John Wayne

John Wayne stormed off movie set in tantrum during Four Sons filming

JOHN WAYNE had to start his career like everybody else – at the bottom. Long before he was Hollywood’s main leading man, he began his career in the silent era as an assistant on production teams. In one film, John Ford’s 1928 classic Four Sons, the future star had an “exasperated tantrum” on set – but it helped his film career.

John Ford may be best known for his talkies years later (including Stagecoach, The Grapes of Wrath and Fort Apache to name but a few) but his silent era was just as influential on the industry. Tragically, most of his silent films are now lost to time, but the ones that remain are held dear for their historic and cinematic importance. Having directed over 140 movies across his career, he and John Wayne paired together on 14 releases which saw the star get in front of the camera. Before that, they worked together in a very different capacity, as a young Wayne helped the production crews. On Four Sons, he had one particularly bad day putting him in a “tedious position.”

The film followed Mother Bernle (played by Margaret Mann), a Bavarian widow and mum to four children – Franz (Ralph Bushman), Johann (Charles Morton), Andreas (George Meeker) and Joseph (James Hall).

Three of her sons fight in Worlds War One on the side of Germany, while one fights for America, with the two sides eventually becoming enemies.

In the 1999 book Hourly History’s John Wayne: A Life From Beginning to End, the author went into detail about the unexpected fury Wayne flew into on set one day after being forced to carry out an infuriating task multiple times.

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John Wayne

John Wayne worked as a production hand on the 1928 film (Image: GETTY)

John Wayne

John Wayne went on to star in several John Ford classics (Image: GETTY)

The book explained Wayne was ordered to continuously “dump leaves, sweep them up, and then dump them again” between repeated takes.

The tome read: “Although innocuous in nature, this scene was very important for the production team and had to be done several times in order to get it just right.”

Eventually, the actor – who would go on to win an Academy Award for the 1969 film True Grit. – decided he had had enough.

The book went on: “Wayne was growing weary of the retakes, and somewhere along the way lost his order of operations and found himself sweeping up leaves when he should have been dumping them, completely messing up the shot. The crew was frustrated, but when Wayne realized what he had done, he was even more aggravated and threw his broom down, marching right off the set in what amounted to an exasperated tantrum.”

Luckily for Wayne, it all ended well for him.

John Ford

John Ford’s Four Sons was later remade in 1940 (Image: GETTY)

The star’s actions didn’t put him in hot water, instead, it actually drew Ford’s attention to the young actor. The book notes: “Ford was apparently once again entertained by what he perceived to be John Wayne’s sense of comic relief in action.”

But for Wayne fans rushing to watch it to catch the star in an early role – they will have to keep their eyes peeled. The film has become famous for including one of the star’s earliest performances. On IMDb he is listed as “Officer (uncredited)”.

For film historians, the movie is a real gem for the mere fact it still exists. It came at a time before film preservation was considered essential. For most of the studios (including Fox which produced this), silent films were viewed as having little future and were intentionally destroyed. At the end of the silent era, many considered silent films worthless and studios made little effort to keep them (excruciatingly painful for many film lovers now).

Fox later remade Four Sons as a talkie in 1940 with Archie Mayo in the director’s chair. He is best known for 1930’s Vengeance, 1936’s The Petrified Forest, 1928’s The Crimson City and 1923’s All Over Twist.

The cast included Don Ameche as Chris, Mary Beth Hughes as Anna, Alan Curtis as Karl, George Ernest as Fritz, Robert Lowery as Joseph and Eugenie Leontovich as Frau Bern (her debut as an actress).

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.