TCMfan23 Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 It was the first time I seen John Wayne cry in a movie. I remember there was a earlier version with Lewis Stone (Judge Hardy). Never seen it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicalnovelty Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 > {quote:title=TCMfan23 wrote: > }{quote}It was the first time I seen John Wayne cry in a movie. I remember there was a earlier version with Lewis Stone (Judge Hardy). Never seen it. The one made in 1936 starred, in addition to Lewis Stone: Chester Morris and Walter Brennan. Another sound version of the story that you may also see on TCM is HELL'S HEROES (1929) starring Charles Bickford, Raymond Hatton and Fred Kohler. Both of those versions are also good and well worth checking out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clore Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 There are at least six previous versions: *Broncho Billy and the Baby* (1915) *The Three Godfathers* (1916, with Harry Carey) *Marked Men* (1919 - John Ford, with Harry Carey) *Action* (1921 - John Ford, with Hoot Gibson) *Hell's Heroes* (copyright in credits:1930, some sources cite it as a 1929 film, William Wyler) *Three Godfathers* (1936, with Chester Morris, Walter Brennan and Lewis Stone) The John Wayne version is titled as *3 Godfathers*, thus none of the cinema adaptations actually repeated the title letter-for-letter. The 1970s TV version is called *The Godchild*. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamradio Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 ...deleted... I thought you were referring to the other "Godfather" (mob) type of movies. My mistake. Edited by: hamradio on Sep 6, 2012 11:17 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaytonf Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 The 1936 Three Godfathers, directed by Richard Boleslawski, is by far the best. Chester Morris creates about the most despicable character in any movie. Hell's Heros, directed by William Wyler is a close second. Too bad you wasted your time on Ford's version. A waste of a lot of good talent and film stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clore Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 > {quote:title=slaytonf wrote:}{quote} > > The 1936 Three Godfathers, directed by Richard Boleslawski, is by far the best. Chester Morris creates about the most despicable character in any movie. Hell's Heros, directed by William Wyler is a close second. Too bad you wasted your time on Ford's version. A waste of a lot of good talent and film stock. "By far the best..." "A close second" I'm all confused about that, although I do rate the two quite closely. I prefer the opening scenes to Wyler's film, some pre-Code lustiness in the bar scene that they couldn't do later. Either makes Ford's overly sentimental version rank far behind except for the fine cinematography. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaytonf Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 OK, how about: ". . . .definitely the best" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clore Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 I wasn't debating your choice, just the words that got you there. I just bought the DVD set with the two versions and it is weird. I can watch one or the other and until I see the other one, the last one seen is my favorite. "I wouldn't want to have to live on the difference" as John T. Chance says in RIO BRAVO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepiatone Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 The only other version I saw was *Hell's Heroes* with Bickford. I too, thought it better than Wayne's version, AND more depressing. That's a large part of it's charm, actually. Wouldn't mind seeing all the others. Sepiatone Aside: I don't know about any of you, but to ME, as Harry Carey Jr. got older, he looked more like BICKFORD'S son than Carey Sr.'s. Some of you clever pic posters might try a "side-by-side" display and get some other's opinions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
movieman1957 Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 You're right. Young Harry is a very handsome boyish kid. Old Harry turned into a grizzled rugged looking man almost over night. I think it was somewhere around 1963 or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
infinite1 Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 > {quote:title=clore wrote:}{quote}There are at least six previous versions: > > *Broncho Billy and the Baby* (1915) > *The Three Godfathers* (1916, with Harry Carey) > *Marked Men* (1919 - John Ford, with Harry Carey) > *Action* (1921 - John Ford, with Hoot Gibson) > *Hell's Heroes* (copyright in credits:1930, some sources cite it as a 1929 film, William Wyler) > *Three Godfathers* (1936, with Chester Morris, Walter Brennan and Lewis Stone) > > > The John Wayne version is titled as *3 Godfathers*, thus none of the cinema adaptations actually repeated the title letter-for-letter. > > > The 1970s TV version is called *The Godchild*. > Clore, Would you consider the JOHN FORD film 3 BAD MEN (1926) to be a different take on the Three Godfathers idea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clore Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 Would you consider the JOHN FORD film 3 BAD MEN (1926) to be a different take on the Three Godfathers idea? I wouldn't, only because the credits don't acknowledge the Peter Kyne original story. I have one very old book on silent films that refers to it as "Ford's original version" but I tend to think that was just sloppy research or a misguided conjecture based on the similar title. It's a great film, perhaps my favorite of the silent Fords. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicalnovelty Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 The 1929 version (HELL'S HEROES) is scheduled to be shown next on TCM on Dec. 23. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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