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John Wayne

The Western John Carpenter Wrote For John Wayne (& Why It Didn’t Happen)

John Carpenter once wrote a Western for John Wayne called Blood River, but here’s why it didn’t happen. Carpenter grew up a major fan of Westerns, with Rio Bravo being his favorite; Assault On Precinct 13 was his take on the same concept. By the time he moved into filmmaking, Westerns were all but dead in Hollywood. Instead, he focused on horror and went on to helm genre favorites like Halloween, The Thing and In The Mouth Of Madness. He never quite got to fulfill his Western dreams, however, with 1998’s Vampires being about as close as he came.
Early in his career, Carpenter penned a Western called Blood River. This involved a young gunfighter fleeing the vengeful father of a man he killed, and being helped by an old trapper. During the early ’70s, John Wayne’s – who considered Jet Pilot his worst movie – production company optioned the screenplay, with Carpenter brought on to craft it for the star. Carpenter recalls having a good time developing the project and that he was well-treated by Wayne and his family. However, the project was scrapped, with Wayne’s ill health during his final years cited as the key reason. In fact, part of Blood River’s rewrite involved trimming the more intense action sequences for his character.
Blood River Would Have Been Wayne’s Final Western

John Wayne in the 1976 movie The Shootist.

It appears Wayne hadn’t entirely given up on Blood River, as Ron Howard later recalled the actor mentioning the project as a potential starring vehicle for the two of them. Howard co-starred with Wayne in what proved to be the latter’s final movie The Shootist and mentioned that Blood River contained two great parts for them. Wayne’s health would continue to worsen following The Shootist, and this period even saw Wayne reject Spielberg’s offer to appear in war comedy 1941. Howard later lamented not getting to work with Wayne again, who passed from stomach cancer in 1979.
Blood River Was Made Into A 1991 TV Movie With Wilford Brimley

wilford brimley in blood river

Carpenter originally envisioned a director like Howard Hawks helming Blood River. Carpenter also knew he would never get the gig, as he was too inexperienced at the time. Wayne’s passing appeared to mark the end of Blood River, though it was eventually produced as a CBS TV movie in 1991. This cast Ricky Schroder as the gunfighter, while Wilford Brimley played the character earmarked for Wayne. Carpenter’s ex-wife Adrienne Barbeau also played a part, but despite a talented cast, Blood River debuted to mixed reviews and is now largely forgotten.
Outside of Blood River, Carpenter developed an epic Western dubbed El Diablo for himself to direct. This would have been a combination of Wayne’s The Searchers – which has an iconic ending – and Journey To The Center Of The Earth, where a mild-mannered schoolteacher teams with a veteran gunfighter to rescue the former’s kidnapped sister. The movie’s potential budget scared studio’s away, while Carpenter moved on to other projects. Like Blood River, it was eventually made in the ’90s as a TV movie, starring Anthony Edwards and Louis Gossett Jr.

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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!

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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.

ROOSTER COGBURN, John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn, 1975

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.

There was one star who refused to work with John Wayne

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.

ROOSTER COGBURN, from left: John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn, 1975

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.

ROOSTER COGBURN, John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn, 1975

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.

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John Wayne

The reason Elvis Presley turned down John Wayne’s offer to return to the West together.

Elvis Presley could have starred in the 1969 western True Grit alongside icon John Wayne. However, as much as his manager Col. Tom Parker wanted Elvis to be a Hollywood star, he didn’t want him to have any co-starring roles. If it wasn’t the main role, then he didn’t want it for Elvis.

Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presley returning from his stint in the Army, 1960

Reportedly, after Elvis’ western Love Me Tender did so well, John Wayne started noticing him as an actor. He asked Elvis to star in movies with him a few times, including True Grit. He wanted Elvis to play the part of Texan Ranger LaBoeuf.

TRUE GRIT, John Wayne, 1969

Elvis Presley could have acted with the iconic John Wayne : However, at the time, Elvis was wanted to focus on music and live performances.

Just a year before True Grit came out, Elvis filmed his 1968 Comeback Special. His manager also asked if Elvis could receive the top credit in the film, above John, if he were cast.

LOVE ME TENDER, Elvis Presley, 1956

So, Glen Campbell was cast instead. In addition to playing the role of LaBeouf, he sang the title song of the film. This wasn’t the only film role that fell through for Elvis because of his greedy manager.

Elvis Presley turned down John Wayne offer to work together

Elvis was asked to play the lead role in A Star is Born with Barbra Streisand. After negotiations fell through, Kris Kristofferson was cast instead. Can you imagine A Star is Born starring Barbra and Elvis instead? That would definitely have been interesting. Sadly, Elvis died just a year after the film came out.

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