John Wayne
Going Outside Of His ‘Image’ Gave John Wayne His Favorite Performance Of His Career
When someone makes the misguided assertion that John Wayne had no range or, worse, was actually a bad actor, you can be sure they’ve never seen “The Searchers,” “Red River” or “True Grit.” They most certainly haven’t seen “She Wore a Red Ribbon,” the conclusion to John Ford’s “Cavalry Trilogy” which boasts what might very well be the finest performance of The Duke’s career.
To be fair, Ford, Wayne’s most trusted collaborator, wasn’t entirely sold on Wayne’s potential beyond his star power until he saw Howard Hawks’ “Red River” in 1948. Upon seeing Hawks’ Western, Ford reportedly exclaimed, “I didn’t know the big son of a b**** could act.” While it’s worth noting that Ford had a penchant for razzing his frequent leading man, Wayne’s portrayal of rancher Thomas Dunson is surprisingly shaded. Dunson is a hard, unyielding man at the outset, but an arduous cattle drive compounded by the conflict with his adopted son (Montgomery Clift) wears him down. Clift was one of the very first method actors, and he challenges The Duke every step of the way.
Now that the secret of Wayne’s acting ability was out, Ford had just the role for him: Captain Nathan Brittles in “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.”
A bittersweet glimpse of The Duke in winter
RKOBrittles was hardly tailor made for Wayne. He’s a 65-year-old, near-retirement leader of a small Army troop stationed at Fort Starke in Texas. The Duke was 42 at the time of his casting, so Brittles is a preview of the world weary cowboys the star would play in the 1970s — the difference here being that this is actually a good movie. As with “Red River,” “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” offers a portrayal of indigenous peoples that is somewhat nuanced compared to your average Golden Age oater. Wayne’s Brittles is friends with his Cheyenne counterpart Chief Pony That Walks (Chief John Big Tree), and wants dearly to strike a peace treaty with him before he cedes his post. This dynamic is not just unusual, but poignant, especially when viewed today in the context of Wayne’s career.
But it’s the age difference and Brittles’ encroaching irrelevance that lends “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” its poignancy. According to Scott Eyman’s biography “John Wayne: The Life and Legend,” The Duke understood this, and said as much:
“‘She Wore a Yellow Ribbon’ turned out to be, I think, the best acting job I’ve done. As a matter of fact, it’s about the only picture I’ve been in where I could play a character that was a little apart from the image that has developed for me over the years on the screen. I played a 65 year old man when I was 35 [actually, 42].’”
An Oscar dream deferred
RKOThough “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” was favorably received by critics, it only received one Academy Award nomination (for Winton C. Hoch’s vibrant color cinematography, which it won). Wayne did receive his first Oscar nod for Best Actor that year, but it was for his dies-with-his-combat-boots-on performance in Allan Dwan’s sturdy, if unspectacular “Sands of Iwo Jima.”
It’s often the case that actors never win for their best work (e.g. Al Pacino, Denzel Washington and Leonard DiCaprio), but for Wayne to not even be nominated for “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” (or “Red River”) remains an egregious miscarriage of Oscar justice. While he was entertainingly hammy as the eye-patched Rooster Cogburn in “True Grit,” perhaps the popular perspective of Wayne’s performing talents would be different had he earned an Oscar for one of the performances that undeniably proved the son of a b**** could act.
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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