John Wayne

John Wayne’s Red River Sparked A Feud Between Howard Hawks And Howard Hughes

Howard Hughes’s deliriously ahistorical “The Outlaw” is probably best known for star Jane Russell’s brassiere, which the director painstakingly designed to accentuate her 38DD bosom. Never mind that Russell claimed she wore it all of a few minutes, loathed the fit, and padded her own bra the old-fashioned way; the undergarment is still on display in a Hollywood museum — the, er, stuff of showbiz legend.
The film itself is an agreeably campy Western. Doc Holliday (Walter Huston) rides into Lincoln, New Mexico looking to recover his stolen horses. He tells his friend Pat Garrett (Thomas Mitchell) that Billy the Kid (Jack Buetel) is the thief, which sets up a not-terribly-understated homoerotic love triangle. It’s a goofy movie that should be a lot more fun than it is, but its script by Jules Furthman boasts some nifty flourishes, one of which finds the sharp-shooting Holliday trying to goad Billy into a duel by grazing him with bullets.
If you’ve seen Howard Hawks’ “Red River,” this should sound familiar. It certainly did to Hughes, who’d either fired Hawks from directing “The Outlaw” or frustrated the filmmaker so thoroughly that he quit. Either way, when Hughes caught wind that Hawks had concluded his then-unreleased Western with a scene wherein John Wayne fires a series of shots at Montgomery Clift in an attempt to drive his charge-turned-rival to violence, he threatened to sue if the sequence wasn’t removed from the final cut. With the release of “Red River” less than a month away, a compromise needed to be reached in short order.
Hawks v. Hughes

United ArtistsHughes’ attorney Lloyd Wright contacted Edward Small, a major investor in “Red River,” to arrange a screening of the disputed footage for the eccentric industrialist. Sure enough, Hughes dug in on his objections, and threatened an injunction that would delay the film’s planned September 1, 1948 release indefinitely.
Small, who’d worked with Hughes before, knew the businessman wouldn’t back down until he got his way, so he arranged a showdown of sorts between the contentious parties. Hughes and Hawks met at one of the former’s aircraft plants in Inglewood, California. According to Scott Eyman’s “John Wayne: The Life and Legend,” the two fought bitterly over a potential remedy. This forced Small to play to Hughes’ vanity:
“‘Both men were tall and lean, and I felt like the referee between two animated redwood trees,’ remembered Small. Finally, Small suggested that Hughes edit the sequence to suggest what Hawks, Feldman, and Small should do. Hughes made a few cuts, eliminating about twenty-four seconds, including a shot where Dunson’s bullet creases Matt’s cheek. Also removed were nine words of Wayne’s dialogue: ‘Draw. Go on, draw. Well, then, I’ll make you.’ As Small realized, ‘If I had made the same infinitesimal alterations, he probably wouldn’t have accepted them.’”
A quick fix to an enduring classic

United ArtistsIn 2022, these fixes could be implemented in-house overnight, with new DCPs rushed to multiplexes within days. In 1948, editing teams had to fly to the Southwest (where Wayne’s movies tended to premiere) and splice the recut footage into the already struck prints. They got the job done, and “Red River” debuted on time. The film went on to triple its budget at the U.S. box office, and earn Academy Award nominations for Best Motion Picture Story and Best Editing.
74 years after its release, “Red River” is recognized as one of the finest Westerns ever made. John Wayne gives one of his very best performances as the conflicted Dunson; upon seeing his longtime collaborator in the film, John Ford exclaimed, “I never knew the big son of a bi*** could act!” Wayne is every bit as unsympathetic here as we would be years later in Ford’s “The Searchers,” but Hawks and Furthman state the case for his character’s bigoted obsolescence more plainly. He operates outside the law to maintain his empire. He is a murderer. Westward expansion might be a fait accompli, but the country will collapse if men of his tyrannical ilk seize the reins of these new territories.
Like Hughes and Hawks, America struck a tenuous compromise, one that has been renegotiated for well over a century. It is disconcerting to see Dunson’s type rise again.

John Wayne

Why John Wayne Almost Punched Robert Duvall

John Wayne and Robert Duvall reportedly almost got into a physical fight while filming True Grit. John was a very dedicated actor and was often very serious on and off the set. Robert was apparently known for his temper and would clash with the directors on the films he worked on.

While working on True Grit, Robert would argue with the director and disrupt the filming process. Eventually, John had enough and said he would punch Robert if he didn’t stop arguing with the director!

John Wayne almost punched Robert Duvall while working on ‘True Grit’

Even though they had a little spat while working together, Robert spoke very highly of John later in life. He said, “Wayne wasn’t as bad as some supposedly serious actors I’ve seen who trained at the Actors Studio and all that… Wayne was interesting to be around. He was pleasant and outgoing.”

Even though John was an iconic actor, he didn’t have all of the training that many others did. He wanted to be a football player but it didn’t work out. So eventually he worked as a prop boy and was discovered on the set of The Big Trail. His career took off and he became known for western films. Some of his best known films are The Alamo, Stagecoach, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and of course, True Grit. His final film was The Shootist in 1976.

Can you believe that John Wayne almost punched his co-star Robert Duvall? That would have been crazy! What’s your favorite John Wayne film?

John Wayne

‘The Sons of Katie Elder’: John Wayne ‘Exploded in Rage’ When a Photographer Caught Him Using His Oxygen Mask

John Wayne wasn’t always able to keep his anger under control. However, he did often own up to situations where he felt the anger wasn’t justified. A photographer was on the other end of that rage when he took a photograph of Wayne using an oxygen mask on the set of The Sons of Katie Elder.

John Wayne played John Elder in ‘The Sons of Katie Elder’

The Sons of Katie Elder follows four sons who reunite in their old Texas hometown to attend their mother’s funeral, including John (Wayne) and Tom (Dean Martin). However, they learn that things are a lot worse than they could have imagined. Their father gambled away their family ranch, which ultimately resulted in his murder.

The four brothers decide to avenge their father’s death at all costs. They plan to win back their family ranch, but they’re way in over their heads. The situation suddenly escalates with the local sheriff and the violent conflict with the rival Hastings clan. The critics praised Wayne for his performance in The Sons of Katie Elder, as well as the remainder of the cast.

John Wayne ‘exploded in rage’ when a photographer took a picture of him using his oxygen mask on the set

Randy Roberts’ John Wayne: American explores Wayne’s career, including his time on the set of The Sons of Katie Elder. The actor was battling his cancer diagnosis at the time, which is why he initially recommended Kirk Douglas for the role. However, director Henry Hathaway fought to get Wayne in The Sons of Katie Elder.

As a result of his health, Wayne had an oxygen tank on the set in Durango, Mexico. It was 6,000 feet above sea level, making it difficult for the actor to breathe. However, he “exploded in rage” when a photographer named Gene Sysco from The Globe took a picture of him using the oxygen mask.

“You goddamned son of a b****!,” Wayne shouted. “Give me that f***ing film!”

Sysco obeyed and gave the film to the actor. As a result, the entire set fell silent in an uncomfortable exchange.

However, Wayne ultimately realized that he overreacted on the set of The Sons of Katie Elder. The actor approached the photographer in the motel dining room to apologize.

“I’m a grown man,” Wayne said. “I ought to be able to control myself better than I did today. I’m sorry.”

The legendary Western star was terrified that making the oxygen mask public would destroy his persona as a tough cowboy.

The actor didn’t allow his health to affect his performance in ‘The Sons of Katie Elder’

John Wayne: American explained that the Western actor’s co-star, George Kennedy, talked about his behavior in The Sons of Katie Elder. He continued using the oxygen tank and even stopped smoking cigarettes, but he still enjoyed having cigars. He only had one lung, although he wasn’t ready to completely give up that pleasure.

Nevertheless, Wayne did some of his own stunts in The Sons of Katie Elder. The actor wanted to prove that he wasn’t going to allow his diagnosis to defeat him. He completed a scene where he had to be dragged down a river. He also almost caught pneumonia, but he was insistent on keeping up his persona at all costs.

John Wayne

A Heart Breaking Story of John Wayne and co-star Lauren Bacall

In her final letter to John Wayne, Lauren Bacall said she needed to tell him something. It was something she couldn’t work up the nerve to tell The Duke when they last worked together.

The estate of John Wayne released that letter on Instagram recently. Bacall sent it to him only a few months before he died of stomach cancer in 1979.

“Duke and Lauren Bacall appeared in two films together. Today, we’re sharing a letter from Bacall to Duke towards the end of his battle with cancer from the #JohnWayneArchive,” the caption says.

Dear Duke,

This has been on its way to you for months. You have been so very much in my thoughts. I never have been able to tell you how much you’re standing up for me in ‘Blood Alley’ days meant to me. I wanted to say it on ‘The Shootist’ — never could somehow. — know how difficult that film was for you. You have the guts of a lion — I do admire you more than I can say. It was so great to see you Academy Award nite. I’m being inarticulate — I want you to know how terrific you are and how really glad I am to know you. You give more than [you] know — I send you much love — constant thoughts

Betty.

Letter from Lauren “Betty” Bacall to John Wayne in 1979

Lauren Bacall’s birth name is Betty Joan Perske.

The two made two films together — Blood Alley and John Wayne’s final film, The Shootist.

John Wayne Stands up For Lauren Bacall in Casting Choice

The 1955 production of Blood Alley was a troubled one. John Wayne, who was originally only set to produce the film, ended up having to step in as the star after he fired Robert Mitchum.

He knew he needed a strong female lead so he went with one of the most popular actresses of her era, Lauren Bacall. However, she wasn’t everyone’s first choice.

Gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, who had issued with Bacall over the years, was a co-producer on the picture. Hopper didn’t want Bacall in the movie. Wayne made it clear, her opinion was noted, but it was his movie.

“Don’t tell me how to cast my picture,” he supposedly told her. Bacall stayed in the film.

They remained friends for the rest of Wayne’s life. And when Bacall’s husband, Hollywood legend Humphrey Bogart was diagnosed with cancer, John Wayne was the first to send flowers. Even though he didn’t know Bogart well.

Bacall died in 2014. But in a 2007 interview, she joked that she didn’t think and Wayne would be friends. Bacall was a staunch liberal Democrat and Wayne was a well-known conservative Republican.

“Duke Wayne and I got along really well, considering that we didn’t agree about anything!” she said then. “It was quite amazing. He was great to work with. He really liked me, and I really liked him. We had great chemistry together.”