3 Godfathers

3 Godfathers
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	John Ford
Produced by	Merian C. Cooper
Screenplay by	Laurence Stallings Frank S. Nugent Robert Nathan
Based on	The Three Godfathers 1918 novelette by Peter B. Kyne
Starring	John Wayne Harry Carey Jr. Pedro Armendáriz
Music by	Richard Hageman
Cinematography	Winton Hoch
Edited by	Jack Murray
Production company	Argosy Pictures
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	December 1, 1948 (1948-12-01)
Running time	106 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1,243,000
Box office	$2,841,000

3 Godfathers is a 1948 American Western film directed by John Ford and filmed (although not set) primarily in Death Valley, California. The screenplay, written by Frank S. Nugent and Laurence Stallings, is based on the novelette of the same name written by Peter B. Kyne. Ford had already adapted the film once before in 1919 as Marked Men. The original silent adaptation by Ford is thought to be lost today. The story is something of a retelling of the story of The Three Wise Men in an American Western context. Ford decided to remake the story in Technicolor and dedicate the film to the memory of long-time friend Harry Carey, who starred in the 1919 film Marked Men. Carey's son, Harry Carey, Jr., plays one of the title roles in this 1948 film.

Cattle rustlers Robert Hightower (John Wayne), Pedro "Pete" Rocafuerte (Pedro Armendáriz), and William Kearney (Harry Carey, Jr.) rob a bank in the town of Welcome, Arizona, but William is shot in the shoulder and they have to flee into the desert, pursued by a posse led by Sheriff Buck Sweet (Ward Bond), who shoots a hole in their water bag (that they do not notice until after all the water has leaked out). They eventually lose their horses in a desert sandstorm and end up walking. Desperate for water, they head for a water hole, which has, however, been destroyed by the misguided efforts of a bumbling , who then chased after his lifestock and did not return.