Reel Memories No. 149

REEL MEMORIES NO. 149

Treasure of the Sierra Madre

by William V. Reynolds

Occasionally the story behind the yarn is more interesting than the tale itself. Treasure of the Sierra Madre was originally published in 1925 credited to an author called B. Traven. The problem is no one seems to know who he really was. Whoever he was, he seems to have lived a great deal of his life in Mexico. He is credited with 12 novels and several short stories. Some students of literature believe that he was in an anarchist and possibly a socialist. These themes are sometimes reflected in his work.

In 1948 John Houston decided to make the book into a movie. He cast Humphrey Bogart, Tim Holt, Bruce Bennett, Barton McLane, and his father Walter Houston in the principal roles. Since its release the film has been a favorite among many moviegoers as well as film critics. A writer for Time Magazine said, “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is the best thing Hollywood has done since it learned to talk.”

The story is a morality tale concerning the greed of man. John Houston seems to have put his best work into this film telling the story of three men who go treasure hunting in Mexico. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) and Curtin (Tim Holt) team up with Howard (Walter Houston) and trek into the mountains of Mexico in search of gold. They find gold, open a mine, and successfully accumulated a fortune.

They are hindered by bandits claiming to be Federales. One of the most memorable lines in the film is spoken by the bandit leader when Dobbs asks him where his badge is. The bandit leader says in part, “I don’t have to show you any stinking badges.”

But the enemy from without is not as powerful as the enemy from within. Dobbs becomes obsessed with the idea that his partners are trying to kill him in order to take his part of the gold. When Howard is called away to a village to help the people, Curtin and Dobbs are left alone. Dobbs decides he needs to kill Curtin in order to keep from being killed.

Dobbs believes that he has succeeded in murdering his coworker, grabs all the gold and begins the trek back to civilization. But he meets his end when the bandits overtake him and murder him. Curtin is able to reach the village and he and Howard return to the scene of the crime. Once there, they discover that the bandits, believing the gold to be sacks of sand, have scattered it to the four winds.

John Houston won two Academy Awards for directing and writing the screenplay. His father, Walter Houston, won an Academy award for best supporting actor. In 1990 the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

Today we give a reel memories salute to Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948).

William V. Reynolds is the author of “Murder in the Okefenokee” available at McCaysville Public Market and Pat’s Country Kitchen in McCaysville; Parris Pharmacy, The Book Nook and Ingles in Blue Ridge; Book Nook in Blairsville; and Phillips and Lloyd in Hayesville.