3 Godfathers/Night Passage, a review by Rogmeister
I haven't posted any reviews for a few days so how about a double-feature?
3 GodfathersCast: John Wayne, Pedro Armendariz, Harry Carey Jr., Ward Bond, Mae Marsh, Jane Darwell, Ben Johnson, Mildred Natwick.
Director: John Ford
This was a popular story...it was told at least four times. This version is probably the most popular because it starred John Wayne, was directed by the great John Ford and was the most recent. It deals with three badmen who bungle a bank job in Arizona with one of them being shot in the shoulder during the getaway...but get away they do. While in the desert, they take refuge during a sandstorm, but their horses get lose and are gone the next morning. They soon find a wagon which contains a woman about to give birth. She is in a bad way, however, and soon passes on but not before she names the three men her baby's godfathers. The remainder of the movie deals with their trying to care for the infant and get it to civilization while a lawman and his posse are on their trail.
The movie is dedicated to the late Harry Carey, an old-time western star of his own (Ford used him several times, including a couple movies with Wayne), who had passed away before the film's release. This movie also marks the film debut of his son, Harry Carey Jr. This film has lots of humor as well as action and it contains some incredible color photography. It's not the best-known John Wayne film out there so people should look it up. It was included as one of the movies in the DVD box set The John Wayne-John Ford Movie Collection. It looks great, though its only extra is the original movie trailer. This is a full frame picture because this was originally released in 1948, back in the pre-widescreen era.
Night PassageCast: James Stewart, Audie Murphy, Dan Duryea, Dianne Foster, Elaine Stewart, Brandon De Wilde, Jack Elam, Hugh Beaumont
Director: James Neilson
Music: Dimitri Tiomkin
About a week ago (on cable TV), I got to see Kirk Douglas sing and play the banjo in "Man Without A Star". Now, in "Night Passage", I got to see Jimmy Stewart sing and play the accordian. I guess these were the most expensive singing cowboy pictures ever made. I wonder who else got musical in the big pictures? Did John Wayne ever play the guitar? Did Randolph Scott ever play a fiddle? Somehow, I don't think so...
The accordian actually played a plot point in this movie. It involves Jimmy who, having once worked for the railroad, being offered a job again. An outlaw band has been robbing the train of its payroll for those who are laying the track. It turns out that one of the gang is The Utica Kid (Audie Murphy) who happens to be Stewart's brother. It culminates in a big climactic gunfight. And this is one of the few gunfights I can remember where we actually see the hero reloading. In some movies, you'd swear a pistol might hold 20 bullets. Brandon De Wilde is in this movie...he was the kid in the classic Shane. Other notable supporting polayers include Jack Elam and Paul Fix.
As with 3 Godfathers, the only extra here is the movie trailer. The film is presented in it's original widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35: 1. We have a nice color print and a fine music score by Dimitri Tiomkin.
(From Roger's Ongoing Westerns Marathon on July 2nd, 2009)
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May 22, 2024, 03:16:14 AM
