Three Godfathers (1916)

Synopsis
This first of five film versions of Peter B. Kyne's Saturday Evening Post story Three Godfathers came to an eager public by way of Universal's Bluebird division. Harry Carey Sr. stars as the head of a three-man outlaw crew, who while escaping from the authorities come across a dying woman in the desert. After delivering the woman's baby, the trio promise to take care of the child after her death. Despite the subsequent deprivations visited upon them by this pledge, the Three Godfathers are true to their word. For reasons that need not be explained to any true western aficionada, John Ford's 1948 remake of Three Godfathers was dedicated to Harry Carey Sr., the star of the first adaptation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide