John Wayne

The truth about the relationship of two legendary gunmen: John Wayne and James Arness.

Thanks to a wonderful friendship and a recommendation, John Wayne helped James Arness land the role of Marshal Matt Dillon on “Gunsmoke.”Before getting to the “Gunsmoke” news, let’s take a quick look back upon the friendship between “The Duke” and Arness.Arness co-starred with Wayne in four different pictures, “Big Jim McLain” in 1952, “Hondo” and “Island in the Sky” in 1953, and “The Sea Chase” in 1955. All of this is according to an article from ME.tv.

James Arness Can Thank John Wayne For Iconic TV Role

In 1955, “Gunsmoke” was making a move from radio into TV. This was during what some people term as TV’s “Golden Age” because so many shows aired in black-and-white during those times.The show itself already had an audience from its long-running radio presence. Actor William Conrad, best-known as private detective Bill Cannon from CBS’ series “Cannon,” was the radio voice of Dillon. He was up for the TV role along with, wait for it, Wayne.

But Wayne apparently didn’t want to go away from his growing movie career. Therefore, he suggested the show’s producers take a look at his friend Arness for the lead role.History tells us the rest of the story. Arness became Matt Dillon, portraying the tough law-keeping marshal for 20 seasons on CBS. “Gunsmoke” happened to be one of those network TV shows starting out in black-and-white before turning to color episodes once they became more prevalent.

John Wayne Hypes Up First ‘Gunsmoke’ Episode On CBS

The friendship between Wayne and Arness also takes another twist. Both men shared the same birthday. Wayne was born on May 26, 1907, while Arness was born on May 26, 1923.Just how tight were these two Western stars? Well, Wayne, who made some TV appearances, took time out of his film schedule to formally introduce Arness and “Gunsmoke” to CBS viewers in 1955.It’s truly rare when something like this takes place. I mean, it’s John Wayne we’re talking about here…not just any other actor. This is a special moment where Wayne gives his buddy James Arness a nice boost to new TV viewers for “Gunsmoke.”

Let’s jump into the time machine and take a look at “The Duke” introducing Arness before the first “Gunsmoke” episode on CBS.

John Wayne

How Maureen O’Hara Broke Her Hand During Iconic Scene With John Wayne

John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara starred in five films together over the course of their impressive movie careers. The only thing greater than their off-screen friendship was their on-screen chemistry.

Even though the pair had undeniable affection for each other, their film takes weren’t always flawless. In fact, one of their most memorable movie scenes resulted in O’Hara breaking her wrist. The scene takes place in The Quiet Man, a movie that was considered to be a passion project for director John Ford…the same man who introduced John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara at a party.

In a 2004 interview with Diane Sawyer, Maureen O’Hara shared a behind-the-scenes details about how filming a scene with John Wayne while she was angry at him resulted in her broken wrist.

“That particular day I was mad at him,” O’Hara recalled of a day on the set of The Quiet Man. “I was hitting him for real and I was intending to break his jaw. As you’ll see, as I hauled off to hit him, he puts his hand up and stops it. In that moment he snaps my wrist back and cracked a bone in my wrist.”

O’Hara finished filming the scene then went to the hospital. She later returned to the set to continue working because “you got no sympathy.”

O’Hara went on to explain in the interview that she was angry because John Wayne and the movie’s director had put down sheep’s dung for the scene where Wayne’s character drags O’Hara’s on the ground.

“Let me tell you, it stinks!” O’Hara said. “They loved tormenting me. Probably because I reacted. If I had had the sense not to even react they probably would have quit tormenting me.”

Hear Maureen O’Hara talk about breaking her hand while taking a swing at John Wayne in the clip below.

John Wayne

Inside John Wayne’s Decades-Long Relationship With Maureen O’Hara

One of cinema’s most beloved pairings was John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. Both are legends in their own right, but when paired together, the two made magic on the screen.

They co-starred in five movies throughout their careers: Rio Grande (1950), The Quiet Man (1952), The Wings of Eagles (1957), McLintock! (1963), and Big Jake (1971).

Their chemistry on-screen and close bond off-screen led many to believe that O’Hara and Wayne were an actual couple.

But their friendship was just that…friendship. They couldn’t have though higher of each other, and they made sure everyone knew!

In an interview posted to Wayne’s official Instagram account, a reporter says, “She’s been your wife a great many times,” and O’Hara interjected, “His fighting partner!”

Wayne laughed and when the sam reporter said, “There’s no way to make her not look beautiful,” Wayne revealed, “[Director John] Ford tried to make her unattractive in a few scenes – and it was impossible!”

They remained close friends until The Duke’s death in 1979. O’Hara spent three days with her legendary friend in the hospital trying to raise his spirits. When he wasn’t feeling great about turning 72, about two weeks before his death, O’Hara told him, “So what? Mileage never hurt a Rolls Royce.”

O’Hara passed away from natural causes in 2015 at the age of 94, reuniting her with one of her dearest friends, as well as her husband Charles Blair.

We are thankful for this partnership in cinema, friendship, and legacy they left behind!

John Wayne

Famed famous actress will not work with John Wayne for many years .

While many fans love John Wayne and his movies, it turns out he wasn’t always that popular with his fellow celebrities. In fact, there was at least one actress that refused to work with him for a long time! eventually, she came around but she called out his behavior and asked him to change. That actress was the iconic Katharine Hepburn.

In the ‘50s, John was a Republican who would often share his political views. Of course, this led to disagreements and other people didn’t always agree or like his views.

John wanted Katharine to play Angie Lowe in his western film Hondo. However, after she discovered that he supported the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), she didn’t want to work with him.

Kathar Hepburn famously feuded with John Wayne : In changed her mind. They worked together in the 1975 classic Rooster Cogburn. However, it doesn’t seem that all was well when they filmed the movie. After the movie was completed, Katharine spoke out about John, saying that he was always arguing with the crew and the director. She called him out during the film’s wrap party.

Reportedly, she told him, “I’m glad I didn’t know you when you had two lungs. You must have been a real b*****d. Losing a hip has mellowed me, but you!” Years later, before his death in 1979, they apparently made up and had some fun times together.