Three Godfathers (1936) Synopsis

Just before Christmas in the late nineteenth century, Bob Sangster, a cynical renegade, returns to his home town of New Jerusalem to rob the local bank. Accompanying Bob are James "Doc" Underwood, a tubercular outcast with the soul of a philosopher, Sam "Gus" Bartow, an illiterate drifter, and Pedro, a troubadour. In town, Bob meets Molly, with whom he was once in love, but who now is engaged to banker Frank Benson. Bob offers Molly his mother's watch as a wedding present, but when he accuses her of marrying Frank to forget him, Molly, who had thought that she still loved Bob, angrily returns the watch. Bob then trades the watch for drinks at the bar, but tricks the bartender into returning it by telling him that it was his dead mother's legacy. The next morning, while the townsfolk are busy at a pie sale to raise money for charity, the four outlaws rob the bank. A group of armed citizens pursue them into the desert, and in the exchange of gun fire, Pedro is killed and Doc wounded. In the inferno of the desert, the three come upon a poisoned water hole. On their way to the next water hole, they find the body of a man, and at the now dried-up water hole, they find a half-dead woman and her infant son. The woman, Mrs. George Marshall, tells them that her husband had gone to search for water. Taking pity on the woman, Doc tells her that her husband reached New Jerusalem and sent them to help her. With her dying breath, she begs them to care for her child, but Bob refuses to travel with the baby and resolves to make the eighty-eight mile trek to the next water hole by himself. The next morning, the they discover that their horses have died in the night from drinking poisoned water. Unable to walk the distance to the next water hole, they decide to turn back to New Jerusalem. After combining the last drops of their water, Bob divides up the last three cans of the baby's milk, but Doc offers to buy back Bob's can with his share of the bank loot. Despite his weakened condition, Doc carries the baby until he collapses and is near death. Gus wants to stay with him, but Doc convinces him to continue on with the infant. After writing wills for himself and Gus, Doc bequeaths Gus one of his books and then shoots himself while reciting the words "out, out, sweet candle" from Macbeth . Gus and Bob then continue their arduous journey back to New Jerusalem when Gus, half mad with heat and thirst, takes Doc's book and wanders off into the desert. Bob awakens from a short nap to find the note that Doc had written for Gus, pleading with Bob take care of the child. Bob ignores Gus's plea, then picks up the money bags and leaves the baby behind, but when he sees a rattle snake slithering toward the infant, he shoots the snake and returns to give the child the last drop of water. Five-and-a-half miles from his destination, Bob collapses, unable to continue, and prays to God to help the baby. Soon after, Bob sees the poisoned water hole and, realizing that the one hour that it will take the poison to kill him will give him enough time to reach New Jerusalem, he drinks heartily. Bob enters town to the strains of the church congregation singing Christmas hymns and staggers into the church, much to the surprise of the townsfolk. After placing the infant in Molly's arms, Bob collapses and dies. The baby grasps Bob's watch in his fist, and when a member of the congregation wonders where Bob stole it, Molly replies that he did not steal it, the watch belonged to his mother.

Just before Christmas in the late nineteenth century, Bob Sangster, a cynical renegade, returns to his home town of New Jerusalem to rob the local bank. Accompanying Bob are James "Doc" Underwood, a tubercular outcast with the soul of a philosopher, Sam "Gus" Bartow, an illiterate drifter, and Pedro, a troubadour. In town, Bob meets Molly, with whom he was once in love, but who now is engaged to banker Frank Benson. Bob offers Molly his mother's watch as a wedding present, but when he accuses her of marrying Frank to forget him, Molly, who had thought that she still loved Bob, angrily returns the watch. Bob then trades the watch for drinks at the bar, but tricks the bartender into returning it by telling him that it was his dead mother's legacy. The next morning, while the townsfolk are busy at a pie sale to raise money for charity, the four outlaws rob the bank. A group of armed citizens pursue them into the desert, and in the exchange of gun fire, Pedro is killed and Doc wounded. In the inferno of the desert, the three come upon a poisoned water hole. On their way to the next water hole, they find the body of a man, and at the now dried-up water hole, they find a half-dead woman and her infant son. The woman, Mrs. George Marshall, tells them that her husband had gone to search for water. Taking pity on the woman, Doc tells her that her husband reached New Jerusalem and sent them to help her. With her dying breath, she begs them to care for her child, but Bob refuses to travel with the baby and resolves to make the eighty-eight mile trek to the next water hole by himself. The next morning, the they discover that their horses have died in the night from drinking poisoned water. Unable to walk the distance to the next water hole, they decide to turn back to New Jerusalem. After combining the last drops of their water, Bob divides up the last three cans of the baby's milk, but Doc offers to buy back Bob's can with his share of the bank loot. Despite his weakened condition, Doc carries the baby until he collapses and is near death. Gus wants to stay with him, but Doc convinces him to continue on with the infant. After writing wills for himself and Gus, Doc bequeaths Gus one of his books and then shoots himself while reciting the words "out, out, sweet candle" from Macbeth . Gus and Bob then continue their arduous journey back to New Jerusalem when Gus, half mad with heat and thirst, takes Doc's book and wanders off into the desert. Bob awakens from a short nap to find the note that Doc had written for Gus, pleading with Bob take care of the child. Bob ignores Gus's plea, then picks up the money bags and leaves the baby behind, but when he sees a rattle snake slithering toward the infant, he shoots the snake and returns to give the child the last drop of water. Five-and-a-half miles from his destination, Bob collapses, unable to continue, and prays to God to help the baby. Soon after, Bob sees the poisoned water hole and, realizing that the one hour that it will take the poison to kill him will give him enough time to reach New Jerusalem, he drinks heartily. Bob enters town to the strains of the church congregation singing Christmas hymns and staggers into the church, much to the surprise of the townsfolk. After placing the infant in Molly's arms, Bob collapses and dies. The baby grasps Bob's watch in his fist, and when a member of the congregation wonders where Bob stole it, Molly replies that he did not steal it, the watch belonged to his mother.

Published Time: 2023-01-07 18:10:18