"Santa Fe Stampede" is one of many Three Mesquiteers films made by Republic in the late 30s and early forties. The trio in this outing consisted of John Wayne, Ray "Crash" Corrigan and Max Terhune. For Wayne, this was the third of eight Three Mesquiteer films he appeared in and was his final "B" western series prior to his emergence as a major star.
As usual the title of the movie bears little or no resemblance to the plot of the picture. The "Santa Fe" of the title is "Santa Fe Junction" and there is no stampede to be found, or for that matter, no cattle.
What the film does have is a great cast. Wayne, Corrigan and Terhune look comfortable in their hero roles. Former silent screen star William Farnum, with his stage trained voice and elocution, plays the boys' friend and partner. The chief villain is played by Republic's busiest bad guy of the period, LeRoy Mason. In his gang of henchmen are such "B" western stalwarts as Charlie King, Bud Osborne and Dick Alexander. Tom London also appears as a marshal.
In the video I watched, issued by Republic Pictures Home Video there are three minutes cut out. The key scene deleted involves the fate of the Farnum character and his young daughter, which some must have thought was too disturbing for young audiences. But I do not understand why the video didn't contain the complete version.
Nevertheless, "Santa Fe Stampede" is a good way to spend an hour.