Remember that adorable movie where John Wayne takes care of a baby in the middle of the desert? Did you know that the 1948 Three Godfathers is a remake? Did you know that the 1936 version is also a remake? Just how many versions are there? Three Godfathers has been filmed in 1916, 1919, 1930, 1936, and 1948. This has got to be an incredible story for Hollywood to keep remaking it.
Like A Star Is Born, which has also received far too many Hollywood remakes, Three Godfathers is a very simple story. Three outlaws find a dying mother with a newborn baby in the desert, and their humanity appears as they care for the child. Each version has its own take on the characters, and some use certain aspects of the plot that others omit, but it's the same basic principle: even bad guys have hearts.
I saw the 1948 version first, and while I maintain it's the best, I was unprepared that it was the lightest version, as it's quite sad. I found out the hard way that the other versions are even sadder! Depending on how much you like the cast of which version you rent, you might find yourself reaching for the Kleenex box.
In the 1936 version, the three outlaws are Chester Morris, Lewis Stone, and Walter Brennan. The introduction is very long, as the three bank robbers infiltrate a town, stake out the bank, and finally leave in a hail of gunfire. Chester is the evil leader of the group, and dressed all in black, he rattles off poisonous one-liners with every breath. Lew and Walter are the nice ones, and when they finally come across the orphaned baby in the desert, they want to take care of it. Chester suggests putting the kid out of his misery, and Lew is forced to buy the baby's share of drinking water with his share of the bank loot. Throughout the entire movie, Chester is an irredeemable villain who hates the baby. It's really impossible to like him. Lew is clearly the nice one, but his elegance is a bit of out of place in the desert. Walter is lovably dumb, but if you think you might get attached to either one of them, you might not want to rent this version. Or you can go ahead, but bring your Kleenexes. And also make allowances for a very old movie that feels like it might have been the first talking picture. This doesn't feel like it was made the same year as The Charge of the Light Brigade or San Francisco.
Like A Star Is Born, which has also received far too many Hollywood remakes, Three Godfathers is a very simple story. Three outlaws find a dying mother with a newborn baby in the desert, and their humanity appears as they care for the child. Each version has its own take on the characters, and some use certain aspects of the plot that others omit, but it's the same basic principle: even bad guys have hearts.
I saw the 1948 version first, and while I maintain it's the best, I was unprepared that it was the lightest version, as it's quite sad. I found out the hard way that the other versions are even sadder! Depending on how much you like the cast of which version you rent, you might find yourself reaching for the Kleenex box.
In the 1936 version, the three outlaws are Chester Morris, Lewis Stone, and Walter Brennan. The introduction is very long, as the three bank robbers infiltrate a town, stake out the bank, and finally leave in a hail of gunfire. Chester is the evil leader of the group, and dressed all in black, he rattles off poisonous one-liners with every breath. Lew and Walter are the nice ones, and when they finally come across the orphaned baby in the desert, they want to take care of it. Chester suggests putting the kid out of his misery, and Lew is forced to buy the baby's share of drinking water with his share of the bank loot. Throughout the entire movie, Chester is an irredeemable villain who hates the baby. It's really impossible to like him. Lew is clearly the nice one, but his elegance is a bit of out of place in the desert. Walter is lovably dumb, but if you think you might get attached to either one of them, you might not want to rent this version. Or you can go ahead, but bring your Kleenexes. And also make allowances for a very old movie that feels like it might have been the first talking picture. This doesn't feel like it was made the same year as The Charge of the Light Brigade or San Francisco.