John Wayne’s livid spat with co-star on depressing film set ‘Don’t hit him!’ | Films | Entertainment | EUROtoday

The cantankerous and eccentric John Ford had filmed a number of Westerns with John Wayne in color, from The Searchers to She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.

But when it got here to capturing The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance – which celebrates its sixty fourth anniversary this week – with Duke and James Stewart on the Paramount lot, the director opted for black and white as an alternative.

There are conflicting accounts over why this determination was made, together with that Ford thought it was a greater medium.

However, cinematographer William H Clothier later mentioned: “There was one reason and one reason only… Paramount was cutting costs.

“Otherwise, we would have been in Monument Valley or Brackettville and we would have had colour stock. Ford had to accept those terms or not make the film.”

On prime of this, Reese actor Lee Van Clef – who went on to star in Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Westerns – mentioned that Ford resented the meddling and so would take out his annoyance on Wayne, whose casting as Doniphon was demanded by the studio. Pompey actor Woody Strode remembered that Ford “kept needling Duke about his failure to make it as a football player”, evaluating him to Strode who was a former NFL participant. Additionally, the director saved mocking Wayne for not enlisting in World War II, which made the star really feel responsible in his later years.

In comparability, Ford had made fight documentaries for the Office of Strategic Services and had been wounded on the Battle of Midway, whereas Ranse star Stewart had been a bomber pilot who served with distinction. The filmmaker would ask his Western star: “How rich did you get while Jimmy was risking his life?”

According to Michael Munn’s John Wayne – The Man Behind The Myth, Strode mentioned that the director’s fixed ridiculing “really p***ed Wayne off, but he would never take it out on Ford.” The motive being that the filmmaker’s films had made him a Hollywood star and the Pompey actor claimed: “He ended up taking it out on me.” As the 2 actors filmed an exterior shot on a horse-drawn cart, Wayne was near shedding management of the horses.

When Strode tried to assist him, Duke knocked his co-star away. Then, when the steeds had halted, he tried to choose a punch up along with his youthful co-star. At the time Ford yelled: “Don’t hit him Woody! We need him!” In the top, Wayne advised Strode: “We gotta work together. We both gotta be professionals.” Strode blamed Ford for almost all the tension on The Man From Liberty Valance’s set. The Pompey actor assessed: “What a miserable film to make.”

Halfway by way of filming, Duke even requested Stewart why he wasn’t being focused by Ford’s insults too, which different members of the solid and crew had seen. But then, in the direction of the top of filming, the director requested the Ranse star what he product of Strode’s costume for the start and the top of the movie when their characters had been portrayed as 25 years older.

Stewart mentioned: “It looks a bit Uncle Remussy to me.” This was a reference to the controversial fictional narrator of nineteenth century African-American folktales, who was later the primary character in Disney’s 1946 film Song of the South – a movie that Disney doesn’t make obtainable as we speak because of its racist stereotyping.

In response, Ford mentioned: “What’s wrong with Uncle Remus?” The director then referred to as the crew’s consideration and shouted: “One of our players doesn’t like Woody’s costume. Now, I don’t know if Mr Stewart has a prejudice against Negroes, but I just wanted you all to know about it.” Stewart later mentioned he “wanted to crawl into a mouse hole” after that and Wayne advised him: “Well, welcome to the club. I’m glad you made it.”