Preston Foster is Tom Denton, Jim Davis his brother Fred, and they’re riding as deputies under Pete Coleman, marshal in Fort Grant, Texas.
Then telegraph operator Laura Brock, Tom’s fiancee, gets news that their younger brother, Matt (Kim Spalding), has been arrested in California.
He’s accused of being involved in a train robbery, though he was also in Fort Grant working as a deputy when that robbery occurred.
Knowing the overzealous nature of railroad detective Ed Larkin, Tom and Fred head to California to set the record straight.
But they arrive to find Matt already on the gallows, about to hang.
They rescue him, of course, but Fred kills a guard in the process.
Now all three brothers — the three desperate men — find themselves on the run from the law and being blamed for an assortment of crimes they had no part in.
They wind up being joined by Bill Devlin, a small-time crook who suggests they might as well capitalize on their infamy by staging a holdup or two.
Tom balks at first, but then agrees, hoping to raise enough money for a fresh start for Laura and himself.
Their outlaw journey will eventually lead back to their hometown of Big Springs and an attempt to hold up a bank and an express office at the same time.
Preston Foster as Tom Denton after rescuing younger brother Matt from a hangman’s noose in Three Desperate Men (1951)
Jim Davis as Fred Denton, explaining why he had to kill a guard in Three Desperate Men (1951)
Review:
A fast-paced B Western that benefits from the presence of Western veteran Preston Foster and Jim Davis, who would become one.
The brothers are lawful men, but getting frustrated because being lawful doesn’t seem to pay. In fact, Preston’s fiancee has to pawn her ring to help pay for their trip to California.
So they see themselves as forced into a lawless life, though the folks back home don’t see it that same way.
Laura breaks off her engagement with Tom because she doesn’t want to spend her life hiding from the law.
And the brother’s mother refuses to allow them into her home when they return at the end of the film because of their misdeeds.
Kim Spalding, aka Ross Latimer, as Matt Denton, the brother who needs a rescue in Three Desperate Men (1951)
Monte Blue as Marshal Pete Coleman with Laura Brock (Virginia Grey) in Three Desperate Men (1951)
Directed by:
Sam Newfield
Cast:
Preston Foster … Tom Denton
Jim Davis … Fred Denton
Virginia Grey … Laura Brock
Kim Spalding … Matt Denton
as Ross Latimer
William Haade … Bill Devlin
Monte Blue … Marshal Pete Coleman
Sid Melton … Connors
Rory Mallinson … Ed Larkin
John Brown … Fairwether
Margaret Seddon … Mrs. Denton
House Peters Jr. … Dick Cable
Anthony Jochim … Farmer
Runtime: 71 min.
Virginia Grey as Laura Brock, sharing news of the Dentons younger brother in Three Desperate Men (1951)
William Haade as Bill Devlin, encouraging the Dentons to turn outlaw in Three Desperate Men (1951)
Memorable lines:
Tom Denton to Marshal Pete Coleman: “Seems like all three of us are on the unprofitable part of the law.”
Ma Denton: “Tom, your arm.”
Tom Denton: “Ah, it’s just a little nick.”
Laura Brock: “Tom, are you sure?”
Tom: “I oughta know. I’ve stopped a few of ’em (bullets).”
Laura: “If I had any sense, I’d marry a man who knew how to keep out of their way.”
Tom Denton to Ed Larkin, arriving in California to discover his brother has already been convicted: “Your justice is a lot faster than your railroad.”
Rory Mallinson as Ed Larkin, ready for a showdown with the Dentons in Three Desperate Men (1951)
Margaret Seddon as Mrs. Denton with Virginia Grey as Laura Brock in Three Desperate Men (1951)
Jim Davis as Fred Denton, Preston Foster as Tom Denton and Kim Spalding as Matt Denton in Three Desperate Men (1951)
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