John Wayne

No One Was More Surprised By John Wayne’s Stagecoach Casting Than The Duke

John Ford did enjoy his petty tortures, especially when his subject was John Wayne.
Ford had certainly earned the right to rib the star a little. He employed Wayne as a prop man as a favor to USC coach Howard Jones and silent Western star Tom Mix, and vouched for the actor when Raoul Walsh considered casting him for his 1930 epic “The Big Trail.” He might not have coined the name “John Wayne” (that was Walsh), but he did more to shape his swaggering persona than any other director in Hollywood.
But Ford’s needling could verge on cruelty. When an insecure Wayne, playing a Swedish seaman in 1940’s “The Long Voyage Home,” asked Ford for a dialect coach to help him nail the accent, the director retorted “Well, Jesus, all right, if you want to be a goddamn actor.” In 1948, after viewing Howard Hawks’ “Red River,” Ford quipped, “I never knew that big son of a b**** could act.”
If his goal was to keep the up-and-coming performer on his toes, it worked. And there’s no better example of Ford blindsiding the Duke than when he cast him as the Ringo Kid in “Stagecoach.”
The boat trip that changed The Duke’s lifeUnited ArtistsBy the end of the 1930s, Wayne had firmly established himself as a capable lead of Poverty Row Westerns at Republic Pictures. Critics turned up their noses at these movies, but moviegoers were enthralled by the white hat/black hat formula. Shootouts, fistfights, and a smattering of romance: you always got what you paid for.
Wayne, however, had his pride, and being in such close proximity to legitimately great artists like Ford and Walsh left him yearning for respectability. Alas, his pride precluded him from begging Ford for a part. The director knew this, and, according to Randy Roberts and David Welky’s “John Wayne: Treasures,” spent the better part of a late-’30s sailing trip with the actor asking him who should play the Ringo Kid in “Stagecoach.”
Wayne suggested Lloyd Nolan, a contemporary who’d earned acclaim playing the black hat in King Vidor’s “The Texas Rangers.” Ford ridiculed the notion. Per Roberts and Welky:
“Nolan?” Ford reacted, dismissing the suggestion. “Jesus Christ, I just wish to hell I could find some young actor in this town who can ride a horse and act. Duke, you must know someone. But then you’ve been out at Republic. You’re not likely to see a hell of a lot of talent out there.”
Ford kept after Wayne until he docked his yacht in San Pedro. That’s when he lowered the boom. “Duke,” he said. “I want to tell you something. I have made up my mind. I want you to play the Ringo Kid.”
Wayne likened Ford’s decision to getting “hit in the belly with a baseball bat.” After years of high-handed mentorship, the director was finally giving the Duke his sink-or-swim opportunity in an A-movie. Wayne more than delivered. “Stagecoach” made the pulpy genre respectable, and announced the Duke as a hard man with a just-soft-enough center. Ford’s approach to nurturing might’ve been unorthodox, and kind of mean, but you can’t argue with the results.

John Wayne

The Legend Lives On: John Wayne is Still Alive!

In a world where legends never fade, we can’t help but wonder: what if John Wayne, the iconic figure of American cinema, is still with us in spirit? The Duke, known for his larger-than-life roles and undeniable charisma, continues to inspire generations.

From his unforgettable performances in classics like “True Grit” and “The Searchers” to his indomitable spirit, Wayne’s essence is woven into the fabric of Hollywood and American culture. His rugged persona, moral fortitude, and unwavering courage resonate deeply, reminding us of the values he embodied.

While we may not see him on the silver screen today, Wayne’s legacy lives on through the countless actors he inspired and the stories he helped tell. His films are timeless, bringing joy and adventure to audiences around the world.

So, as we celebrate the enduring impact of John Wayne, let’s keep his spirit alive in our hearts. Whether you’re watching one of his classics or sharing a favorite quote, remember that the legend of John Wayne will never truly die. Here’s to the Duke—forever a part of our cinematic history!

John Wayne

Why John Wayne Turned Down the Chance to Work With Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood and John Wayne are the two biggest legends in the history of Western movies, however, they never worked together. The duo did have the opportunity to work together once in the 1970s. Here’s why the film never came to fruition.

How John Wayne responded when Clint Eastwood tried to work with him

Firstly, a little background. According to the book John Wayne: The Life and Legend, it all starts with Larry Cohen. Though Cohen is not a widely known director like Steven Spielberg or Quentin Tarantino, he’s a huge name to fans of B movies. He directed famous B movies like The Stuff, Q: The Winged Serpent, It’s Alive, and God Told Me To. He also wrote a script called The Hostiles shortly after Eastwood released his classic High Plains Drifter.

The Hostiles was about a gambler who wins half of an estate of an older man. The gambler and the older man have to work together despite the fact that they don’t like each other. Eastwood optioned the screenplay with the intent of playing the gambler alongside Wayne as the older man.

Eastwood sent a copy of the script of The Hostiles to Wayne. Although Eastwood felt the script was imperfect, he saw its potential. However, Wayne was not interested. Eastwood pitched the film to Wayne a second time and Wayne responded with a letter. Wayne’s letter complained about High Plains Drifter. Wayne was offended by the film and its portrayal of the Old West as a cruel, violent place.

John Wayne

Ann-Margret Refused to Call John Wayne ‘Duke’ While Introducing 1 of His Movies

Ann-Margret once starred in one of John Wayne’s lesser-known movies. However, she refused to call him by his popular moniker Duke. Here’s a look at the film they made together — and why she declined to call him by a nickname.

The one time Ann-Margret and John Wayne made a movie together

Ann-Margret is probably most known for her work in musicals, specifically Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, and The Who’s Tommy. However, she also dabbled in the Western genre. She starred alongside Wayne in the mostly forgotten movie The Train Robbers.

Wayne was also known as The Duke or just Duke. According to USA Today, the nickname was derived from his childhood dog. It stuck with him for many years. It continues to be used today — even on the box covers of the DVDs for his movies.

John Wayne | Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images

During an interview with Interview Magazine, Ann-Margret explained why she didn’t refer to the Rio Bravo star by this famous name. “When I came to this country, first of all, mother and I didn’t know English,” she said. “I would curtsey, then say, ‘Thank you,’ and then when I was leaving, curtsey. For example, we went to Dallas to introduce a film I did with John Wayne. And I never called him Duke. I just couldn’t. That’s the way I was raised. When you meet someone, you say either Mr. or Mrs. or Miss. You stand up.”

Ann-Margret revealed she treated other famous people in much the same way. For example, she worked with director George Sidney on Bye Bye Birdie and Viva Las Vegas. She always called him Mr. Sidney.

What Ann-Margret thought about John Wayne

Ann-Margret refused to use Wayne’s most famous moniker. However, she had a positive view of the actor. During an interview with Fox News, she was asked what she expected when she met Wayne. “Oh, I didn’t know what to expect,” she revealed. “But when he hugged me, it’s like the world was hugging me. He was so big and wide with that booming voice.

“We were shooting in Durango, Mexico and my parents came down to visit me,” she added. “He was so great with my parents. So absolutely welcoming and gentle with them. And anybody who was great to my parents was on a throne in my eyes.”

How the world reacted to ‘The Train Robbers’

Wayne starred in many classic Westerns, including The Searchers, Stagecoach, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. However, The Train Robbers is mostly forgotten. It didn’t gain a cult following like Once Upon a Time in the West or Dead Man. It wasn’t a critical success either, garnering a 33% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, Ann-Margret had some fond memories of making the film — even if she refused to call Wayne by his famous nickname.