3 Bad Men (1926)

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Herman Whitaker (novel)
John Stone (adaptation) ...

Release Date:

28 August 1926 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Western

Plot:

Three outlaws come to the aid of a young girl after her father is killed.

Plot Keywords:

Outlaw | Male Female Relationship | Horse Thief | Chase | Revenge

Cast

George O'Brien	...	Dan O'Malley
Olive Borden	...	Lee Carlton
Lou Tellegen	...	Sheriff Layne Hunter
Tom Santschi	...	'Bull' Stanley
J. Farrell MacDonald	...	Mike Costigan
Frank Campeau	...	'Spade' Allen
Priscilla Bonner	...	Millie Stanley
Otis Harlan	...	Editor Zach Little
Phyllis Haver	...	Lily (prairie beauty)
Georgie Harris	...	Joe Minsk
Alec B. Francis	...	Rev. Calvin Benson (as Alec Francis)
Jay Hunt	...	Nat Lucas (old prospector)

Also Known As:

Three Bad Men (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

92 min | Spain:95 min | USA:122 min

Country:

USA

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Spain:T | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA

Company:

Fox Film Corporation

Quotes:

[title card]
Title Card: Mike Costigan and 'Spade' Allen weren't exactly thieves - but they had a habit of finding horses that nobody had lost

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Omnibus: John Ford: Part One" (1992)

An early John Ford gem

I like George O'Brien and when I saw the opportunity to own an early silent he made I took it and it was worth it, although, while he is the named star, he has a relatively small role in it and the movie really belongs to Tom Santschi who plays Bull, he is exceptional in his role. I'm not a huge fan of westerns, but, I enjoy all of John Ford's as he approaches his movies with a love of the West as it was being settled rather than the "Cowboys 'n' Injuns" take on things. This is the story of a girl who loses her father and is taken under the wing of the three bad men in the title, not that they are really all bad, just a bit naughty really. The real bad guy is the Sheriff who is really creepy. I don't like to give long detailed synopsises of movies, if I think a movie is good I just like to let people know that it is worth seeing and this one is. The Land rush sequence is particularly impressive and there is some very good humour, the inter titling is very well thought out. The acting is very good by all. The only downer is the quality of the available print, mine was a video from the Killiam collection and could do with a little TLC to restore it to it's former glory. This movie has absolutely everything and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It's about time more money was put into the restoration and cleaning up of the silents that were not lost or destroyed, it's a crying shame when you see movies like this and many others that end up forgotten and unloved through neglect.