3 Godfathers (1948)

3 Godfathers is a 1948 western film starring John Wayne, directed by John Ford and filmed primarily in Death Valley. When three cattle rustlers rob a bank in the town of Welcome, Arizona, one of the men suffers a bullet wound and they have to flee into the desert, pursued by the local sheriff and his posse. They eventually lose their horses in a desert storm and end up walking. In their search for water, they come across a water hole, which has, however, been destroyed by the misguided efforts of a bumbling tenderfoot. In his covered wagon left nearby lies his wife who is very pregnant and about to give birth. With the help of the three outlaws she gives birth to a boy. Before dying, she extracts a promise from the baby's three godfathers that they will take care of him. Moved by the woman's plight, the three desperadoes uphold their promise despite the acute lack of water. 3 Godfathers co-stars Ward Bond, Harry Carey Jr., Pedro Armendariz, Mildred Natwick, Jane Darwell, and Mae Marsh.