That was an excellent one.

Better Late Then Never

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

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.

The 1936 version of "The Three Godfathers" may be compared to the 1948 remake in somewhat the same manner as the 1940 "Love Affair" is often compared to the 1957 "An Affair To Remember". A black and white classic is remade in Technicolor with the advantage of advanced technology. Here the comparisons part company. The director of the original film gave way to a much more noted director and the lead role gave way to a much bigger box office draw. The biggest divergence came with the climax. This 1936 version opted to remain faithful to the author. The later version appeared to succumb to preview popularity.When one mentions the name Chester Morris, most old timers will respond with 'Boston Blackie'. But with this role and his subsequent appearance in the classic "Five Came Back", he has managed to edge into the book of classics.Lewis Stone and Walter Brennan play wonderfully off of each other although the former seems to have the lion's share of lines.Irene Hervey is the brief love interest. Miss Hervey was known more popularly as Mrs. Allan Jones, the mother of Jack Jones.Sidney Toler appears briefly prior to his succession to the role of Charlie Chan.This film does not have the grittiness of the 1930 "Hell's Heroes" nor the slickness of the 1948 version but because of its tautness and faithfulness to the author's intent, it is a very satisfactory experience. One is left with a feeling of 'all's right with the world'. To fully appreciate P.B. Kyne's novella, watch this version before the 1948 version and also the 1930 version('Hell's Heroes') if you can catch it.

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.

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.