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This was a complete surprise after seeing the John Wayne version first. First of all it is one of the toughest westerns I've seen from the 1930's. Chester Morris is remarkable in his role. The subtlety and naturalism in his acting is really unusual for a film from this era. He says things that would be delivered with a theatrical snarl in lesser westerns but here it comes off believable. Lewis Stone gives depth and Walter Brennan goes from annoying to sympathetic by the end of the film. The baby does a good job as well.

Most westerns from the thirties (especially the serials) are about as unbelievable as you can get and acted unnaturally as well. This film has a gritty realism that wouldn't be seen until the late 50's and the 60's. The script is intellectually well above many other films of the time as well. How many films have ever talked (even briefly) about Schopenhauer? The photography is very good and mostly out of the studio. The only problem the film has is that the actors never really look like they are in desperate health, especially the baby. Other than that I recommend this highly.

Though Chester Morris and Lewis Stone aren't exactly names identified with westerns, together with Walter Brennan they do a very nice job in bringing this earlier and harsher version of the story of Three Godfathers, outlaws who give an infant a chance at life.

Rather than the Three Godfathers from John Ford's later and more famous version, a trio of happy go lucky outlaws who rob a bank and get a posse after them, these are a much tougher group who drift into New Jerusalem one at a time. Morris is from there and hasn't got pleasant memories of the place. He's the one who wants to rob the bank and give a little payback to the town, especially to bank manager Robert Livingston who's going to marry Irene Hervey, Morris's former sweetheart.

Of course out on the desert the trio finds a dying woman with an infant and Brennan and Stone want to help, but Morris very reluctantly goes along. Let's just say that they meet a much meaner end than John Ford gave them in his version.

I do love the chemistry between Stone and Brennan, the college graduate who carries Shakespeare and Schopenhauer in his saddlebags and the illiterate nabob. Stone does not however demean Brennan at all and my favorite scene is him singing Boola Boola in the desert which Morris identifies for Brennan as Stone's old school song.

Richard Boleslavski does not give us the sweeping desert vistas of John Ford's Monument Valley, but this Three Godfathers has a class and dignity all its own. I wish it was broadcast more often.

This is apparently the second remake of this film. While I have not seen the two prior versions, I did see the 1948 John Wayne remake and the two films are different enough (especially the endings--I preferred the more realistic way it was handled in this version) and I recommend you see both. And, overall I strongly prefer this film to the 1948 one.

Chester Morris was the main star in this film, though today he's mostly been forgotten despite the many films he starred in during the era. The other two co-star bandits are Lewis Stone (yes, the kindly "Judge Hardy" from the Hardy Family series) and Walter Brennan. All did a competent job and the entire movie is well written and directed and is far more watchable than the average Western. About the only problem, and it's a minor one, is that occasionally the film becomes a little bit too melodramatic and heavy-handed. But it also gets high marks for being less predictable and more entertaining that what you usually find in the genre.

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.

This touching moral lesson had been done as a silent version and in another version which is more known because of the renown of its director John Ford, but this version is equally as good as the latter version. Being an MGM version, it's a bit smaltzy as MGM movies of the thirties tended to emphasize that aspect of a story but director, Richard Boleslawski is able to keep the proceedings honest and true. Chester Morris, Lewis Stone and Walter Brennan are very good as the outlaws who ride into and rob a bank in a pious town - Chester Morris plays the "I don't give a damn" cowboy perfectly and with resonance. They make their getaway and in the desert find a baby, and the psychological issues of right and wrong as their paternal, maternal and surrogate parental instincts that exist in all of us take over. As they try to save the child, the trials and tribulations they go through bring out the best qualities of human nature in all of them in us, the audience, as well.

A trio of desperadoes, fleeing from a violent Christmastime bank robbery, become THREE GODFATHERS after rescuing a dead mother's baby in the desert.

Here is a very fine little film, (largely forgotten due to its color remake years later starring John Wayne) which rewards the fortunate viewer with very good acting, excellent production values, some taut drama and a fair amount of humor.

Lewis Stone dominates the film as the thief with a conscience. Quietly intellectual & patrician, his tenderness for the infant is immediate and absolute. Stone's acting cannot be faulted; watching him painfully choose which of his beloved books to leave behind in the burning desert is to see a true artist at work.

Chester Morris does a dandy job of making the viewer both like and despise his character. Quick-tempered & revengeful, his attack upon the New Jerusalem bank is his opportunity to wreck havoc on both the town which rejected him and the decent young banker in love with his former sweetheart. Morris wants nothing to slow down his escape--not poisoned water holes or dead horses, and especially not a helpless baby.

Walter Brennan practically steals the entire movie with his portrayal of an old, illiterate outlaw whose childlike innocence and decency compels him to protect the infant. He also has some droll comedy sequences, especially at the Church Social, where he has a memorable encounter with a plate of asparagus. His scenes in the desert, with desperate thirst stalking his footsteps, show the consummate skill he would exhibit the rest of his life as one of America's favorite character actors.

In smaller roles, Sidney Toler is wonderfully droll as an itinerate dentist with a deadly aim; bucktoothed Victor Potel is his unfortunate customer. Rotund Roger Imhof plays the friendly sheriff of New Jerusalem; Dorothy Tree is the saloon hostess with a hankering for Morris. Pretty Irene Hervey does well as Morris' former love; her fiancé is nicely played by Robert Livingston, who finds the padding in his Santa suit to be most fortuitous.

Not as well known as the 1948 John Ford version, this one does not spoon feed the issues to the viewer. Harsh, uncompromising and utterly devoid of false bonhomie, Boleslawski made this at almost the same time as the screwball classic, THEODORA GOES WILD.

In 1929 actor Chester Morris was nominated for an Oscar for his strong performance as an ex-con in Alibi; he spent a good deal of his life playing tough-guy roles, too often typecast in second-tier "B" roles; here, some six years later, he gives a dynamic, believable turn as the bad boy of the town, the man in black who revels in his nastiness, unredeemed by the love of a good woman or anyone else. He and two others pal up together to rob a bank during a church social, and run for the hills, there discovering a dying woman with a child; this could be a really silly melodramatic set-up, but director Richard Boleslawski knows what he is doing, knows how much melodrama to inject into a situation, is able to focus two of the best scene stealers in the business, Walter Brennan and Lewis Stone into producing distinctively compelling characters. This film is a remake of several silent versions, the most notable starring Charles Bickford in the Chester Morris role (and later, more sentimentally, by John Wayne in a color version from John Ford), but the sense of authenticity in the town scenes and the visually arresting desert scenery give the actors a canvas which they do not fail to brilliantly fill in. How often does a character in a Western film recite Macbeth's "Tomorrow" soliloquy from memory, or discuss the intricacies of Schopenhauer with a friendly but uncomprehending cowpoke? Lewis Stone manages a nice turn in his interchanges with Walter Brennan, himself putting the brakes on his usual cornball rustic. The transformation for Chester Morris from unregenerate bum to something admirable is powerfully done, and the intrusion of some 1930's sentiment not entirely unwelcome. In 1936, the Best Oscar nominees were Paul Muni, Spencer Tracy, Gary Cooper, William Powell and Walter Huston; with a better agent, Chester Morris might have been among them.

Three Godfathers (1936) was directed by Richard Boleslawski.

This could have been just another 1930's Western film, but that's not how things turned out. Naturally, the movie is outdated, but the basic plot isn't.

Three outlaws rob a bank and escape. They are confronted with an impossible situation--a young infant who will die unless they get him back to the town from which they've just escaped.

The outlaws are portrayed by Chester Morris, Lewis Stone, and Walter Brennan. The two women who love one of the outlaws are played by Irene Hervey and Dorothy Tree.

Some readers may remember Walter Brennan. He was a superb character actor, who won three Oscars. For me, none of the other actors were people whose names I recognized.

Nonetheless, the actors were all solid professionals. They had long and relatively successful careers. (Tree's career was cut short because she was blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee.) The fact is, although none of them were marquee stars, they all could act. The professionalism shows through each frame.

I liked this movie because it started hard and ended that way. The three outlaws didn't have hearts of gold. They robbed the bank just before Christmas, when the bank held money people were saving for buying presents. They shot people who got in their way. The younger man was basically a sociopath, with no scruples about anything. Not a charming gang. That's what made the film interesting.

This is seen as a Christmas movie, and that part isn't subtle. The town they rob is called New Jerusalem. The film is set right before Christmas. Three men find a young child in the desert.

Nevertheless, the movie is realistic and moving. We saw it on a small screen. Probably it would work better in a theater, but I've never seen it screened. So, small screen is how you'll see it.

It's not a great film, but it's an excellent film. It has aged well, and is worth watching. I recommend it.

There is a lot good stuff in "Three Godfathers". The movie has a good look to it and it has a strong cast but the storytelling does take a few dips at times. The movie feels a little longer than its short running time (81 mins). None of the negatives are deal breakers. It's just that "Three Godfathers" has the making of a really good movie. It hits the target but just misses the bullseye.

I thought this film would be more three men and a baby and I couldn't have been more wrong. Three bank robbers come across a deadman being eaten by buzzards and then his horseless wagon that has his sick wife and baby in it. The mother dies leaving this baby...and after they blew up the watering hole with dynamite. Two of the three criminals wants to save the baby, the third who is the youngest and most heartless dies not. This becomes a harrowing trip across the desert on foot with little and then no water...in which they have to go back to the town they robbed.

The breakdown of these criminals and the erosion into humanity is interesting. This film was so dry, I needed a drink of water! Might have been a little heavy handed on the morality, but still enjoyable. Western.

"Nice fellow, Bob. Such a strict utilitarian."-Doc.

Three Godfathers is a wonderful little (for MGM) film that keeps its' story simple and to the heart. Three bank robbers find a woman dying in the desert and as she dies they decide to save her baby to the risk of their own lives. This is also the third of four versions of this story; with each filmed over a 32 year span with each film well-documenting the growth of the quality of filmmaking technology and technique in that era. The 1916 silent version, which is lost, demonstrates the early years of 3 act narrative film storytelling. The 1929 version shows the then-brand new sound technology; this 1936 film illustrates sound production entering its' prime years with a musical score and more fluid camera work and the 1948 version shows off color photography, which was starting to become the norm for the industry going into the 1950s. It can be said this story, based on a book, is a true stalwart of old-Hollywood and I would argue it would be welcomed to a remake in the 21st Century.

The actors and simple, but impactful direction make the film. Richard Boleslawski, who would sadly die a year later, directs with an abundant use of close-ups for that time. This lets the actors have their moments, and they come through in spades. Chester Morris is the lead and the least moral of the bank robbers. He plays Bob, a man angered by the people in the town, whose bank he is robbing. He is motivated to get back at the town which despises him and the girl who refused him, Molly (Irene Hervey), and he leads the robbery, shooting her new fiancé on his way out of the robbery. He isn't a very sympathetic character until the second half when he must decide what he will do with the helpless baby. Morris is interesting to watch and the depths of depravity in his character are well-played when he tries to pray as he has to face his fate in the end. Lewis Stone is simply outstanding as Doc, an old man who knows his time is short and quickly decides the money he got in the robbery isn't worth a thing compared to the life of the child. He takes on the full responsibility as long as he can and you can read in the melancholy in Stone's acting how his character is at peace with his fate when he looks into the baby's face. Walter Brennan, too, is excellent, as the simple-minded Gus, a middle-aged man, who is good friends with Doc and believes in him and takes on the responsibility too, of feeding and caring for the child at the expense of his own life.

This could be certainly called sentimental, and it is, but the story is so simple, that the sentimentality naturally comes out of it. Any human being with an ounce of morality, who would come upon a helpless baby, would do anything to save it. It's a part of our nature. What is great about this film is watching how each character faces the circumstances he is in and how he reacts to the constantly dangerous scenario of running out of water and being too far from safety in the scorching desert and the sacrifices they have to make with such limitations. The story takes place at Christmas, which makes the three main characters' redemption a religious allegory as they save the child, valuing the promise of an innocent over themselves. Doc's philosophical nature also lends this film to being much more thoughtful than your average western. The mixing of the brutality of the old west, with religion and philosophy give this a heartening feeling. Highly recommended to fans of simple, effective and emotional storytelling.

I stumbled across this movie in the wee hours of the morning and was riveted by the story and acting. Chester Morris whom I had never heard of was excellent as the cold blooded gunman and of course Walter Brennan put in his usual excellent work. I had a hard time believing it was made in 1936 it has aged well in comparison to most westerns made before the fifties. All three main characters were excellent and the story moved at a good pace with a good twist at the end. I would recommend this movie to any fan of westerns and hope to catch it again so I can tape it................9 out of 10. I hope I can find this on a decent DVD print as it would be a most welcome addition to any western fans collection.

This is the best of the 3 sound versions. There is another version called Hells Heroes with Charles Bickford, Raymond Hatten and Fred Kohler. Tough movie like the Chester Morris version. I thought that the popular John Wayne version was weak after watching the first two movies

Three desperados on the run after a deadly bank robbery stumble across a dying women and her baby left alone in the desert when her husband wandered off in a futile attempt to find water. This is the second sound version of Peter B. Kyne's tale quasi-biblical fable of infants and salvation in the cruel (and beautifully filmed) desert. Unlike the bare-bones 1929 version, this retelling opens with a lengthy and somewhat uninteresting preamble about tough-guy Bob Sangster (Chester Morris) returning to the town of New Jerusalem before the murderous robber unites with his crew to rob the local bank. The titular three are well portrayed but are somewhat clichéd (Sangster is in classic bad-guy head-to-toe black), Doc (Lewis Stone, who is very good in the role) is an erudite scholar from out East 'gone bad', and Gus (Walter Brennan) is a borderline comic sidekick (Brennen also very good)). Like the 1929 version, this telling is more bleak and powerful than the somewhat softened and sentimental John Wayne version (1948), but it has much more of a 'Hollywood Western' look than the gritty vérité of the earlier version. That said, they are all good and if you want to spend some Christmas time in a desert far from Bethlehem, with three men bearing Colts, not gifts, and an infant who can lead to salvation if not first bitten by a Gila monster, you can't go wrong with any version of Kyne's hot and dusty parable (sadly, the silent versions starring Harry Carey are lost).

This is the best version of this film. Very clever, great acting and some of the dialogue is rather funny and surprising for the 1930's. One of the few movies that I like to see more than once. It's poignant and, in some ways, very endearing. It's a shame that I haven't seen Chester Morris in any other film. Watching it, it's hard to believe that it is such an old movie. The desert setting is obviously real and makes the situation that these men are in very believable. I also appreciate that I didn't see any questionable treatment of the horses, even when this was way before the disclaimer now at the end of movies about no animals being harmed.

Thank you to the MOVIES TV Net for resurrecting this outstanding western slash drama, long in the shadow of the famous John Wayne film (of the same title). This got air play years ago on tv, then disappeared, due to countless film tributes to Wayne.

The 1936 version is more poignant, a la director Richard Boleslawski, his cup o' tea. Tall, dark and handsome 30s movie idol Chester Morris is the whole show. Usually Morris was cast in more romantic or detective features, even compared to comic strip hero DICK TRACY (later starring as BOSTON BLACKIE in the 40s), nevertheless he makes the most of his screen time, the part of a two fisted bank robber.

He and partners Lewis Stone and Walter Brennan hold up a desert town bank, only to confront a dying woman and her baby. She passes and the kid is all theirs -- in the middle of nowhere, requiring a trip back to the town they just ravaged? Outstanding on location work at Red Rock Canyon, California, bordering the treacherous Mojave desert, of all places. Boleslawski directed this masterfully for MGM and got just what he wanted from the stars.

Irene Hervey co-stars as Molly (with an eye for Morris, naturally), and look for pre-Charlie Chan Sidney Toler as the professor.

The ending will stay with you. A must see for Morris fans. Boleslawski next directed the comedy classic THEODORA GOES WILD with Irene Dunne. Remastered on dvd, and rightly so.