Three Godfathers (1936)

Four outlaws come to New Jerusalem, a town full of courteous and religious people, to rob the bank. After shooting the president of the bank, only three make it out of town followed by the ... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Boleslawski

Writers:

Edward E. Paramore Jr. (screen play), Manuel Seff (screen play),

Stars:

Chester Morris, Lewis Stone, Walter Brennan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chester Morris	...	Bob
Lewis Stone	...	'Doc'
Walter Brennan	...	Gus
Irene Hervey	...	Molly
Sidney Toler	...	Professor Snape
Dorothy Tree	...	Blackie
Roger Imhof	...	Sheriff
Willard Robertson	...	Reverend McLane
Robert Livingston	...	Frank
John Sheehan	...	Ed
Joseph Marievsky	...	Pedro
Victor Potel	...	'Buck Tooth'
Helen Brown	...	Mrs. Marshall
Harvey Clark	...	Marcus Treen
Virginia Brissac	...	Mrs. McLane

Storyline

Four outlaws come to New Jerusalem, a town full of courteous and religious people, to rob the bank. After shooting the president of the bank, only three make it out of town followed by the posse. By the time they get to the second desert water hole, they find it dry and also find a wagon with a dying mother and baby. When the horses are dead the next morning, the three outlaws have no choice but to try to walk back to New Jerusalem and only two want to take the baby.

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Plot Keywords:

outlaw | baby | water | desert | posse | 

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 March 1936 (USA)

Also Known As:

Das Wunder in der Wüste

Filming Locations:

Mojave, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sam McDaniel (Cook), Dewey Robinson and Charles Stevens (Horse Thieves) are in studio records for their roles, but they were not seen in the movie.

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Quotes

Robert 'Bob' Sangster: There ain't no Santy Claus!

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Connections

Version of The Godchild (1974)

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Soundtracks

"Home on the Range"
(1904) (uncredited)
Music by Daniel E. Kelley
Lyrics by Brewster M. Higley (1873)
Played at the Christmas social

User Reviews

Better Than the Remake

Three Godfathers (1936)

*** (out of 4)

Extremely warm Western has three ruthless outlaws (Chester Morris, Lewis Stone, Walter Brennan) robbing a bank at Christmas time and then heading off into the desert. While on their getaway they come across a dying mother and her young child so the men take the child to try and get it to some place safe. After a bit of bad luck the three find themselves nearing death themselves and to get the baby home it might cost them their lives. I'm sure most people are familiar with the John Ford vehicle with John Wayne but this version is so much better for numerous reasons. The biggest reason is that this version is a lot darker and more grittier than the Ford film, which always seemed a tad bit too cute to me. This film has a lot of dark moments and depends on religion a lot more as well. There's also some nice humor scattered through this film including a great bit with a Santa Clause. Both Morris and Brennan are very good in their roles with Morris giving a very good turn as a really mean guy. Stone steals the film as the older man who tries to talk the other two into having some good in their hearts. Sidney Toler has a small supporting role.