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John Wayne Turned Down Playing Waco Kid in ‘Blazing Saddles’ Because It Was ‘Too Dirty,’ But He Wanted to Be ‘First in Line’ to See It

John Wayne had a strong understanding of his target audience. He will always remain a western movie icon, but he certainly turned down some significant roles in legendary films. However, that didn’t mean he necessarily disliked all of the scripts he rejected. Wayne turned down playing Waco Kid in Blazing Saddles, but he wanted to be first in line to see it.

John Wayne almost played Waco Kid in ‘Blazing Saddles’
Mel Brooks directed Blazing Saddles based on a screenplay that he wrote with Norman Steinberg, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, and Alan Uger. The story is a satirical take on the western film genre. Bart (Cleavon Little) is a crafty railroad worker, who ultimately becomes the first-ever Black sheriff of Rock Ridge. However, the town is set to be torn down for a brand new railroad.
Rock Ridge initially holds racial bias toward Bart. However, they begin to welcome him after seeing his passion for protecting the town against a wave of thugs sent to get rid of the town’s population. He only has his perpetually drunk gunfighter friend to stand alongside him, named Waco Kid (Gene Wilder).

John Wayne turned down the Waco Kid for being ‘too dirty’

Brooks spoke about offering the role of Waco Kid in Blazing Saddles to Wayne on the film’s official DVD release. However, Wayne turned down the part after reading the script. He feared that the dialogue was “too dirty” for the family-friendly image he built in the western genre. Wayne wanted his films to remain popular for audiences of all ages to enjoy.
Metro Philadelphia interviewed Brooks and asked about Wayne rejecting Blazing Saddles. However, the western movie icon still overall liked the project, even though he didn’t want to star in it.
“He did [turn it down],” Brooks said. “I wanted him to play the Waco Kid, because the Duke was such a good actor. His reality is that he is the cowboy Western. We were in the commissary at Warners, I gave him the script and he promised he’d read it overnight.”
Wayne continued: “The next morning I saw him and he says that he loves it — every beat, every line — but that it’s too blue, that it would disappoint his fans. He said though that he would be the first one in line to see it.”
‘Blazing Saddles’ earned 3 Oscar nominations


Blazing Saddles would ultimately get the title of a “classic comedy,” even though critics and audiences initially responded with mixed reactions upon its release. However, the Library of Congress decided to select it for preservation in the National Film Registry. It’s an iconic film that crowds continue to cherish in modern times.
Blazing Saddles also earned three Oscar nominations. The Academy nominated Madeline Kahn for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, along with nods for Best Film Editing and Best Music, Original Song. However, it lost out in all three of its respective categories.
Many audiences gasp at the thought that Wayne would turn down the role of Waco Kid in Blazing Saddles. However, he had a strong understanding of his brand and didn’t want to confuse audiences with what type of films audiences associate with Wayne’s name.

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‘Black movie queen’ Maureen O’Hara – a close colleague of John Wayne passed away in front of the audience’s mourning. – My Blog

The star of the movie “Miracle on 34th Street”, a familiar co-star of actor John Wayne, has passed away due to old age and weakness. Maureen O’Hara, an Irish star, was once known as “the queen of movies. color”, died at his home in Boise, Idaho, USA, on October 24, at the age of 95.


The information was confirmed by Johnny Nicoletti, her long-time manager. “She passed away in the loving arms of her family, as well as on the soundtrack of the movie The Quiet Man that she loved so much,” one Maureen O’Hara’s relatives shared.

During her illustrious career, O’Hara had five times played the screen lover of actor John Wayne. She appeared in many classic Hollywood films, such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), How Green Was My Valley (1941), Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Rio Grande (1950), The Quiet Man (1952). , Our Man in Havana (1959) and The Parent Trap (1961).

However, she never received an Oscar nomination. A year before Maureen O’Hara’s death, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided to present her with an honorary Oscar for her service to Hollywood.

During the 1940s, when color film began to flourish, Maureen O’Hara appeared in a series of compelling works such as To the Shores of Tripoli (1942), The Black Swan (1942), The Spanish Main (1945). and The Quiet Man.

Possessing fair skin, red hair, as well as green eyes, she “shines like the sun on a silver screen,” as the New York Times described it. It was Dr. Herbert Kalmus, the inventor of color film, who gave Maureen O’Hara the nickname “color film queen”.

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The reason why John Wayne is labeled ‘Draft Dodger’ in Wor ւ ԁ War II . – My Blog

When actor John Wayne visited American soldiers in Vietnam in the summer of 1966, he was warmly welcomed. As he spoke to groups and individuals, he was presented gifts and letters from American and South Vietnamese troops alike. This was not the case during his USO tours in 1942 and ’43.According to author Garry Wills’ 1998 book, “John Wayne’ America: the Politics of Celebrity,” the actor received a chorus of boos when he walked onto the USO stages in Australia and the Pacific Islands. Those audiences were filled with combat veterans. Wayne, in his mid-30s, was not one of them.


Around the time the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Wayne was not the big-name actor we remember him being today. He was fresh off the box-office success of the 1939 film “Stagecoach.”Being drafted or enlisting was going to have a serious impact on his rising star. Depending on how long the ԝаr lasted, Wayne reportedly worried he might be too old to be a leading man when he came home.

Other actors, both well-established and rising in fame, rushed off to do their part. Clark Gable joined the Army Air Forces and, despite the studios’ efforts to get him into a motion picture unit, served as an aerial ɡսոոеr over Europe. Jimmy Stewart was initially ineligible for the draft, given his low weight, but like some amazing version of Captain America, he drank beer until he qualified.In his 2014 book, “American Titan: Searching for John Wayne,” author Marc Eliot alleges Wayne was having an affair with actress Marlene Dietrich. He says the possibility of losing this relationship was the real reason Wayne didn’t want to go to ԝаr.

But even Dietrich would do her part, smuggling Jewish people out of Europe, entertaining troops on the front lines (she crossed into Germany alongside Gen. George S. Patton) and maybe even being an operative for the Office of Strategic Services.Wayne never enlisted and even filed for a 3-A draft deferment, which meant that if the sole provider for a family of four were drafted, it would cause his family undue hardship. The closest he would ever come to Worւԁ Wаr II service would be portraying the actions of others on the silver screen.

With his leading man competition fighting the ԝаr and out of the way, Wayne became Hollywood’s top leading man. During the ԝаr, Wayne starred in a number of western films as well as Worւԁ Wаr II movies, including 1942’s “Flying Tigers” and 1944’s “The Fighting Seabees.” According to Eliot, Wayne told friends the best thing he could do for the ԝаr was make movies to support the troops. Eventually, the government agreed.

At one point during the ԝаr, the need for more men in uniform caused the U.S. military brass to change Wayne’s draft status to 1-A, fit for duty. But Hollywood studios intervened on his behalf, arguing that the actor’s star power was a boon for ԝаrtime propaganda and the morale of the troops. He was given a special 2-A status, which back then meant he was deferred in “support of national interest.”The decision not to serve or to avoid it entirely (depending on how you look at the actor) haunted Wayne for the rest of his life. His third wife, Pilar Wayne, says he became a “super-patriot for the rest of his life trying to atone for staying at home.”

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John Wayne Wanted to Make His Home Alarm a Hilarious Tape Recording of His Voice: ‘I See You, You Son of a B****’

John Wayne Wanted to Make His Home Alarm a Hilarious Tape Recording of His Voice: ‘I See You, You Son of a B****’

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