This is an interesting film, but a bit far-fetched in some ways. You see the title and think it's three gentlemen out on the town, but instead, the three pals are star Marilyn Mills, a dog and a horse. The only actor whose name I recognized was Josef Swickard, who plays her father. He played Rudolph Valentino's father in Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and looks pretty much as he did in that movie. It's set in Kentucky, so you'll see plenty of horses. In fact, the horse pal of hers does take up with the horse of her boyfriend. The dog and horses are just about the smartest animals I've seen in a movie. That's the far-fetched parts. There are some racial stereotypes, but not too many. One thing you'll notice is a very skinny guy who has trouble talking. Marilyn Mills was the producer of this and while she was nice-looking, I noticed that her career didn't last very long. There are some good parts. The print I saw was pristine (I only wish the one for the 1924 German film Waxworks could have been that good. Also, the soundtrack is 1920's music, which I enjoyed. Before it's over, you'll see a horse race and it's well-filmed, so if you do like horses, this film could be for you. I'd also recommend it if you like amazing smart animals. Also, the film does have a happy ending, which to me is a positive for any movie.
3 Reviews
Not Bad; A Dog and Two Horses Equal Three Pals; Plus Marilyn Mills and Even Gary Cooper for a Few Seconds
mmipyle2 June 2024
"Three Pals" (1926) is worth watching just to see 24 year old Gary Cooper appear in three one or two second scenes so early in his career. Sporting a fine looking sporty English get-up in blue blazer and cuffed white linen pants, he's lanky as a plank and towers - absolutely towers - over his fellow actors and actresses, and has a 20s trimmed, movie mustache. Always smiling, he looks nevertheless dumbfounded about what he's doing, and probably because of his height, in his two crowd scenes he's in the rear. My Alpha video DVD says "in his first screen appearance", though in actuality he'd been in over a dozen other silents in uncredited small extra rôles. His rôle here, too, is uncredited. He's listed on the IMDb as "Car Driver Flirting with Betty." Yes, that scene's there, but he's in two future scenes near the end. The picture on the front of the Alpha video shows Gary Cooper(!) letting Marilyn Mills off in front of her home. Watching, you'd barely know he was in the film, and, no, it's definitely NOT about him! Now, about the film...
Two Southern gentleman horsemen from Kentucky (one Major so-in-so and the other Colonel so-in-so) are best friends and next door neighbors (since childhood). Colonel has a daughter and Major has a son: they love each other. Major and the Colonel have an argument. Colonel throws Major off his property - fo' good! "Keep yo' son away fro' my dawwter!" Eventually, through the introduction of one of the Major's factors, who's definitely a shady dark hat mustachioed sort, the Major is killed and the Colonel implicated. Meanwhile, the Colonel's daughter has been sent to France to boarding school for two years. The Colonel's court case drains all his money and his horses - except for two horses, Star and Beverly. Just so you can be prepared: the two horses are the stars of the show, along with a dog whose name I don't remember or who wasn't named. NOW: the ostensible star of the show, Marilyn Mills, whose company, Marilyn Mills Productions, produced the show, comes home after her two year stint in France, and finds her father broke and broken and the horse farm depleted and failing. She DOES see the Major's son again and they proclaim their love again. NOW, it's time to find the genuine murderer. Enter the two horses to do the good deed. I'll leave it at that except to say Marilyn Mills wins the $10,000 stakes win at the major horse race in the last five minutes. Do the dog and horses save the day otherwise? Watch and find out!
Not bad, just a genuine "B". Kiddies will enjoy while with grandma. Dad and Mom are at the grocery store. Who will enjoy it best? Grandma! I ain't Grandma, I'm grandpa, but I snuck out with Granny and went to the movies with her. Oh, yeah, also in the film are Josef Swickard, William H. Turner, Martin Turner, Ralph Emerson, and James McLaughlin. You'll see Lafe McKee in a crowd scene. Not necessarily recommended, but you've seen much, much worse. Just think, this is 1926 and Cooper was fortuitously cast in "The Winning of Barbara Worth" that year. What may be fascinating to some: Martin Turner, a black man who played stereotypical black rôles in very white films for 52 known films until 1942 (not dying until 1957 at age 74) actually is a credulous, well treated employee in the film, called by all "Uncle Luke", and the typical treatment of blacks in films of the period is not seen as much. Interesting because of its Southern setting.
Two Southern gentleman horsemen from Kentucky (one Major so-in-so and the other Colonel so-in-so) are best friends and next door neighbors (since childhood). Colonel has a daughter and Major has a son: they love each other. Major and the Colonel have an argument. Colonel throws Major off his property - fo' good! "Keep yo' son away fro' my dawwter!" Eventually, through the introduction of one of the Major's factors, who's definitely a shady dark hat mustachioed sort, the Major is killed and the Colonel implicated. Meanwhile, the Colonel's daughter has been sent to France to boarding school for two years. The Colonel's court case drains all his money and his horses - except for two horses, Star and Beverly. Just so you can be prepared: the two horses are the stars of the show, along with a dog whose name I don't remember or who wasn't named. NOW: the ostensible star of the show, Marilyn Mills, whose company, Marilyn Mills Productions, produced the show, comes home after her two year stint in France, and finds her father broke and broken and the horse farm depleted and failing. She DOES see the Major's son again and they proclaim their love again. NOW, it's time to find the genuine murderer. Enter the two horses to do the good deed. I'll leave it at that except to say Marilyn Mills wins the $10,000 stakes win at the major horse race in the last five minutes. Do the dog and horses save the day otherwise? Watch and find out!
Not bad, just a genuine "B". Kiddies will enjoy while with grandma. Dad and Mom are at the grocery store. Who will enjoy it best? Grandma! I ain't Grandma, I'm grandpa, but I snuck out with Granny and went to the movies with her. Oh, yeah, also in the film are Josef Swickard, William H. Turner, Martin Turner, Ralph Emerson, and James McLaughlin. You'll see Lafe McKee in a crowd scene. Not necessarily recommended, but you've seen much, much worse. Just think, this is 1926 and Cooper was fortuitously cast in "The Winning of Barbara Worth" that year. What may be fascinating to some: Martin Turner, a black man who played stereotypical black rôles in very white films for 52 known films until 1942 (not dying until 1957 at age 74) actually is a credulous, well treated employee in the film, called by all "Uncle Luke", and the typical treatment of blacks in films of the period is not seen as much. Interesting because of its Southern setting.
Murder and juleps in the Bluegrass State
bkoganbing23 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Other than this being a film where Gary Cooper has a small bit and if you blink you'll miss him, Three Pals will not have anyone who will come to mind immediately. Star Marilyn Mills produced this film set in Kentucky and she left the screen too early, before sound came in to make a mark.
Mills's father Joseph Swickard raises horses and daughter and likes nothing more than swapping lies and drinking mint juleps with his neighbor William Turner whose son Walter Emerson likes Mills. The guys look forward to families merging and maybe their stables as well.
The villain of the piece is the Snidely Whiplash villain, secretary to Turner who kills him and frames Swickard all in a grand scheme to get the whole kit and kaboodle including Mills.
Heroes of the piece are the Three Pals, two horses and a dog who find the clues and save the day.
This kind of Victorian morality play was what you saw back in the day and who doesn't like dogs and horses. Nothing special here other than spot the Hollywood legend.
Mills's father Joseph Swickard raises horses and daughter and likes nothing more than swapping lies and drinking mint juleps with his neighbor William Turner whose son Walter Emerson likes Mills. The guys look forward to families merging and maybe their stables as well.
The villain of the piece is the Snidely Whiplash villain, secretary to Turner who kills him and frames Swickard all in a grand scheme to get the whole kit and kaboodle including Mills.
Heroes of the piece are the Three Pals, two horses and a dog who find the clues and save the day.
This kind of Victorian morality play was what you saw back in the day and who doesn't like dogs and horses. Nothing special here other than spot the Hollywood legend.
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