Three Amigos
| ¡Three Amigos! | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | John Landis |
| Written by | Lorne Michaels Steve Martin Randy Newman |
| Produced by | Lorne Michaels George Folsey Jr. |
| Starring | Steve Martin Chevy Chase Martin Short |
| Cinematography | Ronald W. Browne |
| Edited by | Malcolm Campbell |
| Music by | Elmer Bernstein Randy Newman |
| Distributed by | Orion Pictures |
Release date | December 12, 1986 |
Running time | 104 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Budget | $25,000,000 |
¡Three Amigos! is a 1986 comedy western film, directed by John Landis and produced by George Folsey, Jr. and Lorne Michaels. Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short star as the title characters.
The film was written by Martin, Michaels, and Randy Newman. Newman contributed three original songs: "The Ballad of the Three Amigos", "My Little Buttercup", and "Blue Shadows," while the musical score was composed by Elmer Bernstein. It was shot in Simi Valley, California, Coronado National Forest, Old Tucson Studios, and Hollywood. The film's original title was The Three Caballeros and Martin was to be teamed with Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. This film is number 79 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies."
Plot
In the year 1912, three prissy silent film actors — Lucky Day, Dusty Bottoms and Ned Nedalander — are fired by their Hollywood studio boss Harry Flugleman after they demand a higher salary for their popular "Three Amigos" western adventures.
Later that day, they receive a plea from a young woman named Carmen on behalf of the villagers of Santo Poco, Mexico who have been under siege from the infamous villain El Guapo. Mistaking a genuine plea for a personal appearance, the actors steal their costumes and travel to Santo Poco.
The villagers give the actors a hero's welcome, believing them to be bona fide gunfighters. Not until a nearly fatal confrontation with El Guapo do the actors realize the danger to which they are now subject.
They panic and plan a hasty retreat, leaving the villagers at the mercy of El Guapo. But summoning up their courage, the trio soon returns to the village and, upon seeing the devastation caused by the bandits, decide to step up and become the Three Amigos for real.
The Amigos make several disastrous attempts to thwart the bandits, including infiltration of El Guapo's birthday party. They seek mystical aid via a singing bush and an "invisible swordsman."
Seeking a battle strategy, the Amigos discover that the villagers' greatest skill is sewing. They proceed to create an army of "Amigos" by replicating their charro costumes. The villagers defeat the bandits by shooting from all sides, creating the illusion that the Amigos are everywhere. Their work done, the Amigos ride off into the sunset, having become the heroes they had once only portrayed on film.
Cast
- Steve Martin as Lucky Day
- Chevy Chase as Dusty Bottoms
- Martin Short as Ned Nederlander
- Patrice Camhi (aka Patrice Martinez) as Carmen
- Alfonso Arau as El Guapo
- Tony Plana as Jefe
- Joe Mantegna as Harry Flugleman
Derivative references
 | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (December 2009) |
- Mexican film directors Guillermo del Toro, Alejandro González Iñárritu, and Alfonso Cuarón were dubbed the "Three Amigos" by the press when their films received nominations in the 2006 Academy Awards. The filmmakers share a genuine friendship and made several media appearances together.[1]
- Fergus McCann, the chairman of Celtic Football Club described players Pierre van Hooijdonk, Paolo Di Canio and Jorge Cadete as the "Three Amigos" when in dispute over an alleged salary agreement.[2]
- Three young pitchers the New York Yankees relied upon for the 2008 season, Ian Kennedy, Joba Chamberlain, and Phil Hughes have been dubbed the "Three Amigos".[3]
- In an early 2008 ESPN "This is SportsCenter." commercial, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen of the Boston Celtics brainstorm with Scott Van Pelt about their collective nickname. The last idea that the three Celtics come up with (before settling on Van Pelt's nickname) is "The Three Amigos." The three then follow with the Amigos' Salute.[4]
- In the mid 90s, Brett Favre, Mark Chmura, and Frank Winters of the Green Bay Packers were called the Three Amigos and had several posters made of them dressed as characters from the movie.
- On October 31, 2009, the rock band Hanson dressed as the Three Amigos for the Halloween Concert of the "Use Your Sole" tour, and opened their set with "The Ballad of the Three Amigos."
References
External links
- Three Amigos at IMDb