After gold shipments from a mining town have been hijacked, the three Mesquiteers buy a plane to fly the gold out. The owner of the shipping line brings in Eastern gangsters to thwart them.After gold shipments from a mining town have been hijacked, the three Mesquiteers buy a plane to fly the gold out. The owner of the shipping line brings in Eastern gangsters to thwart them.After gold shipments from a mining town have been hijacked, the three Mesquiteers buy a plane to fly the gold out. The owner of the shipping line brings in Eastern gangsters to thwart them.
John Archer
- Bob Whitney
- (as Ralph Bowman)
Arch Hall Sr.
- Joe Waddell
- (as Archie Hall)
Frank LaRue
- Hank Milton
- (as Frank La Rue)
Chuck Baldra
- Henchman
- (uncredited)
John Beach
- Henchman
- (uncredited)
Charles Brinley
- Rancher
- (uncredited)
Fred Burns
- Rancher
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFinal film of Louise Brooks.
- GoofsWhen Stony and his men capture the men holding Ned and the airplane hostage, Ned is seen sitting in the pilot's seat right next to the open door. There is no other door visible on the left side, and Ned does not have any visible restraints except that his hands are behind his back. All of a sudden, Lullaby walks up to Ned from behind to untie Ned, who now has a rope wrapped twice around his body and is sitting in one of the large reclining seats in the passenger cabin.
- Quotes
Stony Brooke: Hey Lullaby, wake up. It's time to go to sleep.
- ConnectionsEdited into Six Gun Theater: Overland Stage Raiders (2021)
Featured review
Not very much to get excited about
Maybe it comes down to semantics, but I feel like there's a distinct difference between Westerns, neo-Westerns - and movies that "kind of sort of" mix elements of both. Reading a little bit about other titles in the loose "Three Mesquiteers" series of films, I gather that 'Overland stage raiders' isn't the only one to stir "traditional" cowboy outfits, horseback riding, and wrangling livestock with, say, automobiles, and airplanes. It's an odd amalgamation that somehow maintains the spirit of the Western, (and arguably predating modern conceptions of the neo-Western), but without truly selling it. In a more general sense, so it is as well for the air of entertainment here: I wouldn't say this is outright bad, but it just rather fails to inspire in any meaningful sense.
The plot is fine, with marginal cleverness sprinkled at a few points. George Sherman's direction seems capable and practiced in lively moments of action - though feels rather lackadaisical when that vigor cools off. Scene writing, and the execution thereof, feels notably contrived in the same pattern, and moments of levity range from very (barely) mildly amusing, to awkwardly ham-handed. Character writing and dialogue - well, mostly they just serve their purpose, with only a couple figures herein possibly fitting a category more sophisticated than "hero," "villain," or "civilian."
If I seem blasé toward 'Overland stage raiders' in these matters, my feelings about the acting is much more one-sided. To say that the performances are weak, halfhearted, and unconvincing is maybe a bit generous. There are a few sparing instances scattered throughout that get my attention - primarily the smarmy demeanor of radio operator Waddell, ably realized with Arch Hall Sr.'s portrayal. For the most part though, the assembled cast just doesn't seem to be particularly invested in their own feature. Although - between Sherman's dubious direction and the movie's meek material, it's not necessarily their fault.
And that brings me to my two chief interests in watching this. Whatever else is true of 'Overland stage raiders,' it's one of movie icon John Wayne's many appearances on screen. Even without going out of my way to either watch or avoid his pictures, I readily admit I don't have a high opinion of Wayne himself, his acting, or the overblown, fallacious archetype he represents in culture. Meanwhile, this feature is very noteworthy as the last appearance on screen of silent film legend Louise Brooks. In sharp contrast to Wayne, I readily admit I hold Brooks in only the highest regard - a woman ahead of her time professionally and (I'd argue) personally, with the acting skills to match. What an odd juxtaposition, yes, to have these two players share scenes.
I've seen Wayne's visage described as "chiseled." I suppose that's one word for it; "stone-faced" and "unmoving" are two others. Even reduced to a mostly unimportant supporting part, and bereft of her trademark bob haircut, in my opinion Brooks runs circles around Wayne with her acting. Given the constraints of the flimsy writing and direction, her contribution overall comes across as little more than average - but it's a strong average, and significantly better than what the top-billed stars offer. I suppose, in fairness, that I'd have to watch more of Wayne's movies to get a true sense of his abilities - yet, having watched this, I don't know why I'd want to do that to myself.
(And - I suppose, in fairness, that Mr. Wayne was ahead of his time, too. He would fit right in with a movie from The Asylum!)
I entered with set expectations, make no mistake: an average movie, a mediocre star, a brilliant co-star reduced to little impression at all. Those expectations were squarely met. I do think the action scenes are done very well - pretty exciting at large, and easily the best part of the feature. However, all else here is quite middling, and with that balance in effect 'Overland stage raiders' couldn't be described as anything greater than "so-so" or "middle of the road." It's far from the worst picture you might ever watch, but its most appealing aspects alone are not enough to make this especially worthwhile - and those same qualities can be found in greater abundance elsewhere. This is a softly suggested view for anyone with special interest in some facet of the production - for anyone else, though, your time is probably best spent otherwise.
The plot is fine, with marginal cleverness sprinkled at a few points. George Sherman's direction seems capable and practiced in lively moments of action - though feels rather lackadaisical when that vigor cools off. Scene writing, and the execution thereof, feels notably contrived in the same pattern, and moments of levity range from very (barely) mildly amusing, to awkwardly ham-handed. Character writing and dialogue - well, mostly they just serve their purpose, with only a couple figures herein possibly fitting a category more sophisticated than "hero," "villain," or "civilian."
If I seem blasé toward 'Overland stage raiders' in these matters, my feelings about the acting is much more one-sided. To say that the performances are weak, halfhearted, and unconvincing is maybe a bit generous. There are a few sparing instances scattered throughout that get my attention - primarily the smarmy demeanor of radio operator Waddell, ably realized with Arch Hall Sr.'s portrayal. For the most part though, the assembled cast just doesn't seem to be particularly invested in their own feature. Although - between Sherman's dubious direction and the movie's meek material, it's not necessarily their fault.
And that brings me to my two chief interests in watching this. Whatever else is true of 'Overland stage raiders,' it's one of movie icon John Wayne's many appearances on screen. Even without going out of my way to either watch or avoid his pictures, I readily admit I don't have a high opinion of Wayne himself, his acting, or the overblown, fallacious archetype he represents in culture. Meanwhile, this feature is very noteworthy as the last appearance on screen of silent film legend Louise Brooks. In sharp contrast to Wayne, I readily admit I hold Brooks in only the highest regard - a woman ahead of her time professionally and (I'd argue) personally, with the acting skills to match. What an odd juxtaposition, yes, to have these two players share scenes.
I've seen Wayne's visage described as "chiseled." I suppose that's one word for it; "stone-faced" and "unmoving" are two others. Even reduced to a mostly unimportant supporting part, and bereft of her trademark bob haircut, in my opinion Brooks runs circles around Wayne with her acting. Given the constraints of the flimsy writing and direction, her contribution overall comes across as little more than average - but it's a strong average, and significantly better than what the top-billed stars offer. I suppose, in fairness, that I'd have to watch more of Wayne's movies to get a true sense of his abilities - yet, having watched this, I don't know why I'd want to do that to myself.
(And - I suppose, in fairness, that Mr. Wayne was ahead of his time, too. He would fit right in with a movie from The Asylum!)
I entered with set expectations, make no mistake: an average movie, a mediocre star, a brilliant co-star reduced to little impression at all. Those expectations were squarely met. I do think the action scenes are done very well - pretty exciting at large, and easily the best part of the feature. However, all else here is quite middling, and with that balance in effect 'Overland stage raiders' couldn't be described as anything greater than "so-so" or "middle of the road." It's far from the worst picture you might ever watch, but its most appealing aspects alone are not enough to make this especially worthwhile - and those same qualities can be found in greater abundance elsewhere. This is a softly suggested view for anyone with special interest in some facet of the production - for anyone else, though, your time is probably best spent otherwise.
- I_Ailurophile
- Mar 16, 2022
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Western von gestern: Gold in den Wolken
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime55 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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By what name was Overland Stage Raiders (1938) officially released in India in English?
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