The Godchild (1974)

Jack Palance plays Rourke, one of three Union soldiers who escape the POW camp at Fort Jebbins, rob a bank, and take off into the desert.

In a desperate search for water, they come across a dry well and an abandoned woman about to give birth.

They deliver the baby, but the mother dies after proclaiming Rourke, Crees (Ed Lauter) and Sanchez (Jose Perez) his godfathers.

Out of water, left on foot because their horses have died, they face the difficult decision of what to do next.

And whether they should keep their promise to that dying mother.

After all, Lt. Lewis (Keith Carradine), one of the Confederate commanders from the POW camp, is on their trail.

And, judging from the signs on the horizon, there are Apaches in the area too.

Review:

If the plot sounds familiar, it should. This is basically a remake of John Ford’s “Three Godfathers,” the 1948 film starring John Wayne.

And the film had been made three times before that, with silent versions coming out in 1916 and 1929 (as “Hell’s Heroes”) and a first sound version in 1936.

Begging the question, did we really need another version of this film? Especially one with Jack Palace in the lead role?

Watch, and you’ll likely decide the answer is “no,” though there are enough variations here to keep things at least a bit interesting.

That said, the attempts to inject humor into the film — mostly via Sgt. Dobbs’ two companions, Loftus and Crawley — fall flat.

Directed by:
John Badham

Cast:
Jack Palance … Ethan Rourke
Jack Warden … Sgt. Dodds
Keith Carradine … Lt. Lewis
Ed Lauter … Vermont Crees
Jose Perez … Don Miguel Cortez Sanchez
Bill McKinney … Cpl. Crawley
Jesse Vint … Loftus
Fionnula Flanagan … Ginny
John Quade … Denton
Neil Brooks Cunningham … William
as SImon Deckard
Ed Bakey … Shaw
Kermit Murdock … Nathaniel Mony

Runtime: 78 min.

Memorable lines:

Crees, entering with Rourke to rob it: “This is gonna be easier than stompin’ crickets.”

Crees, when they find a pregnant woman alone: “Now ain’t this a basket of fish hooks?”

Rebel soldier, of do-it-by-the-book officers: “I think I know where they get them now.”
Second rebel soldier: “Where?”
First soldier: “The tooth fairy brings them.”

Rebel soldier, of Texas after a dust storm: “That’s why it’s terrible hard to put a price on real estate ’round here, lieutenant. It’s always movin’ around.”