John Wayne condemned Kirk Douglas’ traditional as ‘Marxist propaganda’ | Films | Entertainment | EUROtoday

Stanley Kubrick’s Oscar-winning Roman epic was extremely controversial upon its launch in 1960.

Kirk Douglas allowed blacklisted communist screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, one of many Hollywood Ten, to pen Spartacus with out having to cover his title.

The scribe had beforehand been taking a clandestine method to his work following his ostracisation from the movie business years earlier.

Nevertheless, he nonetheless managed to win two Academy Awards below different names for Roman Holiday and The Brave One.

As a end result, John Wayne and the right-wing National Legion of Decency condemned the film as “Marxist propaganda” and picketed the epic upon its launch.

It was solely when John F Kennedy went to see Spartacus and referred to as it “good” did this blacklisting actually finish.

Despite this political loss, Wayne ended up working with Douglas on Cast a Giant Shadow and In Harm’s Way, earlier than making 1967’s The War Wagon.

During the latter’s manufacturing, Douglas was late to set as he had been capturing a business to endorse Edmund G Brown, a Democrat, as Governor of California.

This enraged Wayne, a life-long conservative, who was late himself the subsequent day as he’d been filming an advert to endorse the Republican candidate, fellow actor and future US President Ronald Reagan.

Although the 2 Hollywood stars had their political variations, they did ultimately turn into associates and had a mutual respect for one another.

Douglas later stated in a 1971 interview: “We get alongside effectively, we by no means talk about politics. But he’s the primary man on the set, the toughest employee I’ve ever labored with, and I believe he’s fairly a personality.”

Spartacus is on BBC Two at 3pm this afternoon.