John Wayne
John Wayne nearly bankrupt himself while shooting movie that caused actor’s death
JOHN WAYNE was so passionate about his 1960 movie that he agreed to produce, direct and star in it (after much persuasion). He even put up millions of dollars of his own money and used his property as collateral. Even though the movie was plagued with the death of one actor and the injury of another, it was extremely successful at the box office.
In 1960 the legendary actor John Wayne decided he would retell the story of a historical event for the silver screen. He chose to tell the story of the Battle of the Alamo, the real-life battle that took place in Mexico and was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. And he went to great lengths to get The Alamo made. He and producer Robert Fellows formed Batjac, their own production company to bring the movie to life.
Wayne acted as both the producer and director of The Alamo, but refused to star in the movie as well. However, his first hurdle appeared when he began struggling to gain financial support for the movie.
Adamant that his vision for The Alamo would not suffer, Wayne approached United Artists for financial support for the picture. The company agreed to contribute $2.5 million for its production as well as serving as its distributor – but there was a catch.
United Artists would only give the cash to Batjac if Wayne agreed to star in the film as well, noting that it would be a much more financially sound investment with his face attached to the picture. Wayne agreed and took on the role of Colonel Davy Crockett.
But Wayne still did not have enough money to make the film he wanted. So he had to start dipping into his own pockets.
Years after The Alamo was released, Wayne revealed that he invested more than $1.5 million of his own money into the film.
$1.5 million is a lot of money today, but back in 1960, it was an extraordinary amount of cash (equivalent to approximately $9 million). But Wayne believed so passionately that The Alamo was a good investment that he would not spare any expense.
Eventually, he began to get desperate.
Before long, he had no choice but to take out second mortgages on his houses to further fund the movie. The American star also agreed to use his vehicles as collateral to acquire loans for the movie.
In the end, The Alamo had a budget of $12 million – a lot of which was funded by Wayne himself.
But the star’s troubles didn’t stop there.
A 29-year-old actress was murdered during the production of The Alamo.
LeJean Ethridge, a young up-and-coming star, was given a shot in the film by Wayne personally.
But during filming, her boyfriend, Chester Harvey, was charged with her murder. He was found guilty of stabbing her after he reportedly got jealous of her life.
Harvey was reportedly not very happy when Ethridge received the part in the movie and decided to move out of the house she was living in with him. Later on, Wayne had to testify during the investigation.
What’s more, the actors on the set of The Alamo were not happy with the working conditions.
Frankie Avalon was “intimidated” by the numerous rattlesnakes on the film’s set, which was shot in the deserts of Texas.
And one of the actors even broke a bone on camera during shooting.
Laurence Harvey, who played Colonel Travis, fired a cannon for a shot but forgot about the weapon’s recoil. The cannon rolled onto Harvey’s foot, breaking it completely. But the actor did not scream or make any sudden movements.
Not until Wayne called “cut” did Harvey drop to the floor and begin writhing around in pain. After this bone-shattering event, Wayne praised the star’s professionalism.
Thankfully, after all of this financial and logistical hardship, Wayne’s movie was a massive success.
The Alamo made a staggering $20 million at the box office, and even garnered an impressive Best Picture nomination at the 1961 Academy Awards.
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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