''Three Godfathers'' is a 1936 American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film directed by

Richard Boleslawski Richard Boleslawski (born Bolesław Ryszard Srzednicki; February 4, 1889 – January 17, 1937) was a Polish theatre and film director, actor and teacher of acting. Biography Richard Boleslawski was born Bolesław Ryszard Srzednicki on February ...

and released by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

starring

Chester Morris John Chester Brooks Morris (February 16, 1901 – September 11, 1970) was an American stage, film, television, and radio actor. He had some prestigious film roles early in his career, and received an Academy Awards, Academy Award nomination ...

Lewis Stone Lewis Shepard Stone (November 15, 1879 – September 12, 1953) was an American film actor. He spent 29 years as a contract player at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and was best known for his portrayal of Judge James Hardy in the studio's popular ''Andy H ...

Walter Brennan Walter Andrew Brennan (July 25, 1894 – September 21, 1974) was an American actor and singer. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in '' Come and Get It'' (1936), ''Kentucky'' (1938), and '' The Westerner ...

, and

Irene Hervey Irene Hervey (born Beulah Irene Herwick; July 11, 1909December 20, 1998) was an American film, stage, and television actress who appeared in over fifty films and numerous television series spanning her five-decade career. A native of Los Angeles ...

. It was adapted from the novel of the same name by Peter B. Kyne. Three bank robbers find a newborn baby and his dying mother in the desert. Directors

Edward LeSaint Edward LeSaint (January 1, 1871 – September 10, 1940) was an American stage and film actor and director whose career began in the silent era. He acted in over 300 films and directed more than 90. He was sometimes credited as Edward J. Le Sa ...

and

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

had previously filmed silent versions of the film titled '' The Three Godfathers'' (LeSaint in 1916) and '' Marked Men'' (Ford in 1919), both of which starred actor

Harry Carey Harry Carey may refer to: *Harry Carey (actor) (1878–1947), American actor * Harry Carey Jr. (1921–2012), American actor * Harry Carey (footballer) (1916–1991), Australian rules footballer See also * Henry Carey (disambiguation) * Harry Car ...

. The first sound version was '' Hell's Heroes'', which was also

William Wyler William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a Swiss-German-American film director and producer who won the Academy Award for Best Director three times, those being for '' Mrs. Miniver'' (1942), ''The Best Years of ...

's first all-talking film; it starred

Charles Bickford Charles Ambrose Bickford (January 1, 1891 – November 9, 1967) was an American actor known for supporting roles. He was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for '' The Song of Bernadette'' (1943), '' The F ...

Raymond Hatton Raymond William Hatton (July 7, 1887 – October 21, 1971) was an American film actor who appeared in almost 500 motion pictures. Biography Hatton was born in Red Oak, Iowa. His physician father steered him toward a career in medicine. Howev ...

, and

Fred Kohler Fred Kohler (April 20, 1888 – October 28, 1938) was an American actor. Career Fred Kohler was born in Kansas City, Missouri or in Dubuque, Iowa. As a teen, he began to pursue a career in vaudeville, but worked other jobs to support himself. ...

. John Ford would later film yet another version of the film as '' 3 Godfathers'' (1948) dedicated to Carey, and starring John Wayne,

Pedro Armendáriz Pedro Gregorio Armendáriz Hastings (May 9, 1912 – June 18, 1963) was a Mexican film actor who made films in both Mexico and the United States. With Dolores del Río and María Félix, he was one of the best-known Latin American movie stars ...

, and Carey's son, Harry Carey Jr.

Plot

A week before Christmas, four bandits ride through the desert and pause on a rise over the town of New Jerusalem: Bob Sangster, returning to his hometown; Doc Underwood, a cultured man with a Ph.D.; Gus Barton; and Pedro, who always plays his guitar and sings as he rides. The whole town is at a Christmas social, celebrating a few days early. Doc and Gus are welcomed, but Bob's arrival casts a chill on the festivities. When he meets Molly, the girl he loved, his face changes, briefly. They dance. Bob offers her a watch that he says belonged to his mother. He insists that she still loves him, even though she is going to marry Frank Benson. When Bob seizes her, she slaps him, then thanks him for showing her the truth. She gives the watch back, telling him to return it to the woman he stole it from, and walks away. Bob goes to the bodega and finds solace in the arms of Blackie, a girl who works there. The next morning, Frank, the young bank president, is trying on a Santa Claus outfit when the bandits come into the bank. Benson offers no resistance, but Bob shoots him in cold blood, saying, "There ain't no Santa Claus." As they flee, Pedro is killed by the dentist, and Doc is wounded in the arm. Reaching the first waterhole, the robbers see it is marked as poisoned. On the way to the next watering spot, they find the body of George Marshall, a tenderfoot who shot himself. At the waterhole, they find a wagon sheltering a dying woman—Marshall's wife—and her baby boy. The waterhole has been destroyed: Marshall dynamited it, trying to get water, then set out to get help. Knowing it is too late for her, she commits her child to their care. After she dies, they camp for the night. Doc and Gus want to take the baby with them, but Bob is in favor of "putting him out of his misery." In the morning, they find that their horses dead from drinking at the dynamited well. They must go back to New Jerusalem. Bob hands a can of milk to each man and starts to drink his. Doc buys it for the baby with his share of the stolen gold. His arm is festering, but he carries the child. He writes out a will that he gives to Gus. Finally, unable to go any further, Doc tells them to take the baby and leave him. As Gus and Bob walk away, a shot rings out. Later, while Bob sleeps, Gus hesitatingly says a prayer. He leaves his share of the gold and the will beside the baby and walks into the desert. In the morning, Bob reads the will, which is actually a note to him from Doc asking him to "give the kid an even break." However, he leaves the baby behind. When the child wails, Bob shoots a rattlesnake near the baby. Telling himself that he is crazy, he picks up the baby and sets off. He gives the child the last of the water. Eventually, Bob drops everything except the boy. At last in despair, he falls to his knees and prays. Suddenly he sees the signposts at the poisoned well. They are 5 1/2 miles from New Jerusalem; he remembers Doc saying that it would take an hour for a man to die from the poisoned water. Saying "Here's to you kid," he drinks deeply. Bob stumbles into town. Everyone is in church. He staggers in, kneels and gives Molly the baby. He struggles to his feet, turns and falls, dead. As Molly carries the baby down the aisle, someone notices that he is using Bob's watch as a teething ring and wonders where Bob stole it. Molly says it was his mother's.

Cast

as Robert Sangster *

as James "Doc" Underwood *

as Sam "Gus" Barton *

as Molly *

Sidney Toler Sidney Toler (born Hooper G. Toler Jr., April 28, 1874 – February 12, 1947) was an American actor, playwright, and theatre director. The second European-American actor to play the role of Charlie Chan on screen, he is best remembered for his ...

as Professor Amos Snape *

Dorothy Tree Dorothy Tree (born Dorothy Estelle Triebitz, May 21, 1906 – February 13, 1992) was an American actress, voice teacher and writer. She appeared in a wide range of character roles in at least 49 films between 1927 and 1951. Her roles includ ...

as Blackie Winter *

Roger Imhof Frederick Roger Imhof (August 15, 1875 – April 15, 1958) was an American film actor, vaudeville, burlesque and circus performer, sketch writer, and songwriter. Early years Imhof was born in Rock Island, Illinois on April 15, 1875 to Nicholas ...

as Sheriff *

Willard Robertson Willard Robertson (January 1, 1886 – April 5, 1948) was an American actor and writer. He appeared in more than 140 films between 1924 and 1948. He was born in Runnels, Texas, and died in Hollywood, California. Biography Robertson first ...

as Reverend McLane * Robert Livingston as Frank Benson * John Sheehan as Ed Barrow * Joseph Marievsky as Pedro *

Leonid Kinskey Leonid Kinskey (1893/1894 – September 8, 1998) was a Russian-born American film and television actor, best known for his role as "Sascha" in the film ''Casablanca'' (1942). His last name was sometimes spelled Kinsky. Life and career Kinskey ...

as Card Player (uncredited)

References

External links

* * * {{Peter B. Kyne 1930s Christmas films 1936 Western (genre) films 1936 films American black-and-white films American Christmas films American Western (genre) films Films based on American novels Films based on Western (genre) novels Films directed by Ryszard Bolesławski Films produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films