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3 Godfathers

Play trailer Poster for 3 Godfathers 1948 1h 46m Western Play Trailer Watchlist
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88% Tomatometer 16 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Thieves and rustlers Robert Hightower (John Wayne), Pete Fuerte (Pedro Armendáriz) and the Abilene Kid (Harry Carey Jr.) rob a bank in a small Arizona town. Pursued across the desert by the indefatigable Sheriff Buck Sweet (Ward Bond), the trio lose their horses, suffer injuries, and come across a stranded woman (Mildred Natwick) who is dying while giving birth. Promising to carry the woman's newborn to safety, the repentant criminals struggle to reach the village of New Jerusalem.
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3 Godfathers

Critics Reviews

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Tom Milne Time Out he last reel, with Wayne explicitly identified as the Prodigal Son and a general collapse into mawkishness, might almost have strayed in from another movie. Jun 24, 2006 Full Review Bosley Crowther New York Times There are humor and honest tear-jerking in this visually beautiful film. Rated: 4/5 Mar 25, 2006 Full Review Christopher Lloyd The Film Yap A lesser partnership between the Johns -- Ford and Wayne -- this sentimental Western about three outlaws and a baby stresses the theme of civilization vs. chaos, faith/order vs. the law of the gun. Rated: 3.5/5 Mar 31, 2025 Full Review Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies Ford and cinematographer Hoch beautifully capture 3 Godfather's Western scenery in Technicolor. Rated: 3.5/5 Apr 18, 2024 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Comic antics ensue -- think Three Men and a Baby with saddle sores instead of Tom Selleck -- but the film eventually turns grim. Rated: 3/4 Apr 10, 2024 Full Review Patrick McDonald HollywoodChicago.com Two Western film icons at their peak ... director John Ford and John Wayne ... deliver both a cowpoke picture and a metaphoric Christmas story in classic MGM studio fashion. Glorious on-location Technicolor and the Duke at his Duke-est. Pat&Ken Holiday! Rated: 4/4 Dec 13, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Alec B Ford leans into the sentimentality a bit too much here but it is compelling for stretches, especially in those sequences where the characters desperately wander the desert. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/20/24 Full Review Audience Member Funny and original; LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member Ford leans into the sentimentality a bit too much here but it is compelling for stretches, especially in those sequences where the characters desperately wander the desert. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member In an entertaining drama/melodrama, John Wayne plays the lead in a cinematographically beautiful film directed by John Ford. It's a Western retelling of the Christmas Story, where three run-away bank robbers take the place of the three wise men. Pretty soon hunted by a relentless band of lawmen, they are saddled with responsibility for saving the life of an infant boy, as they try to escape across the desert. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review deke p Never heard of until saw (most) on late nite TV, dec 2019. Very different. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Without a doubt this is the best John Ford movie I have seen. John Wayne, Harry Carey Jr, and Pedro Armendariz put on an excellent preformance as the likable, admirable bank robbers that take responsibility of a newborn. There are no fake backgrounds in this movie; the beautiful scenery supports the gradual increase of meaningful scenarios throughout the emotion filled plot line. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews
3 Godfathers

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Cast & Crew

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John Ford

Director

John Wayne

Robert Marmaduke Hightower

Pedro Armendáriz

Pedro 'Pete' Roca Fuerte

Harry Carey Jr.

William Kearney

Ward Bond

Perley "Buck" Sweet

Mildred Natwick

The Mother

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3 Godfathers

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Movie Info

Synopsis Thieves and rustlers Robert Hightower (John Wayne), Pete Fuerte (Pedro Armendáriz) and the Abilene Kid (Harry Carey Jr.) rob a bank in a small Arizona town. Pursued across the desert by the indefatigable Sheriff Buck Sweet (Ward Bond), the trio lose their horses, suffer injuries, and come across a stranded woman (Mildred Natwick) who is dying while giving birth. Promising to carry the woman's newborn to safety, the repentant criminals struggle to reach the village of New Jerusalem.
Director
John Ford
Producer
John Ford, Merian C. Cooper
Screenwriter
Laurence Stallings, Frank S. Nugent
Production Co
Argosy Productions Corporation
Genre
Western
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 25, 1948, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 1, 2009
Runtime
1h 46m
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