Three Came Home (1950)

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Not Rated
1h 46min
Drama, War
20 Feb 1950 (USA)
Movie

7.3 (2,138)

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During Word War II, American author Agnes Newton Keith is imprisoned by the Japanese in various POW camps in North Borneo and Sarawak.

Director:

Jean Negulesco

Writers:

Nunnally Johnson, Agnes Newton Keith

Stars:

Award:

1 win.
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Reviews:

Photos and Videos

Still of Claudette Colbert (I) in Three Came Home (1950)

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30 photos

Complete, Cast awaiting verification

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	Claudette Colbert	...	Agnes Newton Keith
	Patric Knowles	...	Harry Keith
	Florence Desmond	...	Betty Sommers
	Sessue Hayakawa	...	Colonel Michio Suga
	Sylvia Andrew	...	Henrietta Thomas
	Mark Keuning	...	George Keith
	Phyllis Morris	...	Sister Rose
	Howard Chuman	...	Lieutenant Nakata
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
	John Burton	...	Elderly Resident (uncredited)
	Melinda Casey	...	English Girl (uncredited)
	Campbell Copelin	...	English Radio Announcer (uncredited)
	Leslie Denison	...	English Radio Announcer (uncredited)
	Devi Dja	...	Ah Yin (uncredited)
	Frank Emi	...	Japanese Soldier (uncredited)
	Doreen Mary English	...	Woman Prisoner (uncredited)
	Stanley Fraser	...	Englishman (uncredited)
	Alex Frazer	...	Dr. Bandy (uncredited)
	Jerry Fujikawa	...	Japanese Soldier (uncredited)
	John Furukawa	...	Japanese Soldier (uncredited)
	Gene Gondo	...	Japanese Guard (uncredited)
	Clarke Gordon	...	Australian POW (uncredited)
	Jim Hagimori	...	Japanese Sea Captain (uncredited)
	Otto Han	...	Japanese Soldier (uncredited)
	Billy Henry	...	English Boy (uncredited)
	Mimi Heyworth	...	Woman Prisoner (uncredited)
	Kurt Hiroshima	...	Japanese Guard (uncredited)
	Albert Hirota	...	Japanese Guard (uncredited)
	Robin Hughes	...	Australian POW (uncredited)
	Shig Imori	...	Japanese Guard (uncredited)
	George Ito	...	Japanese Guard (uncredited)
	Tika Iwashaiki	...	Japenese Captain (uncredited)
	Peter James	...	English Boy (uncredited)
	Virginia Keiley	...	Woman Prisoner (uncredited)
	Agnes Newton Keith	...	English Woman (uncredited)
	Robert Kino	...	Japanese Officer (uncredited)
	Robert Kishita	...	Japanese Officer (uncredited)
	Frank Kobata	...	Japanese Officer (uncredited)
	Tom Komuro	...	Japanese Soldier-Secretary (uncredited)
	Frank Kumagai	...	Japanese Soldier (uncredited)
	George Kunitake	...	Japanese Soldier (uncredited)
	Ken Kurosa	...	Orderly (uncredited)
	George Leigh	...	Australian POW (uncredited)
	Sung Li	...	Wilfred (uncredited)
	James Logan	...	Australian POW (uncredited)
	Lee MacGregor	...	Sailor (uncredited)
	John Mantley	...	Australian POW (uncredited)
	Harry Martin	...	Australian POW (uncredited)
	David Matshushama	...	Evil Guard (uncredited)
	Bob Matsuo	...	Japanese Soldier (uncredited)
	Rollin Moriyama	...	Japanese Officer (uncredited)
	Tom Muramada	...	Japanese Guard (uncredited)
	Giro Murashami	...	Orderly (uncredited)
	Ralph Nagai	...	Japanese Guard (uncredited)
	Charles Nakauchi	...	Japanese Guard (uncredited)
	George Natsume	...	Japanese Guard (uncredited)
	Hiroshi Neeno	...	Japanese Officer (uncredited)
	Patrick O'Moore	...	Australian POW (uncredited)
	Patricia O'Neal	...	English Woman (uncredited)
	Bob Oku	...	Japanese Soldier (uncredited)
	Tom Omori	...	Japanese Officer (uncredited)
	Sam 'Isami' Ono	...	Japanese Soldier (uncredited)
	Jean Prescott	...	English Woman (uncredited)
	Duncan Richardson	...	English Boy (uncredited)
	Al Saijo	...	Japanese Boat Pilot (uncredited)
	Frank Saito	...	Japanese Soldier (uncredited)
	Jim Saito	...	Japanese Soldier (uncredited)
	Carol Savage	...	Woman Prisoner (uncredited)
	Yutaka Shimahara	...	Japanese Guard (uncredited)
	Yutaka Shimizu	...	Japanese Soldier (uncredited)
	Arthur Shira	...	Japanese Soldier (uncredited)
	Robert Shirahama	...	Japanese Doctor (uncredited)
	John Shulick	...	Englishman (uncredited)
	Kim Spalding	...	Lt. Marcus (uncredited)
	Leslie Thomas	...	Wet Man (uncredited)
	Arthur Tovey	...	Borneo Englishman (uncredited)
	George Utsunomiya	...	Japanese Officer (uncredited)
	Peter J. Votrian	...	Charles (uncredited)
	Douglas Walton	...	Australian POW (uncredited)
	Helen Westcott	...	Woman Prisoner (uncredited)
	Kermit Whitfield	...	Commander Pritchard (uncredited)
	Patrick Whyte	...	Englishman (uncredited)
	Leonard Willey	...	Governor General (uncredited)
	Roy Yamadero	...	Japanese Officer (uncredited)
	Jimmy Yamaguchi	...	Japanese Guard (uncredited)
	Mazaji 'Butch' Yamamoto	...	Japanese Sergeant (uncredited)
	Yamato Cain Yamasaki	...	Japanese Officer (uncredited)
	James Yanari	...	First Lieutenant (uncredited)
	Mas Yoshida	...	Japanese Guard (uncredited)
	Akira Yoshihara	...	Japanese Guard (uncredited)

Directed by

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Jean Negulesco

Written by

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Nunnally Johnson	...	(screen play)

Agnes Newton Keith	...	(book)

Produced by

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Nunnally Johnson

...

producer

Music by

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Hugo Friedhofer

Cinematography by

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Milton R. Krasner	...	director of photography (as Milton Krasner)
William H. Daniels	...	(uncredited)

Editing by

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Dorothy Spencer

Art Direction by

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Leland Fuller
Lyle R. Wheeler	...	(as Lyle Wheeler)

Set Decoration by

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Thomas Little
Fred J. Rode

Makeup Department

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Ben Nye	...	makeup artist
Esperanza Corona	...	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management

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Robert R. Snody

...

production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Saul Wurtzel

...

assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department

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Don B. Greenwood

...

property master (uncredited)

Sound Department

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Roger Heman Sr.	...	sound (as Roger Heman)
E. Clayton Ward	...	sound (as E.Clayton Ward)

Visual Effects by

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Fred Sersen

...

special photographic effects

Stunts

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Helen Thurston

...

stunt double: Claudette Colbert (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department

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Charles G. Clarke	...	director of photography: second unit (uncredited)
Paul Lockwood	...	camera operator (uncredited)
Ray Nolan	...	still photographer (uncredited)
Ken Williams	...	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Charles Le Maire	...	wardrobe director (as Charles LeMaire)
Ed Wynigear	...	wardrobe (uncredited)

Music Department

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Lionel Newman	...	musical director
Edward B. Powell	...	orchestrator (as Edward Powell)

Script and Continuity Department

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Stanley Scheuer

...

script supervisor (uncredited)

Additional Crew

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Darryl F. Zanuck	...	presenter
Jason Lindsey	...	dialogue director (uncredited)
Sylvia Norris	...	technical advisor (uncredited)

Crew believed to be complete

Production Companies

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Twentieth Century Fox (produced by)

Distributors

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Twentieth Century Fox (1950) (United States) (theatrical) (as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation) (released by)
Twentieth Century Fox Film Company (1950) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
Twentieth Century Fox (1950) (France) (theatrical)
Twentieth Century Fox (1950) (Italy) (theatrical)
Twentieth Century-Fox (1950) (Mexico) (theatrical)
Alpha Video Distributors (2002) (United States) (DVD)
Punto Zero (2009) (Italy) (DVD) (as Enjoy Movies)
Reel Corporation (2012) (Australia) (DVD)
Reel DVD (2012) (Australia) (DVD)
Hispano Foxfilms S.A.E. (1950) (Spain) (theatrical)
Renaissance Content Group (2023) (World-wide) (tv)

Special Effects

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Other Companies

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International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) (acknowledgement)
Western Electric (sound recording)

Storyline

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Plot Summary	The true story of Agnes Newton Keith's imprisonment in several Japanese prisoner-of-war camps from 1941 to the end of WWII. Separated from her husband and with a young son to care for she has many difficulties to face. Written by Col Needham Plot Summary
Plot Keywords	planting goodbye rice women-in-prison american See All (175) »
Taglines	The story of one woman's confinement in a WW II Japanese prison camp See more »
Genres	Drama War
Parents Guide	View content advisory »
Certification	Australia:G Australia:M Finland:K-12 Norway:16 Norway:12 (Amazon Prime self-rating) Sweden:15 United Kingdom:A United Kingdom:12 (tv rating) United Kingdom:12 (video rating) United States:Not Rated (DVD Rating) United States:Approved United States:TV-14 (tv rating)

Additional Details

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Also Known As	3 Came Home (World-wide, English title) Captives à Bornéo (France) Regresaron tres (Spain) Kvinnor bakom taggtråd (Sweden) S-a întâmplat la Sandakan (Romania) See more »
Runtime	106 min
Country	United States
Language	English Japanese
Color	Black and White
Aspect Ratio	1.37 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix	Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Filming Locations	Sandakan, Sandakan Division, Sabah, Malaysia See more »

Did You Know?

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Trivia	Agnes Newton Keith, the writer of the book on which this film was based, wrote a letter about the film and its critical response. The letter was published in 'The New York Times' on 26 March 1950. It reads: "...I find that one or two critics (not 'The New York Times') question why the story was written....I wrote 'Three Came Home' for three reasons: For horror of war. I want others to shudder with me at it. For affection of my husband. When war nearly killed me, knowledge of our love kept me alive. And for a reminder to my son. I fought one war for him in prison camp. He survives because of me....The Japanese in 'Three Came Home' are as war made them, not as God did, and the same is true of the rest of us." See more »
Goofs	Colonel Suga says he attended the University of Washington for four years and Agnes reveals that she attended Berkeley. Suga goes on to say that Cal "murdered" Washington's football team. However, Tatsugi Suga arrived at Washington in 1924 and during the next four seasons California never defeated Washington. Only one football game would fit Suga's description: a 33-0 loss in 1933. See more »
Movie Connections	Edited into Three Came Home (2023). See more »
Soundtracks	You Say the Sweetest Things (Baby) See more »
Quotes	[first lines] Agnes Newton Keith: Six-degrees north of the Equator, in the heart of the East Indies, lies Sandakan, the tiny capital of British North Borneo. In Sandakan in 1941, there were 15 thousand Asiatics, 79 Europeans, and 1 American. I was the American. My name is Agnes Keith. I was born in Oak Park, Illinois, and graduated from the University of California at Berkeley. My husband is Harry Keith, a colonial official of British North Borneo. Borneo became my home when Harry and I were married. And it was in Sandakan that I bore one child, and lost another. And it was in Sandakan that we waited - 45 white men, 24 wives, and 11 children - through the anxious days of 1940 and '41. Certain only of one thing: that sooner or later, Japanese guns would join in the thunders of war, and Japanese troops would come down through the East Indies. The men waited because it was their duty; the women because it was their choice. See more »

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