Hanlon), in tow, accepts an offer to ride the notorious "Mankiller" with the Copeland Wild West Show. Nasty Dude (Stanley Blystone), Copeland's right-hand man, soon resents the newcomer's friendship with pretty Mary Owens (Gladys McConnell). There is a fight which Dude loses, and in revenge, the villain makes certain that Bud suffers a devastating fall with "Mankiller." Suddenly regarded as a coward, Bud is forced to stay behind as the show moves on, but when he learns that little Billy has taken ill, he returns to duke it out with the villain and regain Mary's confidence. Maynard hired the Coleman Circus to provide the backdrop for this exciting, quite elaborate Western, which equalled the star's earlier grade-A Westerns for First National in both look and budget. Stock footage of Maynard and young Hanlon reappeared in King of the Arena (1933), a low-budget oater which was also built around the Coleman Circus. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi