Three Godfathers

"On the brink of hell...a baby's smile came into the darkened souls of three bad men!"

1936 1h 21m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

🥫

50%

ROTTEN

⭐

7.3

IMDB

★6.9TMDB · 18🥫50%Rotten Tomatoes★7.3IMDB · 1,187

ActionDramaWestern

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In a town called New Jerusalem, three bandits hold up a bank. After a gun battle with the townspeople, the three robbers retreat into the scorching Arizona desert. There, they happen upon an ill woman stranded with her child. As the mother dies, she begs the men to take care of her infant. The fugitives want to save the baby -- but to do so, they'll have to travel back to New Jerusalem, where they are wanted men. Remade as 3 Godfathers (1949).

“On the brink of hell...a baby's smile came into the darkened souls of three bad men!”

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Cast

Chester Morris
Robert 'Bob' Sangster
Lewis Stone
James 'Doc' Underwood
Walter Brennan
Samuel 'Gus' Barton
Irene Hervey
Molly
Sidney Toler
Professor Amos Snape
Dorothy Tree
Blackie Winters
Roger Imhof
Sheriff
Willard Robertson
Reverend McLane

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Richard Boleslawski
Writers: Manuel Seff, Edward E. Paramore Jr., Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

81 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

90 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Richard Boleslawski, shot by Joseph Ruttenberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by William Axt. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Frank Sullivan shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Chester Morris and Lewis Stone and Walter Brennan carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "On the brink of hell...a baby's smile came into the darkened souls of three bad men!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0028367 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Richard Boleslawski directs. Joseph Ruttenberg behind the camera. William Axt scores. Frank Sullivan cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

181 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
290 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Richard Boleslawski, shot by Joseph Ruttenberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by William Axt. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Frank Sullivan shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Chester Morris and Lewis Stone and Walter Brennan carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "On the brink of hell...a baby's smile came into the darkened souls of three bad men!".
8IMDB entry: tt0028367 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 18 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 9 themes, including "baby", "thirst", "outlaw", "remake".
11Released under 11 different titles around the world.