John Wayne
Frank Sinatra and John Wayne Nearly Came to Blows Over Sinatra ‘Crony’ JFK and Communism
Though Frank Sinatra had more conservative political leanings toward the end of his life, the celebrity was initially liberal enough to pick up suspicion from the FBI. John Wayne was a staunch conservative who disagreed with Sinatra’s politics. After Wayne made comments about Sinatra’s ties to John F. Kennedy and a Communist filmmaker, the two men nearly got into a physical altercation.
Frank Sinatra and John Wayne had different political leaningsIn the 1940s, Sinatra openly supported various antiracist, antifascist, and internationalist causes. He also served as a board member for the Independent Citizens Committee of the Arts, Sciences, and Professions (ICCASP). According to Jacobin Mag, the ICCASP was a group of influential figures such as Duke Ellington, Albert Einstein, and Eleanor Roosevelt who supported causes like “free speech, racial equality and, after the end of World War II, campaigns against the atomic bomb.”
Given the national mood during the Red Scare, Sinatra’s political leanings garnered attention from the FBI. While they compiled a file on the singer that primarily dealt with his alleged mob ties, they also focused on his leftist beliefs.
By contrast, Wayne was a prominent Hollywood conservative. Per the Washington Post, he belonged to the John Birch Society, a right-wing, anti-communism group. He also supported the House Un-American Activities Committee, which kept an eye on Sinatra’s politics.
The two men fought over their political beliefs
Sinatra irritated Wayne in the 1960s when he hired Alfred Maltz, a blacklisted Communist filmmaker, to write a screenplay for The Execution of Private Slovik. Sinatra worked with Maltz in the 1945 short film The House I Live In. The film shows Sinatra decrying anti-semitism and promoting tolerance.
Per the Saturday Evening Post, Wayne responded bitterly when a reporter asked him what he thought of the collaboration.
“I don’t think my opinion is too important,” he said. “Why don’t you ask Sinatra’s crony, who’s going to run our country for the next few years, what he thinks of it?”
With “crony,” Wayne was referring to Kennedy, who Sinatra publicly supported. The outcry against Maltz was strong enough that Sinatra fired him and canceled the project. Shortly after, Sinatra and Wayne were at the same Hollywood benefit show. Sinatra “stalked off the stage” when Wayne took the microphone.
“What the hell did you walk away from me for?” Wayne later asked Sinatra.
“Well, you cried,” Sinatra said. “You blasted off your mouth.”
Per the LA Times, witnesses at the benefit said that the two men nearly got into a physical altercation over the comments.
John Wayne initially denied that there was an altercation with Frank Sinatra
Despite witness accounts that Sinatra “tried to square off” against Wayne, the actor denied the altercation.
“There was no trouble at all,” he said just after the benefit. “I like Frank. Frank was the backbone of the entertainment that evening. In fact, he kept the show going.”
Still, he recounted the tense moment for the Saturday Evening Post in 1962. In this version of the story, however, the disagreement ended calmly.
“Duke, we’re friends, and we’ll probably do pictures together,” Wayne explained that Sinatra said. “Let’s forget the whole thing.”
Ultimately, though, the moment did not permanently mar Sinatra and Wayne’s relationship.
John Wayne
The Legend Lives On: John Wayne is Still Alive!
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.
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