Three Comrades (1938): Cast & Plot
Three Comrades is a 1938 romantic drama directed by Frank Borzage, starring Robert Taylor as Erich Lohkamp, Robert Young and Franchot Tone. It runs 1 hour 38 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 38m (98 min)
- Director
- Frank Borzage
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Three Comrades About?
The premise of Three Comrades without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
In the bleak aftermath of World War I, three young German soldiers forge an unbreakable bond while each falls deeply in love with the same fragile woman, whose battle with tuberculosis casts a shadow over their hopes. Their friendship endures amid love, loss, and the lingering scars of war.
Three Comrades Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- car accident
- gramophone
- financial struggle
- fascism
- country inn
- fighter pilot
- murder of friend
- post world war one
- loyalty
- impoverished nobility
- weimar republic
- 1920s roadster
+38 more Show fewer
- nazi sympathizer
- self sacrifice
- third reich
- lost generation
- plaque
- shot to death
- assassination attempt
- christmas
- pianist
- revenge killing
- selling a car
- pet name
- melodrama
- political drama
- tearjerker romance
- tragic romance
- 1910s
- 1920s
- car repair
- killing in self defense
- american actor plays a german character
- german politics
- germany
- nazism
- idealism
- armistice day 1918
- military officer
- invalid
- sunbathing
- based on the novel of the same name
- pacifist
- post war germany
- german officer
- wwi veteran
- borrowed tuxedo
- illegal road race
- street brawl
- german pilot
Three Comrades Cast & Characters
Robert Taylor leads the cast as Erich Lohkamp, with Robert Young as Gottfried Lenz and Franchot Tone as Otto Koster. Directed by Frank Borzage; 20 actors are credited in all.
- Director Frank Borzage
-
Robert Taylor as Erich Lohkamp -
Robert Young as Gottfried Lenz - Franchot Tone as Otto Koster
-
Lionel Atwill as Breuer
Also Starring in Three Comrades
· 16 more- Spencer Charters Herr Schultz
- Margaret Sullavan Patricia Hollmann
- Monty Woolley Dr. Jaffe
- Henry Hull Dr. Becker
- Guy Kibbee Alfons
- George Chandler First comic with singer (uncredited)
- Stanley Andrews Officer giving toast (uncredited)
- Claire McDowell Landlady Frau Zalewski (uncredited)
- Mitchell Lewis Boris (uncredited)
- Charley Grapewin Local Doctor
- Marjorie Main Old woman by phone (uncredited)
- Jessie Arnold Nurse at sanatorium (uncredited)
- Edward McWade Ludwig, Pat’s majordomo (uncredited)
- Francis X. Bushman Jr. Second comic (uncredited)
- Esther Muir Frau Schmidt (uncredited)
- Roger Converse Becker’s Assistant
More from Frank Borzage
More films directed by Frank Borzage, best-rated first: Desire, The Big Fisherman, China Doll and Moonrise.
Three Comrades Plot Summary
What happens in Three Comrades from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 14 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
On the last day of World War I, German fighter pilots Erich Lohkamp, Robert Taylor and Gottfried Lenz, Robert Young, along with Otto Koster, Franchot Tone, share a fatalistic outlook about what lies ahead. After the armistice, they drift into an auto-repair business, barely scraping by as they chase a sense of purpose in peacetime.
Several years pass, and while driving to a country inn they meet Herr Breuer, [Lionel Atwill], a prosperous fascist sympathizer, and Pat Hollmann, [Margaret Sullavan], an aristocrat who has fallen on hard times. Although she is worldly, Pat is drawn to Erich’s quiet honesty, and they soon arrange a date.
Full summary
The whole story of Three Comrades, scene by scene
How Well Do You Know Three Comrades?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What type of business do the three former pilots run after the armistice?
Cars in Three Comrades
8 cars on screen, including the 1923 Voisin C5 and the 1921 Armstrong Siddeley 18 hp.
-
1923 Voisin C5 Main role -
1921 Armstrong Siddeley 18 hp Important role -
1929 Renault Reinastella Important role -
1927 Minerva 32CV Minor role
Three Comrades Also Known As
6 alternative titles, including “Três Camaradas” and “Trois camarades”.
- Also known as
-
- Três Camaradas
- Trois camarades
- Tre camerati
- Tres camaradas
- Три товарища
- 战后三友
Seen Three Comrades?
Movies Like Three Comrades
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including A Time to Love and a Time to Die, Three and Arch of Triumph.
Three Comrades FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date
Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of Three Comrades, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Three Comrades?
Three Comrades runs 1 hour 38 minutes (98 minutes).
When was Three Comrades released?
Three Comrades was released on June 2, 1938.
Who directed Three Comrades?
Three Comrades was directed by Frank Borzage.
More films by Frank Borzage Who is in the cast of Three Comrades?
Three Comrades stars Robert Taylor as Erich Lohkamp, Robert Young as Gottfried Lenz and Franchot Tone as Otto Koster, among 20 credited actors.
Does Three Comrades have a post-credit scene?
No. Three Comrades has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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