3 Godfathers
 
(1948)
 
106 minutes.

Drama / Western 
 
Directed by John Ford
 
Cast: 

John Wayne as Robert Marmaduke Hightower
Harry Carey Jr. as William Kearney 'The Abilene Kid'
Pedro Armendariz as Pedro 'Pete' Fuerte
Mildred Natwick as Mother
Ward Bond as Perley 'Buck' Sweet
Mae Marsh as Mrs. Sweet
Jane Darwell as Miss Florie
Guy Kibbee as Judge
Hank Worden as Curley
Dorothy Ford as Ruby Latham 
Ben Johnson as Posse man  
Charles Halton as Oliver Latham 
Jack Pennick as Luke  
Fred Libby as Deputy 
Michael Dugan as Posse man  
 
Legendary director John Ford reunites with his star, John Wayne, to create this retelling of his silent movie Marked Men from 1919.  Both films were based loosely on an American Western reimagining of the story of The Three Wise Men.

A group of bank robbers finds redemption and a purpose when they come across a pregnant woman in the desert about to give birth.  Moved by her plight, they help her, and she makes the trio promise to take care of her baby before she dies.  Fleeing the scene of their crime, wounded and without water, the trio struggles to make it to New Jerusalem, with Sherriff Buck Sweet in pursuit.
 
While on the run after robbing a bank, three criminals learn of a dying woman and her baby. After the woman dies they do everything possible to bring the the child to a safe place while crossing the desert on foot, even though they are running from the law, yet still take that risk.

Notes:

During shooting, John Wayne had to be hospitalized for a short time due to a severe sun burn.
Although the baby is supposed to be a boy, there is a scene where John Wayne is ‘greasing’ the baby that we can see that the baby is actually a girl. 

Harry Carey starred in an earlier silent adaption of the story, also called The Three Godfathers, in 1916.  In homage to that Carey's son Harry Carey Jr. plays the Abilene Kid in this version.
John Ford named the main character Robert Marmaduke Hightower after his favorite stuntman, Bryan Slim Hightower.

3 Godfathers - Trailer