John Wayne

Here Are 10 Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About John Wayne’s True Grit

True Grit went down in history as one of the most successful and most iconic Westerns ever made but did you know: Trivia facts revealed that lead actor John Wayne who starred as U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn, wasn’t actually satisfied with the film and even said (according to IMDb) that he starred in much better films. Though he did reprise his role six years later in the character-titled sequel Rooster Cogburn and just like the first, it scored big at the box office, proving how phenomenal Wayne’s acting was. In 2010, True Grit inspired a remake which then earned an impressive amount of nominations at the Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know (But Should Know) About John Wayne’s True Grit

Aside from John Wayne not liking the film, what else is there to know about the film’s behind-the-scenes?

1. The film was written by a formerly blacklisted writer.

If you know John Wayne, then you know that he ascribed to extreme right-wing politics, and so, it was a point of contention for many that he would work with Marguerite Roberts, a formerly blacklisted writer (due to her left-wing politics). People said that he shouldn’t, but Wayne ignored all of the calls, and he actually knew about it before he read the script. After reading, he thought the screenplay was magnificent and even wrote to Roberts to say that and was hoping that she might write another one with him in mind.

2. John Wayne earned the first and only Academy Award of his career as Rooster Cogburn.

Yes, you heard it right. In John Wayne’s decades-long celebrated career, he had never received any Academy Award before True Grit. And he had been nominated only once before in 1949, for Best Actor at the 22nd Academy Awards for his role in Sands of Iwo Jima.

Twenty years later, his talent was finally acknowledged. And in his acceptance speech, John Wayne said, “Wow. If I’d have known that, I’d have put that patch on 35 years earlier.”

3. John Wayne personally thought that Richard Burton should have won Best Actor.

John Wayne earned his Best Actor award, beating Richard Burton for his role as Henry VIII in Anne of the Thousand Days and Peter O’Toole for his role as Arthur Chipping in Goodbye Mr. Chips.

Personally, Wayne didn’t think much about winning. In an interview with Roger Ebert, Wayne said, “Well, whether or not I win an Oscar, I’m proud of the performance, Wayne said. “I’d be pleased to win one, of course, although I imagine these things mean more to the public than to us. There are a lot of old standbys who don’t have one.” And when he won, he expressed his sentiment that he thought Richard Burton deserved the award more than him.

Additionally, critics also saw Wayne’s win largely as a sentimental choice citing his performance in the film as over-the-top and hammy.

4. John Wayne didn’t initially want to wear the signature eye patch.

Wayne’s eye patch on the left eye definitely created his character’s signature look that even those who haven’t really watc hed True Grit could identify Rooster Cogburn. But Wayne didn’t really liked the idea of it. Additionally, in the book, Cogburn didn’t wear an eye patch, although he does only have one eye. But thankfully, he did and won himself an Academy Award.

5. John Wayne pushed for his daughter for the role of Mattie.

In the book Duke: The Life and Image of John Wayne, Ronald Davis said that Wayne pushed for his daughter Aissa to get the role of Mattie, but Director Henry Hathaway didn’t cast her. Multi-awarded actress Mia Farrow was given the role, but she turned it down (after a co-actor in a previous film told her that the director was impossible to work with), and so Kim Darby ended up as Mattie.

According to IMDb, John Wayne was disappointed by the casting that he hardly spoke with Darby at all off-camera. But Darby always spoke high praises about Wayne, saying that he was a pleasure to work with onset.

6. Rooster Cogburn’s most intense scene was not actually filmed by John Wayne.

When Rooster Cogburn took on a wild horseback pursuit of the notorious outlaw Ned Pepper (Robert Duvall) and his gang, it was actually Wayne’s stunt double Jim Burk who performed the role. He did majority of the scene, and Wayne only showed up for one brief close-up, and he was riding a trailer, not a horse.

7. John Wayne almost hit Robert Duvall during filming.

Wayne’s character and Duvall’s were enemies in the film, and it seemed that that relationship translated into real life. Reports said that Duvall allegedly had a temper on the set as his acting preferences did not align with Hathaway’s direction. And one specific direction sparked a heated argument as Hathaway told Duvall, “When I say, ‘Action!’ tense up, Goddam you.” Wayne grew tired of the fighting on set, and he threatened to punch Duvall if he didn’t stop arguing with Director Henry Hathaway.

8. Elvis Presley almost played Texas ranger La Beouf.

Elvis Presley was in the original cast line-up that the producers wanted, and they did get him as Texas ranger La Beouf. Unfortunately, those plans fell through after Presley’s manager, ‘Colonel’ Tom Parker, said that Presley had to be the top-bill. But with a superstar like John Wayne playing the lead character, the producers couldn’t meet the demand. And we all know what happened, country music star Glen Campbell ended up with the role.

9. The original book was in Mattie’s perspective, but the film focused on Rooster Cogburn.

Charles Portis wrote the book in the first person (Mattie), and Rooster Cogburn and La Beouf were actually supporting characters.

10. Rooster was 40, but Wayne was 61.

While it’s common practice in the movie industry that actors do not have the same age as the character they’re playing, the usual difference isn’t actually that big. But in the film, 61-year-old John Wayne played the role of Cogburn, who was originally written as 40.

Though the most striking age difference was between actress Kim Darby and her character Mattie Ross. Darby was already a 21-year-old when she played 14-year-old Mattie.

Well, there you have it. And now you are 10 times richer with facts about John Wayne’s True Grit, and who knows? These may come in handy in the future!

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.

John Wayne

True Crime on Amazon Prime: ‘Lorena’ Reexamines a 90s Tabloid Sensation

True crime might not be the first type of show that comes to mind when you think of the offerings on Amazon Prime Video. The perpetually buzzy genre is usually more associated with the likes of Netflix and HBO.

However, the streaming service boasts at least one standout docuseries from 2019. It’s one that can scratch the true crime itch for fans, but also give them a much needed new perspective on a well-worn tabloid sensation from the 1990s.

‘Lorena’ was produced by Jordan Peele of ‘Get Out’ fame

Jordan Peele, Head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke, and Lorena Gallo attend the 'Lorena' Premiere during the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.

Jordan Peele, Head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke, and Lorena Gallo attend the ‘Lorena’ Premiere during the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. | Rich Fury/Getty Images

Lorena, as the simple, to-the-point title suggests, chronicles the sordid story of Lorena and Jon Bobbit. The series was produced by Jordan Peele, the comedian-turned-director best known for Get Out and Us, and released on Amazon Prime Video in early 2019 following a premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.

In 1993, Lorena Bobbitt infamously cut her husband, John Wayne Bobbitt’s penis off in his sleep with a kitchen carving knife. She drove off with it, tossed it out the car window into a field, and eventually called 911 to report the incident. After a search followed by 9.5 hours of surgery, John Bobbitt was able to get his penis reattached and functioning normally.

Thanks in large part to the salacious and sexual nature of the Bobbittss story, it quickly became a tabloid and late-night talk show sensation. Sadly, as one might expect from a male-dominated culture, the media spectacle largely focused on John Bobbitt as a sympathetic victim and cast Lorena as a hysterical victim. John Bobbitt went on to become something of a cult figure for a time, even starring in two pornographic films.

Part of the mission statement of Lorena, the series, was to use the true crime format to recontextualize the Lorena Bobbitt story. Despite the prevailing perception of the incident beforehand, in reality, John Bobbitt had subjected Lorena to years of domestic abuse and rape, up to and including the night of her attack.

John Bobbitt was eventually acquitted on rape charges. Lorena Bobbitt was found not guilty by a jury for reasons of insanity.

“25 years later, Lorena is a groundbreaking re-investigation of the deep moral issues and painful human tragedies buried at the heart of this infamous American scandal,” Amazon’s official description of the series reads, as reported by Deadline. “Lost in the tabloid coverage and jokes was the opportunity for a national discussion on domestic and sexual assault in America.”

Lorena saw a positive reaction upon its release, currently boasting an 82% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It was the biggest project yet from director Joshua Rofé, who previously helmed Lost for Life, a documentary about juvenile offenders sentenced to life in prison.