3 Godfathers (1948)

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Laurence Stallings (screenplay) and
Frank S. Nugent (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

1 December 1948 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Western

Tagline:

John Ford's Legend of the Southwest!

Plot:

Three outlaws on the run discover a dying woman and her baby. They swear to bring the infant to safety across the desert...

Plot Keywords:

Desert | Baby | Moral Transformation | Death Of Title Character | Prison

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Dec. 4	1:00 AM	TCM
Sat. Dec. 12	1:15 PM	TCM

Cast

John Wayne	...	Robert Marmaduke Hightower
Pedro Armendáriz	...	Pedro 'Pete' Roca Fuerte (as Pedro Armendariz)
Harry Carey Jr.	...	William Kearney ('The Abilene Kid')
Ward Bond	...	Perley 'Buck' Sweet
Mae Marsh	...	Mrs. Perley Sweet
Mildred Natwick	...	The Mother
Jane Darwell	...	Miss Florie
Guy Kibbee	...	Judge
Dorothy Ford	...	Ruby Latham
Ben Johnson	...	Posse man #1
Charles Halton	...	Oliver Latham
Hank Worden	...	Deputy Curly
Jack Pennick	...	Luke (the conductor)
Fred Libby	...	Deputy
Michael Dugan	...	Posse man #2
Don Summers	...	Posse man #3
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gertrude Astor	...	Townswoman (uncredited)
Ruth Clifford	...	Woman in bar (uncredited)
Jack Curtis	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Francis Ford	...	Drunken oldtimer at bar (uncredited)
Richard Hageman	...	Saloon pianist (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	...	Guard at Mojave Tanks (uncredited)
Eva Novak	...	Townswoman (uncredited)
Harry Tenbrook	...	Bartender #2 (uncredited)
Amelia Yelda	...	Robert William Pedro Hightower (the Baby) (uncredited)

Directed by
John Ford

Writing credits
Laurence Stallings		(screenplay) and
Frank S. Nugent		(screenplay)
Peter B. Kyne		(story)

Produced by
Merian C. Cooper	....	producer (uncredited)
John Ford	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Richard Hageman

Cinematography by
Winton C. Hoch		(as Winton Hoch)

Film Editing by
Jack Murray

Art Direction by
James Basevi

Set Decoration by
Joseph Kish		(as Joe Kish)

Makeup Department
Don L. Cash	....	makeup artist (as Don Cash)
Anna Malin	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Lowell J. Farrell	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Edward O'Fearna	....	assistant director
Wingate Smith	....	assistant director

Art Department
Jack Colconda	....	properties (as Jack Golconda)

Sound Department
Joseph I. Kane	....	sound
Patrick Kelley	....	sound effects
Frank Moran	....	sound

Special Effects by
Jack Caffee	....	special effects

Stunts
Michael Dugan	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bryan 'Slim' Hightower	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ben Johnson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	....	stunts (uncredited)
Frank McGrath	....	stunt double: Pedro Armendariz (uncredited)
Jack Montgomery	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Williams	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Charles P. Boyle	....	photography: second unit (as Charles Boyle)
Edward Fitzgerald	....	camera operator: second unit (uncredited)
Harvey Gould	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Tommy Griffin	....	grip (uncredited)
Alexander Kahle	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
D.R.O. Hatswell	....	costume researcher
Michael Meyers	....	wardrobe: men
Ann Peck	....	wardrobe: women

Music Department
Lucien Cailliet	....	conductor
Lucien Cailliet	....	music arranger

Other crew
Merian C. Cooper	....	presenter
Lowell J. Farrell	....	assistant to director (as Lowell Farrell)
John Ford	....	presenter
Natalie Kalmus	....	technicolor color director
Morgan Padelford	....	associate technicolor color director
Sid Davis	....	stand-in: John Wayne (uncredited)
Stan Jones	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Pat Kelly	....	script supervisor (uncredited)
Meta Stern	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Argosy Pictures (as Argosy Pictures Corporation)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1948) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1962) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1956) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Gold Western (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Wonder Multimídia (2002) (Brazil) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Three Godfathers (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | West Germany:12 (f) (original rating) | West Germany:o.Al. (re-rating) | Germany:6 | USA:Approved (certificate #13312) | Canada:14A (video rating) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Finland:S | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:U (video rating) (1995)

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company:

Argosy Pictures

Trivia:

John Wayne was badly sun burnt while filming 3 Godfathers (1948) and was briefly hospitalized.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the chase scenes after the bank robbery, the shadows change location repeatedly, indicating the scenes were shot at different times of the day.

Quotes:

Pedro "Pete' Roca Fuerte: [dying] Hey, Bob... I just remembered what tomorrow is. Feliz Navidad.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Tokyo Godfathers (2003)

Soundtrack:

Streets of Laredo

Sentimental western with religious overtones

While this movie probably doesn't compare with John Ford's acknowledged classics, it is an accomplished piece of work that, at least, tops the second-tier of Ford's output.

The simple story draws heavily on religious themes – far too heavily at times; the heavy-handed symbolism and references occasionally intrude on the plot, slowing its pace and distracting from the storyline.

John Wayne, Pedro Armendariz, and Harry Carey Jr. work well together as the three outlaws who promise to look after the new-born baby of a dying pregnant woman they stumble upon in the desert while on the run from sheriff Ward Bond. Now, a giant pinch of salt needs to be taken at this point, because any viewer over the age of 12 will know that the last thing a group of desperadoes are going to saddle themselves with when on the run in the desert is a new-born infant. In fact, the main trio are just too nice to be outlaws for my liking – God-fearing, family-loving folk who just don't ring true as cattle rustlers and bank robbers. Considering the Hays code dictated that they would all have to pay the price for their early crimes by the time the end credits roll, the film could have been given a lot more punch if the three of them had been a little bit meaner at the outset, thereby making their eventual redemption all the more powerful.

The location photography, as you would expect from a Ford western, is often stunning as we follow the increasingly desperate bandits through the Arizona desert as they head for the town of New Jerusalem.

Small, almost insignificant moments from this movie linger in the mind: John Wayne shielding Harry Carey Jr's face from the sun with his hat; Armendariz timidly approaching the abandoned stagecoach in which Mildred Natwick is about to give birth; the dripping tap of a water tank in the middle of the desert (you can just feel the outlaw's desperate thirst and disappointment as they watch that tap, knowing there is no way they can get at it). Wayne's scenes as he struggles against exhaustion with the baby in his arms are also powerful.

I think this movie deserves a better reputation than it currently enjoys; it is sentimental – but only in the final five minutes, as far as I'm concerned. In fact, my only criticism would be the movie's finale: too pat, and unbelievable. That said, I highly recommend this movie.