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  • "Sergeants 3" was released in the time when the Rat Pack of Hollywood, Sinatra, Martin, Lawford, Davis, Bishop, etc. were in style. This may not have been one of their strongest movie efforts, but the fans of those stars and the viewing public could enjoy the tale, if it could be found, or copies made.

    While serving as a retelling of the Gunga Din story, set in the Old West, the boys do put some honest effort in having Sinatra, Martin, and Lawford attempt to put down an Indian uprising, led by Henry Silva. Sammy Davis adds a delightful role as the lad that gets caught up in the action, while Joey Bishop plays an upright member of the cavalry that just can't accept the violations of rules committed by the Sergeants 3.

    Would be good to see, just one more time.
  • Diverting Western satire in which several nutty characters attempt to stop an Indian rebellion . The ¨Rat Pack¨ is the Wildest Characters in All the West . Amusing take off on cavalry-and Indian movies in which a rambunctious temperance Sergeant called Mike Merry (Frank Sinatra) along with his cronies decide to stop Indians revolts . As Mike (Frank Sinatra) , Chip (Dean Martin) , and Larry (Peter Lawford) are three likable , brawling U. S. Cavalry sergeants stationed in Indian Territory in 1870 . Meantime , a telegraph office being attacked by Indians led by Chief Mountain Hawk (Henry Silva) , then chaos and wreak havoc ensue . One night the three partners befriend a trumpet-playing former slave , Jonah Williams, who dreams of someday becoming a trooper soldier . A tribe of fanatical Indians begin terrorizing the area, and the obstinate , lusty Chip decides to try the capture of their chief.

    Demystified as well as amiable Western was one of a group of diverse characters changed the concept of this particular genre each bent on disproving a popular myth , yet tinged with humor , spoof and combining with anti-heroes , crazy Indians and many other things . W.R. Burnett's screenplay besides having more than its fair scraps of funny lines , throws up rich characters . Entertaining and funny Western but too dependant on the charisma of main players . This wacky Western is packed with mayhem , lots of silly laughters and great entertainment and fun . The picture is basically a remake of Gunga Din set in the American "Wild West" ; after filming was completed, the producers discovered they needed to secure the rights to the original story. They were forced to pay a large fee to the copyright owners before the film could be released . This is an amusing Western with some Hollywood major stars reunited by Frank ¨Robbo¨ Sinatra , incarnating a first Sergeant and his friends . It's a ¨Rat Pack¨ version of Old West with Frank Sinatra and his boys as good Sergeants in their last outing . This movie was well featured for three swaggering Sergeants as Sinatra , Dean Martin , Peter Lawford along with the soldier Sammy Davis Jr . This is a typical Rat Pack vehicle such as ¨ Ocean's eleven(1960) ¨, ¨ Four for Texas (63)¨ and finally ¨Cannoball run II (1984)¨ with the sympathetic trio Frank Sinatra-Sammy Davis Jr-Dean Martin .

    The motion picture was professionally by John Sturges , though no originality . This is one of various and inferior works of his long career as filmmaker , shooting splendid westerns . ¨Three Sergeants¨ is very funny though lumbering flick . Sturges began his directing career at Columbia Pictures, where from 1946-49 he he worked on "12-day wonders" ("B" pictures shot on a 12-day schedule). From there he moved on to MGM where he filmed more "B" pictures, albeit on a larger budget . He established an independent production company in 1959, releasing through United Artists. From 1960-67 he worked under contract for United Artists. His first major hit was the western Dog Day at Black Rock (1955) , which he shot in just three weeks, wrapping up virtually every scene in a single take . He specialized in robust action pictures, particularly westerns. He excelled at bringing to life tautly written stories about tough characters facing difficult circumstances . Throughout his career he regularly alternated hits with misses . He has also been criticized for his lack of stylistic trademarks , though his best films remain exciting to watch . Sturges was expert on all kind of genres , but especially warlike such as : ¨Great Escape¨, ¨Ice Station Zebra¨ and ¨Eagle has landed¨ and Western such as ¨Last train of Gun Hill¨, ¨Magnificent Seven¨, ¨Backlash¨, ¨Hallelujah trail¨ , ¨Law and Jake Webb¨, ¨Joe Kidd¨ and Chino¨, among others . This acceptable Western parody will appeal to Frank Sinatra , Dean Martin and Sammi Davis Jr fans .
  • Warning: Spoilers
    This is the greatest Western of all time! Of course it isn't, nor was it intended to be. This is the worst Western of all time. Of course it isn't. And if you think the latter, then it's been a long time since you watched very many of Hollywood's old Westerns. What this was, was a fun Rat Pack movie. Nothing more. Nothing less. Was it a rehash -- albeit not serious -- of "Gunga Din"? Yes. But for laughs.

    Dean, Frank, Sammy, Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop do what you expect them to do in a Clan movie.

    But, I'll tell you what this movie has that is on the high end. Scenery -- superb, in the Zion National Park region, and, actually on the trails of Bryce Canyon National Park. And, darned good stunt work. I mean really good! In fact, last evening I watched an Errol Flynn Western, and the poor stunt work and fake horseback riding was so noticeable. Not here. Yes, you know that mostly it's not the Rat Pack on those horses (although Dean actually was a pretty fair rider), but it does look real, and the stunts in some cases are top notch.

    So, you've got a decent story. You've got Frank and Dean. You've got great western scenery. All that equals a fairly entertaining nearly 2 hours. Take it for what it is!
  • If you are reading this you probably know how much fun this Rat Pack

    film is to watch. You probably also have not seen it in years thanks to United Artists who own the rights. I don't think it will be made available for sale anytime soon. This is one of my favorites from this genre of film making. The reason is that I love the Rat Pack , western movies and comedies. But I think you have to be a big fan of the Rat Pack to have much interest in the film. This is why I don't think we will see it released for sale to the public. There are some folks selling copies of VHS & DVD (taped from reel). I would use caution when buying because I have spent money on some pretty bad versions over the years.
  • Sergeants 3 is the second and last true rat pack film because it is the only other one with all the rat packers in the cast besides Ocean's 11. I guess that's just how it is for us purists.

    Anyway Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Peter Lawford are three U.S. cavalry sergeants in the days of the old west and I have to say they would have been right at home with Forrest Tucker and Larry Storch at Fort Courage. They're good fighting men, but can't quite deal with the discipline the army imposes.

    They make the acquaintance of Sammy Davis, Jr. who is a newly freed slave out in the west who'd like to join the cavalry.

    If this all starts to sound familiar it should because it's the plot for the RKO classic Gunga Din. And it's the reason this film hasn't been seen for years and is not out on VHS or DVD. I was fortunate to see it in the theaters way back in the day.

    It's got quite a few laughs in it, the majority of them as I remember gathered by Dean Martin. He's got the part Cary Grant played in Gunga Din. Dino's persona exactly fits the role he has. Talk about undisciplined, he was lucky he had a career in the military.

    The film is also memorable for the presence of three of Bing Crosby's sons by his first marriage. I have absolutely no doubt that they got cast in the film as a favor by old blue eyes to the old groaner. Philip, Dennis, and Lindsay Crosby had a quartet act with older brother Gary and they had a celebrated breakup with him. Now they were trying to get going as a trio and not having any more success.

    This was also Peter Lawford's last film with the pack. Sinatra broke off relations with him completely after that famous incident when President Kennedy refused to stay at his place while in Los Angeles and opted for Bing Crosby's estate. Frank took it out on Lawford who really had nothing to do with that at all. It marked the beginning of Sinatra's rightward march into the Republican party.

    Sergeants 3 is funny, not a great film by any means, but all the cast did far worse stuff. But it curiously enough marks the high point of the fabled rat pack. After this film, a whole lot of events happened including a presidential assassination and things were never the same.
  • Ever since my childhood, the Rat Pack films have been staples on Italian TV – but, curiously enough, not this one!; still, as often happens, its long absence doesn’t necessarily make it a lost gem and, actually, it can now be seen as the least of them! In any case, a legitimate DVD edition of it has just been released in time for the 10th anniversary of Frank Sinatra’s passing – though I had to make do myself with a barely adequate VHS-to-DVD dub for this viewing…but which, surprisingly ran for 117 minutes when the film’s official length is given as 112!

    Anyway, personally produced by Sinatra, this emerges as the third version of a Rudyard Kipling story: a sort of GUNGA DIN (1939) parody in Western garb – except that the original already contained strong doses of humor! Old hand W.R. Burnett wrote the script and the necessity here to follow a proper plot renders this less freewheeling than other Rat Peck outings; however, this then results in jarring bouts of violence played alongside revue-style comic sketches! The film’s major set-piece is an extended shootout between the boys and some renegade Indians in a ghost town which culminates in an outburst of fireworks and the shooting of dynamite a' la RIO BRAVO (1959); by the way, Sinatra and Dean Martin had already proved themselves in the genre – most notably with JOHNNY CONCHO (1956) and RIO BRAVO itself respectively (Martin actually became a staple of the gun-and-saddle tradition between 1956 and 1973).

    With this in mind, the repartee among the stars is par for the course: Martin has the old Cary Grant role, Peter Lawford fills in for Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Sammy Davis Jr., naturally, is Din; as for Joey Bishop’s character, he usually finds himself the brunt of the boys’ jokes. Sinatra himself seems constrained by the martinet role played in GUNGA DIN by Victor McLaglen but, typically, Dino and Davis have fun with their roles. Michael Pate and Henry Silva (as father and son) feature as the rebelling Indians; incidentally, Sinatra and Silva’s next confrontation – later that year in THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE – proved far more memorable. It’s also worth pointing out that three of Bing Crosby’s sons appear here as bumbling privates.

    Director Sturges was himself a Western expert and had already collaborated with Sinatra on the war adventure NEVER SO FEW (1959); he also did a number of Cavalry vs. Indians-type efforts such as ESCAPE FROM FORT BRAVO (1953) and THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL (1965; which was also largely played for laughs).

    P.S. Shortly after this film’s release, Sinatra fell out badly with Lawford (even throwing him down a flight of stairs!) after President Kennedy – who was Lawford’s brother-in-law – choose to stay over at Bing Crosby’s house rather than his (due to recent allegations of Sinatra’s connection with the Mafia being uncovered) and which explains Lawford’s disappearance from subsequent Rat Pack efforts…
  • Although John Sturges directed it and star Frank Sinatra produced it, this rewrite of "Gunga Din" lands with a deadening thud. Calvary officers are assigned to investigate an abandoned western town and run afoul of war-hungry Indian tribe. Other episodes include Sammy Davis, Jr. as a bugler (and apparent stable-boy!) who wants to enlist; a white mule with stomach problems who gets a magic tonic; Joey Bishop as an uptight Sergeant-Major who gets pranked by Sinatra and Dean Martin; and lovers Peter Lawford and Ruta Lee, whose wedding is interrupted by his buddies. Initially, the curious mixture of action, western dramatics, and Rat Pack frivolity is odd yet engaging. Too soon, however, the ingredients congeal, and every scene in the film's second-half is a wasted opportunity. The sets, editing, and continuity are terrible, the camera-work (especially in a scene with Dino and Sammy on a shaky rope bridge) is excruciating, and most of the acting is completely rote. *1/2 from ****
  • Warning: Spoilers
    SERGEANTS 3 is good, but be prepared...it's not a comedy. It's a fun, sometimes rollicking, adventure based (very) loosely on the Gunga Din story and updated to the post-Civil War years. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Peter Lawford are the three sergeants of the title. Sammy Davis Jr. is the freed slave who befriends them. Henry Silva is the leader of a group of psychotic Indians bent on wiping out the white man and the appealing Ruta Lee is Lawford's fiancé. There are jokes (mostly provided by Martin) and the film is probably the best directed of the Rat Pack films. That should come as no surprise since the great John Sturges was at the helm. There's not a musical number to be had, but still a very entertaining film. Buddy Lester and Joey Bishop are in it too.
  • planktonrules18 September 2013
    A few weeks ago, I watched the original "Ocean's Eleven" and was surprised how much I enjoyed the picture. However, my experience with a few other so-called 'Rat Pack' films since has not been as good--with a couple of thoroughly pedestrian films like "Four For Texas" and "Sergeants 3" offering some disappointing viewing. Now I am not saying these were bad films--but it sure looked as if the actors were more going through the motions than trying to create a realistic and entertaining film.

    In "Sergeants 3", the biggest problem is that they decided to remake a film that was already a classic in no need of a remake. "Gunga Din" is a wonderful film....so why remake it? And, if you do, why not spend more time working out the plot? Sammy Davis stands in for the Gunga Din character. This could have worked but wasn't very logical. After all, if this guy loved the US Cavalry, why not just sign him up, as the Cavalry out west was often made up of black soldiers (dubbed 'Buffalo Soldiers' by the local tribes)?! Why have him tag about and not sign him up? And, why have a sophisticated guy like Davis play a recently freed slave? He certainly didn't seem very believable in this role. Even less believable was the ending--with a fight between American Indians and Cavalry soldiers that made me laugh. Cannon shots seemed to hit EVERY Indian even remotely nearby, Joey Bishop swung his rifle like a club to hit a guy and missed by about 8 miles--yet the guy fell off the horse like he'd been hit. In fact, this sort of thing happened A LOT--with Indians falling off horses right and left like I'd never seen in a western! SO was there anything I particularly liked about the film? Not much--other than the very lovely location shoot at Bryce Canyon (which is gorgeous--at least when they weren't recreating it on a set in a few cheesy shots). The bottom line is that the film never should have been made in the first place and I can only assume it was an excuse for the friends to get together, have a few drinks and, if they had time, make a movie. Not inspired but not totally awful.
  • If you can't get this on DVD, you can get it on YouTube.
  • HotToastyRag15 September 2017
    In full Rat Pack splendor, Sergeants 3 is a remake of Gunga Din, set in the Wild West. As of yet, I haven't seen the original, so my review will solely focus on this version.

    Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Peter Lawford are the title characters, but the first two seem to tussle in barroom and brothel brawls more often than they successfully keep the peace. Pete is the straight-and-narrow one of the trio, and he's anxiously awaiting the end of his enlistment so he can marry his sweetheart and retire to a more peaceful life. Frankie and Dean don't want to lose their buddy, especially since his replacement is the stuffy Joey Bishop, so they try to entice him to reenlist. Meanwhile, Sammy Davis Jr. keeps tagging along with the regiment and trying to prove his worth as a soldier, even though the others don't really want him around.

    The film is mostly a Cowboys vs. Indians movie, with all the familiar faces in cowboy hats and constantly getting into fistfights with various bad guys. Similar to the Frankie and Dean movie Four for Texas, the story feels like it was originally thought of as a comedy, but ended up as a light drama. There's nothing really spectacular about this one, although it's infinitely better than the Texas western, but if you're looking for a comedy or musical, keep looking. Usually, westerns are either tense or a spoof, and this is neither. If you absolutely love the Rat Pack, go ahead and rent it. But, for a Frankie western, I prefer Johnny Concho, and for a Frankie and Dean pair-up, I love Marriage on the Rocks.
  • This is a hilarious comedy by the Rat Pack. I saw it 40 years ago and loved it then. Was shown on t.v. back then a couple of time before being pull and shelved in Frank's vault. Everybody did a fine job. There is absolutely no excuse for it not being released out onto DVD/video. I was told that it is because of copyright infringements from the folks behind Gunga Din. If that is true then it is all alot of baloney!!!!! It's been 40 years people! It is a well done comedy. Get over it! Let this fantastic comedy be released and folks will want to come see your version to compare and everybody will be happy. I want to see this film again and I want ti release ASAP!!!!!! So do many others! I even wrote to Mrs. Sinatra and mentioned it in the letter. So, just do it and the heck with the Gunga Din whiners.
  • Sergeants 3 had the potential to be very funny but it instead came out flat. It had too many filler scenes that were intended to be funny but never really triggered any belly laughs. Nevertheless, a good cast made it lightly enjoyable.
  • st-shot19 February 2021
    This insipid rip-off of Gunga Din by Frank Sinatra and his rat pack is a crass lazy made remake set in the American West that remains inferior in every way to the original. A follow up to Ocean's 11, these swinging cats trade in their civvies for calvary blue and continue their nightclub routine, looking very much out of place.

    More or less a carbon copy of the classic, the boys get to act like overgrown kids but without the panache or comic stylings of Grant and company. The humor is forced, the action slapstick and in spite of having John Sturges in the director's chair mostly a sloppy burlesque of adventure story telling. Seargeants Three deserves court-marshalling.
  • I never miss Gunga Din when it is on TV. It is a great story. When I was young, the Rat Pack remake was my favorite film, period. That this classic is not available in DVD or Video isn't fair. I want to show young kids this movie. I want to show ME this movie. Can't something be done?
  • Having just viewed this film again after seeing it on it's initial release in 1962, my first thoughts were how much better this could have been, I found the location scenery was quite superb and the Billy May background music with it's continuing theme was nice to listen to. But the usual antics of the Pack distracted from the general storyline. The fight scenes were comical, not funny, and seemed overlong as were the battle scenes. It was worth a viewing though just to see the whole Clan together, but a little more effort from all would have made it better for me. I have never seen the film Gunga Din on which this is reported to be based, so I can make no comparison between the two efforts.
  • mark.waltz11 September 2022
    Warning: Spoilers
    This is certainly one of the most beautiful westerns to look at with its very vivid location footage that looks like it was filmed in 3d. It's even noticeable without those fancy glasses and quite a delicious visual treat. But the characters played by Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin are basically complete perfumes, means spirited and undisciplined, causing trouble for everybody around them.

    They play a vicious prank on the uppity Joey Bishop (that really serves no purpose and goes nowhere) and pull Peter Lawford away from his engagement party, acting like they are at a Coney Island shooting gallery knocking over cans while they fight a group of ghost Indians who live up in the mountains and wants to kill all white men with their belief that this troop was responsible for the buffalo extinction.

    This is an unofficial remake of "Gunga Din", and Sammy Davis Jr. Plays a character loosely based on the Sam Jaffe character. He's a half black and half native who longs to join the troop, and proves himself to be one of the bravest and wisest of the men. Three of Bing Crosby's sons have minor roles to add to the "sons of the rat pack". Ruta Lee is Lawford's fiancee, Madge Blake ("Batman") her mother, and Henry Silva a wise peaceful native. It's too bad that the characters played by Sinatra and Martin are basically jerks, getting Bishop drunk with the help of native herbs just out of resentment that he's at their rank yet in a position of authority.

    Memorable moments involve Davis's aide in getting Martin out of jail (with help from a kicking bronco) and the swinging bridge that Davis and Martin end up on while trying to spy on the murderous native tribe, who magically speak perfect English. It's only when Martin ends up as a hostage of the tribe that Sinatra is forced to act somewhat responsibly. There are some very jarring moments involving live men being tossed off of the canyon like flowers in a royal parade.

    With the leads performances frequently tongue-in-cheek, it's obvious that Sinatra (who produced this) expected the loving public to be in on the joke, but in retrospect, it doesn't really give a favorable image of him and his clique. But I did laugh a few times, especially at a sign in a saloon that indicates "No licker sold to soldiers."
  • One of the rarer rat pack movies, and loosely based on Gunga Din, Sergeants Three was directed by no less than John Sturges. This film however is no Magnificent Seven, Gunfight at the OK Coral, or Hour of the Gun. Sinatra, Martin and Lawford play the titual sergeants, with Sammy Davis Jnr in there as well as an apologetic camp follower (a role which distantly recalls that of Toshiro Mifune in Seven Samurai). Although partially redeemed by the excellent production values as well as the enjoyment of watching the principals do their schtick, ultimately all is sunk by a far-fetched plot, indulgent longeurs and some unconvincing dramatics - all of which only makes one want to watch Martin all over again in Rio Bravo or Sons of Katie Elder ... i.e. in 'proper' westerns. Several of Bing Crosby's relatives fill out supporting roles and Henry Silva does his mad Indian performance.
  • A terrific re-telling of "Gunga Din, one of my all time favorites. I'm not sure why Frank and Dean chose this story, but I'm glad they did. I would love to watch it again!
  • Why oh why can I not get a copy of this film? I can remember seeing it at the cinema many years ago. As has previously been stated, not one of the Rat Pack's best, but a very entertaining film. I can still recall many of the scenes, especially when Peter Lawford was climbing on the roof to put dynamite down a chimney and the scene when Sammy Davis Jr was buried up to his neck in the sand. As with all the Rat Pack movies, the humour is always bubbling, just beneath the surface. I would love to have my own VHS copy. Please, please does anyone know if there is one available anywhere?
  • You will see this movie released when Walt Disney releases "Song of the South". In other words, NEVER! I enjoyed this movie when it was released. It is a classic Rat Pack movie that is not quite as good as "Oceans Eleven" or "Robin and the Seven Hoods" but still enjoyable none the less. No, not when it shows Sammy Davis Jr tap dancing and playing the trumpet at gun point to entertain a bunch of drunken cowboys. He timidly responds to their requests. Even though he WAS a fantastic dancer and trumpet player. He was one of the most gifted American entertainers of the 20th century. While Mr Davis was headlining in Vegas, he was required to accept accommodations in a rooming house on the west side of the city, rather than reside with his peers in the hotels. Not until the pendulum swings from the left towards the center and we accept the fact that the movie makers of that time were not concerned about being "Politically Correct". Their intentions were not aimed at intentionally hurting or humiliating anyone, they just didn't care if it did! I imagine there is a wealth of entertaining movies slowly rotting away in the studio vaults that will never see the light of day. This is one of them.
  • I have not seen this picture in over 30 years, I think it is one of the best comedies put into a motion picture. I would like to buy it on VHS, but I feel that the motion picture of arts and science have lost it or it was not preserved
  • Warning: Spoilers
    1962 was an incredibly happy year for me, and the memory of seeing this film with my entire family is a treasured one. I loved seeing the Rat Pack up on the big screen, and I loved the ending BUT-

    It wasn't until I saw the film again more than fifty years later, that I realized the sting inside the ending. Sammy Davis Jr's character is now a part of the cavalry, which was his dream and that's great - however, it's the Tenth Cavalry. That's where he's being sent off to. As a young child, I never knew that was a completely segregated branch of the service. And none of the characters seem to react to this announcement. They just accept it as being the way things are.

    It actually gives the ending a bittersweet quality.
  • This movie has had trouble being massed reproduced in this country, thus a VHS copy is something of a rare collectible. In the style of the pre 1970 western, this is pretty typical fare, stereotypical handling of Native Americans, 2 dimensional characterization, and lots of shooting. However, aside from that, the plot develops at a nice pace, although the plot (a very rough adaptation of Gunga Dinh) runs thin at times but overall does manage to hold one's interest. Fans of the Rat Pack will note that this may be their weakest movie together, but the boys are all there and working together, so how bad can this movie really be?
  • yanceyfex5 October 2005
    I also was making every possible attempt to locate this movie. I saw years ago with the rat pack,and I really loved it.Oh how,I wish I could locate and purchase this rare film. If anybody,out there have any idea as to where it can be found.Please, try to post it on web rare movie website. I would appreciate that very much.This film with the rat pack was the first time that my father took me to see this western with Frank Sinatra,Dean Martin,Sammy Davis,Jr.and Peter Lawford that I really enjoyed.I thought that was the best action film I every saw ,and I still remember most of the of the dialogue that was said in the film. That movie has remained in my childhood memories for all times.That why I'm trying so hard to locate this rare special film it mean that much to me.....Thank You......H J Yancey.
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