By Frank Miller
Three Sons O'Guns
Brief Synopsis
Three reckless brothers dodge the draft then sign up and become men.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Ben Stoloff
Director
Wayne Morris
Charley Patterson
Marjorie Rambeau
Aunt Lottie
Irene Rich
Margaret Patterson
Tom Brown
Eddie [Patterson]
William T. Orr
Kenneth [Patterson]
Film Details
Genre
Comedy
Release Date
Aug
2,
1941
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 5m
Film Length
5,867ft
Synopsis
After their father dies, Margaret Patterson's three sons, Charley, Kenneth and Eddie, vow to take care of their mother, but years later, it is Margaret who is caring for them. The family has many debts, but to the disgust of Aunt Lottie, their house guest for the past ten years, the boys do very little to earn money. Charley, an aspiring trumpet player, loses his job after practicing his instrument in the company washroom. Kenneth, who dreams of being an actor, refuses to accept any other job, and Eddie, the youngest, is always fooling around. After Eddie tosses a wastebasket from a WPA office and strikes a passerby, he is served with a summons. Eddie then convinces Buffalo Bill Oxenstern, the process server, that he can turn him into a heavyweight boxing champion and offers to put him up at the Patterson house. A desperate Margaret begs Philip Talbot, a former romantic interest, to give Charley a job, but Charley turns down the offer. Later, Kenneth insults his neighbor, Mary Tyler, who is in love with him. Then, during a dinner to which Margaret has invited Philip, Kenneth drags home some disreputable fellow actors, while Lottie "entertains" everyone with stories of her operations, and Buffalo lets the bathtub overflow, causing the ceiling to collapse on top of Philip. When Charley realizes that Philip was responsible for the job offer, he angrily orders him to leave the house. In spite of the terrible evening, Philip asks Margaret to marry him and move to California. Margaret accepts but is worried about the effect her marriage will have on her sons, and when they object to it, she agrees to drop her plans. After the boys receive their draft notices, they immediately try for deferments. Intending to be declared the sole support of his family, Charley finally accepts Philip's job offer. Kenneth, meanwhile, begs Mary to marry him, and when she refuses to elope, runs off with older showgirl Francie. Eddie tries hard to convince everyone that his eyes are bad. Finally Margaret has had enough. After scolding her sons, she announces that she is leaving the family to go to California with Philip. Lottie is thrilled by the news, but soon, Charley's trumpet playing interferes with his job, and he is fired. Then Kenneth learns that his marriage is invalid because Francie is not legally divorced from her previous husband. When Margaret hears that her sons are being drafted, she begs Philip to intervene, but Lottie reaches the draft board before them, denounces her lazy nephews and makes sure that they are all declared eligible. Philip takes Margaret to city hall but rather than talk to the draft board, he gets a marriage license. The Patterson boys are all drafted, but the army turns out to be the best thing that ever happened to them. Charley becomes the company bugler; Eddie signs up for an additional year; and Kenneth, who is learning to be a radio technician, again asks Mary to marry him. Mary agrees, on the condition that they do not elope.
Director
Ben Stoloff
Director
Cast
Wayne Morris
Charley Patterson
Marjorie Rambeau
Aunt Lottie
Irene Rich
Margaret Patterson
Tom Brown
Eddie [Patterson]
William T. Orr
Kenneth [Patterson]
Susan Peters
Mary Tyler
Moroni Olsen
Philip Talbot
Barbara Pepper
Francie
John Kelly
Buffalo Bill Oxenstern
Fritz Feld
Blotievkin
Charles D. Waldron
Henry Gresham
Charles Halton
Haddock
Florence Shirley
Mrs. Tyler
William Davidson
Baxter
Frank M. Thomas
Reynolds
Harry Harvey Jr.
Eddie, 10 years
Ken O'dell
Kenneth, 12 years
Peter Kale
Charley, 13 years
Bernice Pilot
Maid
Ed Gargan
Milkman
George Chandler
Cleaner
Emory Parnell
Delivery man
Lucia Carroll
Receptionist
Wedgwood Nowell
Businessman
Richard Kipling
Businessman
Tom Wilson
Expressman
Garrett Craig
Randy
Sidney Bracy
Trouper
Leo White
Trouper
Henry Guttman
Actor
Alexis Smith
Actress
Herbert Anderson
Michael
Edgar Dearing
Policeman
Tom Dugan
Mover
Dick Rich
Mover
Ralph Sanford
Mover
Frank Mayo
Mover
Sol Gorss
Mover
Selmer Jackson
Draft board chairman
Jack Mower
Draft board member
Alexander Leftwich
Draft board member
Howard Mitchell
Draft board member
Crew
Film Details
Genre
Comedy
Release Date
Aug
2,
1941
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 5m
Film Length
5,867ft
Articles
Three Sons O'Guns -
Motherhood takes it on the chin in this family comedy from Warner Bros. that served as an early showcase for some rising stars while also giving veteran character actress Marjorie Rambeau a chance to steal scenes effortlessly. Silent star Irene Rich is a widow raising three sons who turn out to be massive disappointments. None of them can hold down a job or sustain a relationship, but when Rich has the chance for happiness with a wealthy suitor, they all object for fear she won't be there to take care of them. When each tries to lie his way out of the draft, Rich's aunt, Rambeau, decides to take matters into her own hands. The sons are an interesting trio. The eldest, an aspiring trumpet player, is played by Warner's juvenile Wayne Morris, who would become a decorated hero during World War II. Tom Brown, the youngest, had been a child star, most notably as Anne Shirley's rival in Anne of the Green Gables (1934). The middle son, aspiring actor Kenneth, was played by William T. Orr, who would give up his acting career to move into production after marrying studio head Jack L. Warner's stepdaughter. As the neighbor who loves Kenneth, Warner's showcased young Susan Peters, who would soon fly the coop for MGM, where she would be marked for stardom before a hunting accident cost her the use of her legs.
By Frank Miller
By Frank Miller
Three Sons O'Guns -
Motherhood takes it on the chin in this family comedy from Warner Bros. that served as an early showcase for some rising stars while also giving veteran character actress Marjorie Rambeau a chance to steal scenes effortlessly. Silent star Irene Rich is a widow raising three sons who turn out to be massive disappointments. None of them can hold down a job or sustain a relationship, but when Rich has the chance for happiness with a wealthy suitor, they all object for fear she won't be there to take care of them. When each tries to lie his way out of the draft, Rich's aunt, Rambeau, decides to take matters into her own hands. The sons are an interesting trio. The eldest, an aspiring trumpet player, is played by Warner's juvenile Wayne Morris, who would become a decorated hero during World War II. Tom Brown, the youngest, had been a child star, most notably as Anne Shirley's rival in Anne of the Green Gables (1934). The middle son, aspiring actor Kenneth, was played by William T. Orr, who would give up his acting career to move into production after marrying studio head Jack L. Warner's stepdaughter. As the neighbor who loves Kenneth, Warner's showcased young Susan Peters, who would soon fly the coop for MGM, where she would be marked for stardom before a hunting accident cost her the use of her legs.
By Frank Miller
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Opening credits for Wayne Morris, William T. Orr and Tom Brown are run over baby pictures.
