¡Three Amigos! (1986)

Director:

John Landis

Writers:

Steve Martin (written by) and
Lorne Michaels (written by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

12 December 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Western

Tagline:

They're Down On Their Luck And Up To Their Necks In Senoritas, Margaritas, Banditos And Bullets!

Plot:

Three unemployed actors accept an invitation to a Mexican village to replay their bandit fighter roles, unaware that it is the real thing.

Plot Keywords:

Actor | Village | Bandit | Mexico | Gringo

Cast

Steve Martin	...	Lucky Day
Chevy Chase	...	Dusty Bottoms
Martin Short	...	Ned Nederlander
Alfonso Arau	...	El Guapo
Tony Plana	...	Jefe
Patrice Martinez	...	Carmen
Jorge Cervera Jr.	...	Bandito #1 (as Jorge Cervera)
Kai Wulff	...	German
Abel Franco	...	Papa Sanchez
Fred Asparagus	...	Bartender
Jon Lovitz	...	Morty
Joe Mantegna	...	Harry Flugleman
Philip Gordon	...	Rodrigo
Michael Wren	...	Cowboy
Gene Hartline	...	Silent Movie Bandito
William B. Kaplan	...	Silent Movie Bandito (as William Kaplan)
Sophia Lamour	...	Silent Movie Senorita
Santos Morales	...	Telegrapher
Phil Hartman	...	Sam (as Philip E. Hartmann)
Tino Insana	...	Studio Guard
Craig Berenson	...	Telegram Delivery Boy
Joshua Gallegos	...	Bar Patron (as Josh Gallegos)
Norbert Weisser	...	German's Friend
Brian Thompson	...	German's Other Friend
Hector Elias	...	Pedro
Hector Morales	...	Carlos
Betty Carvalho	...	Mama Sanchez
Benita Marti	...	Rosita (as Benita)
Dyana Ortelli	...	Juanita
Humberto Ortiz	...	Pablo
Candy Castillo	...	Bandito #2
Jeff O'Haco	...	Bandito #3
Loyda Ramos	...	Conchita
Carl La Fong	...	Tortoise (as Carl LaFong)
Randy Newman	...	Singing Bush (voice)
Rebecca Ferratti	...	Señorita Kissing Ned (as Rebecca Underwood)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Cosmo Mata	...	Man in Bar (uncredited)
Brinke Stevens	...	Actress in Silent Movie (uncredited)
Tom Tangen	...	Stagecoach Passenger (uncredited)

Directed by
John Landis

Writing credits
Steve Martin		(written by) and
Lorne Michaels		(written by) and
Randy Newman		(written by)

Produced by
Leslie Belzberg	....	associate producer
George Folsey Jr.	....	producer
Steve Martin	....	executive producer
Lorne Michaels	....	producer

Original Music by
Elmer Bernstein

Cinematography by
Ronald W. Browne		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Malcolm Campbell

Casting by
Jackie Burch

Production Design by
Richard Tom Sawyer		(as Richard Sawyer)

Art Direction by
Gregory Pickrell

Set Decoration by
Richard C. Goddard		(as Richard Goddard)

Costume Design by
Deborah Nadoolman

Makeup Department
Jean Austin	....	hair stylist
Virginia Darcy	....	hair stylist (as Virginia D'Arcy)
Leonard Engelman	....	makeup artist
Frank Griffin	....	makeup artist
Virginia G. Hadfield	....	hair stylist
Mark Reedall	....	makeup artist
Ric Sagliani	....	makeup artist
Linda Trainoff	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Dan Allingham	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Rob Corn	....	second assistant director
George Folsey Jr.	....	second unit director
Steven R. McGlothen	....	assistant director
Steven R. McGlothen	....	second unit director
Victoria E. Rhodes	....	second assistant director
David Sosna	....	first assistant director
John M. Stephens	....	second unit director (as John Stephens)

Art Department
Larry Clark Bird	....	property master (as Larry Bird)
Nigel A. Boucher	....	lead man (as Nigel Boucher)
Ronnie Chambers	....	lead man (as Ron Chambers)
Chuck Eskridge	....	stand-by painter
Mark Fabus	....	set designer
Bill Gregory	....	lead man
Bob Kargetta	....	construction foreman
David F. Klassen	....	assistant art director
Joseph Musso	....	set illustrator (as Joe Musso)
Dan Ondrejko	....	greensman
Jim Ondrejko	....	construction foreman
James F. Orendorff	....	construction coordinator
Gregory Pickrell	....	assistant art director
Richard Reynolds	....	assistant art director
Kenneth Robertson	....	head painter foreman (as Ken H. Robertson)
Jerry Sargent	....	construction foreman
Marla Sawyer	....	art department assistant
John Schacht	....	lead man
Alex Scutti Jr.	....	plaster foreman
Mark Sparks	....	propmaker
Stan Tropp	....	set designer
Vinnie Vecchio	....	props
Frank White	....	labor foreman
Clyde Zimmerman	....	painter foreman
Ken Zimmerman	....	assistant property master
Michael Denering	....	scenic artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Gary Alexander	....	sound re-recordist
Jeff Bushelman	....	sound editor
Charles L. Campbell	....	sound editor
Larry Carow	....	sound editor
Samuel C. Crutcher	....	sound editor (as Samuel Crutcher)
Don Digirolamo	....	sound re-recordist
Louis L. Edemann	....	sound editor
Richard C. Franklin	....	sound editor (as Rick Franklin)
Robert Glass	....	sound re-recordist (as Robert J. Glass)
William B. Kaplan	....	sound mixer
David Kelson	....	cable person
Steven Klinghoffer	....	cable person (as Steve Klinghoffer)
Robert Knudson	....	sound re-recordist (as Buzz Knudsen)
Colin C. Mouat	....	sound editor (as Colin Mouat)
Chuck Neely	....	sound editor
Greg Orloff	....	foley mixer
Rod Rogers	....	assistant adr editor
Earl Sampson	....	boom operator
Larry Singer	....	supervising adr editor
Jerry Stanford	....	sound editor
Larry Stensvold	....	sound re-recordist
David A. Whittaker	....	sound editor (as David Whittaker)
John Roesch	....	foley artist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Roy Arbogast	....	special effects
Michael Burnett	....	animatronic animals
Tony Gardner	....	animatronic animals
William Lee	....	special effects
Tom Lifsey	....	special effects
George Paine	....	special effects assistant
Dick Wood	....	special effects (as Richard Wood)
Tim Turner	....	assistant: animatronic animals (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Norm Stangl	....	visual effects: Nelvana Ltd.
Lisa Atkinson	....	optical painter and quality control (uncredited)
Norm Stangl	....	animator: singing horses (uncredited)
Cynthia Ward	....	animator (uncredited)

Stunts
Roy Bonner	....	stunts
Danny Costa	....	stunts
Steve Cremin	....	stunts
Phil Culotta	....	stunts (as Philip Culotta)
Tom Elliott	....	stunts (as Tom Elliot)
Richard Epper	....	stunts
Gil Escandon	....	stunts (as Gil Escandor)
Debbie Evans	....	stunts
Joe Finnegan	....	stunts
Jerry Gatlin	....	stunt coordinator
Joie Gatlin	....	stunts
Clifford Happy	....	stunts
Marguerite Happy	....	stunts
Gene Hartline	....	stunts
Bob Herron	....	stunts (as Robert Herron)
Johnny Hock	....	stunt double (as John Hock)
Daniel Holguín	....	stunts (as Daniel Holguin)
Loren Janes	....	stunts
Robert Jauregui	....	stunt double (as Bob Jauregui)
Tracy Keehn-Dashnaw	....	stunts (as Tracy Keehn)
Walt La Rue	....	stunts
James Lasley	....	stunts
Clay M. Lilley	....	stunts (as Clay Lilley)
Jack Lilley	....	stunts
Mike H. McGaughy	....	stunts (as Mike McGaughy)
Cole S. McKay	....	stunts (as Cole McKay)
Bobby McLaughlin	....	stunts
Gene Merlino	....	stunts
Jeffrey Meyer	....	stunts
Daniel O'Haco	....	stunts (as Danny O'Haco)
Kathleen O'Haco	....	stunt double
Bruce Randall	....	stunts (as Bruce Wayne Randall)
Larry Randles	....	stunts
Gary Robert	....	stunts
Thomas Rosales Jr.	....	stunts
Ben Scott	....	stunts
Michael Stull	....	stunts
Robert Tebow	....	stunts
R.L. Tolbert	....	stunts
Grady Walker	....	stunts
Rock A. Walker	....	stunt double (as Rock Walker)
Mike Watson	....	stunts
Jennifer Watson-Johnston	....	stunts (as Jennifer Watson)

Camera and Electrical Department
Danny Boldroff	....	dolly grip
Greg Cantrell	....	electrician
Philip Caplan	....	camera operator (as Phil Caplan)
Ed Cooper	....	electrician
George Dunagan	....	electrician
Norman Glasser	....	gaffer (as Norm Glasser)
Peter Hapke	....	camera operator
Robert LaBonge	....	first assistant camera
Johnny London Jr.	....	grip
Tom D. May	....	second grip (as Tom May)
Spencer McDonald	....	second assistant camera
Steven C. McGee	....	electrician
Reggie Newkirk	....	additional assistant camera
Jeffrey W. Petersen	....	electrician
Bill Rustic	....	grip
George R. Schrader	....	grip
Gary W. Shaw	....	lighting technician
James M. Sheppherd	....	key grip (as Jim Sheppherd)
John M. Stephens	....	camera operator: second unit (as John Stephens)
Oscar H. Stevens II	....	video assist
Francis X. Valdez III	....	electrician
Emmanuel Vouniozos	....	grip (as Manny Vouniozos)
Rick Fee	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
John R. Shannon	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Emmanuel Vouniozos	....	on-set technician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Billy DaMota	....	casting assistant
Tom Tangen	....	location casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Darryl M. Athons	....	costumer
Lorraine Dawson	....	costumer
Kelly Kimball	....	assistant costume designer
Hugo Peña	....	costumer: men (as Hugo Pena)
Dennis Schoonderwoerd	....	costumer
Linda Serijan	....	costumer
Stephen P. Shubin	....	costumer (as Steve Shubin)
Pamela Wise	....	costumer: women (as Pam Wise)

Editorial Department
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
Lisa Zeno Churgin	....	first assistant editor
Lori Hollingshead	....	assistant editor
Bob Noland	....	color timer
Eric Whitfield	....	first assistant editor

Music Department
Tom Boyd	....	musician: oboe soloist
Kathy Durning	....	music editor
Randy Newman	....	songs: music and lyrics by
Patrick Russ	....	orchestrator
David Spear	....	orchestrator
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer
Paul Mottram	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Tommy Tedesco	....	musician: guitar (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Steve Boyd	....	transportation captain
Anne Renfro	....	transportation captain
Jeff F. Renfro	....	transportation coordinator
Benjamin Rivera	....	driver

Other crew
James S. Appleby	....	aerial coordinator (as Jim Appleby)
Michelle Butin	....	production assistant
Pamela Cederquist	....	production assistant
Pam Cornfeld-Walker	....	production coordinator (as Pam Cornfeld)
Phil Cowling	....	wrangler
Dan Curry	....	title designer
Robert Davenport	....	wrangler (as Bobby Davenport)
Sharon Dolin	....	secretary: Mr. Landis
Mark Fitzgerald	....	production assistant
Jim Franklin	....	pilot: Tubman 601
Karlene Gallegly	....	location scout
John Grace	....	location manager: second unit
Bruce Hanson	....	craft service
Sharon Haskell	....	title designer
Saul Kahan	....	publicist
Saul Kahan	....	unit publicist
Tony Kerum	....	caterer
Deborah Laub	....	location manager
David R. Lawson	....	first aid
David R. Lawson	....	medic
Stevie Lazo	....	assistant production accountant
Kenneth Lee	....	wrangler
Joel Lomax	....	wrangler
Mike Morkri	....	production assistant
Boone Narr	....	animal trainer
Sharon Nederlander	....	assistant production coordinator
Arvo Ojala	....	gun coach
Rex Peterson	....	wrangler
Corky Randall	....	head wrangler
Anne Rapp	....	script supervisor
Mark Roberts	....	extras coordinator (as Mark A. Roberts)
Cliff T.E. Roseman	....	location manager
Tracy Rosenthal-Newsom	....	production assistant (as Tracy Rosenthal)
Sidney Sharron	....	teacher
Phil Smith	....	animal trainer
Jim Turner	....	financial consultant
Kristan Wagner	....	location manager
Carole Wattles	....	assistant accountant
Janet L. Wattles	....	production accountant
Carol Westphall	....	additional script supervisor
Roy Williams	....	wrangler
Tony Gardner	....	puppeteer (uncredited)
Chris Stiles	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Thanks
Peter Bernstein	....	special thanks
Dan Curry	....	special thanks
Max Landis	....	special thanks
Rachel Landis	....	special thanks
Christopher Palmer	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• L.A. Films
• Home Box Office (HBO) (in association with)

Distributors

• Orion Pictures Corporation (1986) (USA) (theatrical)
• Hoyts Distribution (1986) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (1987) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (19??) (Australia) (VHS)
• Flashstar (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (1987) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (Europe) (2001) (UK) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (200?) (Germany) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2000) (France) (DVD)
• Nordisk Film (2001) (Sweden) (DVD)
• PlayArte Home Vídeo (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures International Video (1990) (Germany) (video) (laserdisc)
• RCA/Columbia-Hoyts Home Video (19??) (Australia) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Doug Beswick Productions Inc. (tortoise animatronics)

Other Companies

• Astro Pyrotechnics  fireworks
• Cinema Research  titles and opticals (as Cinema Research Corporation)
• City of Simi Valley  thanks (as The City of Simi Valley)
• Donah Bassett and Associates  negative cutting (as Donah Bassett & Assoc.)
• Nelvana  animation (as Nelvana Limited)
• Perseverance Records  soundtrack (re-release)
• TAJ Soundworks  foley recording
• TPI/PPI  payroll services
• Todd-AO Studios  sound re-recording
• Tucson Film Commission  thanks (as The Tucson Film Commission)
• Warner Bros. Records  soundtrack

Also Known As:

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-14 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Iceland:12 | USA:PG (Certificate #28272) | Netherlands:6 | Portugal:M/6 (Qualidade) | Norway:11 (DVD)

Filming Locations:

Coronado National Forest, Arizona, USA

Company:

L.A. Films

Trivia:

"El Guapo" is Spanish for "The Handsome One" or "The Ladies' Man".

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: The telegram that Lucky reads aloud is different from the "10-peso version" created by the telegraph operator. However, it was sent by Morse code and it may have been restated or misinterpreted.

Quotes:

[Dusty Bottoms and Lucky Day thinks Ned Nederlander is saying "mail" plane]
Dusty Bottoms:What is it doing here?
Ned Nederlander:I think it's a male plane.
Dusty Bottoms:How can you tell?
Ned Nederlander:Didn't you notice its little balls?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Justin Timberlake (#38.16)" (2013)

Soundtrack:

THE BALLAD OF THE THREE AMIGOS

Well crafted gags

I looked up this movie on IMDb fully expecting to find a lot of comments that reflected my opinion, that this is a great little film. I was quite surprised at how many people don't feel the same way I do.

Some of the movies detractors seem to suggest the movie is a bit slow and that it misses opportunities for packing in lots of jokes. I can't agree, I think the pace is just right and that the movie's direction is more deftly handled than you might think. Some of the set ups in this film are developed meticulously over time allowing plenty of humorous moments along the way to the pay-off. And when they pay-off, they pay-off beautifully.

For example I love the scene in which a German mercenary enters a really dangerous looking Mexican bar. The room is full of thugs and cut-throats who laugh at the German's prim appearance and so he kills a few of them. He then instructs the rest of the patrons to be more respectful of strangers and to expect some friends of his to drop in later. The mercenary leaves and soon the Three Amigos arrive wearing camp looking Mexican costumes. It's not long before they start to sing an extremely girly song to the patrons of the bar called "My Little Buttercup".

The song is accompanied by the most effeminate dance routine committed to film. The mystified bandits all assume the Three Amigos are the German mercenary's friends and go along with the song and dance routine which after a while becomes so cute it makes you feel physically sick.

And here is the pay off, the Amigos leave as the real mercenaries arrive, one of the bandits notices the pearl handled revolvers one of the strangers is wearing and yells "Look at the sissy guns". Carnage ensues, the German sharp shooters finish off the rest of the patrons in a bloody gun fight, the confused looks on the bandit's faces throughout this whole routine is hilarious.

This film isn't desperate to pack gags into every available space, and because of this it feels more controlled and less try-hard, to me most of the jokes are of a high enough quality they don't need a lot of superfluous back up gags. I also enjoy the overall up beat tone of the film, even the bad guys are actually really nice to each other ( the sweater Scene is touching ). I think it's the warmth between the characters that really makes this film for me, I think if the gags kept coming at a breakneck speed we wouldn't have a chance to warm to the characters, the Mexican atmosphere and music the way that we do.

I give this a ten out of ten even though it's not a perfect film, it makes me feel as good as a perfect film would.