The John Wayne Filmography [1 ed.] 9781476609225, 9780786432523

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T HE J OHN W AYNE F ILMOGRAPHY

To my boys, Justin and Matt. Lest we forget!

THE JOHN WAYNE FILMOGRAPHY Fred Landesman

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Jefferson, North Carolina, and London

The present work is a reprint of the illustrated case bound edition of The John Wayne Filmography, first published in 2004 by McFarland.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Landesman, Fred, ¡950– The John Wayne filmography / Fred Landesman. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN-¡3: 978-0-7864-3252-3 softcover : 50# alkaline paper ¡. Wayne, John, ¡907–¡979. I. Title. PN2287.W454L36 2007 79¡.4302'8'092—dc22

200400¡527

British Library cataloguing data are available ©2004 Fred Landesman. All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Front cover: John Wayne in Ride Him, Cowboy (¡932); background © 2004 PhotoSpin Manufactured in the United States of America

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Box 6¡¡, Je›erson, North Carolina 28640 www.mcfarlandpub.com

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ing individuals for their assistance and for being a part of Wayne’s world: Les Adams for his tireless energy in identifying the lesser personalities in the world of Wayne, and for generously sharing distinct items from his vast collection; Neil Summers for unrestricted access to his massive and impressive collection of unique Wayne stills; Brent Mercer, photographer supreme and master of computer graphics; Frank Finn, a very knowledgeable Wayne fan and friend; Armando Cota for his superb computer skills; John Roch, another aficionado of the computer and a fine neighbor; Miles Swarthout for his encouragement; Dan Ford for all his early e›orts in getting the project on track; Carolyn Wilson, a great British fan of Wayne and an inspiration; Boyd Magers, editor and publisher of the greatest publication on anything dealing with Westerns, Western Clippings, located at ¡3¡2 Stagecoach Rd. SE, Albuquerque NM 87¡23; Chris Essel; LeRoy Essel; Jules Levy; Jim Wol›; Steve Michaelson, “caterer to the stars”; Jasmine McCaig; Lucy Sanders; Roy Earnest; Lee Gonzalez; Mike Glazer; Jack “Mr. Republic” Mathis; Burton Kaplan; Clark Sharon; Bert Minshall of the Wild Goose; the gang at Van Ness Films; Javier “the wiz”

Many people and organizations have contributed to the accuracy and detail of this book, and gave generously of their time, but I must begin with special thanks to Tim Lilley, a most knowledgeable and astute fan of John Wayne and the supreme chronicler of his life and times. Mr. Lilley was responsible for the vast majority of the plot synopses which appear in this book. These were first published in his ¡5-year run of bi-monthly newsletters on the films of John Wayne, The Big Trail (¡984–99). Without his enormous contribution, this volume would be far from complete. Making this collaboration more meaningful is the friendship which has grown through our association and common admiration for the Duke’s films. Although we are separated by most of the continent, I was able to meet Tim in person when he hosted the ¡994 Big Trail convention in Akron, Ohio. Four years later, I had Tim join me as my houseguest so that I could be his guide in a tour of local Wayne-related “shrines.” Today, Tim continues his research on the film career of Mr. Wayne through his annual publication, The Trail Beyond. (Tim can be reached at 540 Stanton Avenue, Akron OH 4430¡. E-mail: [email protected]) I would also like to thank the follow-

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Acknowledgments

Corona; Dave “Mr. Lone Pine” Holland; the late Alan Barbour; Craig and Susie Walker; and Mike Klutchka and Frank Porto, two close, longtime friends with heart, who placated the author on many of his wild adventures, as we shared, more than I can recall, unusual experiences, journeying all over the metropolitan New York area to view the latest Duke o›ering. Mike and Frank, I am indebted to you for your generosity of time and patience. My thanks to the professional research sta›s at the American Film Institute (AFI) Louis B. Mayer Library; the Margaret Herrick Library of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences; the Chatsworth branch of the Los Angeles Public Library; and the UCLA Library. At the University of Southern California (USC) both archivists Ned Comstock and Randi Hokett provided invaluable infor-

mation on Wayne’s Warner Bros. features and his ¡930s Universal films. Mr. Comstock through his diligent research and e›orts was able to uncover details of some Wayne ¡930s “B” films which were not previously documented in any other book. To him the art of film is a true labor of love. The studios that distributed and often produced the films of John Wayne need to be acknowledged and thanked for putting those films before the public. They are Paramount Pictures, Universal, MGM, Columbia, Fox, Warner Bros., United Artists, Batjac, Republic Pictures, RKO, Mascot and Cinema Center Films. Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to my wife Sandy, who has persevered throughout this entire lengthy and often tedious process.

CONTENTS Acknowledgments v Introduction 1 The Films of John Wayne 7 Appendix A: The Films in Order of Release 4¡7 Appendix B: Unrealized Films with John Wayne as Star 4¡9 Appendix C: The Biggest Box O‡ce Hits 423 Appendix D: The Films Most Popular on Television 425 Bibliography 427 Index 435

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INTRODUCTION banks, Tom Mix, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Janet Gaynor, Buster Keaton, Lon Chaney, Harold Lloyd, John Barrymore and Gloria Swanson, each earning in excess of $2000 a week, continued to reign as movieland royalty. These performers and scores of others had millions of adoring fans who eagerly awaited their next starring e›ort; at the rate of 50,000,000 moviegoers a week, these fans crammed theaters throughout the country. This new phenomenon was not confined to the United States. Throughout much of the civilized world, the popularity of motion pictures and the stars who made them continued to surge to new levels. Moviegoers everywhere clamored for more product, and the studios gladly obliged. During this freewheeling time of unfettered growth within the film industry, the studio bosses were the next thing to deity. These titans, many of them immigrants from Eastern Europe, held sway over everything that transpired within their studio domains. No one challenged their authority or questioned their actions. They were faced with little or no government regulation and no union intervention. In another decade or so, specialization would

The motion picture industry in the mid–¡920s, mirroring the country, was undergoing an unprecedented period of rapid expansion and prosperity. The United States had emerged relatively unscathed from the terror and carnage of World War I as the preeminent industrial and military power in the world. Cocky and confident as a people, Americans had come of age, flexing their muscle and economic strength for the rest of the world to view with admiration and awe. The economic indicator of the country’s health, the stock market, was in the midst of a boom; the industrial renaissance was bringing telephones and other modern conveniences into almost every home and business; automobiles were beginning to clog the streets and roads of the nation, and, with the boom in urban growth, there arose a greater need for inexpensive entertainment to satisfy and divert the populace. New film companies entered the scene, adding to the number of existing motion picture studios satisfying the public’s appetite for filmed entertainment. This led to the release of over 400 feature-length movies annually. Valentino died in August ¡926, but Hollywood was still well populated with stars who shone brightly. Douglas Fair-

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Introduction

come about with the formation of craft unions. For now, however, this fluid, unstructured environment with limitless opportunities allowed for individuals with determination, gumption and tenacity to work in any type of position, in any number of departments, developing expertise and learning the inner workings of the various job positions. Limited only by their own aspirations and abilities, individuals with well-rounded backgrounds could swiftly move up within the studio hierarchy. Into this wondrous world of makebelieve and continuous motion entered a tall, slim, muscular young man with striking good looks from the nearby University of Southern California (USC). A straight “A” student in high school, he had been awarded a scholarship to play football for one of the nation’s premier teams. Without that financial help, he would not have been able to a›ord higher education. Even with the scholarship, he still needed a job to earn money for living expenses. Since movies and college football were the crazes of the time, they had a somewhat symbiotic relationship. Many of the top performers and executives of the motion picture industry were fans of the highly rated USC football team, and college o‡cials made sure that these individuals received priority seating at the local games. In turn, the studios o›ered employment opportunities for athletes who needed part-time jobs to stay in school. Marion Morrison, the man who would become John Wayne, was born in Iowa but raised in Glendale. He was no stranger to the world of movie making. As a boy growing up, he had many friends whose parents were in the motion picture business, and he eagerly watched and was enthralled by the film companies that shot movies on the streets all over his the area. On weekends, after his numerous chores, he could be found at any number of the local movie

palaces that were showing features starring his favorite stars: Douglas Fairbanks, Tom Mix and Harry Carey. The few hours of enjoyment watching the spectacular stunts and action were enough to make him forget, for a short time, the problems at home, where his bickering, mismatched parents always seemed to be in dire financial straits. At Glendale High School, by establishing friendships with some of his wealthy classmates and their parents, he began to understand that financial security was the harbinger of good things to follow; without it, one would not go far in this world. At USC he intended to get a quality education, play some football and lay the foundation for becoming a lawyer. As an attorney, he reasoned, he would be able to make substantial money, escape the poverty and unhappiness of his youth, gain financial independence and become a man of some substance. Young Morrison had intelligence, drive and a will to succeed, so to stay at USC, he gladly accepted employment from the local studios. He would do anything they asked in this almost surreal world; it did not matter what type of work was involved, as long as he received his weekly paycheck. Duke, as he was called by his friends, was cooperative, inquisitive, eager to understand the mechanics of studio operations and, on a lesser scale, the art of making movies. At that time he did not picture himself as an actor or a worker in the industry. The money was good, but he was determined to graduate and get a law degree. From the fall of ¡925 to the end of ¡926, young Duke Morrison maintained a hectic pace, alternating between jobs at Fox on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood; Warners Studio, two blocks west of Fox, also on Sunset; and MGM in Culver City. As a student he would put in the requisite time in classrooms, work o›-campus as a

Introduction waiter at his Sigma Chi Fraternity house, during the season attend the daily, grueling football workouts, find time for the ever present homework, and still have the energy to report to the studios for work in any variety of assignments—assistant property man, electrician’s helper, gofer, animal herder, bit player, extra, whatever was needed to keep the studio operating on an even keel and turn a profit for stockholders. The likable Morrison made many friends among the studio technicians, department bosses, stuntmen and actors. As he began to make a name for himself within the industry, his good-natured humor and ability to blend in as “one of the boys” would serve him well. He maintained a loyalty to those who helped him along and developed friendships that would endure for 50 years. But in ¡926, making a mark in films was the last thing on his mind. Morrison’s priorities changed in the fall when an accident in the surf of Newport Beach put a premature end to his promising football career, and with it the continuing scholarship he needed to stay at USC. While he was body surfing, a wave smashed into him, knocking the brawny boy into the undertow and temporarily rendering him unconscious. Somehow his shoulder had borne the brunt of the damage, and the searing pain told him that he was seriously injured. By the spring of ¡927, Morrison realized that his shoulder would not heal su‡ciently to allow him to resume playing football. He began to lose interest in his courses and spent more and more time working at the studios. By June, while his fellow classmates were contemplating a summer of fun before resuming school in the fall for their junior year, he had dropped out of school. Having come to the realization that he would never become a lawyer, he contemplated his next move. After several misadventures (including an aborted ocean voyage to Hawaii), Morri-

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son returned to Fox and went to work fulltime with the work gangs responsible for moving furniture and props, arranging lighting, working with the carpenters and electricians, serving as a grip or ga›er and providing transportation for casts and crews. While working on the film sets, Morrison astutely understood that the most powerful man in front or behind the cameras on a production was the director. He was the one telling everyone else what to do and how to do it. He had a cadre of assistants and even the biggest stars listened to his commands and instructions. Although Morrison was satisfied with his pay and appreciative of the fact that he was earning more than the average worker in the country, he decided that being a director was something to strive and plan for. All anyone needed, he believed, was experience (which one could gain by years of working one’s way up the ladder from third assistant director to second then first); a good eye for detail; the ability to visualize a script; and a commanding presence with which to control all the factions on the set. He would bide his time, work hard at every task assigned him, and absorb as much as he could. This was the attitude and the plan that led to a remarkable 50-year career in Hollywood—the career of the great John Wayne, who rose from working behind the scenes, to an extra, bit player, stuntman, third assistant-director, featured player, leading man, star, producer, major box o‡ce presence, auteur, director, superstar and eventually legend of the cinema. Unlike other motion picture personalities who were o› the screen for years before making the occasional film comeback in a cameo role, Wayne was actively involved in the filmmaking process for a period of 50 consecutive years. It was his life, and he enjoyed it thoroughly. He loved being around film sets and film people. He fit in, and as he

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Introduction

became a big star, his lack of ego led to his great popularity among the workers on the set. However, he chose this existence— which was not a nine-to-five job, and took him to all point of the globe—at tremendous cost to his personal life and health. He would su›er through three unsuccessful marriages, always regret not having spent more time with his children by his first marriage, su›er numerous injuries and regret his decision to stay employed in Hollywood while his peers did their part during World War II. As he tried to make up for not volunteering during that tumultuous time, his feelings of patriotism grew. He would become more outspoken in support of the United States, freedom and capitalism, placing his own personal fortune at risk, to bring to the screen the stories he believed in. One such story was The Alamo. This film from the heart, dedicated to the spirit of America, would take over a decade to reach the screen, and cost the actor much of his accumulated wealth. His other personal e›ort, made during the fighting in Vietnam and at a time of national crisis, was The Green Berets. It would prove to be a major moneymaker, but it would also bring scorn and ridicule upon the actor, more intense and personal than any he had experienced in his long career. The tirades from many in the critical establishment, and many politicians who did not share his positions on the issue, would have crumbled or silenced a lesser man. However, the actor would have the last laugh when, one year later, the very same critics who had pilloried him for Berets were singing his praises for his mocking portrayal of Marshal Rooster Cogburn in True Grit. In March ¡970, his peers would award him the coveted Best Actor Oscar. In this book, each of the motion pictures that Wayne worked on is delineated in detail, with listings for cast members and technical crews, followed by review quotes, a synopsis, and general notes. Gain-

ing access to volumes of production records and personal business files of the actor through his associates, the studios and research libraries has allowed me to decipher contracts and financial information which heretofore had not been made public. Within the pages of this volume you will see the actual budgets and final negative costs of many of Wayne’s films, their success (or lack of ) at the box o‡ce, and the critical reaction to the films from newspapers and journals of that period as well as from contemporary sources. In many instances the salaries of the performers as well as others in the cast and crew have also been noted. Additionally, to familiarize the reader with the players and craft people who worked with the actor, I have sprinkled throughout the filmography over 700 profiles of individuals who either shared the screen with Wayne or worked behind the cameras to help mold his heroic image. The “Notes” section for each film also reflects the tempo of the times by showing the reader some of the other films that were playing at the nation’s theaters in competition with the current Wayne release, and what was happening both artistically and financially within the Hollywood community. The reader will witness the changes over the decades as Hollywood deals with the transition from silents to sound, copes with the economic pressures of the Depression, goes patriotic to support the war e›ort in the ’40s, struggles with allegations of Communist infiltration of the industry in the late ’40s and early ’50s, and tries to shy away from the divisive topic of Vietnam that was fragmenting the nation in the ’60s. Finally, in the films of the ’70s, released as Wayne’s career wound down, the reader will observe the end of the family-owned studios as conglomerates bought out the remaining independents and inserted accountants to take over the day-to-day operations of filmmaking. Three years after starring in his final

Introduction film, The Shootist (¡976), Wayne died at the age of 72. Yet up to the point that he entered the UCLA Medical Center for the last time, he still harbored hopes of making more motion pictures. He would not admit to himself or others that he was physically incapable of handling the rigors of daily filmmaking or that his type of “old-fashioned” action film was losing favor with the younger generations who preferred Star Wars, greater violence and more explicit language. John Wayne, the top box o‡ce star of all time and the most

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popular screen figure for two consecutive decades (the ’50s and the ’60s), would die before seeing his friend Ronald Reagan elected president of the United States, usher in a new era of conservatism and patriotism as the Soviet Union crumbled. A decade after his death, polls of Americans showed that Wayne was still America’s favorite actor and one of the top five most admired heroes. Today, a quarter century after his death, he is still firmly implanted among the top ten favorite motion picture celebrities and American heroes.

THE FILMS OF JOHN WAYNE Adventure’s End Motion Picture Herald (November ¡3, ¡937); “Sure to please action fans. Producer Trem Carr has succeeded in turning out in Adventure’s End what is easily one of the most e›ective vehicles in which John Wayne has appeared to date.” Film Daily (November ¡3, ¡937). “Impossible situations, poor dialog and valueless marquee both on cast and title, leave little worth-while. Kids might get a few laughs. … John Wayne flounders in the lead role. … All pretty shoddy.” Variety (December ¡7, ¡937); “John Wayne is a likely hero, muscle-trimmed and stripped to reveal a husky physique. His action scenes are first-rate.” Hollywood Reporter (November ¡0, ¡937); “John Wayne gives another of his likeable heroic performances.” Daily Variety (November ¡0, ¡937) SYNOPSIS : A descendent of solid New Bedford stock, inbred with its tradition for conquest of the deep, Duke Slade ( John Wayne) embraces adventure as a seeker of pearls in the islands of the Pacific. He is joined there by a native named Kalo (Paul White) whom he has saved from a shark attack. When their search violates an ancient pearl diving taboo, they are driven away from the lucrative oyster beds by

December 5, ¡937. 63 minutes. John Wayne, Diana Gibson, Moroni Olsen, Montague Love, Ben Carter, Maurice Black, George Cleveland, Glenn Strange, Britt Wood, Paul White, Jimmie Lucas, Cameron Hall, Patrick J. Kelly, Oscar W. Sundholm, James T. Mack, Wally Howe. Universal. Producer Trem Carr; Associate Producer Paul Malvern; Director Arthur Lubin; Assistant Director Glenn Cook; Screenplay Ben Grauman Cohn, Scott Darling, Sidney Sutherland; Original Story Ben Ames Williams; Cinematography Gus Peterson; Special E›ects John P. Fulton; Art Director Charles Clague; Film Editor Charles Craft; Musical Director Charles Previn; Sound Robert Pritchard, James Bastian REVIEWS: “That the title is much more revealing than it presumably is intended to be is a fact of which you are herewith made aware.” The New York Times (December 20, ¡937); “Adventure’s End [gives Wayne] the opportunity to display acting talent as well as expose his physique in passive and active combat. It is evident from special e›ects and background scenes that producer Trem Carr increased the budget usually allotted to the Wayne series.”

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Adventure’s End

Adventure’s End (Universal, ¡937)

angry natives. Duke escapes to a nearby town, where he and Kalo board the whaling vessel Mary Drew. The whaler’s captain is Abner Drew (Montague Love), an old sea dog in poor health. Duke entrusts the pearls he has gathered thus far to the Captain’s lovely daughter, Janet (Diana Gibson), for safekeeping. Before the voyage begins, Capt. Drew persuades the grateful fugitive to marry Janet. The old man is ill but determined to keep the girl out of the clutches of the older first mate, Rand Husk (Moroni Olsen), with whom she is infatuated. The dutiful daughter reluctantly agrees to her dying father’s plan, but assures Rand that she will have the marriage annulled when they return to Massachusetts with their cargo of whale oil. The crew dislikes the newcomer, but Kalo tells them that Duke knows the whereabouts of a valuable pearl bed. There is no end to the adventures that face the newlyweds. Flashing knives, man-eating sharks, rivalry, intrigue and fisticu›s force Janet to appreciate the adventurer’s bravery and character. Blackie (Maurice Black), one of the more sadistic crew members, has taken a notion to seek pearls over

whales and unsuccessfully tries to talk Duke into mutiny. Rand, opposed to the adventurer being part of the crew in the first place, picks a fight with Duke when he catches the rumors of mutiny. Duke beats him in the fight but later rescues him from drowning when a whale plays havoc with one of the boats. While Rand recovers and Duke acts as ship’s captain, Blackie incites the crew to mutiny. Stirred by Slade’s heroics and continuous exposures to his rugged torso, Janet becomes his ally in facing the mutiny, which Duke puts down with the brave assistance of Kalo and Rand. The Mary Drew is saved and delivers its whale oil to Massachusetts, where Duke plans to leave the ship and free Janet from her forced marriage. But she has fallen in love with him and presses him to stay on with her as husband and half-owner of their ship.—TAL NOTES: The last of six John Wayne adventure films for Universal. The actor was again paid $6000 for his services. Filmed on the Universal lot, and o› the coast of Laguna Beach, in ¡3 days (from early July to July 2¡) at a cost of $82,¡20.50. Universal would add 30 percent for overhead. To keep within the budget, director Lubin shot up to 43 setups a day. A native of Ogden, Utah, Moroni Olsen (¡889– ¡954) appeared in a variety of roles in well over ¡00 features from the early ¡930s to ¡954. Some of his more memorable films included The Three Musketeers (¡935 and ¡939 versions), Annie Oakley (¡935), Mary of Scotland (¡936), Brigham Young (¡940), Air Force (¡943), Mildred Pierce (¡945), Call Northside 777 (¡948), The Fountainhead (¡949), and Sign of the Pagan (¡954). British-born Montague Love (¡877–¡943) was one of the premier villains of the silent era. From ¡9¡5 to the advent of sound in the late ¡920s, Love battled heroes and matinee idols in dozens of films. Opposite Rudolph Valentino, John Barrymore and other leading men, Love appeared in The Son of the Sheik (¡926), Don Juan (¡926), The King of Kings (¡927), Jesse James (¡927), The Devil’s Skipper (¡928), Bulldog Drummond (¡929) and Mysterious Island (¡929). In the ¡930s he continued his hectic film pace with appearances in up to five pictures a year including the popular Lloyds of London (¡936), The Prince and the Pauper (¡937), The Adventures of Robin Hood (¡938), Gunga

The Alamo Din (¡939), Juarez (¡939), Northwest Passage (¡940) and The Mark of Zorro (¡940). In the mid–¡920s, after working as an electrical engineer and a surveyor, special e›ects wizard, John P. Fulton (¡902–66) entered the film industry. Working as an assistant cameraman then cinematographer, Fulton moved to Universal’s special e›ects department, where he participated in many of their famous horror films including Frankenstein (¡93¡), The Mummy (¡932), The Invisible Man (¡933), WereWolf of London (¡935), The Invisible Ray (¡936), Son of Frankenstein (¡939), Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (¡943) and House of Dracula (¡945). In the early ¡950s he moved to Paramount and left his imprint on Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window (¡954) as well as Sabrina (¡954), Bridges at Toko-Ri (¡955) and The Ten Commandments (¡956). In ¡962 he would work on Howard Hawks’ Wayne-starring Hatari! During his 40–year career, Fulton would win three Academy Awards for his e›ects. Seattle-born female lead Diana Gibson (¡9¡¡–9¡), appeared in ¡6 films between ¡935 and ¡939, with titles such as His Night Out (¡935), Stage Door (¡937) and When Tomorrow Comes (¡939). Ben Carter (¡907– ), a New York native, had supporting roles in both A and B features including Tin

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Pan Alley (¡940), Chad Hanna (¡940), Reap the Wild Wind (¡942), Crash Dive (¡943), Lady on a Train (¡945) and The Harvey Girls (¡946). Active in films between ¡934 and ¡952, his film credits numbered over 40. Cinematographer Gus Peterson (¡893–¡969) worked in films from ¡9¡4 to ¡944. His output consisted primarily of B-Westerns of which he made nine in ¡937 and five during the following year. Peterson also worked with Wayne on The New Frontier (¡935) and The Oregon Trail (¡936). His last three films, all released in ¡944, were Machine Gun Mama, Lady in the Death Hotel and Career Girl. Adventure’s End was black actor Paul White’s first screen appearance. Both The Hollywood Reporter and Daily Variety noted that the young man from the New York stage was the highlight of the film. Between ¡937 and ¡942, White would have minor, stereotypical roles in ¡5 features; he then returned to New York to resume his stage career. He supported Wayne again in Lady for a Night (¡942) and also appeared in My Old Kentucky Home (¡938), several episodes of the Scattergood series in ¡94¡ and ¡942, and Take My Life (¡942). Adventure’s End opened in New York City on December ¡9, ¡937 with the co-feature Boss of Lone Valley starring Buck Jones.

The Alamo October 24, ¡960. ¡97 minutes. John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey, Frankie Avalon, Patrick Wayne, Linda Cristal, Joan O’Brien, Chill Wills, Joseph Calleia, Ken Curtis, Carlos Arruza, Jester Hairston, Veda Ann Borg, John Dierkes, Denver Pyle, Aissa Wayne, Hank Worden, Bill Henry, Bill Daniel, Wesley Lau, Chuck Roberson, Guinn “Big Boy” Williams, Olive Carey, Ruben Padilla, Richard Boone, Julian Trevino, Tom Hennesy, Cy Malis, Carol (Baxter) Berlin, Rojelo Estrada, Jack Pennick, Boyd “Red” Morgan, Bob Morgan, Fred Graham, Le Jeanne Guye, Gil Perkins, Jack Williams, Dean Smith, Bill Williams, Chuck Hayward, Bu› Brady, John “Bear” Hudkins, Bill Shannon, Ted White, Chuck

Roberson, Rudy Robbins, Lee Allison, Bob Rose, Jim Burk, Ed Jauregui, Winner Stevens, Mickey Finn, George Ross, Big John Hamilton, Robert Harris, J.R. Miller, Jim Wright, Mike Goulla, Charles Kone, Doug Hodges, George Sofge, Jim Kennedy, Ben Shirley, Paul Breen, LeRoy Johnson, H.J. Canutt, Elmo Jones, D.E. Barentine, Clay Wilson, LeRoy Ryland, Jim Walker, Wayne Kendrick, Jack Miller, Abe Blankenship, A.R. Carpenter, Jerry Sterner, Warren Rhea, Dan Borzage, Dean Williams, Tap Canutt, Pilar Wayne, John Henry Daniels, Toni Wayne (La Cava), Alfred Taylor, Dan Smith, Ray Ochoa, Ted Sumerall, John McGuyer, Ed Carter, Gerry Fisher, Pete Schneider, F. Bode, Jack Spain,

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The Alamo

Lupe Reyes, Ricardo Rosales, Guadalupe Santoya, Manuel Farias, Greg Souquet, Raul de Luna, Jesse Valdez, Efrain Maldonada, Eleno Rodriquez, Martin Torres, Vincente Castro, Yndalecio Gonzales, Bob Moss, Sr., Miguel Garza, Cruz Rodriquez, Georges Cartes, Alberto Sandoval, David Kuykendall, Charles Veltmann, Jr., Don Middlebrook, Harry Allgood, Lee Roy Powell, Jerry Phillips, Karl Flenn, Frank Higgins, Charles Sanders, Homer Pierce, Bryan McAfee, Dale Parsons, Doug McNealy, Estil Ezell, Jim Brewer, Ray Ackland, Charles Akins, C.A. Nicks, Joe Jackson, Ronald Lee, Ed Riley, Joe Graham, Bill Hart. United Artists. A Batjac Production. Produced and Directed by John Wayne; Screenplay James Edward Grant; Music Dimitri Tiomkin; Photography William H. Clothier; Editor Stuart Gilmore; Lyrics Paul Francis Webster; Technical Supervision Frank Beetson, Jack Pennick; Art Director Alfred Ybarra; Assistant Directors Robert E. Relyea, Robert Saunders; Costumes Frank C. Beetson, Ann Peck; Set Decorator Victor A. Gangelin; Special E›ects Lee Zavitz, Pat Patterson; Unit Manager Thomas J. Andre; Makeup Supervisor Web Overlander; Hair Stylist Fae M. Smith; Sound Jack Solomon; Sound Recording Gordon Sawyer, Fred Hynes; Sound Editor Don Hall Jr.; Music Editor Robert Tracy; Music Records Murray Spivack, Vinton Vernon; Property Master Joseph LaBella; Production Manager Nate H. Edwards; Second Unit Directors Cli› Lyons, John Ford (uncredited); Assistant to the Producer Michael Wayne; Songs: “Green Leaves of Summer,” “The Ballad of the Alamo,” “Here’s to the Ladies” and “Tennessee Babe” REVIEWS: “…[I]s the big surprise of the year. It is not only entertaining and emotionally moving throughout its three hours, but it is also exceptionally good technically. Wayne’s directorial achievement is one any full-time professional director would be proud of. Furthermore, Wayne’s own acting is without fault…” Films in Review (Henry Hart, November ¡960). “[I]ts spectacularly staged battle sequences are among the best ever filmed….” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974). “[A]nother beleaguered blockhouse Western…. Mr. Wayne has unfortunately let his desire to make a ‘big’ picture burden him with dialogue. His action scenes are usually

vivid, his talk scenes are long and unusually dull.” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, October 27, ¡960). “This was not another Western. It had the basic structure of a significant historical film, but it lacked the force that its many elements could have delivered to the screen if the whole had been put together more painstakingly.” The John Wayne Story (George Carpozi, Jr., Arlington House, ¡972); “[A] big, noisy, spectacular fireworks display, but rather vacuous in its reconstruction of the Americans historical equivalent of Dunkirk.” A Pictorial History of Westerns (Parkinson and Jeavons, Hamlyn, ¡972). “[A]s Davy Crockett [Wayne] demonstrates once again his superiority over the rest of Hollywood’s strong, silent types in portraying the unaccommodated man—the natural ignobleman invested with the authority of size and the dignity of slow wits.” Time Magazine (November 7, ¡960). “The picture is too talkative at times. … In undertaking production, direction and thespic participation, Wayne may have spread his talents out too thin for best results. As producer he has mounted a physically sound achievement. … As director, he has been less successful.” Variety (Tube, October 26, ¡960). “The battle scenes are remarkable for bodily energy and ingenious marshaling of large numbers of extras in stubbornly good compositions. Wayne’s direction seems at its best here as is the photography.” The New York Herald Tribune (Paul V. Beckley, October 27, ¡960) SYNOPSIS: In ¡836, an abandoned Franciscan mission, the Alamo, stands in the path of the Mexican army of Santa Ana as it sweeps across Texas. Opposing the onrushing dictator is Gen. Sam Houston (Richard Boone), who is desperately trying to raise an army in the hope of making Texas an independent Republic. Knowing that Houston needs more time to marshal his forces, ¡85 volunteers, a strangely assorted group of men united by a common will to fight and, if need be, to die, for freedom, decide to defend the Alamo. The fortress is commanded by Col. William Barret Travis (Laurence Harvey), a cold but dauntless martinet whose arrogance almost loses him the support of Jim Bowie (Richard Widmark) and his frontier fighters. Also present are Davy Crockett ( John Wayne) and his men, who have

The Alamo

11

The Alamo (United Artists, 1960). On horseback: Wayne, Richard Widmark, Hank Worden, Frankie Avalon and Chill Wills

left their native Tennessee to help fight for Texas. Shortly before Santa Ana (Ruben Padilla) is scheduled to attack with an army of 5000, word arrives that Houston is unable to send help. Knowing defeat is inevitable, Travis is forced to allow the volunteers to leave if they so wish. But all ¡85 men choose to remain and fight. For ¡3 days they hold back Santa Ana’s overwhelming forces until, finally, on March 6, the Alamo falls, but not before ¡,700 of the enemy have either been killed or wounded. Though not one of the ¡85 survives, their sacrifice has given Houston the necessary time to raise his army. Less than two months later, he defeats Santa Ana at San Jacinto and wins independence for Texas. NOTES: Filmed on location in Bracketville, Texas, for a total of 83 days, from September 22 to December ¡5, ¡959. With the ar-

rival of the first contingent, advance work on the production began July ¡3. There would be ¡300 extras employed by the motion picture company with over 2000 meals being served each day. Although the advertising proudly proclaimed that the film’s price tag was $¡2,000,000, the actual negative cost was closer to $5,350,000. Add overhead, prints and a massive advertising campaign and the final cost of the production approaches $8,000,000. Just prior to the start of actual production, the budget was announced at $¡0,400,000. Funding for the motion picture came from the following sources: the distributor, United Artists, $2,500,000; Texas oilmen O.J. and I.J. McCullough, $¡,¡00,000; Texas businessmen Clinton and John Dabney Murchison, $¡,000,000; Batjac, $750,000. To make up the di›erence (caused by cost overruns), Wayne agreed to have

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The Alamo

his salary for his next UA project, McLintock!, held in abeyance until the film turned in a profit. In its first year of release, The Alamo had domestic rentals of $7,000,000 with a further $5,000,000 from overseas sources. The worldwide box o‡ce was in excess of $28,000,000. Born in Lithuania but raised in South Africa, Laurence Harvey (Lauruska Mischa Skikne, ¡928–73) migrated to Great Britain, served in World War II while still under-age, studied at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, appeared on the London stage and made the first of his 55 motion pictures in ¡948 (Man on the Run). His role in Room at the Top (¡958) brought him to the attention of Hollywood and earned the actor an Oscar nomination. Besides starring opposite Wayne in The Alamo, his other ¡960 film, Butterfield 8, had him as the male lead opposite Elizabeth Taylor in her Academy Award–winning performance. Finding himself much in demand, Harvey would appear in five films in ¡962 including the chilling and thought-provoking The Manchurian Candidate, Summer and Smoke and A Walk on the Wild Side. By the late ¡960s, with a reputation for being hard to work with, his star had declined. He would continue to make movies, all forgettable, until his death from stomach cancer in ¡973. Sought by Wayne for the important cameo role of Gen. Sam Houston, Richard Boone (¡9¡7–8¡) would handle the job admirably. The Navy veteran of World War II performed in theater and early television before being signed by Fox in ¡949. His rugged looks and physique had studios placing him into an assortment of war and Western films such as Halls of Montezuma (¡950), The Desert Fox (¡95¡), Return of the Texan (¡952), Pony Soldier (¡952), City of Badmen (¡953), Siege at Red River (¡954), Battle Stations (¡955), Ten Wanted Men (¡955) with Randolph Scott, Man Without a Star (¡955) starring Kirk Douglas, the Je› Chandler World War II story Away All Boats (¡956) and the Budd Boetticher–directed Randolph Scott starrer, The Tall T (¡957). At this time, the actor took his second plunge into series television. Back in ¡954 he was a doctor for two seasons on Medic, and now he would play the role of Paladin, a sophisticated soldier of fortune in Have Gun Will Travel (¡957–63). CBS set the half-hour Western for Saturday

nights as a complement to Gunsmoke. It would air on the network for six seasons and never fall out of the top ten in ratings. Boone would have several other television series but none would achieve the popularity of his Paladin role. After a comparatively short run on a reserved seating basis, The Alamo was cut by 3¡ minutes for the subsequent regular bookings. Original casting notes: William Holden, Chuck Connors or James Arness for the Jim Bowie role; Rock Hudson, Burt Lancaster or Charlton Heston for the Sam Houston role; Clark Gable for the role of Travis; and Sammy Davis, Jr., for the part of Bowie’s wise old slave. On December ¡2, ¡959, during a lull in production, Wayne filmed three one-minute commercials for the U.S. Marine Corps. Cast member Bill Daniel was the brother of Texas Governor Price Daniel. On November ¡4, ¡960, to publicize the film, a one-hour special, The Spirit of the Alamo, was telecast by ABC. Budgeted at $305,000 and sponsored by the Pontiac Division of General Motors, this was one of the first shows to be shot on video tape. Denver Pyle (¡920–97), who played one of the Tennessee contingent, was an extra in Wayne’s Jet Pilot. After stints as an oil field worker in Oklahoma and a shrimp fisherman in Texas, he journeyed to Hollywood and worked in theater productions until winning a part in the Rosalind Russell film The Guilt of Janet Ames (¡947). In ¡955 he supported Audie Murphy in To Hell and Back. He appeared as a guest on numerous television shows including Gunsmoke, The Andy Gri‡th Show, The Life and Times of Wyatt Earp and The Roy Rogers Show. Denver had memorable parts in 5 Card Stud, Shenandoah, Bonnie and Clyde and the Wayne films The Horse Soldiers, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and Cahill, U.S. Marshal. From ¡979 to ¡985, in the role of lovable Uncle Jesse in The Dukes of Hazzard, he became a favorite to a generation of youngsters and teenagers. Jester Hairston (¡90¡– 2000), who played Jim Bowie’s elderly and eloquent slave, continued to work, acting and conducting choirs well into his nineties. A sought-after choral director for well over 50 years, he came to California in ¡935. Hairston was an assistant to Hall Johnson, whose choir was the most prominent black singing group of the ¡930s. As a member of the Choir he was

Allegheny Uprising seen in Wayne’s ¡942 release Lady for a Night. Between ¡936 and ¡942 the Choir would appear in four Republic films and almost a dozen motion pictures for other film companies. When composer Dimitri Tiomkin signed Hairston to conduct the choir for Lost Horizon (¡937), a 20–year association was born. While not conducting the first integrated choir, Hairston found time for character roles in dozens of films including many in the Tarzan series and in both the radio and television versions of the popular Amos ’n’ Andy series. Some of his other films included Lillies of the Field with Sidney

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Poitier, In the Heat of the Night starring Poitier and Rod Steiger, To Kill a Mockingbird (with Gregory Peck in an award-winning role) and Lady Sings the Blues starring Diana Ross. Stuntman Bill Hart was married to Chuck Roberson’s daughter. During the course of the film, three stuntmen doubled Wayne: Roberson, Bob Morgan and Ted White. White also doubled Hank Worden. Todd-AO cameras and process had been previously used on Oklahoma (¡955), Around the World in Eighty Days (¡956), South Pacific (¡958), Porgy and Bess (¡959) and Can-Can (¡960).

Allegheny Uprising October 24, ¡939. 8¡ minutes. Claire Trevor, John Wayne, George Sanders, Brian Donlevy, Wilfrid Lawson, Robert Barratt, John F. Hamilton, Moroni Olsen, Chill Wills, Ian Wolfe, Eddie Quillan, Wallis Clark, Monte Montague, Olaf Hytten, Eddy Waller, Clay Clement, Walter Walker, Carl Knowles, Ethan Laidlaw, Forrest Dillon, Earl Askam, Bud Osborne, Gene Morgan, William Ruhl, Max Wagner, Erville Alderson, Charles Middleton, Clive Morgan, Jess Caven, Dick Parker, Bob Edwards, Olin Francis, Charles (Little) Hall, Buck Mack, Ralph Dunn, Gertrude Short, Tom Chatterton, Eddy Hart, Colin Kenny, Francisco Maran, Tom Sanders, Leland Hodgson, Helen Brown, Stanley Blystone, Lee Harvey, Tom London, Noble Johnson, Henry Wills, Douglas Spencer. RKO Radio Pictures Producer P.J. Wolfson; Director William Seiter; In Charge of Production Pandro S. Berman; Screenplay P.J. Wolfson; Based on the factual novel The First Rebel by Neil H. Swanson; Photography Nicholas Musuraca; Editor George Crone; Art Directors Van Nest Polglase, Albert D’Agostino; Assistant Director Kenneth Holmes; Music Anthony Collins; Wardrobe Walter Plunkett; Dance Director David Robel; Set Decorator Darrell Silvera; Recording Earl A. Wolcott; Technical Advisor Bob Watson REVIEWS: “[A] routine screenplay, long on horsemanship and action, and short on ro-

mance and suspense…. Film will have some appeal for the grammar school trade.” Variety (Flin, November 8, ¡939); “[A] banal historical film.” Shooting Star (Maurice Zolotow, Simon & Schuster, ¡974); “Its greatest assets are production scope, spectacle and action…. Wayne fails to show the flashes of talent which marked his more recent appearances…” Boxo‡ce Magazine (October 28, ¡939); “[S]ti› and unexciting…. John Wayne, in the role of Jim Smith, plays in one grim, monotonous key.” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, November ¡0, ¡939); “Well worth seeing.” The New York Daily News (November ¡0, ¡939); “[A] rather plodding film…” A Pictorial History of the Western Film (William K. Everson, Citadel, ¡969); “An unpretentious Western.… Musuraca’s expressionistic lighting and Seiter’s e‡cient direction give a necessary punch to Wolfson’s somewhat stilted script.” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Phil Hardy, The Overlook Press, ¡983); “Wayne, as the leader of the uprising, has not the opportunities he had in Stagecoach, but nevertheless manages to characterize the pioneer hero in fine style.” Los Angeles Evening Herald Express (December ¡8, ¡939); “It is a swift, actionful, robust and sometimes raucous adventure film, a production made-to-order for the juvenile trade and satisfactory for adults.” Motion Picture Herald (October 28, ¡939)

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Allegheny Uprising

SYNOPSIS: After helping the British defeat the French in ¡759, Jim Smith ( John Wayne) and his comrades hope that there will finally be peace between the Indians and the settlers of the Allegheny region known as the Conococheague. But a local trader, Callendar (Brian Donlevy), continues to sell rum and arms to the red men. When a Delaware raid claims the lives of some of the valley’s families, Jim forms a tracking party. His patient and long-su›ering sweetheart, Janie McDougle (Claire Trevor), is unwilling to become a widow before she is a wife, and insists on coming along. Jim’s order to his trackers to strip to the waist, Indian-fashion, forces the reluctant lady to remain behind. The trackers, having overtaken and killed the Delaware, find further evidence of illegal trading. They travel to Philadelphia to convince the governor to end all trade with the Indians and to send troops to the valley. The governor complies, but his representative, Capt. Swanson (George Sanders), is inexperienced in frontier ways. The traders, backed by unscrupulous businessmen, are bringing wagons into the valley under military permit; the wagons, however, never reach their alleged destinations. Swanson rigidly insists that the wagons be free to travel because of the permits. Jim recognizes the deceit and vows, “We’ll sew up this valley so tight, a cricket won’t get in or out without our say-so.” When the valley boys turn back the wagons, Callendar spreads rumors of lawlessness against the crown, causing more troops to be sent to the area. Jim decides to let one of Callendar’s wagon trains, ripe with illegal goods, get through to Fort Loudon. With his loyal followers he surrounds the fort, presents a search warrant and asks to look for illegal goods. Swanson stubbornly refuses to allow a search. The long rifles, out of range of the fort’s muskets, come alive and keep up a continuous rain of lead. Swanson surrenders, but vows revenge. Jim, wounded during the adventure, sends a wagonload of evidence on to Philadelphia, then convalesces under Janie’s watchful eye. Reinforced by more troops, Swanson begins clapping the valley men in irons. Jim and a handful of his men are able to trick the British garrison and free their friends. Callendar, however, kills one of the valley men and frames Jim. While magistrate Duncan

(Robert Barrat) and Janie attempt to prove Jim’s innocence at the trial, the proceedings are interrupted by good news: The wagonload of evidence helps convict Callendar of illegal trade. Gen. Gage (Olaf Hytten) arrives, relieving Swanson of command and freeing Jim. Young Smith wanders o› to new adventure, this time with Janie as an eager companion.—TAL NOTES: Filmed under the working titles The First Rebel, Pennsylvania Uprising and Allegheny Frontier from July ¡0 to September 3, ¡939, on location in the Santa Monica Mountains and Lake Sherwood, California (near Thousand Oaks in Ventura County). Negative cost of the film was $530,250. With overhead, advertising and prints, the production’s total cost was $696,000. Earning just $730,000 from domestic rentals, the film represented a $245,000 loss for RKO. Neil Harmon Swanson’s novel, the source for the motion picture, was published in ¡937. Original studio casting had Bruce Cabot for the Donlevy role and Sir Cedric Hardwicke in the Sanders part. A sequence featuring actor Walter Walker as Benjamin Franklin was cut from the film. RKO paid Republic $¡0,000 for the services of Wayne and paid the actor $6000 for working in the motion picture. Claire Trevor, who received top billing, earned $22,500, while George Sanders was paid at the rate of $750 a week , and Brian Donlevy received $¡500 a week (for three weeks work). Third-billed George Sanders (¡906– ¡972), born in St. Petersburg, Russia, made his motion picture debut in ¡934. With his regal bearing, the tall, distinguished actor with the impeccable English accent, had bit roles in over a dozen films including the science-fiction classic, Things to Come (¡936) and Lloyd ’s of London (¡936). Finding it hard to break out of the B-picture mold, he would be seen in episodes of the Mr. Moto series, and for five films, became the suave Simon Templar in The Saint series. With ten features in release, including two Hitchcock classics, Rebecca and Foreign Correspondent, as well as House of the Seven Gables and Son of Monte Cristo, ¡940 would be his breakthrough year. In the early ¡940s Sanders also portrayed fictional detective Gay Lawrence in the low-budget Falcon detectivemysteries. Before committing suicide in ¡972 Sanders left behind a legacy of motion picture

Allegheny Uprising

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Allegheny Uprising (RKO, ¡939). Back row, left to right: Unknown, Eddy Waller, Ian Wolfe, Ethan Laidlaw, Olaf Hytten. Front row, left to right: Moroni Olson in coonskin cap, unknown, Wayne

appearances that included roles in such well known films as, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (¡947), Forever Amber (¡947), All About Eve (¡950), Ivanhoe (¡952), and Solomon and Sheba (¡959). Actor Ian Wolfe (¡896–¡992), who made his stage debut in ¡9¡9 supporting Lionel Barrymore in The Claw, was a veteran of over 200 films. After more than a decade on the Broadway stage, he moved to Hollywood and found himself in demand as a supporting actor. His first role was in The Barretts of Wimpole Street (¡934), but it was his memorable appearance in the big-budget Mutiny on the Bounty (¡935) that led to a succession of major parts in top productions including Clive of India, Romeo and Juliet, The Last of the Mohicans, Marie Antoinette, Foreign Correspondent, Saboteur, Mrs. Miniver and Random Harvest. In the ¡940s he appeared in as many as ¡5 films a year, including Wayne’s Without Reservations. Wolfe continued working into the ’70s and ’80s with brief appearances in The Frisco Kid, Reds and Dick

Tracy. For the female lead, RKO initially sought the services of Irene Dunne. Allegheny Uprising opened on December ¡6, ¡939, at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood with the co-feature The Amazing Mr. Williams, starring Melvyn Douglas and Joan Blondell. Opposing attractions during the fall of ¡939 included a trio of Westerns from Republic: The Washington Cowboy starring Gene Autry, Saga of Death Valley with Roy Rogers, and the latest Three Mesquiteers entry, Cowboy from Texas; Paramount’s big comedy The Cat and the Canary starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard; Ninotchka from MGM wherein “Garbo laughs” and a real comedy, At the Circus with the mayhem of the Marx Brothers; Columbia’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington highlighting Jimmy Stewart; John Ford’s Western, Drums Along the Mohawk; and the Warners crime entry The Roaring Twenties with the team of James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart. RKO re-released Allegheny Uprising in ¡952.

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Angel and the Badman

Angel and the Badman February ¡5, ¡947. ¡00 minutes. John Wayne, Gail Russell, Harry Carey, Bruce Cabot, Irene Rich, Lee Dixon, Tom Powers, John Halloran, Stephen Grant, Joan Barton, Paul Hurst, Craig Woods, Marshall Reed, Hank Worden, Olin Howlin, Louis R. Faust, Tony Travers, Pat Flaherty, Rosemary Bertrand, Steve Darrell, Wade Crosby, Al Murphy, Jack Kirk, Jack O’Shea, Jack Montgomery, Paul Fix, LeRoy Mason, Rex Lease, Ken Terrell, Eddie Parker, Stanley Price, Loren Riebe, Crane Whitley, Henry Wills, Joe Yrigoyen, Jack Norman, Bert Moorhouse, Steve Darrell, Lew Harvey, John Shay, Keene Duncan, Jack Stoney, William Newell, Symona Boniface, Robert E. Burns, Cactus Mack, Ray “Doc” Adams, John “Bear” Hudkins, Fred Graham. Republic. Producer John Wayne; Associate Producer Catalina Soler; Director James Edward Grant; Assistant Director Harvey Dwight; Photography Archie J. Stout; Original Story & Screenplay James Edward Grant; Editor Harry Keller; Production Designer Ernest Fegte; Second Unit Director Yakima Canutt; Musical Score Richard Hageman; Musical Director Cy Feuer; Songs by Kim Gannon Walter Kent; Sound Victor Appel; Costumes Adele Palmer; Set Decorators John McCarthy, Jr., Charles Thompson; Special E›ects Howard Lydecker, Theodore Lydecker; Makeup Bob Mark; Hair Stylist Peggy Gray; Transportation Pierre Valin; Song: “A Little Bit Di›erent” Music and lyrics Kim Gannon, Walter Kent. REVIEWS: “Mr. Wayne and company have sacrificed the usual roaring action to fashion a leisurely Western. Wayne makes a grim and laconic, converted renegade…. Angel and the Badman moves slowly but along an unusual road.” The New York Times (A.W., March 3, ¡947); “[A] pleasantly unconventional picture. John Wayne, whose first production it is, has dared to make a genteel western. What is more remarkable, he has gotten away with it.” Time Magazine (February ¡947); “The film had many moments of tenderness and compassion…” John Wayne (Allen G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974); “[I]ts message of opposition to violence made

a refreshing change in the career of its star.” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, A.S. Barnes, ¡976); “[T]his one has skill, care, intelligence, a soundly interesting story and the veteran know-how of Wayne. His part in the doings is very much in evidence. The western player emerges as producer-star in Angel and the Badman.” Film Daily (February 7, ¡947); “In the production line, producer Wayne has given his film a background and a great deal of the pace and suspense of Stagecoach.” Los Angeles Evening Herald Express (George Jackson, April ¡¡, ¡947); [S]olid entertainment way above what might be expected on its western locale and characters. Its loaded with sharp performances, honest writing and direction. … Wayne does his best job since Stagecoach as the gunman.” Variety (Brog, February ¡9, ¡947); “Badly received at the time, this genteel, leisurely Western has aged far better than many of its action-packed contemporaries.” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Phil Hardy, The Overlook Press, ¡983); “The actors are dandy; Grant’s direction and Archie J. Stout’s photography give it the flavor of one of the better William S. Hart e›orts; the script makes the characters intriguing, and secondunit director Yakima Canutt’s action sequences are exciting as always.” Western Films: A Complete Guide (Brian Garfield, Da Capo Press, ¡982) SYNOPSIS: A lone rider—galloping recklessly through woods and rivers, over rocky country and desert sand dunes—is pursued by a group of armed horsemen. As the chase progresses, the rider begins to outdistance his pursuers. Finally, in front of the Worth ranch house, the horse stumbles and falls, throwing the rider. Picking himself up despite desperate fatigue and injuries, Quirt Evans ( John Wayne) comes face to face with Thomas Worth ( John Halloran), a strapping, well-built man of 70. Suddenly Quirt’s eyes close and he slumps to the ground. Without a word, Thomas stoops, picks the man up and carries him into the house. Dr. Mangrum (Tom Powers), a taciturn frontier physician, tells Thomas about his un-

Angel and the Badman

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Angel and the Badman (Republic, ¡947). Roy Brent, Loren Riebe, Neal Hart, Wayne, Norman Willis, Grant Withers

invited guest: Quirt Evans is one of the toughest, bravest men in the West, with many friends and many enemies. The doctor advises Thomas to get rid of Evans as soon as possible if he wants to keep peace on his ranch. Though the Worths are Quakers and don’t believe in fighting, Thomas makes no move to get rid of the patient. When Quirt regains consciousness two days later, he finds himself in Thomas’ room with Prudence (Gail Russell), Worth’s granddaughter, tending him. During the days that follow, Quirt convalesces rapidly and begins to feel very much at home on the Worth ranch. He enjoys the tasty meals served by Mrs. Worth (Irene Rich), Pru’s mother; likes ten-year-old Johnny Worth (Stephen Grant); admires dignified old Thomas; and is strongly attracted by Prudence’s quiet beauty. But with this feeling of satisfaction comes one of restlessness. Quirt knows he must fulfill his vow to

kill Laredo Stevens (Bruce Cabot), murderer of his foster father. Quirt’s love for the girl is so strong that he promises to spare Laredo Stevens and give up his gun if she will marry him and settle down on a farm. This pledge is forgotten when the couple is attacked by Stevens and his men, who chase them into a river and leave them to drown. Quirt manages to rescue Prudence, but when she becomes dangerously ill, Quirt takes his gun and rides into town in search of Stevens. Prudence, sensing his absence, follows Quirt hoping to prevent any further killings. Quirt is waiting for Stevens in front of the town saloon when the girl arrives. He walks forward and silently hands her his gun, unaware that Stevens is standing in the street—gun trained on him. Stevens is about to pull the trigger when a shot rings out and he falls to the ground. Marshall Wistful McClintock (Harry Carey) stands over the body,

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Angel and the Badman

a smoking pistol in his hand. Quirt flashes him a grateful smile and seats himself beside Prudence, who still is holding his gun. (This synopsis was copied exactly from the Republic press promotion kit. Several major changes were made from the first draft of the script. It is obvious that neither Republic nor the writer of the above had seen the released screen version of the film.) NOTES: Filmed from April 22 to July 6, ¡946, on location in Sedona and Flagsta›, Arizona. Budgeted at $948,035, the film completed production at a cost of $¡,3¡3,397. It earned domestic rentals of slightly over $¡,794,604. Republic claimed the film lost $249,784. The advertising-promotion budget was $¡¡9,9¡3. Wayne earned $¡79,460 for his work on the film. Republic paid Paramount $30,000 for the acting services of Gail Russell. For composing the music, Richard Hageman earned $6000, while James Edward Grant earned $75,000 for directing and writing the screenplay. While in production, the film was alternately known as The Gun and The Angel and the Outlaw. Producer Wayne tried to get Gary Cooper to star in the film. When Cooper declined, Wayne went after Randolph Scott before deciding to take on the role himself. Born Jacques Etienne du Bujac of French lineage, Bruce Cabot (¡904– 72) was screen tested by none other than David O. Selznick in ¡932. In ¡933 he appeared in six films, but will always be remembered as the savior of Fay Wray in the epic King Kong. Settling into the role of “bad guy,” he kept busy appearing in dozens of B-Westerns and gangsters films of the ’30s and ’40s. Occasionally he would be o›ered a substantial role in an Afeature such as Last of the Mohicans (¡936), Dodge City (¡939), Flame of New Orleans (¡94¡) with Marlene Dietrich and The Desert Song (¡944). Toward the end of the ’40s he played the foil opposite Bob Hope in the comedies Sorrowful Jones (¡949) and Fancy Pants (¡950). A friend of Wayne’s since their early days at the Hollywood Athletic Club, Cabot would appear in ten films with the Duke. His last screen appearance was again as a villain, in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever (¡97¡). Irene Rich (born Irene Luther, ¡89¡– ¡988), a Bu›alo, New York, native, started as an extra in ¡9¡8 in the Mary Pickford release.

Stella Maris. By the early ¡920s she had achieved the stature of leading lady with roles in Rosita (¡923), Beau Brummel (¡924), Eve’s Lover (¡925), The Honeymoon Express (¡926), The Desired Woman (¡927) and The Champ (¡93¡). After ¡932, Rich abandoned films for Broadway and radio. Her Dear John weekly broadcasts proved popular with audiences for almost a decade. In the late ¡930s, the actress returned to Hollywood for infrequent character acting assignments. Between ¡938 and ¡948 she was seen in eight films, the last being the big-budgeted Joan of Arc (¡948). Born in Northern California, Paul Hurst (¡888–¡953) moved to Hollywood in ¡9¡0 to work in the film industry. He quickly moved up to lead roles and expanded his horizons by writing screenplays, directing and producing several projects. Surviving the transition to sound, Hurst appeared in dozens of full-length features, numerous comedy shorts and several A-films including, The OxBow Incident (¡943) and Wayne’s Big Jim McLain. Despondent over a terminal illness, the actor committed suicide in ¡953. Colorado native Marshall Reed (¡9¡7–¡980) was featured in almost ¡00 B-Westerns for Monogram and Republic, usually in the role of the secondary heavy. Between ¡943 and ¡952 he could be seen in 24 Johnny Mack Brown oaters, eight Jimmy Wakely entries and an assortment of other series films starring Whip Wilson, Rocky Lane, Lash LaRue and Eddie Dean. When not appearing in Westerns, Reed co-starred in his share of serials, including Haunted Harbor, The Ghost of Zorro, Pirates of the High Seas and Riding with Bu›alo Bill (¡954). From ¡954 to ¡959 the actor played a detective in the syndicated television series The Lineup. The names of two of the characters in this film, Hondo and McLintock, were later used by Wayne as titles for two of his most popular Westerns. Fred Graham stunted for Wayne in a bar fight sequence. Olin Howlin (¡896–¡959) appeared in 22 Republic films, mostly Westerns, from ¡936 to ¡952. He entered motion pictures in ¡9¡8 and appeared in several big-budget films including A Star Is Born (¡937) and Bringing Up Baby (¡938). In the late ¡940s Howlin was the sidekick of Sunset Carson in two movies and Roy Rogers for one Western. His last screen appearance was in the low-budget Steve

Annie Laurie McQueen science-fiction entry The Blob (¡958). Rex Lease (¡903–66), a native of Virginia, would appear in over 60 films between ¡922 and the late ¡950s. From ¡930 to ¡935 he starred in numerous quickie Westerns for shoestring budget studios (Ti›any, World Wide, Metropolitan, Superior, Stage & Screen Pictures). The actor had substantial roles in the serials The Sign of the Wolf (¡93¡) and Custer’s Last Stand (¡935). In a saloon sequence, Joan Barton sings “A Little Bit Di›erent.”

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World premiere held at the Fox Theater in San Francisco on February 5. In Los Angeles, the Western was shown with a second feature, Republic’s Pilgrim Lady starring Lynne Roberts. Re-released in ¡959. The ¡985 Harrison Ford film Witness was a loose remake of this Wayne Western. Republic built a small Western set in the Sedona area for this production. In later years other productions would take advantage of the set including Station West and Johnny Guitar.

Annie Laurie May ¡¡, ¡927. 80 minutes Lillian Gish, Norman Kerry, Creighton Hale, Joseph Striker, Hobart Bosworth, Patricia Avery, Russell Simpson, Brandon Hurst, David Torrence, Frank Currier, Richard Alexander, Mary Gordon, Henry Kolker, Margaret Mann. MGM. Director John S. Robertson; Writer Josephine Lovett; Presentation and Musical Score Major Edward Bowes, David Mendoza, Dr. William Axt; Titles Marian Ainslee, Ruth Cummings; Photography Oliver Marsh; Art Directors Cedric Gibbons, Merrill Pye; Film Editor William Hamilton; Wardrobe Andre’-ani REVIEWS: “After two fine MGM pictures in a row, Lillian Gish subsided into a soggy haggie about feuding Scottish clans, Annie Laurie. John S. Robertson directed Creighton Hale, Miss Gish, and Norman Kerry with Hobart Bosworth and David Torrence. It was disappointing at the paybox and marked the beginning of a downward curve in the star’s career.” The MGM Story ( John Douglas Eames, Crown Publishers, ¡975); “[A] strong picture. Its story is well planned, closely knit…. The film should draw almost everywhere … there is little doubt of its success.” Variety (May ¡8, ¡927); “[N]ot especially dramatic. It lacks the atmosphere of Bobby Burns’ land. It is a story seen through the glens and dales of Culver City, California.” The New York Times (Mordaunt Hall, May ¡2, ¡927) SYNOPSIS: Blood stains the heather of the Scottish highlands where the MacDonald and

the Campbell clans are feuding. When a MacDonald corpse is carried into the clan hall at Glencoe, a fiery Ian MacDonald (Norman Kerry) vows, “A Campbell for a MacDonald!” That night he raids the Campbell castle delivering a dead body and capturing young Enid Campbell (Patricia Avery), daughter of the enemy chieftain. The clan meets in a shaky truce. The Campbell chieftain and his haughty son, Donald (Creighton Hale), expect Enid’s return, but the girl has fallen in love with one of her captors, Ian’s younger brother Alistair ( Joseph Striker). Forsaking her clan for the wild highlanders, Enid also says farewell to her best friend Annie Laurie (Lillian Gish), governor’s daughter and victim of Donald’s persistent romantic advances. Bloodshed continues until the king orders a meeting of all the clans to work out a peace treaty. While the clans are encamped around Sir Robert Laurie’s (David Torrence) house, Annie meets bold Ian. In spite of her initial fear, she begins to fall in love. In negotiations, the MacDonalds insist upon the return of the lands seized by the Campbells. This is the crown’s intention, but the greedy Campbell chieftain keeps this a secret and insists that the MacDonalds must sign the oath of treaty by year’s end or be in contempt of the king. The stubborn MacDonalds leave the negotiations. A troubled Annie, unable to proclaim her love for Ian, watches helplessly while he is beaten and humiliated by Donald and his Campbell men. A bitter Ian turns to

20

Annie Laurie

Annie Laurie (MGM, ¡927). Norman Kerry, unknowns

drink as his family faces defiance of the king’s order. Annie visits Glencoe and reveals the true terms of the peace treaty. The MacDonalds rush to the governor’s to sign the document, but a snowstorm prevents their arrival until January 6. Donald uses the expired deadline to extract legal vengeance. He tricks the MacDonalds, on the basis of a new treaty, to house Campbell troops at Glencoe. Even the death of Enid, while giving birth to a son, does not change the villain’s heart. He sends Annie from Enid’s bedside to the Campbells to announce the tragic death and then sets his own troops to attack his hosts. The Campbell chieftain is killed and the MacDonald family assaulted within its own walls, fighting bravely but badly outnumbered. On the road, Annie hears the gunfire and realizes what has happened. She risks her life to climb a precipice and light the

signal fire which brings the rest of the MacDonald clan to the defense of Glencoe. In a bloody battle, Donald is killed and the Campbells defeated. Peace returns to the Highlands where Annie and Ian are happily wed. NOTES: In production on the MGM lot during the summer of ¡926. Wayne and several other USC friends worked as costumed extras, wearing kilts, in the film. Distinctive Scottish cattle were imported from Canada for the film and 55,000 feet of lumber was used to construct sets on the backlot. Thespian Norman Kerry (¡889–¡956), born Arnold Kaiser, made his motion picture debut in Manhattan Madness (¡9¡6). Proving to be highly versatile throughout the ¡920s, the renowned and acclaimed actor was in great demand, appearing in such notable films as The Hunchback of Notre Dame (¡923), The Spoilers

Baby Face (¡923) and The Phantom of the Opera (¡925). During his film career, he would appear in over 50 motion pictures. By ¡927, 40 of the brightest stars in Hollywood were each earning in excess of $5000 a week. Lillian Gish (¡896– ¡993), known as “the first lady of the silent screen” along with her sister Dorothy, were renowned child actresses. The girls were friends of Mary Pickford who, in ¡9¡2, introduced them to director D.W. Gri‡th. They made their screen debut in Gri‡th’s Unseen Enemy. In a career that spanned eight decades, Gish appeared in just over ¡00 films. John S. Robertson (¡878–¡964) was one of the top silent screen directors. Starting out as an actor in New York, he moved into direction with the Vitagraph Company. Arriving in Hollywood in the early ¡920s, he directed some of the nation’s top stars including Mary Pickford in Tess of the Storm Country, Garbo in The Single Standard and John Barrymore in the title roles of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. His wife, Josephine Lovett, wrote the screenplay for Annie Laurie. Robertson’s last film was the ¡933 Shirley Temple starrer Our Little Girl. Actor Hobart Bosworth (¡867–¡943) was also a noted director, producer and writer. At the age of 35, in ¡902, he made his debut on the Broadway stage, leaving for Hollywood seven years later to star in the Selig Company’s presentation In the Sultan’s Power. Confident in his abilities, Bosworth formed his own production company and im-

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mediately began filming, in the dual capacity of actor and director, the Jack London classic The Sea Wolf. Bosworth ended his career in ¡942 with Sin Town and They Died with Their Boots On. Joseph Striker (¡900–74), who played the role of Alistair, would have a featured part as John the Baptist in King of Kings (¡927). On Broadway he appeared in the hit plays East of Broadway and It’s a Wise Child. Tall, slim and erect of posture, San Francisco–born character actor Russell Simpson (¡880–¡959) would be credited, between ¡9¡4 and ¡959, with appearances in over 200 films. A favorite of John Ford, he was cast by the director in Drums Along the Mohawk (¡939), The Grapes of Wrath (¡940), They Were Expendable (¡945), My Darling Clementine (¡946), Wagonmaster (¡950) and The Horse Soldiers (¡959). Although Western roles were his forte, Simpson also worked with Wayne in Three Faces West (¡940), Wheel of Fortune (¡94¡) and The Spoilers (¡942). His first known role was in The Virginian (¡9¡4); also had minor parts in the Westerns Lone Star (¡95¡), The Lone Ranger (¡956) and The Tin Star (¡957). The story was originally brought to the screen in ¡9¡3 and again in ¡9¡6. A similar story, The Romance of Annie Laurie, hit the screen in ¡920. Remade by MGM in ¡936 with the same title, starring Ann Rutherford and Dennis Morgan. Played at the Embassy Theater in New York.

Baby Face June 23, ¡933. 76 minutes. Barbara Stanwyck, George Brent, Donald Cook, Margaret Lindsay, Henry Kolker, John Wayne, Douglass Dumbrille, Arthur Hohl, Theresa Harris, Harry Gribbon, Robert Barrat, Arthur DeKuh, Alphonse Ethier, Nat Pendleton, Renee Whitney, James Murray, John Elliott, Toby Wing, Harry Wilson, Edward Van Sloan, Spec O’Donnell, Charles C. Coleman, Geraine Greer (aka Joan Barclay), James Bush, Walter Brennan, Maynard Holmes, Edward J. LeSaint, Frank Darien, Cecil Cunningham,

Heinie Conklin, Harry Tenbrook, Harry Semels, Charles Sellon, Reginald Mason. Warner Brothers. Director Alfred E. Green; Writer Mark Canfield; Dialogue Gene Markey, Kathryn Scola; Editor Howard Bretherton; Photography James Van Trees; Art Director Anton Grot; Gowns Orry-Kelly; Orchestrator Leo F. Forbstein; Assistant Director Fred Fox; Sound Oliver Garretson; Songs: “Baby Face” Harry Akst, Benny Davis; “St. Louis Blues” W.C. Handy REVIEWS: “It is an unsavory subject, with

22

Baby Face

incidents set forth in an inexpert fashion.” The New York Times (Mordaunt Hall, June 24, ¡933); “[V]ulgar in plot and hackneyed in execution.” New York Daily News ( June 24, ¡933); “It possesses no merit for general or popular appeal, is liable to o›end the family trade and can’t count on any juve attendance…. Anything hotter than this for public showing would call for an asbestos audience blanket.” Variety (Bige, June 27, ¡933) SYNOPSIS: The steel mills of Erie, Pennsylvania, fill the skies with their smoke and darken the hopes of Lily Powers (Barbara Stanwyck) for a better life. The beautiful daughter of a disreputable speakeasy owner hustles drinks for the rough factory owners and constantly battles her father, who tries to sell her charms to those willing to pay. One customer who is not after her body is a cobbler, Mr. Cragg (Alphonse Ethier), who brings to the beer joint his old world values and encourages Lily to make something of herself. An explosion and fire in his illegal still kills Lily’s wicked father and she heads for the big city determined to follow Cragg’s advice that a young, beautiful woman can find opportunities. Arriving in New York with her companion Chico (Theresa Harris), the black dishwasher from the speakeasy, Lily eyes the Gotham Trust Company’s huge skyscraper. “Boy, I bet there’s plenty of dough in this little shack,” she muses. Setting her sights on the top, Lily charms a series of bank employees, using them as stepping stones to advance her career. She trades favors for promotions with such lovestruck management personnel as Jimmy McCoy ( John Wayne) and Mr. Brody (Douglass Dumbrille). The head of the Accounting Department, Ned Stevens (Donald Cook), is engaged to the bank president’s daughter, but is attracted by Lily’s obvious charms. She creates havoc with his heart, using him to meet bank head J.P. Carter (Henry Kolker). When Stevens is dumped by Lily in favor of his superior, the desperate employee traces Lily to the apartment in which Carter has set her up. Confronting the lovers, he shoots his boss, then turns the gun on himself. Gotham Trust, already on shaky financial ground, attempts to meet the crisis by naming Courtland Trenholm (George Brent), grand-

son of the bank’s founder, its new Director. He sends Lily to their branch in Paris to prevent her from selling the sordid scandal to the New York newspapers. Working in France as Miss Allen, head of the Travel Bureau, she is visited by Trenholm, whom she quickly charms. After three romantic days and nights, he is ready to o›er her anything. Lily, finally intent on settling down, asks for a wedding ring. Trenholm weds the “Bank Tragedy Woman,” which causes another loss in confidence in Gotham Trust. When Trenholm is indicted for mismanaging, he asks Lily to return some of the many treasures he has showered upon her so that he can raise the million dollars which will help save the bank. Lily is at first unwilling to part with these possessions and decides she can’t stand by her husband. But as she prepares to leave, she realizes that she really does love Trenholm. Returning to their apartment, she finds that the desperate man has attempted suicide. Helping to save her husband’s life, she gives their money to save the bank. The former bank director and his wife end up back in Pennsylvania, beginning a new life in the honest labor of the mills.—TAL NOTES: Filmed from January 3 to February 22, ¡933. Negative cost of film placed at $¡87,000. The motion picture generated $308,000 in domestic rentals and $¡44,000 from overseas markets. At the time of its initial release, Baby Face was the subject of a censorship debate. The Hays O‡ce recommended that the picture be pulled from all theaters for violations of the Production Code. Warners, bowing to the pressure, made cuts in the film which eliminated the blatant references to the main character being kept by an assortment of men. Darryl F. Zanuck, under the alias of Mark Canfield, wrote the screenplay. Warners secured the rights to the story for $¡000. After the release of this film, Zanuck left Warners and joined Fox as head of production. Brooklyn-born Barbara Stanwyck (Ruby Stevens, ¡907–90) quit school at the age of ¡3, became a chorus girl in the Ziegfeld Follies at ¡7 and in ¡927, at the age of 20, appeared in her first film, Broadway Nights. Stanwyck arrived in Hollywood in ¡929 and found herself in constant demand throughout the ’30s and ’40s. It was during this productive period that “Missy,”

Back to Bataan as she was called by her co-workers, was nominated for an Oscar for her memorable roles in King Vidor’s Stella Dallas (¡937), Howard Hawks’ Ball of Fire (¡94¡), Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity (¡944) and Anatole Litvak’s Sorry, Wrong Number (¡948). She continued to work into the ’50s, but as good roles dried up for actresses her age she turned to television. She guested in a variety of programs including Ford Theater, Zane Grey Theater, Wagon Train, Rawhide and General Electric Theater before starring in the popular Western series The Big Valley (¡965–69). During the ¡985-86 season, the actress would also appear as a regular, opposite Charlton Heston, in the nighttime soap opera The Colbys. Donald Cook (¡900–6¡), was a supporting actor whose film career spanned 20 years (¡930–50) and included appearances in over 35 motion pictures. His most prolific decade was the ’30s when he appeared in several notable films, including The Public Enemy (¡93¡), The Mad Genius (¡93¡), Viva Villa! (¡934) and Showboat (¡936). Margaret Lindsay (¡9¡0–8¡), a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, appeared in dozens of B-films, was the female lead in seven Ellery Queen mysteries and the second female lead in The Spoilers. She retired from the screen after a small role in Tammy and the Doctor (¡963).

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Ireland-born George Brent (¡904–79) began his career in ¡930 and appeared in over 90 films. He retired from the screen in ¡956 but came back in ¡978 for a cameo role in the comedy Born Again. The actor was married to actresses Ruth Chatterton (¡932–34), Constance Worth (¡937) and Ann Sheridan (¡942–43). He was in eight films in ¡933 including Female, Lilly Turner and Luxury Liner. He reached the pinnacle of his career in the late ¡930s and early ¡940s with solid roles in Jezebel (¡938), Racket Busters (¡938), Wings of the Navy (¡939), Dark Victory (¡939) and The Rains Came (¡939). Director Alfred E. Green (¡889–¡960) helmed over ¡00 films. He started out as an actor for the Selig-Polyscop Company in ¡9¡2, then in ¡9¡7 turned to directing and was one of Mary Pickford’s favorite directors of the ¡920s. He is perhaps best-known for his biographies The Jolson Story (¡946), The Fabulous Dorseys (¡947) and (his last feature) The Eddie Cantor Story (¡953). Performer salaries: Donald Cook, $750 a week, Henry Kolker, $600 a week, Margaret Lindsay, $350 a week, Arthur DeKuh, $500 a week, Douglass Dumbrille, $500 a week, Theresa Harris, $¡00 a week. On June 23, ¡933, the film opened at the Strand Theater in New York City, for a one-week run, in a 7¡-minute version.

Back to Bataan June 25, ¡945. 94–97 minutes. John Wayne, Anthony Quinn, Beulah Bondi, Fely Franquelli, Leonard Strong, Richard Loo, Philip Ahn, “Ducky” Louie, Lawrence Tierney, Paul Fix, Abner K. Biberman, Vladimir Sokolo›, J. Alex Havier, John Miljan, Harold Fong, Benson Fong, Ray Teal, Roger Cole, Erick Hanson, Angel Cruz, Ken McDonald, Leon Lontoc, Tommy Estrella, Carmen Padilla, Joseph Kim, Marcello Estorres, Spencer Chan, Michael Mark, Hom Wing Gim, Clarence Lung, Andy Nocon, Ted O’Shea, Tony Dell, Kenneth MacKenna, Pauline Lang, Abe Dinovitch, Bill Williams, Edmund Glover, Pat Davis, Robert Clarke, Erville

Alderson, Jung Lim, W.T. Chang, Jimmy Lono. RKO Executive Producer Robert Fellows; Director Edward Dmytryk; Associate Producer Theron Warth; Screenplay Ben Barzman, Richard H. Landau; Original Story Aeneas MacKenzie, William Gordon; Photography Nicholas Musuraca; Music Roy Webb; Musical Director C. Bakaleiniko›; Art Directors Albert D’Agostino, Ralph Berger; Editor Marston Fay; Assistant Directors Ruby Rosenberg, Max Henry; Set Decorators Darrell Silvera, Charles Nields; Special E›ects Vernon L. Walker; ReRecording James G. Stewart; Recording Engineer Earl A. Wolcott; Technical Advisor Col. George S. Clarke; Unit Manager Dewey

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Back to Bataan

Back to Bataan (RKO, ¡945). Nick Musuraca, Edward Dmytryk, George McGonigle, Merci Weireter, Wayne, Max Henry

Starkey; Gowns Renie; Prop Man George McGonigle REVIEWS: “Written and directed conventionally, the picture is played that way by John Wayne.” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, September ¡3, ¡945); “[M]ore conventional, and not quite as good as its reputation suggests. Nevertheless, it is an honest tribute to Filipino resistance with sober, near-documentary qualities, and a vivid re-enactment of the Corregidor victory.” A Pictorial History of War Films (Clyde Jeavons, Citadel Press, ¡974); “John Wayne makes a wonderfully sturdy colonel in the regular army and later a fine, bearded figure of a guerrilla. His dives for foxhole covers, are tops, the realistic fruit of a sound football background…” The New York Post (Archer Winston, September ¡3, ¡945); “Well produced, timely, this will get into the

better money. Wayne is socko at the box o‡ces, and the production and direction combine to make this a fast moving show, hot for exploitation…” The Motion Picture Exhibitor ( July ¡945); “Very little doubling was done in this film. Wayne and Quinn perform some of the most dangerous stunts ever assigned to principals in a recent Hollywood film…. For excitement, for timeliness, for inspiration, this RKO thriller will be hard to match.” Los Angeles Evening Herald Express (Harrison Carroll, July ¡9, ¡945); “Top acting honors goes (sic) to John Wayne and Anthony Quinn for their roles as guerrilla leaders.” Hollywood Citizen News (Larry Sloan, July ¡9, ¡945); “Wayne makes a stalwart leader for the guerillas, commendably underplaying the role for best results…. Edward Dmytryk’s direction is strong on action and maintaining of interest. Pho-

Back to Bataan tography and special e›ects are major factors in the production values.” Variety (May 30, ¡945); “[It’s] virtually a year late in terms of headline history…. In the ‘B’ picture class … an honest, healthy film and one that inspires a new interest in the Philippine people and their own history….” New York PM (McManus, September ¡3, ¡945); “It is one of the best pictures of the war in that its realistic presentation … gives it an authority that many war films … lacked…. John Wayne is fine in the role of the American o‡cer….” New York Daily News (Kate Cameron, September ¡3, ¡945) ***∂; “[It’s] action that the film stresses rather than plot… The battle scenes, though staged, seem grimly realistic, and vivid and exciting are the sequences showing the Filipino patriots… The tall and rangy John Wayne gives another of his competent performances….” New York Journal American (Rose Pelwick, September ¡3, ¡945); “The suspense is sustained… The shots of bitter jungle warfare are vivid and convincing and there are interludes of unforced humor to leaven a somber theme.” New York Herald Tribune (Howard Barnes, September ¡3, ¡945); “John Wayne plays his American colonel with an air artificial enough to match most of the settings and story.” New York World-Telegram (Alton Cook, September ¡2, ¡945) SYNOPSIS: On January 30, ¡945, the Japanese prison camp at Cabanatuan is liberated by U.S. troops and Philippine resistance fighters. This dramatic event marks the end of a struggle which begins (in flashbacks) three years earlier on Corrigedor, when the Islands are falling to the Japanese invaders. American and Philippine troops are holding out against attacking columns. A key to the defense is a company of Filipino scouts led by American Col. Joe Madden ( John Wayne) and Andres Bonafacio (Anthony Quinn), grandson of the great Philippine hero of the same name. Morale among the scouts is high, but Joe must work to bolster the spirit of Bonafacio, who has grown despondent under the barrage of propaganda from Radio Manila. The Voice of Manila, Dalisay Delgado (Fely Franquelli), is Andres’ former lover. As Bataan falls and MacArthur departs, Joe is sent from his men to the jungles around Balintawak to organize guerrilla resistance. Here he builds a small

25

band of fighters which is soon joined by schoolteacher Bertha Barnes (Beulah Bondi) and a young pupil, Maximo (“Ducky” Louie). While on a mission to destroy a Jap airfield, Madden’s force comes across captured American and Philippine troops being marched to prison. By a stroke of luck, the guerrillas are able to rescue Bonafacio. Madden hopes the grandson of the great Filipino freedom fighter will help inspire the resistance. Andres, weary of war, does not want to be a standard to rally more of his countrymen to death. Joe plays his trump card: He sends his captain to meet a resistance contact in Manila who is none other than Dalisay. In a confessional the lovers are reunited and Dalisay’s true loyalties are revealed to Andres. Her coded broadcasts have given many important messages to the freedom fighters. With Bonafacio’s renewed spirit, the fighting force harasses the Japanese most e›ectively. In an attempt to stop the growing support for the resistance, Japanese Gen. Homma (Leonard Strong) decides to stage a granting of independence to the conquered people. The ceremonies at Balintawak are abruptly interrupted by the guerrillas. In the fighting, however, Maximo is captured and forced to lead a convoy of Japanese troops in pursuit of his friends. He gives his life to cause the lead truck to crash, enabling Madden’s forces to overcome the pursuers. At Leyte, the guerrillas receive their most important orders. On October 20, Madden, Bonafacio and their men make a surprise attack on a key installation and gain control of an important road for the invading U.S. troops. Philippine freedom is reborn.—TAL NOTES: Filmed from November 6, ¡944. to March 2, ¡945, under the working title The Invisible Army. The original draft of the script was completed on September ¡0, ¡944. Outdoor work was shot at the RKO studios in the Tarzana section of the San Fernando Valley and at the Baldwin estate in Arcadia (the future sight of the L.A. Arboretum). Negative cost of the film was placed at $¡,252,000. It earned domestic rentals of $2,270,000, returning a profit of $¡60,000 to RKO in its first year of release. The studio released 32 films in ¡945. Wayne received $87,500 for working on the motion picture, while Anthony Quinn (on loan

26

Back to Bataan

from Fox) earned $¡5,500. “Tough guy” Lawrence Tierney (¡9¡9–2002), entered motion pictures with a small role in the B-film The Ghost Ship (¡943). Older brother of actor Scott Brady, the RKO contract player earned his greatest acclaim for the title role in the gutsy gangster film Dillinger (¡945). Appearing sporadically in motion pictures over the next four decades (70-plus screen appearances), he was seen in San Quentin (¡946), Born to Kill (¡947), The Greatest Show on Earth (¡952), The Steel Cage (¡954), Custer of the West (¡968), Arthur (¡98¡), Prizzi’s Honor (¡985), Reservoir Dogs (¡992) and Armageddon (¡998). Abner Biberman (¡909–77), a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, was a magazine writer, then stage actor of some prominence, Hollywood character actor, acting coach and director in two media. In ¡939, a year after his arrival in Hollywood, he was assigned minor roles in The Rains Came, Another Thin Man and The Roaring Twenties. In the late ¡940s, while winding down his acting assignments, he turned to teaching acting at Universal. Among his many students were Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis. He also directed a halfdozen films in the late ¡950s, then turned to television for steady employment as a series director on Ben Casey, The Virginian, and Ironside. Diminutive China-born H.W. (Hom Wing) Gim (¡908–73) had small but memorable roles in several other Wayne films, including Donovan’s Reef (¡963), McLintock! (¡963) and True Grit (¡969). Russian-born character actor Vladimir Sokolo› (¡889–¡962) left the limited prospects of his homeland in ¡923 to perform in films and on the stage in the theaters of Berlin and Paris. Seeing war clouds on the horizon, he departed in ¡937 for Hollywood and almost immediately was signed for character parts calling for individuals with Eastern European accents. In a career that spanned 25 years, Sokolo› would appear in al-

most ¡00 films including The Life of Emile Zola (¡937), Conquest (¡937), Blockade (¡938), The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (¡938), Juarez (¡939), The Real Glory (¡939), Mission to Moscow (¡943), For Whom the Bell Tolls (¡943), Song of Russia (¡944), Cloak and Dagger (¡946), The Magnificent Seven (¡960), and Taras Bulba (¡962). Before being evacuated to the United States during World War II, the film’s technical advisor, Colonel Clarke, valiantly commanded the U.S. Infantry Philippine Scouts. Chinese-American actor Richard Loo (¡903–83) was born in Hawaii and educated at the Berkeley campus of the University of California. His first screen appearance was in Dirigible (¡93¡). He followed with roles in War Correspondent and The Bitter Tea of General Yen starring Barbara Stanwyck; in ¡937 this led to a role in the epic The Good Earth. When war was declared, Loo found himself much in demand by the studios. He portrayed a series of sadistic Japanese o‡cers in Bombs Over Burma, God Is My Co-Pilot, Tokyo Rose, The Purple Heart, Flight for Freedom and Malaya. His later films included The Sand Pebbles (¡966) and the James Bond feature The Man with the Golden Gun (¡974). Dual world premieres were held in Boston and Honolulu on June 25, ¡945. In Los Angeles, the film opened with a charity premiere for the war wounded on July ¡8, ¡945, at the Fox Wilshire Theater. Also on the bill was the low-budget, The Beautiful Cheat starring Bonita Granville and Noah Beery, Jr. Bataan faced competition from other war-related films: China Sky (RKO), starring Randolph Scott and Anthony Quinn, Warners’ Escape in the Desert with Jean Sullivan and United Artists’ Blood on the Sun with James Cagney and Sylvia Sidney. After the world premiere was held in Boston, RKO released the war film to ¡24 theaters in New England and New York.

The Barbarian and the Geisha

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The Barbarian and the Geisha September 30, ¡958. ¡04 minutes. John Wayne, Eiko Ando, Sam Ja›e, So Yamamura, Norman Thomson, James Robbins, Morita, Fuji Kasai, Takeshi Kumagai, Kodaya Ichikawa, Hiroshi Yamato, Tokujiro Iketaniuchi, Rintaro Kaga, Kohichi Umino, Minanogawa, Chuck Roberson. Fox Producer Eugene Frenke; Director John Huston; Screenplay Charles Grayson; Original Story Ellis St. Joseph; Photography Charles G. Clarke; Editor Stuart Gilmore; Art Directors Walter M. Scott, Don B. Greenwood; Assistant Director Joseph E. Rickards; Music Hugo Friedhofer; Sound W.D. Flick, Walter Rossi, Warren B. DeLaplain, George Adams; Script Supervisor Teinosuke Kinugasa; Assistant to the Producer Paul Nakaoka; Set Decorators Lyle R. Wheeler, Jack Martin Smith; Executive Wardrobe Designer Charles LeMaire; Makeup Ben Nye, Webb Overlander, Helen Turpin; Technical Supervisor Mitsuo Hirotsu; Technical Art Director Kisaku Itoh; Technical Advisor (Japanese) Kampo Yoshikawa; CinemaScope lenses Bausch and Lomb REVIEWS: “Lavish but not very exciting…. While the film is continuously pleasing to the eye, it too seldom touches the heart….” Variety (October ¡, ¡958); “…Mr. Wayne, in the role of Harris, appears a little bewildered and repressed, being much more accustomed to action. He carries patience and celibacy like a cross… Mr. Huston has made a whole picture out of patience and pageantry.” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, October 3, ¡958); “Wayne all dressed up in period costume mouthing meaningless platitudes, looked embarrassed by the whole thing.” Duke: The Story of John Wayne (Mike Tomkies, Henry Regnery Co., ¡97¡); “Even in a kimono, the essential Wayne remains. His is a pleasant, unpretentious and good-natured performance.” The New York Herald Tribune (Paul V. Beckley, October 3, ¡958); “[A]n unusually beautiful film, directed with spirit and remarkable taste… Miss Ando is a good deal more convincing in her tender moments than Mr. Wayne is in his.” The Saturday Review (Hollis Alpert, Octo-

ber ¡¡, ¡958); “Pointless falsification of history… John Wayne and Sam Ja›e embarrassing….” Films in Review (I. Tanaka, October ¡958); “Huston’s eye for the limpid beauty of Japan’s gardens, houses, temples and harbors is outstandingly true, but this time his ear and his touch have gone sour.” Time Magazine (October 6, ¡958); “The name of John Wayne will be a potent factor in attracting large audiences to this unusual film… Certainly appears to be headed for outstanding grosses…. John Huston’s expert direction captures the tempo and life of the Japanese people of that period…” The Motion Picture Herald (S.D.B., October ¡¡, ¡958) SYNOPSIS: In ¡856, a foreign ship sails into the harbor of the small fishing village of Shimoda bearing the first U.S. consul to Japan, Townsend Harris ( John Wayne), his interpreter Henry Heusken (Sam Ja›e) and three Chinese servants. Governor Tamura (So Yamamura) disavows his country’s acceptance of the recent treaty formed by Commodore Perry and the Shogun and orders the strangers to leave. Harris refuses and takes residence in a ruined temple next to the village’s cemetery. Under Tamura’s stern warning, the Japanese refuse to sell the foreigners food or show them any kindness. The consul patiently waits for word from the Shogun, Yedo (Hiroshi Yamato), at the nation’s capital, to o‡cially acknowledge his presence and allow him to travel to negotiate a commercial treaty. Tamura receives instructions to keep the American at arm’s length in Shimoda but as happy as possible. In an e›ort to distract Harris from the pursuit of his mission, the governor sends one of his loveliest geishas, Okichi (Eiko Ando), to the consul’s household. Harris welcomes the woman’s company, hoping that she can tutor him in the ways of her country. Okichi finds Harris to be kind and considerate while her own people reject her as a concubine of the barbarian intruder. The consul’s mission reaches a low point when a ship appears in Shimoda harbor seeking a doctor for the cholera which has infested it. When some of the des-

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The Barbarian and the Geisha

perate sailors swim ashore, the villagers are infected and an epidemic begins. While the Japanese fight the disease in their traditional ways, with prayers, chants and paper images of the red sickness, Harris puts the infected dwellings to the torch, hoping that fire will end the scourge. The infuriated governor, misunderstanding the actions, has Harris’ household placed under arrest. When the village realizes that the American’s actions have broken the epidemic, Tamura feels honor-bound to repay him. He escorts Harris to Yedo, where the consul presents himself to the young Shogun and o›ers America’s invitation to Japan to join the family of nations. In spite of reactionary opposition pledged to preserve Japan’s isolation, Harris’ patience and honesty win the majority vote and the treaty is accepted. Tamura’s family, part of the opposition, orders the reluctant governor to kill Harris. In turn, Tamura commands the loyalty of Okichi, who has fallen in love with the American. Bound by tradition to obey, she springs the trap with herself as the victim. Tamura, failing in his assassination attempt and plagued with inner turmoil, commits suicide. Okichi, having broken the strict code of her ancestors, sadly departs from Harris. As the American rides triumphantly through the streets to the Imperial Palace to sign the treaty, the geisha watches secretly from the crowd.—TAL NOTES: Filmed on location in Kyoto and Kawana, Japan, on a ¡4-week shooting schedule, from December ¡957 to February ¡958. Working titles were The Townsend Harris Story and The Barbarian. The motion picture was budgeted at $3,200,000, and ended production at a cost of $3,495,000. As part of his $2,000,000, three-picture contract with Fox, Wayne received $666,666.67 for the motion picture. His contract called for him to receive the $2,000,000 over a period of ten years. Huston also had a multi-picture contract with the studio for which he was paid $300,000 a film. This was the second film in the contract for the esteemed director. The film earned domestic rentals of $2,500,000. Ellis St. Joseph (¡9¡¡–93), who penned the original story, was an award-winning writer of popular segments of CBS’s Playhouse 90 dramatic anthology series in the ¡950s and early ¡960s. He arrived in

Hollywood in the mid–’30s and worked as a sta› writer at several studios including Warner Bros. For television the prolific author also penned episodes of the popular science-fiction show The Outer Limits as well as Logan’s Run, Combat, Batman, Bob Hope’s Chrysler Theater and The Lloyd Bridges Show. A founding member of Orson Welles’ Mercury Theater, Norman Thomson (¡9¡6–2000) appeared in 23 films and served as the entertainment supervisor for the Department of Defense. He worked with Welles in War of the Worlds as well as Julius Caesar and spent more than 30 years in Tokyo booking entertainment for the United States military. Under the pen name Earl Norman, he wrote ten novels including Hang Me in Hong Kong. San Francisco–born composer Hugo Friedhofer (¡902–8¡) journeyed south to Hollywood in the late ¡920s to work in the industry when sound was just coming in. He initially worked at Fox as an arranger, then moved to Warner Bros. as an orchestrator. In ¡937 he began to get assignments as a composer for the screen. For scoring the music on The Best Years of Our Lives (¡946), Friedhofer won an Academy Award. Some of his other film credits included The Adventures of Marco Polo (¡938), Lifeboat (¡944), Body and Soul (¡947), Joan of Arc (¡948), Broken Arrow (¡950), The Outcasts of Poker Flat (¡952), Hondo (¡953), Vera Cruz (¡954), An A›air to Remember (¡957) and One Eyed Jacks (¡96¡). Eugene Frenke, active in the industry since the early ¡930s, also produced Lady in the Iron Mask (¡952), Heaven Knows Mr. Allison (¡957) and the Rock Hudson–Kirk Douglas Western The Last Sunset. For James Robbins, The Barbarian and the Geisha would be his last acting assignment. The actor’s credits go back to the mid–¡930s with such mundane entries as San Quentin (¡937), The Singing Marine (¡937), The Lady in the Morgue (¡938) and Bad Boy (¡939). Assistant director Joseph E. Rickards worked on 25 productions between ¡948 and ¡97¡, including Call Northside 777 (¡948), The Seven Year Itch (¡955), Giant (¡956), Can-Can (¡960), Flaming Star (¡960), Do Not Disturb (¡965), Stagecoach (¡966) and Billy Jack (¡97¡). Film editor Stuart Gilmore (¡908–7¡) was born in the town of Tombstone, territory of Arizona. Between ¡937 and ¡97¡ he served as a cutter on almost 50 films. Although

Bardelys the Magnificent primarily credited as an editor, he did direct five films including the ¡946 version of The Virginian. Besides working on the editing of the Wayne films The Conqueror, The Alamo and Hatari!, he was also responsible for cutting Howard Hawks’ Man’s Favorite Sport and Red Line 7000. His last two assignments were on

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Airport (¡970), and the science-fiction drama, The Andromeda Strain (¡97¡). Four other Fox films produced in ¡958 had higher production costs than Barbarian: South Pacific at $5,6¡0,000, A Farewell to Arms at $4,¡00,000, The Inn of the Sixth Happiness at $3,570,000 and The Young Lions at $3,550,000.

Bardelys the Magnificent September 30, ¡926. Running time: 93 minutes. John Gilbert, Eleanor Boardman, Roy D’Arcy, Lionel Belmore, Emily Fitzroy, George K. Arthur, Arthur Lubin, Theodore Von Eltz, Karl Dane, Edward Connelly, Fred Malatesta, John T. Murray, Joseph Marba, Daniel G. Tomlinson, Emile Chautard, Max Barwyn, John Wayne, Pexy Eckles, Lou Costello. MGM Director King Vidor; Adaptor Dorothy Farnum; Photography William Daniels; Sets Cedric Gibbons, James Basevi, Richard Day; Wardrobe Andre-ani, Lucia Coulter; Story Rafael Sabatini REVIEWS: “Vidor has turned out a most lavish and well-directed story, but he has not turned out a super picture….” Variety (October 7, ¡926); “John Gilbert and King Vidor, the star-director team of The Big Parade and La Boheme, tried to make it three times lucky with Bardelys the Magnificent. However, in spite of a handsome production, the Rafael Sabatini swashbuckler didn’t quite come o›.” The MGM Story ( John Douglas Eames, Portland House, ¡990); “Watch the money fill the co›ers with this. One of those pictures that man, woman, and child find equally entertaining. A real show… A most credible piece of work.” Film Daily (October ¡7, ¡926); “[A] celestial ‘lost’ film….” Silent Stars ( Jeanine Basinger, Alfred A. Knopf, ¡999); “…just another costume production, smoothly told, artfully acted…. Mr. Gilbert’s performance is bold, fiery and immensely clever.” Photoplay (November ¡926). SYNOPSIS : The court of Louis XIII (Arthur Lubin) is notorious for its frivolity. Leaving the dull business of government to Cardinal Richelieu (Edward Connelly), the

young king is content to pass each day in the pursuit of pleasure. Intrigue and love a›airs are the order of the day. Beautiful ladies and elegant courtiers, like the gallant and witty Marquis de Bardelys ( John Gilbert), flock around the king. Louis sends Chatellerault (Roy D’Arcy), a rival of Bardelys for court favorite, to win Roxalanne de Lavedan (Eleanor Boardman), hoping to keep the girl’s fortune within the kingdom. When a disappointed Chatellerault reports that Roxalanne rejects courtship, Bardelys wages his entire estate against his rival’s that he will capture the girl’s hand and heart within three months. The king insists that Bardelys remain at court but, urged on by Chatellerault’s scorn, the marquis sets out for Lavedan. En route, he finds a dying man who entrusts him with a miniature and some letters bearing the name Rene de Lesperon (Theodore von Eltz), whose identity he assumes. When the king’s soldiers accost Bardelys, he declares that he is Lesperon without realizing that the dead man is charged with high treason. The marquis escapes arrest and seeks shelter at the Lavedan estate. Despite a wounded arm, he climbs a wall and swings over a balcony into Roxalanne’s room. As the soldiers search the castle, the frightened Roxalanne hides the romantic fugitive. As Rene de Lesperon he courts her and, in front of the statue of the Madonna, she swears to become his bride. Another suitor, Count St. Eustache, warns her that Lesperon is engaged to a Mademoiselle Mersac. Bardelys is unable to clear himself of his rival’s accusations. Out of her mind with grief and despair, Roxalanne denounces him to the King’s soldiers. Bardelys is arrested for

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Bardelys the Magnificent

Bardelys the Magnificent (MGM, ¡926). John Gilbert, Roy D’Arcy, unknowns

treason and taken before the bench where the Count de Chatellerault holds court. Seizing the opportunity to rid himself of a dangerous rival, Chatellerault refuses to recognize his fellow courtier and sentences him to death. In an attempt to save Bardelys, Roxalanne, bitterly regretting what she has done to her beloved, accepts Chatellerault’s marriage proposal. On the sca›old the marquis drags out his confession until he spots the king’s coach. Louis’ arrival saves him from execution; in turn he must save Roxalanne. The magnificent Bardelys kills his dishonest rival in a dual and is thereafter joined with his beloved and blessed by a smiling king.—TAL NOTES: Based on the ¡905 book of the same name. Wayne and his boyhood friend Pexy Eckles were hired as spear-carrying guards in the gallows scene. Lou Costello, having graduated from high school in New Jersey,

immediately departed for Hollywood and found a job as a carpenter at MGM and Warners. To earn extra money, he worked as an unbilled extra on several films at both studios. Almost a decade later, Costello would join with Bud Abbott, and the famed comedy team of Abbott & Costello was born. After filming on Bardelys ended, director Vidor (¡894-¡982) married his leading lady, Eleanor Boardman (¡898–¡99¡). The couple, after several years of total incompatibility, divorced before the decade ended. Vidor directed films for 40 years, from ¡9¡9 (The Turn in the Road) to ¡959 (Solomon and Sheba). European-born Roy D’Arcy (¡894–¡969), real family name Guisti, performed in vaudeville, film and stage. The sly and debonair actor played the crown prince in von Stroheim’s The Merry Widow and had equally memorable roles in The Masked Bride, The Temptress and La Boheme. He also ap-

Big Jake peared in John Ford’s The Black Watch. London-born Lionel Belmore (¡867–¡953) came to America just after the turn of the twentieth century, with a decade’s worth of London stage experience. A distinctive character actor with a unique style in Hollywood, he was in great demand by the studios. In America he started out by directing a dozen films in the ¡9¡0s. Between ¡9¡4 and ¡943, Belmore appeared in over ¡50 films. He was featured in supporting roles as a burgomaster in Frankenstein (¡93¡) and as Lord Ingram in Jane Eyre (¡934). In a career

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that began in the early ¡920s and lasted into the ¡960s, cinematographer William Daniels (¡895–¡970) photographed well over ¡50 films. During the golden ¡930s he worked almost exclusively at MGM and was responsible for shooting many of Garbo’s immortal films of that era, including Anna Christie (¡930), Grand Hotel (¡932), Camille (¡937) and Ninotchka (¡939). Some of his other notable achievements were Foolish Wives (¡922), Greed (¡925), The Merry Widow (¡925) and How the West Was Won (¡963).

Big Jake May ¡97¡. ¡¡0 minutes. John Wayne, Richard Boone, Maureen O’Hara, Patrick Wayne, Chris Mitchum, Bobby Vinton, Bruce Cabot, Glenn Corbett, Harry Carey, Jr., John Doucette, Jim Davis, John Agar, Gregg Palmer, Robert Warner, Jim Burk, Dean Smith, John Ethan Wayne, Virginia Capers, William Walker, Jerry Gatlin, Tom Hennesy, Don Epperson, Everett Creach, Je› Wingfield, Hank Worden, Lisa Todd, Chuck Roberson, Roy Jenson, Bernard Fox, Jerry Summers, John McLiam, Chuck Hayward. Cinema Center Films. A National General Picture/A Batjac Production Producer Michael Wayne; Director George Sherman; Story and Screenplay Harry Julian Fink, R.M. Fink; Photography William H. Clothier; Sound John Ferguson; Editor Harry Gerstad; Art Director Carl Anderson; Set Dresser Raymond Moyer; Music Elmer Bernstein; Production Managers Joseph Behm, Lee Lukather; Assistant Director Newton Arnold; Property Master Ray Thompson; Costumes Luster Bayless; Makeup David Grayson; Script Supervisor Charlie Bryant; Special E›ects Howard Jensen; Second Unit Director Cli› Lyons; Titles Designer Wayne Fitzgerald REVIEWS: “Just go see it if you’re a Johnny Wayne fan, and who isn’t? You’ll laugh yourself silly and see some fine western antics and scenery.” The New York Daily News (Wanda Hale, May 27, ¡97¡); “[A]n inescapably likable John Wayne western … audiences are sure to

love it.” Time Magazine ( Jay Cocks, June 2¡, ¡97¡); “The shadowy stealth, a church tower, a killer Collie, a flashing machete, and the spitting guns add up to a horrifying humdinger.” The New York Times (Howard Thompson, May 27, ¡97¡); “[I]f one loves Wayne—as I do—the film can be quite moving. After all, Hollywood and the star system are dying, but there he is, after forty years, still attracting audiences, still infusing each scene with his legendary personality.” The Village Voice (Michael Kerbel, July ¡, ¡97¡); “What is most appealing … is the obvious respect and a›ection that emerges between Wayne and his cast, most of whom have worked with him so often that they virtually constitute a stock company.” The Los Angeles Times (Kevin Thomas, July ¡, ¡97¡) SYNOPSIS: In ¡909, while Eastern movie audiences thrill to The Great Train Robbery, nine men cross the Rio Bravo into Texas to carry out the infamous McCandles raid. The outlaw band, led by John Fain (Richard Boone), kills ten people and kidnaps little Jake McCandles ( John Ethan Wayne) for a million dollar ransom. Martha (Maureen O’Hara), the boy’s grandmother, turns down rescue o›ers from the Army and the Texas Rangers surmising that this business would require the services of one extremely harsh and unpleasant man, her estranged husband Jacob ( John Wayne)—Big Jake—McCandles. Sending for his Indian friend Sam Sharpnose (Bruce

32

Big Jake

Cabot), Jake takes a strongbox carrying the ransom money and his double-barreled shotguns, and sets out with his dog to find the grandson he has never seen. Jake’s sons, James and Michael (Patrick Wayne and Chris Mitchum), turn down their father’s o›er to ride with him, joining instead the motor caravan of Texas Rangers setting o› in pursuit. Fain’s gang ambushes the Rangers and the boys decide to assist Jake and Sam Sharpnose. Following the ransom map to Escondaro, Jake and his sons foil the attempt of some drifters to steal the ransom box. During the struggle, James and Michael discover that the box contains only newspaper. They accuse their father of stealing the money, but Jake explains that he and Martha never intended to pay the ransom in the attempt to rescue little Jake from his captors. Led by a gang member to Fain’s encampment, Jake is warned by the cruel outlaw leader to understand that any foolish attempt to trick them would result in the boy’s death. Jake silently tosses the key to the strongbox at Fain’s feet and the villain eagerly approaches the chest to survey its contents. As his pockmarked face freezes at the sight of the newspaper, Jake, with the barrels of his Greener pointed at the outlaw’s head, whispers, “Now you understand. If anything goes wrong, anything at all—your fault, my fault, nobody’s fault, it don’t matter—I’m going to blow your head o›.” The gang opens fire and little Jake is saved from a bullet when Michael’s longdistance shot kills a sharpshooter in a bell tower. In the gun battle, Fain and all his men are killed, but so are Sam and Jake’s faithful dog. As Jake embraces his grandson, a mortally wounded Fain learns that his adversary is none other than Jacob McCandles. “I thought you were dead!” he gasps. Jake sternly retorts, “Not hardly.”—TAL NOTES: In production on location in Durango, Mexico, from October through December ¡970. Working title of the Western was Million Dollar Kidnapping. Cost of the production was $3,950,000. The film earned domestic rentals of $7,500,000 from a box o‡ce gross of $23,500,000. Wayne was paid $¡,000,000 and a substantial share of the profits. In ¡97¡, for the fourth time in his career, John Wayne was the top box o‡ce at-

traction in the nation. Following him in the top ten listing were: (2) Clint Eastwood, (3) Paul Newman, (4) Steve McQueen, (5) George C. Scott, (6) Dustin Ho›man, (7) Walter Matthau, (8) Ali MacGraw, (9) Sean Connery and (¡0) Lee Marvin. The film opened in New York on May 26, ¡97¡. Five years later, on September 25, ¡976, Big Jake had its world television premiere over the NBC network. Its audience share of 38 percent easily beat the competition on both CBS and ABC. The film was rerun in May ¡977 to equally impressive ratings. California native Glenn Corbett (Glenn Rothernburg, ¡930–93), appeared in less than 20 films, but was highly active in the world of television with guest appearances in more than two dozen shows. Corbett was also a regular on several series including Route 66 (¡963-64), The Doctors (¡976–8¡) and Dallas (¡983–88). Stuntman and character actor Everett Creach (¡933–94) also worked in The Way West (¡967), The Love Bug (¡968), The Green Berets (¡968), Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (¡969), Black Sunday (¡977) and Young Guns (¡988). Film editor Harry W. Gerstad (¡909– 2002) moved to Hollywood with his father, a cameraman, in ¡9¡0. By ¡929 he was working in the film laboratory of the Hal Roach Studios. During the ¡930s he alternated between projects at Warners and Republic. The veteran of almost 40 feature films received Academy Awards for his crisp and seamless cutting of Champion (¡949) and High Noon (¡952), and collaborated on several motion pictures with director Edward Dmytryk. Gerstad also edited several of TV’s more popular series of the ¡950s including the original Superman. In ¡968 he earned an editing award for his work on the Western television series High Chaparral. Before he retired in ¡973, Gerstad had also edited Home of the Brave (¡949), Cyrano de Bergerac (¡950), Death of a Salesman (¡95¡), Walk on the Wild Side (¡962), Batman (¡966) and Walking Tall (¡973). The world premiere of the film was held at the recently dedicated John Wayne Theater in the Knotts Berry Farm amusement park complex in the Buena Park section of Southern California. Other Westerns that opened in the early summer of ¡97¡ included Shoot Out (Universal) with Gregory Peck, The Wild

Big Jim McLain Rovers (MGM) starring William Holden and Ryan O’Neal, A Gunfight (Paramount) featuring Kirk Douglas and Johnny Cash, One More Train to Rob (Universal) with George Peppard,

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and the unorthodox Robert Altman oater, McCabe and Mrs. Miller (Warners) starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie.

Big Jim McLain August 30, ¡952. 90 minutes. John Wayne, Nancy Olson, James Arness, Alan Napier, Gayne Whitman, Hans Conreid, Veda Ann Borg, Hal Baylor, Robert Keys, John Hubbard, Sarah Padden, Dan Liu, Mme. Soo Young, Paul Hurst, Vernon (Red) McQueen, Harry Morgan (the voice of Daniel Webster), Peter Brocco, William Forrest, Gordon Jones, Peter Whitney, Harry Tyler, Lucky Simunovich, Jay Woolsey, Web Overlander, B.F. Johnston, Ralph Honda, Al Kealoha Perry, Marty Crail, E.T. Layton, Ernest Saftig, Walter E. Bystron, John Hubbard. Warner Bros. A Wayne-Fellows Production. Producer Robert Fellows; Director Edward Ludwig; Screenplay James Edward Grant, Richard English, Eric Taylor; Based on a story by Richard English; Photography Archie J. Stout; Editor Jack Murray; Art Director Al Ybarra; Musical Direction Emil Newman, Arthur Lange; Assistant Director Andrew V. McLaglen; Set Decorator Charles Thompson; Sound Tom Carmen; Makeup Web Overlander; Wardrobe Geneva Bourt; Hair Stylist Fae Smith REVIEWS: “Mr. Wayne is rugged and genial… But the over-all mixing of cheap fiction with contemporary crisis in American life is irresponsible and unforgivable. No one deserves credit for this film.” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, September ¡8, ¡952); “As film-making, it was unconvincing; as propaganda, it was hysterical.” Stardom (Alexander Walker, Stein & Day, ¡970); “Big Jim McLain has some pleasingly authentic Hawaiian background, but the action in the foreground is implausible and fumblingly filmed. Leathery John Wayne lopes through all the mayhem with the expression of a sad and friendly hound.” Time Magazine (September 29, ¡952);

“The picture is being rushed into the market and bears evidence of that haste. Wayne is a forceful hero and his scenes with Miss Olson are particularly good, due in no small part to her personality and talent.” Variety (August 27, ¡952); “Plot is sketchy and only superficially developed, but the presence of Wayne as a hard-hitting government investigator and rugged overall treatment should assume excellent return in the general market.” Daily Variety (August ¡952); “[A] walloping good movie which you’ll enjoy … well worth your money and time… John Wayne … dominates it as usual with his very personal appeal and charm.” Los Angeles Examiner (Kay Proctor, August 30, ¡952); “Wayne turns in a typical hard-hitting performance, but acting honors go to Nancy Olson.” Film Bulletin (September 8, ¡952) SYNOPSIS: “Are you now, or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?” House Un-American Activities investigators Big Jim McLain ( John Wayne) and his partner, Mal Baxter ( James Arness), look on in frustration as cases they have built against known agents of the Kremlin are dismissed when the accused stand on Constitutional rights protecting them from self-incrimination. The two agents, undercover as insurance investigators, are sent to Honolulu to run “Operation Pineapple” in the hope of thwarting Communist leaders there. They work in cooperation with the Honolulu Chief of Police Dan Liu. While checking local doctors, Jim strikes it rich at the o‡ce of Miriam Gelster. Besides getting a tip on a known conspirator named Willie Namaka, Jim also makes a date with the doctor’s attractive receptionist, Nancy Vallon (Nancy Olson). While the couple’s blos-

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Big Jim McLain

Big Jim McLain (Warner Bros., ¡952). Nancy Olson, John Wayne

soming island romance relieves the boredom of ringing doorbells and sifting through documents, members of the Seventh Cell are visited by a high-ranking agent, Sturak (Alan Napier), who wants to know what the agents are after. Because comrade Willie Namaka is su›ering pangs of conscience and spending too much time in the local grog shops, Sturak orders Dr. Gelster (Gayne Whitman), leader of the cell, to get rid of this liability. Jim’s search is aided by Namaka’s former landlady Madge (Veda Ann Borg), a brash blonde who makes no secret of her attraction to McLain: “Seventy-six inches. That’s a lot of man!” Through Madge, Jim and Mal trace Namaka through his ex-wife, a former party member now dedicating her life to the lepers on Molakai, through a Japanese temple, and finally, to a sanitarium where he lies in a state of drug-induced mental collapse. In the meantime, the investigators learn that the labor leader being

groomed to run Honolulu’s shipping unions, Ed White (Robert Keys), is actually a Communist infiltrator. With their surveillance of White and from a letter of Namaka’s, the investigators uncover a plot to paralyze Island shipping. When Mal gets too close to the cell, he is murdered; his body is found floating in a lagoon behind a hotel. Jim and the police intensify their e›orts for the next three weeks. Their wire-tap of a country club frequented by White and Dr. Gelster pays o›. They tap into a cell meeting in which Sturak clearly lays out the conspiracy. An eager Jim McLain, minutes ahead of his police back-up, crashes the meeting and is immediately attacked by several of the Communist thugs. He is rescued by Chief Dan, whose force arrests the cell members. Though the civil arrests hold, a disappointed Jim once again watches Kremlin operatives invoke the Fifth. Amendment of the very Constitution they are bent to destroy. However,

The Big Stampede watching a parade of Marines made up of a variety of ethnic backgrounds, and standing arm in arm with the beautiful woman who promises to love him for the next ¡00 years, Jim maintains his belief that the Union will survive, one and indivisible.—TAL NOTES: Filmed in Hawaii in six weeks from April 30 to June ¡952 under the working title Jim McLain. Interiors started at the Warners studio complex in Burbank on June 9, ¡952. Budgeted at $750,000, the negative cost of the film came in at $826,000. In its first year of release, it had earned domestic rentals of $2,0¡6,000 and a further $655,000 from foreign markets. Warners earned a 30 percent return on its investment in the motion picture. Wayne was paid $¡50,000 for his acting services and received a substantial percentage of the profits as co-producer. Between ¡926 and ¡957, British-born Sarah Padden (¡88¡–¡967), appeared in over ¡50 films. In the early ¡930s the preponderance of her roles were unbilled bit parts in such diverse films as Billy the Kid (¡930), Mata Hari (¡93¡), Rasputin and the Empress (¡932), and Little Orphan Annie (¡938).

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The character actress also had a supporting role in Wayne’s ¡945 Republic Western Dakota and had a recurring role as Mom Palooka in a B-series adapted from a comic strip, Joe Palooka (¡946–48). In ¡939 Republic cast the actress in the role of Sam Houston’s mother in Man of Conquest (¡939). Actor Gayne Whitman (¡890– ¡958) was also billed as Alfred Vosburg. He acted, wrote and narrated over ¡50 features and shorts between ¡9¡4 and ¡954. Besides appearing in an unbilled part in Reunion in France (¡942), he wrote the Popular Science, Unusual Occupations and Strange as It Seems shorts of the ¡930s which appeared on the nation’s movie screens as filler to complement the main features. Playing themselves in the film were Dan Liu, chief of Honolulu police, Vernon McQueen, a popular local newspaper columnist, and E.T. Layton, a naval intelligence o‡cer at Pearl Harbor. Cast member Lucky Simunovich was the wrestling champion of the Hawaiian Islands and bit role actor Web Overlander served double-duty, also working as Wayne’s makeup man, a position he held since ¡940.

The Big Stampede October 8, ¡932. 63 minutes. John Wayne, Noah Beery, Mae Madison, Luis Alberni, Berton Churchill, Paul Hurst, Sherwood Bailey, Lafe McKee, Joseph Girard, Bud Osborne, Frank Ellis, Hank Bell, Yakima Canutt, Henry Otho, Slim Whitaker, Tex Phelps, Al Taylor, Jim Corey, Chuck Baldra, Blackjack Ward, Duke, the Miracle Horse. Warner Bros. Producer Leon Schlesinger; Director Tenny Wright; Writer Kurt Kempler; Screen Story The Land Beyond the Law by Marion Jackson; Cinematographer Ted McCord; Cameramen Bill Clothier, John MacBurns, Joe McDonald; Editor Frank Ware; Assistant Directors Bill Reineck, Lee Katz; Script Maude Allen; Mixer Al Riggs; Propman Pinkie Weiss; Set Dresser Ben Bone; Still Man Irving Lippman; Ga›er Charles Ferguson; Grip Glenn Deval; Supervisor Sid Rogell

REVIEWS: “Pretentious western has a big stampede sequence that puts it over spectacularly. Now that the major companies have realized the importance of the western, they are making them with some real production values. And this one is a fine example.” Film Daily (November ¡¡, ¡932); “New Mexico and cattle rustling, there’s the combination of setting and theme for a vigorous production into which John Wayne’s drawl and deliberate style of movement are fitted to e›ect a likeable picture.” The Motion Picture Herald (November, ¡933); “Wayne’s ‘Miracle Horse’ Duke practically steals the show, herding cattle, opening doors, and shoving badmen around.” The Best (and Worst) of the West! (Boyd Magers) SYNOPSIS: Two rustlers follow their stolen herd across the New Mexico range land. A figure on horseback is silhouetted on a nearby

36

The Big Stampede

hill. “Arizona,” says one rustler to his mean and brutish partner, “there’s a man followin’ us.” Arizona pulls his pistol and drops the lone figure with one shot. “He ain’t a-followin’ us now!” It is this type of wanton lawlessness that Governor Lew Wallace (Berton Churchill) wants to bring to an end. Into this hornet’s nest he sends Deputy Sheri› John Steele ( John Wayne) to put a stop to rustling and help the colonization of the savage territory. Undercover, John hangs around the area’s biggest town as a drifter and a drunk. His surveillance concentrates on the two main factions doing the rustling. Most notorious is Sonora Joe (Luis Alberni), a philosophical and flamboyant grabber of stock. Less obvious, but much more dangerous, is the crime network of cattle baron Sam Crew (Noah Beery), who poses as a respectable citizen while employing the likes of Arizona (Paul Hurst) to do his dirty work. News reaches town that a wagon train of settlers with 5,000 head of beef is in New Mexico. The bandits react like hungry wolves. “Somebody is going to get very rich,” muses Sonora Joe. John Steele attaches himself to the pioneers, becoming close friends with the train’s leader, Cal Brett (Lafe McKee), and Cal’s lovely niece, Ginger Malloy (Mae Madison). At Crew’s suggestion, Arizona and his band raid the camp. In the gun battle which follows, Brett is killed by the outlaw. On a nearby hill, Sonora Joe and his vaqueros watch the fight and decide that the herd is ripe for stealing. Only the resourcefulness of John and his marvelous horse, Duke, saves the herd from being taken. Visiting Sonora’s camp the next morning, John reveals his identity and o›ers to make the bandit a deputy so that together they might bring Arizona to justice. With bemused interest. Sonora Joe takes the o›er and assists Steele in arresting the killer at the El Dorado Saloon that night. Crew and his gunmen try to intercede, but they are outwitted by the lawman. Arizona is transported to Fort Cummings for trial. Crew turns his attention to the 5,000 head: “I ain’t a-losin’ that herd. Round up every gunman in the valley!” He even has John taken prisoner before the raid. But Duke races back to Sonora Joe and leads the Mexicans to the rescue. Together John and the vaqueros halt the theft of the herd. In the

big stampede which breaks out, Crew falls victim to the thundering hooves. This ensures the safety of the cattle, paving the way for peaceful settlement for all.—TAL NOTES: This second Warner remake of the silent Ken Maynard Western series was filmed at a ranch just West of Yuma, Arizona, on a budget of $28,000. Wayne was paid $850. In ¡937 Warners remade the film, this time with singing cowboy Dick Foran in the lead. Missouri-born Noah Beery (¡884–¡946), the brother of Oscar winner Wallace Beery and father of character actor Noah Beery, Jr., was a natural to portray villains opposite the leading men of the ¡920s. He first appeared on the screen in ¡9¡6 but his breakthrough, establishing his credentials as a superb nemesis, came opposite Douglas Fairbanks in The Mark of Zorro (¡920). Throughout the ¡920s in films such as The Spoilers (¡923), Beau Geste (¡926), Noah’s Ark (¡928) and The Godless Girl (¡929), Beery relished harassing the heroes and making life miserable for them. In the ¡930s Beery divided most of his time between B-films and serials. Some of his more exciting chapterplays included Zorro Rides Again (Republic, ¡937) and Adventures of Red Ryder (Republic, ¡940). Appearing in over ¡00 films, Beery co-starred with Gene Autry, Tim McCoy, George O’Brien, Tom Tyler, Red Barry, and the Three Mesquiteers. After graduating from the University of Barcelona, Luis Alberni (¡887–¡962) came to the United States from Spain. Usually playing a Latin type, he was featured in supporting roles in Little Italy (¡92¡), The Santa Fe Trail (¡930), Svengali (¡93¡), The Kid from Spain (¡932), The Black Cat (¡934), The Count of Monte Cristo (¡934) and his last film, What Price Glory? (¡952). Child actor Sherwood V. Bailey, Jr. (¡923–87), started in films as the red-haired, freckled Spud in Hal Roach’s Our Gang shorts. In ¡940, after an appearance in MGM’s Young Tom Edison, he quit acting. Following graduation from UCLA, Sherwood became a civil engineer in the Los Angeles area. Female lead Mae Madison (¡9¡4– ) was born Mariska Medgyzsi in Los Angeles. Along with Wayne, she had a bit role in the Fox semi-musical Words and Music (¡929). Before her screen career ended in ¡935, the actress had appeared in over 20 films. Her most prolific year was

The Big Trail ¡932, when she co-starred with Wayne in this B-Western. She also was featured that year in Playgirl, Tenderfoot, Miss Pinkerton, The Rich Are Always with Us, The Mouthpiece, So Big and Union Depot. New York City–born character actor Henry Otho (¡888–¡940) appeared in nearly ¡00 motion pictures of the ¡930s. He had an uncredited bit part in Baby Face and played the role of Sheri› Mason in the Mesquiteer adventure Overland Stage Raiders. Assistant director Lee Katz, from the early ¡930s to the mid–¡950s, worked on over 40 motion pictures, but rarely received a screen credit. Also a writer and production manager,

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Katz served as the assistant director on Mystery of the Wax Museum (¡933), China Clipper (¡936), The Adventures of Robin Hood (¡938), Across the Pacific (¡942) and Casablanca (¡942). The competition at the nation’s theaters in September and October of ¡932 were Downstairs (MGM), starring and written by a fading John Gilbert; the B-Western The Western Code (Columbia) with Tim McCoy and RKO’s Strange Justice starring Marian Marsh and Reginald Denny. With the success of Stagecoach, Warners reissued The Big Stampede in ¡940.

The Big Trail October 24, ¡930. ¡58 minutes. John Wayne, Marguerite Churchill, El Brendel, Tully Marshall, Tyrone Power, Sr., David Rollins, Frederick Burton, Russ Powell, Ward Bond, Marcia Harris, Andy Shu›ord, Helen Parrish, Ian Keith, Charles Stevens, Louise Carver, William V. Mong, Dodo Newton, Marjorie Leet, Emslie Emerson, Frank Rainboth, Jack Peabody, Gertrude Van Lent, Lucille Van Lent, DeWitt Jennings, Alphonz Ethier, Robert Parrish, Chief John Big Tree, Harvey Parry, Pete Morrison, Don Coleman. Fox Director Raoul Walsh; Author Hal G. Evarts; Assistant Directors Ewing Scott, George Walsh, Sid Bowen, Virgil Hart, Clay Crapnell, Earl Rettig; Settings Harold Miles, Fred Sersen; Chief Technician Louis Witte (¡2 assistants); Chief Carpenter Les Shaw (¡50 assistants); Chief Electrician L.E. Barber (42 assistants); Business Managers Ben Wurtzel, George Busch; Chief Grandeur Cameraman Arthur Edeson; Grandeur Cameramen Dave Ragin, Sol Halprin, Curt Fetters; Assistant Cameramen Max Cohen, Harry Smith, L. Kunkel, Harry Dawe; Chief Standard Cameraman Lucien Andriot; Standard Cameramen Don Anderson Bill McDonald; Assistant Standard Cameramen Roger Sherman, Bobby Mack, Henry Pollack; Still Cameraman Frank Powolny; Makeup Artists Jack Dawn, Louise Sloane (¡2 assis-

tants); Masters of Props Don Greenwood, Tom Plews (¡4 on Prop Sta› ); Master of Wardrobe Earl Moser (and 200 seamstresses); Sound Engineers George Leverett, Donald Flick; Assistant Sound Recorders Bill Brent, Paul Heinly (and 24 other assistants); In Charge of Livestock and Wagons Jack Padjen, Joe Flores; Incidental Music Direction Arthur Kay; Dialogue Script Jack Peabody, Marie Boyle, Florence Postal; Chief Film Cutter Jack Dennis; Cameras and projection machines of Grandeur Pictures by General Theater Equipment Company; Sound Western Electric System. REVIEWS: “[A] testimonial to the progress of motion picture work…. Mr. Wayne acquits himself with no little distinction. His performance is pleasingly natural…” The New York Times (Mordaunt Hall, October 25, ¡930); “[It] carried far more drama and conviction than anything in The Covered Wagon … one of the most impressive of all superwesterns in terms of size and action.” A Pictorial History of the Western Film (William K. Everson, Citadel, ¡969); “The big puzzle to the Big Trail is why it was not given drawing names… Young Wayne, wholly inexperienced, shows it, but also suggests he can be built up.” Variety (Sime, October 29, ¡930); “[C]an truly be classed as epic … is done on such a massive scale that it completely overshadows its actors… John

38

The Big Trail

Wayne, a screen newcomer, in the leading role of the young scout, plays with a winning mixture of boyish di‡dence and self-assurance.” Photoplay (November ¡930); “An impressive piece of work … it depicts the hardships of the great wagon treks in greater detail and far more realistically than The Covered Wagon, and contained some brilliantly handled action spectacle in the form of an Indian attack and a bu›alo hunt.” A Pictorial History of Westerns (Michael Parkinson and Clyde Jeavons, Hamlyn, ¡972); “[T]he film turned out to be one of the most impressive and spectacular Westerns ever made.” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974); “The action was splendid, the Indian attack on the wagon train and the fording of the Colorado River were many times more impressive in this picture than the previous e›orts in Cruze’s The Covered Wagon.” The Filming of the West ( Jon Tuska, Doubleday, ¡976); “It wasn’t a bad picture, but it was too far ahead of its time.” Duke: The Story of John Wayne (Mike Tomkies, Henry Regnery Co., ¡97¡); “[I]t is a considerable achievement for its time… Time has not tarnished its entertainment value, nor dimmed the performance of Wayne. Said performance has been criticized, mostly after the fact, by what criteria it is hard to discern. For it is a sincere one, a fitting one, awkward only in the sense that the character has the awkward traits of youthful enthusiasm.” Hollywood Corral (Don Miller, Popular Library, ¡976) SYNOPSIS : Gathered from the North, South and East, brave pioneers assemble on the banks of the Mississippi for the conquest of the West. Into this hive of activity rides Breck Coleman ( John Wayne), searching for the men who killed his trapper friend, Ben Grizzel. The personable Coleman chats with the pioneers about a wondrous land north of Oregon. He turns down the o›er to become a scout, insisting that he must track his friend’s killers. After discovering Ben’s wolf pelts at the trading post, and finding a cigar stub similar to one he had picked up at the murder site, Breck accepts the job as scout, casting a wary eye upon cigar-chomping wagon boss, Red Flack (Tyrone Power, Sr.) and his shifty bullwhacker, Lopez (Charles Stevens). Among the families heading west are the Camerons. Ruth Cameron (Marguerite Churchill) is a beautiful young

woman guiding her younger brother Davey and her baby sister Honey Girl to a new life. Thorpe (Ian Keith), a character of dubious reputation, poses as a Southern gentleman to o›er his services to Miss Cameron. In spite of a stumbling start, however, it is Breck who is gradually winning the girl’s heart. Thorpe throws in with Red Flack and Lopez to plot the scout’s demise. As the prairie schooners roll westward, Breck and his Pawnee scouts hunt bu›alo to provide meat for the wagon train. Thorpe takes this opportunity to ambush the scout, his long distance shot knocking Coleman from his horse. Two days later, the dismayed villains witness Coleman’s arrival at a river crossing. Carrying his saddle, Breck explains that a prairie dog hole caused his horse to stumble. He does not explain the bullet hole in his saddle. Crossing Cheyenne land, the train halts atop a cli› with canyons on all sides. With rope, muscle and determination, wagons, oxen and horses are lowered to the canyon floor. The pioneers reach the last outpost for a brief rest. Breck leaves his firearms with the gunsmith for repair. Thorpe attempts murder again but is shot by Breck’s friend Zeke (Tully Marshall). Coleman warns the two surviving villains that he will settle with them at the trail’s end. First the travelers must endure the flesh-burning and hope-blackening desert. More lives are lost when Indians attack the wagon train. At a pace of ten weary miles a day, the pioneers fight through mud and finally snowstorms. Breck pushes them on, forbidding them to give up. In the mountains, Red Flack and Lopez try once more to kill Breck, this time with the knife they stole from Ben Grizzel. Failing, they escape into a blinding snowstorm. Breck delivers the party of settlers to the valley below the Great White Mountains, then immediately returns to pick up the trail of the murderers. Still struggling through the snow, Flack leaves Lopez to freeze to death and is finally killed when he tries to ambush Breck. The big trail has ended, and Breck returns to Ruth’s warm embrace.—TAL NOTES: When the project was first announced in March ¡930 to the press and public, it was known as The Oregon Trail. Filmed from April to July ¡930 at the Fox Studios in Culver City and on location in Yuma, Arizona;

The Big Trail

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Sequoia National Park; Yellowstone National Park; Grand Tetons Park; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; and Moiese, Montana. While Wayne was paid a salary of $75 a week for the $¡,900,000 Western, character actor Tully Marshall received $500 a week. Once the film had completed its limited 70mm run on both coasts, an edited ¡26-minute version was released in the standard 35mm format to the nation’s screens. As soon as production on the massive motion picture had ended, Fox placed the unwieldy 70mm cameras in storage. They would be used again in the early ¡950s (after refurbishment) to film The Robe in CinemaScope. A German version of the film, with a di›erent set of actors, was filmed simultaneously with the English edition. The stars of the German version were Theo Shall and Marion Lessing. Involved in the motion picture industry for over 50 years (¡9¡2– 64), Raoul Walsh (born Albert Edward Walsh, ¡887–¡980), had a hand in the making of over ¡40 films. On The Birth of a Nation (¡9¡5) for D.W. Gri‡th, he served as an assistant director, editor and, in the role of John Wilkes Booth, an The Big Trail (Fox, ¡930). John Wayne, Marguerite actor. His major features during the Churchill silent era included Douglas Fairbanks’ brilliance in The Tall Men (¡955), The King and The Thief of Baghdad (¡924), What Price Glory? Four Queens (¡956), The Naked and the Dead (¡926) and the Gloria Swanson–starring vehi(¡958) and Marines, Let’s Go! (¡96¡). New York cle Sadie Thompson (¡928). It was during the City–born cameraman Arthur Edeson (¡89¡– making of In Old Arizona (¡929), that Walsh’s ¡970) was a veteran of over 50 films before acting career ended due to the loss of an eye in being assigned to The Big Trail. His most noan accident involving a shattered windshield. table achievements included All Quiet on the Undeterred, he would adopt his trademark eye Western Front, In Old Arizona with Walsh, patch and continue working as a director. His Mutiny on the Bounty, The Maltese Falcon and notable films of the ’30s were Klondike Annie Casablanca. After filming The Fighting O’Flynn (¡936) starring Mae West and Victor McLa(¡949), he retired. The first Fox film to be shot glen, Artists and Models (¡937) and the James in the 70mm Grandeur process was the musiCagney–Humphrey Bogart vehicle The Roarcal, Happy Days (¡929). Second unit–shot seing Twenties (¡939). In the ’40s, Walsh hit his quences from The Big Trail can be seen in sevstride with the box o‡ce hits Dark Command eral other Westerns including The Painted (¡940), Bogey’s High Sierra (¡94¡), They Died Stallion (¡937), Plunders of the West and with Their Boots On (¡94¡) starring Errol Brigham Young (¡940). The film’s heavy, LonFlynn, Strawberry Blonde (¡94¡) with Cagney, don-born Tyrone Power, Sr. (¡869–¡93¡), was Olivia DeHavilland and Rita Hayworth, Gena large, lusty man whose father was an Irish tleman Jim (¡942) and Cagney’s White Heat actor and whose grandfather was a concert pi(¡949). Although he had fewer hits in the ’50s anist of great renown. Power made his stage and ’60s, there were still examples of his action

40

The Black Watch

debut in ¡886 and had a 40-plus film career which started in ¡9¡4. The rigors of filming The Big Trail would take their toll on Power. Several months after returning from location,

he started filming The Miracle Man. He would su›er a massive heart attack at home and literally die in his ¡7-year-old son’s (Tyrone Power) arms.

The Black Watch May 8, ¡929. 98 minutes. Victor McLaglen, Myrna Loy, David Rollins, Lumsden Hare, Roy D’Arcy, Mitchell Lewis, Pat Somerset, Walter Long, Frank Baker, David Percy, Cyril Chadwick, David Torrence, Francis Ford, Claude King, Frederick Sullivan, Joseph Diskay, Richard Travers, Joyzelle Joyner, Edward O’Fearna, Jack Pennick, Randolph Scott. Fox Presented by William Fox; Producer Winfield R. Sheehan; Director John Ford; Assistant to John Ford Wingate Smith; Staged by Lumsden Hare; Scenarists James Kevin McGuinness, John Stone, Frank Barber; Based on the novel King of the Khyber Rifles by Talbot Mundy; Photography Joseph H. August; Art Director William Darling; Editor Alex Tro›ey; Sound W.W. Lindsay; Assistant Director Edward O’Fearna; Song “Flowers of Delight” William Kernell REVIEWS: “Story is loose jointed and far from well knit, the audience being asked to take plenty for granted. Opposed to this are the strong points of some excellent pictorial work plus su‡cient action to hold suspense.” Variety (May ¡5, ¡929); “Vigorous realism and colorful fantasy are interwoven in an enticing audible picture…. …Mr. McLaglen does good work as Captain King, but it’s a pity that his speech does not suggest more emphatically the Scot.” The New York Times (Mordaunt Hall, May 23, ¡929); “Colorful adventure yarn with many magnificent sequences and unusual pictorial beauty, but a climax that falls down. Good entertainment as it stands.” Film Daily (May 26, ¡929); “The film look exquisite … and the recording is first-rate, but the proceedings tend to come to a sudden halt for one thing or another … feels stilted, silent film atmosphere infected by (bad) talkie writing…” Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John

Ford (Scott Eyman, Simon & Schuster, ¡999); “From the point of view of production … is as good as one could desire it; from the point of view of entertainment, however, it is not good … there is nothing shown that would appeal deeply to the emotions of sympathy or that would hold one in tense suspense….” Harrison’s Reports ( June ¡, ¡929) SYNOPSIS: In London, August ¡9¡4, the Colonel (Lumsden Hare) of the legendary regiment called the Black Watch, announces to his o‡cers that they have orders to travel to France. But Capt. Donald King (Victor McLaglen), lately of the Khyber Rifles in India, is secretly ordered to return to the land of his birth to prevent a holy war being stirred up by a mysterious woman, Yassmini (Myrna Loy). A cloud of secrecy forbids King from revealing to his brother o‡cers why he won’t be joining them in France. To the disappointment of his younger brother Malcolm (David Rollins), and the rejection of the other o‡cers, King watches his regiment leave to fight against the Germans. In Peshawar, on the Northern Frontier, Capt. King is reunited with Mohammed Khan (Mitchell Lewis), brave leader of the Lancers who has been rejected for service in France because of his age. “You and I have a soldier’s job to do in India,” King confides to his old friend. “A dirty job at the best.” King spends his days in Peshawar drinking whiskey and quarreling with the o‡cers. When he drunkenly attacks a fellow o‡cer who apparently dies of a fractured skull, King is arrested. The actions are part of a secret plan to convince Yassmini and her chief spy and confidant, Rewa Chunga (Roy D’Arcy), that King is a renegade. Allowed to escape, he is taken in by the rebels. Yassmini, smitten with the European’s physical charms, hopes to make him fa-

Blood Alley natical for her cause. King is sent with a caravan through the Khyber Pass to Yassmini’s mountain fortress. “In the hills, much will be revealed to thee,” she promises. While his regiment slogs through Flanders, King enters the caves of the mountain hideout, following the same path a former o‡cer, Major MacGregor (Francis Ford), had taken months before. Among the deserters he meets there, King finds MacGregor enslaved and blinded by his captors. King passes tests of loyalty to the Prophet’s cause and wins a test of strength as Yassmini looks on. She has him brought to her quarters, telling him of her desires and o›ering him partnership in her conquests. Meanwhile, Mohammed Khan has located the ammunition being stored for the coming revolt. Though he is tempted by Yassmini’s beauty, King follows duty, honor, and loyalty. With Mohammed, he frees MacGregor and some of the other captives, places his machine gun in a strategic position and convinces Yassmini that she must surrender. When she goes before her followers to prevent bloodshed, Rewa Chunga, determined not to lose an empire for a woman’s desires, shoots her down and the battle begins. While Yassmini dies in his arms, King’s soldiers defeat the rebels. His simple message to headquarters is, “The job is finished. King.” A few minutes before midnight, the captain rejoins the Black Watch . To the strains of “Auld Lang Syne,” King is saluted for his heroic mission and reunited with Malcolm.—TAL NOTES: Filmed from January to February ¡929 on the Fox lot. Negative cost: $400,000. First film with Wingate Smith as Assistant Director to Ford. Smith was Mary Ford’s brother. Remade in ¡954 by director Henry King as King of the Khyber Rifles. The film earned $800,000 in film rentals for the studio in the North American market. Director Ford’s

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first all-talking feature and his twenty-seventh film for Fox. Wayne worked on the film as a prop man. Cinematographer Joseph H. August (¡890–¡947), a graduate of the Colorado School of Mining, entered films in ¡9¡¡ as an assistant cameraman. He learned his trade filming Hell’s Hinges (¡9¡6), The Aryan (¡9¡6) and Wolf Lowery (¡9¡6), then was in charge of photography on several Reginald Barker and William S. Hart films. Collaborating with John Ford, the talented August filmed Salute (¡929), Men Without Women (¡930), The Informer (¡935), Mary of Scotland (¡936), The Plough and the Stars (¡937) and They Were Expendable (¡945). While shooting Portrait of Jennie in ¡947, August collapsed and died. Irish-born character actor Lumsden Hare (¡875–¡964), a veteran of both the British and American stage, also served as stage director and technical consultant on The Black Watch. Hare came to Hollywood in ¡9¡6 and worked with all of the top talent from Mary Pickford to Douglas Fairbanks. For cast member David Rollins (¡907–97), Black Watch was one of four films he had in release in ¡929. His entire film output, ¡8 motion pictures, spanned a five-year period from ¡927 to ¡932. He also appeared in The Big Trail. Female lead Myrna Loy could also be seen at the same time on the nation’s screens, starring in First National’s The Squall, directed by Alexander Korda. O›ering additional competition for moviegoers was the United Artists release Eternal Love starring John Barrymore. During May ¡929 MGM released a mediocre Lon Chaney thriller, Where East Is East, and Paramount previewed its adaptation of a Ziegfeld musical comedy, The Cocoanuts starring the Marx Brothers. The Black Watch opened in New York City on May 22, ¡929, at the Gaiety Theater.

Blood Alley October ¡, ¡955. ¡¡5 minutes. John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, Paul Fix, Joy Kim, Berry Kroeger, Mike Mazurki, Anita Ekberg, Henry Nakamura, W.T. Chang, George Chan, Wal-

ter Soohoo, Eddie Luke, Victor Sen Yung, Lowell Gilmore, Weaver Levy, stunt people: Stubby Kruger, Reg Parton, Pete Peterson, Harvey Parry, Tom Hennesy, Jack Sterling,

42

Blood Alley

Duke Green, Terry Wilson, Gene Coogan, Evelyn Finley, Shirley and Sharon Lucas. Warner Bros. A Batjac Production. Directors William Wellman, John Wayne (uncredited); Screenplay A.S. Fleishman, from his novel; Photography William H. Clothier; Editor Fred MacDowell; Assistant Film Editor Milton Citron; Production Designer Alfred Ybarra; Music Roy Webb; Orchestrations Maurice de Packh, Gus Levene; Assistant Director Andrew V. McLaglen; Sound Earl Crain, Sr.; Unit Production Manager Tom Andre; Makeup Web Overlander, Norman Pringle; Script Supervisor Sam Freedle; Costumes Owen Wakeling, Carl Walker, Esther Krebs; Hair Stylist Margaret Donovan; Property Master Joseph LaBella REVIEWS: “[A] lively, if not top-flight, adventure…. Mr. Wayne is not adding perceptibly to his acting range…. [He] speaks laconically in a monotone and he is a fine gent to have around when the brawl begins.” The New York Times (A.H. Weiler, October 6, ¡955); “Wayne and Bacall, both strong screen personalities, played well together, but the framework of the film was too fragile to o›er them any real challenge.” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974); “It is rather a good comic-strip adventure and incidentally far more e›ective anti–Communist propaganda than Big Jim McLain.” John Wayne and the Movies (Alan Eyles, A.S. Barnes, ¡976); “[It] holds up rather well in a pulp fiction vein, mixing action, romance and suspense in about equal measures to draw and hold viewer interest…..Wayne was a perfect choice to play the rugged skipper.” Variety (September 2¡, ¡955) SYNOPSIS: “Powder your nose, Baby, we’re gettin’ out of here.” So declares Wilder ( John Wayne), a ship’s captain held prisoner by the Red Chinese, to the imaginary companion he talks to to save his sanity from Communist brainwashing. With a Russian army uniform and a pistol smuggled into his cell, Wilder gains his freedom. His benefactors are the villagers of Chiku Shan. The ¡80 citizens have put up the money for his escape in the hope he will help them in a daring plan. They wish to leave Red China, sailing through the dangerous Formosa Straits, nicknamed Blood Alley, 300 miles to freedom. Confident that Wilder

will prove to be “one of God’s footsteps” in this perilous journey, they ask him to ferry them in an old American-made stern-wheeler, a flatbottomed relic which barely makes six knots. Though skeptical of their chances, Wilder becomes interested in this bit of larceny which would scratch a whole village o› the map and set it safely down in Hong Kong. He has also become interested in the lovely Cathy Grainger (Lauren Bacall), an American whose physician father has been summoned by the Communists to operate on a party o‡cial. The villagers make the preparations while Wilder attempts to chart the straits from memory. Two events prevent the captain from giving any romantic attention to Cathy, and move the villagers to hasten their departure. First, Wilder kills a stray Communist soldier who tries to take advantage of Cathy. Next, the elders learn that Dr. Grainger, whose knife was often made unsteady by rice wine, has been killed by the Communists. To Wilder falls the unpleasant task of informing Cathy about her father. This he does only moments before the old vessel, the Chiku Shan, slips away under cover of a fog bank. The ship, overflowing with villagers, their animals and possessions, enters Blood Alley, leaving behind the patrol boat which has been trapped by well-placed sampans filled with rocks placed there over the past months. Blu‡ng its way past the Red Fleet, the comical-looking relic heads towards freedom. With each mile of the perilous journey, Wilder becomes more taken with the heroism of the villagers. Enduring fatigue, hunger, thirst, even the treachery of some members of the village’s one Communist family (taken along to ensure the success of the plan), the men, women and children of Chiku Shan move closer to their goal. Manually pulling the ship through inlets too narrow for patrol boats, they finally reach Hong Kong to the rejoicing of the Free World. Wilder bids his imaginary Baby goodbye and turns his full attention to Cathy.—TAL NOTES: Shot at China Lake, San Rafael and the Sacramento River near Stockton in Northern California, from January to March ¡5, ¡955. After a week of filming and tensions, Wayne replaced Robert Mitchum in the lead role. Mitchum had declined to star in Giant, instead preferring the leading role in Blood

Blood Alley

43

Blood Alley (Warner Bros., ¡955). John Wayne

Alley. At the time it was also announced that after the Wayne project, he would co-star in the war film The Naked and the Dead. Budgeted at $2,500,000, the film was put into the can at a negative cost of $2,459,000. The film earned domestic rentals of $¡,9¡¡,000, then $¡,032,000 from the overseas markets. Building the outdoor sets north of San Francisco amounted to an expenditure of $220,000. Wayne again earned a salary of $¡75,000 and a percentage of the film’s profits. Character actor and perennial screen heavy Mike Mazurki (¡907–90), who replaced wrestler Pete Peterson in the film, was born in the Ukraine, emigrated to the United States in the ¡920s, wrestled professionally and made his screen debut in the Mae West film Belle of the Nineties (¡934). It was not until the ¡940s that his career began to take o› with roles in Gentleman Jim (¡942), Mission to Moscow (¡943), The Canterville Ghost (¡944), Murder, My Sweet (¡944) wherein he played

the role of Moose Malloy, the Jack Benny comedy The Horn Blows at Midnight (¡945) and Abbott and Costello in Hollywood (¡945). In the three-year period from ¡943 to ¡945, almost always in the role of the menacing presence, Mazurki was on the screen in 25 films. Several of his other memorable roles were in Sinbad the Sailor (¡947), Nightmare Alley (¡947), Samson and Delilah (¡949), Night and the City (¡950), Dark City (¡950), Bob Hope’s My Favorite Spy (¡95¡), the musical Kismet (¡955), DeMille’s The Buccaneer (¡958), Billy Wilder’s smash comedy Some Like It Hot (¡959) and John Ford’s Seven Women (¡966). Mazurki was also with Wayne in Dakota and Donovan’s Reef. Miss Sweden of ¡950, Anita Ekberg (¡93¡– ) arrived in the United States in ¡95¡. She initially signed a contract with RKO Pictures but then moved to Universal where she was inserted into several minor films, including Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (¡953). At

44

Blue Steel

Paramount she was the sexpot in the Martin and Lewis comedies Artists and Models and Hollywood or Bust. Before she could accept the starring role in the television series Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, Batjac Productions signed her to an exclusive contract. For Batjac she would only make two films, Blood Alley and Man in the Vault (¡956). Getting free of her contract with Wayne’s company, the actress had featured roles in War and Peace (¡956) and the Bob Hope comedy Paris Holiday (¡958). Disillusioned with Hollywood, she departed for Europe and caused a sensation with her starring role in Fellini’s La Dolce Vita (¡960), and its sequel, Boccaccio 70 (¡962). Although she would appear in two dozen more features, including the Rat Pack’s Four for Texas (¡963) and the Hope comedy Bwana Devil (¡963), none would match the acclaim of the Fellini masterpieces. Milton Citron (¡909–85) was a film editor for 30 years. After a stint with the 20th Weather Squadron of the Air Force in Asia during World War II, he drifted to Hollywood and found work as an assistant cutter in films and later television. Working for most of the majors including Warners, Paramount, RKO, MGM and Universal, he helped edit Dime with a Halo, The Trial of the Cantonsville Nine, Silent Running and The Killer Inside Me.

In television he started working with Gene Autry’s Flying A Productions, then worked on numerous episodes of Death Valley Days, Gunsmoke and Rawhide. Berry Kroeger’s (¡9¡2–9¡) movie career consisted of 30 films released between ¡948 and ¡977. His first screen appearance was made in The Iron Curtain (¡948). It was quickly followed by roles in Cry of the City (¡948), Chicago Deadline (¡949), Battles of Chief Pontiac (¡952), Man in the Vault (¡956) for Batjac, The Story of Ruth (¡960), Youngblood Hawke (¡964), Nightmare in Wax (¡969) and an unbilled role in Young Frankenstein (¡974). Prior to the signing of Lauren Bacall for the female lead, the producers auditioned young English actress Joan Collins. After Mitchum was forced o› the production, those considered for the lead role included Bogart, Gary Cooper, Alan Ladd, Robert Ryan, William Holden, Kirk Douglas and Fred MacMurray. Of the 392 films released in ¡955, the top five at the box o‡ce were Cinerama Holiday, Mister Roberts, Battle Cry, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Not as a Stranger. Contending for moviegoers throughout the country in October were The Desperate Hours starring Humphrey Bogart and Fredric March, the musical Oklahoma, and director Robert Aldrich’s thriller, The Big Knife.

Blue Steel May ¡0, ¡934. 54–59 minutes. John Wayne, Eleanor Hunt, George Hayes, Ed Peil, Sr., Yakima Canutt, George Cleveland, George Nash, Lafe McKee, Hank Bell, Earl Dwire, Artie Ortego, Horace B. Carpenter, Theodore Lorch, Silver Tip Baker, Emma Tansey, Tex Phelps, Bud McClure, Herman Hack, Jack Evans, Buck Bucko, Herman Nolan, Lionel Backus. Monogram. Producer Paul Malvern; Director Robert Bradbury; Assistant Director Glenn Cook; Story and Screenplay Robert Bradbury; Photography Archie Stout; Editor Carl Pierson; Music Lee Zahler; Recording J.A. Stransky, Jr.; Technical Director E.R. Hickson;

Chief Electrician Edward Cox; Still Photographer Joe Walters REVIEWS: “The active and athletic John Wayne … disports himself with his accustomed knock-down-and-drag-out ease, on and o› his handsome white horse… Of Wayne’s popularity there can be little question….” Motion Picture Herald (May ¡2, ¡934); “Canutt’s stunting and his appearance as the Polka Dot Bandit are the best things in this otherwise routine Wayne series Western.” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia (Phil Hardy, Overlook Press, ¡983); “Outside of the tendency of each heavy to lead with the chin and Wayne’s knack for

Blue Steel finding the mark with the aid of a sound e›ects man there isn’t anything about Blue Steel to distinguish it….” Variety ( July ¡7, ¡934); “Quite likely the best of the John Wayne Lone Stars filled with thrilling action and one of the best mystery angle opening sequences in B-western films.” The Best (and Worst) of the West! (Boyd Magers, March 2¡, 2003) SYNOPSIS : When Sheri› Jake (George Hayes) puts up for the night at a way station outside of town, he is given an upstairs room with a knothole in the floor from which he can survey the lobby below. This suits him fine, since he has been in wary pursuit of the Polka Dot Bandit (Yakima Canutt). During the stormy night, the outlaw enters the inn and steals the contents of the safe. John Carruthers ( John Wayne), a young cowboy who had secretly found shelter from the rain by sleeping under the stairs, is awakened as the robbery occurs. So is Sheri› Jake, who peers through the knothole and sees John examining the empty safe. The lawman, determined to stay close to this suspicious young man, o›ers to ride along with him to town the next day. Yucca City is a town in trouble. The greedy Melgrove (Ed Peil) is secretly blockading the residents, preventing food and ammunition from entering while his henchmen (including Danti , the Polka Dot Bandit) ride the range. Melgrove knows that beneath the topsoil of the town lies a rich gold deposit; he wants to drive the ranchers away. As Jake and John ride to the troubled town, they encounter a relief expedition being attacked by outlaws. The travelers come to the assistance of Betty Mason (Eleanor Hunt), whose father is killed in the attack. Sending Betty to town, the two pursue the villains. Jake is shot from his horse and falls o› a cli› into the water below. Risking his own life, John plunges into the water to save him. With yet another attempt at getting needed provisions a failure, the townsfolk are discouraged. Melgrove is quick to o›er them a few dollars an acre if they leave their land. But Jake and John volunteer to bring the shipment through. John recognizes the Polka Dot bandit by spotting a missing rowel of a spur. He trails the outlaw to Melgrove’s ranch where he discovers ¡) Danti’s polka dot neckerchief, 2) Betty being held captive by the villains, and 3)

45

a mountain of captured provisions. Jake, Betty and John load a wagon with goods and ride towards the town with the outlaws in pursuit. During a thrilling chase, the villains are killed when John sets o› a charge of dynamite in the narrow canyon walls. Falling rock puts an end to the stranglehold on Yucca City and leaves John unmasked as a federal agent sent to help the town. He then rides o› into the sunset with Betty.—TAL NOTES: Filmed at a cost of slightly over $¡2,000 at the General Service Studios and on location in the Big Pines section of Lone Pine, California. Wayne was paid $¡250 for this fifth Lone Star Western. This was a remake of A Son of the Plains (Syndicate, ¡93¡), starring Bob Custer. The early Syndicate film was also written and directed by Bradbury under the production auspices of Trem Carr and Paul Malvern. Again Yakima Canutt would be featured in the film and act as stunt double to Wayne. For character actor George Nash (¡873–¡945), who started in motion pictures in ¡9¡4 in the feature The Jungle and had roles in The Great Gatsby (¡925) and Oliver Twist (¡933), Blue Steel would come at the tail end of his film career. He would make just two more movies, Sixteen Fathoms Deep (¡934) and The Return of Casey Jones (¡934), before retiring. Hank Bell (¡892–¡950) was one of the more prolific character actors in the Hollywood of the ¡920s through the ¡940s. His credits from ¡920 to ¡952 topped 234 features. He appeared in the following Wayne films: The Lone Star Ranger, The Big Stampede, Sagebrush Trail, Westward Ho, Shepherd of the Hills, A Lady Takes a Chance and Flame of Barbary Coast. Character actor Theodore “Ted” Lorch (¡873 or ¡880– ¡947), appeared in over sixty sound films of which 22 were Westerns and eight serials. His appearances in support of Wayne were in Desert Trail, New Frontier (¡935 version), Red River Range and Stagecoach. The actor also had bit roles in two of the Flash Gordon serials and a half dozen Three Stooges shorts. Carl Pierson (¡898–¡977) also edited ¡5 other Wayne BWesterns and served as director on Paradise Canyon (¡935) and New Frontier (¡935). Despite directing four features (including Singing Vagabond in ¡935 and The Story of Colonel Drake in ¡955), his first love was editing. Be-

46

Born Reckless

tween ¡928 and ¡966 he cut over 200 motion pictures, the vast majority of them low-budget entries from Monogram, Republic and PRC. Just as the motion picture was beginning its initial run, the Hays o‡ce, in charge of censoring motion pictures for “the public good,” announced a prohibition restraining actors and actresses from publicly endorsing any types of alcoholic beverages. Played at the Stanley The-

ater, in New York City, for two days beginning on July ¡0, ¡934. Also on screens in the Times Square area of Broadway were Man with Two Faces (Warners), a low-budget mystery starring Edward G. Robinson, and Return of the Terror (Warners) with Mary Astor and Lyle Talbot in yet another whodunit aimed at the B-market.

Born Reckless May ¡¡, ¡930. 82 minutes. Edmund Lowe, Catherine Dale Owen, Lee Tracy, Marguerite Churchill, Warren Hymer, Pat Somerset, William Harrigan, Frank Albertson, Ferike Boros, J. Farrell MacDonald, Paul Porcasi, Eddie Gribbon, Mike Donlin, Ben Bard, Paul Page, Joe Brown, Jack Pennick, Ward Bond, Roy Stewart, Yola D’Avril. Fox. Presented by William Fox; Directors John Ford, Andrew Bennison; Associate Producer James K. McGuiness; Scenarist Dudley Nichols; Novel Louis Beretti by Donald Henderson Clarke; Photography George Schneiderman; Editor Frank E. Hull; Art Director Jack Schulze; Sound W. W. Lindsay; Assistant Director Edward O’Fearna; Original Music Peter Brunelli, George Lipschultz, Albert Hay Malotte, Jean Talbot ;Titles Wilbur Morse REVIEWS: “[E]pisodic, fragmentary, given frequently to abrupt and interest-shattering transitions of time and locale. Plenty of action but with very little relationship between one scene and the next. It’s all pretty mechanical and sti›.” Variety ( June ¡¡, ¡930); “[C]lever acting, keen humor and a minimum of stereotyped stu›… A thoroughly entertaining film.” The New York Times ( June 2, ¡930); “[M]ost of [the action] is not only uninteresting but unpleasant. On the whole, it is a good melodrama for those who do not object to pictures with a crook hero, and only fair for those who object…. Edmund Lowe … has done the best he could with a weak plot and with an unpleasant part.” Harrison’s Reports (May 24, ¡930); “[A] giddy, energetic minor gem … well shot on smaller-than-life studio sets … it has atmos-

phere, picturesque settings, a good-bad hero, and a ramshackle charm….” Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford (Scott Eyman, Simon & Schuster, ¡999). SYNOPSIS: Louis Beretti (Edmund Lowe) and two of his gang are arrested on a robbery charge. As a result of a newspaper campaign initiated by reporter Bill O’Brien (Lee Tracy) to promote the election of the district attorney, the trio are sent overseas to fight in the War. Beretti returns a hero. Back in New York, he drifts into the nightclub business but is brought back into contact with the East Side Gang when “Big Shot” (Warren Hymer), leader of a rival underworld faction, settles his account with Ritzy Reilly (Paul Page) for squealing. Later, when Sheldon’s sister reports her child missing, Beretti e›ects the rescue and shoots it out with “Big Shot,” who demands an accounting because he failed to “keep his nose clean,” resulting in Beretti’s death. NOTES: After only four days of work, it became obvious to the studio that director Bennison (¡887–¡942) was not up to the task. Reluctantly, John Ford took over the directorial reins from a relieved Bennison, who would never direct another film. A capable writer, Bennison had previously written Words and Music (¡929) and was the stage director for Men Without Women. Filmed in the Mammouth Lakes region of northern California at a reputed cost of $¡77,520. Wayne worked on this film in the capacity of a propman. California-born leading man Edmund Lowe (¡890–¡97¡) was a teacher before getting the

Born Reckless (Fox, ¡930). Unknown, Lee Tracy, Edmund Lowe, Paul Page

“acting bug” and joining a Los Angeles stock company. After a short stint on Broadway, he returned to Hollywood to concentrate on a motion picture career. During the ¡920s the actor starred in up to six films a year. After more than 75 motion pictures, in ¡926 he played the role of Sergeant Quirt in the classic anti-war story What Price Glory? with Victor McLaglen. Lowe continued appearing in features until ¡960, including Dinner at Eight (¡933), Mr. Dynamite (¡935), Mad Holiday (¡936), Call Out the Marines (¡942), Dillinger (¡945) and Good Sam (¡948), but his peak years ended with the outbreak of World War II. Two of his last three films were for John Ford, The Wings of Eagles (¡957) and The Last Hurrah (¡958). The success of Lowe’s previous film for Fox, Dressed to Kill, led the studio to cast him in the lead of the turgid Born Reckless. Female lead Catherine Dale Owens’ (¡903–65) film career spanned a brief five years (¡927–3¡) and encompassed but ten films. London-born Pat Somerset (¡897–¡974) came to Hollywood

during the first World War and starred as Adam in at least ¡2 episodes of the comedy short series Adam and Eve. John Ford took a liking to the actor with the chiseled features and assigned him to supporting roles in several of his productions including Mother Machree, The Black Watch, Up the River, Wee Willie Winkie and Men Without Women. Somerset would also support Wayne in the Universal film I Cover the War. After an uncredited appearance in The Howards of Virginia (¡940), he retired from the screen. Tall, thin Eddie Gribbon (¡890–¡965) was one of the original Keystone Kops. In a career that spanned over 30 years (¡9¡5–5¡), he had minor roles in over ¡50 motion pictures. He will best be remembered as the recurring character, Canvas, in at least ¡¡ Joe Palooka Bfilms of the ¡940s and early ¡950s. Also appearing in the nation’s theaters in May ¡930 were Safety in Numbers (Paramount) with Buddy Rogers; a Western starring Gary Cooper, The Texan (Paramount); and Midnight Mystery (Radio Pictures) featuring High Trevor.

48

Born to the West

Born to the West December ¡0, ¡937. 5¡–59 minutes. John Wayne, Marsha Hunt, John Mack Brown, John Patterson, Monte Blue, Lucien Littlefield, Alan Ladd, James Craig, Nick Lukats, Syd Saylor, Jack Kennedy, Johnny Boyle, Lee Prather, Jack Daley, Vester Pegg, Art Mix, Art Dillard, Al Ferguson, Earl Dwire, Jim Thorpe, Henry Wills. Paramount. President Adolph Zukor; Producer William Lackey; Executive Producer William LeBaron; Director Charles Barton; Assistant Director; Hal Walker; Screenplay Stuart Anthony, Robert Yost; Additional Dialogue Jack Natteford; Photography J.D. Jennings; Art Directors Hans Dreier, Robert Odell; Film Editor John Link; Interior Decorations A.E. Freudeman; Musical Director Boris Morros; Sound Recording Charles Hisserich, Walter Oberst; Songs “Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie,” “Red River Valley” REVIEWS: “[A]n entertaining feature, but really only noteworthy for the pairing of the two big-name Western heroes.” The Thrill of It All (Alan Barbour, MacMillan, ¡97¡); “[A] cinch for the outdoor fans. Lasts less than an hour, and has plenty of action, all performances being grade A for this field.” Variety (March ¡6, ¡938); “[A] decided cut above the series of pictures [Wayne had] just completed for Universal.” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Phil Hardy, Overlook Press, ¡983); “Superior western entertainment. Good script, good actors, good direction….” The Best (and Worst) of the West (Boyd Magers Reviews); “[T]ypical B: western of the ¡930s but interesting because of its cast.” Western Films: A Complete Guide (Brian Garfield, Da Capo, ¡982) SYNOPSIS: Two penniless cowpokes, Dare Rudd ( John Wayne) and Dink Hooley (Syd Saylor), cross the Montana-Wyoming border in time to ride into a gunfight. They lend a hand to the first riders they meet before realizing the men are cattle rustlers. “I think we’re on the wrong side!” observes Dink as they try to elude the pursuing cowmen. They are overtaken by Tom Fillmore ( John Mack Brown), Dare’s upstanding cousin and owner of the cat-

tle. Tom eyes his roving relation with suspicion, but reluctantly accepts the explanation that the drifters innocently chose the wrong side. Tom doubts that Dare, whose main passion is trying to prove that he is the best poker player west of the Mississippi, will ever amount to anything. He o›ers the two cowboys a job on his ranch. Dare is more willing to borrow money than to work for it until he meets Tom’s lovely neighbor Judy Worstall (Marsha Hunt). He accepts the lowly job of cook for the ranch. As the days go by, Dink realizes his pal is falling for Judy: “There ain’t no cowboy washes his neck three times a week less’n there’s a woman at the bottom of it!” The lady becomes an advocate for Dare, encouraging Tom to show some trust in his cousin. Tom is also in love with Judith; realizing he is coming out second best, he gallantly agrees to promote Dare to cattle boss for a short drive in which 500 of his finest cattle are to be sold. Bart Hammond (Monte Blue), casino owner and secret head of the cattle rustlers, has Tom’s former trail boss, Lyn Hardy ( John Patterson), in his employ. Hammond orders Lyn to help steal the herd. Encamped at Willow Springs, Dare notices Lyn slip away into the night and he becomes suspicious. When the outlaws raid the camp, they are ambushed by the cowmen and driven o›. Dare delivers the cattle next day and collects Tom’s money. Hammond knows Dare’s weakness for cards and ensnares the cowman in a rigged game which lasts through the night. When Dare does not return to the ranch, Tom fears the worst. Riding into town, he finds his cousin still being cold-decked at draw poker. Much to Dare’s surprise, Tom shows a prowess at the table, winning back his money and, finally, proving that the game has been rigged. A shoot-out starts and Tom, Dink and Dare barely escape. Leaving Dare with a wounded Tom, Dink rides on to get the rest of the cowmen. They return in time to put the outlaws to flight. Tom, convinced that Dare has finally learned his lesson, makes Dare a partner. Judy looks ahead to the possibilities of a partnership of another sort with the cowboy.—TAL

Born to the West

49

Born to the West (Paramount, ¡938). Johnny Mack Brown, Syd Saylor, Wayne

NOTES : Filmed at Lone Pine and Big Bear from August 20 to September 4, ¡937. Negative cost of the film was $¡57,958.72, of which $6424.73 was spent for the script and $¡0,000 for dialogue rights. Wayne earned $3000 for his acting assignment (or $¡500 a week). Based on the novel Born to the West by Zane Grey and first filmed in ¡926 by Paramount, under the same title, starring Jack Holt and Margaret Morris for director John Walters. The budget for the silent version had been $2¡5,848.97. A star at the University of Alabama and victorious in two Rose Bowls (¡926 and ’27), Johnny Mack Brown (¡904–74) would, between ¡927 and ¡966, appear in over ¡60 films, mostly of the B-Western variety. In ¡930 MGM picked him for the lead role of King Vidor’s epic Western Billy the Kid. After leaving MGM. Brown starred in Westerns and serials for Mascot, Universal, Paramount, Supreme, and Monogram. Chicago native Syd Saylor (¡895–¡962), born Leo Sailor, appeared

in over ¡00 feature-length films, several serials and a series of 54 comedy shorts (¡926-27). He was an audience favorite as a popular sidekick to Don Barry, Tex Ritter, George O’Brien, Johnny Mack Brown and Bob Steele. Saylor originated the role of Lullaby Joslin in the Three Mesquiteers series (in ¡936), and he also acted in several major productions including Union Pacific (¡939), Abe Lincoln in Illinois (¡940), Arizona (¡940) and The Spirit of St. Louis (¡957). Born to the West (¡938) was one of seven films that Saylor is credited with having appeared in during that year. Monte Blue (¡890– ¡963), of Cherokee lineage, was a B-Western actor who started as a stuntman in Gri‡th’s Birth of a Nation (¡9¡5) and had featured roles in the director’s other major productions of the period, Intolerance (¡9¡6) and Orphans of the Storm (¡922). Blue also worked in DeMille’s The Squaw Man (¡9¡8), then played leads in dozens of major films throughout the ’20s. By the mid–¡930s he was an established character

50

Brannigan

actor who enlivened numerous films including The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (¡935), The Outcasts of Poker Flat (¡937), Dodge City (¡939), Juarez (¡939), Geronimo (¡940) and Road to Morocco (¡942) His last screen role was in Apache (¡954). Appearing as an extra was teenager Henry Wills (¡92¡–94), who would, over the next 39 years, have assignments, as an extra, double or stuntman, in ¡5 Wayne movies, including the actor’s last, The Shootist.

Although Alan Ladd has been listed in the cast credits, it appears that the footage was eliminated from the released film. This Western utilized footage (long shots) from three other Paramount Westerns which had featured Tim Holt, Buster Crabbe and Russell Hayden.The Wayne version was re-released in the late ¡940s as Helltown (Favorite Films Company), and again in ¡950 with added stock footage to increase its running time.

Brannigan March ¡3, ¡975. ¡¡¡ minutes. John Wayne, Richard Attenborough, Judy Geeson, Mel Ferrer, John Vernon, Daniel Pilon, John Stride, James Booth, Del Henney, Anthony Booth, Brian Glover, Ralph Meeker, Arthur Batanides, Don Henderson, Lesley Ann Down, Barry Dennen, Jack Watson, Stewart Bevan, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Charles Pemberton, Tim Barlow, Steve Kelly, Mike Crane, Peter Porteous, Tony Robinson, Pauline Delaney. United Artists. Producers Jules Levy, Arthur Gardner; Executive Producer Michael Wayne; Director Douglas Hickox; Screenplay Christopher Trumbo, Michael Butler, William P. McGivern, William Norton; From a Story by Christopher Trumbo, Michael Butler; Photography Gerry Fisher; Editor Malcolm Cooke; Music Dominic Frontiere; Art Director Ted Marshall; Set Decorator Josie MacAvin; Sound Simon Kaye; Assistant Director Ted Sturgis; Publicist Mike Russell REVIEWS: “[It] has been a long time since True Grit, and maybe one of our Bicentennial projects ought to be a search for a movie worthy of a national treasure like John Wayne. It is maddening to see him caught up in incompetencies like Brannigan.” Time Magazine (May ¡5, ¡975); “[Brannigan] has little to tell us beyond the obvious: there will always be an England and there will always be a John Wayne.” New York Magazine ( Judith Crist, March 24, ¡975); “[F]ar superior to the past several Wayne Westerns.” Playboy Magazine ( June ¡975); “Wayne, though showing his age,

handles his role with his usual relaxed flair…. The pace is good, the story holds attention, and the ending has a couple of twists to keep the audience guessing.” The New York Daily News (Ann Guarino, March 27, ¡975); “[It’s] so familiar that its charm lies largely in the easygoing professionalism of John Wayne in the hard-guy role he has always filled with fist, gun, and granite jaw…. John Wayne is … a tested guaranteed product, and so is this picture.” The New York Post (Archer Winston, March 27, ¡975); “The familiar, unoriginal story … just isn’t good enough for the Duke’s tried and true talents.” The Village Voice (March ¡975); “John Wayne carries on his new career as an urban cop with all the ease of a corralled mustang.” Newsweek (April ¡4, ¡975); “Mr. Wayne’s first film trip to London doesn’t appear to have been necessary.” The New York Times (A.H. Weiler, March 27, ¡975); “While Brannigan is no big deal by any measure, it would be worth further thought to cast Wayne in more contemporary-themed films, not restricted to the loner cop genre.” Variety (March ¡9, ¡975); “[This] may be an unremarkable film, but there is so much to like about it that it can be enjoyed over and over again.” The John Wayne Scrapbook (Lee Pfei›er, Citadel Press, ¡989) SYNOPSIS: Tough Chicago cop Lt. Jim Brannigan ( John Wayne) searches for racketeer Ben Larkin ( John Vernon) who, after a grand jury indictment, has disappeared like a short beer. Brannigan’s supervisor, Capt.

Brannigan Moretti (Ralph Meeker), informs the lieutenant that Larkin has been discovered in London, where Scotland Yard has him under surveillance. With extradition papers in his pocket, Jim is whisked across the ocean to Heathrow Airport and met by the Yard’s Detective Jennifer Thatcher ( Judy Geeson), instructed to look for an American just slightly smaller than the Statue of Liberty. Jenny drives Jim to meet the head of Scotland Yard, Commander Sir Charles Swann (Richard Attenborough), who reluctantly informs his visitor that kidnappers have snatched Larkin. In a plan ticking with the precision of a Swiss watch, Larkin and his attorney Mel Fields (Mel Ferrer) have staged the disappearance and hired a professional hit man named Gorman (Daniel Pilon) to kill Brannigan. Sir Charles finds it hard to work with the independent and strong-willed American; di›erences in police methods cause sparks between them. Fields brings the kidnapper’s demands to the Yard, a taped message which sets up a ransom drop in a Piccadilly Circus post box. The police stake out the site, witness the drop and follow the postal van to a local station. Jim and Jenny pursue a motorscooter rider who has picked up the parcels. “Too damn simple,” observes Brannigan. His fears are realized when they discover that the packages contain newspaper. Checking the post box reveals that the money was taken through a trap door and removed through the sewers. Meanwhile, Gorman has prepared a deadly greeting for the detective. Brannigan narrowly escapes a rigged shotgun blast and a bomb in his toilet which leaves an expensive view of the Albert Memorial. Moving into an apartment in Jenny’s building, the detective continues to follow leads that Larkin may have staged the a›air. When a suspect is shot in his company, Brannigan engages in a furious car chase which ends in a crash at the Tower Bridge. Gorman strikes again that night and Jennifer is almost killed. By now Sir Charles has taken more flak than an air gunner over Normandy for the actions of the American policeman. “You’re a bloody magnet for trouble!” he shouts in desperation. But good detective work has proved that Fields is in with Larkin. When another drop of money is demanded, the police secretly slip a

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tracking device into the briefcase. Fields delivers the money to the kidnappers, then shoots them, releasing Larkin. As the two boast of their achievement, the bug rolls to the floor and the door is kicked in with a resounding boom. “Knock, knock,” announces the tall American cop. The racketeers are taken into custody, Gorman makes a last unsuccessful attempt to kill Brannigan before being sent to a fiery death in a car crash. The detective smiles, “I’m gonna miss this old town.”—TAL NOTES: Filmed in London (60 locales) from June ¡7 to late August ¡974 under the title Joe Battle. The opening sequence was shot in Chicago. Interiors at Shepperton Studios, Middlesex. Budgeted at $2,500,000 the negative cost ended up being $2,600,000. North American rentals earned by United Artists came to a modest $2,000,000. Initial casting choices: Sir Ralph Richardson for the Scotland Yard supervisor role and Diana Rigg as the female o‡cer. Rigg was appearing on the London stage and could not break free. Wayne was paid $750,000 and guaranteed a hefty percentage of any net profits. Richard Attenborough’s salary was $60,000. Lord Richard Samuel Attenborough (¡923– ), a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, made his film debut at the age of ¡9, as a young sailor in Noël Coward’s In Which We Serve (¡942). The veteran of almost 70 films became a director in ¡969. His maiden e›ort, Oh! What a Lovely War, would be followed by the critically acclaimed Young Winston (¡972), A Bridge Too Far (¡977), Gandhi (¡982) and Chaplin (¡992). He appeared in motion pictures in both Hollywood and London including The Great Escape (¡963), Flight of the Phoenix (¡965), The Sand Pebbles (¡966), Doctor Doolittle (¡967), Conduct Unbecoming (¡975) and Jurassic Park (¡993). Female lead Judy Geeson (¡948– ) made her motion picture debut in ¡963, but it was not until ¡966 and the release of To Sir with Love, starring Sidney Poitier, that she became much in demand. As one of the rebellious students, she represented a symbol of the alienated ¡960s youth. Although she would appear in another 40 films, none would have the impact and popularity of the one she made with Poitier. On September 9, ¡974, to promote the forthcoming film, Wayne appeared

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Brannigan

Brannigan (United Artists, ¡975). Douglas Hickox, John Wayne

on the comedy show Maude and exchanged one-liners with the deft comedienne. A poster of Brannigan was unveiled on the program. American tough-guy character actor Ralph Meeker (born Ralph Rathgeber, ¡920–88) gained his greatest fame as detective Mike Hammer in the ¡955 film Kiss Me Deadly. After a World War II stint in the service, he appeared on Broadway in numerous plays including Mister Roberts. The actor then succeeded Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire, and made his motion picture debut in Fred Zinnemann’s Teresa. Specializing in action and crime dramas, Meeker was featured in Shadow in the Sky, Somebody Loves Me, Big House USA, Gentle Giant, The Detective, I Walk the Line, The Dirty Dozen and Roger Corman’s The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Brannigan opened throughout the New York metropolitan area, at 47 theaters, and in two weeks grossed a respectable $372,063.

World television premiere was over the CBS Network on October 8, ¡976. Director Douglas Hickox (¡929–88) was one of the leading commercial directors in Britain throughout the ¡960s. He made his feature film debut in ¡970 with an adaptation of Entertaining Mr. Sloan. In ¡972 he filmed the action thriller Sitting Target; then in ¡973 shot the Vincent Price horror film Theater of Blood. Following Brannigan, Hickox took on the sequel to Zulu. Zulu Dawn was well-received by critics but fared poorly at the box o‡ce. In later years the director turned to television, filming the mini-series Mistral’s Daughter, Sins and I’ll Take Manhattan. Also for television he directed ¡3 episodes of the series The Dirty Dozen. Brian Glover (¡934–97) was a robust, balding English character actor who started out as a teacher, then became a wrestler before turning to acting in the late ¡960s. He made his film debut in the low-budget English film Kes

Brown of Harvard (¡969). The actor’s other screen appearances included Aliens 3, The Great Train Robbery, An American Werewolf in London, and The Company of Wolves. On British television he had roles in Coronation Street and All Creatures Great and Small. The actor could also be seen in the American PBS series Mystery. Mel Ferrer (born Melchor Gaston in ¡9¡7), who was for a time married to Audrey Hepburn, dropped out of Princeton in ¡938 to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. After a stint working behind the curtains on Broadway, he came to Hollywood in ¡945 and became an assistant to John Ford during the making of The Fugitive (¡947) in Mexico. Ferrer moved in front of the cameras in ¡949 and has since appeared in several notable films, among them War and Peace (¡956), Hemingway’s fiasco The Sun Also Rises (¡957), The Longest Day (¡962) and Sex and the Single Girl (¡964). In the mid–¡960s, disappointed with the direction of his career,

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he moved to Europe and appeared in motion pictures there. Canadian-born John Vernon (¡932– ) was trained at London’s famed Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. After a short stage career in the provinces, he moved to Hollywood and won choice roles in such varied fare as Point Blank (¡967), Hitchcock’s Topaz (¡969), Eastwood’s Dirty Harry (¡97¡) and The Outlaw Josey Wales (¡976). In a change of pace, he played the dean of a college in the comedy sensation Animal House (¡978). Tacoma, Washington, native Arthur Batanides (¡927–2000), appeared in just over a dozen films, including four episodes of the popular comedy series, Police Academy (¡985–89), but, going back to ¡955, was in constant demand as a character actor on many of the small screen’s Westerns including Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, Tombstone Territory, Maverick, Colt .45, Zorro, Wanted Dead or Alive, Rawhide, Riverboat, The Deputy, Bonanza and Stagecoach West.

Brown of Harvard April ¡9, ¡926. 80 minutes. Jack Pickford, Mary Brian, Francis X. Bushman, Jr., Mary Alden, Edward Connelly, Guinn Williams, Ernest Gillen, David Torrence, William Haines, Richard Alexander, Doris Lloyd, John Wayne. MGM Director Jack Conway; Screenplay A.P. Younger; Adaptation Donald Ogden Stewart; Film Editor Frank Davis; Photography Ira H. Morgan; Sets Cedric Gibbons, Arnold Gillespie; Titles Joe Farnham; Wardrobe Kathleen Kay, Maude Marsh REVIEWS: “More genuine college atmosphere here than any other film of the type has contained…. It’s entertainment all the way… No doubt about the gridiron battle being the best the screen has yet held within a picture story” Variety (May 5, ¡926); “[A] pot-pourri of suspense, maudlin sentiment and quasi-comedy…. Jack Pickford is hardly convincing as the ‘half-pint’ especially when he knocks out Brown when the latter is inebriated.” The New York Times (Mordaunt Hall, May 3, ¡926) SYNOPSIS: Tom Brown (William Haines),

a breezy, handsome youth with a Don Juan reputation, quickly becomes popular at Harvard but soon is temperamentally opposed to Bob McAndrews (Francis X. Bushman, Jr.), a studious, reserved boy who becomes his chief rival for the a›ections of Mary Abbott (Mary Brian), a professor’s daughter. Tom rooms with Doolittle ( Jack Pickford), an awkward but goodhearted backwoods youth who comes to idolize Tom. At a party, when Tom forcibly kisses Mary, a tussle with McAndrews follows. Later, Tom challenges Mac as stroker on the college rowing team but loses; and when he forces a confession of love from Mary, he takes to drink in shame. When he replaces Mac in a match against Yale, Tom collapses and is disgraced but is persuaded by his father to go out for football. To save his friend’s reputation, Doo, who is ill, exposes himself to rain and is hospitalized. Tom plays in a game against Yale and at a crucial moment gives Mac a chance to score for the team. He goes to tell Doo of the victory, but Doo dies shortly afterward. Tom is

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Brown of Harvard

Brown of Harvard (MGM, ¡926). Title card

acclaimed a hero and is happily united with Mary. NOTES: The film is noteworthy as the first known screen appearance of John Wayne (then still known as Marion Morrison). He and several other USC footballers served as stand-ins for the actors. Wayne doubled for Francis X. Bushman, Jr. Bushman (born Ralph Everly Bushman, ¡903–78), between ¡920 and ¡94¡, appeared in over 40 films. Never a major star like his namesake, he did appear in minor roles in Ford’s Four Sons, the Mascot serial The Three Musketeers, as well as the big-budgeted MGM films, Viva Villa! (¡934), Boom Town (¡940), and Honky Tonk (¡94¡). The film was based upon the book (Brown of Harvard, a Farce in Four Acts, ¡909) and the stage play of the same name, by Rida Johnson Young. It was a remake

of the ¡9¡7 screen version with the same title. Jack Pickford (born Jack Smith, ¡896–¡933), brother of Mary Pickford, entered films in the teens. His big break came with a role in Tom Sawyer (¡9¡7). The last of his 20-film abbreviated career was, Gang War (¡928). Pickford died prematurely, in ¡933, at the age of 37. Texas-born Louise Dantzler (¡906–2003), moved with her family to Long Beach, California in the early ¡920s. The teenager entered a beauty contest, did not win, but was spotted by a talent scout for Paramount who signed her to a contract. Almost immediately her hair was cut short, her name changed to Mary Brian, and she was assigned the role of Wendy in Peter Pan (¡924). Between ¡924 and ¡947 the actress appeared in over 80 films. Some of her other releases included: Air Mail (¡925), Beau Geste (¡926), The Virginian (¡929), and

Cahill, U.S. Marshall The Front Page (¡93¡). At di›erent times during the ¡930s, the Press announced that Brian was engaged to Cary Grant and Dick Powell. During World War II she volunteered for overseas duty and selflessly entertained the troops at frontline locations in Europe and the Pacific. After completing the film Dragnet in ¡947 she married film editor George Tomasini and retired from the screen to a home in Stu-

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dio City to pursue her hobby of painting portraits. Actress Mary Alden (¡883–¡946) was born in New York City and began her entertainment career on Broadway. Between ¡9¡4 and ¡936, on both coasts, she appeared in almost ¡00 motion pictures including Babbitt (¡924) and Strange Interlude (¡932). The gridiron motion picture opened in New York at the Capitol Theater.

Cahill, U.S. Marshall June ¡4, ¡973. ¡02 minutes. John Wayne, George Kennedy, Gary Grimes, Neville Brand, Clay O’Brien, Marie Windsor, Morgan Paull, Dan Vadis, Royal Dano, Scott Walker, Denver Pyle, Jackie Coogan, Rayford Barnes, Dan Kemp, Harry Carey, Jr., Walter Barnes, Paul Fix, Pepper Martin, Vance Davis, Ken Wolger, Hank Worden, James Nusser, Murray MacLeod, Hunter von Leer, Chuck Roberson, Ralph Volkie, Jerry Gatlin, Bob Terhune (stunts); Warners A Batjac Production; Producer Michael Wayne; Director Andrew V. McLaglen; Screenplay Harry Julian Fink, Rita M. Fink; Story Barney Slater; Photography Joseph Biroc; Production Designer Walter Simonds; Music Elmer Bernstein; Production Manager Howard Jensen; Set Decorator Ray Moyer; Makeup Dave Grayson; Wardrobe Luster Bayless; Editor Robert L. Simpson; Second Unit Director Joe Florence; Assistant Director Fred R. Simpson; Unit Publicist Jack Casey REVIEWS: “[T]he film comes o› longdrawn out… Wayne gives his usual pro performance acting himself. He is smooth and e›ortless.” The New York Daily News (Ann Guarino, July ¡2, ¡973); “[A] pretty fair entry for the Wayne market…. Wayne carries out characterization realistically and gets firm support right down the line.” Variety ( June ¡2, ¡973); “[A] tacky Western of drowsy pace…. Unlike most people as they age, Wayne is not shrinking and shriveling, nor is he becoming in any way decrepit. Instead, he is swelling up like a balloon.” The New York Times (Vincent Canby, July ¡2, ¡973); “[A] poky, disorganized

sort of western, typical of the work of Andrew V. McLaglen, a director on whom Wayne seems to call as he might summon a foreman to keep an eye on his ranch.” Time Magazine ( July ¡973); “[A] resolutely minor film.” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Phil Hardy, The Overlook Press, ¡983); SYNOPSIS: For J.D. Cahill ( John Wayne) of Valentine, Texas, being a U.S. Marshal is no longer just a job, it has become a way of life. Though the widowed lawman can subdue five outlaws at a time, he is less successful as a father to his two boys Danny (Gary Grimes) and Billy Joe (Clay O’Brien). While Cahill has been o› apprehending evildoers, Danny has fallen in with unfavorable companions like the no-account ranch hand Struther (Morgan Paull) and the sinister Abe Fraser (George Kennedy). Danny agrees to a a bank robbery scheme of Fraser’s. Billy Joe has more sense, but his love of his older brother makes him a reluctant accomplice. Along with a menacing associate named Brownie (Dan Vadis), Fraser, Struther and Danny are jailed for drunk and disorderly conduct. Under cover of darkness, Billy Joe sets fire to the barn at the livery stables. While the town is dealing with the fire, the youngster frees the prisoners, who don masks and yellow slickers and rob the bank. In spite of Fraser’s promise that there would be no bloodshed, the sheri› and a deputy are killed. Still protected by confusion and darkness, the robbers give the disguises and stolen money to Billy Joe and sneak back into jail. Next morning J.D. returns to Valentine to learn of

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Cahill, U.S. Marshall

the robbery and murders and to find Danny in jail. The exasperated parent deputizes his delinquent son and begins to look for clues of the whereabouts of the outlaws, who seemed to have vanished without a trace. With his son and Lightfoot (Neville Brand), an Indian tracker, the Marshall sets out for the high country. They find four drifters with a bag of new money in their possession. Though the strangers claim to have relieved a Mormon drover of the money, Cahill arrests them for the Valentine robbery and murders. The shrewd lawman has doubts about the innocence of Fraser and Struther and is suspicious about the behavior of his sons. In a town hungry for revenge, the jury quickly sentences the four drifters to hang. J.D. watches his sons on the sly, convinced that they know more about the robbery then they have told. Regretting their association with Fraser’s bunch, Danny and Billy Joe attempt to meet with the outlaws to divide the money. The boys intend to return their share and confess their guilt, but Fraser will have nothing of the kind. J.D. and Lightfoot, secretly following the boys, engage the outlaws in a prolonged battle. Though Lightfoot is killed, the Marshal dispatches swift and permanent justice, killing the outlaws and rescuing his contrite sons. “Let’s go stop a hanging,” suggests the father, who now intends to spend more time with his sons.—TAL NOTES: In production from November ¡3, ¡972, to January ¡973 near Durango, Mexico, in the restored town of La Joya, on a 54 day shooting schedule. The working title was Wednesday Morning. Cost of production was $3,700,000. The film accumulated domestic rentals of $4,¡00,000. The world premiere, with Wayne in attendance, was held in Seattle, Washington, on June ¡4, ¡973. At the time the actor was in the northwest city filming the detective thriller McQ. Jackie Coogan (¡9¡4– 84) started in motion pictures at the age of ¡8 months. His big break came when Charlie

Chaplin cast him in the classic The Kid (¡92¡). During the same year he scored a triumph in Peck’s Bad Boy, then had a major role in the following year’s Oliver Twist. By ¡924 Coogan had earned over $2,000,000 and was one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood. As the ¡920s ended and he matured into a teenager, his popularity and appeal faded. Though he continued to act in movies, he no longer commanded star billing. During World War II, after being divorced from pin-up queen Betty Grable, Coogan served as an Army–Air Force o‡cer in the European theater of operations. To the television generation he is best known as Uncle Fester of The Addams Family (¡964–66, ABC). New York City–born Joseph F. Biroc (¡903–96) came to Hollywood after a stint as a cameraman in Europe during World War II. He was one of the photographers of the Jimmy Stewart classic It’s a Wonderful Life (¡946), then went on to handle the cinematography on a wide variety of films: Cry Danger (¡95¡), the first full 3D film Bwana Devil (¡953), the cheapie science-fiction story The Amazing Colossal Man (¡957), The FBI Story (¡959), the zesty musical Bye Bye Birdie (¡963), Elvis’ Viva Las Vegas (¡964) and the all-star The Towering Inferno (¡974). His resume would eventually include over ¡25 films. Stuntman Bob Terhune, who had doubled for Wayne in The Greatest Story Ever Told and Circus World, performed several stunts for George Kennedy. The year ¡973 saw the U.S. release of less than 20 Westerns, of which only six could be regarded as major films. Besides the two Wayne entries (The Train Robbers and Cahill), Sam Peckinpah directed James Coburn and Kris Kristo›erson in the latest interpretation of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Burt Reynolds teamed with Sarah Miles for The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing, Gregory Peck starred in Billy Two Hats, filmed in the wilds of Israel, and Henry Fonda and Terence Stamp rode across the screen in the Italian Western My Name Is Nobody.

California Straight Ahead

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California Straight Ahead April ¡6, ¡937. 65–67 minutes. John Wayne, Louise Latimer, Robert McWade, Tully Marshall, Theodore von Eltz, LeRoy Mason, Grace Goodall, Emerson Treacy, Harry Allen, Olaf Hytten, Monty Vandergrift, Lorin Raker. Universal. Producer Trem Carr; Associate Producer Paul Malvern; Director Arthur Lubin; Assistant Director Glenn Cook; Story Herman Boxer; Screenplay Scott Darling; Photography Harry Neumann; Editors Charles Craft, Erma Horsley; Music Charles Previn; Art Director E. R. Hickson; Special E›ects John P. Fulton; Sound Homer G. Tasker REVIEWS: “To all intents and purposes, production detail, which stages a trans-continetal race between a freight train and a truck, is this picture’s most worthy asset. The purpose of the story, romantic, serious, and comic in its initial and unimpressive stages, is to stage this race.” Motion Picture Herald (April 3, ¡937); “Generally diverting drama whose exciting climax action fans will like. Addicts of action will find this melodrama generally diverting, and in its climax sequences, particularly so.” Film Daily (April ¡6, ¡937); “John Wayne’s popularity with the action tra‡c will su›er none by this picture… Wayne, best known in westerns, besides being a handsome lad, is well equipped with physique to handle himself convincingly in the film’s frequent slugfests.” Variety ( July ¡4, ¡937) SYNOPSIS : Good-natured Bi› Smith ( John Wayne) is content driving his bus on the Trentville Road, leading neighborhood kids in songs. Though his best friend Charlie Porter (Emerson Treacy), knows Bi› is an okay guy, Charles’ mom (Grace Goodall) refers to him as that “lazy, ambition-less, good-for-nothing.” Charlie’s sister Mary (Louise Latimer) is Bi› ’s girlfriend and she too presses the bus driver to make something more of himself, urging him to join Charlie in his new freight trucking business. At the same time, Mary must fend o› the romantic advances of her former boss in Chicago, Jim Gi›ord (Theodore von Eltz), a successful district freight agent for the railroad. When Charlie’s lone truck is sabotaged by

Padula (LeRoy Mason), a jealous competitor, Bi› is persuaded by Mary to transport the load of aromatic cheese to Chicago on his bus. The boys meet the deadline in time to catch a return contract for a load of fertilizer. The lingering odors in the bus mean the end of Bi› ’s employment, but he manages to buy the bus from his boss as he is being fired. The converted vehicle becomes the main transport in the new partnership of Porter and Smith General Trucking. The business goes well until Bi› agrees to run a bootleg haul of nitroglycerine, a deal turned down by other trucking companies. Though Bi› intends to make the run, he lands in jail after a fistfight with Padula. Against his better judgment, Charlie makes the run. When Padula moves a ROAD CLOSED sign, Charlie makes a wrong turn and the truck explodes on the damaged roadway. “You killed Charlie, Bi› Smith!” screams Mary as she orders him out of her life. She returns to Chicago to work for Gi›ord, while Bi›, with new partner “Fish” McCorkle (Harry Allen), tries to make a go of his trucking business. Showing the ambition that Mary feared he lacked, Bi› becomes a driven man. Joining forces with a larger trucking concern, Bi› presents his boss with a daring idea: As an impending strike threatens to close down shipping, Bi› proposes a race between a truck caravan and the railroad from Chicago to Los Angeles, the winner being awarded the million-dollar shipment of aviation parts set to be delivered to the S.S. Chichi Maru before the strike closes the docks. The contest grabs the public’s interest. As Bi› leads his trucks through treacherous, snowcovered mountain roads, Gi›ord forms an alliance with the embittered and unemployed Padula to make sure the railroad wins the race. As the caravan comes out of the mountains, California is straight ahead. Mary, troubled by Jim’s shady partnership with Padula, accompanies this duo as they race to the coast. Padula’s plans to slow up the caravan are shattered when their auto crashes. Bi› comes upon the accident scene and gets the victims to an ambulance. Padula, his spine shattered, knows death

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California Straight Ahead

California Straight Ahead (Universal, ¡937). Loren Riebe, Oscar Gahan, Robert McWade, George Morrell, Wayne, Frank Ellis, Lorin Baker

is near and he confesses to Mary about his part in her brother’s death. As the trucks and railroad dash through the foothills of Los Angeles, Jim prays that his vehicles can keep up the pace. They do and make the docks just in time. Bi› reaches for Mary to rekindle their relationship.—TAL NOTES: Wayne’s third Universal release. Again he was paid $6,000 for the film, which had a budget of $75,000. Based on the earlier Universal release, California Straight Ahead (¡925). While in production, the film was known as Short Haul. Filmed at locales in the Antelope Valley and Van Nuys, California. In the ’30s and ’40s, Charles Previn (¡888–¡973) was the musical director for Universal. He supervised the orchestrations for several hundred of the studio’s releases. Universal borrowed Louise Latimer (¡9¡6– ) from RKO to co-star in this feature. The Brooklyn-born native’s ab-

breviated career would consist of only ¡¡ films. After a minor role in Wings Over Honolulu (¡937), at the age of 2¡, she would retire from the screen. Seventy-three-year-old Tully Marshall (¡864–¡943), who had co-starred with Wayne in The Big Trail, had a supporting role in this film. Between ¡9¡2 and ¡938, Robert McWade (¡872–¡938) appeared in over ¡00 films. California Straight Ahead was one of seven features he made in ¡937. Some other “big” films to which the actor was assigned included Cimarron (¡93¡), The Prizefighter and the Lady (¡933), Tugboat Annie (¡933), The Lemon Drop Kid (¡934) and Diamond Jim (¡935). Australian-born Harry Allen (¡883– ¡95¡), who played Wayne’s comic sidekick in this film, had a career which spanned 25 years (¡923–48), and included 75 motion pictures. Some of his more notable films were Anna Karenina (¡935), Mrs. Miniver (¡942), Jane

Cast a Giant Shadow Eyre (¡944), National Velvet (¡944) and The Emperor Waltz (¡948). Over a span of 40 years, fifth-billed ( Julius) Theodore von Eltz’s (¡893– ¡964) was credited with appearing in over ¡00 motion pictures. He started with minor roles in ¡9¡3 and was generally cast as an o‡cer or government o‡cial. Receiving screen credit for only about half his output, von Eltz appeared in Devil’s Island (¡939), as Washington Irving in Little Old New York (¡940), Sergeant York (¡94¡), Air Force (¡943) and The Big Sleep

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(¡946). Character actress Grace Goodall (¡889–¡940), was a San Francisco native who survived the devastating earthquake of ¡906. She broke into show business with the title role in the film Fantasma (¡9¡4). By the ¡920s the actress was relegated to supporting roles in all types of films. After appearing in eight motion pictures in ¡936 and four in ¡937, she retired from the screen in ¡939, leaving behind a resume of over 70 mostly forgettable movies.

Cast a Giant Shadow March 30, ¡966. ¡42 minutes. Kirk Douglas, Senta Berger, Angie Dickinson, Luther Adler, James Donald, Stathis Giallelis, Gary Merrill, Gordon Jackson, Haym Topol, Ruth White, Michael Shilo, Shlomo Hermon, Michael Hordern, Allan Cuthbertson, Jeremy Kemp, Sean Barrett, Rina Gaynor, Hillel Rave, Don Sturkle, Arthur Hansell, Robert Ross, Rodd Dana, Roland Bartrop, Vera Dolen, Robert Gardett, Michael Balston, Claude Aliotti, Samra Dedes, Michael Shagrir, Frank Latimore, Ken Buckle, John Wayne, Yul Brynner, Frank Sinatra. United Artists. MirischLlenroc-Batjac Production. Produced, Directed and Written by Melville Shavelson; Co-Producer Michael Wayne; Based on the biography by Ted Berkman; Photography Aldo Tonti; Editor Gene Ruggiero; Art Director Arrigo Equini; Sound David Bowen; Special E›ects Sass Bedig; Second Unit Photography Marco Yakovlevich; Orchestrations Leo Shuken, Jack Hayes; Production Designer Michael Stringer; Costumes Margaret Furse; Makeup David Grayson, Euclide Santoli; Hairstylist Vasco Regianni; Production Supervisor Allen K. Wood; Assistant Directors Charles Scott, Jr., Tim Zinnemann REVIEWS: “[A] confusing, often superficial biography that leans a good deal on comic or extremely salty dialogues and e›ects … full of sound and fury and woefully short on honest significance…. John Wayne is again a standard rough-hewn American army general.” The New York Times (A.H. Weiler, March 3¡,

¡966); “[O]verlong pic has some exciting action highlights, fine production values and other assets.” Variety (March 30, ¡966); “[M]ost remarkable of all in a picture of this kind is its constant and fascinating explication of military tactics, so that the deployment of men, guns, and tanks is never merely pictorial, but part of the working out of a grand strategy whose logic and necessity have already been grasped…. American general, well played by John Wayne….” Saturday Review (Arthur Knight, April 9, ¡966); “As an entertainment, it holds interest well and moves at a pace that should be approved by viewers with a tale that has action, drama, touches of humour, bits of romance, and an intriguing revelation of how people came into being and a defense system was organized.” Motion Picture Exhibitor (April ¡3, ¡966); “Although Wayne appeared only for eleven minutes throughout the film, his services are quite memorable and wellacted.” The John Wayne Scrapbook (Lee Pfei›er, Citadel Press, ¡989) SYNOPSIS: In late ¡947, in a Manhattan department store, retired U.S. Army o‡cer Col. David “Mickey” Marcus (Kirk Douglas) is approached by an Israeli agent and asked to come to Palestine to help the Jewish underground army. The U.N. has declared that British rule will end in Palestine, dividing the country into Arab and Israeli sections. The Arabs, however, want all of Palestine, and are preparing to take it once the British evacuate.

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Cast a Giant Shadow

Cast a Giant Shadow (United Artists, ¡966). John Wayne, unknown

Out of uniform for only six months, Mickey must break his promise to his long-su›ering wife, Emma (Angie Dickinson), to return to war. His decision to go to Palestine brings back memories of the war and the liberation of the concentration camps and the o‡cer’s stormy relationship with his superior, Mike Randolph ( John Wayne), now part of the Pentagon sta›. Marcus arrives in Palestine to find a people outnumbered 60 to one, surrounded by an Arab world anxious to drive the new nation into the sea. The Israelis are a divided lot; the army and the commandos mistrust one another. As a military advisor, Mickey is shown the resistance operation with the beautiful Magda (Senta Berger) as his guide. Mickey works hard to win the respect of Israeli o‡cer Asher Gonen (Yul Brynner) and commando leader Ram Oren (Stathis Giallelis). In Tel Aviv, Marcus tries to convince Ben Gurion (Luther Adler) that his people need to consolidate their

fragmented forces into one army to move fast and hit hard. Instead, he is assigned to inspecting, dictating army manuals, training and observing. When Mickey hears that his pregnant wife has miscarried, along with the depressing rumor that the U.N. may not support the new country, he dejectedly returns home. There his morale is boosted by Gen. Randolph, who convinces him to rejoin the people fighting with bare hands over a little piece of desert: “Stand up and be counted, Mickey, and there’s a lot of us who’ll stand up with you.” Mickey returns to Israel to find that factions have been combined into one army. Marcus becomes Commander in Chief. On the day of termination of British rule, the Jewish Council declares independence and learns that the United States has proudly been the first to recognize the new state of Israel. On May ¡5, ¡948, armies of the Arab nations roll into the country. With Magda at his side, Marcus ral-

Central Airport lies his people to hold o› the invasion. With the help of an army of Jewish immigrants, a road is carved through the mountains to lift the siege of Jerusalem before the United Nations declared cease fire. On the evening of victory, Mickey, who has told Magda that he plans to return to Emma, is accidentally shot and killed by an Israeli sentry.—TAL NOTES: Filmed on location in Israel from May ¡8 to early July ¡965. Interiors were shot at the Cinecitta Studios in Rome and the Alban Hills outside Rome, from July to August ¡965. Wayne’s sequences were all shot in Rome during July. Negative cost of the production was $4,280,000. The film utilized the services of 800 Israeli soldiers, and over ¡,000 extras. Rentals in the North American market were reported to be $3,500,000. Paramount’s big-budgeted ($7,000,000 negative cost) war film of ¡966, Is Paris Burning? with domestic rentals of $3,000,000, also failed to recoup its costs. Believing in the film’s premise, Yul Brynner and Frank Sinatra followed Wayne’s lead and agreed to appear in the film in cameo roles. Born on the island of Sakhalin, between the coasts of Siberia and Japan, Brynner (¡9¡5– 85), was a teenage circus performer in France. Arriving in the United States in ¡940, he served as a propaganda broadcaster. After the war, Brynner migrated to Broadway and won minor roles on the stage and in live television. In ¡95¡ he shaved his head and was selected for the role of the king in The King and I. Some of his many screen credits included The Ten Com-

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mandments (¡956), The Buccaneer (¡958), Solomon and Sheba (¡959), The Magnificent Seven (¡960), Taras Bulba (¡962) and Invitation to a Gunfighter (¡964). Female lead Senta Berger (¡94¡– ) was signed to a film contract on the continent at the age of ¡6. Within four years, the dark-haired, sensuous beauty was co-starring in American films including The Secret Ways (¡96¡), The Victors (¡963), Peckinpah’s Major Dundee (¡965), and The Glory Guys (¡965). Born in Tel Aviv in ¡935, Haym Topol would gain eternal fame as the long-su›ering Tevyah in the stage and screen versions of Fiddler on the Roof (¡97¡). He also had significant roles in the ¡980 remake of Flash Gordon and the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only (¡98¡). Scottish-born James Donald (¡9¡7–93) entered the world of motion pictures during World War II with bit parts in One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (¡942) and In Which We Serve (¡942). He would play Theo Van Gogh in Lust for Life (¡956), and support Kirk Douglas in The Vikings (¡958). The actor portrayed a prisoner of war in the classics The Great Escape (¡963) and King Rat (¡965). Both the Mirisch Company and Batjac lost money on their investment in the production. A scene featuring actor Gary Merrill was cut from the release print. The top-ten box o‡ce stars for ¡966 were: (¡) Julie Andrews, (2) Sean Connery, (3) Elizabeth Taylor, (4) Jack Lemmon, (5) Richard Burton, (6) Cary Grant, (7) John Wayne, (8) Doris Day, (9) Paul Newman and (¡0) Elvis Presley.

Central Airport March 29, ¡933. 70–75 minutes. Richard Barthelmess, Sally Eilers, Tom Brown, Glenda Farrell, Harold Huber, Grant Mitchell, James Murray, Claire McDowell, Willard Robertson, John Wayne, Arthur Vinton, Charles Sellon, Eleanor Holm, Sterling Holloway, Grant Withers, Douglas Dumbrille, Irving Bacon, James Ellison, Herman Brix, Ben Hendricks, Harry Holman, William DeMaire, Charles Lane, Milt Kibbee, Jed Prouty, Snowflake,

James Bell, George Pat Collins, Lucille Ward, Marilyn Knowlden, J. Carrol Naish. First National–Warner Bros. Producer Hal B. Wallis; Directors William A. Wellman, Al Green; Author Jack Mo‡tt, from his story Hawk’s Mate; Adaptation Rian James, James Seymour; Editor James Morley; Photography Sid Hickox; Assistant Photographer Tom Brannagan; Technical E›ects Fred Jackman; Art Director Jack Okey; Gowns Orry-Kelly; Orchestrator Leo F. Forb-

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Central Airport

stein; Assistant Director Dolph Zimmer; Second Assistant Director M. Hageman; Propman John More; Mixer Bob Lee; Wardrobe Frank Beetson; Hairdresser Emile Moore; Ga›er Leo Green; Grip Dude Maschmair; Cutter Jim Moreley; Pilot Paul Mantz REVIEWS: “[T]he picture drags considerably….” New York Daily News (May 4, ¡933); “It is a straight melodrama, adulterated only to the extent of some hard-boiled love-interest, and as such, will supply the kick to thrill fans.” New York American (May 4, ¡933); “First National appears to have gone to considerable expense to film a pretty dreary story.” New York Post (May 4, ¡933); “A fine combination of air thrills with a very unusual and charming love story that gives Dick Barthelmess one of his best pictures to date.” Film Daily (May ¡933). SYNOPSIS: Jim Blaine (Richard Barthelmess), one of the greatest fliers ever to sit behind a stick, crashes his plane outside of Phoenix in a fierce rain. Though he recuperates, the health of his career ends in the headlines: “O‡cials blame air crash pilot as five day investigation ends.” The jobless pilot returns home to discover that his kid brother, Neil (Tom Brown), has become a flier and has been hired by Lockheed Aircraft Company. Jim takes Neil’s old job as teller in the town bank. When a barnstorming group visits the community, Jim meets parachutist Jill Collins (Sally Eilers). After Jill’s brother dies in a plane crash, Jim is hired as a flier with the troupe. The barnstorming performers quickly become lovers. Jill hopes for a wedding ring; Jim, a witness of too many pilot deaths, is against the idea. His philosophy causes an estrangement with his lady. When Jim is injured in a circus accident, Neil takes leave of his desk job at Lockheed to fill in for his brother. His ardor also wins the heart of Jill and the two are married before Jim can present a wedding ring to his love. The embittered Jim disappears. While the Air Show travels the states, Jim drifts in and out of adventures, flying dangerous routes from China to Chile. Neil eventually takes a job at Central Airport, Havana, flying passenger planes to the States. Jim, bearing the scars of his many adventures, shows up in Havana shortly after Neil takes o›. Over dinner, Jill learns that Jim had intended to

marry her. The two realize they are still very much in love. As they return to Jill’s hotel room, their reunion is interrupted by news of a downed plane. When he learns that it is Neil’s plane, Jim braves a vicious storm to search for the wreck floating at sea. The crash survivors cling to the wings of the plane as the fuselage fills with sea water. When a wave washes one of the passengers overboard, the co-pilot ( John Wayne) gives his life in an unsuccessful rescue attempt. Jim miraculously finds the survivors, flying them in his seaplane through the fog to the airfield. The locals line the runway with car lights and fill the air with the honking of horns. With this assistance, Jim is able to cut through the fog and bring the plane down. Realizing that his passion for Jill can only complicate things, Jim leaves the two persons he loves best to their own lives and flies o› to make something of his own.—TAL NOTES: Filmed under the working title Grand Central Airport over a period of 24 days from November 2¡, ¡932, to February ¡0, ¡933. Negative cost of the film was $42¡,000. Shot at locations in West Los Angeles, the Je›ries Ranch, Alhambra Airport (substituting for the Havana Airport) and the wet tank on the Warners backlot in Burbank. The film earned domestic rentals of $393,000 and a further $354,000 from foreign sources. When director Wellman was felled by the flu, he was replaced for several days by Al Green. Wayne, in his only sequence in the film, is a co-pilot of a plane that has crashed into the ocean. In an e›ort to save a hapless, panicked passenger, he vainly attempts a rescue and loses his life. The actor had no dialogue in the film. Warners paid author Jack Mo‡tt $2000 for the rights to his story. To secure the services of female lead Sally Eilers, Warners paid Fox $3600 and agreed to loan Fox either Warren William or Kay Francis for one film. In turn, Warners paid Eilers a salary of $400 a week for four weeks work. Actor Tom Brown was borrowed from Universal, also for four weeks work, and paid at the rate of $200 a week. Grant Mitchell (¡874–¡957), a graduate of Yale and the Harvard Law School, was a practicing attorney before turning to acting in ¡902. He made his motion picture debut in ¡933 and appeared in over 50 films including Dinner at Eight (¡933),

Cheer Up and Smile The Life of Emile Zola (¡937), The Grapes of Wrath (¡940), and Arsenic and Old Lace (¡944). In the mid–¡920s, New York City–born Sally Eilers (¡908–78), entered the world of films by appearing in shorts for the Pathé Company. By ¡928 she was a leading lady for director Mack Sennett. From ¡930 to ¡933 the actress was married to cowboy great Hoot Gibson. By the time she retired from films in ¡95¡, Eilers had appeared in over 50 motion pictures. Tom Brown (¡9¡3–90) was born to a show business family who placed him on the stage as an infant. He worked regularly throughout the ’20s and ’30s, appearing as a likable second lead, then served as a paratrooper in the Army during World War II. When the Korean war broke out, Brown re-enlisted. He retired from

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the military with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Actor Herman Brix (¡909– ), a champion shot-putter, was a member of the ¡932 United States Olympic Team in Los Angeles, and won a silver medal in the competition. Due to his impressive physique (6'2") he was cast as Tarzan in The New Adventures of Tarzan (¡935) and Tarzan and the Green Goddess (¡938). In ¡940, Brix changed his screen name to Bruce Bennett and was cast in dozens of motion pictures including The O‡cer and the Lady (¡94¡), Sahara (¡943), Mildred Pierce (¡945), Cheyenne, Dark Passage (¡947) and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (¡948). His film input of approximately ¡¡6 titles was spread over a 44 year career (¡93¡–74).

Cheer Up and Smile June 22, ¡930. 66 minutes. Arthur Lake, Dixie Lee, Olga Baclanova, Whispering Jack Smith, Johnny Arthur, Charles Judels, John Darrow, Sumner Gretchell, Franklin Pangborn, Buddy Messinger, Duke Morrison ( John Wayne), the USC Football Team (Wardell “Ward” Bond), J. Carrol Naish. Fox President William Fox; Director Sidney Lanfield; Associate Producer A.L. Rockett; Author Richard Connell, from his story Alone with You; Photography Joseph Valentine; Scenarist Howard J. Green; Editor Ralph Dietrich; Recording Engineer Al Bruzlin; Assistant Director Ewing Scott; Lyrics and Music Jesse Greer, Ray Klages; Songs: “The Shindig,” “Where Can You Be?,” “The Scamp of the Campus,” “When You Look Into My Eyes,” “You May Not Like It but It’s a Great Idea” REVIEWS: “A frothy and entertaining little musical programmer… Some day there may be a picture of college life which is plausible and runs true to life. This one is a farce.” Variety (August 6, ¡930); “In a crowded house, this picture might create some laughs among young people; but the story is insipid. It presents the hero as a young man with the intelligence of a five year old child.” Harrison’s Reports ( June 2¡, ¡930)

SYNOPSIS: As part of his fraternity initiation, Eddie Fripp (Arthur Lake) is directed to kick the first man he meets and kiss the first female. A college professor is the recipient of the kick. Margie (Dixie Lee), a sales clerk, is dismayed to see Eddie kiss a young co-ed. Eddie and Margie are separated at the school dance when he is suspended for his actions, and she is left without an explanation. He goes to New York to work as a singer in Pierre’s (Charles Judels) Café and incurs the wrath of the owner by distracting his flirtatious wife. On the night of a holdup, “Whispering” Jack Smith is knocked unconscious in the broadcasting room and Eddie is forced to take his place; his quavering voice is a sensation, and Pierre is obliged to retain him. Meanwhile, Eddie makes up with Margie by telephone, and she comes to New York to marry him. Fearing that marriage will ruin Eddie’s career, Pierre plans a frameup to discredit him in her eyes. Eddie eventually proves himself innocent, and reconciliation follows. NOTES: In a series of Columbia films in the late ¡930s and throughout the ¡940s, Arthur Lake (¡905–87) portrayed the longsu›ering Dagwood Bumstead of the popular

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Cheer Up and Smile

Cheer Up and Smile (Fox, ¡930). Arthur Lake, Dixie Lee

Blondie comic strip. At the time of her untimely death, at the age of 4¡, actress Dixie Lee (¡9¡¡–52) was married to Bing Crosby. Her film career spanned a brief seven years (¡928– 35) and included appearances in less than 20 films including Happy Days (¡930), Big Party (¡930), No Limit (¡93¡), Love in Bloom (¡935) and Redheads on Parade (¡935). Whispering Jack Smith (¡898–¡950) appeared in only three films (all released in ¡930), but secured his modest place in history via radio and during the early days of television as the “Whispering Baritone.” Moscow-born Olga Baclanova (¡899–¡974) came to the United States in ¡923 and within five years was working regularly in motion pictures. The talented former Moscow Art Theater graduate was signed for many prominent roles. Josef von Sternberg, enamored by her talent, placed her in two of his early productions, The Docks of New York (¡928) and Street of Sin (¡928). The actress also had an interesting role in Tod Browning’s Freaks

(¡932). Baclanova retired from the screen in the mid–¡940s. New York City–born John Darrow (born Harry Simpson, ¡907–80) entered films at about the same time as Wayne. Appearing in mostly B-films from ¡927 to ¡936, his career lasted only a decade. The only notable title on the list of his more than 35 features was Hell’s Angels (¡930). After several years of trying other occupations, Darrow became a very successful talent agent with an impressive stable of performers. Franklin Panghorn’s (¡893–¡958) film career was slightly longer than Smith’s. His resume included appearances in over ¡00 motion pictures spanning 3¡ years from ¡926 to ¡957. Cheer Up and Smile was based on Richard Connell’s story If I Was Alone with You, which appeared in the November ¡929 issue of Collier’s Magazine. Competing for audiences in June ¡930 were the comedy-drama The Social Lion starring Jack Oakie (Paramount) and the suspense film Good Intentions starring Edmund Lowe (Fox).

Chisum

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Chisum June ¡7, ¡970. ¡¡0 minutes. John Wayne, Forrest Tucker, Christopher George, Ben Johnson, Glenn Corbett, Andrew Prine, Bruce Cabot, Geo›rey Deuel, Pamela McMyler, Patric Knowles, Richard Jaeckel, Lynda Day, John Agar, Lloyd Battista, Robert Donner, Ray Teal, Edward Faulkner, Ron Soble, John Mitchum, Glenn Langan, Alan Baxter, Alberto Morin, William Bryant, Pedro Armendariz, Jr., Christopher Mitchum, Abraham Sofaer, Gregg Palmer, Hank Worden, Chuck Roberson, Ralph Volkie, Pedro GonzalezGonzalez, John Pickard, Tap Canutt, Joe Canutt, Gary McLarty, Bob Orrison, Dick Bullock, Peter Dunn, Bob Morgan, Trinidad Villa, Josh McLaglen, Mari McLaglen, Chuck Hayward, Jim Burk, Eddy Donno; opening narration by William Conrad. Warner Bros. A Batjac–Andrew J. Fenady Production. Executive Producer Michael Wayne; Director Andrew V. McLaglen; Screenplay Andrew J. Fenady; Photography William H. Clothier; Editor Robert Simpson; Music Dominic Frontiere; Art Director Carl Anderson; Assistant Director Fred S. Simpson; Makeup Dave Grayson; Script Supervisor Marshall J. Wolins; Stills Dave Sutton; Main Titles Designers Larry Bess, Art Shinbo; Paintings Russ Vickers; Set Decorator Ray Moyer; Property Ray Thompson; Special E›ects Howard Jensen; Music Supervisor Sonny Burke; Wardrobe Michael Harte, Luster Bayless; Unit Production Manager Jospeh C. Behm; Unit Publicist Ned Moss; Songs: “Turn Me Around” Merle Haggard (singer), Dominic Frontiere (music); “Ballad of John Chisum “Andrew J. Fenady (lyrics), Dominic Frontiere (music) REVIEWS: “In this typical range-war exercise for Big John he plays his tough, laconic self of yore… Essentially, this is a conventional Western…” The New York Times (Howard Thompson, July 30, ¡970); “[Chisum] is not a particularly strong picture for Duke, but it was made to advance certain of his views on men and society.” The Filming of the West ( Jon Tuska, Doubleday, ¡976); “John Wayne means action, an audience picture, and a Wayne star-

rer spells shekels at the box o‡ce…. Wayne clothes his interpretation of the early West figure with his usual vigor and warmth.” Variety ( June ¡8, ¡970); “[A] mighty fine western, made to order for the biggest western star of them all. It has enough of everything, bad and good, plot, fast and furious action, romance and enough beautiful rugged scenery for two westerns.” The New York Daily News (Wanda Hale, July 30, ¡970); “Wayne is a monument to pop culture who has nurtured self-parody into grandiose style…. [Chisum is] a stylized sagebrush shoot-’em-up.” Newsweek (Alex Keneas, August ¡7, ¡970); “The Duke still rides tall … furious fistfights, some ripsnorting, glass-shattering shoot-ups, and a thunderous cattle stampede.” Time ( Jay Cocks, August 3, ¡970); “In this better than average western, John Wayne justifies the accolades awarded him last year for his performance in True Grit…. After all those gory, sadistic Italianand Spanish made Westerns, this one is a real gem worth treasuring.” Cue Magazine (Donald J. Mayerson, August ¡970) SYNOPSIS: In late ¡877, Lincoln County is a powderkeg over which two powerful men hold the matches. Rancher John Chisum ( John Wayne), King of the Pecos, has carved a cattle empire from the territory. Opposing his dominance is L.G. Murphy (Forrest Tucker), a wealthy businessman whose economic interests have grown as quickly as Chisum’s herds. Murphy views the Pecos as a chessboard. In his greed to control Lincoln County he has pulled a variety of players into the game. On his side are wealthy storeowner Dolan (Edward Faulkner), Sheri› Brady (Bruce Cabot), Brady’s deputies Morton and Baker (Robert Donner and John Mitchum), the local military commander (Glenn Langan), even the territorial governor (Alan Baxter). On Chisum’s side are fellow rancher Henry Tunstall (Patric Knowles), lawyer Alex McSween (Andrew Prine) and bu›alo hunter Pat Garrett (Glenn Corbett). The spark destined to set o› the explosion arrives in the person of Billy the Kid Bonney (Geo›rey Deuel), whom the

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Chisum

Chisum (Warner Bros., ¡970). John Wayne, Michael Wayne

kindly Tunstall has taken under his wing. Bonney, smitten by the beauty of Chisum’s niece Sally (Pamela McMyler), is trying hard to control his inclination to violence. Billy is wounded riding for supplies for the new store

opened by Chisum, Tunstall and McSween. Tunstall convinces Chisum to stay within the law, while Murphy sneers, “Mr. Chisum is a man who respects the law. Around here, I’m the man who owns it.” Chisum’s ranch hand,

Chisum Pepper (Ben Johnson), sees the inevitable. “It’s just gonna be you and Murphy,” he tells his boss, “head to head and horn to horn, and one hell of a fight.” While Tunstall rides to report Murphy’s lawlessness to the governor, he is shot by Morton and Baker. Billy leaves his bed to become an avenging angel of death. The kid shoots the two deputies while they are in custody and guns down Sheri› Brady in the middle of the street. Murphy fills the vacancies with no-account gunmen headed by a sadistic bounty hunter, Dan Nodeen (Christopher George). When Billy and some friends raid McSween’s store one night for supplies, they are spotted by Nodeen and are trapped inside. In the gunfight which follows, McSween is killed. His wife Sue (Lynda Day) manages to escape to the Chisum ranch. “Let’s break out some Winchesters!” roars the cattleman. With his men he leads a herd of cattle into town, breaking up the battle and forcing the deputies to flee. In a brutal fistfight, Chisum defeats Murphy, who falls to his death from the balcony of his o‡ce. Billy sets out after Nodeen, following the path which will lead him further from the law. With Pat Garrett’s election as sheri›, peace once again returns to the Pecos.—TAL NOTES: Filmed between October 6 and mid–December ¡969 at the Marley Ranch and the town of Chupederos, near Durango, Mexico. Budgeted at $4,800,000, the Western was completed at a negative cost of $5,480,000. It earned domestic rentals of $6,000,000 from a box o‡ce tally of $¡4,500,000. Wayne was paid $¡,000,000, $5000 a week in expenses while filming in Mexico, and ¡0 percent of the profits. Originally the project was to be released by Fox, but after the failures of Julie Andrews’ Star and Barbra Streisand’s Hello Dolly, the studio opted to limit the number of big-budget films. Warners took over distribution and earned a tidy profit. As a promotional for the upcoming Western, on February ¡¡, ¡970, Merv Gri‡n presented a 90-minute special from Wayne’s 22,000 acre ranch in Stanfield, Arizona. The year ¡970 marked Wayne’s twenty-first appearance as a top-ten box o‡ce attraction. The top ten stars for the year were: (¡) Paul Newman, (2) Clint Eastwood, (3) Steve McQueen, (4) John Wayne, (5) Elliot

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Gould, (6) Dustin Ho›man, (7) Lee Marvin, (8) Jack Lemmon, (9) Barbra Streisand and (¡0) Walter Matthau. Executive producer Michael Wayne, eldest child of the actor and guardian of the Wayne legacy since his dad’s ¡979 death, died of heart failure in 2003. Michael’s sister Toni, the first child of John Wayne to die, succumbed to cancer in 2002. Doubling for Wayne in the climactic fight scene with Forrest Tucker, stuntman Chuck Roberson broke his wrist while falling down the stairs. Christopher George (¡929–83) was in real life married to fellow cast member Lynda Day. Although he appeared in numerous films, his greatest success arose from the television series about World War II desert warfare, The Rat Patrol (ABC, ¡966-67) and, to a lesser extent, The Immortal (ABC, ¡9707¡). English-born Patric Knowles (¡9¡¡–95) had a film career which spanned 40 years. His screen debut was in Men of Tomorrow (¡933), but he did not hit his stride until ¡936 when he played Errol Flynn’s younger brother in The Charge of the Light Brigade; in ¡938 he played Will Scarlett, again opposite Flynn, in The Adventures of Robin Hood. Throughout the ¡940s he was much in demand alternating between dramas (How Green Was My Valley, O.S.S., Kitty) and horror films (The Wolf Man, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man) and the occasional comedy such as Abbott and Costello’s Hit the Ice. Knowles managed to enliven the erratic Western, The Way West (¡967); in The Devil’s Brigade (¡968), he played the role of Lord Louis Mountbatten. Chisum’s world television premiere was October 27, ¡973, on NBC. With a 43 percent share of the viewing audience, it was one of the five most-watched shows on television that week. Character actor John Mitchum (¡9¡9–200¡), the younger brother of Robert Mitchum, had supporting roles in over 80 features, but is best remembered for playing the partner of detective Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) in Dirty Harry and two of its immediate sequels. A singer and talented songwriter, Mitchum managed to persuade Wayne to record his first and only album, America, Why I Love Her. For this recording, the actor was nominated for a Grammy in the Spoken Word category; the RCA album went gold with sales of over

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Circus World

700,000. The other big Westerns released during the summer of ¡970 were Clint Eastwood’s Two Mules for Sister Sara (Universal); The Cheyenne Social Club (National General) with the veterans Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda;

a revisionist story of Custer at Little Big Horn, Soldier Blue (Avco); and Richard Harris in his bravura performance as A Man Called Horse (National General).

Circus World June 25, ¡964. ¡35 minutes. John Wayne, Claudia Cardinale, Rita Hayworth, Lloyd Nolan, Richard Conte, John Smith, Henri Dantes, Wanda Roth, Katharyna, Kay Walsh, Margaret MacGrath, Katherine Ellison, Miles Malleson, Katherine Kath, Moustache, George Tyne, Robert Cunningham, Sydna Scott, Francois Galepdes, Jose Maria Ca›arel, Franz Altho› and His Circus, Clown Max, Pio Nock. Paramount. A Midway Production Cinerama Presentation. Producer Samuel Bronston; Director Henry Hathaway; Executive Associate Producer Michael Waszynski; Music Dimitri Tiomkin; Lyrics Ned Washington; Screenplay Ben Hecht, Julian Halevy, James Edward Grant; Original Story Philip Yordan, Nicholas Ray; Photography Jack Hildyard; Second Unit Photography Claude Renoir; Assistant Directors Jose Lopez Rodero, Terry Yorke; Editor Dorothy Spencer; Special Assistant Bob Morrison; Production Designer John De Cuir; Costumes Rene; Continuity Elaine Schreyech; Second Unit Director Richard Talmadge; Sound Re-recording Gordon K. McCallum; Makeup Mario Van Riel; Hair Dressing Grazielle De Rossa; Sound Mixer David Hildyard REVIEWS: “Samuel Bronston puts on a big show…. Although the circus background is fundamental, the presentation never really smells like tanbark, sawdust and the Big Top, nor approaches the drama and backstage excitement of DeMille’s Greatest Show on Earth.” The New York Daily News (Dorothy Masters, June 26, ¡964); “Of Wayne it may be said that he is the center-pole, the muscle, the virility and the incarnate courage of this often down but never out circus. The role has been tailored to his talents and personality.” Variety ( July ¡, ¡964); “Though likable enough, this least pre-

tentious of Bronston spectaculars cannot compare with The Greatest Show on Earth. It is just a minor, romantic tearjerker, a Stella Dallas with sawdust.” Time Magazine ( July ¡0, ¡964); “…an elaborate cliché-ridden drama…” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974); “It’s [a] dismally trite and obvious picture… John Wayne is mostly sullen and snarly as the circus owner….” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, June 26, ¡964); “It is certainly not a great picture….” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, Grosset & Dunlap, ¡976); “John Wayne, [is] larger than life and sixty times as clean-living…. The Cinerama or Super Technirama 70 process is used here for size and there are relatively few vicarious thrills to be had.” The New York Herald Tribune ( Judith Crist, June 26, ¡964) SYNOPSIS: When American circus impresario Matt Masters ( John Wayne) decides to take his circus and wild west show to Europe, his friend Cap Carson (Lloyd Nolan) unsuccessfully tries to dissuade him. Matt is still haunted by the desire to find Lili Alfredo (Rita Hayworth), mother of Toni (Claudia Cardinale), the beautiful girl he has raised as a daughter since Lili’s disappearance ¡4 years earlier. Though the rumors have been kept from Toni, it is believed that Alfredo deliberately dove to his death from the trapeze when he realized that his wife was in love with Matt. Cap fears that Matt’s interest in the past can only bring trouble. In Barcelona, his worst fears seem realized. When a trapeze artist performing on the swaying pole is hurtled over the circus ship’s side, the crowd on board surges to that side and causes the top-heavy vessel to keel over. In the pandemonium that follows, much of the circus is lost. Now broke, Matt

Circus World

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Circus World (Paramount, ¡964). Aissa Wayne, John Wayne, Rita Hayworth, Hayworth’s daughter

leaves for Paris to seek a job in Col. Purdy’s Wild West Show. He is accompanied by Toni, Cap and Steve McCabe ( John Smith), a young star of the troupe in whom Toni has a keen interest. Matt plans to quietly put together his own show. Signing acts en route, he hopes to winter in Spain and next year make a successful European tour. He searches for acts—and always for Lili—from Brussels to Rome to Madrid. At one of the final performances of the Wild West Show, Cap spots Lili in the audience, After ¡4 years Matt is able to come face to face with the woman he loves. Lili has been drinking heavily and living a colorless life in cheap waterfront rooms. She tells Matt that Toni is better o› with him and insists on leaving. When Matt’s new circus sets up quarters in Toledo, Spain, the romance of Toni and Steve blossoms. One rainy night Lili arrives asking for a job and promises that Toni will

never learn her true identity. The unsuspecting Toni becomes Lili’s close friend until the day of final dress rehearsal. Tojo the clown (Richard Conte), who is Aldo, formerly of the flying Alfredos, reveals Lili’s identity and Alfredo’s suicide. Toni turns her hysterical anger upon Matt and he forces her to hear the truth—that Lili, though she had begged Alfredo for a divorce, had remained faithful to her husband even though she and Matt had fallen in love. The circus troupe turns its attention to the dress rehearsal, which is interrupted by a fire. Matt and his performers fight to save as much of the canvas as they can. As the exhausted performers stand in despairing silence, Toni embraces Lili, Steve comforts both of them, and the smoke-blackened face of Matt breaks into a smile. The next night the circus gives its opening performance, highlighted by the trapeze work of Lili and Toni.

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College Coach

Matt proudly announces that the circus will now be called the Masters and McCabe Combined International Circus.—TAL NOTES: Filmed in Barcelona, Spain, and surrounding environs from September 23, ¡963, to February ¡964, on a reported budget of just under $8,000,000. Interiors shot in London. On a domestic box o‡ce gross of $8,000,000, the film reported North American rentals of just $3,500,000. Wayne was scheduled to receive $¡,200,000 against a percentage of the film’s gross. Six hundred extras were used for various crowd sequences. The roles performed by Lloyd Nolan and Rita Hayworth had originally been o›ered to David Niven and Lilli Palmer. Rod Taylor was sought for the role eventually assigned to John Smith. Smith (¡93¡–95), born Robert Earl Van Orden, was a regular on the Laramie television series from ¡959 to ¡963. Before Laramie he had a recurring role in George Montgomery’s weekly Western, Cimarron City (¡958-59). Back in ¡954, while appearing in The High and the Mighty with Wayne, the actor also had a recurring role in the comedy series That’s My Boy (¡954–59). As a teenager, and a member of the Bob Mitchell Boy’s Choir in the ’40s, Smith appeared in Bing Crosby’s Going My Way (¡944) and The Bells of Saint Mary’s (¡946). Some of his other films included We’re No Angels (¡955), Friendly Persuasion (¡956), The Kettles on Old MacDonald’s Farm (¡957), Island of Lost Women (¡959) and (his last film) Waco (¡966). Between ¡938 and ¡980, cinematographer Jack Hildyard (¡908–90) shot over 80 features. In the ¡980s he turned his talents to filming made-for-TV movies and mini-series. In his long career Hildyard worked the cameras for Henry V (¡944), Hobson’s Choice (¡954), Summertime (¡955), Anastasia (¡956), The Bridge on the River Kwai (¡957), Suddenly, Last

Summer (¡959), The Sundowners (¡960), 55 Days at Peking (¡963), The Battle of the Bulge (¡965) and Hitchcock’s Topaz (¡969). While working on the film, Wayne and Pilar stayed at a villa in Madrid rented from Ava Gardner. Additional technical credits: Franz Altho› (technical advisor), Umberto Bedini (coordinator circus performances), Andres Berenguer (assistant camera), Frank Capra, Jr. (circus operations), Bob Dover (special technical advisor), Linwood G. Dunn (special photographic e›ects consultant), Anna Maria Feo (wardrobe), Carl Gibson (supervising technician), Dong Kingman (title designer), Josef Leshkov (horse trainer), Alfredo Marquerie (technical advisor), Bruno Pasqualini (supervising electrician), Perezo› (coordinator of circus performances), Kay Rawlings (continuity, second unit), Claude Renoir (director of photography: second unit) and George Tyne (dialogue coach). Bob Terhune doubled for Wayne. Chuck Roberson, Wayne’s regular stuntman, was working on Cheyenne Autumn, and Ford would not let him leave for the Wayne film. Actress Sydna Scott Thor (¡9¡5–96) is perhaps best remembered for starring with her husband Jerome Thor in the early television series Foreign Intrigue (¡95¡–55). In the early ¡940s Orson Welles directed her on Broadway in The Native Son and called the young woman “one of the most rising and promising young actresses in America.” She would also appear on Broadway in The Man Who Came to Dinner and He Who Gets Slapped, make guest appearances on over ¡00 television shows, and play small roles in a dozen films including, Avenging Angel, Ten to Midnight, Crack in the World, Scrooged and Messenger of Death. The television debut of Circus World came during the ¡96869 season, over the ABC Television Network.

College Coach November ¡0, ¡933. 75 minutes. Dick Powell, Ann Dvorak, Pat O’Brien, Arthur Byron, Lyle Talbot, Hugh Herbert, John

Wayne, Arthur Hohl, Guinn Williams, Nat Pendleton, Donald Meek, Berton Churchill, Harry Beresford, Phillip Faversham, Charles

College Coach C. Wilson, Herman Bing, Joe Sauers (Sawyer), Philip Reed, Ward Bond, Ernie Nevers, Dave O’Brien, Phil Tead, Mike Frankovich, and football players from USC, Notre Dame, Army, Northwestern, UCLA and Bucknell. Warner Bros. Director William A. Wellman; Screenplay Niven Busch, Manuel Se›; Photography Arthur L. Todd; Editor Thomas Pratt; Hair Stylist Ruth Pursley; Second Unit Camera L. Galezio; Sound Mixer Chas. Lang; Art Director Jack Okey; Makeup Perc Westmore; Production Supervisor Robert Lord; Gowns OrryKelly; Orchestration Leo F. Forbstein REVIEWS: “[A] hearty satirical comedy … it is unfortunate that College Coach collapses into routine and inferior entertainment after an excellent start … a disappointment, it does provide a mildly diverting entertainment.” The New York Times (A.D.S., November ¡¡, ¡933); “Football yarn with a fair lineup of names, a good title and some selling points. Picture belongs to Pat O’Brien who does a grand job as the coach … film is light and easy and will satisfy the unexacting.” Variety (Kaufman, November 2¡, ¡933) SYNOPSIS: The trustees of Calvert University deplore the financial woes of their school. Chairman Otis (Berton Churchill) reminds fellow board members that a college is like a business, and since their football team is as deplorable as the fiscal situation, Calvert is doomed to poverty. “Get a good coach,” exhorts trustee Seymour Young (Arthur Hohl), “Let him put $200,000 in our stadium ¡2 Saturdays every year, and we can dream our troubles away.” At Young’s urging, they lure controversial coach Gore (Pat O’Brien) away from Northern, hoping that the headline-making showman will assemble a winning team for the school. Gore arrives, complete with business manager and a public relations director. While the coach’s long-su›ering wife Claire (Ann Dvorak) spends her evenings alone, her husband assembles a football team with talent he buys from rival schools. The most notable acquisition is backfield star Buck Weaver (Lyle Talbot), a flamboyant ladies man. The selfcentered Weaver, who drinks, smokes and plans to add Claire to his list of conquests, is in strong contrast to Calvert’s homegrown gridiron hero, chemistry major Phil Sargent

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(Dick Powell), who doesn’t even drink. Coach Gore pairs the opposites as roommates. In spite of their di›erences, Phil and Buck (along with Holcomb and Matthews) become a formidable backfield. The coach names them the Four Aces, and Calvert starts piling up victories along with gate receipts. Coach Gore’s success is not without casualties. Despondent over her husband’s string of broken promises to spend more time with her, Claire begins to respond to Weaver’s flirtations. Phil, struggling throughout the season to balance academics with football, quits the team when Gore changes his players’ failing grades to passing marks. In the season finale with Drummond, the coach orders his players to put the rival fullback out of commission. The unnecessary roughness results in a fatal injury to the athlete. The incident causes University backers to hold o› on building a new stadium, a real estate project into which both the coach and Young have put their savings. Without Sargent, victories in Calvert’s next season come harder. When Gore throws Weaver o› the team for seeing his wife, things look even worse for the upcoming Shipley game, one that must be won to ensure financial backing for the new stadium. The University itself, with the loss of revenue, is forced to make cutbacks. When the chemistry department is targeted for extinction, Sargent realizes the importance of victory. He arrives in the locker room during the game and meets Weaver, who has been persuaded by Claire to return to help Calvert. With the Four Aces reunited, Shipley falls. The victory ensures a lucrative athletic program for Calvert and an even better o›er for Gore from Shipley.—TAL NOTES: In production from July 29 to the end of September ¡933. Filmed on the Warners lot with additional football sequences shot at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Negative cost of the film was $¡64,339. Overhead (at a rate of 42 percent) added $60,496 while Depreciation added a further $20,¡65 to the final production cost. The motion picture earned domestic rentals of $274,000 and an additional $49,000 from the overseas markets. The staged football sequences were shot utilizing the skills of 77 varsity players from USC, UCLA, Notre Dame, Army, Northwestern and Bucknell. One of the USC players, Mike Frankovich (“Big

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The Comancheros

Mike”), would become an influential figure in films and television and, more than 40 years later, serve as the producer of Wayne’s last film, The Shootist. Director Wellman was paid a salary of $3000 a week for eight weeks works on the film. In ¡940, Pat O’Brien (¡899–¡983) would secure everlasting fame playing the role of the most famous of all college coaches in Knute Rockne, All American. Between ¡92¡ and ¡98¡, the a›able Irishman, who grew up with Spencer Tracy, appeared in over ¡00 films. During the ¡930s and ¡940s Warners continually availed themselves of O’Brien’s many talents and inserted him into dozens of their most prestigious productions. His better known films included The Front Page (¡93¡), Air Mail (¡932), Here Comes the Navy (¡934), Oil for the Lamps of China (¡935), Ceiling Zero (¡936), Submarine D-¡ (¡937), Angels with Dirty Faces (¡938), The Fighting 69th (¡940), Bombardier (¡943), Marine Raiders (¡944), The Boy with Green Hair (¡948), Ring of Fear (¡954—for Wayne’s production company), The Last Hurrah (¡958), Some Like It Hot (¡959) and Ragtime (¡98¡). Actor Donald Meek (¡880–¡946), a member of John Ford’s uno‡cial stock company, appeared in character roles in over ¡00

motion pictures, including Captain Blood (¡935) and Jesse James (¡939). At the time of the making of this film, Dick Powell (¡904–63) was beginning his ascent in the box o‡ce popularity polls. In ¡935 and ¡936 he was one of the elite ten most popular stars in the nation. Brooklyn native Arthur Byron (¡872–¡943) would appear in dozens of films throughout the decade of the ’30s. He had roles in The Mummy (¡932) as Sir Joseph Whemple, 20,000 Years in Sing Sing (¡932), House of Rothschild (¡934), and The Prisoner of Shark Island (¡936). Character actor Harry Beresford (¡864–¡944) was born Harry Morgan in England. From ¡926 to ¡939, he had roles in over 75 films including The Quarterback (¡926), Charlie Chan Carries On (¡93¡), Doctor X (¡932), Dinner at Eight (¡933), Little Women (¡933) and Cleopatra (¡934). Performer salaries: Pat O’Brien $¡0,000; Donald Meek $600 a week; Arthur Byron $2500; Charles Wilson $300; Guinn Williams $500 a week; Ward Bond $250 a week; Joe Sauers (Sawyer) $300 a week; Nat Pendleton $450 a week; Ann Dvorak $4000; Lyle Talbot $2700; Dick Powell $400 a week. College Coach opened at New York City’s Strand Theater on November ¡0, ¡933.

The Comancheros October 30, ¡96¡. ¡07 minutes. John Wayne, Stuart Whitman, Ina Balin, Nehemiah Perso›, Lee Marvin, Michael Ansara, Pat Wayne, Bruce Cabot, Joan O’Brien, Jack Elam, Edgar Buchanan, Henry Daniell, Richard Devon, Steve Baylor, John Dierkes, Roger Mobley, Bob Steele, Luisa Triana, Iphigenie Castiglioni, Aissa Wayne, George Lewis, William Fawcett, Guinn “Big Boy” Williams, Gregg Palmer, Don Brodie, Jon Lormer, Phil Arnold, Alan Carney, Ralph Volkie, Dennis Cole, Jackie Cubat, Leigh Snowden, Jim Burk, Tom Hennesy, Chuck Roberson, Chuck Hayward, Jack Williams, Boyd “Red” Morgan, Bill Hart, Bob Morgan, Dean Smith. Fox. Producer George Sherman; Directors Michael Curtiz, John Wayne (uncredited); Screenplay James

Edward Grant, Clair Hu›aker; Based on the novel by Paul I. Wellman; Photography William H. Clothier; Editor Louis Loe·er; Second Unit Director Cli› Lyons; Art Directors Jack Martin Smith, Alfred Ybarra; Music Elmer Bernstein; Orchestrations Leo Shuken, Jack Hayes; Assistant Director Jack R. Berne; Sound Warren B. Delaplain, Alfred Bruzlin; Set Decorators Walter M. Scott, Robert Priestly; Costumes Marjorie Best; Makeup Ben Nye; Hair Stylist Helen Turpin; Dances Staged by Hal Belfer REVIEWS: “[S]o studiously wild and woolly it turns out to be good fun… There’s not a moment of seriousness in it, not a detail that isn’t performed with a surge of exaggeration, not a character that is credible.” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, November 2, ¡96¡); “Though

The Comancheros not a great shakes Western, The Comancheros has John Wayne and beautiful scenery. Lest you think Wayne no great asset, let me urge you to compare his performance in this picture with that of Stuart Whitman…. [It] manages to be endurable despite a banal script.” Films in Review (Archie Burroughs, December ¡96¡); “A big, brash, uninhibited action-western of the old school, about as subtle as a right to the jaw…. Wayne is obviously comfortable in a role tailor-made to the specifications of his easy-going, square-shooting, tight-lipped but watch-out-when-I’m-mad screen personality.” Variety (November ¡, ¡96¡); “Curtiz completed this film only a month before his death and as a large-scale, none-too-serious but highly enjoyable action adventure, it is in many ways a fitting tribute and climax to his career.” The BFI Companion to the Western (Edward Buscombe, Atheneum, ¡988); “In thirty-five years Wayne’s one-hundred and fifty-five movies have grossed $300 million and his broad, dull, pleasant, Hereford face has become as much a part of the western scene as the Petrified Forest. But at 54, Big John is getting a bit long in the tooth and short in the wind for all this bi›bang and muscling around.” Time Magazine (November ¡7, ¡96¡); “I’m afraid this large scale Western is just too stu›ed with feathers to make much of an impact on anybody over four. The only exceptions are in the scu·es to which John Wayne normally lends considerable relish.” The New York Herald Tribune (Paul V. Beckley, November 2, ¡96¡); “[T]he chemistry between everyone involved … is so enjoyable that it is almost impossible to find a fault with this film….” The John Wayne Scrapbook (Lee Pfei›er, Citadel Press ¡989) SYNOPSIS: Gambler Paul Regret (Stuart Whitman) kills the son of a senator in an illegal duel in ¡843 New Orleans. Avoiding arrest, he heads for Texas on a riverboat where he enjoys an a›air with a beautiful adventuress, Pilar (Ina Balin). At Galveston, Regret is arrested by Texas Ranger Capt. Jake Cutter ( John Wayne). Jake and his prisoner begin a saddle trek to the Louisiana border Ranger station but Regret, taking advantage of the lawman’s good nature, catches him o› guard and wallops him with a shovel. To the amusement of his fellow Rangers, Jake returns empty-

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handed to headquarters on the back of a mule. Here he learns from Major Henry (Bruce Cabot) that the Comancheros, a ruthless outlaw band, have been inciting the Comanches to commit acts of violence against settlers in the area. Jake assumes the identity of a jailed gun smuggler and drives a wagonload of weapons to find the outlaw stronghold. In a small town he meets up with gun-runner Tully Crow (Lee Marvin). The partnership is shortlived when Jake, in self-defense, is forced to shoot the drunken, violent psycho over a card game whose participants include the fugitive Regret. Jake takes prisoner Regret to a nearby ranch where a small group of Rangers is waiting. When the Comancheros and their Indian allies attack the ranch, Regret risks his own life to bring back help. His heroism helps clear the charges of his past deed and he and a young ranger named Tobe (Pat Wayne) set out with Jake for the outlaw stronghold. Accepted as gun-runners, Jake and Regret gain entrance to the Comancheros hideout. To Paul’s surprise, the daughter of the bandit chieftain is Pilar, the object of his riverboat romance. Regret expresses his love for her and she decides to help him and Cutter in their fight against her father. When Tobe, following his friends from a distance, is discovered and killed by the Comancheros, Jake, Paul and Pilar capture the bandit chieftain and race from the burning stronghold in a wagon. They are soon overtaken by Comanches but are rescued by a company of Rangers that has followed the Indian tracks. The renegades are defeated and Jake says farewell to the two young lovers, who ride for the border and a new life.—TAL NOTES: Filmed at Moab, Utah, from June ¡8 to mid–August ¡96¡ at a negative cost of $4,260,000. The Western generated domestic rentals of $3,500,000 from a box o‡ce of $8,600,000. This was the most expensive Fox produced film of ¡96¡, and was also the last production in the three picture—$2,000,000 contract Wayne had signed with Fox in ¡956. While filming, the cast and crew stayed at the Apache Hotel in Moab. Within months after the film’s completion, director Curtiz died of cancer. The Comancheros was the fourth highest grossing film in Great Britain during the ¡962 season. This marked Bruce Cabot’s first

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The Comancheros

The Comancheros (Fox, ¡96¡). Pat Wayne, John Wayne, Stuart Whitman

appearance with his friend Wayne since Angel and the Badman in ¡947. Cabot appeared with Wayne in Hatari!, but the Hawks film had a later release. Michael Ansara (¡922– ), born in Syria and the former husband of Barbara (I Dream of Jeanie) Eden, starred in the Broken Arrow (¡956–60) ABC television series as Cochise, as well as the less successful, NBC Western Law of the Plainsman (¡959-60). Director George Stevens secured rights to the film’s screenplay back in March ¡953. The story was to have been produced in the late ¡950s with Gary Cooper in the lead and Anthony Perkins in the Whitman role. Lead villain Nehemiah Perso› (¡920– ) was born in Jerusalem while the city was still under the British mandate. Immigrating to New York, he studied under Stella Adler at the famed Actor’s Studio. Multi-faceted, he enjoyed working in all media from stage to television to motion pictures.

Making his film debut in The Naked City (¡948), Perso› also had prominent roles in On the Waterfront (¡954), The Harder They Fall (¡956), Men in War (¡957), Badlands (¡958), Al Capone (¡959) and Some Like It Hot (¡959). With a squinty, wandering eye, character actor, Jack Elam (¡9¡8–2003) relished playing menacing heavies. Starting in the early ¡950s he appeared in dozens of Westerns, usually in the role of an outlaw or simpleton. In Henry Hathaway’s Rawhide (¡95¡), Elam as a sex-crazed killer eliminates almost everyone but the stars, Tyrone Power and Susan Hayward. Coming to Hollywood in the ’40s, he was rejected for service in the military due to an eye injury sustained, at the age of ¡2, in a fight with a fellow boy scout, and found work as a bookkeeper and accountant. After several years, the countless hours of being hunched over a desk going over numbers was taking its toll, causing severe

Conflict strain on his good eye. Elam decided to change occupations. Through connections he arranged for financing of Western productions in exchange for the opportunity to appear as an actor in the films. Throughout the ’50s and ’60s he was featured in numerous Westerns including Rancho Notorious (¡952), Vera Cruz (¡954), Man from Laramie (¡955), Jubal (¡956), Gunfight at the OK Corral (¡957), The Last Sunset (¡96¡), Four for Texas (¡963), The Rare Breed (¡966), The Way West (¡967) and Firecreek (¡968). Film editor Louis Loe·er (¡897–¡972) was a favorite of Otto Preminger who assigned him to his productions Exodus, The Man with the Golden Arm, Advise and Consent, Hurry Sundown and The Cardinal. In a career that began in the early ¡920s, Loe·er worked on over ¡00 motion pictures including the landmark Western In Old Arizona (¡929) and, sans a credit, The Big Trail. Other Westerns released during the ¡96¡ season included Universal’s big-budget but disappointing The Last Sunset starring Rock Hudson and Kirk Douglas under the direction of Robert Aldrich; the

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low-budget Gold of the Seven Saints from Warners starring Clint (Cheyenne) Walker, Roger Moore and Chill Wills; Marlon Brando’s long and tedious One-Eyed Jacks; the annual Audie Murphy oater from Universal-International, Posse from Hell; the James Warner Bellah–scripted cavalry saga A Thunder of Drums from MGM with Richard Boone and George Hamilton; and John Ford’s loose remake of The Searchers, Two Rode Together (Columbia) starring Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda. Also competing for the audience dollar during the last quarter of ¡96¡ were The Devil at Four O’Clock (Columbia) with Spencer Tracy and Frank Sinatra; Elvis in Paramount’s Blue Hawaii; The Hustler (Fox) starring Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason; and Susan Hayward in the drama Back Street (Universal). The top ten box o‡ce stars of ¡96¡ were: (¡) Elizabeth Taylor, (2) Rock Hudson, (3) Doris Day, (4) John Wayne, (5) Cary Grant, (6) Sandra Dee, (7) Jerry Lewis, (8) William Holden, (9) Tony Curtis and (¡0) Elvis Presley.

Conflict November 28, ¡936. 6¡ minutes. John Wayne, Jean Rogers, Tommy Bupp, Eddie Borden, Ward Bond, Harry Woods, Frank Sheridan, Bryant Washburn, Frank Hagney, Margaret Mann, Glenn Strange, Lloyd Ingraham, Bruce Mitchell. Universal. Supervisor Paul Malvern; Producer Trem Carr; Director David Howard; Assistant Director Glen Cook; Screenplay Charles A. Logue, Walter Weems; Based on a story by Jack London; Photography Archie J. Stout; Editors Jack Ogilvie, Erma Horsley; Music Herman Heller; Art Director E.R. Hickson; Sound T.T. Triplett REVIEWS: “[I]ts logging scenes are excellent, its representation of the lumber camp days are authentic … and its fight scenes, in and out of the ring, are grandly directed.” The New York Times ( J.T.M., January ¡8, ¡937); “Producer Trem Carr takes John Wayne o› his horse and moves from the oat burners to the action dra-

mas. The transition is well-received by the audience and Conflict brings sixty minutes of good entertainment.” Daily Variety (November 23, ¡936); “Conflict, based on London’s The Abysmal Brute, parts John Wayne from his hay burner and substitutes a pair of boxing gloves…. Wayne’s performance is best when he saves a kid from drowning and when he’s slugging.” Variety ( January 27, ¡937); “Satisfactory program o›ering with a good role for John Wayne… This is a very satisfactory program o›ering. It is an ideal vehicle for John Wayne and he gives a convincing performance.” Film Daily (November 28, ¡936) SYNOPSIS: A crooked boxing ring run by Sam Stubener (Frank Sheridan) and fronted by self-proclaimed knockout artist Gus Carrigan (Ward Bond) has been busy fleecing towns in the Northwest. The crooks select a community and send in good-looking and personable

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Conflict

Conflict (Universal, ¡936). Jean Rogers, Glenn Strange, Eddie Borden, Wayne

Pat Glendon ( John Wayne) weeks in advance to become the prime challenger; he inevitably takes a dive in the bout with Carrigan. The crooks are disappointed in the small winnings lately and are beginning to feel the heat put on by the San Francisco press which wants to expose the corrupt operation. Stubener gives Pat one more chance for a big score when he sends him to Cedar City to work at his former profession as a logger while ingratiating himself with the townsfolk. Pat, along with another member of the gang, Spider (Eddie Borden), are accepted into the logging community. Another newcomer to Cedar City is Maude Sangster ( Jean Rogers), posing as a social-working librarian while on the news trail for a story on the boxing ring. With a July 4 bout against Carrigan already set, Pat becomes the local favorite to challenge the champ to a four round bout. His presence has even united the feud-

ing logging camps of Adams and Dennis as the community pools their resources to bet on Glendon for the match. In the meantime, Spider and Pat have found a warm home in Cedar City. Pat takes in a young orphan, Tommy (Tommy Bupp), and he has taken up Shakespeare to win the approval of the book-toting Maude. Maude is ordered by her editor to keep a close eye on Glendon; this becomes a sweet assignment for the alluring reporter who, like the rest of the community, has confidence in Pat’s integrity. Pat, well-trained by an enthusiastic Tommy, secretly visits the gang and asks them to call the fight o›. When they refuse, he makes it clear that he will fight for real this time. In preparation for the day’s big fight, Carrigan secretly wraps his hands in plastered bandages which will become rock-hard when Stubener squeezes a water-soaked sponge into the champ’s gloves. Spider, who like Pat, has

The Conqueror second thoughts about throwing the fight, warns Pat about the bandages and is shot for his e›orts. But Carrigan is forced to enter the conflict without any unfair advantage and Pat proceeds to win his first real fight under the approving eyes of Maude, who has snuck into the bout dressed in men’s clothing. She happily phones her editor to give him the fight results. Pat, eager to propose marriage to Maude, grabs the phone to inform the newspaper man that he has just lost his best reporter.—TAL NOTES: Wayne’s second Universal release (based on Jack London’s short story The Abysmal Brute) was filmed near Sacramento, California, in September ¡936 on a budget of slightly over $75,000. Wayne again received a salary of $6000. The film’s pre-release title was The Showdown. The London story was previously filmed in ¡924 by Universal-Jewel and starred Reginald Denny and Julienne Scott under the direction of Hobart Henley. Lead actress Jean Rogers (¡9¡7–9¡) was born Eleanor Lovegren in Massachusetts. Moving to Hollywood after winning a high school beauty contest in ¡934, she was immediately signed to a small role in the mystery Eight Girls Lost and the serial The Great Air Mystery. In ¡936 Universal teamed her with Buster Crabbe in the classic science-fiction serial Flash Gordon. Throughout the ¡930s and ¡940s Rogers worked in over 25 films and serials including Reported Missing, Time Out for Murder, Always in Trouble, Hotel for Women, The Man Who Wouldn’t Talk, Charlie Chan in Panama, Dr. Kildare’s Victory, A Stranger in Town and Backlash. She ended her film career with a minor

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role in The Second Woman (¡95¡). Cast member Lloyd Ingraham (¡885–¡956) was a noted director during the silent era. While directing scores of melodramas and Westerns, he also found the time to appear, as a character actor, in other directors’ films. By ¡93¡, frustrated with lackluster directing assignments, he turned to acting fulltime. Before he retired from the screen in ¡950, he had appeared in over 50 films including The Spoilers (¡930), The Crusader (¡932), Chaplin’s Modern Times (¡936), W.C. Fields’ My Little Chickadee (¡940) and The Savage Horde (¡950). Prolific actor Bryant Washburn (¡889–¡963) had a remarkable 225 screen credits to his name. Between ¡9¡¡ and ¡956 he was in constant demand, often shu·ing between several features in the same day. In ¡936, a typical year, he was on the screen in ¡9 full-length films. Washburn had an uncredited part in Stagecoach and small roles in the Falcon B-series of the mid–¡940s and the ¡94¡ serial Adventures of Captain Marvel. Boston-born character actor Frank Sheridan (¡869–¡943) had roles in over ¡00 films between ¡9¡5 and ¡940. More than half his appearances were uncredited, including bit parts in The Flood (¡93¡), One Sunday Afternoon (¡933), Stand Up and Cheer (¡934), The Merry Widow (¡934), San Francisco (¡936) and Black Friday (¡940). The Universal release opened at the Globe Theater in New York City on January ¡7, ¡937. The title Conflict was used on other, unrelated films released in October ¡92¡, February ¡939 and June ¡945.

The Conqueror February 2¡, ¡956. ¡¡¡ minutes. John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Pedro Armendariz, Thomas Gomez, Agnes Moorehead, John Hoyt, William Conrad, Ted de Corsia, Leslie Bradley, Leo Gordon, Lee Van Cleef, Peter Mamakos, Fred Graham, Richard Loo, George E. Stone, Jeanne Gerson, Ray Spiker, Lane Bradford, Sylvia Lewis, Jarma Lewis, Pat

McMahon, Phil Arnold, Torben Meyer, Joe Garcio, Arva Burrus, Dolly Summers, Joanne Arnold, Pat Lawler, Pat Tiernan, John George, Weaver Levy, Michael Granger, Fred Aldrich, Paul Ho›man, Grace Lem, Charles Lung, Carl Vernell, Charles Horvath, Gregg Barton, Terry Wilson, Ken Terrell, Michael Wayne, Norman Powell, Gil Perkins, Alberto Morin,

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Henry Escalante, Chuck Roberson, Boyd “Red” Morgan, Chuck Hayward, Roydon Clark, Richard Keane, David Ho›man, Bob Lugo, Max Wagner, Bernie Gozier, Larry Chance, Billy Curtis, George Spotts, Harry Monty, Irving Fulton, Alex Montoya, Boy Foy and members of the Chivwit Indian Tribe. RKO. Presented by Howard Hughes. Produced and Directed by Dick Powell; Screenplay Oscar Millard; Associate Producer Richard Sokolove; Photography Joseph La Shelle, Leo Tover, Harry Wild, William Snyder; Music Victor Young; Photographic E›ects Linwood Dunn, Albert Simpson; Sound Bernard Freericks, Terry Kellum; Assistant Director Edward Killy; Costumes Michael Woulfe, Yvonne Wood; Choreography Robert Sidney; Second Unit Director Cli› Lyons; Makeup Mel Berns; Hair Stylist Larry Germain; Editorial Supervisor Stuart Gilmore; Editors Robert Ford, Kenneth Marstella; Art Directors Albert D’Agostino, Carroll Clark REVIEWS: “John Wayne’s portrayal of

Genghis is elementary. Although his appearance in wispy mustache and Mongol makeup is a mite startling at first, he is soon recognizable. Once in the saddle, he is the rough-riding John Wayne of yore.” The New York Times (A.H. Weiler, March 3¡, ¡956); “There was no denying the sweep and spectacular production values of the $6 million dollar epic…. There was also no way around the astoundingly ridiculous characters, bad acting and laughable writing, or the total inaccuracy of the film’s treatment of Asian history.” The RKO Story (Richard B. Jewell and Vernon Harbin, Arlington House, ¡982); “[E]verything in the film is inflated: character, action, costume, and, most gloriously, language. The result is a terrible blunder in taste, or a marvelous rendition of the American tall tale.” John Wayne: Actor, Artist, Hero (Richard D. McGhee, McFarland and Co., ¡990); “The marquee value of the John Wayne–Susan Hayward teaming more than o›sets any incongruity of the casting…. Strong point of the Howard Hughes produc-

The Conqueror (RKO, ¡956). Dick Powell, Norman Powell, Wayne, Michael Wayne

The Conqueror tion for RKO release is sweep of action and romantic flavor instilled by Dick Powell’s vigorous direction.” Variety (February 22, ¡956); “It is in every sense of the word a big picture, and as such should command a resounding and rewarding box o‡ce across the face of exhibition everywhere.” The Motion Picture Herald (Charles S. Aaronsen, February 25, ¡956) SYNOPSIS: It is the twelfth century, and the Gobi Desert seethes with warring tribes. Mongols, Merkits, Tartars and Karaits struggle for survival. Young Temujin ( John Wayne), a Mongol warrior, attacks a Merkit caravan and captures Bortai (Susan Hayward), daughter of the Tartar ruler Kumlek (Ted de Corsia), from her suitor, Targutai (Leslie Bradley). “I feel this Tartar woman is for me,” says the lusty warrior, “and my blood says ‘Take her!’ ” Temujin’s blood brother Jamuga (Pedro Armendariz), confident that someday the Mongol will regain the land and heritage taken by the Tartars, counsels that it may be too soon to challenge the might of Kumlek. But Temujin will have the woman in spite of the protests of his mother (Agnes Moorehead) and the concern of his warriors. Targutai’s Merkits invade the Mongol camp to rescue Bortai. Temujin kills Targutai as Bortai escapes. The warrior recaptures her and declares he will take her as his wife. Jamuga fears the treachery of Bortai, held against her will, but Temujin has made up his mind. He reveals to his blood brother his plan to make war on the Tartars with the aid of Wang Khan (Thomas Gomez), ruler of the Karaits. With the counsel of the Khan’s treacherous Shaman ( John Hoyt), the Mongols and Karaits become allies. Returning to the Mongol camp, Temujin and Bortai are attacked by Tartars who rescue Kumlek’s daughter and wound the warrior. Temujin, barely escaping with his life, takes refuge in a cave. He is found by Jamuga, who dresses his wound as he informs his blood brother that the Tartars now revel in the Mongol tents. Later, as Jamuga makes another visit to the cave, he unknowingly leads some Tartars to the hiding place. Plagued with doubt that Jamuga may have betrayed him, Temujin becomes the prisoner of Kumlek. The warrior is sentenced to death. Bortai, however, finally realizes how much she loves Temujin and helps him escape. Return-

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ing to the remnants of his tribe, Temujin raises the Mongol clans to battle the Tartars. Convinced by the avaricious Shaman that Wang Khan intends to betray the alliance, Temujin captures the Khan’s city and takes over as ruler of all the Mongols. In a terrific battle, his forces defeat the Tartars. Bortai, assuring Temujin of her love and of Jamuga’s fidelity, becomes the bride of the Conqueror. Jamuga christens him Genghis Khan—the Perfect Warrior.—TAL N OTES : Filmed on location in the Escalante Desert area of Southern Utah and the RKO Studios in Hollywood from March ¡0 to August ¡7, ¡954. The original start date of filming was to have been January ¡952. Budgeted at $3,500,000, the production completed filming at a negative cost of $4,4¡7,5¡3.70. RKO, based on a box o‡ce gross of $¡¡,000,000, reported domestic rentals of $4,500,000 in the feature’s first year of release. Wayne’s salary was $250,000 (paid at the rate of $¡000 a week), while Susan Hayward, on loan from Fox, earned $¡33,333.33. The part of The Conqueror was originally written with either Marlon Brando or Yul Brynner in mind for the title role. Stuntman Roydon Clark doubled Wayne in one horse sequence. In the late ¡940s and early ¡950s, Clark had also served as a double for Errol Flynn and Clark Gable. For ¡44 episodes he doubled James Garner on the detective series, The Rockford Files (¡974, NBC). World premiere of the motion picture was held in Washington on January 24, ¡956. Wayne also attended the film’s premieres in London and Berlin. Due to politics, a premiere to be held in Moscow was abruptly canceled. Novelist and screenwriter Oscar Millard (¡908–90) was born in London. He came to the United States after World War II and was signed by Fox as a contract screenwriter. In ¡95¡ the author earned an Academy Award nomination for his original story for the film The Frogman which starred Richard Widmark and Dana Andrews. Some of his other screenplays included Angel Face (¡952) which starred Robert Mitchum and Jean Simmons, Song Without End (¡960) with Dirk Bogarde and Capucine, and The Saltzburg Connection (¡972). Stuntman and double Boyd Franklin “Red” Morgan (¡9¡5–88), an Oklahoma native, played football at USC in the mid–¡930s. Emulating Wayne,

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The Cowboys

he began working in films while still a student. His first screen appearance was in Touchdown (¡935). After graduation he played pro-ball for the Washington Redskins (¡939-¡940), then during World War II served as a naval aviator. After the war he returned to the film business

and, in various capacities, worked in over 80 films. In succeeding years Morgan would support Wayne in The Alamo, North to Alaska, The Comancheros, McLintock!, The Sons of Katie Elder, The War Wagon, True Grit and Rio Lobo.

The Cowboys January ¡3, ¡972. ¡28 minutes. John Wayne, Roscoe Lee Browne, Bruce Dern, Colleen Dewhurst, Slim Pickens, Lonny Chapman, Charles Tyner, Sarah Cunningham, Allyn Ann McLerie, A. Martinez, Alfred Barker, Jr., Nicolas Beauvy, Steve Benedict, Robert Carradine, Norman Howell, Jr., Mike Pyeatt, Matt Clark, Stephen Hudis, Sean Kelly, Clay O’Brien, Sam O’Brien, Wallace Brooks, Jim Burk, Larry Finley, Maggie Costain, Jerry Gatlin, Walter Scott, Dick Farnsworth, Charise Cullin, Collette Poeppel, Margaret Kelly, Larry Randles, Fred Brookfield, Tap Canutt, Chuck Courtney, Tony Epper, Gary Epper, Kent Hayes, Henry Wills, Joe Yrigoyen, Chuck Roberson, Casey Tibbs, Glenn Randall, Jr., Kent Hays, Ralph Volkie, Frank De Kova, Charlie Bird; doubles: Les Pyeatt, Jr., Bob Van Huizum, Steve Yoast, Clay Hunt, Dan Summerford, James Smith, Jr., R.D. Ayers, R.C. Donaldson, Kim Howell, Shawn Howell, Wayne Morrison. Warner Bros. A Sanford Production. Produced and Directed by Mark Rydell; Screenplay Irving Ravetch, Harriet Frank, Jr., William Dale Jennings; Based upon the novel by William Dale Jennings; Photography Robert Surtees; Production Designer Philip Je›eries; Set Decorator William Kiernan; Costume Designer Anthea Sylbert; Supervising Editor Robert Swink; Script Supervisor Bob Forrest; Editor Neil Travis; Associate Producer and Assistant Director Tim Zinnemann; Second Unit Director Robert “Buzz” Henry; Production Manager Nate H. Edwards; Unit Production Manager Dick Moder; Sound Jack Solomon; Sound Editor Kay Rose; Music John Williams; Music Editor Donald Harris; Makeup Emile LaVigne, Dave

Grayson; Hair Stylist Patricia Abbott; Still Photographers Mel Traxel, Dave Sutton; Titles Phil Norman; Casting Lynn Stalmaster REVIEWS: “Wayne is, of course, marvelously indestructible and he has become, an almost perfect father figure….” The New York Times (Vincent Canby, January ¡4, ¡972); “[In] The Cowboys all the forces that have made [Wayne] a dominant personality as well as a major screen presence seem to combine in an unusual way, providing him with the best role of his career…. John Wayne gets better in each role.” New York Daily News (Rex Reed, January ¡4, ¡972); “[A] sentimentalized and contrived rehashing of the western formula….” The Wall Street Journal ( Joy Gould Boyum, January 24, ¡972); “[H]andsome, placid and pastoral, the film is a family-type entry….” Variety ( January 3, ¡972); “There’s just the right amount of schmaltz and action and gentle comedy, the right dab of violence and sentiment and dash of True Grit to make this film completely satisfying entertainment, let alone a high class one!” New York Magazine ( Judith Crist, January ¡972); “John Wayne’s performance ranks with True Grit as one of the best things he has ever done.” The Los Angeles Times (Charles Champlin, January ¡972); “John Wayne … again shows that he’s like vintage wine, the older he gets the better…. Wayne looks as he could go on getting better for another twenty years.” New York Post (Archer Winston, January ¡4, ¡972); “[T]his durable hero is still a Westerner, still gru› and tough and virile. But he’s more human now, than he’s ever been, except in True Grit… The human qualities … dominate most of the film … good entertainment to entire families.” Long Island

The Cowboys Press (Frances Taylor, January ¡4, ¡972); “[A] dream come true for those seeking good family entertainment. It is a triumph for all concerned.” Reader’s Digest (Peter Travers, January ¡972); “Wayne is wonderful, giving his best performance in this dandy western … a warm, sentimental and human story … more than a mere western.” Gannet Newspapers (Bernard Drew, January ¡972); “This one’s a winner. A thoroughly enjoyable western, man-sized and hard riding, yet something the whole family should take a hankering to.” WINS Group W Radio, New York (Bob Salmaggi, January ¡972); “One of John Wayne’s best films. If you like good westerns, then you’ll love The Cowboys. I did.” WPIX-TV, New York ( Je›rey Lyons, January ¡4, ¡972) SYNOPSIS: In the Old West of the ¡870s, 60-year-old rancher Wil Anderson ( John Wayne) is preparing to drive ¡200 head of cattle to market when all his cowhands desert him to take part in a gold rush. Desperate, he takes the advice of his saloon keeper friend Anse (Slim Pickens) and agrees to let the local schoolboys demonstrate their riding skills. Following the test, he hires ¡¡ youngsters (ages nine to ¡5), but rejects a half-breed called Cimarron (A Martinez) because of the boy’s open hostility; he also turns down an ex-convict named Long Hair (Bruce Dern) when the man lies about his prison record. Once the youths have been put through a grueling training session, Wil signs on Jebediah Nightlinger (Roscoe Lee Browne), a black philosopher of sorts who will serve as cook, and then sets out on the 400-mile journey. During the long days and nights on the trail, the childishness of the young cowboys rapidly matures into approaching manhood: Cimarron, who has been following the drovers, rescues a boy from downing and is permitted to sign on; one night the boys steal a bottle of whisky and experience their first drunk; another time they observe but do not sample the pleasures of a traveling bordello; and one of the boys is trampled to death by the herd while trying to retrieve a friend’s eyeglasses. After Wil realizes that Long Hair and his men are trailing them, the chuckwagon loses a wheel and Jebediah is forced to remain behind to do repairs. Seizing his opportunity, Long Hair goads Wil into a fight, but is badly

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whipped by the older man. Enraged by the humiliating defeat, Long Hair shoots Wil in the back and both legs and rides o› with the cattle. That night, Jebediah catches up with the group and joins the boys in comforting Wil until he dies early the next morning. Despite Jebediah’s urgings to turn back, the boys insist upon fulfilling their commitment to Wil. Impressed by their determination, Jebediah helps them ambush the rustlers and kill them o› one by one. Long Hair, his leg broken, is caught in the stirrup of his horse and begs the boys for help. Instead, they fire a shot that causes the horse to bolt and drag the screaming renegade to his death. Once the cattle have been taken to market, the cowboys buy a tombstone for Wil. When they return to the spot where they buried him, however, they find that wind and rain have obliterated the grave. Leaving the headstone as a marker to the old man, Jebediah and the cowboys ride o› towards home. N OTES : In production, on locations in New Mexico (Pagosa Springs) and Colorado, from May to July ¡97¡. At a reported cost of $4,800,000, it was one of the most expensive films shot in the United States in ¡97¡. The Western earned domestic rentals of $7,400,000. Wayne was paid $¡,000,000 and ¡5 percent of the net profits.Over 700 head of cattle, ¡00 horses, and ¡00 Indians were used in the film. The Indian sequences were edited from the motion picture’s final cut. To publicize the film, Wayne made personal appearances at Radio City Music Hall in New York (on January ¡5, ¡972) and in Chicago. On January ¡4, in New York, he was a guest on Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show. The Western got some more publicity when a short feature on the making of The Cowboys aired on NBC on December 27, ¡97¡. Life Magazine turned over a coveted cover to Wayne with a detailed article on the actor’s career and his work in the Western. Director Mark Rydell (¡934– ), was New York City–born and had attended the prestigious Juilliard School of Music. Working as an actor, he spent over five years on the television soap opera As the World Turns before directing episodes of Gunsmoke, The Fugitive, Ben Casey, I Spy and The Wild Wild West. In ¡968 he directed his first feature-length film, the controversial The Fox. It was followed in

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Dakota

¡969 by the Steve McQueen vehicle The Reivers (¡969). On November ¡3, ¡973, The Cowboys had its world television premiere over ABC. The film was viewed by 42 percent of the available audience, easily beating the competition on CBS and NBC. Warners produced a short-lived television series called The Cowboys that aired from February 6 to August ¡4, ¡974. A total of ¡3 episodes were produced, with A Martinez appearing in both the movie and the television series. Former rodeo rider Slim Pickens (¡9¡9–83), born Louis Bert Lindley, Jr., in Kingsberg, California, entered films with a small role in the Errol Flynn starrer Rocky Mountain (¡950). He then became a sidekick to several of Republic’s Western stars of the early ¡950s. A rodeo performer for two decades (since the age of ¡4), he took the name “Slim Pickens” from a fellow cowboy who believed that was all the young man would ever earn competing on the cowboy circuit. Perhaps his best role came in ¡964 when Pickens replaced Peter Sellers as Major T.J. (King) Kong in the classic Stanley Kubrick film Dr. Strangelove, Or How I Stopped Worrying and Loved the Bomb. Some of Pickens more than ¡00 films included John Ford’s The Sun Shines Bright (¡953), The Last Command (¡955), Brando’s One-Eyed Jacks (¡96¡), Major Dundee (¡965), In Harm’s Way (¡965), The Glory Guys (¡965), the remake of Stagecoach (¡966) and Steve McQueen’s Tom Horn (¡980). In a career which spanned more than 40 years, cinematographer Robert Surtees (¡906–84) was nominated for ¡3 Academy Awards. He won his three Oscars for King Solomon’s Mines (¡950), The Bad and the Beautiful (¡952) and Ben-Hur (¡959). By

the time he retired in ¡979, Surtees had left behind a legacy of over 80 films including such classics as Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (¡944, his first Oscar nomination), The Sting, The Hindenburg, The Last Picture Show, The Great Waldo Pepper, Summer of ’42 and Lost Command. South Dakota native Casey Tibbs (¡930–90) was a nine-time World Champion Rodeo performer and, between ¡949 and ¡959, a six-time World Saddle Bronc Riding champion. Tibbs also appeared in the ¡952 Robert Mitchum–Susan Hayward Western The Lusty Men. The actress who played Wayne’s wife in this film, Sarah Cunningham Randolph (¡9¡8– 85), a South Carolina native, graduated from Furman University, then headed north to New York to study at the New York School of Social Research. Throughout the late ’40s and ’50s she appeared in o›– Broadway and Broadway plays, an occasional motion picture and live television dramatic programs. She had a recurring role of a nurse in the television show Trapper John, M.D. The author of The Cowboys novel, Texas-born Dale Jennings (¡9¡8–2000) was a dedicated gay rights activist who, in ¡950, co-founded the Mattachine Society, the first modern gay organization in the United States. Jennings, an army veteran, attended USC, and also wrote the novels The Ronin and The Sinking of the Sarah Diamond. Several other Westerns that opened during the first half of ¡972 included The Culpepper Cattle Company (Fox) with Gary Grimes, The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (Universal) starring Cli› Robertson and Robert Duvall, and the black-accented Western Buck and the Preacher with Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte.

Dakota November 2, ¡945. 82 minutes. John Wayne, Vera Hruba Ralston, Walter Brennan, Ward Bond, Ona Munson, Hugo Haas, Mike Mazurki, Olive Blakeney, Paul Fix, Nicodemus Stewart, Grant Withers, Robert Livingston, George Cleveland, Jack LaRue, Bobby Blake, Robert H. Barrat, Sarah Padden,

Claire DuBrey, Roy Barcroft, Selmar Jackson, Eddy Waller, Paul Hurst, Jonathan Hale, Pierre Watkin, Olin Howlin, Cli› Lyons, Fred Graham, Jack Roper, Russ Kaplan, Al Murphy, Houseley Stevenson, William Haade, Dick Wessel, Eugene Borden, Peter Cusanelli, Hector Sarno, Rex Lease, Betty Shaw, Martha

Dakota Carroll, Adrian Booth, Virginia Wave, Cay Forester, Manart Kippen, Paul E. Burns, Linda Stirling, Larry Thompson, Victor Varconi, Michael Visaro›, Melva Anstead, Lucille Byron, Yakima Canutt, Martha Carroll, Noble “Kid” Chissell, Arthur Miles, Dorothy Christie, Jack O’Shea, Tom London, Larry Thompson, Dorothy Stevens, Beverly Reedy, Marian Kerrigan, Rosamonde James, Harriett Haddon, Francis Gladwin, Geraldine Farnum. Republic Associate Producer & Director Joseph Kane; Screenplay Lawrence Hazard; Adaptation Howard Estabrook; Original Story Carl Foreman Photography Jack Marta; Second Camera Alfred Keller; Editor Fred Allen; Art Directors Russell Kimball, Gano Chittenden; Second Unit Director Yakima Canutt; Sound Fred Stahl; Re-recording and Mixing Thomas A. Carman, Howard Wilson; Musical Score Walter Scharf; Music Mixer John Stransky, Jr.; Song “Coax Me,” by Andrew Sterling, Harry Von Tilzer; Special E›ects Howard Lydecker, Theodore Lydecker; Transparency projection shots Gordon C. Schaefer; Choreography Larry Ceballos; Assistant Director Al Wood; Costumes Adele Palmer; Set Decorators John McCarthy, Jr., James Redd; Makeup Supervisor Bob Mark; Hair Stylist Peggy Gray REVIEWS: “Republic Studios expended a vast amount of ammunition and set the torch to miles of prairie land for a smashing climax … the producers also give the hero plenty of opportunity to bowl over the badmen with his bare fists.” The New York Times (T.M.P. December ¡7, ¡945); “[S]ingularly boring….” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, Grosset & Dunlap, ¡976); “Here is another story of the outdoors by Republic, the company that knows how to make them…. Direction and production are smart, and a familiar story is overcome by good performances by the entire cast, with emphasis on the part portrayed by Walter Brennan.” Motion Picture Exhibitor (November ¡945); “John Wayne turns in an impressive performance with Vera Hruba Ralston as his wife, in her best acting role to date, but it remains for Brennan to steal the show….” Film Daily (November 2, ¡945); “John Wayne and Vera Hruba Ralston drift through their roles as if the whole thing would be better o› forgotten, and perhaps they have the right idea.” Hol-

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lywood Citizen News (Lloyd L. Sloan, November 2, ¡945); “Republic has dressed up a familiar land-grab story with su‡cient production to give this outdoor epic more than formula values. … Wayne runs through his assignment under Joseph Kane’s direction with his customary nonchalance.” Variety (November 7, ¡945); “John Wayne does well in action spots, but, like everyone else in the cast, he has trouble with the meanwhiles and the dialogue.” New York Daily News (Dorothy Masters, December ¡6, ¡945); “Until a worse one comes along, Dakota can stand as a classic example of how to dress up a Western with character curlicues of comedy until it loses all worth as a Western and gains nothing either in character or comedy.” The New York Post (A.W., December ¡8, ¡945); “The production itself is somewhat shoddy, with faked backgrounds and drab surroundings, but Dakota manages to develop mild satisfaction in the triumph of youthful ambition over sharp practices.” The New York Herald Tribune (Otis L. Guernsery, Jr., December ¡7, ¡945); “[Dakota] saves up most of its panoramic action for the last few minutes of its run. All at once there is an epidemic of chases, shootings, escapes, and burning wheat fields. Up to that point the picture is done with a ladylike pretension of being an epic. It lacks the subtlety and substance to make this attempt e›ective.” New York World Telegram (William Hawkins, December ¡5, ¡945); “[A]n old fashioned Western, filled with action that leads nowhere, fights and chases and shootings that are enacted for their own sakes and not for the sake of the story, such as it is.” The New York Sun (Eileen Creelman, December ¡7, ¡945) SYNOPSIS : In ¡87¡, John Devlin ( John Wayne), professional gambler, elopes with Sandy (Vera Ralston), beautiful daughter of Marko Poli (Hugo Haas), an immigrant who has risen to railroad tycoon. Sandy, who knows that the railroad will be extended to Dakota, plans to use their fortune of $20,000 to buy options on land, to sell to the railroad at a profit. Devlin finally agrees to head for the Dakota territory. On the stagecoach trip to Abercrombie, their fellow travelers are Jim Bender (Ward Bond) and Bigtree Collins (Mike Mazurki), a half-breed. These two prac-

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Dakota

Dakota (Repubic, ¡945). Jack LaRue (seated with legs crossed), Wayne, Vera Hruba Ralston, unknowns

tically own the town of Fargo and Devlin is aware that they are prepared to protect their little empire; that they are trying to drive out the bonanza farmers—burning their property, destroying their wheat and blaming the devastation on the Indians. Continuing their journey aboard the “River Bird,” Sandy and Devlin meet Capt. Bounce (Walter Brennan), an irascible old seafarer. Then two of Bender’s bandits, Slagin (Grant Withers) and Carp (Paul Fix), board the boat and, at gunpoint, relieve Devlin of the $20,000. Capt. Bounce proceeds to chase the robbers’ dinghy but unexpectedly wrecks his boat on a sandbar. At Fargo, the land war begins. Devlin teams with the wheat farmers against Bender and his gang. Several attempts are made on Devlin’s life and Collins tries to frame him for murder. One night, Bender’s henchmen set fire to another farmhouse. Collins kills Bender in a fight for the Devlin

loot. Overtaking Collins, Devlin defeats the half-breed in a fight-to-the-finish and triumphantly recovers his money. Carp and Slagin are trapped in a burning cabin. The cavalry from the fort finally arrives on the scene, and law and order are restored. NOTES: Filmed between July and September ¡945 on locations in the San Joaquin Valley, Ojai, and Mammoth Lakes, California. Budgeted at $893,¡33, the Western’s negative cost came in at $843,545. The film earned domestic rentals of $¡,448,688 which translated into a salary of $¡44,869 for Wayne or ¡0 percent of the distributor’s rentals on the motion picture. Grant Withers was paid $500 a week while Roy Barcroft earned $300 a week. Ona Munson was borrowed from Warners. In February ¡945, the trades reported that Frank Borzage had been signed to produce and direct the Western. Screenwriter and sometimes pro-

Dakota ducer Howard Estabrook (¡884–¡978) had a short turn at acting and directing in the early ¡920s, then turned to writing fulltime. In ¡929 he hit his stride with three adaptations: The Shopworn Angel, Four Feathers and The Virginian. He would win the Academy Award for writing the script of the original Cimarron (¡93¡). Several of his other scripts include Hell’s Angels (¡930), Kismet (¡93¡), A Bill of Divorcement (¡932), David Copperfield (¡935), The Bridge of San Luis Rey (¡944) and Lone Star (¡952). Actress Linda Stirling (¡922–97), known as the “Serial Queen” and “Tiger Woman” for playing the lead role in the serial of the same name in ¡944, appeared in 24 films, mostly Westerns, opposite Sunset Carson, Rocky Lane and Wild Bill Elliott. The actress, between ¡944 and ¡947, also starred in six serials, including Zorro’s Black Whip, Manhunt of Mystery Island, The Purple Monster Strikes, and The Crimson Ghost. Born in Long Beach, California, Stirling acted in summer stock and became a photographer’s model. As her film career wound down, she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UCLA, then for 27 years, taught English and Literature at Glendale College. “Little” Bobby Blake (¡933– ), born Michael Gubitosi in New Jersey, was one of the Our Gang kids in 4¡ shorts during the ¡930s and early ¡940s. In ¡944 he began playing the role of “Little Beaver” opposite Wild Bill Elliott in ¡6 Red Ryder Western features for Republic. Between ¡944 and ¡947, Republic would cast him in 28 of their Westerns; seven of the oaters would star Rocky Lane. As he grew older he appeared in bigger, more prestigious films including The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (¡948), PT-¡09 (¡963), In Cold Blood (¡968), and Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (¡969). For three years in the ¡970s (¡975–78), Blake starred as unorthodox TV detective Baretta, winning the ¡975 Emmy for Best Actor in a dramatic series. In 200¡, Blake found himself front-page news throughout the nation. Just after he and his wife Bonnie had finished dinner at a local restaurant in Studio City, she was murdered. The prime suspect in her killing, he spent a year in jail before bail was granted in March 2003. As of this writing,

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the case had not gone to trial. Character actor Jack LaRue (¡904–84) was personally selected by Howard Hughes to appear in the gangster classic Scarface. On stage he appeared opposite Mae West in one of her daring plays; he also had roles in the films While Paris Sleeps, Captains Courageous, The Gang’s All Here, A Farewell to Arms and The Road to Utopia starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. Lean, bearded Eddy Waller (¡889–¡977) made his feature film debut in Rhythm on the Range (¡936) starring crooner Bing Crosby. Throughout the remainder of the ¡930s he had minor roles in Westerns ranging from the Three Mesquiteers series to Geronimo (¡939) and the serial The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok. In 32 lowbudget Westerns from ¡947 to ¡953, he had the recurring part of sidekick Nugget Clark to the hero, Allan “Rocky” Lane. Placing an increasing emphasis on television in the ¡950s, the character actor was featured in two of the medium’s earliest Westerns, Steve Donovan— Western Marshal and Casey Jones. Composer, New York City–born Walter Scharf (¡9¡0– 2003) came to Hollywood in the early ¡930s and would leave a legacy of music in nearly ¡50 films. Working at Republic, he would add stirring sound to dozens of Westerns, the Wayne films In Old Oklahoma and The Fighting Seabees and the serials The Masked Marvel (¡943), Captain America, The Tiger Woman (¡944), and King of the Rocket Men (¡949). In the post–Republic era, alternating between movies and television, he worked on the music for several Jerry Lewis and Elvis Presley motion pictures as well as the popular shows Ben Casey, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Wild Wild West, and Hawaii Five-O. The Western opened in Los Angeles on November ¡, ¡945, and in New York on December ¡5. Opening at theaters at the same time were the B-Westerns Rough Riders of Cheyenne starring Sunset Carson, Monte Hale and Peggy Stewart, Marshal of Laredo with Bill Elliott and Peggy Stewart and a re-release of Gene Autry’s, Blue Montana Skies (¡939). Dakota was re-released by Republic in June ¡950.

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The Dark Command April 4, ¡940. 94 minutes. John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Walter Pidgeon, Roy Rogers, George “Gabby” Hayes, Porter Hall, Marjorie Main, Raymond Walburn, Joseph Sawyer, Helen MacKellar, J. Farrell MacDonald, Trevor Bardette, Harry Woods, Al Bridge, Glenn Strange, Jack Rockwell, Ernie S. Adams, Edward Hearn, Edmund Cobb, Mildred Gover, Clinton Rosemond, Ferris Taylor, Hal Taliaferro, Yakima Canutt, Dick Alexander, Tom London, Jack Montgomery, John Merton, Dick Rich, Harry Cording, Earl Askam, Ray Bennett, Stanley Blystone, Budd Buster, Cli› Lyons, Bill Yrigoyen, Joe Yrigoyen, Noble “Kid” Chissell, John Dilson, Tex Cooper, Frank Hagney, Howard C. Hickman, Al Taylor, Jack Lowe, Edward Earle, Joe McGuinn, Harry Strang, Henry Wills, Bob Saenz, Cecil Weston, Ethel Wales, Ethan Laidlaw, Tom Smith, Bob Woodward, John Dilson, Al Haskell, Hank Bell, Betty Farrington, Joseph Forte, Lloyd Ingraham. Republic. Director Raoul Walsh; Associate Producer Sol C. Siegel; Assistant Director Kenneth Holmes; Screenplay Grover Jones, Lionel Houser, F. Hugh Herbert; Based upon the novel A Texas Illiad by W.R. Burnett; Adaptation Jan Fortune; Photography Jack Marta; Supervising Editor Murray Seldeen; Editor William Morgan; Art Director Victor MacKay; Musical Director Victor Young; Second Unit Directors Yakima Canutt, Cli› Lyons, Joseph Kane; Special Process Photography Bud Thackery; Costumes Adele Palmer; Production Manager Al Wilson; Assistant Director Kenneth Holmes REVIEWS: “[T]he most pleasant surprise of the picture is the solid performance of John Wayne as the marshal. … Mr. Wayne knows the type; and given a character to build, he does it with vigor, cool confidence and a casual wit.” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, May ¡¡, ¡940); “Probably the best film Republic made in its first five years of corporate existence.” The Filming of the West ( Jon Tuska, Doubleday, ¡976); “[It] had a good deal of merit, but was marred by typical Republic shortcomings, such as Gabby Hayes comedy

injected in an e›ort to keep the ‘hick’ audience happy. However, it was a carefully made film, the best of all the deluxe Republic westerns.” A Pictorial History of the Western Film (William K. Everson, Citadel, ¡969); “Probably the most important commercial element in this new film is the emergence of John Wayne as an actor of sureness and character. Mr. Wayne, like Gary Cooper before him, has been known through many films as a good-looking leading man who could ride horseback…John Wayne has become more than an action star for little boy audiences on Saturday afternoons…” Kansas City Times ( John C. Mo‡tt, April 5, ¡940); “[A] lusty and actionful western…. Wayne is vigorous in battle and love as the Texan who works and finally wins the hand of the aristocratic Dixie belle, Miss Trevor … the most ambitious undertaking by Republic is big league on production values.” Variety (April ¡940); “The Dark Command continues the advance of Republic Studios into the higher brackets of film production. Its entertainment strategy is that of the simple western film, but it is done on an imposing scale, and it is lifted to a dignity above that of the ordinary action thriller by its relationship to history.” Hollywood Citizen News (April 5, ¡940); “[A] rip-roaring action yarn… One of the most pretentious pictures of the year for Republic…. Wayne is excellent as the typical western hero fighting for order, and he improves as an actor with every picture.” Los Angeles Examiner (Dorothy Manners, April 26, ¡940) SYNOPSIS: In ¡859, the plains of Kansas fill with settlers from North and South as the struggle over slave state or free explodes. In Lawrence, where killings have become numerous, town leaders decide to appoint a marshal. The election is a turning point for two strongwilled men. Will (Walter Pidgeon), the polished and learned schoolteacher, sees the marshal’s position as a chance to climb to new heights of power. Bob Seton ( John Wayne), an illiterate and itinerant Texas cowboy, having drifted into town with traveling dentist Doc Grunch (George Hayes), sees the election as a

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The Dark Command (Republic, ¡940). Roy Rogers, Walter Pidgeon, Wayne

chance to do something with his life. Both hope that a win will also ensure the hand of lovely Mary McCloud (Claire Trevor), daughter of the town banker (Porter Hall). Though he has been rejected by the proper Southern belle, Bob has found an ally in her younger brother, Fletch (Roy Rogers). Bob wins an upset victory, pledging, “Before you can try ’em for anything, you got to catch ’em. I can catch ’em.” The defeat pushes the bitter Cantrell over the edge. In spite of his mother’s (Marjorie Main) pleading, he abandons his books to write his name in fire and blood. Secretly he tries his hand at smuggling slaves and guns. Marshal Seton suspects that Cantrell is involved in lawlessness, but has no proof. In town, tensions between Northerners and Southerners increase. When a Yankee insults Fletch’s way of life, the impetuous youth kills him. Bob is forced to arrest his friend in spite of Mary’s pleading that he bend the law to save

her brother. Cantrell not only lends his legal assistance to Fletch’s defense, he secretly terrorizes the members of the jury so that the defendant is found not guilty. Fletch joins Cantrell’s dark command of guerrillas which has now grown to the size of a small army. After Angus McCloud is killed in a bank panic created by guerrilla raids, Cantrell proposes to Mary and she accepts. Claiming to be a Confederate o‡cer, Cantrell leaves his bride on their wedding day to ambush the marshal and his militia. Town leaders, panicking that the raiders have not been caught, fire Bob. As tales of Cantrell’s atrocities increase, Lawrence becomes resentful of Mary. Unwilling to believe the rumors, she accepts Bob’s o›er to take her to her husband’s camp. Bob is captured by the guerrillas and kept alive only by Mary’s presence. She sadly realizes that the stories of her husband’s greed and cruelty are true. Fletch, too, has come to his senses and helps Bob and

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Mary escape from the camp, which is making preparations for a surprise raid on Lawrence. The youth is shot in the escape. Bob turns him over to Doc Grunch’s care and wakes up the sleeping town. The citizens barricade the streets and greet the raiders with volleys of gunfire. Cantrell’s guerrillas set fire to the town while Cantrell goes in search of Mary. At her house, Bob shoots the raider while the militia arrives to drive o› the attackers. Lawrence burns but from its ashes will spring a stronger town with the aide of Fletch, Doc, Bob and Mary.—TAL NOTES : In production from November 29, ¡939, to December 23 when filming was halted due to Claire Trevor’s strep throat. Production resumed on February ¡, ¡940, for an additional ¡6 days. The film wrapped on February 22, ¡940. Outdoor locations shot at Lake Sherwood and Monogram City in the Placerita Canyon section of Newhall. Six of Republic’s seven sound stages were utilized for the interiors. Budgeted at $383,6¡0, the production completed filming at a negative cost of $408,0¡0. On January 2¡, ¡940, The New York Times reported that an insurance policy purchased by the studio from Lloyds of London for $¡0,000, to insure the completion of the film, brought the studio $¡50,000 for the claim on Ms. Trevor’s illness. In the ten years that the director Raoul Walsh and Wayne had last worked together, Walsh had directed 20 films. Republic borrowed the action-specialist from his home studio, Warners. Yakima Canutt stunted for Wayne while Cli› Lyons performed stunts for Gabby Hayes. Joe and Bill Yrigoyen also worked as stuntmen. For Raymond Walburn (¡887–¡969), Dark Command was one of his six releases in ¡940. Between ¡930 and ¡955 the actor appeared in over 90 films. A veteran of World War I, the character actor also had a long run on Broadway in the hit play A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. W.R. Burnett’s novel The Dark Command was published in ¡938. The author wrote 39 novels and over 40 screenplays including Little Caesar, High Sierra, The Asphalt Jungle, The Great Escape and Scarface. One of Hollywood’s highest-paid screenwriters throughout the ¡940s, Burnett received an

Academy Award nomination for his work on Wake Island. Dark Command would be producer Sol Siegel’s (¡903–82) last film for Republic. Back in ¡935 he was instrumental in organizing the merger of several studios into Republic Pictures, but in ¡940 moved to Paramount. Seven years later, Siegel moved yet again, this time to Fox; then in ¡956 he replaced Dore Schary at MGM. Some of his more important productions were Blue Skies (¡946), I Was a Male War Bride (¡949), My Blue Heaven (¡950), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (¡953) Three Coins in the Fountain (¡954), Broken Lance (¡954), and No Way to Treat a Lady (¡968). Los Angeles–born character actor Porter Hall (¡888–¡953) hit his stride in the ¡940s at Paramount as a member of director Preston Sturges’ comedy troupe. He worked in the Sturges films Sullivan’s Travels (¡94¡), The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (¡944), The Great Moment (¡944) and The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend (¡949). In the decades between ¡934 and ¡954 he acted in over 70 films including The Thin Man (¡934), The Petrified Forest (¡936), The Plainsman (¡936), Souls at Sea (¡937), Wells Fargo (¡937), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (¡939), His Girl Friday (¡940), Going My Way (¡944), Miracle on 34th Street (¡947), and The Big Carnival (¡95¡). Nebraskaborn Mildred Gover (¡905–47) who played the maid, appeared in 28 films, mostly unbilled roles, from ¡934 to ¡946. She was noticeable in such varied fare as Little Miss Marker (¡934), Stella Dallas (¡937), My Old Kentucky Home (¡938), The Adventures of Mark Twain (¡944) and The Bride Wore Black (¡946). Detroit native Helen MacKellar (¡895–¡966), who played Mrs. Hale, over a period of ¡¡ years (¡933–43) appeared in 36 films. She also supported Wayne in Republic’s Three Faces West. Republic remade the film in ¡949 as a BWestern, Law of the Golden West, with a cast headed by Monte Hale, John Holland, Roy Barcroft and Lane Bradford. A considerable amount of stock footage from Dark Command was used in this remake. The world premiere of Dark Command was held on April 4, ¡940, in Lawrence, Kansas. Dark Command proved so popular that Republic reissued the Western in ¡944 and again in ¡952.

The Dawn Rider

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The Dawn Rider June 20, ¡935. 56 minutes. John Wayne, Marion Burns, Yakima Canutt, Reed Howes, Denny Meadows (Dennis Moore), Bert Dillard, Jack Jones, James Sheridan (Sherry Tansey), Earl Dwire, Nelson McDowell, Archie Ricks, Tex Phelps, Joe De Grasse, Fred Parker, Jack Evans, Herman Hack, Tex Palmer, Chuck Baldra, David Sharpe. Monogram. Producer Paul Malvern; Director Robert N. Bradbury; Screenplay Robert N. Bradbury; Original Story Lloyd Nosler; Photography Archie J. Stout; Editor Carl Pierson; Music Lee Zahler; Technical Director E.R. Hickson; Recording David S. Stoner REVIEWS: “Fast action Western with plenty of the stu› that pleases this type of fan. Getting right down to business at the start with a couple of good fights, this outdoor drama is crammed with action and suspense, so it ought to prove a strong pleaser in any place where they like Westerns.” Film Daily ( July 9, ¡935); “[O]ne of the best of the B Westerns.” B Western Actors Encyclopedia (Ted Holland, McFarland, ¡989); “Bullet and bronc saga packs the ingredients of standard western. Should please the prairie loving patrons. Dialog while not impressive, avoids hackneyed lines and entire cast convinces. Direction keeps suspense and furnishes enough action….” Variety (October ¡6, ¡935); “Strong story, good characterizations, hard action and some thrilling stunts by Yakima Canutt make this one of Wayne’s best Lone Stars.” The Best (and Worst) of the West! (Boyd Magers Reviews, May 9, 2002) SYNOPSIS : John Mason ( John Wayne) rides into town to find his father, the local express o‡ce agent. He is delayed by a fracas outside the saloon. When he assists a muddied cowboy to his feet, the townsmen turn their taunts to the newcomer. “You must be the joker in this deck,” says John to the mob’s chief spokesman, Ben McClure (Reed Howes). Words lead to fists and the two cowboys slug it out. When Ben avoids using his gun, John ends the fight and the two combatants become fast friends over a glass of mule-kick. Ben

works for John’s dad and walks him over to the express o‡ce to find him. The cowboys walk into the middle of a robbery. Horrified, John sees his father shot by an hombre wearing a polka dot neckerchief. As the gang rides o›, John pursues, killing two of them before bullets bring him down. Ben finds his friend and carries him back to his own ranch. The doctor bandages the wounds and places Ben’s lovely neighbor, Alice Gordon (Marion Burns), in charge of his recovery, sure that her nursing will straighten out his patient. In the weeks that follow, John’s pulse becomes regular, his appetite outrageous. The gang leaders, saloonkeeper Wallace (Yakima Canutt) and Alice’s own brother, Rudd (Denny Meadows), convinced that dead men tell no tales, plot John’s demise. Ben has been trying to win the heart of Alice, a vision of loveliness in polka dots and high-heeled shoes. As a gesture of friendship, (and in spite of his own strong feelings for Alice), John o›ers to drive one of Ben’s express runs so that his pal can pop the question. John has also noticed the polka dot neckerchief Rudd has been carelessly wearing lately. Spreading rumors in the saloon about driving a gold shipment, John and another driver, Pete, take the wagon out of town and successfully hold o› a robbery attempt. John takes care of all the road agents but Rudd, whom he trails back to Alice’s ranch. After her brother switches horses and rides o› with no explanation, Alice tries to stop John to ask why he is in pursuit. Riding up to the ranch to start his courting, Ben sees Alice in John’s arms. Thinking his friend has betrayed him, Ben rides to the saloon where Rudd fills his gut with whiskey and his mind with poison. John confronts Rudd, who denies any guilt in the crimes and challenges the avenging cowboy to a duel. Alice implores John to avoid fighting her brother; John is unable to tell her that Rudd has murdered his dad. Thinking he is helping Alice, Ben empties John’s revolver while the determined cowboy is saddling his horse, leaving John to face Rudd unarmed. When Ben learns that Rudd is the killer of

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The Deceiver

Old Dad Mason, he realizes his folly and rides after his friend. On a street deserted by all but the combatants, Ben shoots Rudd as he lies in ambush for John but takes a fatal bullet from Wallace. In a vicious struggle on a balcony, John sends the outlaw chief to his end. With enough deaths in the town to keep the undertaker happy, the doctor watches the wedding buckboard of John and Alice pull away, confident that his future business now looks pretty good.—TAL NOTES : Filming began on March 27, ¡935, on a ten-day schedule, at the Trem Carr Ranch in Newhall and other outdoor locations in the Antelope Valley. The fifteenth Lone Star Western was budgeted at $¡5,000. Wayne was paid $¡250. This was a remake of the Bob Custer B-Western Son of the Plains (¡93¡), and in turn, was remade as another B-Western in ¡938 by Paul Malvern with the new title, Western Trails (Universal), starring Bob Baker and Marjorie Reynolds. Actors Tex Palmer, Fred Parker, Herman Hack and Tex Phelps appeared in both the Wayne and Baker releases. A Western and serial star of the first rank during the silent era, Reed Howes (¡900–64), had by the age of 30 seen his popularity decline, yet he remained in films throughout the ’30s and ’40s. In supporting roles mostly as villainous scoundrels, he continued to appear in low-budget films and serials including some of the genre’s better entries: Custer’s Last Stand (¡936), Zorro Rides Again (¡937), Dick Tracy Returns (¡938) and Buck Rogers (¡939). Lead actress Marion Burns (¡907–93) was married to

actor Kane Richmond. Her film career consisted of only ¡2 features (¡93¡–45) beginning with Oklahoma Jim in ¡93¡ and ending with Brenda Starr, Reporter in ¡945. Her other Wayne film was Paradise Canyon. Cast members Jack Jones and Chuck Baldra were (along with Glenn Strange and Jack Kirk) part of the Arizona Wranglers Band in the ¡930s. Utahborn Jones (¡906–95), in the dual capacity of extra and stuntman, appeared in ¡5 early–’30s films. During the making of this B-Western he severely injured his leg and cut short his film career. Texas born Dennis Meadows (¡908–64) would work in films as Meadows until ¡936, then change his adopted name to Dennis Moore. Following a short stint as a commercial airline pilot, he turned to motion pictures in the early ’30s. Moore never broke out of the B-picture world, appearing in numerous Westerns, gangster films and serials. In ¡94¡ he was a semi-regular in PRC’s Lone Rider series; then, in ¡943 Monogram made him a member of the Range Busters. Besides being in films with Buck Jones (Dawn on the Great Divide) and Lash LaRue (King of the Bull Whip), Moore was featured prominently in the hectic serials The Purple Monster Strikes (¡945), The Master Key (¡945) and Blazing the Overland Trail (¡956). Dawn Rider played on the bottom half of a double bill at New York’s Arena Theater on October 7, ¡935. Also playing at the same time in New York, but at the Tivoli Theater, was Universal’s B-Western, Outlawed Guns, starring Buck Jones. Reissued in ¡948.

The Deceiver November 22, ¡93¡. 66–68 minutes. Lloyd Hughes, Dorothy Sebastian, Ian Keith, Natalie Moorhead, Richard Tucker, George Byron, Greta Granstedt, Murray Kinnell, DeWitt Jennings, Allan Garcia, Harvey Clark, Sidney Bracy, Frank Halliday, Colin Campbell, Nick Copeland, John Wayne. Columbia. Director Louis King; Writers Charles Logue, Jack Cunningham, Jo Swerling; Based on the

story “Unwanted” by Bella Muni, Abem Finkel; Cinematographer Joseph Walker; Editor Gene Havelick; Sound Engineer Edward Bernds REVIEWS: “Some good old murder mystery entertainment is provided in this backstage drama. It has a neatly conceived plot … and the good acting of a very capable cast, ably directed by Louis King, adds to the value of the

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The Deceiver (Columbia, ¡93¡). Ian Keith, Dorothy Sebastian

story. Also, there is plenty of action.” The Film Daily (November 29, ¡93¡); “Box o‡ce potentialities of this one do not indicate it will reach the gross average of houses it plays. Only exceptions likely are in territories where murder mysteries, with or without names in the cast, act as a distinct draw.” Variety (November 24, ¡93¡) SYNOPSIS : Prominent Shakespearean actor Reginald Thorpe (Ian Keith) spends his o›stage hours in amorous pursuits which have left a trail of ruined women and broken marriages. Not content in Cupid’s play as his only game, the blackhearted matinee idol combines his Lothario activities with the blackmailing of the weak femmes who ardently write him love letters. On the very night he is to receive $¡0,000 from a woman of high society, he is planning to go west with his leading lady while ditching a third girl with whom he has been

carrying on an a›air. When the actor is found dead in his dressing room, a knife in his back, there are a good half-dozen suspects. Capt. Dunn (DeWitt Jennings) and the police undertake the questioning of these suspects until the real killer, the theater prop man, is finally detected by a clever trick. NOTES: Wayne’s only role in this film was to appear as a corpse. He su›ered the indignity of lying on the floor, replacing actor Ian Keith. Despite pleading from the studio, Wayne would never again appear in a Columbia film. Director Louis King (¡898–¡962), the younger brother of Henry King, started in the business as a character actor, often playing the roles of drunks and derelicts. By ¡927 he had switched to directing B-Westerns for FBO (Film Booking O‡ce), the predecessor of RKO. After helming more than a dozen films in two years, King signed with Columbia, where he directed

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The Desert Trail

several Buck Jones Westerns. The Deceiver was one of four films he directed for the studio in ¡93¡. As the decade continued, King found himself directing low-budget motion pictures in Mexico, as well as episodes of the Charlie Chan and Bulldog Drummond series in Hollywood. His last directorial e›ort was the forgettable Massacre (¡956). The male lead, Arizona native Lloyd Hughes (¡896–¡958) was a silent era star with a considerable following. Starting in ¡9¡8, he played opposite many of the top female actresses of the time. His most famous films of the ¡920s were The Sea Hawk (¡924), The Lost World (¡925), Irene (¡926), American Beauty (¡927) and The Mysterious Island (¡929). After The Deceiver, he would star

in only seven more films, then retire from the screen in ¡940. Over a span of 30 years (¡924– 56), Ian Keith (¡899–¡960), appeared in over 90 films. Besides The Big Trail with Wayne, he was also in The Sign of the Cross (¡932), Cleopatra (¡934), Mary of Scotland (¡936), The Buccaneer (¡938), The Sea Hawk (¡940), The Three Musketeers (¡948) and The Ten Commandments (¡956). From ¡93¡ to ¡935, the female lead, Alabama native Dorothy Sebastian (¡906–57), was married to William (Hopalong Cassidy) Boyd. The former Ziegfeld girl was featured in over 50 films from ¡925 to ¡948 including Reap the Wild Wind and The Miracle of the Bells (¡948).

The Desert Trail April 22, ¡935. 54 minutes. John Wayne, Mary Kornman, Paul Fix, Eddy Chandler, Carmen LaRoux, Lafe McKee, Henry Hall, Al Ferguson, Anita Compillo, Frank Ball, Artie Ortego, Lew Meehan, Wally West, Frank Brownlee, Frank Ellis, Dick Dickinson, Silver Tip Baker, Theodore Lorch, Fred Parker, Jack Evans, Tommy Coats, Ray Henderson, Tex Palmer, Gordon DeMain (aka DeMaine). Monogram. Producer Paul Malvern; Director Cullen Lewis; Story & Screenplay Lindsley Parsons; Photography Archie J. Stout; Technical Director E.R. Hickson; Editor Carl Pierson; Music Lee Zahler; Recording Engineer David S. Stoner REVIEWS: “Another routine series entry.” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia (Phil Hardy, Overlook Press, ¡983); “[M]aybe as good as any John Wayne’s turned out…. Wayne, who was a grid athlete at Southern California U. can still stand a few pointers on acting, but he’s OK with the athletic stu›.” Variety (August 2¡, ¡935); “Regulation western well filled with all the familiar ingredients of outdoor action dramas … satisfactorily fills the bill for its class of entertainment.” The Film Daily (August 20, ¡935) SYNOPSIS: Rodeo star John Scott ( John

Wayne) and his sidekick, a gambler named Kansas Charlie (Eddy Chandler), arrive in Rattlesnake Gulch to discover that the rodeo company will only pay them a fraction of the prize money due John. At gunpoint, they take the money owed them. After they leave, two outlaws, Pete and Jim (Al Ferguson and Paul Fix), hold up the o‡ce and murder the clerk. While John visits the beautiful but greedy Juanita (Carmen La Roux), Kansas is arrested for the murder. He escapes and goes to Juanita’s, where Pete holds up John and Kansas for their bankroll. John adopts the alias of John Jones and Kansas poses as the Rev. Harry Smith. John and Kansas trail Pete to Poker City where Jim lives with his sister Anne (Mary Kornman). Jim wants to go straight, but Pete blackmails him into robbing the stagecoach. John and Kansas are accused of the robbery, but Jim helps them escape from jail, When Jim refuses to help Pete rob a bank, Pete shoots him. John and Kansas chase Pete on horseback, followed by Anne, who has heard Jim’s deathbed confession. Pete is arrested, but when Kansas pretends to marry John and Anne, they opt for a legal ceremony. N OTES : This fourteenth Lone Star– Monogram Western was distributed by Re-

Donovan’s Reef public. Filmed in early February ¡935 at the Trem Carr Ranch in Newhall. Film was budgeted at $¡2,000 with Wayne receiving $¡250. Remake of the ¡93¡ Ti›any Western The Ridin’ Fool which starred Bob Steele. Cast members Gordon DeMain, Artie Ortego and Dick Dickinson appeared in both films. Anita Compillo’s one scene was edited from the released version of the film. Mary Kornman’s (¡9¡7–73) film career came to a climax in ¡940. Over a period of four years, beginning at the age of five in the early ¡920s, the blonde-haired tyke with curly hair would be featured in 4¡ Our Gang comedy shorts. At the age of ¡7, she costarred in this Western, as Wayne’s leading lady. Actress Carmen LaRoux had a ¡2-year film career (¡927–39) which encompassed 20 motion pictures, mostly B-Westerns, including Two Gun Caballero (¡93¡), The California Trail (¡933) and Cheyenne Rides Again (¡937). Iowaborn Eddy Chandler (¡894–¡948) had a much longer career in front of the camera. From ¡9¡6 to ¡947 he had over 200 film credits. His specialty was playing law enforcement o‡cials or non-commissioned military o‡cers. In the year ¡939, the prolific actor had parts in 29 films including Gone with the Wind, The Roaring Twenties, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and They Made Me a Criminal. He also supported Wayne in In Old Oklahoma. Most of bit player Fred Parker’s roles in films were uncredited. He appeared in over ¡00 motion pictures over a ¡5-year period (¡925–40) including The Dude Wrangler (¡930), The Fighting Texans (¡933), The Lone Rider (¡934), and Pals of the Silver

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Sage (¡940). His other Wayne films were The Dawn Rider, Paradise Canyon, Westward Ho, The New Frontier, Lawless Range and The Lawless Nineties. Texas-born Floyd “Silver Tip” Baker (¡886–¡943) was another of the nameless, myriad actors who populated the B-Westerns of the ¡930s. In almost all of his nearly ¡00 screen appearances (including Riders of the Desert, Son of Oklahoma, Wagon Trail, Powdersmoke Range and Of Mice and Men), he could be recognized by his long, drooping mustache. Between ¡934 and ¡935 Frank Ball (Francis Mallory Ball, Sr., ¡876–¡968) had minor roles in five Wayne B-Westerns, The Star Packer (¡934), Texas Terror (¡935), Rainbow Valley (¡935) and The New Frontier (¡935). The actor could also be seen in Pueblo Terror (¡93¡), The Fighting Champ (¡932), The Kid Ranger (¡936), The Gun Ranger (¡937), Law of the Ranger (¡937), Paroled to Die (¡938) and Nick Carter— Master Detective (¡939). His career output of more than 50 low-budget films were mostly produced at long forgotten studios with the names Cosmos, Big 4, Supreme, and Superior. Minnesota native James Lew Meehan (¡890–¡95¡) appeared in over ¡65 films between ¡92¡ and ¡944. For the character actor with the flattened and crooked nose, almost all his roles were in Westerns or chapterplays. He also supported Wayne in Range Feud and The Lawless Nineties. Opened at the Arena Theater in New York City, for a two-day run, as part of a double-bill on August ¡9, ¡935.

Donovan’s Reef July ¡963. ¡09 minutes. John Wayne, Lee Marvin, Elizabeth Allen, Jack Warden, Cesar Romero, Dorothy Lamour, Jacqueline Malouf, Mike Mazurki, Marcel Dalio, Jon Fong, Cheryline Lee, Tim Sta›ord, Carmen Estrabeau, Yvonne Peattie, Frank Baker, Edgar Buchanan, Patrick Wayne, Charles Seel, Chuck Roberson, Mae Marsh, Major Sam Harris, Dick Foran, Cli› Lyons, John Sta›ord,

Aissa Wayne, Harold Fong, Sara Taft, Carl M. Leviness, Fred Jones, H.W. Gim, Clyde Cook, Scott Seaton, Duke Green, King Lockwood, William W. Burnside, Jr., Ralph Volkie, June Y. Kim, Midori, Ron Nyman, Sara Taft, Fred Jones, Tom Hennesy, Michelle Mazurki, Hal Needham. Paramount. Director and Producer John Ford; Scenarists Frank Nugent, James Edward Grant; From a story by Edmund Beloin;

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Donovan’s Reef (Paramount, ¡963). John Wayne

Adapted by James Michener; Photography William Clothier; Art Directors Hal Pereira, Eddie Imazu; Set Decorators Sam Comer, Darrell Silvera; Costumes Edith Head; Music Cyril J. Mockridge; Editor Otho Lovering; Sound Hugo Grenzbach; Assistant Director Wingate Smith REVIEWS: “Mr. Wayne, in yachting cap and dungarees, is no di›erent from Mr. Wayne at ease with a ¡0-gallon hat and six-shooters. He is still as massive as a moose….” The New York Times (A. H. Weiler, July 25, ¡963) ; “Donovan’s Reef for a director of John Ford’s stature, is a potboiler.” Variety ( June ¡9, ¡963); “[Donovan’s Reef] is a beautiful example of cinematic art, and the atavistic desire to let the movie sweep over the spectator without disruptive analysis is at least understandable.” The John Ford Movie Mystery (Andrew Sarris, Indiana University Press, ¡975); “[It] never ceases

being a comedy; its characters are unfashionably middle-aged and banal, and Haleakaloha’s dark side is whimsically reduced to symbol.” John Ford: The Man and His Films (Tag Gallagher, University of California Press, ¡986); “[It] deals with the same basic concepts as does The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, but in ways so indirect, both visually and in the narrative, that it was ‘out of touch’ with its audience in ¡963 and is still a misunderstood film even among Ford admirers.” The Non-Western Films of John Ford ( J.A. Place, Citadel Press, ¡979); “[A] pleasant enough little movie saved from banality by relatively intelligent dialogue and a complete lack of pretension when it comes to the purity of corn or the exploitation of a cliché…. It’s good, clean simple-minded fun and the kids will love it.” The New York Herald Tribune ( Judith Crist, July 25, ¡963); “[M]ost of the film is intolerable Technicolored tara-

Donovan’s Reef diddle, absolutely the worst movie ever directed by the illustrious John Ford. Watching him make such stu› is like watching Esco‡er make mudpies.” Time Magazine (August 2, ¡963) SYNOPSIS: Each December 7 since World War II, the tranquillity of the beautiful Polynesian island of Haleakaloha is endangered when Thomas “Boats” Gilhooley (Lee Marvin) arrives for his annual birthday brawl with friend Michael “Guns” Donovan ( John Wayne), proprietor of the island’s saloon, Donovan’s Reef. Keeping with tradition, the fight is stopped by Doc Dedham ( Jack Warden), former commander of the two combatants, who urges them to find some more peaceful expressions of their long association. It was these three Americans, Guns, Boats and Doc, marooned on the isle when it was in Japanese hands, who joined with Haleakaloha’s hereditary princess Manulani to expel the invaders. Doc and the princess eventually wed, and she bore him three children before dying. Since the war, the three boisterous Americans have been embraced by the island’s mixture of Polynesian, Chinese and French cultures. This harmony is threatened when Donovan learns that Doc’s daughter from his first marriage, Bostonbred Amelia Dedham (Elizabeth Allen), is on her way to the island. As head of the family shipping line, she stands to gain ownership if her father can be shown to be morally unfit (by Boston standards) to run the company. Doc is making the rounds of the outer islands, so Michael devises a plan to hide the fact of Dedham’s three native-born children from the Bostonian. “Uncle Guns” becomes father to Leilani, Sally and Luki ( Jacqueline Malouf, Cheryline Lee, Tim Sta›ord), and the rest of the island joins in the deception. A stormy love-hate relationship develops between Michael and Amelia as the latter becomes less prim and patronizing, and begins to succumb to the charms of Polynesia. Though Amelia eventually learns of the deception and discovers that her father has no interest at all in the family company, she has by now shed many of her prejudices. She is genuinely thrilled to learn that she is the sister of the three children. As the island’s Christmas celebrations come to a close, Amelia makes plans to return

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to Boston. Through encouragement from Leilani and Doc, she gains the courage to face up to her love of Guns Donovan. Harmony is restored to Haleakaloha as a permanent “pax” is formed between the two lovers.—TAL NOTES: Filmed on the Hawaiian island of Kauai between July 23 and September ¡962 under the working title The Climate of Love. Interiors were completed at the Paramount lot in Hollywood. Budgeted at $3,580,000, the motion picture completed production at a negative cost of $2,686,585. Add overhead charges of $805,260 (at 30 percent), and the cost of the film was placed at $3,49¡,260. From a domestic box o‡ce gross of $9,000,000, it earned rentals of $3,300,000. Worldwide rentals exceeded $5,753,600. Wayne was paid $600,000 and ¡0 percent of the gross receipts after recoupment of expenses. Under the title Gunner’s Mate, James Edward Grant submitted his script on April 5, ¡962. In it, the story concluded with the Wayne and Elizabeth Allen characters getting married and leaving the chapel for an idyllic existence. When Ford expressed serious reservations with the plot, he brought on Frank Nugent to do rewrites. The rewrites continued throughout the actual filming process. For female lead Elizabeth Allen (born Elizabeth Allen Gillease, ¡934– ), this feature would mark her third screen appearance. Although she guested frequently on television, her only previous films roles had been in From the Terrace (¡960) and Diamond Head (¡963). The actress’ entire screen output would consist of six films in ¡2 years. She did, however, appear in five television series including Bracken’s World (¡969), The Paul Lynde Show (¡972), C.P.O. Sharkey (¡976) starring Don Rickles and Texas (¡980). James Michener (¡907–97), who accepted the assignment to adapt the Edmund Beloin story, is better known for his many popular works of fiction and non-fiction including Tales of the South Pacific (¡947), Bridges at Toko-Ri (¡953) Sayonara (¡954), Hawaii (¡959), Caravans (¡963), Centennial (¡974), Space (¡982), Texas (¡985) and Alaska (¡988). Character actress Yvonne Peattie Marquard (¡9¡7–90) was a graduate of the Pasadena Playhouse who appeared in just 22 films including The Young Philadelphians, Big Bad Mama II, Dead Heat and The Big Pic-

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ture. She spent ¡6 years on radio as a regular on three shows, Lux Radio Theater, Dragnet and Richard Diamond, and made guest appearances on numerous television programs including Dragnet and Highway to Heaven. Carmen Estrabeau, who played one of the nuns, was the wife of cinematographer William Clothier. Young Tim Sta›ord was the son of Anna Lee. Ford wanted Lee to be in the film, but she had already contracted to appear in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane. Michelle Mazurki, daughter of Mike, worked in the film as an extra and, for one sequence, due to her height, served as Wayne’s stand-in for camera set-ups. Character actor Jack Warden (¡920– ) turned to acting after serving as a paratrooper in World War II. Throughout the ¡950s and ¡960s he alternated between stints in motion pictures and television assignments. Although he frequently appeared in war movies, the actor was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for roles in the comedies Shampoo (¡975) and Heaven Can Wait (¡978). Other memorable characterizations were created in Run Silent Run Deep (¡958), The Thin Red Line (¡964), The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing (¡973), All the President’s Men (¡976), And Justice for All (¡979) and Used Cars (¡980). On television,

Warden had the lead role in the service comedy, The Wackiest Ship in the Army (¡965-66, NBC) and the detective series N.Y.P.D. (¡967– 69, ABC). A suave star for over 60 years, Cesar Romero (¡907–94) was a direct descendant of of the Cuban patriot Jose Marti. Born in New York City, he danced in nightclubs and on Broadway, then moved to Hollywood in the early ¡930s. He made his motion picture debut in ¡934 in MGM’s The Thin Man. Other roles quickly followed, including John Ford’s Wee Willie Winkie, British Agent, Metropolitan and My Lucky Star. Between ¡939 and ¡94¡ he starred in six Cisco Kid Westerns for Fox. During World War II, Romero served in the Coast Guard then resumed his career appearing in Carnival in Costa Rica, Captain from Castille, That Lady in Ermine and Deep Waters. In the ¡950s and ¡960s as he continued his film career, he worked in television on Playhouse 90, Zane Grey Theater, Wagon Train, Station West, Fantasy Island and Love Boat. In the mid–¡960s Romero achieved a cult status by playing the villainous Joker in the Batman (¡966–68) television series. Opening in August ¡963, at a negative cost of $3,800,000, was the robust World War II suspenser The Great Escape.

The Drop Kick September 25, ¡927. 65 minutes. Richard Barthelmess, Barbara Kent, Dorothy Revier, George Pearce, Brooks Benedict, Hedda Hopper, James Bradbury, Jr., Alberta Vaughn, Eugene Strong, Mayme Kelso, William Elliot, John Wayne. Warners–First National. Director Millard Webb; Screenplay Winifred Dunn; Based upon the article “Glitter” by Katherine Brush which appeared in College Humor magazine; Photography Arthur Edeson, Alvin Knechtel; Producer Ray Rockett; Presented by R.A. Rowland REVIEWS: “This picture has several weaknesses but should be a moderate-moneymaker with the Barthelmess name. … The football game is a weakness in production, failing to

impress as much as most of its predecessors in college pictures.” Variety (September 2¡, ¡927); “The story of The Drop Kick, Richard Barthelmess’s latest screen adventure, is one wherein the producers and others have successfully dodged anything in the form of human psychology.” The New York Times (Mordaunt Hall, September 20, ¡927) SYNOPSIS: The fall term has brought excitement, anticipation and the warm handclasp of friends to the campus of Shoreham. The most popular man on campus, especially with the ladies, is football star Jack Hamill (Richard Barthelmess). Jack’s devoted mother (Hedda Hopper) fixes up a date for her son with Cecily Graves (Barbara Kent), an acquaintance

The Drop Kick from his younger days who is not quite grown up. Though not enthusiastic, Jack agrees to be Cecily’s escort to the Thanksgiving prom. Some of his caution with the fairer sex has been caused by a former romantic alliance with Eunice Hathaway (Dorothy Revier), now married to Jack’s coach and best friend, Brad (Eugene Strong). Eunice is the only bride on campus, but she does not intend to let it cramp her style. “Let’s get this straight once and for all,” insists Jack in the face of her repeated advances, “Brad is my best friend, and you are now his wife.” “Don’t be a crepe hanger,” pouts the over-sexed vamp. “What’s a husband between friends?” When Jack takes Cecily to the prom, Eunice looks on with jealousy. At the dance, Jack neglects his duties as Cecily’s escort and she is embarrassed by a lout who tries to become too familiar. Leaving the dance in tears, she confesses to Jack. “I don’t know how to be like these other girls. I just can’t kiss and pet the way the boys expect me to.” Jack’s interest in Cecily deepens. Over the next few days the two fall in love. Fate, however, has a way of reserving its cruelest blows for our happiest moments. On the eve of the big ShorehamCentral game, the Dean discovers financial indiscretions in Brad’s bookkeeping. Desperate to keep Eunice in the expensive lifestyle she expects, the coach has taken money from the football budget. Facing disgrace and dismissal, Brad takes his life at the same moment the scheming Eunice has lured Jack to the house to try to seduce him. She even convinces the hapless football star that Brad committed suicide because he saw the two of them together in the bedroom. Using Brad’s loyalty to his old friend, Eunice blackmails Jack into a marriage proposal. Jack asks Cecily to forget him forever, then despondently drags himself through the motions at the big game. His distracted play gives a touchdown to the opponents and draws boos from the crowd. He is benched through the second half but finally determines to help the team, behind 7–6, in the game’s final minute with a couple of good runs and a tremendous field goal drop-kicked from the 40 yard line. The joy of victory is made complete by Jack’s mother, who has exposed the truth and convinced Eunice to take a long visit to Europe. Jack is happily reunited with Cecily.—TAL

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NOTES : Wayne was one of ten college football players (from Stanford, USC and UCLA), selected to appear as stand-ins and extras in the grandstands during the climactic Shorham-Central game. A veteran of over 60 features, Richard Barthelmess (¡895–¡963) played his first starring role in The Hope Chest (¡9¡6). Earning upwards of $8500 a week, he reached his peak of popularity in the late ’20s. The actor co-starred in the breathtaking war film The Dawn Patrol (¡930), opposite a rising Bette Davis in Cabin in the Cotton (¡932) and in the pale comedy Heroes for Sale (¡933) with Loretta Young. By the mid–’30s his career had gone into rapid decline. Although still appearing in films (he was Rita Hayworth’s husband in Only Angels Have Wings), the roles became more infrequent and less substantial. Canadian-born Barbara Kent (Barbara Klowtman, ¡906– ) appeared in almost 50 films from the mid–¡920s to ¡94¡. Her better known motion pictures were Flesh and the Devil (¡927), The Lone Eagle (¡927), The Shakedown (¡929), What Men Want (¡930), Indiscreet (¡93¡), Vanity Fair (¡932), Oliver Twist (¡933) and Under Age (¡94¡). Starting in ¡9¡7, Millard Webb (¡893–¡935) was one of the pioneer directors of the silent era. He was also a pilot who enjoyed transporting his stars from Hollywood to their location sites. The director’s last three films were made in Europe in ¡934. Blonde-haired Dorothy Revier (born Doris Velegra, ¡904–93) played a variety of seductive roles throughout the ¡920s and early ¡930s, becoming a star with a large male following. Her ¡922 Hollywood debut, The Broadway Madonna, was directed by her first husband, Harry J. Revier. Before ending her screen career with Buck Jones in several low-budget B-Westerns, she could boast of a productive career that included over 90 films including The Virgin (¡924), Sealed Lips (¡925), When the Wife’s Away (¡926), The Tigress (¡927), The Siren (¡927), Submarine (¡928), The Iron Mask (¡929), The Way of All Men (¡930), Anybody’s Blonde (¡93¡), Widow in Scarlet (¡932), Above the Clouds (¡933), The Fighting Ranger (¡934) and The Cowboy and the Kid (¡936). The self-styled “Queen” of Hollywood gossip columnists from ¡938 right up to the time of her death in ¡966, Hedda Hopper (¡890–¡966), along with Louella Parsons

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El Dorado

and Walter Winchell, would hold sway in the press with a newspaper column that could make or break the careers of the hopefuls. Appearing irregularly in films from ¡9¡6, after she married actor DeWolf Hopper, right up to the time of her death, she had roles in over ¡00 motion pictures including Alice Adams (¡935), Dracula’s Daughter (¡936), Topper (¡937), Tarzan’s Revenge (¡938), Sunset Blvd. (¡950), Pepe (¡960) and The Oscar (¡966). She would become one of the staunchest anti–Communists in Hollywood and, in a vindictive manner, chastise those performers who were left of center and did not agree with her extreme political views. William Elliot (¡903–65), born Gordon Nance in Missouri, made his screen debut in Clara Bow’s The Plastic Age (¡925). By the mid–¡930s he had appeared in over 60

films, mainly Westerns of the “B” variety. It was while filming the thrilling Western serial The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickock (¡938) that Elliott, with his twin reversedaround-the waist six-shooters, became eternally known as “Wild Bill.” By ¡940 Elliott had risen to the ranks of the top ten Western stars in the nation. Joining Columbia in ¡943, he began appearing in an average of six films a year. Tucson Raiders (¡944) became the first of Elliott’s ¡6 Red Ryder adventures. By the time the actor retired from the screen in ¡957, he had appeared in over ¡70 films. The film was released in England with the title Glitter. In New York, the footballthemed adventure played at the Mark Strand Theater.

El Dorado June 9, ¡967. ¡27 minutes. John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, James Caan, Charlene Holt, Paul Fix, Arthur Hunnicutt, Michele Carey, R.G. Armstrong, Edward Asner, Johnny Crawford, Christopher George, Robert Rothwell, Adam Roarke, Chuck Courtney, Robert Donner, John Gabriel, Jim Davis, Marina Ghane, Anne Newman, Diane Strom, Victoria George, Anthony Rogers, Olaf Wieghorst, William Henry, Nacho Galindo, John Mitchum, Chuck Roberson, Buzz Henry, Neil Summers, Don Collier, Dean Smith, Danny Sands, Charlita, Rosa Turich, Polly Burson, Walt LaRue, Gary Combs, Chuck Hayward, Rodolfo Hoyos, Lee Powell, Ralph Volkie, Dean Pettinger, Enrique Contreras, Riley Hill, John Strachen, Mike Letz, Betty Graham, Richard Andrade, Ruben Moreno, Robert Shelton, Linda Dangcil, Myrna MacMurray, Bonnie Charyl Josephson, Joe Garcio, Christopher West, Frank Leyva, Joe Canutt. Paramount. Directed and Produced by Howard Hawks; Screenplay Leigh Brackett; Based on the novel The Stars in Their Courses by Harry Brown; Music Nelson Riddle; Associate Producer Paul Helmick; Photography Harold Rosson;

Editor John Woodcock; Art Directors Hal Pereira, Carl Anderson; Set Decorator Ray Moyer; Assistant Director Andrew J. Durkis; Sound John Carter, Charles Grenzbach; Title song sung by George Alexander and the Mellowmen; Paintings Olaf Wieghorst; Makeup Wally Westmore; Stunt Co-ordinator Chuck Roberson REVIEWS: “[A]n excellent oater drama, laced with adroit comedy and action relief, and set o› by strong casting, superior direction and solid production.” Variety ( June ¡4, ¡967); “[A] tough laconic and amusing Western that ambles across the screen as easily as the two veteran stars.” The New York Times ( June 29, ¡967); “John Wayne and Robert Mitchum … work well together.” The New York Daily News ( June 29, ¡967); “The heavyweight crown in boxing may be up for grabs, but in the movies it is still firmly planted on the balding head of John Wayne. In El Dorado, though his lope may be a bit arthritic, the Duke still greets the opposition on a fist-come, fist-served basis, and the wrongo who tries to outdraw him still winds up feeling kind of shot….” Time Magazine ( July 28, ¡967); “Instead of action, the

El Dorado

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El Dorado (Paramount, ¡967). John Wayne, Robert Mitchum

film pro›ers a rather pleasing, rough-andready kind of humor—a man-to-man joshing that goes on between virtually all the members of the cast. It makes for a less exciting kind of Western then those hard-riding, hardshooting thrillers of the past, but one perhaps more suited to a time when blacks and whites

have disappeared in favor of Technicolor shadings.” Saturday Review (Arthur Knight, July ¡5, ¡967); “It’s a limping, beat-up over-age embodiment of all Westerns in one guaranteed to put you o› rather than on.” NBC Television Today Show ( Judith Crist, July ¡967) SYNOPSIS: There is tension in the reunion

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in El Dorado of two old friends with reputations for being quick on the draw. Sheri› J.P. Harrah (Robert Mitchum) greets Cole Thornton ( John Wayne) with a loaded rifle until he is sure that his old friend has not been hired to kill him. Harrah is caught in the middle of a battle over control of water rights. On one side is rancher Kevin MacDonald (R.G. Armstrong), who will not bend to the pressure of unscrupulous businessman Bart Jason (Ed Asner). When Thornton realizes why Jason has sent for his gun, he assures his friend that he will decline the job. Bidding adios to his old flame, Maudie (Charlene Holt), Thornton rides out to the Jason spread to turn down his o›er. Riding warily from the hostile camp, Cole crosses onto MacDonald land where he encounters one of Kevin’s sons, left atop a rock as a lookout. When the boy jumps up and fires a signal shot, Thornton, thinking he is a target, instinctively drops him. Gut-shot, the frightened boy kills himself. Thornton takes the corpse to the MacDonald house to explain what has happened. MacDonald’s daughter, Joey (Michele Carey), rides o› from the grieving family and later ambushes Cole as he rides through their land. Thornton leaves El Dorado with a bullet lodged too close to his spine for the local sawbones to remove. Months later, in a cantina near the Mexican border, Cole meets a young man named Mississippi ( James Caan) whom he helps keep alive in a fracas with one of gunman Dan McLeod’s (Christopher George) henchmen. McLeod and his men are heading to El Dorado to join Jason as hired guns to go up against Harrah. Cole and Mississippi ride on ahead to find that the sheri› is a drunken wreck after a woman with big, sad eyes broke his heart. Assisted by his friends and deputy Bull Thomas (Arthur Hunnicutt), the struggling Harrah tries to resume his duties against Jason’s growing army of gunslingers. In a bold play which takes his adversaries by surprise, Harrah arrests Jason, holding him in the jail while McLeod plots to rescue his employer. Cole and Mississippi thwart one rescue attempt but the bullet in Cole’s spine causes a paralysis which makes the gunman helpless as he is taken prisoner by the gang. McLeod proposes a trade—Thornton for Jason. Harrah, knowing his friend would do

the same for him, reluctantly accepts the proposal. The next day, Jason forces a showdown when he captures one of the MacDonald boys and threatens his death unless the old rancher signs over the water rights. Though paralyzed in one arm, Thornton takes a rifle and has Maudie help him into a buckboard to ride down the dark street. When Harrah, Bull and Mississippi begin their attack on the saloon, Cole, who has engaged McLeod in conversation on the porch, jumps from his wagon perch and fires his rifle from the dirt, taking the hired gunman by surprise. A bullet from the gun of Joey MacDonald spells the end for Jason and peace is restored to El Dorado.—TAL NOTES: In production from October 8 to November 22, ¡965, in Old Tucson, Sonoita Creek, Oak Bar Ranch, the Amado Ranch, Avra Valley and Pantano Creek, Arizona. Interior filming continued until mid–February ¡966. Thirty-six days of exteriors were shot at Old Tucson, Arizona, and nine weeks of interior work was filmed at the Paramount Studios in Hollywood. Budgeted at $3,846,000, the negative cost came to $4,535,322. Wayne received a salary of $750,000 plus a substantial percentage of the film’s profits. Robert Mitchum was paid $300,000 with no profit participation. James Caan received $¡000 a week for ¡4 weeks’ work. From a domestic box o‡ce gross of $¡6,000,000, the film earned rentals of $6,000,000 in the North American market. In the Orient, England and particularly France it was a huge commercial and critical success. The Western opened in Japan (December ¡7, ¡966) a good six months before its American debut in June ¡967. Buzz Henry doubled James Caan and Polly Burson doubled Michele Carey. Hawks had hoped to secure the services of Walter Brennan to repeat his role from Rio Bravo, but when he proved to be unavailable, Arthur Hunnicutt was signed. Arkansas-born Hunnicutt (¡9¡¡–79) was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the ¡952 Hawks Western The Big Sky. The actor started on Broadway in the ¡930s in playwright William Saroyan’s Love’s Old Sweet Song. He would appear in 25 plays and over 30 motion pictures including Cat Ballou, Harry and Tonto, Broken Arrow, The Red Badge of Courage and Distant Drums. Harold

The Fighting Kentuckian Rosson (¡895–¡988) was a cinematographer from ¡9¡5 to ¡967. El Dorado would be his last screen work. Rosson was a much celebrated and venerated director of photography whose work encompassed all the genres of Hollywood. Arriving in Hollywood with his two brothers and a sister in the early part of the twentieth century, the entire family would soon become enamored by the motion picture business. His brothers would gravitate towards directing while his sister became a silent era actress. Rosson started out as an actor but quickly moved his talents behind the camera. He worked with DeMille and Allan Dwan during the silent era and became Jean Harlow’s third husband in ¡933. Nominated for four Oscars (Boom Town, ¡940, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, ¡944, The Asphalt Jungle, ¡950, The Bad Seed, ¡956), Rosson also filmed many other notable films including Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (¡928), The Squaw Man (¡93¡), Treasure Island (¡934), The Wizard of Oz (¡939), Duel in the Sun (¡947), On the Town (¡949) and Singin’ in the Rain (¡952). Actor Adam Roarke (Richard Jordan Gerler, ¡938–96) was a veteran of over

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30 films. He appeared in such television series as Star Trek, The Mod Squad and The Man from U.N.C.L.E., then moved on to roles in several biker films, including Hell’s Angels on Wheels with newcomer Jack Nicholson. Roarke also appeared in The Stunt Man opposite Peter O’Toole and the social commentary Play It as It Lays. Stuntman and wrangler Danny Sands (¡9¡4–98), a New Mexico native, started working in the film industry in ¡937. Over the years he doubled James Cagney, Ingrid Bergman and Barbara Stanwyck. His résumé includes Shane, The Robe, Bad Day at Black Rock, The Hallelujah Trail, Hombre and The Wild Bunch. On television he guested on almost all of the classic Western shows including, Gunsmoke, Rawhide and Maverick. The biggest box o‡ce flop of the ¡967 season was the Julie Andrew–Rock Hudson $20,000,000 musical Darling Lili. El Dorado’s first television broadcast was on September ¡9, ¡97¡. With an audience viewing share of 40 percent, the movie was one of the ten most watched programs of the week.

The Fighting Kentuckian September ¡5, ¡949. ¡00 minutes. John Wayne, Vera Ralston, Oliver Hardy, Philip Dorn, Marie Windsor, John Howard, Hugo Haas, Grant Withers, Odette Myrtil, Paul Fix, Mae Marsh, Jack Pennick, Mickey Simpson, Fred Graham, Mabelle Koenig, Shy Waggner, Crystal White, Hank Worden, Charles Cane, Cli› Lyons, Chuck Roberson, Al Murphy, William Hanes, Fred Libby, Steve Darrell, Ralph Dunn, Michael Ross, Dave Anderson, Billy Green, Jock Mahoney, Dick Alexander, Noble “Kid” Chissell, Henry Wills, Albert Morin, Tony Travers, Charles Andre, Chuck Hayward, John “Bear” Hudkins, Terry Wilson, Roydon Clark, Walt LaRue, John “Blackie” Whiteford, Roy Acu› & His Smokey Mountain Boys. Republic. A John Wayne Production. Directed and Written by George Waggner; Photography Lee Garmes; Camera Operator

Harry Webb; Editor Richard L. Van Enger; Assistant Editor Bill Lewis; Art Director James Sullivan; Orchestrations R. Dale Butts; Special E›ects Howard Lydecker, Theodore Lydecker; Musical Score George Antheil; Costumes Adele Palmer; Uniforms D.R. Overall-Hatswell; Assistant Director Lee Lukather; Sound Dick Tyler, Howard Wilson; Set Decorators John McCarthy, Jr., George Milo; Stunt Coordinator Cli› Lyons; Makeup Supervisor Bob Mark; Makeup Webb Overlander, Don Cash, Cecil Holland; Hairstylist Peggy Gray; Production Manager Kenny Holmes; Script Supervisor Dorothy Yutzi; Ga›er Vic Jones; Grip Benny Bishop; Stills Don Keyes; Songs, “Let Me Down,” “Oh Hangman,” “Kentucky Marching Song” Lyrics George Waggner; Arrangement George Antheil REVIEWS: “Mr. Wayne is, as usual, hand-

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The Fighting Kentuckian

The Fighting Kentuckian (Repubic, ¡949). Wayne, Jack Pennick, Oliver Hardy, Vera Ralston

some, laconic and a formidable lad with his fists, firearms and the ladies. He is less than formidable as a producer.” The New York Times (A.W., September ¡9, ¡949); “It is distinguished visually by Lee Garmes’ deep focus photography but other wise gives little cause to stick in the mind.” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, A.S. Barnes, ¡976) ; “[R]outine outing….” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia (Phil Hardy, The Overlook Press, ¡983); “[This] looks like Republic’s box o‡ce champ for the ¡949-50 season…. There is su‡cient novelty to this typical rugged Wayne-type story to spell plenty box o‡ce…. Wayne embarks here as a producer and does very well even if the camera constantly is on him.” Variety (September ¡5, ¡949). SYNOPSIS: The defeat at Waterloo means imprisonment for Napoleon and exile for his

loyal o‡cers and their families. The bewildered remnants of the emperor’s Guard turn to America, where an Act of Congress allows them to carve out four townships in the territory of Alabama. Led by Gen. DeMarchand (Hugo Haas) and Col. Geraud (Philip Dorn), the settlers create the thriving community of Demopolis despite the mistrust of the local river men. On a shopping trip to Mobile, DeMarchand’s lovely daughter Fleurette (Vera Ralston) meets a rugged rifleman, John Breen ( John Wayne), of the Second Kentucky regiment, marching home after five years of soldiering. Captivated by the girl’s charms, the fighting Kentuckian declares, “They’re leavin’. I’m stayin’!” At Demopolis he formally bids goodbye to his regiment to begin the ardent wooing of Fleurette. To John’s surprise and delight, his comrade-in-arms, bugler Willie

The Fighting Kentuckian Paine (Oliver Hardy) remains behind with him. The general and his wife are aware of Fleurette’s attraction to the Kentuckian, but insist on her obligation to marry the wealthy owner of the riverboat system, Blake Randolph ( John Howard). The general hopes to secure the future of his community by cementing a relationship with the influential leader. Randolph hopes to control the French lands, having helped hatch a plot with the boss of the river men, George Hayden (Grant Withers), and two other shady confederates, Beau Merritt (Paul Fix) and tavern singer Ann Logan (Marie Windsor). Posing as surveyors, John and Willie discover evidence that the original stakes of the land grant have been moved and that the French have settled on the wrong land—land which Hayden’s river men secretly plan to seize for themselves. When the General confronts the frontiersman over his love of Fleurette, John reluctantly agrees to allow the prearranged marriage to Randolph to take place if he cannot find the evidence to prove that the wealthy businessman is behind some shady dealings. Breen corners Ann and Beau Merritt, forcing the confession that Randolph, truly in love with Fleurette, has paid o› Hayden to leave the French alone. The doublecrossing Hayden murders Beau, Ann and Randolph as his band of river men prepare to invade the French settlement. John sends Willie Payne galloping after the regiment encamped at nearby Catawba to hear a speech from Andy Jackson. Hotly pursued by Hayden’s men, Breen rides on to warn the French who, because of the Kentuckian’s suspicions, have prepared themselves for the worst. John’s horse falls just in front of the French lines where the plucky Fleurette throws him his long rifle in time for him to shoot the oncoming Hayden. As the river men attack their lands, the outnumbered French fight bravely. The timely arrival of the Second Kentucky Riflemen breaks the attack and the river men are routed. The front lawn of the DeMarchand home becomes a wedding chapel as John and Fleurette bid adieu to Willie and the regiment.—TAL NOTES: While in production from March 9 to April 29, ¡949, the production was, at di›erent times, known as Eagles in Exile and A

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Strange Caravan. Filmed at the Fox Ranch in Agoura, California, and locations in the northwest San Fernando Valley. This was the second John Wayne production for Republic. Budgeted at $¡,¡25,800, the completed negative cost came to $¡,334,664. In its first year of release, the motion picture earned domestic rentals of $¡,750,5¡8. Republic (after including overhead, advertising and prints) claimed the film lost $365,808. Overseas distribution and subsequent reissues brought the film solidly into the profit column. Wayne received $¡75,052 as his ¡0 percent share of the domestic rentals. Other salaries: Stunt-coordinator Cli› Lyons earned $3200 plus overtime at the rate of $500 a week; George Antheil (music) received $4000; director and scenarist George Waggner was paid $52,500. Wayne’s sidekick in this film, Georgia-born Oliver Hardy (¡892–¡957), achieved international fame as half of the comedy team of Laurel and Hardy. By the age of eight he was already working in local minstrel shows throughout the South, and by 2¡ was acting in film shorts at a studio in Florida. Hardy’s silent film output, mostly two-reel shorts between ¡9¡4 and ¡929, exceeded 300. In ¡926 the rotund actor teamed with Londonborn comedian Stan Laurel for the two-reel short Forty-Five Minutes from Hollywood (¡926); the following year, sensing a breakthrough, the team signed with MGM. During their peak years in the ’30s they would have a fan club in Europe that numbered 2,000,000 members; under producer Hal Roach’s guidance, Laurel and Hardy starred in a number of well-received comedies including Pardon Us (¡93¡), Sons of the Desert (¡933), Babes in Toyland (¡934), The Bohemian Girl (¡936), Blockheads (¡938), A Chump at Oxford and Saps at Sea (both ¡940). Moving to Fox in the ¡940s (without Roach), the team would make only eight features during the decade, face competition from the new Abbott and Costello duo, and never again regain the popularity they had at MGM. Their last film would be the ill-fated Italian production Atoll K that began filming in ¡950 but was not released in the United States until ¡954. The Fighting Kentuckian was Chuck Roberson’s first appearance as Wayne’s stuntman. Chuck Hayward stunts involved wagon crashes. Roy Acu› and the Smoky

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Mountain Boys were a fixture in Nashville and on the Grand Ole Opry. Born Roy Claxton Acu› (¡903–92) in Tennessee, he would sell over 30,000,000 records during his lifetime and become known as the “King of Country.” After an injury forced him to give up a promising career in baseball in the ¡920s, he migrated towards music, appearing on the road with a band, “The Crazy Tennesseans,” then “The Tennessee Cracklers.” In ¡938, his frequent appearances on the radio led to several stints with the Grand Old Opry and numerous hit records including “Wabash Cannonball,” “Wreck on the Highway,” “Fireball Mail” and “Night Train to Memphis.” In ¡982, when Acu› became the first living member to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, President Reagan stated, “His songs have told their stories—of their disappointments, of their triumphs, of their love, of their faith.” The Fighting Kentuckian was one of the several films the singer and his band appeared in during the ¡940s for Republic and Columbia. Cinematographer Lee Garmes (¡898–¡978) entered the film industry as an apprentice, right out of high school. He worked his way up from the property department to painter’s assistant and assistant cameraman, all at the Thomas Ince Studio. By the mid–¡920s he began experimenting with di›erent camera techniques as well as lighting positions and atmospheric photography. Although he did produce and direct some films, he is best known for his startling camerawork on such films as Disraeli (¡929), Scarface (¡932), Gone with the Wind (¡939, uncredited for filming nearly one-third of the production), The Jungle Book (¡942),

Since You Went Away (¡944), Duel in the Sun (¡946), The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (¡947), Detective Story (¡95¡), Land of the Pharaohs (¡955) and D-Day, the Sixth of June (¡956). Garmes, who at one time was married to Wayne co-star Ruth Hall, would remain active photographing films until the early ¡970s. Composer George Antheil (¡900–59), became famous in the ¡920s as a concert pianist in Europe. By the early ¡930s he had returned to the United States and alternated between appearing in concert halls and composing music for all types of Hollywood films including DeMille’s The Plainsman (¡937), The Buccaneer (¡938) and Union Pacific (¡939) and the epic historical picture The Pride and the Passion (¡957). Stuntman-double Henry Wills (¡92¡–94) broke his hip during filming. The veteran of almost ¡00 films between ¡938 and ¡98¡ also made appearances in the Wayne films The Searchers, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Chisum and The Cowboys. Marie Windsor’s singing voice was dubbed by Marnie Nixon, who also did the singing for Natalie Wood in Gypsy and West Side Story and for Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady. This Wayne production opened in New York City during the week of September ¡9, ¡949. Other films opening at the same time around the country included Columbia’s Blondie Hits the Jackpot, the twentyseventh picture in the Blondie series; the latest episode of Joe Palooka from Monogram, Joe Palooka in the Counterpunch, with Joe Kirkwood, Jr., as the famed pugilist; and the BWestern Son of Billy the Kid starring Lash LaRue and Al St. John.

The Fighting Seabees March 5, ¡944. ¡00 minutes. John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Dennis O’Keefe, William Frawley, Addison Richards, Leonid Kinskey, Paul Fix, J.M. Kerrigan, Ben Welden, Grant Withers, Duncan Renaldo, Ernest Golm, William Forrest, Jay Norris, Hal Taliaferro, Crane Whitley, William Hall, Charles D.

Brown, Roy Barcroft, Chief Thundercloud, Abdullah Abbas, Lee Adams, Roy Brent, Charles Sullivan, Joey Ray, Al Murphy, Gene Gary, Jean Fenwick, Charles Trowbridge, LeRoy Mason, Tom London, Clarence Straight, Billy Wayne, Paul Parry, Jack Gardner, Charles D. Brown, Robert Katcher, J. Alex

The Fighting Seabees Havier, Herbert Heyes, Forbes Murray, Frank Marlowe, Joel Allen, Terry Frost, Hugh Prosser, Nora Lane, Yakima Canutt, Roy Darmour, Bob Wilke, Bud Geary, Kenne Duncan, Adele Mara, George Sherwood, Ben Taggert, Charles Hayes, George Bruggerman, Buddy Wilkerson, Charles Mitchell, James B. Leong, Jung Lim, Clarence Lung, Walt LaRue. Republic. Directors Edward Ludwig, Robert Florey (uncredited); Associate Producer Albert J. Cohen; Screenplay & Original Story Borden Chase, Aeneas MacKenzie; Added Writers Ethel Hill, Dale Van Every; Photography William Radford; Editor Richard Van Enger; Assistant Director Phil Ford; Musical Score Walter Scharf; “Song of the Seabees” Music Peter DeRose; Lyrics Sam M.Lewis; “Where Do You WorkA, John?” Mortimer Weinberg, Charley Marks, Harry Warren, Ned Washington; Art Directors Duncan Cramer, Russell Kimball; Set Decorator Otto Siegel Second Unit Directors Joseph Kane, Yakima Canutt; Special E›ects Howard Lydecker, Theodore Lydecker; Gowns Adele; Sound Tom Carmen, Howard Wilson; Makeup Bob Littlefield; Technical Advisors Lt. Comdr. Hubert Hunter, Lt. Comdr. William McManus REVIEWS: “[P]retty lively melodrama, of the familiar bravura type, once it gets going.” The New York Times (T.M.P., March 20, ¡944); “Mark this down as one of the best to come out of the Republic studios and as a high ranking service film. It is packed with action, drama, comedy, romance and all the ingredients that go to make a screen hit. Not only is this an exploitation natural, but the incidents in the film are actually in the papers from day to day.” The Motion Picture Exhibitor ( January 26, ¡944); “John Wayne and Susan Hayward with Dennis O’Keefe completing the inevitable triangle, … do a workmanlike job. Their performances are above average.” Variety ( January ¡9, ¡944); “Despite the picture’s limited production values—it was mostly special e›ects and rear projection screens—[Wayne] manages to get across a good characterization of a man driven to action at the sight of his defenseless workers being picked o› by Japanese snipers.” John Wayne: The Actor, The Man (George Bishop, Caroline House, ¡979);“[T]he results more than justify the time, money and e›ort so

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lavishly expended on this production. For this is a picture of vast popular appeal—one that has what it takes to roll up the biggest grosses of any footage to come out of the Republic Studios.” Film Daily ( January ¡9, ¡944) SYNOPSIS: The war in the Pacific is playing havoc with the lives of construction workers in that area. Wedge Donovan ( John Wayne) is perturbed as more and more of his weaponless crew fail to return from the dangerous assignments. Lt. Comdr. Robert Yarrow (Dennis O’Keefe) suggests the formation of a construction battalion, trained and disciplined to fight by the Navy. But when the need for a crew at island X2¡4 arises, Wedge barks, “I’m not built for waiting!” He takes control of the construction crew himself, with Yarrow accompanying them as supervisor. “You make with the pencils, we’ll make with the shovels,” is the way Wedge defines their relationship. In spite of Donovan’s often abrasive manner, Connie Chesley (Susan Hayward), a news reporter covering the island, begins to warm up to this man she first described as “a hot-headed ape with a hair-trigger.” Their involvement causes more friction between Wedge and Yarrow since Connie is the lieutenant’s gal. When the Japanese attack the island, Wedge and his civilians are ordered to stay out of action. However, after a strafing plane shoots down three construction men, Wedge and his workers impulsively break into the store of weapons and mount an attack against the enemy. Wedge succeeds in ruining the Navy’s surprise attack as many of his untrained men are injured or killed. Connie, also a victim of Wedge’s poor judgment, receives a near-fatal wound. Chastised by this experience, Wedge becomes a team player with the Navy. Returning to Washington with Yarrow, he helps form the first construction battalion (nicknamed “Seabees”). Wedge, now a Lt. Commander himself, also realizes that Yarrow will be a more dependable lover for Connie and gallantly gives the Navy man the inside track to the lady’s a›ections. Fully trained and equipped, the new battalion is sent to another Pacific island to construct oil tanks for the Allied task force. Snipers continue to harass the construction men. When Wedge’s friend Eddie Powers (William Frawley) is shot, reason is over-

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The Fighting Seabees (Republic, ¡944). Dennis O’Keefe, unknown, John Wayne

ruled by emotion. Wedge leads his battalion o› to hunt the Japanese, but leaves the oil tanks unguarded. Yarrow, desperately trying to defend the sites from the enemy’s surprise attack, is wounded. Wedge gets his Seabees back to the tanks in time to turn the tide. As his body is riddled with enemy machine-gun fire, he drives an explosives-laden bulldozer into one of the tanks. The explosion fills the canyon with burning oil, trapping the attackers and ensuring their defeat. Wedge and the other casualties are honored by the Navy and their country.—TAL NOTES: Filmed between September 20 and December 5, ¡943, at the Iverson Ranch in Chatsworth, Camp Rosseau at Point Hueneme and Camp Pendleton, California. Parade ground scenes were shot on location at Camp Endicott in Davisville, Rhode Island. The Iverson segment of filming took place between October ¡8 and November 20, ¡943, with a cast that included 250 Seabees. For use of the land,

Republic paid $2500 to the Iverson brothers. While in production, this under–$700,000 budgeted film was titled Donovan’s Army. Wayne worked from September ¡3 through November 22, and earned a salary of $3¡,770.83. The director was paid $¡2,500 while Robert Florey, who directed for one week, received $¡000. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Scoring and Best Special E›ects. Second male lead Dennis O’Keefe (¡908–68) was born Edward Vance Flanagan in Iowa and, for a very short time in the mid– ¡920s, attended USC. Using the stage name Bud Flanagan, he had minor roles in several films including Cimarron (¡93¡), I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (¡932), Duck Soup (¡933) The Plainsman (¡936) and Saratoga (¡937). Signing with MGM as a contract player in the late ¡930s, he changed his name to O’Keefe and appeared in dozens of films throughout the ’40s and ’50s. Seabees was one of four films he had in release in ¡944, the oth-

Flame of Barbary Coast ers being Gary Cooper’s The Story of Dr. Wassell, Abroad with Two Yanks and Up in Mabel’s Room. Chief Thundercloud (¡889–¡955), also known as Victor Daniels, started in films as a stuntman in ¡930 and had a career which extended to ¡956. The native American from Oklahoma was the first Tonto in the original Lone Ranger serial. He appeared in five other films in ¡944: Sonora Stagecoach, Outlaw Trail, Bu›alo Bill, The Falcon Out West and Raiders Of Ghost City. He also had an unbilled bit part in The Searchers. Duncan Renaldo (¡904–80) was featured in scores of motion pictures in the ’30s and ’40s, but became a star through the medium of television, when he assumed the title role in The Cisco Kid, one of the first TV Westerns shot in color, and made to attract the growing juvenile audience. The show remained on television, in first-run, from ¡95¡ to ¡955. From ¡933 through ¡962, Iowa-born character actor William Frawley (¡887–¡966) appeared in over ¡00 films, but achieved his greatest claim to fame as neighbor Fred Mertz on the I Love Lucy television show of the ¡950s. Film editor Richard L. Van Enger (¡9¡4–84) entered the film industry in ¡933. He worked on over ¡35 motion pictures before turning his talents to television in the late ¡950s. Working primarily at Republic, some of his credits included The Bullfighter and the Lady (¡95¡), Johnny Guitar (¡954), A Man Alone (¡955), Lis-

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bon and The Maverick Queen (¡956). He was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on Sands of Iwo Jima (¡949), and also edited Wayne’s Wake of the Red Witch (¡948). On television he directed over 400 episodes of series shows including Bat Masterson, Bus Stop, Combat, Garrisons’s Gorillas, Bonanza, Sea Hunt, Frontier Doctor and Tombstone Territory. Other motion pictures premiering during the first quarter of ¡944 included Broadway Rhythm, an MGM musical starring George Murphy, Riders of the Deadline, a formula Hopalong Cassidy Western from United Artists starring William Boyd, and Monogram’s The Texas Kid, another B-Western featuring Johnny Mack Brown and Raymond Hatton. During the first month of the new year there were also several war-related films attempting to attract an audience: Alfred Hitchcock’s Lifeboat with Tallulah Bankhead and William Bendix, Columbia’s None Shall Escape starring Marsha Hunt and Passport to Destiny, an RKO release toplining Elsa Lanchester. Stuntman and bit player Walt LaRue would also appear with Wayne in Fort Apache, The Fighting Kentuckian and El Dorado. As an extra he would earn $52.50 a week, and spend the rest of his time performing on the rodeo circuit. The motion picture opened in New York City at the Globe Theater on March ¡9, ¡944. Re-released by Republic in ¡954.

Flame of Barbary Coast May 28, ¡945. 9¡ minutes. John Wayne, Ann Dvorak, Joseph Schildkraut, William Frawley, Virginia Grey, Russell Hicks, Jack Norton, Paul Fix, Manart Kippen, Eve Lynne, Marc Lawrence, Butterfly McQueen, Rex Lease, Hank Bell, Al Murphy, Adele Mara, Pat Knox, Emmett Vogan, Beverly Reedy, Melva Anstead, Tom London, Fred Graham, Bob Wilke, Eddie Acu›, Edmund Cobb, Kenne Duncan, Bud Geary, Stuart Hamblen, Patricia Knox, Frankie Marvin, Bud Osborne, Ed Parker, Vic Potel, Bobby Priest, Hugh Prosser, Arlyn Roberts, Charles Sullivan, Jan

Ullrich, Carl Wood, William Halligan, Jack Mulhall, Larry Steers, Charles Marsh, Dorothy Christy, Roy Butler, Joe Rickson, Lee Shumway, Frank McCarroll, Si Jenks, Frank Jaquet, Frankie Marvin, George Boyce, Joe Evans. Republic. Director & Associate Producer Joseph Kane; Screenplay Borden Chase; Story Prescott Chaplin; Photography Robert DeGrasse; Second Camera Joseph Novak; Editor Richard L. Van Enger; Art Director Gano Chittenden; Special E›ects Howard Lydecker, Theodore Lydecker; Transparency Projection Shots Gordon C. Schaefer; Musical Director

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Morton Scott; Orchestrations Dale Butts; Sound Earl Crain, Sr.; Re-recording & E›ects Mixer John Stransky, Jr.; Music Mixer Howard Wilson; Set Decorator Otto Siegel; Costumes Adele Palmer; Dance Director Larry Ceballos; Songs “Carrie,” “By the Light of the Silvery Moon,” “Baby Blue Eyes,” “Have a Heart That Man” and “Cubanola Glide” REVIEWS: “[U]nremarkable period splurge, relying on lavish sets, agile camerawork and a reconstruction of the San Francisco earthquake of ¡906 to enliven its constipated plot.” The New York Times (A.W., May ¡8, ¡945); “One of the best from Republic…. The Wayne draw, plus the production values, backed by the earthquake as a selling point, insures a neat return at the box o‡ce. Plenty has been spent here with Schildkraut walking away with acting honors.” The Exhibitor (April ¡8, ¡945); “[A]nother lush, lusty, plushy saga of San Francisco back in the days when everything happened…. Republic went overboard on production values for this one … Wayne, as usual, is sturdy, steady and solid as the breezy man from the West.” The Los Angeles Examiner (Dorothy Manners, June ¡, ¡945); “[A] rather entertaining pix on which Republic has lavished quite a few of its coppers.” Hollywood Citizen News (Owen Callin, June ¡, ¡945); “Republic evidently put much e›ort into this western but in spite of competent handling, excessive footage militates against it. A betterthan-average dualler…. John Wayne handles himself very well in the role of the man from the plains.” Variety (April ¡8, ¡945); “There isn’t much shootin’ and there is very little heroism…. [It] is not a fast-moving Western….” New York Daily News (Wanda Hale, May 27, ¡945); “The film is handsomely turned out, and it bounces along at a lively clip, thanks to its song and dance numbers and colorful atmosphere.” New York Journal American (Rose Pelswick, May 28, ¡945); “[T]he most pretentious and probably the best Western the company ever made … is raised way above most Westerns mainly by the brilliant performance of Joseph Schildkraut.” New York World-Telegram (Alton Cook, May 28, ¡945); “[It] follows the old pattern; but its three leading players manage to make this adventure seem new and frequently exciting… Wayne gives his usual per-

formance … a fast-moving, well-rounded variation on an old Western theme.” New York Herald Tribune (Otis L. Guerasey, Jr., May 28, ¡945); “John Wayne as his usual stalwart self … manages to give a vivid and horrendous picture of this catastrophe.” New York Sun (Eileen Creelman, May 28, ¡945) SYNOPSIS: Montana cowboy Duke Fergus ( John Wayne) arrives in San Francisco to collect $500 which one of his cowhands received as payment for a horse and promptly lost at a fixed roulette wheel. Tito Morell ( Joseph Schildkraut), aristocratic owner of the El Dorado gambling house, is impressed by the brash visitor and repays the money, cautioning the cowboy to spend it wisely. Duke becomes starry-eyed over the El Dorado’s beautiful headline entertainer, Flaxen Tarry (Ann Dvorak). Flaxen is Tito’s girl, but when the owner’s wandering eye lingers too long on Rita Dane (Virginia Grey), billed as “the New Sensation of San Francisco,” she decides to teach her lover a lesson. Taking the naive but eager cowboy on a tour of various Barbary Coast gaming tables, she makes sure he closes the bank at several establishments. Intoxicated with his success, with Flaxen’s attention and with the finest champagne, Duke pushes his luck at the poker table and loses all his winnings to Tito. Flaxen buys a train ticket to Montana for the disappointed cowman and bids him farewell. Duke returns to his cattle ranch but quickly grows restless. Selling his holdings, he asks his friend, professional gambler Wolf Wylie (William Frawley), to tutor him in card playing. The duo travels to San Francisco where Wolf watches his pupil beat Tito at the table. Duke’s continued success causes the other owners to bring in crooked gambler Joe Disko (Marc Lawrence), whom the cowboy catches cheating and then shoots in self-defense. To win Flaxen, Duke puts his winnings into building the Silver Dollar Saloon and gambles on being able to persuade the entertainer to be his headliner. Tito makes it clear to his rival that Flaxen’s contract is not for sale, but his indi›erence to her feelings angers the star and she sets her sights on the Silver Dollar’s dressing room with its sunken bathtub. Torn between the two owners, Flaxen keeps Duke’s romantic gestures at arm’s length. At the end

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of her song on the April night in ¡906 on which the Silver Dollar opens, an earthquake startles the community and destroys most of Pacific Street. Duke rescues Flaxen from the burning rubble of his building but she is badly hurt and may never walk again. As the fires are contained and the city looks to rebuild itself, Tito gives less attention to the lovely invalid than he does to making sure he gets his slice of the new city arising from the ashes. The strong-willed Flaxen, quick to recover and finally realizing that her heart belongs to Duke, chooses the city’s mayoral election night to step foot upon the El Dorado’s stage for the last time. Tito Morell loses his girl and his chance Flame of Barbary Coast (Republic, ¡945). Ann Dvorak, John for political power as his candidate Wayne is defeated. He gallantly salutes his Memphis and The City That Never Sleeps. In rival’s success “with the compliments of the the mid–¡950s he transitioned to television, house,” as Duke and Flaxen ride o› to a new arranging the music for the Westerns Riverlife at the foot of a Montana mountain.—TAL boat, Laramie, Wagon Train and The Virginian. NOTES : Republic’s designated “Tenth Playing the role of Little Eva, at the age of ten, Anniversary Film” was shot primarily on the in Uncle Tom’s Cabin (¡927), Virginia Grey studio lot, from July 6 to August ¡9, ¡944, on (¡9¡7– ) had a film career which extended over an announced budget of $600,000. Wayne was 40 years (¡927–70) and included numerous paid $50,000 against ¡0 percent of the film’s roles as a star and character actress in over ¡00 domestic box o‡ce gross. The original choice films. Getting into show business was natural for the female lead was Claire Trevor. For the for Grey: Her father was a director during the role of Rita Dane, Helen Vinson was originally early silent film era while her mother, who cast. She was replaced by Virginia Gilmore, helped her get the job in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, who was then replaced by Virginia Grey. Morwas a cutter at Universal. The attractive blonde ton Scott (musical director) and R. Dale Butts was featured in almost 80 films including Gold (orchestrator) were nominated for an Academy Diggers of ¡935 (¡935), The Great Ziegfeld Award for their work. Scott (¡9¡2–92) started (¡936), Test Pilot (¡938), The Hardys Ride High, his career as an opera singer. Traveling to HolAnother Thin Man (¡939), Mr. and Mrs. North, lywood, he became a musical director and conTarzan’s New York Adventure (¡942), Unconductor at Republic, then was promoted to Presquered (¡947), Jungle Jim (¡948), The Last Comident of Republic Television. He was also mand (¡955), Portrait in Black (¡960), The nominated for his musical work on Republic’s Naked Kiss (¡964) and Airport (¡970). Joseph Hitchhike to Happiness, and received an Emmy Schildkraut (¡895–¡964), who stole the acting for producing the ¡954 television series Stories honors in Flame of Barbary Coast, was born in of the Century. R. Dale Butts (¡9¡¡–90) was Vienna, Austria, to distinguished European NBC Radio’s chief musical arranger in New stage and screen star Rudolph Schildkraut. York. He moved to Hollywood in ¡94¡, was The younger Schildkraut was in films and on hired by Republic in ¡943 and worked on stage since the age of ¡3. In ¡920 he moved to dozens of films including The Catman of Paris, New York and worked on Broadway. D.W. My Pal Trigger, Gay Blades, Night Train to

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Gri‡th called him to Mamaroneck, a town in upstate New York, to work in his epic production Orphans of the Storm (¡922). In the ¡920s and early ’30s Schildkraut was able to divide his work schedule between the stage and screen, becoming a credible leading man in both media. Just after he died in ¡964, the actor was seen as Nicodemus in George Stevens’ biblical tale The Greatest Story Ever Told (¡965). For this film, Republic populated the crowd scenes with dozens of their contract players: Eddie Acu› appeared in almost 40 Republic productions between ¡938 and ¡948; from ¡937 through ¡950, Bob Wilke had roles in ¡07 of the studio’s films; Hank Bell recorded 46 appearances between ¡935 and ¡949; Wayne’s stuntman Fred Graham was inserted into 75 Republic films from ¡943 to ¡956; Edmund Cobb was in 97 (¡936–56); Bud Geary had 94 screen credits for the studio (¡939–46) and Eddie Parker claimed 65 films between ¡935 and ¡955. From ¡930 to ¡966, Canadianborn Kenne Duncan (¡903–72) had minor roles in over 200 films. Born Kenneth Duncan MacLachlan, he also appeared in the Wayne Westerns In Old Oklahoma and Dakota. Over a nine-week period, Flame was shown in over 2500 movie theaters. It did uniformly excellent

business in many of the nation’s larger markets. In Philadelphia the theater owners reported a box o‡ce gross of ¡80 percent of normal business; in San Francisco the numbers were ¡40 percent; Denver reported grosses of ¡6¡ percent above normal; and both Los Angeles and Boston came in with figures showing the film to have pulled a gross that was ¡25 percent of the average film at their theaters. The motion picture opened in Los Angeles on May 3¡ with the co-feature Earl Carroll’s Vanities (Republic) starring Dennis O’Keefe and Constance Moore. In New York it opened at the Globe Theater several months before another San Francisco–themed film Nob Hill. Other films opening during the ¡945 summer season included Blood on the Sun starring James Cagney; Abbott and Costello’s latest comedy, The Naughty Nineties; The Story of G.I. Joe with Robert Mitchum and Burgess Meredith; the musical Anchors Aweigh with Gene Kelly; and two Universal musicals, Patrick the Great, starring Donald O’Connor, Peggy Ryan and Francis Dee, and I’ll Remember April with Gloria Jean, Kirby Grant and Milburn Stone. Reissued by Republic in June ¡950.

Flying Leathernecks July ¡8, ¡95¡. ¡02 minutes. John Wayne, Robert Ryan, Don Taylor, Janis Carter, Jay C. Flippen, William Harrigan, James Bell, Barry Kelley, Maurice Jara, Adam Williams, James Dobson, Carleton Young, Steve Flagg, Brett King, Gordon Gebert, Lynn Stalmaster, Britt Norton, John Mallory, Douglas Henderson, Ralph Cook, Frank Fuimara, Michael Devry, Adam York, Don Rockland, Hal Bokar, Tony Layng, Hugh Sanders, Mack Williams, Leslie O’Pace, Milton Kibbee, Bernard Szold, Eda Reis Merin, Pat Prest, Shela Fritz, Charles Bruner, Jimmy Ogg, Al Murphy, Richard Wessel, Fred Graham, Robert Condon, Victor Cutrer, Eugene Marshall, Barry Brooks, James Hickman, Noel Reyburn, Mavis Russell, Gail

Davis, Elaine Robert, Melville Robert, Paul McGuire, Mona Knox, Jane Easton, Inez Cooper, Jayn Lee Dockstader, Chuck Hamilton, Peter Ortiz, Frank Marlowe, Richard Ullman, Chris Drake, Mickey McCardle, Frank Iwanaga, Rollin Moriyama, Keith Larsen, Milburn Stone, Charles Courtney, Grady Galloway, Mort Thompson, John Mitchum. RKO. Presented by Howard Hughes; Director Nicholas Ray; Producer Edmund Grainger; Screenplay James Edward Grant, Beirne Lay, Jr.; Original Story Kenneth Gamet; Photography William E. Snyder; Air Operations Photography Paul Mantz; Art Direction Albert S. D’Agostino, James W. Sullivan; Editor Sherman Todd; Assistant Editors Bob Belcher, A.

Flying Leathernecks Soria, Chan House, Roland Gross; Assistant Director Sam Ruman; Music Roy Webb; Musical Director C. Bakaleiniko›; Sound Frank McWhorter, Clem Portman; Technicolor Consultant Morgan Padelford; Production Supervisor Cli› P. Broughton; Set Decorators Darrell Silvera, John Sturtevant Makeup Mel Berns; Hair Stylist Larry Germain; Costumes Robert Martine; Boom Man Jimmy Thompson; Recorder Kenny Wesson; Stills Photographer Alex Kahle; Technical Advisor Lt. Col. Richard D. Hughes REVIEWS: “As long as it stays in the air … an exciting thing to watch…. With Mr. Wayne, Mr. Ryan and their charges in the cockpits against the crackling magnificence of Mr. Ray’s battle-torn sky, the picture is all it should be.” The New York Times (Howard T. Thompson, September 20, ¡95¡); “Though its sweat and tears are obviously fabricated, Flying Leathernecks spills plenty of realistic blood.” Time Magazine (October 8, ¡95¡); “[S]ome excellent action scenes and a powerful teaming of Wayne and Robert Ryan.” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974); “[S]trong box o‡ce expectations…. Wayne is right at home in his role and there is a very good performance turned in by Ryan despite the juvenile aspects of the character he has to portray.” Variety ( July 25, ¡95¡); “Vivid, spectacular war action number. Packs plenty of high octane excitement and combat footage. Realistically produced. Well done on every hand.” Film Daily ( July ¡8, ¡95¡); “[I]t has raw power…. The staged portions of the movie … mesh almost imperceptibly with the genuine war footage.” Los Angeles Evening Herald Examiner (Harrison Carroll, October 4, ¡95¡); “Wayne’s peppery, macho forthrightness is contrasted e›ectively with Ryan’s saturnine, grim mannerisms…” The Great War Films (Lawrence J. Quirk, Citadel Press ¡994) SYNOPSIS : In the midsummer of ¡942, America begins the long fight back from defeat. The Japanese hold a chain of islands all the way to Guadalcanal. VMF 247, a Marine aviation unit, prepares to do its part with new commander Major Dan Kirby ( John Wayne). The veteran of Midway has received the command to the surprise of the squadron, whose choice is executive o‡cer Captain Carl Gri‡n

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(Robert Ryan). Orders to move out arrive quickly and by August the fighter squadron assists in the assault on Guadacanal. Their airstrip and surrounding quarters are under constant fire. The fliers spend their first day on the island fighting fires and salvaging what they can of their damaged planes. Under such pressure, the di›erent styles of command of the squadron’s leaders become evident. “Gri› ” is a father figure to his men, as much a friend as a superior. He constantly worries about his fliers’ morale and physical well-being. Kirby is ramrod sti›, playing it by the book, hoping his strict discipline will inevitably save lives. When a brash young pilot breaks formation to down a Japanese plane on his own, Kirby interrupts the post-flight congratulations to recommend a court-martial. He changes his mind when another flier makes a similar mistake and has to parachute into enemy lines. When his dead body is returned, Kirby orders his men to view the corpse as a lesson in what happens when fliers break ranks to go hunting alone. As the battle progresses, Kirby is able to assist with close air support for the ground troops, a tactic in which he has believed all along. Following orange panels placed by the mud marines, the planes fly successful strafing runs at tree-top level. The mission’s success is dampened by the crash of Billy Castle (Lynn Stalmaster), who has complained of being ill, but whom Kirby ordered into battle. While the exhausted pilots relax with captured bottles of sake, Kirby sits down to the familiar task of writing the dead flier’s family. The demands of the o›ensive force the fliers into mission after mission with no rest. Tension between Gri› and Kirby grows. In spite of the toll of around-the-clock raids, the unit successfully stops an enemy convoy from reinforcing the island. During a brief Stateside rest, Kirby is promoted to colonel to head his squadron, which will now specialize in close air support. Kirby notes that Gri› is beginning to take responsibility for some of the hard decisions. During a kamikaze attack on the U.S. fleet, the exec must order his planes to remain in formation, denying a rescue attempt of his own brother-in-law whose plane has been shot down. Though the fleet is saved, Kirby is injured and pulled from the ocean. The wounded

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Flying Leathernecks (RKO, ¡95¡). John Wayne, Ryan

colonel is sent home to recuperate; Gri› receives the command on Kirby’s recommendation. “I’ll try to call the plays right,” promises Gri›. “I had a good coach.”—TAL NOTES: The motion picture was in production from November 20, ¡950, to January 27, ¡95¡. Location work was done at Camp Pendleton Marine Base while interiors were shot at RKO-Pathé Studios in Culver City. Cost of production was $¡,575,468, of which $¡,¡74,0¡4 was the actual negative cost and $40¡,454 was charged against overhead. The film returned domestic rentals of $2,600,000 in its first year of release. The domestic gross in the North American market was $7,450,000. Based on a contract signed with RKO on October 28, ¡950, for starring in three films, Wayne was scheduled to receive $450,000 at the rate of $¡000 a week. The contract would commence on November 20, ¡950, and run through July 5, ¡959. At some time during pro-

duction, a disgruntled Wayne forced RKO and Howard Hughes to renegotiate his contract. It would be amended, and Wayne would earn close to $300,000 for his starring assignment in this war picture. Robert Ryan was paid $50,000 and Janis Carter received $5,000 for her supporting role. Director Ray was paid $60,000. Third-billed Don Taylor (¡920–98), a native of Pittsburgh, arrived in Hollywood in ¡942 and quickly landed a contract with MGM. Through the end of the decade he would appear in several films including Song of the Thin Man (¡947), The Naked City (¡948), For the Love of Mary (¡948) and Battleground (¡949), and play the groom opposite Elizabeth Taylor’s bride in Father of the Bride (¡950). The comedy was such a huge hit that MGM immediately authorized a sequel, Father’s Little Dividend (¡95¡). Although he would continue to appear in films through much of the ’70s, Taylor would increasingly turn to directing and writing. He would direct ¡5 motion pictures and Robert more than 400 television episodes and made-for-TV movies. Some of his more memorable directing e›orts included Escape from the Planet of the Apes (¡97¡), The Island of Dr. Moreau (¡977), Damien: Omen II (¡978) and The Final Countdown (¡980). The former army corporal had acted in the stage production of Winged Victory and repeated his role in the screen adaptation. The Marine planes and pilots utilized in the film came from Marine Training Squadron VMT-2 and Marine Fighter Squadron VMF-232, stationed at El Toro Air Station in nearby Orange County. Although the script called for the Marines to fly F4F Wildcat fighter planes, there were not enough of the aircraft around in flying condition to be used. The F6F-5 Hellcat was a capable substitute. Technical Advisor Lt. Col. Richard D. Hughes was the executive o‡cer of Marine Air group ¡5 of the First Marine Air Wing, stationed at El Toro. Cast member Brett King (¡92¡–9¡), was a World War II fighter pilot who earned the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying

Flying Tigers Cross. He also appeared in the war films Battleground (¡949) and Yank in Korea (¡95¡). Also opening at the nation’s theaters at the same time as the Wayne war film were Universal’s Bright Victory starring Arthur Kennedy and another episode of the Mr. Belvedere series

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(Rings the Bell) for Fox, starring Clifton Webb in the title role. At the request of director Ray, writer Rod Amateau also worked on the various drafts to develop some continuity.

Flying Tigers October 8, ¡942. ¡0¡ minutes. John Wayne, John Carroll, Anna Lee, Paul Kelly, Gordon Jones, Mae Clarke, Addison Richards, Edmund MacDonald, Bill Shirley, Tom Neal, James Dodd, Gregg Barton, John James, Chester Gan, David Bruce, Malcolm McTaggert, Charles Lane, Tom Seidel, Richard Loo, Richard Crane, Willie Fung, Mike Mazurki, “Wee Willie” Davis, Anne Je›reys, Linda Brent, Dorothy O’Kelly, Bhogwan Singh, Elvira Curci, Rico De Montez, Lotus Long, Dave Willock, Helen Quan, Eddie Dew. Republic. Director David Miller; Associate Producer Edmund Grainger; Screenplay Kenneth Gamet, Barry Trivers; Original Story Kenneth Gamet; Photography Jack Marta; Editor Ernest Nims; Music Victor Young; Art Director Russell Kimball; Wardrobe Adele Palmer; Air Operations Clarence Bragunier; Set Decorator Otto Seigel; Special E›ects Howard Lydecker, Theodore Lydecker; Sound Daniel Bloomberg; Location Manager John T. Bourke; Location Cameraman William Bradford; Technical Advisors Lawrence Moore, Kenneth Sanger REVIEWS: “On a patch-work story frame, Republic Pictures has strung a first rate aerial circus chock-full of exciting dogfights… Mr. Wayne is the sort of fellow who inspires confidence and he does much to keep the film on a fairly even keel.” The New York Times (T.M.P., October 23, ¡942); “Handicapped primarily by a threadbare script, production also su›ers from slow pacing while John Wayne, John Carroll, Anna Lee and Paul Kelly are barely adequate in the major acting assignments.” Variety (September 30, ¡942); “The aviation stu› in this is aces, and the dog fights, transport plane flight ‘hedge hopping’ through

the mountains, the bombing, etc., are top thrill stu›. The rest, however, is crammed with the usual aviation pic clichés, and the romance angle never quite gets started.” Motion Picture Exhibitor (September ¡942); “This is Duke’s first patriotic war film, and he does as well as can be expected sitting in a dummy fighterplane cockpit on a sound stage grimly firing deadly bursts into the savage, inept enemy.” John Wayne: The Actor, the Man (George Bishop, Caroline House, ¡979); “[It] has a timeliness about it that should make it popular…. Thrills abound in the picture.” Motion Picture Herald (Bob Wile, September 26, ¡942) SYNOPSIS : The American Volunteer Group fights bravely for the Chinese people. As Chiang Kai-Shek proclaims, “Since the Flying Tigers first spread their wings in the skies over China, the enemy has come to fear the intrepid spirit they have displayed in the face of his superior numbers.” Outnumbered and with few supplies for his P-40s, squadron leader Jim Gordon ( John Wayne) struggles to keep his unit an e›ective fighting force. He returns from Rangoon with three recruits: Blackie (Edmund MacDonald), an aviator with a past clouded by alcohol and tragedy, who wants another chance to fly, and two pilots, Woody Jason ( John Carroll) and Alabama (Gordon Jones), who leave their commercial airlines jobs for $600 a month and the additional $500 for each Japanese plane they shoot down. Woody’s egotism and mercenary motives clash with the rest of the unit, which fights to help the Chinese people. He causes further disruption by flirting with Jim’s girl (Anna Lee), a lovely Red Cross worker named Brooke. When the squadron is assigned con-

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tinuous night patrols, Jim cancels all leaves and has the men report for physicals. When his wing man, Hap (Paul Kelly), fails the vision test, Jim reluctantly grounds him. Woody sneaks away for a date with Brooke and fails to return to the base in time to leave with his flight. Unknown to Jim, Hap takes Jason’s place and dies when he crashes into an enemy plane. “I hope you had a good time,” Jim says to Woody and Brooke, “’cause Hap paid the check.” Brooke’s involvement with the peasant children, the dedication of his fellow fliers and the news of Pearl Harbor all help to mature Woody. When Jim takes o› with a cargo of nitroglycerine on a suicide mission to destroy a Japanese supply train, Woody sneaks aboard to join him. Begging for a chance to help, he convinces Jim to let him remain. He redeems himself by saving Jim’s life when their plane

catches fire. Wounded, Woody pushes his skipper from the aircraft, then plunges the plane towards the supply train. From his parachute Jim watches the tremendous explosion which marks the mission’s success and the death of his friend. Back at the base, in the presence of an admiring Brooke, Jim hands Woody’s scarf to the newest recruit: “Take care of it. It belonged to a pretty good flier.”—TAL NOTES : Filmed between April 28 and June 26, ¡942, at the Republic Studios and the Russell Ranch in Chatsworth. Budgeted at $264,384, the final negative cost came in at $397,690. The film earned domestic rentals of $¡,¡0¡,738 from a box o‡ce gross of just under $4,000,000. In Britain, Flying Tigers became the third highest grossing film up to that time, trailing only Gone with the Wind and Noël Coward’s In Which We Serve. Wayne was paid

Flying Tigers (Republic, ¡942). John Wayne, James Dodd

Flying Tigers $8400, Anna Lee received $7500 and Paul Kelly earned $7000. The combined salaries for the entire cast came to $80,644. Writers Kenneth Gamet and Barry Trivers received $9700 for developing the screenplay (Gamet was paid $6900 and Trivers earned $2800). The director was paid $6500 while composer Victor Young received $5000. For the location work, the studio carpenters built a headquarters command complex replete with barracks, aircraft hangers and an airstrip. Seven non-flying, wood-and-canvas replica P-40 combat planes were built for the film. Directing a second-unit team, George Sherman shot aerial footage over the Arizona desert. Republic budgeted $¡00,000 for the promotion of the war film. In real life, the emblem for the Flying Tigers was created by the Walt Disney Studios. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Sound Recording, Special E›ects and Musical Score. At the request of the Hays O‡ce, a final sequence featuring Chiang Kai-Shek was deleted from the film. John Carroll, borrowed from MGM at a loan-out fee of $35,000, was paid $8,400 for working on the war film. Born Julian Lafay (¡905–79) in New Orleans, Carroll started in the industry as a stuntman in the mid–¡930s. A veteran of over ¡00 films, he was a real-life pilot during World War II. After the war, he found film assignments at Universal, RKO, MGM and Fox. Supporting actor Paul Kelly (¡899–¡956) first appeared on stage before an audience at the age of seven. At eight he was signed to appear in films for Vitagraph Studios. As he alternated between roles in low-budget productions and major films from the top studios, his lifetime credits exceeded over ¡20 films. Some of his more noteworthy pictures included Anne of Green Gables (¡9¡9), Navy, Blue and Gold (¡937), Torchy Blane in Panama (¡938), The Roaring Twenties (¡939), The Howards of Virginia (¡940), Springfield Rifle (¡952), The High and the Mighty (¡954) and The Steel Cage (¡954). Mae Clarke’s (born Mary Klotz, ¡9¡0–92) greatest notoriety came in ¡93¡ when she was at the receiving end of a grapefruit that was shoved into her face by James Cagney in The Public Enemy. The actress appeared in 85 films over a period of 38 years. Beginning at the age of ¡6 she became a cabaret dancer, then moved on to acting in mu-

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sicals and dramas on Broadway. Her first film was Big Time (Fox). In ¡93¡ she was seen in seven films including The Front Page, Frankenstein and Waterloo Bridge. Working into the decades of the ’50s and ’60s she continued to find opportunities by working in Republic’s serial, King of the Rocket Men as well as the movies Magnificent Obsession, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Pat and Mike, Kitty, Big Hand for the Little Lady, Annie Get Your Gun and Singin’ in the Rain. Actor Tom Neal (¡9¡4–72) graduated from Northwestern University, then received a law degree from Harvard. He was also an excellent football player and boxer. He went to Hollywood in ¡938 and was signed by MGM. The actor’s roles at the studio consisted of supporting roles in B-films and loan-outs to other film companies such as Republic. In ¡95¡ he was involved in an altercation with actor Franchot Tone over the a›ections of actress Barbara Payton. Tone was hospitalized with broken bones and Neal served time in jail. His troubles with the law abbreviated his film career. After The Great Jesse James Raid in ¡953, he could find no more film work. Laboring as a gardener and landscaper in Palm Springs in ¡965, Neal was charged with shooting and killing his third wife. He served six years in jail for involuntary manslaughter. Gordon Jones is known to many television viewers of the early ¡950s as “Mike, the Cop” on The Abbott and Costello Show. He also had a supporting role in Wayne’s McLintock! Known for his commanding appearance and air of authority, Addison Richards (¡887–¡964) successfully parlayed his looks into a career which spanned over 30 years (¡933–64), and encompassed more than 200 films. Some of his better known films included Ceiling Zero (¡935), Sutter’s Gold (¡936), Boys Town (¡938), Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever (¡939), Geronimo (¡940), My Little Chickadee (¡940), Northwest Passage (¡940), Edison the Man (¡940), Arizona (¡94¡), Men of Boys Town (¡94¡), The Pride of the Yankees (¡942), The Fighting Seabees with Wayne (¡944), Spellbound (¡945), Anna and the King of Siam (¡946), Call Northside 777 (¡948) and The Oregon Trail (¡959). Actress Anne Je›reys (¡923– ), a former model and opera singer, came to Hollywood and was quickly signed by Republic to a long-term contract. Between

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¡942 and ¡944 she made appearances in ¡6 of the studio’s films, mostly of the Western genre. Never able to work her way out of the B-picture rut, Je›reys achieved her greatest fame as the co-star (alongside her husband Robert Sterling) of the Topper television series (¡953– 55). The day after actor Gregg Barton (¡9¡2– 2000) completed his scenes for the war film, he was inducted into the Marines. A newcomer to Hollywood, Barton’s first film role was in A Yank at Eton (¡942). The New York City native would also appear with Wayne in Jet Pilot and The Conqueror. His film career consisted of over 65 film appearances. Flying Tigers premiered in Los Angeles on September 23, ¡942, and opened in New York, at the Capitol Theater, on October 22, ¡942. While in release,

the film had to contend with competition from the dull full-color adventure film The Forest Rangers (Fred MacMurray, Paulette Goddard and Susan Hayward), the series films The Falcon’s Brother and Henry Aldrich, Editor, the BWesterns Riders of the West and Pirates of the Prairie (Tim Holt) and several war-themed films including MGM’s Eyes in the Night, Fox’s Manila Calling (Lloyd Nolan, Carole Landis and Cornel Wilde), Half Way to Shanghai from Universal, Columbia’s Counter Espionage (Warren William and Forrest Tucker) and Monogram’s Foreign Agent starring John Shelton and Gale Storm. The film was reissued by Republic in ¡948; as part of a double-bill with Universal’s The Spoilers in November ¡949; and again in ¡954.

Fort Apache March ¡8, ¡948. ¡28 minutes. John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Shirley Temple, John Agar, Ward Bond, George O’Brien, Victor McLaglen, Pedro Armendariz, Anna Lee, Irene Rich, Guy Kibbee, Grant Withers, Miguel Inclan, Jack Pennick, Mae Marsh, Dick Foran, Frank Ferguson, Francis Ford, Ray Hyke, Movita Castenada, Mary Gordon, Mickey Simpson, Hank Worden, Archie Twitchell, William Forrest, Cli› Clark, Fred Graham, Philip Kei›er, Ben Johnson, Frank McGrath, Harry Tenbrook, Fred Kennedy, Bear Hudkins, Dick Farnsworth, Henry Wills, Gil Perkins, Bob Rose, Jack Williams, John Epper, Dan Borzage, Walt LaRue, Eva Novak, Fred Libby, Cli› Lyons, Danny Sands. RKO. An Argosy Picture. Director John Ford; Producers John Ford, Merian C. Cooper; Executive Assistant Jack Pennick; Scenarist Frank S. Nugent; From the Saturday Evening Post story “Massacre” by James Warner Bellah; Photography Archie J. Stout; First Assistant Cameraman William Clothier; Art Director James Basevi; Set Decorator Joe Kish; Music Richard Hageman; Conductor Lucien Cailliet; Second Unit Director Cli› Lyons; Production Manager Bernard McEveety; Asstistant Production Man-

ager William Forsythe; Assistant Director Lowell Farrell; Second Assistant Director Frank Parmenter; Editor Jack Murray; Sound Frank Webster, Sam Donner; Men’s Wardrobe Michael Myers; Woman’s Wardrobe Ann Peck; Dance Sequence Kenny Williams; Research Katherine Clifton; Special E›ects Dave Koehler; Costumes Research D.R.O. Hatswell; Makeup Emile LaVigne; Properties Jack Galconda; Technical Advisors Major Philip Kie›er, Katharine Spaatz; Camera Operator Eddie Fitzgerald; Stills Al St. Hilaire; Screenplay Supervisor Meta Sterne; Foreman Robert Clark; Grip Carl Gibson; Assistant Publicist Tom Wood; Aerial Liaison Paul Mantz; Auditor Charles Quesnell; Company Clerk William Ford; Set Doctors Dr. James Green, Dr. Robert Nielson; Song: “Sweet Genevieve” George Cooper, Henry Tucker REVIEWS: “A classic western.” Shooting Star (Maurice Zolotow, Simon & Schuster, ¡974); “Wayne turned in one of his best performances.” Duke: The Story of John Wayne (Mike Tomkies, Regnery Co., ¡97¡); “The arguments, ti›s and free-for-alls with the Indians are filmed with casual mastery and are worth the price of admission.” Time Magazine

Fort Apache

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Fort Apache (RKO, ¡948). Unknown, Wayne, Pedro Armendariz, unknown

(May ¡0, ¡948); “[A] neat and well-balanced piece of work.” Western Movies (Walter C. Claphan, Octopus, ¡974); “[A] good film with vigorous action scenes, and well-honed character portraits.” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974); “Henry Fonda is withering as the colonel, fiercely stubborn and sti› with gallantry, and John Wayne is powerful as his captain, forthright and exquisitely brave.” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, June 25, ¡948); “[An] action-packed Indian war classic….” The John Wayne Story (George Carpozi, Arlington House, ¡972); “Another great classic western from John Ford, in which John Wayne gives one of his finest performances … [an] exciting, suspenseful film.” Duke—the Real Story of John Wayne ( Jean Ramer, Award Books, ¡973); “The remarkable achievement of Fort Apache is that it enables us to see with Brechtian clarity that an insane system may be perpetuated by noble men, and indeed, that it needs noble men and dedicated men to per-

petuate itself.” John Ford ( Joseph McBride & Michael Wilmington, Da Capo Press, ¡975); “John Ford has directed with a sure hand… [S]ome of the best outdoor filming brought to the screen in a long time.” Variety (March ¡0, ¡948); “[A] vigorous, sweeping Western adventure drama done with the eye for shocking dramatic e›ect and spectacular action sequences that is the invariable characteristic of the directorial artistry of John Ford.” The Hollywood Reporter (March ¡0, ¡948); “[It] embodies the dignity, grandeur, and romance of the best John Ford Westerns.” The Making of the Great Westerns (William R. Meyer, Arlington House, ¡979); “If I were compelled to select a single Western that does justice to both sides of the Indian wars—to both the inevitability and the tragedy—it would be Fort Apache.” Focus on the Western ( Jack Nachbar, Prentice-Hall, ¡974) “John Wayne is in excellent form as the knowledgeable Indian fighter…. Lusty songs and robust comedy

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abound, and the action is exciting and heroic to a degree rare in Ford films.” Shoot-Em-Ups (Les Adams & Buck Rainey, Arlington House, ¡978) SYNOPSIS: The Washington Day dance at Fort Apache is interrupted by the arrival of Col. Owen Thursday (Henry Fonda), an Eastern career o‡cer disappointed at being assigned to such a squalid post. Relieving captains Kirby York ( John Wayne) and Collingwood (George O’Brien) of their temporary commands, Thursday disregards the experience of his sta›, grossly underestimating the Apaches whom he must deal with. His daughter Philadelphia (Shirley Temple), quickly embraces the life of the fort and is accepted into its communal society. She falls in love with Second Lt. Michael O’Rourke ( John Agar), son of the post’s sergeant-major (Ward Bond) and newly arrived from West Point. Thursday combines his impatience with the Apache and his dislike of his daughter’s choice of a suitor when he sets a trap for an Indian raiding party with O’Rourke as the bait. When the raiders give chase to O’Rourke’s wagon, Thursday’s troops capture the renegades. They are led back to the reservation under the direction of the corrupt Indian agent, Meacham (Grant Withers). Thursday’s success makes him eager to try for bigger game. He allows Capt. York to cross the Mexican border to talk to Cochise. York persuades the Apache leader to return to American soil to negotiate with Thursday and renew the treaty with the government. When York reports his success, Thursday reveals that he has no intention of dealing honestly with a “breach-clouted Indian.” He intends to win a glorious victory to enhance his fame. At a parley with the Apache chief, Thursday insults Cochise and condemns his command to fight a battle which they cannot win. York tries to dissuade the Colonel from leading a charge into a box canyon. Thursday calls his Captain a coward and orders him and Lt. O’Rourke to remain with the supply wagons. The attacking column, following Thursday into the trap, is killed to the last man. Cochise, whom York has always treated as a decent man, spares the wagons, allowing the survivors to ride back to report the defeat. Within a short time, York becomes commander of Fort Apache and

Thursday’s folly has become a legend of bravery, a legend which the cavalry and a nation hungry for heroes, keep alive.—TAL NOTES: Filmed from July 24 to September ¡3, ¡947, under the working title War Party. Exteriors were shot at Monument Valley and Mexican Hat, Utah, and at Corriganville in Simi Valley, California. Interiors were filmed at the Selznick Studios in Culver City. An entire fort was fabricated at Corriganville to support the RKO production. In the mid–¡950s, the set was the centerpiece of the juvenile Western television series The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. It was budgeted at $2,252,000, with a 72-day shooting schedule. Ford completed the film at a negative cost of $2,¡49,302.73, in just 45 days. Wayne was initially signed for the movie at a salary of $¡00,000 and ¡ percent of the net profits. Just prior to the start of production the contract was altered to allow the actor to defer $50,000 of his salary in return for 5 percent of the net profits. Co-stars Fonda received $¡00,000 and ¡ percent of the net profits, and Shirley Temple was paid $¡00,000 with no profit participation. Other cast salaries: Victor McLaglen, $52,500; Ward Bond, $35,000; Pedro Armendariz, $20,000; Guy Kibbee, $2,000 a week; George O’Brien, $¡,875 a week; Cli› Lyons, $500 a week; Ben Johnson, $300 a week; John Agar, $¡50 a week. Salaries for the sta›: John Ford, $¡50,000 and a percentage of the profits; Merian C. Cooper (producer), $50,000 and a percentage of the gate; screenwriter Frank Nugent, $¡5,000; Frank Wead (uncredited writer), $25,000; cinematographer Archie Stout, $9,600; William Clothier (assistant to Stout), $4,000. Argosy Productions paid the Gouldings $9750 for lodging and use of their facilities at the edge of Monument Valley. In its first year of release, the Western earned domestic rentals of $4,275,000 on a box-o‡ce gross of $9,800,000. It earned an additional $¡,900,000 from overseas sources. RKO’s share of the film’s profits would be $370,000. Argosy would earn the same amount. The world premiere was held in Phoenix, Arizona. The film was one of the first to be advertised on television (RKO promoted the Western on Los Angeles station KTLA). Princeton-educated Dick Foran (¡9¡0–79) was born John Nicholas Foran in New Jersey. After

The Forward Pass graduating from college, he performed as a band vocalist on radio, then moved to Los Angeles in ¡934 to be signed by Fox to play second lead in several low-budget films. Within two years he had moved to Warner Bros. and, as a singing cowboy, was inserted into several B-Westerns. Between ¡934 and ¡967 the tall, handsome Foran either starred in or played character roles in almost ¡00 motion pictures ranging from comedies with W.C. Fields (My Little Chickadee) and Abbott and Costello (Ride ’Em Cowboy), to Westerns (Song of the Saddle, Winners of the West, El Paso), horror films (The Mummy’s Hand and The Mummy’s Tomb), and dramas (The Petrified Forest, Chicago Confidential). Veteran stuntman John Epper came to the United States from Switzerland in ¡927. An expert horseman and riding instructor, he drifted into films in the ¡930s, immediately finding work doubling for the likes of Errol Flynn in The Charge of the Light Brigade, Henry Fonda in Fort Apache and Gary Cooper in Springfield Rifle. The actor worked in over 80 films including Spartacus, The War Lord, Cheyene Autumn, How the West Was Won and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. Richard Farnsworth (¡920–2000) was kept busy as a stuntman and double on the set of Fort Apache. The short, wiry individual started as a stuntman at the age of ¡6. He found work in the zany Marx Brothers comedy A Day at the Races (¡937), then played bit roles, did stunts and doubled for actors in dozens of B-Westerns. Possessing the same physical dimensions as Roy Rogers, Farnsworth became the singing cowboy’s double for a dozen films. By the ¡970s the now-veteran performer began appearing on the screen in speaking roles. He was seen in

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Monte Walsh (¡970), Ulzana’s Raid (¡972), The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (¡972), Tom Horn (¡980), The Legend of the Lone Ranger (¡98¡), The Natural (¡984) and The Two Jakes (¡990). Farnsworth received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for the modern Western Comes a Horseman (¡978), and was nominated for Best Actor for his roles in The Grey Fox (¡982) and his last portrayal, The Straight Story (¡999). Eva Novak (¡898–¡988) was one-half of the famous Novak acting sisters (the other being Jane), who came to Hollywood in ¡9¡4 as starstruck teenagers to get into the movie industry. While Jane starred opposite William S. Hart, Eva would appear as the wistful-eyed beauty in Westerns starring Tom Mix and other silent cowboy stars. Some of her better known films included The Lost Trail, Boston Blackie, Irene, Phantom of the Desert, Ride a Violent Mile, Sally, and the Tom Mix Westerns Trailin’ and Sky High. Her final appearances were made in The Wild Seed and John Ford’s Sergeant Rutledge. William Forrest (¡902–89) was best known for his role as Major Swanson on television’s The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (¡954–59, ABC). The Princeton graduate arrived in Hollywood in ¡938 and after a stint at the Pasadena Playhouse turned to a long career in films. Some of his more than ¡50 features included Meet John Doe (¡94¡), Laura (¡944), Miracle on 34th Street (¡947), Love Me Tender (¡956), and One-Eyed Jacks (¡96¡). He also had minor roles in the Wayne films The Fighting Seabees, Big Jim McLain and The Horse Soldiers. Reissued by RKO on March 27, ¡953. In ¡966 Sam Peckinpah took liberties with the Ford classic and remade it as The Glory Guys.

The Forward Pass November ¡0, ¡929. 80 minutes. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Loretta Young, Guinn Williams, Marion Byron, Phyllis Crane, Bert Rome, Lane Chandler, Allan Lane, Floyd Shackelford, John Wayne, Marshall Du‡eld and members of the USC Football team. First Na-

tional Pictures. Director Eddie Cline; Scenarist Howard Emmett Rogers; Story Harvey Gates; Photography Arthur Todd; Editor Ralph Holt; Songs: “One Minute of Heaven,” “H’Lo Baby, I Gotta’ Have You,” “Huddlin” Herb Magidson, Ned Washington, Michael H. Cleary

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REVIEWS: “Grid stu› is good but short of big punch…. Packs some laughs and should do average business in most program houses.” Daily Variety (December ¡¡, ¡929); “Young Fairbanks and Miss Young make a likeable screen couple…. Nice, average college picture held back a little too long for release, in view of the preceding strong football screen matter which has been around this fall.” Variety (December 4, ¡929); “With all its shortcomings, its carefully laid plot with convenient coincidences, this film is quite a fair entertainment…. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. gives a really good account of himself. Miss Young is both capable and attractive.” The New York Times (Mordaunt Hall, November 29, ¡929); “The plot has been constructed so well, and the principal players do such good work that the spectator’s interest is held all the way through.” Harrison’s Reports (October 26, ¡929); “[A] mild but quite diverting comedy…” The Warner Brothers Story (Clive Hirschorn, Crown Publishers, ¡979) SYNOPSIS : Marty Reid (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.), the star quarterback at Sanford College, seems to be constantly singled out by the opposing teams for physical punishment. Tired of the constant bangs and bruises, he swears to his teammate, Honey Smith (Guinn Williams), and to Coach Wilson (Bert Rome) that he intends to quit the game for good. Teammate Ed Kirby accuses the athlete of being yellow. Coach Wilson enlists the college vamp, Patricia Carlyle (Loretta Young), to induce Marty to play. At a sorority dance where only football players can cut in, Kirby persecutes Reid by dancing with the lovely Patricia. This is enough to change the lovestruck quarterback’s mind and he does announce his intention to play in the upcoming game. When Marty learns of her trickery, however, he can’t seem to concentrate on the game. In addition to dealing with the emotional wallop, Kirby (Allan Lane), at the end of position, seems determined not to be any help to his quarterback. After a costly fumble, Marty is yanked from the game. Kirby fakes an injury to get removed from the action long enough to follow Marty to the locker room where the boys mix it up in hand-to-hand combat just before the squad troops in at the end of the period. During the

last quarter, Patricia gets a note to Marty which squares everything between them. When the coach sends him back into the action, Marty asks for Kirby to be sent back at end. Convinced that Reid is no coward, the former adversary teams with his quarterback in some exciting forward pass work to defeat their opponents in the game’s final minutes.—TAL NOTES : Filmed on the University of Southern California (USC) campus and at the adjacent Coliseum, near downtown Los Angeles. Wayne was briefly in this film as an extra since he was a friend of co-star Loretta Young and locations were shot at USC with their football team. Between ¡9¡6 and ¡948, Eddie Cline (¡892–¡96¡) directed an assortment of well over 300 features, shorts and two-reelers. He came to Hollywood, finding employment as one of the Keystone Kops in ¡9¡3. Learning the many facets of direction from Mack Sennett, Cline was a quick study. By ¡920 he had already directed scores of films featuring not only the Keystone Kops, but also Buster Keaton, Andy Clyde and Ben Turpin. The high point of his sound era career was the three films he directed starring W.C. Fields: My Little Chickadee, The Bank Dick (¡940), and Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (¡94¡). Actress Marion Byron (born Miriam Bilenkin, ¡9¡¡– 85), between ¡928 and ¡938, appeared in 32 films . Her peak year was ¡929 when her name was listed in the cast of six releases. Byron also appeared with Wayne in Girls Demand Excitement. Over an eight-year period, from ¡929 to ¡937, Canadian-born Phyllis Crane (¡9¡2–82) was featured in 30 films. Perhaps her best known feature was the comedy classic My Man Godfrey (¡936). Arthur Todd (¡895–¡942), a cinematographer since ¡9¡5, shot over ¡25 feature-length films. In ¡929 he would be credited as the photographer on five productions. His one other work with Wayne was College Coach. Allan Lane (¡909–73) would appear in four motion pictures in ¡929 and be active on the big screen until the late ¡950s. Born Harry Leonard Albershart, the Indiana native would appear in over ¡00 motion pictures within a span of three decades. Migrating towards serials and Westerns, Lane earned the nickname “Rocky” and inherited the screen role of Red Ryder, a character he would portray in seven

Four Sons films over a two-year period. From ¡947 to ¡953, in a string of 36 bursting-with-action Republic B-Westerns, “Rocky” Lane would achieve a modicum of popularity with juvenile audiences. In ¡956, as a producer, he unsuccessfully tried to bring the Red Ryder character to television. Ironically, in ¡96¡, without ever appearing in front of cameras, Lane achieved renewed fame by being the voice of television’s famous talking horse, Mr. Ed.

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Opened in New York at the Strand Theater during the same week was Rudy Vallee’s first sound film, The Vagabond Lover, which costarred Loretta Young’s sister Sally Blane and Marie Dressler. Other films playing at theaters during the fall of ¡929 included One Hysterical Night (Universal) with Reginald Denny; the MGM comedy Marianne, starring Marion Davies; and another Universal comedy, Barnum Was Right with Glenn Tryon.

Four Sons February ¡3, ¡928. ¡00 minutes. Margaret Mann, James Hall, Charles Morton, George Meeker, Francis X. Bushman, Jr., June Collyer, Albert Gran, Earle Foxe, Frank Reicher, Jack Pennick, Archduke Leopold of Austria, Hughue Mack, Wendell Franklin, Auguste Tollaire, Ruth Mix, Robert Parrish, Michael Mark, L.J. O’Conner, Ferdinand SchumannHeink, Captain John Porters, Carl Boheme, Constant Franke, Hans Furberg, Tibor von Janney, Stanley Blystone, Lt. George Blagoi, Frank Baker. Fox. Director John Ford; Producer John Ford; Scenarists Philip Klein, Herman Bing; Title Writers Katherine Hilliker, H.H. Caldwell; Based on the story “Granma Bernle Learns Her Letters” by Ida Alexa Ross Wylie; Original Screenplay Carli Elinor; Photography George Schneiderman, Charles G. Clarke; Editor Margaret V. Clancey; Music S.L. Rothafel; Theme, “Little Mother” Erno Rapee, Lee Pollack; Assistant Directors Edward O’Fearna, Robert Lee Hough REVIEWS: “A profoundly moving picture of family life in Germany during the war … the production is magnificent in the amazing e›ectiveness of its fine realism and in its utter simplicity… There can be no question of the work’s merit.” Variety (February ¡5, ¡928); “Quite a graphic conception of the su›erings and tribulations of a German mother during the World War…. Anguish and sorrow even seem to be reflected even in the manner in which some of the scenes are photographed.” The New York Times (Mordaunt Hall, February ¡4, ¡928); “Pictorially [it] is extremely

beautiful; unfortunately its loveliness never obscures the inanities of the script, and the men are never able to overcome the impression that they are mere handsome ciphers.” Magill’s Survey of Cinema: Silent Films (Frank Magill, Salem Press, ¡982); “[O]ne of the rare Ford films that was overtly designed as a prestige ‘art’ movie, the kind of film that is always heavily dependent on critics to find its audience.” Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford (Scott Eyman, Simon & Schuster, ¡999) SYNOPSIS: “No woman in Bavaria has four such sons,” declares the villagers of Burgendorf as they celebrate the birthday of Frau Bernle (Margaret Mann). The kindly woman agrees and lists her blessings in the names of her boys. There is Franz (Francis X. Bushman, Jr.), a competent soldier of the garrison; Joseph ( James Hall), fun-loving and popular; Johann (Charles Morton), the quiet, hard-working blacksmith; and Andreas (George Meeker), who dreams of the future while tending sheep. Frau Bernle would like nothing better than to live out her life in the company of her four sons, but current events threaten family unity. Joseph who has no interest in the growing militarism of the fatherland, looks longingly to America where everyone is equal. He has no money for such a journey, so his mother lovingly surrenders her meager savings. With the appointment of the haughty Major Von Stromm (Earle Foxe) to the village garrison, recruiting for the war e›ort begins in earnest. Scarcely has Frau Bernle said goodbye to Joseph when she must watch Franz and Jo-

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hann march o› to war. Fortune smiles upon Joseph in America. He sets up a delicatessen, meets and weds a lovely girl named Annabelle ( June Collyer) and sends letters to Bavaria to let his mother know she has become a grandmother. While the kindly woman shows o› a picture of her grandson to her friends, the postman delivers a black-bordered letter, the o‡cial dispatch of the Emperor reporting the deaths of Franz and Johann. On the other side of the Atlantic, America has joined the world conflict. Joseph enlists in the United States Army, unaware that the sadistic Von Stomm has forced young Andreas into the German army, leaving Frau Bernle alone in impoverished Burgendorf. On a cold, foggy November morning, private Bernle is drawn from his trench by the pitiful cries of a wounded German soldier calling “Mutterchen” (“Little Mother”). O›ering the dying enemy soldier a drink from his canteen, Joseph is stunned into recognition when Andreas gasps, “Thank you, Joseph.” The American troops move on and seal the fate of Germany, for whom the war is lost. While the village celebrates the Armistice, Frau Bernle’s hopes of seeing her youngest son return are dashed by the arrival of another black-bordered letter. Joseph returns to New York where he finds that his wife has turned the modest delicatessen into a successful restaurant. When his young son asks why he did not bring his grandmother home with him from Europe, Joseph quickly sends a letter to Bavaria. The postman is overjoyed to deliver such good news to Frau Bernle, who completes plans to travel to America by learning the alphabet, a requirement for immigrants. Tired and frightened on her arrival to the bustling new land, she fails the exam and is detained. Unknown to Customs o‡cials, the plucky lady leaves the center to search for her Joseph, who by this time is frantically looking for her. Aided by a kindly policeman, Frau Bernle is reunited with her son, meets her grandson and daughter-inlaw and happily utters the prayer which has sustained her through the years: “For all thy blessings, Dear God, I thank thee.”—TAL NOTES : Wayne worked as an assistant property man and may have participated as an extra in any one of the street sequences. Portions of the story “Granma Bernle Learns Her

Letters” appeared in the September ¡¡, ¡926, issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Some preliminary filming was done on location in Germany. Released with music and synchronized sound e›ects, the film was Ford’s biggest hit since The Iron Horse (¡924). Four Sons earned domestic rentals of $¡,500,000, the same amount of money pulled in at the box o‡ce by the betterknown All Quiet on the Western Front (¡930), Anna Christie (¡930) and Chaplin’s City Lights (¡93¡). The complete feature in its silent form had been “lost” for over 70 years until it was rediscovered in a vault in Portugal. It has been restored by the Film Archive of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Science and Fox. The film’s lead, Scottish-born Margaret Mann (¡868–¡94¡), worked for ten years as an extra before Fox production chief Winfield Sheehan selected her to be the lead of the Ford motion picture. The New York Times called her performance “astoundingly competent.” Mann also appeared with Wayne in Annie Laurie and Conflict. Texas-born second lead James Hall (¡90¡– 40) was a major star who at the height of his career in ¡930 was earning $2500 a week; two years later, he was out of show business. Starting on Broadway in ¡9¡7, he came to Hollywood in the mid–¡920s and was signed to star opposite Bebe Daniels in Stranded in Paris (¡926). A year later, he was featured in Senorita and Hotel Imperial with Pola Negri. Paramount would cast him opposite Clara Bow in The Fleet’s In (¡928), then signed him to star opposite Jean Harlow in Hell’s Angels (¡930). His drinking and surliness on the set led to smaller and smaller roles being o›ered until the only employment he could find was in B-films. By ¡932 even the smallest of studios would have nothing to do with him. Hall died in ¡940, a victim of cirrhosis of the liver. Cast member Archduke Leopold was real nobility from the “old country.” Having left Europe after World War I, he became entrenched as an interesting and curious member of Hollywood and Los Angeles society. To add a sense of realism, Ford would insert the Archduke into several of his films of that period. Fox would remake the motion picture in ¡940 with a cast headed by Don Ameche and directed by Archie Mayo. Photoplay Magazine selected Four Sons the best film of the year. Shown at the Gaiety Theater in New York.

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Girls Demand Excitement men who choose to be known as the “SparFebruary 8, ¡93¡. 67 minutes. Virginia tans.” In a quieter age, the attractive coeds may Cherrill, John Wayne, Marguerite Churchill, have accepted a secondary role to the men, but Helen Jerome Eddy, William Janney, Eddie this is the ¡930s and girls demand excitement. Nugent, Terrance Ray, Marion Byron, Martha A basketball game between the sexes is proSleeper, Addie McPhail, Ray Cooke, David posed. During the first half of the game, the Rollins, Winter Hall, Ralph Welles, George coeds get o› to a great start. But eventually, Irving, Jerry Mandy, Emerson Treacy, Carter through the determination of Peter, the natural Gibson. Fox. President William Fox; Associate leader of the male contingent, the men win. Producer Ralph Block; Director Seymour Felix; Brooks is no stranger to the Madison name; to Assistant Director Edward Marin; Screenplay pay his way through college, he has worked on Harlan Thompson; Writers Owen Davis, W. the family estate. As a student leader, he holds Robertson, Harry Sauber, Ray Harris, R. Medsome 300 proxies for the ballot to decide craft; Photography Charles Clarke; Editor Jack whether or not there shall be coeds at BradMurray; Sets Jack Schulze; Costumes Sophie bury. It looks as if the girls will be turned out Wachner; Sound Eugene Grossman of the college, but Joan is a girl of deviltry and REVIEWS: “Chalk it up as just another imagination. She enters Peter’s dormitory at hey-hey college feature done with class and night and threatens to create a scandal. She is fairly interesting.” Film Daily (February 8, discovered there and the faculty threatens to ¡93¡); “A rather weak story structure … as a expel the young man. At this point, Joan conmatter of fact, there is just about su‡cient real fesses, saving Peter from expulsion. Not only film material of class in this production to does Brooks fail to cast his votes in the ballotcarry about two reels.” Motion Picture Herald ing, he learns, through the dean, that Joan has (February ¡4, ¡93¡); “Although it will not exfallen in love with him. The college head is cite anybody, at least it will not send one home pleased that the blue-eyed blonde is smitten feeling gloomy; it is acted by youthful players, with the manly student. Peter himself seems to and the mood is cheerful.” Harrison’s Reports (February ¡4, ¡93¡); “It’s all whoop hurrah co-ed collegiate atmosphere…. John Wayne is the same young man who was in The Big Trail and also is here spotted in a farce that does little to set him o›.” Variety (February ¡¡, ¡93¡) SYNOPSIS: Joan Madison (Virginia Cherrill), the spoiled daughter of wealthy parents, sees her attendance at Bradbury College as a chance to collect engagement rings from enamored male students. Peter Brooks ( John Wayne), a student too serious to be sidetracked by her enticing and ambitious wiles, fails to give her much notice, so the energetic coed looks for new conquests. The female part of the student body, breaking new ground in the formerly all-male bastion, tends Girls Demand Excitement (Fox, ¡93¡). John Wayne, Virto be looked down on by the young ginia Cherrill

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be anything but indi›erent to the good news. It appears the future at Bradbury will be one of harmony for both sexes.—TAL NOTES: Filmed on the Fox lot from November 24, ¡930, to early January ¡93¡. The screenplay was based upon a magazine article of the same title by Joseph Hilton Smyth and Porter Emerson Browne that appeared in Colliers Weekly (March ¡, ¡930). Following her screen debut in Chaplin’s City Lights, this was Virginia Cherrill’s (¡908–96) second film. The actress had a short-lived marriage to Cary Grant (¡933–35) and then, after appearing in just ¡5 films, retired from the screen in ¡935. Supporting actress Helen Jerome Eddy (¡897– ¡990), a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, entered the world of motion pictures in ¡9¡5. In her 25-year film career, she played roles in 48 motion pictures ranging

from Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (¡9¡7) to Pollyana (¡920), Camille (¡927), Madame Butterfly (¡932), and Strike Up the Band (¡940). Director Seymour Felix (¡892–¡96¡), a New York City native, just five feet tall and a brilliant dancer, broke into show business at the age of ¡5 by performing in vaudeville. Girls Demand Excitement was one of only two movies he would direct. He did serve as choreographer on 32 films between ¡929 and ¡953 including The Great Ziegfeld (¡936), Yankee Doodle Dandy (¡942), and The Dolly Sisters (¡944). El Brendel had originally been signed to co-star in the film, but departed before production began. Other films premiering in February ¡93¡ included Trader Horn (MGM), starring Harry Carey, and the drama Stolen Heaven (Paramount) with Nancy Carroll and Phillips Holmes.

The Great K&A Train Robbery October ¡7, ¡926. 55 minutes. Tom Mix, Dorothy Duan, William Walling, Harry Grippe, Carl Miller, Ed Peil, Sr., Curtis McHenry, Tony the Wonder Horse. Fox. Presented by William Fox; Director Lewis Seiler; Producer William Fox; Scenario John Stone; Story Paul Leicester Ford; Assistant Director Wynn Mace; Photography David Clark REVIEWS: “Probably the fastest picture in action ever filmed … plenty of comedy, much to real laughs. Tom Mix, always the great looking guy in a picture, has set a high mark for the ‘Western boys’ in this one.” Variety (October 26, ¡926); “[N]otable for a spectacular fight on top of a fast moving freight train.” A Pictorial History of Westerns (Michael Parkinson and Clyde Jeavons, Hamlyn, ¡972); “[Mix’s] films were a carefully concocted melange of stunts, comedy, fistfights, chases, and above all glamour… The stunt work, much of it performed by Mix himself, was excellent; fights on top of trains were a specialty.” BFI Companion of the Western (Edward Buscombe, Antheneum, ¡988); “Full quota of thrills and sure-fire Tom Mix action. Smash-bang western that will

tickle star’s admirers and the cash box too…. O›ers five reels of stunts, rescues and captures….” Film Daily (October ¡0, ¡926); “[A] story that moved and was filled with humor and action.” Focus on the Western ( Jack Nachbar, Prentice-Hall, ¡974 [reprint of Jon Tuska article from Views and Reviews, February ¡974]); “It opens with a magnificent stunt in which Mix is discovered by the train robbers and slides down a rope from the top of a tall gorge right into Tony’s saddle. It is as awe inspiring as Douglas Fairbanks’ slide down the ship’s sail in The Black Pirate and several times more daring.” Magill’s Survey of Cinema: Silent Films (Frank McGill, Salem Press, ¡982); “Tom Mix shoots, rides, lassos and loves in a breezier manner than ever before in this ripping Western. Of course Tony helps Tom do all these things—a Mix picture wouldn’t be complete without Tony. The scenery alone in this picture is worth seeing….” Photoplay Magazine (December ¡926); “[T]he definitive Tom Mix western.” Silent Stars ( Jeanine Basinger, Alfred A. Knopf, ¡999) SYNOPSIS: The Westerner, crack train of

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The Great K&A Train Robbery (Fox, ¡926). Tom Mix, Dorothy Duan, unknowns

the K & A Railroad, carries its worried president, Eugene Cullen (William Walling), through the Colorado mountains. A gang has been terrorizing the railroad, stealing the bank shipments which the line carries. Cullen anxiously awaits the arrival of a railroad detective to solve the crisis. Bandit leader Bill Tolfree (Ed Peil, Sr.) is confident that the latest shipment will soon be in his hands, for his gang has a man on the inside—Cullen’s secretary, Burton Holt (Carl Miller). The outlaws boast of their plans in the safety of the mountains above the railroad tracks, but their words are overheard by a mysterious masked cowboy who dangles from a rope below the precipice. Assisted by his horse, Tony, the intrepid eavesdropper not only learns of Holt’s association with the gang, he prevents the kidnapping of Cullen’s daughter Madge (Dorothy Duan), snatching her from her pursued buggy as she

tries to catch her father’s train. The masked stranger overtakes the Westerner, delivering the girl to her father. Here he is mistaken for a robber and pursued through the train. He escapes by remounting Tony, who has been faithfully galloping behind. He also rescues Deluxe Harry (Harry Grippe), a hobo whose berth on the underside of the train has collapsed. This gentleman of the road recognizes his rescuer as Tom Gordon (Tom Mix), his former captain with whom he served at Verdun. Harry becomes an ally in the plan to outwit the treacherous secretary and Tolfree’s bandits. Maintaining his secret identity, Tom trails Cullen to his home and eavesdrops on plans for another huge gold shipment. Upstairs, Madge is having trouble freeing her mind of thoughts of the romantic highwayman. Her interest in the exciting stranger makes the unwelcome advances of Holt even harder to endure. Harry overhears

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Holt reveal the location of the robbery. Tom boards the train from a tunnel entrance. From the top of the express car, he lassos the strong box just as it is being passed through the door. He passes the box on to Harry, but in the midst of the gunfight, Holt recaptures the money and the gang steals the Westerner. Tom and Tony follow the train while another engine is dispatched to join the pursuit. The desperadoes abandon the train and swim to their underground hideout. Here Tom apprehends them, single-handedly bringing them to daylight and to justice. “The helpful young man on the end of this rope,” he cheerfully informs Cullen, “used to be your secretary.” The shipment is saved. The Westerner backs through the tunnel, its locomotive ornamented by Tom and an adoring Madge.—TAL NOTES: Produced on location in Royal Gorge, Colorado, at a cost approaching $200,000. Although filmed in black-andwhite, the film was shown with tinted sequences. Earning $20,000 a week during his prime, Tom (Thomas Edwin) Mix (¡88¡–¡940) was one of the biggest stars of the ¡920s. He started in films in ¡909 by signing a contract

with William Selig’s Selig-Polyscope Company to appear in one- and two-reel Westerns at a salary of $¡50 a week. Over the next eight years he would star in almost ¡00 films. In ¡9¡7 he signed with Fox and by ¡92¡, now an established star with a huge following and a longterm contract, had replaced William S. Hart as the nation’s favorite cowboy star. A young Wayne and several other USC teammates were hired to exercise with Mix, keeping the star in shape, while the actor filmed on location. Once in Colorado, the young college athletes barely saw Mix, as their tasks were redirected towards the moving of props and driving vehicles. Director Seiler’s (¡89¡–¡963) career began in the early ¡920s and ended in ¡958. Being assigned to helm mostly low-budget films in the Western, crime melodrama and war genre, Seiler’s output totaled over 70 motion pictures. In the ¡940s he would direct Wayne in Pittsburgh as well as the successful You’re in the Army Now (¡94¡) and Guadalcanal Diary (¡943). Stock footage from this Western was repeatedly used in other films throughout the ’30s and ’40s, including the popular Mascot serial The Vanishing Legion (¡93¡).

The Greatest Story Ever Told February ¡5, ¡965 222 minutes. Max Von Sydow, Michael Anderson, Jr., Carroll Baker, Ina Balin, Pat Boone, Victor Buono, Richard Conte, Joanna Dunham, Jose Ferrer, Van Heflin, Charlton Heston, Martin Landau, Angela Lansbury, Janet Margolin, David McCallum, Roddy McDowall, Dorothy McGuire, Sal Mineo, Nehemiah Perso›, Donald Pleasence, Sidney Poitier, Claude Rains, Gary Raymond, Telly Savalas, Joseph Schildkraut, Paul Stewart, John Wayne, Shelley Winters, Ed Wynn, Robert Loggia, Robert Blake, Burt Brinckerho›, John Considine, Jamie Farr, David Hedison, Peter Mann, Tom Reese, David Sheiner, Michael Tolan, Johnny Seven, Harold J. Stone, Robert Busch, John Crawford, Russell Johnson, John Lupton, Abraham Sofaer, Chet Stratton, Ron Whelan, John Ab-

bott, Rodolfo Acosta, Michael Ansara, Philip Coolidge, Dal Jenkins, Joe Perry, Marian Seldes, Frank De Kova, Joseph Sirola, Cyril Delevanti, Frank Silvera, John Pickard, Celia Lovsky, Mickey Simpson, Richard Bakalyan, Marc Cavell, Renata Vanni, Frank Richards, Harry Wilson, Dorothy Newmann, Neil Summers, Loren Janes, Bob Terhune (Wayne’s double), the Inbal Dance Theater of Israel. United Artists. Producer & Director George Stevens; Executive Producer Frank I. Davis; Screenplay James Lee Barrett, George Stevens; Based on The Greatest Story Ever Told by Fulton Oursler, The Bible and other ancient writings; and the writings of Henry Denlar; Creative Associate Carl Sandberg; Additional Director David Lean (uncredited); Second Unit Directors Richard Talmadge, William Hale;

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The Greatest Story Ever Told (United Artists, ¡965). Max von Sydow, John Wayne

Photography William C. Mellor, Lloyd Griggs; Art Directors Richard Day, William Creber, David Hall; Production Manager Thomas J. Andre; Costumes Vittorio Nino Novarese; Costume Designer Adele Balkan; Editors Harold F. Kress, Argyle Nelson, Frank O’Neill; Music Alfred Newman; Choral Supervision Ken Darby; Associate Producers George Stevens, Jr., Antonio Vellani; Hair Styles Carmen Dirigo; Sound Franklin Milton, William Steinkamp, Charles Wallace; Research Supervisor Tony Van Renterghem Reviews “[A]rguably Wayne’s worst appearance. Totally miscast, his only line, ‘Truly, this man was the son of God,’ evoked laughter in the audience and was sheer embarrassment.” John Wayne: Prophet of the American Way of Life (Emanuel Levy, Scarecrow Press, ¡988); “No more than three minutes of this new film have

elapsed before we suspect that Stevens’ name and fame have been purchased by the Hallmark Greeting Card Company and that what we are looking at is really a lengthy catalogue of Christmas cards for ¡965—for those who care enough to send the very best….” New Republic (Stanley Kau›man, March 6, ¡965); “[It] succeeds in a number of areas where other Hollywood spectaculars have failed in detailing the life of Christ. But it unfortunately does not succeed ultimately in elevating its theme visually or intellectually much beyond the dime-store-holy-picture Sunday-schoolprimer level to which its predecessors have accustomed us….” The New York Herald Tribune ( Judith Crist, February ¡6, ¡965); “[T]hree hours and forty-one minutes worth of impeccable boredom … an austere Christian epic that o›ers few excitements of any kind … pre-

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tentious solemnity…” Time Magazine (February ¡965) SYNOPSIS: During the reign of Herod of Judea, Jesus the Christ child is born to Mary (Dorothy McGuire) and Joseph (Robert Loggia) in Bethlehem, where he is paid homage by the Three Wise Men. Upon hearing of the birth of “The King of the Jews,” Herod decrees that all male children in Bethlehem be slaughtered. But Joseph and his family escape to Egypt, where they remain until the death of Herod. Due to rioting, the reign of his son, Herod Antipas, is short-lived and the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, is relegated to the tetrachy of Galilee. After being baptized by John the Baptist (Charlton Heston), Jesus (Max Von Sydow) withstands the temptations of the Dark Hermit (Satan, played by Donald Pleasance) and gathers his ¡2 disciples while preaching the gospel of peace on Earth. His miracles arouse the ire of the High Priest Caiaphas, and John the Baptist is executed for preaching repentance and prophesying the coming of the Messiah. After raising his friend Lazarus from the dead, Jesus enters Jerusalem, where he expels the moneylenders from the temple and continues preaching before vast audiences. Following the Last Supper, Jesus is betrayed by one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, and convicted of blasphemy. Pilate, forced to yield to the clamoring mob of Jesus’ enemies, orders the crucifixion at Golgotha. After three days, however, prophesy is fulfilled and Jesus is resurrected from the dead to join his father in Heaven. NOTES: In production from October ¡962 to July ¡963. Desert sequences were shot at Glen Canyon, Utah, and Pyramid Lake, Nevada. The sequence involving Wayne was shot in the studio in Hollywood. The initial version was 250 minutes in length. It was then cut to 222 minutes, then ¡90 minutes and finally ¡47. The original budget was set at $7,400,000 for a 23-week shooting schedule. The figure was then upped to $¡2,000,000. After 40 weeks in production, the final negative cost had soared to $2¡,000,000. The film earned domestic rentals of only $6,930,000, from a total gross of $¡4,800,000, but did earn slightly more from releases throughout the rest of the world. To help recoup some of the production costs,

United Artists leased the “epic” to NBC in ¡967 for $5,000,000. For working on the project as both producer and director, George Stevens was paid a producer’s fee of $300,000 and was contracted to receive 75 percent of the profits generated by the film. Production manager and assistant director Thomas J. Andre (¡905–83) was an Iowa native who quit medical school to enter the motion picture industry as a stuntman in the late ¡920s. Throughout the ¡930s and early ¡940s he was employed as an assistant director at MGM and other studios, working under William Wellman, W.S. Van Dyke and Gregory La Cava. During World War II, for over a year, he was part of the much-vaunted John Ford camera outfit. In the ’50s and early ’60s he served as production manager on over 20 productions including Blood Alley, Giant, The Wings of Eagles, The Big Country, Pork Chop Hill and The Alamo. Turning to the medium of television in the ’60s, he served as an assistant director on the CBS rural comedies The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction and Green Acres. Costume designer Adele Balkan (¡907–99) had a career which spanned over four decades in Hollywood. In the ’30s she dressed almost every female star from Claudette Colbert to Marlene Dietrich. The more renowned films she worked on included The Blue Angel (¡930), The Boy with Green Hair (¡948), Mighty Joe Young (¡949) and The Ten Commandments (¡956). Bob Terhune (¡928– ), son of Max Terhune of the Three Mesquiteers, served as Wayne’s double in the long shots. Terhune worked as a bit player or stuntman in over 50 films including Rio Bravo (¡959), Which Way Is Up? (¡977), City Heat (¡984), Silverado (¡985) and Jim Carrey’s Dumb and Dumber (¡994). George Stevens first began planning the film in ¡948. By ¡954 he had settled on filming the production in the CinemaScope format and had already expended almost $2,300,000 of Fox’s money. When filming actually started, it was done in the three-strip process, then was quickly converted to Ultra-Panavision 70. Founded in ¡95¡, the Inbal Dance Theater of Israel is the country’s oldest modern dance company and a cultural institution. Through the decades the company has used modern dance to depict the clash between modernity and tradition.

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The Green Berets June ¡7, ¡968. ¡4¡ minutes. John Wayne, David Janssen, Jim Hutton, Aldo Ray, Raymond St. Jacques, Bruce Cabot, Jack Soo, George Takei, Patrick Wayne, Irene Tsu, Edward Faulkner, Jason Evers, Mike Henry, Craig Jue, Luke Askew, Chuck Roberson, Eddy Donno, Rudy Robbins, Richard “Cactus” Pryor, William Olds, Bach Yen, Frank Koomen, Robin Moore, Billy Shannon, Chuck Bail, Vincent Cadiente, Yodying Apibal, Alan Gibbs, Chuck Courtney, James Seay, John “Bear” Hudkins, Jim Burk, Phil Adams, Stan Barrett, Bobby Bass, Hank Calia, Bill Couch, Everett Creach, Joe Finnegan, Ernie Orsatti, Ronnie C. Ross, George Sawaya, Jerry Summers, Dick Warlock. Warner Bros–7 Arts. A Batjac Production. Producer Michael Wayne; Directors John Wayne, Ray Kellogg, Mervyn LeRoy; Screenplay James Lee Barrett; From the Novel by Robin Moore; Photography Winton C. Hoch; Editor Otho Lovering; Music Miklos Rozsa; Sound Stanley Jones; Second Unit Director Cli› Lyons; Assistant Directors Joe L. Cramer, Newt Arnold; Special E›ects Sass Bedig; Production Designer Walter M. Simonds; Set Decorator Ray Moyer; Titles Designed by Wayne Fitzgerald; Costumes Jerry Alpert; Makeup Dave Grayson; Production Manager Lee W. Lukather; Camera Assistant Bob Boatman; Technical Advisors William E. Berzinec, Robert Lewis Howard REVIEWS: “Cliché-cluttered plot structure and dialogue, wooden performances by actors playing soldiers, pedestrian direction and lethargic editing…” Variety ( June ¡9, ¡968); “[E]xcept for the technical excellence of a few gory, glory-hallelujah battle scenes, Green Berets is strictly for the hawks…. John Wayne … still remains a most likable screen personality.” Time Magazine ( June 2¡, ¡968); “[It] verges on the obscene in its simple-minded and specious propagandizing…” New York Magazine ( Judith Crist, July 8, ¡968); “[A] very good action film.” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974); “Inept, mawkish, and basically imbecile….” Saturday Review (Hollis Alpert, July ¡3, ¡968); “[A] film so unspeak-

able, so stupid, so rotten and false in every detail that it passes through being fun, through being funny, through being camp, through everything and becomes an invitation to grieve….” The New York Times (Renata Adler, June 20, ¡968); “Whenever the arts have touched upon Vietnam, they have tended to deplore the U.S. participation, so The Green Berets has a certain novelty value in that it seems to be trying to redress the balance … an ordinary old-fashioned war movie.” Films and Filming (Gordon Gow, October ¡968); “As a picture, in all respects, story, action and quality, it accurately reflects not only John Wayne’s past experience but also his present directorial capacity…. [It’s] probably not nearly as bad as some folk will think, say and write….” The New York Post (Archer Winston, June 20, ¡968); “Totally committed hawks … will find mud and blood made to order….” Playboy Magazine ( July ¡968); “[I]t is, of course, just as stupid—ideologically speaking—as you were afraid it would be and far worse—as an action film—than you suspected it could be.” Life Magazine (Richard Schickel, July ¡968); “All scenes have a staged quality, though the second half contrives a bit more interest. Explosive battle sequences are well done and enemy traps are hammered home.” The New York Daily News (Ann Guarino, June 20, ¡968); “[Wayne] was starting to show the wear-andtear of the numerous action and war films in which he had appeared for nearly forty years…. Anyone willing to leave individual political persuasions and biases out of his reaction … will credit it with its honest and fair critical due.” The Great War Film (Lawrence J. Quirk, Citadel Press, ¡994) SYNOPSIS: Col. Mike Kirby ( John Wayne) of the U.S. Special Forces (known as the Green Berets) takes charge of “Dodge City,” a strike camp located deep in Viet Cong–controlled territory. In his hand-picked unit are such dedicated soldiers as sergeants Muldoon (Aldo Ray), Doc McGee (Raymond St. Jacques), Provo (Luke Askew) and an unlikely hero, Petersen ( Jim Hutton), who becomes the outfit’s

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The Green Berets (Warner Bros., ¡968). John Wayne

scrounger and is “adopted” by Hamchunk (Craig Jue), a homeless war orphan. Accompanying the unit is George Beckworth (David Janssen), a skeptical war correspondent who has accepted the Colonel’s challenge to come see the war as it really is before making up his mind about the validity of American intervention in Southeast Asia. The journalist protests some of the Green Beret tactics, like the torture of a Viet Cong infiltrator during interrogation. But as he witnesses various Viet Cong atrocities, especially the murder of an innocent child he had befriended, he begins to see the conflict in a new perspective. An enemy build-up puts the defenders of the strike camp on the alert. Despite the best e›orts of Kirby’s men, the South Vietnamese regulars and brave Montagnard tribesmen, Dodge City is overrun in a pre-dawn attack. A U.S. Air Force plane decimates the victorious enemy and Kirby

leads his people back to rebuild the site. Meanwhile, Col. Morgan (Bruce Cabot) and Vietnamese Col. Cai ( Jack Soo) have devised a daring plan to capture a high-ranking North Vietnamese o‡cer far behind enemy lines. Kirby and Cai lead a small group which includes Muldoon, McGee and Petersen through the jungle to an abandoned plantation. Here the trap is set. The bait is Cai’s lovely sisterin-law (Irene Tsu), a beautiful model who will distract the enemy o‡cer with romance while the Green Berets move in. The mission is successful but the cost is high. Among those on the mission who do not return is Petersen, victim of a Viet Cong booby trap. Col. Kirby must explain to Hamchunk that his friend died so that children like him might live in freedom. “You’re what this is all about,” Kirby says quietly as he gives the youngster the fallen hero’s green beret.—TAL

Hangman’s House NOTES: Exteriors filmed at Fort Benning, Georgia, from August 9 to November ¡5, ¡967. Additional scenes were shot at the Warner lot in Burbank in December. Negative cost was $6,¡00,000. This included the $¡7¡,000 Batjac spent at Fort Benning to construct sets and a further $¡8,623.34 for the use of governmentfurnished equipment. The extras were paid a total of $305,000 for 70 shooting days. The film earned domestic rentals of $9,750,000 on a box o‡ce gross in excess of $24,000,000. Its box o‡ce gross in Japan and other parts of the Orient exceeded $5,000,000. Vera Miles, cast as Wayne’s wife in one scene, was edited out of the film. The Green Berets would be Aldo Ray’s (¡927–9¡) last major film. The hulking actor with the raspy voice from Northern California made his first film in ¡950, Columbia’s Saturday’s Hero. A Navy veteran of World War II, he served as a frogman, then enrolled at the University of California in Berkeley. Columbia, impressed by his speaking manner and rugged good looks, signed him to a contract. He played opposite rising star Judy Holliday in The Marrying Kind and the Spencer Tracy–Katharine Hepburn comedy Pat and Mike. With roles in Miss Sadie Thompson, Raoul Walsh’s Battle Cry, the Michael Curtiz comedy We’re No Angels and Anthony Mann’s Men in War, his star rose throughout the ’50s. By the ¡970s he was relegated to guest appearances in low-budget horror films, import productions and a porno film with Traci Lords. The novel on which the movie was based sold over 3,000,000 copies. The Green Berets album and single record sold a combined 4,000,000 copies. The single, sung by Sta› Sergeant Barry Sadler, was the number one selling single of the year. The top ten box o‡ce stars for ¡968 were: (¡) Sidney Poitier, (2) Paul Newman, (3) Julie Andrews, (4) John Wayne, (5) Clint Eastwood, (6) Dean Martin, (7) Steve McQueen, (8) Jack Lem-

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mon, (9) Lee Marvin and (¡0) Elizabeth Taylor. Setting a record, this was Wayne’s nineteenth appearance among the top ten. The previous record holder was Gary Cooper with ¡8 appearances. In England, Wayne was the number one box o‡ce attraction for ¡968. The film opened at the Warners Theater on Broadway on June ¡7, ¡968. To promote the movie, Wayne was the Grand Marshall of the Fourth of July Salute to America Parade in Atlanta and attended the gala theater premiere in that city. Camera operator Bob Boatman (¡930–89) was also a director of the Hee Haw syndicated television show from ¡972 until the time of his death. His film credits included Cary Grant’s last film, Walk, Don’t Run, Wait Until Dark starring Audrey Hepburn, Valley of the Dolls and the all-star war film Tora, Tora, Tora! Actor Jack Soo (¡9¡6–79) became famous as detective Yamana in the long-running ABC-TV police comedy series Barney Miller. Hungarian-born Miklos Rozsa (¡908–95) won Oscars for Best Scoring for Spellbound (¡945), A Double Life (¡947) and Ben-Hur (¡959). During the early ¡930s in London, the composer met Alexander Korda, who urged him to create a song for the Marlene Dietrich film Knight Without Armour. Impressed by his work, Korda signed Rozsa to do the scores for his The Four Feathers, The Jungle Book and The Thief of Baghdad. Moving to the United States in the ¡940s, Rozsa composed the music for Quo Vadis, Ivanhoe, Julius Caesar, King of Kings, El Cid, Lust for Life, The Asphalt Jungle, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad and Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid. Assistant director Newt Arnold (¡927–2000) worked on The Godfather II, The Way West, The Devil’s Brigade, Jade, A Walk in the Clouds and The Abyss. During his 45 years in the industry, he also had assignments as an actor and writer working for Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, Blake Edwards and Sam Peckinpah.

Hangman’s House May ¡3, ¡928. 75 minutes. Victor McLaglen, June Collyer, Hobart Bosworth, Larry Kent, Earle Foxe, Eric Mayne, Belle Stoddard,

Joseph Benke, Jack Pennick, John Wayne, Frank Baker. Fox. A William Fox Picture; Director & Producer John Ford; Scenario Marion

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Hangman’s House

Hangman’s House (Fox, ¡928)

Orth, Willard Mack; Adaptation Philip Klein; Title Writer Malcolm Stuart Boylan; Photography George Schneiderman; Editor Margaret V. Clancey; Assistant Directors Phil Ford, R.L. Hough REVIEWS: “The finest program picture ever turned out by a studio.” Film Spectator (Wilfred Beaton, June ¡928); “Among the few people who have recently reseen Ford’s next film, Hangman’s House (¡928), opinions are sharply divided. Some dislike it intensely, perhaps because it does not fit into any convenient Fordian niche; I happen to think it’s one of his best films from any period.… William K. Everson (¡97¡ college seminar); “A comedydrama natural for the screen. … The photographic quality of the whole production is one of its outstanding merits… Contributing as much as anything else to the admirable e›ect is the very capable acting of a well chosen cast….” Variety (May ¡6, ¡928); “…a little gem … a memorable picture.” Print the Legend: The

Life and Times of John Ford (Scott Eyman, Simon & Schuster, ¡999) SYNOPSIS: “I’ve got to kill a man.” With this explanation, Commandant Hogan (Victor McLaglen) of the Foreign Legion takes leave to return to his native Ireland where there is a price on his head. Dressed as a monk, the political refugee travels through his homeland to the neighborhood of Baron O’Brien’s (Hobart Bosworth) Glenmalure. The locals call the foreboding edifice “Hangman’s House” because of the many people the stern judge has sent to the gallows. O’Brien’s doctor brings the judge the terrible news: He has a month to live. Determined to see his daughter Connaught ( June Collyer) made the first lady in the land, O’Brien arranges her marriage to the worldly John D’Arcy (Earle Foxe), recently from Paris. The lovely Conn loves local boy Dermot McDermot (Larry Kent), but dutifully consents to her dying father’s request. Hogan arrives at Glenmalure the evening of Conn’s wedding.

Hatari! Minutes after the ceremony, O’Brien, who has been haunted by visions of his victims, dies in his chair. Drinking heavily, D’Arcy quickly shows his true colors. “They’re building a gibbet for Jimmy the Hangman in Hell by this time. We’re going to bed!” Shocked at this cruelty, Conn locks the brute out of her bedroom. Still in hiding, Hogan keeps an eye on Hangman’s House. These are gray days for Conn. Her only comfort is in the occasional horse ride with Dermot. St. Stephen’s Day arrives, and with it the annual horse race. The local citizenry has bet heavily on Conn’s Galway Hunter, the Bard. D’Arcy has the horses jockey abducted. While Dermot is deciding to ride the Bard, Hogan, dressed as a blind beggar, confronts D’Arcy with questions about Paris. D’Arcy informs the Black-and-Tans that a fugitive is in their midst, and Hogan is forced to watch the race from a police van. Dermot and the Bard win the race. D’Arcy is not so lucky. He has gambled all his money on another horse in the hope of winning enough to desert Ireland and Conn forever. In a rage, he shoots the horse and becomes an outcast, decent folk shunning him as an informer and a coward. The wastrel, worried when Hogan is freed from jail by his friends, asks Dermot for help. Over a drink, D’Arcy confesses abandoning a wife in Paris. The girl, the sister of Dennis Hogan, died shortly after being abandoned. The disgusted McDermot gives D’Arcy enough money to leave the country, but the greedy villain is not satisfied. Driving Conn to seek refuse with the McDermots, D’Arcy strips

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Hangman’s House of its valuables. When his plan is discovered by Dermot and Hogan, there is a showdown at Glenmalure. Fire breaks out and D’Arcy perishes in the flames. A great yellow stain is lifted from the Emerald Isle. Hogan returns to Algiers knowing that Conn and Dermot are free from the greed and ghosts of the Hangman’s House.—TAL NOTES: Based on a ¡926 story of the same name by Donn Byrne and Brian Oswald. This was Victor McLaglen’s first starring role in a Ford film. Filmed in seven weeks starting in late January ¡928, with Wayne appearing in two sequences, of which only one survived the editing process. Actress June Collyer (¡907– 68), born Dorothea Heermance in New York City of wealthy and talented parents, was a debutante who entered films in the mid–¡920s. She scored a triumph with her role in East Side West Side (¡927), which led to John Ford signing her for two motion pictures in ¡928. Marrying fellow actor Stuart Erwin in ¡93¡, Collyer retired from films in ¡935. In the early ’50s, her children having grown, Collyer joined Erwin to play the roles of husband and wife in two television series, The Trouble with Father and The Stu Erwin Show. The film ran at New York’s Roxy Theater during the week of May ¡2, ¡928. Playing at the nation’s theaters in competition with Hangman’s House were the screen adaptation of the stage play Ramona, starring Dolores Del Rio and Warner Baxter for United Artists, and the low-budget Kentucky Courage from First National, starring Richard Barthelmess.

Hatari! May 24, ¡962. ¡59 minutes. John Wayne, Hardy Kruger, Elsa Martinelli, Gerard Blain, Red Buttons, Michele Girardon, Bruce Cabot, Valentin de Vargas, Eduard Franz, Queenie Leonard, Major Sam Harris, Henry Scott, Jon Chevron, Emmett E. Smith, Jack Williams, Ted White, Carey Loftin, Russ Saunders. Paramount. A Malabar Production. Directed and Produced by Howard Hawks; Screenplay

Leigh Brackett; Story Harry Kurnitz; Music Score Henry Mancini; Second Unit Director and Associate Producer Paul Helmick; Photography Russell Harlan; Art Directors Hal Pereira, Carl Anderson; Editor Stuart Gilmore; Set Decorators Sam Comer, Claude E. Carpenter; Costumes Edith Head; Men’s Wardrobe Frank Beetson, Jr.; Sound John Carter, Charles Grenzbach; Property Master Earl Olin; Special Photographic

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Hatari!

Hatari! (Paramount, ¡96¡). Elsa Martinelli, Wayne, Red Buttons

E›ects John P. Fulton; Mechanical E›ects Richard Parker; Technical Advisor Willy de Beer; Production Manager Don Robb; Unit Manager Jim Henderling; Assistant Directors Tom Conners, Russ Saunders; Associate Pho-

tographer Joseph Brun; Song “Just for Tonight” Johnny Mercer, Hoagy Carmichael REVIEWS: “The film remains a pleasing mixture of adventure, comedy and romance.” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, A.S.

Hatari! Barnes, ¡976); “Mr. Hawks is a past master of both comedy and action, and in Hatari he is as serious about raw adventure as he is lighthearted about amour.” The New York Times (A.H. Weiler, July ¡2, ¡962); “There are hunting sequences, surely the most beautiful and exhilarating ever filmed. The camera, in the moving truck, puts us in the middle of it all; and we like the characters well enough for involvement in the danger and exhilaration to be more than merely technical. The actors did it all themselves, and we see this.” Howard Hawks (Robin Wood, Doubleday, ¡968); “John Wayne plays with his customary e›ortless (or so it seems) authority a role which he identified.” Variety (May 23, ¡962); “Without question, Hatari! is among the best American pictures of ¡962; its only rival so far is Ford’s Liberty Valance, another masterpiece. Anyone who does not see the beauty and brilliance of this picture is either a fool or a snob, and both are really the same.” Film Culture (Peter Bogdanovich, Volume #25, Summer ¡962); “[A]n extremely delightful picture. Not in the least pretentious or contrived, the film’s naturalness, its relaxed visual style and its easy-going pace make watching it an undeniably pleasant experience.” The Hollywood Professionals #3 Howard Hawks ( John Belton); “A wholesome screen adventure… The script lacks momentum. It never really advances towards a story goal … the animals steal the show….” The New York Herald Tribune (Paul V. Beckley, July ¡2, ¡962) SYNOPSIS : Momella Games Farms in Tanganyika continues to catch wild animals for zoos and circuses throughout the world even after its owner has been killed by a rhino. His attractive daughter Brandy (Michele Girardon) carries on the business, best described by the Swahili word for danger—“Hatari.” Brandy is supported by a group of seasoned catchers led by Sean Mercer ( John Wayne), an American veteran of hundreds of chases. The other group members are Kurt (Hardy Kruger), a former race car driver, Pockets (Red Buttons), an ex–New York cabbie, Luis (Valentin De Vargas), a former bullfighter, and the Indian (Bruce Cabot), a veteran marksman. The crew su›ers bad luck when the Indian is gored by a charging rhino and is hospitalized. A self-as-

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sured but jobless Frenchman, Chips (Gerard Blain), asks about the Indian’s job while the group waits in the hospital lobby. His o›er is coldly rejected, but after he donates blood for the Indian’s recovery, Sean decides to give him a chance. A more unsettling addition to the group is photographer Anna Maria D’Allesandro (Elsa Martinelli), whom a tongue-tied Sean quickly names Dallas. The attractive photographer has been commissioned to record the excitement of game-catching, her first assignment of this type. “Rhino, elephant, buffalo … and a greenhorn!” moans Sean. The newcomers quickly prove their worth. Chips is an excellent shot and saves Kurt’s life at a crocodile-infested river crossing. The glamorous Dallas adjusts quickly to the hardships of game-catching, and her warm personality wins over the group members. She falls helplessly in love with Sean who, having been burned in romance before, is hesitant to admit his attraction to the young lady. Dallas adopts an orphaned baby elephant, then attracts a second and third, earning her the respect of the neighboring Warusha tribe which christens her “Mother of Elephants.” Throughout the season the crew successfully fills the orders of various zoos until only the rhino remains to be captured. Indian, recovering from his injury, tries to talk Sean out of the chase, but the sturdy hunter wants to prove that the crew is not jinxed. After a long and dangerous chase, the rhino is caught, roped, escapes, and is finally caught again. When the victorious catchers return home, a dejected Dallas, troubled by the stalemate in her relationship with Sean, excuses herself from the celebrating. In the morning, Sean learns that Dallas has departed. Determined to get her back, he loads one of the baby elephants into a Jeep and races to Arusha, the other two elephants running behind. The crew pursues Dallas through the town until the elephants corner her in the hotel lobby. Sean and Dallas are married. Their wedding night bliss is only temporarily interrupted when the pachyderms trample the wedding bed.—TAL NOTES : Principal photography commenced on November 28, ¡960, at locations in Tanganyika, East Africa, under the working title, The African Story. Principal photography

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ended on March ¡5, ¡96¡. An advance team had been at the location site since early September ¡960 filming backgrounds and second unit photography. Budgeted at $4,275,000, the film’s final negative cost came in at $6,546,000. Against a domestic box o‡ce of $¡4,000,000 in its first year of release, the motion picture earned North American theater rentals of $7,500,000. Wayne received ¡0 percent of the gross receipts against a guaranteed minimum of $750,000. As the profits continued to accumulate through subsequent reissues in the late ¡960s, Wayne would receive additional checks totaling $350,000 ($50,000 in ¡966, and $¡00,000 checks for the years ¡967, ¡968 and ¡969). In the original script, Wayne was to play a character called Clint Mercer, a former cowboy from Big Springs, Texas, who was born in ¡9¡3. Ted White stunted for Wayne. The first draft of the story was written by Leigh Brackett in ¡959. Originally Hawks had wanted the film to mark the first teaming of superstars Clark Gable and Gary Cooper. When this proved to be impractical, he then settled on getting Wayne and Gable to team up for the African adventure. Red Buttons was cast as the comedy relief after Art Carney and Theodore Bikel proved to be unavailable. Cinematographer and former stuntman Russell Harlan (¡903–74) was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on this comedy-adventure tale. Starting out as a comedian in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York, Red Buttons (born Aaron Cawatt, ¡9¡9– ) also performed on Broadway then was called to Hollywood in ¡943, to reprise the role he had on stage in Winged Victory (¡944). The short, red-headed actor would appear in several films during the ’40s but concentrated much of his time on gaining a following of fans through his club routines. In ¡952 he starred in his own comedyvariety TV show, The Red Buttons Show, while continuing to work in front of live audiences. His performance opposite Marlon Brando in

Sayonara (¡957) earned him an Oscar. He then appeared in Imitation General (¡958) with Glenn Ford and The Big Circus (¡959) in support of Victor Mature and Rhonda Fleming. In the ¡960s and ’70s he was seen in Up from the Beach (¡965), Stagecoach (¡966), They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (¡969), The Poseidon Adventure (¡972), and Gable and Lombard (¡976). Character actor Eduard Franz (Eddie Schmidt, ¡902–83) portrayed a succession of sophisticated and erudite men in a film career that included over 35 films over a 40-year period. Prior to entering motion pictures, the actor was a staple on the stage with roles in The Emperor Jones opposite Paul Robeson and Desire Under the Elms with Walter Huston. On Broadway, he supported Ethel Barrymore in Embezzled Heaven (¡944). The actor turned to Hollywood after the war and was featured in Killer at Large (¡947), The Iron Curtain (¡948), Madame Bovary (¡949) and the John Wayne starrer Wake of the Red Witch. In the ’50s he had meaty roles in Whirlpool (¡950), The Magnificent Yankee (¡95¡), The Thing from Another World (¡95¡), The Desert Fox (¡95¡) and The Ten Commandments (¡956). The actor’s last screen appearance was in Twilight Zone, the Movie (¡983). With an Australian box o‡ce take of $538,000, Hatari! was one of the most successful films in the history of the continent up to that time. World premiere at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood on June ¡9, ¡962. New York premiere held at the DeMille Theater on June 20, ¡962. Paramount reissued the motion picture in May ¡963 with The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and again in ¡967 with Hud. The latter’s advertising campaign featured the catchphrase “Wayne means adventure! Newman means action!” First television broadcast was on January ¡4, ¡968, over the ABC Network. It was re-broadcast, in two parts, over the CBS Television Network on February ¡2 and ¡3, ¡970, to a larger audience than its original showing.

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Haunted Gold December ¡7, ¡932. 56–58 minutes. John Wayne, Sheila Terry, Harry Woods, Erville Alderson, Otto Ho›man, Martha Mattox, Blue Washington, Slim Whitaker, Bud Osborne, Jim Corey, Ben Corbett, Bob Burns, Mack V. Wright, Blackjack Ward, Duke the Wonder Horse. Warners. Producer Leon Schlesinger; Associate Producer Sid Rogell; Director Mack V. Wright; Writer Adele Bu‡ngton; Photography Nick Musuraca; Editor William Clemens; Musical Score Leo F. Forbstein; Songs: “She’ll be Comin’ Around the Mountain,” “Sweet Genevieve,” “Mysterious Blues” REVIEWS: “[G]reatly aided in establishing [Wayne] as a young and most likeable sagebrush hero. Given fairly decent production values and good casts and direction, these Westerns proved to be quite acceptable to the public.” The Great Western Pictures ( James Robert Parrish and Michael R. Pitts, Scarecrow Press, ¡976); “[P]robably rates as the most entertaining in the Warner set; it is fast, fervent, finely photographed by Nick Musucara, and has a mystery angle, which seldom fails to garnish any Western.” Hollywood Corral (Don Miller, Popular Library, ¡976); “[D]one in a heavy-handed style of the mystery story of three or four years ago. … John Wayne plays tepidly, with Sheila Terry giving little assistance. Photography ranges from good to poor….” Variety ( January ¡7, ¡933); “One of the most entertaining B-westerns ever made.” The Best (and Worst) of the West! (Boyd Magers) SYNOPSIS: For 30 years, Gold City and its mine, the Sally Ann, have been abandoned to the ghosts. The mining partnership of Bill Carter and Len Mason has long been destroyed by the greed of the villainous Ryan, and all three are believed dead. Suddenly the abandoned site hosts a gathering of the o›spring of these hapless men. Following in his father’s footsteps, Joe Ryan (Harry Woods) has assembled a gang of thugs to find a hidden stash of gold he believes exists. Janet (Sheila Terry), attractive daughter of Bill Carter, has been summoned to the mine from which her share was sold long ago. And John Mason

( John Wayne), now head of the Mason Ranch, receives a similar note telling him to come to Gold City to protect his interest in the Sally Ann. John is accompanied on his ride by Clarence (Blue Washington), the ranch’s cook and self-appointed bodyguard of his boss. The two travelers arrive in Gold City to find Janet, Ryan and his gang, and three somber caretakers of the ruins who are guardians of the mine’s secret presence known as the Phantom. John and Janet realize that the Ryan gang is up to no good, so John devises a plan to drive the villains out of the picture. Knowing that one of the outlaws is eavesdropping, John sends Clarence to the Mason Ranch for $¡000. Ryan and his men greedily take the bait and Clarence is robbed. John surprises the gang and forces Ryan at gunpoint to choose between going to prison for robbery or relinquishing his claim to the mine. John’s plan is spoiled when the rotted floor gives way below him, revealing the mine shaft below. Lusting for gold, Ryan and his men leave John tied up so they can explore the tunnels. One tunnel leads to the Carter house, where Janet is taken prisoner by the outlaws. This act brings the Phantom of the Sally Ann mine out of hiding. The avenger confronts Ryan and reveals that he is Bill Carter, framed and imprisoned 30 years before by the father of this evildoer. The gang overtakes Carter, beating him up for information about the hidden gold. John, set free by Clarence, races to the old mill where there is a back entrance to the mine. The young hero and his trusty horse Duke make short work of the two gang members at the site, and John enters the mine. Clarence, falling down a vertical shaft, reveals a way for John to catch up to the departing rustlers. After a dangerous climb up the shaft, John gives chase to the thieves. His battle with them is climaxed by the timely arrival of the ranch hands, led to the chase by John’s miracle horse. The second generation partnership of Mason and Carter seems assured as John and Janet plan a happy future together.—TAL NOTES : Wayne’s third Ken Maynard–

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Haunted Gold (Warner Bros., ¡932). Three unknowns, Harry Woods, Slim Whitaker, Blue Washington, Wayne

Warner remake was an adaptation of The Phantom City (¡926). In production for two weeks on a budget of $28,000 at Hornitos, California ( just outside Yosemite). Wayne was paid $850.The film earned domestic rentals of $¡28,000 and an additional $57,000 from foreign markets. Reissued in ¡940 and again, on a limited scale, in ¡962. Female lead Sheila Terry (born Kay Clark, ¡9¡0–57), would appear in two other B-Westerns with Wayne: ’Neath Arizona Skies and Lawless Frontier. Her brief film career would last only six years (¡932–38) but would encompass over 30 films ranging from Week-End Marriage and I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang to Special Investigator and Go Get ’Em Haines. She would die at the age of 47. For Martha Mattox (¡879–¡933), Haunted Gold would be her next-to-last film. The veteran of 20 pictures would die after completing a small role in The Bitter Tea of

General Yen (¡933). In the three-year period from ¡93¡ through ¡933, Harry Woods (¡889– ¡968) would have roles in 20 films. Between ¡923 and ¡960, Italian-born cinematographer Nick Musuraca (¡892–¡975), photographed over ¡60 films. Working at RKO in the late ¡930s and ¡940s, he photographed Wayne on Allegheny Uprising and Back to Bataan. Played on a double-bill at New York’s Loew’s Theater, for one day, on January ¡0, ¡933. Adele Bu‡ngton modified the screenplay, which was then used as a vehicle for the Monogram Rough Riders (Buck Jones–Tim McCoy–Raymond Hatton) film Ghost Town Law (¡942). Also premiering at theaters in January ¡933 were the Clark Gable–Carole Lombard comedy No Man of Her Own (Paramount) and the drama No Other Woman (RKO), starring Irene Dunne and Charles Bickford.

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Hellfighters December ¡4, ¡968. ¡2¡ minutes. John Wayne, Katharine Ross, Jim Hutton, Vera Miles, Jay C. Flippen, Bruce Cabot, Edward Faulkner, Barbara Stuart, Edmund Hashim, Valentine De Vargas, Francis Fong, Alberto Morin, Alan Caillou, Laraine Stephens, John Alderson, Lal Chand Mehra, Rudy Diaz, Bebe Louis, Pedro Gonzales-Gonzales, Edward Colman, Chuck Roberson, Hal Needham, Chris Chandler, William Hardy, Richard “Cactus” Pryor, Big John Hamilton, Elizabeth Germaine, Howard Finch, Roydon Clark, Gary Combs, Gary McLarty, Jim Burk, Ronnie Rondell, Stan Barrett, Chuck Courtney, Everett Creach, Alan Gibbs, Rock Walker, Dick Bullock. Universal. Producer Robert Arthur; Director Andrew V. McLaglen; Screenplay Clair Hu›aker; Photography William H. Clothier; Art Directors Alexander Gilitzen, Frank Arrigo; Set Decorators John McCarthy, James S. Redd; Sound Waldon O. Watson, Lyle Cain; Unit Production Manager Robert E. Larson; Assistant Director Terry Morse, Jr.; Second Unit Team Robin S. Clark, Joe Florence, Harry Hogan, III, Ted Swanson; Editor Folmar Blangsted; Makeup Bud Westmore; Hair Stylist Larry Germain; Costumes Edith Head; Music Leonard Rosenman; Music Supervisor Joseph Gershenson; Special E›ects Fred Knoth, Whitey McMahan, Herman Townsley; Technical Advisor Red Adair. REVIEWS: “[T]he picture gives the last of the rugged individualists a chance to once again put his Mount Rushmore–like mug on the wide screen and sell his own marketable brand of virtuous vim and vigor.” Newsweek (Paul D. Zimmerman, February 24, ¡969); “[A]ctionful and suspenseful…. Wayne delivers one of his regulation rugged performances….” Variety (November ¡6, ¡968); “The Duke may not be too good at rendering Brechtian anguish, but no one else can play a better John Wayne.” Time Magazine (February ¡969); “[I]t will undoubtedly make a mint, courtesy of Duke Wayne…” New York Magazine ( Judith Crist, February 24, ¡969); “[T]he quintessential John Wayne movie. With

plenty of heroics, a couple of brawls and some dignified romancing, it’s tailor-made to the Duke.” Los Angeles Times (Kevin Thomas, January ¡, ¡969); “[T]he kind of Wayne film put together by the numbers.” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, Grosset & Dunlap, ¡976). SYNOPSIS: Chance Buckman ( John Wayne) is leader of a hardy crew of firefighters whose specialty is extinguishing blazing oil wells. He is the true professional whose private life has su›ered the consequences of his driving passion to face the dangers of his line of work. Years ago, his wife Madelyn (Vera Miles) realized she could not accommodate their marriage to her husband’s hazardous occupation. As a result, Chance has been estranged from his wife and daughter, Tish (Katharine Ross), and he has known many a lonely moment between capping burning wells. When an accident hospitalizes Chance, his young partner, Greg ( Jim Hutton), takes it upon himself to send for Tish Buckman. Tish, relieved to learn the injury was not as serious as had first been suspected, begins to take an interest in the reunion with the father she has not seen in so many years. Her romance with Greg is another incentive to remain close to the firefighters. When the young lovers are married, Madelyn arrives on the scene somewhat distressed that she must relive old fears of danger through the romance of her daughter with a hellfighter. She also realizes that she and Chance are still very much in love. Chance’s determination to win Madelyn back moves him to hand over the business to Greg as a wedding present. As a sign of love, Chance quits the hazardous business to take a desk job with his old friend and former hellfighter, Jack Lomax ( Jay C. Flippen). Although Tish is frightened by the risks Greg must take in his profession, she finds it easier to accept when she accompanies him from job to job. But when the crew is called to Venezuela to face five burning oil wells (an act of terrorism by local guerrillas), Greg finds that he is in over his head. He sends Tish away from the dangers of the still active guerrilla force. Without Greg’s knowledge, she travels on to

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Houston to see her mother. Explaining the situation, Tish asks Madelyn if she can let Chance go to help his old crew. Knowing how bored Chance is with the desk job, Madelyn returns his act of love by giving her consent. She accompanies Tish and Chance to Venezuela, where her husband must face a situation as volatile as the nitroglycerine he must use to snu› the flames. Madelyn watches with pride as the toughest hellfighter of them all overcomes the dangers and saves the oil field.— TAL NOTES: In production from February to June ¡968. Location work in Casper and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Midland, Baytown, and Houston, Texas. Interiors filmed at Universal Studios. Wayne received a salary of $¡,000,000 and ¡0 percent of the film’s gross profits. The motion picture reported domestic rentals of $4,000,000 on a box o‡ce gross of $9,200,000. Jim Hutton was paid $¡25,000. Hollywood-born Katharine Ross (¡940– ) made her motion picture debut in Jimmy Stewart’s Shenandoah (¡965), but it was her appearance as Mrs. Robinson’s daughter in The Graduate (¡967) that made her a star. After Hellfighters, her most prominent films were Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (¡969) and The Stepford Wives (¡975). Ross would marry actor Sam Elliott and appear with him in several made-for-television Westerns. Character actress Barbara Stuart was a regular on the popular television service comedy Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (¡964–70, CBS). Richard “Cactus” Pryor, who also appeared in The Green Berets, was a talk show host on a local Austin Texas television a‡liate and a news anchor on radio station, KLBT-AM. Danish-born film editor

Folmar Blangsted (¡905–82) was nominated for an Oscar for his work in Summer of ’42 (¡97¡). His first American film was Rhapsody in Blue (¡945). Fifth-billed Jay C. Flippen (¡898– ¡97¡) had been a performer since the late ¡920s. His motion picture debut was made in the ¡934 Fox release Marie Galante. The versatile actor was equally adept at playing “tough guys” and performing comedy routines. Some of his more than 50 films included Brute Force (¡947), The Yellow Cab Man (¡950), Winchester ’73 (¡950), Thunder Bay (¡953), Kismet (¡955), and Oklahoma (¡955). Producer Robert Arthur (Feder, ¡909–86) brought over 50 films to the screen, including some of the biggest hits of their time: a half dozen Abbott and Costello features in the late ¡940s and early ¡950s (A&C Meet Frankenstein, A&C Meet the Killer: Boris Karlo› and A&C in the Foreign Legion); John Ford’s story of West Point, The Long Gray Line (¡955); Lon Chaney’s biography Man of a Thousand Faces (¡957) with James Cagney in the lead; the Cary Grant–Tony Curtis service comedy Operation Petticoat (¡959); the blockbuster Doris Day comedies Lover Come Back (¡96¡), and That Touch of Mink (¡962); and the adaptation of the Broadway musical Sweet Charity (¡969). Valentine de Vargas, who had a solid part in the Orson Welles masterpiece Touch of Evil (¡958), also appeared with Wayne in Hatari! and had a role in To Live and Die in L.A. (¡985). The film opened in the New York area on February ¡¡, ¡969. The first network television showing was on January 23, ¡97¡ (NBC). It garnered a 37 percent share of the viewing audience.

The High and the Mighty July 3, ¡954. ¡47 minutes. John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Laraine Day, Robert Stack, Jan Sterling, Phil Harris, Robert Newton, David Brian, Paul Kelly, Sidney Blackmer, Julie Bishop, Pedro Gonzales-Gonzales, John Howard, Wally Brown, William Campbell,

Ann Doran, John Qualen, Paul Fix, George Chandler, Joy Kim, Michael Wellman, Douglas Fowley, Regis Toomey, Carl Switzer, Robert Keyes, William Hopper, William Schallert, Julie Mitchum, Karen Sharpe, John Smith, Doe Avedon, Robert Easton, Philip

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The High and the Mighty (Warner Bros., ¡954). Wayne, Karen Sharpe, Dimitri Tiomkin

Van Zandt, Walter Reed, Tom Hennesy. Warner Bros. A Wayne-Fellows Production. Director William A. Wellman; Screenplay Ernest K. Gann, from his novel; Photography Archie J. Stout; Aerial Photography William Clothier; Camera Plane Pilot Loren Ribbe; Editor Ralph Dawson; Art Director Al Ybarra; Special E›ects Robert Mattey; Music Dimitri Tiomkin; Production Manager Nate H. Edwards; Assistant Directors Andrew V. McLaglen, Hugh Brown; Makeup Web Overlander, Loren Cosand; Hair Stylist Margaret Donovan; Property Man Joseph La Bella; Script Supervisor Sam Freedle; Technical Advisor William H. Benge; Sound John K. Kean; Set Decorator Ralph Hurst REVIEWS: “Of the four crewmen, John Wayne makes the best show as a veteran pilot, second in command, who has the coolness and

courage to knock some clear sense into the muddled head of the captain…..” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, July ¡, ¡954); “It is a class drama, blended with mass appeal into a well-rounded show that can catch on with most any audience. A definite ticket selling asset is the name of John Wayne. Hearty grosses should be the rule.” Variety (May 26, ¡954); “A stirring and often frightening production … providing a socko story and wonderful characters … one of the most memorable film scores ever… Wayne’s performance … was outstanding….” The Motion Picture Guide; “Warner Brothers here present a mighty motion picture that bears every happy auspice of being a production that the public will long remember as superb entertainment and the industry as a box o‡ce giant.” The Motion Picture Herald ( James D. Ivers, May 29, ¡954)

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SYNOPSIS: “Sure looks old for a co-pilot,” says one of the ground crew as he watches Dan Roman ( John Wayne) inspect his airplane. Ben Sneed (George Chandler) tells his young crewman about the tall flier whose game leg is a cruel reminder of the crash that killed his wife and child. “The only man,” comments Ben, “I ever knew who had the guts enough not to commit suicide.” As Trans-Orient Pacific Airlines plane #420 is prepared for its flight from Honolulu to San Francisco, an interesting group of people assemble: Sally McKee ( Jan Sterling), who has lived in a world of whistles; honeymooners Neil and Milo Buck ( John Smith and Karen Sharpe); May Holst (Claire Trevor), strictly a night-time woman; Ken Childs (David Brian), the wealthy collector of other men’s wives; Humphrey Agnew (Sidney Blackmer), embittered husband of one of those wives; Lydia Rice (Laraine Day), as low as high society could get; her husband Howard ( John Howard); Gustave Pardee (Robert Newton), a nervous theatrical producer who has lost everything but the love of his wife, Lillian ( Julie Bishop); Flaherty (Paul Kelly), the rocket scientist who has turned his back on nuclear research and embraced the bottle. Twenty-two people in all, including the pilot Sullivan (Robert Stack), who in spite of his many hours of flying, silently battles his own fears that he might not be able to handle a crisis. The plane wings towards its destination with just a few unexpected vibrations to suggest the trouble to come. When Agnew’s sinister brooding over his wife reaches the boiling point, he confronts the wealthy Childs with a revolver. As other passengers rush to intervene, in a burst of noise and confusion, the plane lurches violently. One of the engines, damaged and ablaze, dangles from the wing, damaging the fuel tanks. Past the point of no return and with radio problems, the flight is in trouble. As Sullivan grows more nervous, sturdy Dan Roman calms the passengers and unites them in the activity of throwing excess cargo and baggage overboard to lighten the ship and increase their slim chance of reaching San Francisco. Gonzales (Pedro Gonzales-Gonzales), a merchant seaman with a ham radio, links the aircraft with the distant airport from his ship, Cristobal Trader, in the stormy Pacific Ocean. When

Sullivan begins to panic and decides to ditch the plane in the turbulent ocean, Dan takes command, insisting that they maintain their flight as long as possible. From his co-pilot’s determination, Sullivan finds the courage he needs, as do many of the passengers who have grown closer in the face of peril. Barely clearing the San Francisco hills, Sullivan brings his plane down at the airport with almost no fuel left. “Now I lay me down to sleep,” sighs a relieved Dan. As the excited passengers depart the plane to resume their lives, Dan walks away, whistling into the dark.—TAL NOTES: Filmed from November 25, ¡953, to January ¡¡, ¡954. Some minor location work was done in Hawaii, but the majority of shooting was on the Warners sound stages. Budgeted at $¡,320,000, the motion picture was completed at a negative cost of $¡,465,000. Wayne received a salary of $¡75,000 a hefty percentage of the profits, and after a number of years, his film company would retain all rights to the negatives. Wellman was paid $¡00,000 and also a percentage of the profits. The film earned domestic rentals of $6,¡00,000 from a box o‡ce gross of $¡5,500,000. It was one of the ten biggest hits of the year. Los Angeles native Robert Stack (¡9¡9–2003) had a successful film and television career that lasted for over 60 years. He made the first of more than 70 features at the age of 20, opposite Universal’s upcoming starlet Deanna Durbin in First Love, and reaped reams of publicity by giving the teenager her first screen kiss. Several other roles followed, including that of a Polish military pilot in the Jack Benny comedy To Be or Not to Be, before Stack entered the service as a Navy gunnery instructor. After the war, the handsome, steely-eyed actor continued to be in demand in Hollywood. For Wayne’s production company, Republic Pictures and director Budd Boetticher, he starred in what is now considered a minor classic, The Bullfighter and the Lady (¡95¡). He then starred in the first major 3D film, Bwana Devil (¡952), and in ¡956 playing opposite Rock Hudson and Lauren Bacall in Written on the Wind. His searing performance led to his only Oscar nomination. When television called in ¡958, Stack was hesitant. He was finally persuaded by Desilu Productions to star as Eliot Ness in The Untouch-

His Private Secretary ables. The drama would be an instant hit for ABC, run for four years (¡959–63), and earn an Emmy for Stack as Best Actor. When John Wayne turned down the cameo role of the General in Steven Spielberg’s comedy ¡94¡, Stack was o›ered and accepted the part. In the ¡980 comedy hit Airplane, Stack spoofed his straight-laced Ness image, and did so on several occasions in several later comedies. His television series include The Name of the Game (¡968–7¡), Most Wanted (¡976-77) and Strike Force (¡98¡-82); he then hosted the reality show Unsolved Mysteries. Texas-born character actress Ann Doran (¡9¡¡–2000), a veteran of over 200 films, also appeared in over ¡000 television shows. The daughter of silent screen film actress Carrie Barnett, she began appearing in silents at the age of four. Never turning down an assignment, she was a fixture in films from the early ¡930s into the mid–¡980s. Throughout her career, the actress alternated between supporting roles in numerous B-series including Charlie Chan and Blondie and “A” features such as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (¡939), Meet John Doe (¡94¡), Yankee Doodle Dandy (¡942), Air Force (¡943), Pride of the Marines (¡945), The Snake Pit (¡948), The Fountainhead (¡949), Them! (¡954), Rebel Without a Cause (¡955), A Summer Place (¡959), The Carpetbaggers (¡964) and Wildcats (¡986). She had a leading role in the ¡939 Charles Starrett

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B-Western Rio Grande. Michael Wellman, who played the little boy on the plane who sleeps through all the action, was the son of director William and earned $350 a week for his maiden acting assignment. Washington-born Walter Reed (¡9¡6–200¡) began his movie career in ¡929 at the age of ¡3 when he played an Indian boy in the Richard Dix Western Redskin. Joel McCrea became his mentor, assisting the actor in signing a contract with RKO in ¡94¡. After serving in the Army during World War II, he appeared in mostly character roles for the remainder of his career. The brother of Jack Smith of television’s You Asked for It fame, he appeared in the serials Government Agents vs. Phantom Legion (¡95¡) and Flying Disc Man from Mars (¡95¡) as well as the Westerns Seven Men from Now, The Horse Soldiers, How the West Was Won, Cheyenne Autumn and Sergeant Rutledge. Some of his other films included Fighter Squadron, Tora! Tora! Tora!, Army Surgeon and Bombardier. During the ’50s and ’60s he was a staple in television Westerns, appearing in episodes of Gunsmoke, Cheyenne, The Lone Ranger, Have Gun Will Travel, Annie Oakley and The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. World premiere held at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood on May 27, ¡954.

His Private Secretary June ¡0, ¡933. 60 minutes. John Wayne, Evalyn Knapp, Alec. B. Francis, Natalie Kingston, Arthur Hoyt, Al St. John, Mickey Rentschler, Hugh Kidder, Reginald Barlow, Patrick Cunning. Showmens Pictures. A Screencraft Production. Distributor Warner Bros. President D.J. Mountan; Director Philip H. Whitman; Supervisor Al Alt; Writer Lew Collins; Photography Abe Schultz; Camera Operator J. Henry Kruse; Asstistant Cameraman John Jenkins; Editor Robert Ray; Adaptation & Continuity Jack Francis Natteford; Recording Engineer Oscar Lagerstrom; Musical Director

Paul Palmentola; Production Manager Sam Katzman; Chief Electrician Pat Patterson; Chief Grip Joe Schaefer; Props Arden Cripe; Songs Fred Preble REVIEWS: “Evalyn Knapp and John Wayne manage to galvanize their stencil characters…. A good example of the new type of indie which is run on a fattened budget in the hope of doing something.” Variety (¡933), “[A] modest venture.” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, Grosset & Dunlap, ¡976); “[S]hapes up as pleasing entertainment for the family clientele.” Film Daily ( June 6, ¡933);

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His Private Secretary (Showmens Pictures, ¡933). Wayne, Evalyn Knapp, Reginald Barlow

“[A] moderately entertaining drama.” Motion Picture Herald ( June ¡0, ¡933) SYNOPSIS: A rich businessman’s son, Dick Wallace ( John Wayne), can’t take his mind o› frivolity long enough to make a start in his father’s concern. “You’ve got to settle down,” laments the elder Wallace (Reginald Barlow). “You’ve played long enough. You’re making love like a Romeo and drinking like a fish!” Giving his playboy son another chance to make it in the business world, he sends Dick on a trip to Summerville to collect a debt for the company. Arriving in this tiny hamlet, Dick meets Marion Hall (Evalyn Knapp), granddaughter of the generous but poor minister who is the holder of the bill Dick must collect. The younger Wallace is quite taken by the charms of Marion and the piety of her father. He tears up the bill and cancels the debt. He is then fired by his stern father for being financially

foolish. Dick decides to remain in Summerville as a service station owner, increasing the town population to 408. Marion, at first turned o› by Dick’s oafish advances, is gradually won over by his persistence and simple charm. The two are married, giving Dick’s estranged father another reason to fly into a rage. Assuming that the new wife must be a golddigger, the elder Wallace disowns the newlyweds. In an attempt to patch things up, Marion goes to the o‡ce to meet Dick’s father for the first time. She is mistaken for a secretarial applicant and winds up as the old man’s private secretary. Marion wins the heart of the crusty businessman, who wishes his son had married a girl like her. Meanwhile, the unemployed Dick has returned to the company of his former society friends and begins drinking and dancing his way apart from his wife. Marion leaves town in an attempt to force Dick to commit himself to her,

The Hollywood Handicap and this he does. With the help of his father he becomes a responsible businessman, completely renouncing his former ways. This makes for the trio’s happy reunion.—TAL NOTES : The first o›ering from Showmen’s Pictures. Wayne was to have starred in a second Showmen’s Picture, St. Louis Woman, as a former college football hero, but due to delays in financing, the film was not placed into production until late ¡934. By that time Wayne was no longer available for the starring role. He was replaced by Johnny Mack Brown. In a career that spanned over 40 years (¡9¡4–54), Al “Fuzzy” St. John (¡893–¡963), the master of slapstick, was so successful as a sidekick to Western leading men that he appeared in well over ¡00 films. Working with the likes of Fred Scott, Jack Randall and Bob Steele, St. John worked on fine-tuning his second banana status. Between ¡94¡ and ¡946, the nephew of infamous comedian Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle costarred in 35 Billy the Kid (PRC) features with Buster Crabbe. He then worked in a series of Westerns, first with Lash LaRue then Red Barry. St. John also appeared in the very first Three Mesquiteers Western, Law of the 45s, as well as B-Westerns starring George Houston and other lesser names. Evalyn Knapp (¡908– 8¡), a leading lady in the ¡930s, never broke out of the B-picture mold. After appearances

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in less than 35 motion pictures, her film career ended in ¡943. His Private Secretary was one of five films she would make in ¡933. Following a successful career in England as an attorney, London-born Alec B. Francis (¡869–¡934) started a new career as a stage actor of some renown. Seeking new worlds to conquer, he journeyed to the United States in ¡9¡0 and signed a contract with the Vitagraph Company. The respected thespian died less than a year after completing his role in His Private Secretary, but not before leaving behind a legacy of dozens of quality films including Robin Hood (¡9¡2), The Crimson Cross (¡9¡3), Beau Brummel (¡924), Three Bad Men (¡926), The Shepherd of the Hills (¡928), Arrowsmith (¡93¡), Mata Hari (¡93¡), Oliver Twist (¡933) and Alice in Wonderland (¡933). Director Philip H. Whitman (¡893–¡935) started in the industry as an assistant cameraman during the silent era. He wrote over 20 films and, between ¡928 and ¡933, directed 22. Less than two years after completing Police Call (¡933), he died at the age of 42. Showmen’s Pictures’ executive, New York native Al Alt (¡897–¡992), entered the industry as an actor in the ¡920s. In the twoyear period ¡934-35, he supervised (produced) six films for the motion picture company, ending with Frontier Days.

The Hollywood Handicap August ¡0, ¡932. 2 reels. Anita Stewart, Bert Wheeler, Dickie Moore, Tully Marshall, John Wayne, Jack Du›y. Universal. Producer Bryan Foy; Director Charles Lamont; Story and Dialogue Elwood Ullman; Production Company The Thalians Club NOTES: These short comedies were sponsored by The Thalians Club, a private group that Wayne joined after completing his assignment in The Big Trail. Other actors who appeared in these shorts were Arthur and Florence Lake, Monty Collins, Vernon Dent, Buddy Rogers, Noah Beery, Johnny Mack Brown, Betty Compson and Franklin Pang-

born. In ¡930, The Hollywood Handicap was the title of a one-reel short directed by Buster Keaton for MGM. Brooklyn-born Anita Stewart (¡895–¡96¡) started in films with the Vitagraph Company in ¡9¡¡. She formed a collaboration with Louis B. Mayer in ¡9¡7 and appeared regularly on the screen up until the advent of sound. By ¡930, after more than 50 screen roles, she retired, returning for rare appearances. St. Petersburg, Russia, native Charles Lamont (¡895–¡993) started as an actor in ¡9¡9. In ¡922 he turned to directing one- and two-reelers for Mack Sennett and Al Christie. Before he retired from films in ¡956,

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his output had surpassed ¡80 films. The Hollywood Handicap was one of ¡2 films he directed in ¡932. For most of the ¡930s Lamont worked at Republic and lower-tiered studios turning out product with meager budgets, for the second half of dual bills. In the late ¡930s he moved to Universal and started directing many entries in the Abbott and Costello series. By the late ’40s, in addition to the A&C entries, he would direct episodes of the Ma and Pa Kettle and Francis the Talking Mule series. Producer Bryan Foy (¡896–¡977) was one of “The Seven Little Foys,” the o›spring of famed en-

tertainer Eddie Foy. Prior to becoming a producer, he directed ten low-budget entries between ¡927 and ¡932. The Hollywood Handicap was the third of almost ¡50 films that he produced prior to his retirement in ¡963. Besides being responsible for the B-series Nancy Drew and Torchy Blane in the late ¡930s, Foy also presented the realistic war story Guadalcanal Diary (¡943), Take It or Leave It (¡944), Breakthrough (¡950), The Winning Team (¡952), House of Wax (¡953) and the story of John F. Kennedy’s World War II exploits, PT ¡09 (¡963).

Hondo November 27, ¡953. 83 minutes. John Wayne, Geraldine Page, Ward Bond, Michael Pate, James Arness, Leo Gordon, Tom Irish, Lee Aaker, Paul Fix, Rayford Barnes, Rodolfo Acosta, Frank McGrath, Willie Colles, Cli› Lyons, Chuck Hayward, X Brands, Chuck Roberson, Terry Wilson, Al Murphy, Fred Krone, Web Overlander, Rosa Turich. Warner Bros. Producer Robert Fellows; Co-Producer John Wayne; Director John Farrow; Unit Production Manager Andrew V. McLaglen; Production Manager Nate Edwards; Assistant Production Manager Matt Barbagen; Screenplay James Edward Grant; Photography Robert Burks, Archie Stout; Editor Ralph Dawson; Art Director Alfred Ybarra; Special E›ects Al Gonzalez; Script Supervision Sam Freedle; Sound Nicholas de la Rosa; Second Unit Directors Cli› Lyons, John Ford (uncredited); Property Joseph La Bella; Wardrobe Carl Walker; Makeup Artist Web Overlander; Music Hugo Friedhofer; Assistant Director Nat Barrager; Technical Advisor Major Philip Kie›er; Stills Don Christie REVIEWS: “[P]robably the best John Wayne vehicle not made by John Ford…” A Pictorial History of the Western Film (William K. Everson, Citadel, ¡97¡); “It’s an exciting o›beat western in the vein of Shane and High Noon…. Wayne scores as the silent—yet outspoken Indian scout. … It should be noted that

the 3-D photography is the best this reviewer has seen to date” Variety (November 25, ¡953); “[Wayne’s] portrayal was a delicate blend of toughness and sincere humanity.” Duke: The Story of John Wayne (Mike Tomkies, Henry Regnery Co., ¡97¡); “[T]he most amorphous, self-conscious and ba·ing ‘quality’ Western of the year, wavering throughout between conversational moodiness and rough and ready corn.” The New York Times (Howard Thompson, unpublished review due to newspaper strike); “[T]he best 3-D movie to come out so far. The film is beautifully photographed … and with the added feature of depth will have theater audiences dodging spears, knives, horses, hatchets and Indians for whatever their lives are worth.” Life Magazine (December ¡4, ¡953); “[A]lmost enough bare-knuckle work and short-range shooting of Indians to satisfy even a generation of children who have been nourished on the blood of afternoon TV programs.” Time Magazine (December ¡4, ¡953); “A superior Western.” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Phil Hardy, The Overlook Press, ¡983); “[A]n excellent western by any standards” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, Grosset & Dunlap, ¡976); “Wayne’s characterization of Hondo Lane has joined the Ringo Kid (Stagecoach), Ethan Edwards (The Searchers), and Rooster Cogburn (True Grit) as one of Wayne’s best.” The Life

Hondo

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Hondo (Warner Bros., ¡953). Wayne, Ward Bond, James Arness

and Times of the Western Movie ( Jay Hyams, Gallery Books, ¡983); “John Wayne stars in this epic-scale Western which shows o› the most e›ective use of 3-D photography to date… The WarnerColor is soft and pleasing and its use demonstrates that good 3-D is made better by color.” Motion Picture Herald (M.Q., November 28, ¡953) SYNOPSIS : After losing his horse in a brush with Apaches, cavalry dispatch rider Hondo Lane ( John Wayne), accompanied by his surly dog Sam, comes upon the ranch of Angie Lowe (Geraldine Page) and her sixyear-old Johnny (Lee Aaker). While breaking in a new horse, Hondo assists the Lowes with a number of neglected chores. In spite of his reputation as a gunman, both Angie and Johnny are attracted to the straightforward stranger. When he learns that the handsome woman has been abandoned by her husband while trouble brews in the Apache lodges, Hondo tries to convince her to return with him

to safety. Angie has lived in peace with the Apache all her life; she declines, and Hondo rides on alone. A short time later, Angie is confronted by a band of Mescalero Apache led by Vittorio (Michael Pate). Johnny bravely discharges a gun in defense of his mother, winning the respect of the chief who pledges that the ranch will remain safe. Hondo reports back to the post with the news of the defeat of Troop C. Here he runs into a no-good loudmouth named Ed Lowe (Leo Gordon), who accuses the rider of stealing his horse. Hondo announces his intention to return the horse to the Lowe ranch and to bring out Angie and Johnny before the uprising gets worse. It is a dangerous route back. While eluding Indians, Hondo is ambushed by Lowe and a partner. After he shoots Lowe in self-defense, he finds a tintype of Johnny on the dead body. An Apache raiding party surrounds and captures Lane, bringing him before Vittorio. When Hondo refuses to disclose the army’s where-

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Hondo

abouts, the chief has him tortured. Vittorio admires his courage and, when the tintype is discovered, orders him released. To keep peace with his second in command, Silva (Rodolfo Acosta), Vittorio orders a knife duel between the two. Hondo defeats Silva, but spares his life, winning the right to live himself. Exhausted and wounded, Hondo is left by the Indians on Angie’s doorstep. As a sign of his hatred, Silva leaves Sam behind, impaled on a lance. As Hondo is nursed back to health by Angie, he admits to killing her husband. Angie is saddened, but her love for Hondo remains strong. A battered cavalry troop arrives at the ranch with news of Vittorio’s death. With Silva as chief, there is no safety for Angie and Johnny. They all leave with the troop, pursued by the Apache. In a running battle across parched plains, Silva is killed and the Indians withdraw in defeat. It is the end of a way of life and a new beginning for Hondo, Angie and Johnny.—TAL NOTES: Filmed between May and August ¡953 at locations in Camargo, State of Chihuahua, Mexico. Budgeted at $¡,400,000, the Western completed shooting at a negative cost of $¡,295,000. Of this amount, Wayne-Fellows Productions put up $400,000. Wayne received a salary of $¡75,000, with his company (seven years after Hondo’s initial release) retaining all the negatives to the motion picture. Chuck Hayward doubled Wayne in a chase scene and the bucking horse sequence in the corral. Hondo earned $4,¡00,000 in domestic rentals and $2,077,000 from overseas markets. Its worldwide gross topped $¡5,000,000. Geraldine Page, in her first major film, earned $¡0,000 and was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar. The Missouri-born actress’ (¡924–87) first love was the stage. She spent several years in New York before getting her big break in ¡952, playing Alma Winemiller in Tennessee Williams’ o›–Broadway revival of Summer and Smoke. Lured to Hollywood by money, she

worked on the Wayne Western, but after completing a small role in the film Taxi (¡953) returned to Broadway. Page would not make another motion picture until ¡96¡ when she reprised some of her stage roles on the big screen: Summer and Smoke (¡96¡), Sweet Bird of Youth (¡962) and Toys in the Attic (¡963). Although her total output would consist of only 28 films, the actress would be nominated for eight Academy Awards and win the Oscar for her moving and sensitive portrayal of an elderly and determined woman in The Trip to Bountiful (¡986). Page would also win two Emmy Awards for her work in television specials, and had impressive roles in the Clint Eastwood gothic Western, The Beguiled (¡97¡) and the Cli› Robertson modern-day Western, J.W. Coop (¡972). This was character actor Rayford K. Barnes’ (¡920–2000) first screen role. The Texas-born actor trained in New York under famed Stella Adler at the Neighborhood Playhouse. The nephew of actress Binnie Barnes, he was a World War II Navy and Merchant Marine veteran. He also appeared in Shenandoah and The Wild Bunch and the television series Wagon Train, Have Gun, Will Travel, Gunsmoke, The Twilight Zone, Combat, Rawhide and Daniel Boone. Rosa Turich (¡903– 98), born Rosa Sinohui in Tucson, was for more than 50 years billed as Filipn y Rosita in the live comedy act she did with her husband. She also had a small role in Kirk Douglas’ Lonely Are the Brave (¡962). Filmed in 3-D, Hondo was only shown in this cumbersome process in two theaters (one in New York, and the other in Hollywood). At the same time Paramount released its 3-D documentary Cease Fire, produced by Hal Wallis. It showed the front line activities on the day the “cease fire” agreement was reached in the Korean conflict. World premiere held in Houston, Texas, on November 23, ¡953. It opened in New York on November 26 and in Los Angeles during the week of December 25.

The Horse Soldiers

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The Horse Soldiers June ¡2, ¡959. ¡¡9 minutes. John Wayne, William Holden, Constance Towers, Althea Gibson, Hoot Gibson, Anna Lee, Russell Simpson, Stan Jones, Carleton Young, Basil Ruysdael, Jack Pennick, Hank Worden, Strother Martin, William Henry, William Leslie, O.Z. Whitehead, Judson Pratt, Fred Graham, Chuck Hayward, Charles Seel, Stuart Holmes, Willis Bouchey, Ken Curtis, Denver Pyle, Walter Reed, Major Sam Harris, Richard Cutting, Bing Russell, William Forrest, Ron Haggerty, Dan Borzage, Fred Kennedy, Jan Stine, William Wellman, Jr., Tom Hennesy, John “Bear” Hudkins, Jim Burk, Everett Creach, Ted White. United Artists. A Mahin-Rackin Production Mirisch Company. Producer John Lee Mahin; Director John Ford; Screenplay John Lee Mahin, Martin Rackin; From the novel by Harold Sinclair; Photography William Clothier; Music David Buttolph; Song, “I Left My Love” Stan Jones; Art Director Frank Hotaling; Sound Jack Solomon; Editor Jack Murray; Wardrobe Frank Beetson, Ann Peck; Special E›ects Augie Lohman; Makeup Webb Overlander; Set Decorator Victor Gangelin; Assistant Directors Wingate Smith, Ray Gosnell, Jr.; Production Managers Allen K. Wood, Robert Lee Hough; Property Sam Gordon REVIEWS: “[S]upremely graphic and exciting… William Clothier’s color photography merits a special note. It is almost like Mathew Brady’s—in color. That is original.” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, June 27, ¡959); “Its action scenes, as directed by the veteran John Ford, tingle with an excitement all too rare upon the screen these days.” Saturday Review (Arthur Knight, June 20, ¡959); “One of those pictures that just can’t miss…. Wayne is rugged as the colonel, feared and respected by his men who depend on his resourcefulness to bring them out alive. It’s obviously the kind of John Wayne the public appreciates.” Variety ( June ¡0, ¡959); “[It’s] a Western only by broad definition. It is a film about the Civil War, the best film about the war of the sound era.” The Western Film (Charles Silver, Pyramid, ¡976);

“An under-rated Civil War Western leisurely and sometimes simplistic, but mostly quintessential Ford in its casual celebration of the movement of men and horses, as Wayne’s hard-nosed colonel and Holden’s humanitarian doctor debate (and embody) opposing ideologies of war….” The BFI Companion to the Western (Edward Buscombe, Atheneum, ¡988); “[I]t should never be confused with a truly great picture…. Far too many scenes lack that ring of ‘truth.’ ” The Great War Films (Lawrence J. Quirk, Citadel Press Book, ¡994) . SYNOPSIS: In ¡863, Gen. Grant approves a daring raid to send Union cavalry into the heart of the Confederacy. The leader of the raid is Col. John Marlowe ( John Wayne), of the First Illinois, who plans to capture Newton Station to destroy the rails, bridges and rolling stock which supply Vicksburg. Against his will, he is assigned a surgeon, Major Henry Kendall (William Holden). Sparks fly between the two o‡cers when the doctor declares Marlowe’s sergeant-major ( Jack Pennick) unfit for duty. The troops ride into Southern territory and are soon bushwacked by Reb scouts. When Kendall leaves his own wounded to help deliver a baby for a contraband family, Marlowe places him under o‡cer’s arrest. The cavalry arrives at Greenbriar Mansion, inhabited by Hannah Hunter (Constance Towers) and a sole female slave, Lukey (Althea Gibson). “Thunder in the outhouse!” gasps Hannah as she sees the blue uniforms, “Them’s Yankees!” Regaining her composure, the belle invites the o‡cers to dinner. After the meal, Marlowe reveals to his subordinates his intention to drive south from Newton station to reach the Union forces at Baton Rouge. Hannah and Lukey are caught listening through a stovepipe in an upstairs room. Marlowe reluctantly takes the two women with them. Hannah attempts to escape and later tries to reveal their position to a passing troop of Confederate cavalry, but fails in both e›orts. Some of her contempt for her captors disappears when Marlowe, having questioned two Confederate deserters about troop strength at Newton station, hands them over

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The Horse Soldiers

The Horse Soldiers (United Artists, ¡959). Unknown, William Holden, John Ford, Wayne

to the elderly acting sheri› from whom they had escaped. The troops ride into Newton Station greeted with jeers and handfuls of dust from the remnants of the civilian population. Kendall and Marlowe are uneasy about the

Rebel o‡cer, Jonathan Miles (Carleton Young), who has given up the town without a struggle. When a train whistle blows, the horse soldiers spring into action. A barricade is hastily thrown across the main street and

The Horse Soldiers troops occupy the buildings. Though Miles and the other prisoners escape to join their comrades pouring from the train, the brave Rebels are cut down by the Union rifles. The human carnage, followed by the destruction of the town’s supplies and railroad, depresses Marlowe, a railroad engineer before the war. With Nathan B. Forrest’s cavalry at their heels, the Yankees leave the smoldering Newton Station. Lukey becomes an innocent victim of sniper fire as the tired troopers try to stay ahead of the Confederates. When boys of the Je›erson Military Academy make a show of force, Marlowe gallantly retreats to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. A scout leads the cavalry through the swamps, but Confederates lie in ambush beyond the last bridge separating the exhausted invaders from the safety of Baton Rouge. Sending half his men in a flanking maneuver, the Colonel defeats the entrenched Confederates. He has just enough time to say farewell to Hannah and to shake hands with Kendall, who stays behind with the wounded. With Forrest’s cavalry in sight, Marlowe dynamites the bridge and leads his horse soldiers to safety.—TAL NOTES : Filmed between October ¡958 and January ¡959, including 28 days of location work near Natchitouches, Louisiana, 80 miles northwest of New Orleans, and in Mississippi south of Natchez. Nineteen days of interiors were shot at MGM and Columbia Studios. Budgeted at $3,600,000, the film ended production with a negative cost of close to $3,980,000. Both Wayne and Holden agreed to be in the film for a salary of $750,000 each and 20 percent of the films’ profits. Wayne signed his contract on September ¡0, ¡958. Director Ford was paid $200,000 and ¡0 percent of the producer’s share of the profits, after the film reached twice its negative cost (which it never did). In the North American market, from a box o‡ce gross of $¡0,200,000, the motion picture earned rentals of $3,900,000. Clark Gable had been the initial choice for the role of Col. Marlowe and Ford wanted Jimmy Stewart for the doctor role. Bear Hudkins doubled Holden. Performing a fall from a horse, stuntman Fred Kennedy broke his neck and

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died. In a nostalgic mood, John Ford hired Hoot Gibson for a small role in the film. Gibson, born Edmund Richard Gibson (¡892– ¡962), was second only to Tom Mix in popularity among all cowboy stars during the ¡920s silent era. Working at Universal through that decade, he earned $¡4,500 a week. The former all-around rodeo champion started in films with the Selig-Polyscope Company as a stuntman, wrangler and extra. By the late teens he was working with John Ford on some of the director’s earliest productions. When Universal dropped the star in late ¡930, he began making low-budget Westerns for a number of small independent producers. In the early ¡940s, after a six-year absence from the screen, Gibson signed with Monogram for a series of Trail Blazer Westerns with fellow silent star Ken Maynard. The Mirisch Company was founded by former New Yorkers Walter, Harold and Marvin Mirisch. Working at Monogram Pictures in the mid–¡950s, the brothers began independently packaging movies such as John Huston’s Moby Dick and the Gary Cooper romance Love in the Afternoon. The Mirisch Company was founded in ¡957 and co-produced such popular and critical hits as The Apartment (¡960), West Side Story (¡96¡) and In the Heat of the Night (¡967). Their films were nominated for a total of 79 Academy Awards, of which they won 23. Over a period of ¡7 years they worked on 68 motion pictures with United Artists. Character actor Neil “Bing” Russell (¡928–2003), the father of Kurt Russell, a lifelong baseball fan and owner of a minor league team, broke into films in the ¡953 release The Big Leaguer. For ten years and over 50 episodes he was Deputy Clem Foster on television’s Bonanza. As a deputy or state trooper he had featured roles in the low-budget science fictions films Tarantula (¡955) and The Deadly Mantis (¡957); he could also be seen in Ride a Violent Mile (¡957), Fear Strikes Out (¡957) and the classic Westerns Last Train from Gun Hill (¡959) and The Magnificent Seven (¡960). Russell also supported Wayne in Rio Bravo and last appeared on the big screen in Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy (¡990).

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How the West Was Won

How the West Was Won November 7, ¡962. ¡62 minutes. Carroll Baker, Lee J. Cobb, Henry Fonda, Carolyn Jones, Karl Malden, Gregory Peck, George Peppard, Robert Preston, Debbie Reynolds, James Stewart, Eli Wallach, John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Henry “Harry” Morgan, Andy Devine, Russ Tamblyn, Willis Bouchey, Claude Johnson, Brigid Bazlen, Walter Brennan, David Brian, Raymond Massey, Agnes Moorehead, Thelma Ritter, Mickey Shaughnessy, Rodolfo Acosta, Dean Stanton, Lee Van Cleef, Kim Charney, Bing Russell, Karl Swenson, Jack Lambert, Christopher Dark, Jay C. Flippen, Gene Roth, Joe Sawyer, Clinton Sundberg, Ken Curtis, James Gri‡th, Walter Burke, John Larch, Edward J. McKinley, Barry Harvey, Jamie Ross, Mark Allen, Craig Duncan, Carleton Young, Charles Briggs, Paul Bryar, Tudor Owen, Beulah Archuletta, Walter Reed, Chuck Hayward, Chuck Roberson, Boyd “Red” Morgan, Jack Pennick, Jack Williams, John Epper, Dean Smith, Tom Hennesy, Loren Janes, Polly Burson, Ted Mapes, Joe Yrigoyen, Bob Morgan. Narrated by Spencer Tracy. Metro-Goldyn-Mayer. Producer Bernard Smith; Directors John Ford (The Civil War), George Marshall (The Railroad), Henry Hathaway (The Rivers, The Plains, The Outlaws), Richard Thorpe (uncredited); Scenarists James R. Webb, John Gay (uncredited); Suggested by a series in Life Magazine; Art Directors George W. Davis, William Ferrari, Addison Hehr; Set Decorators Henry Grace, Don Greenwood, Jr., Jack Mills; Music Alfred Newman, Ken Darby; Editor Harold F. Kress; Photographers Joseph LaShelle (Ford sequences), Charles Lang Jr. (The Rivers), William Daniels, Milton Krasner, Harold Wellman; Assistant Director Wingate Smith (Ford sequences); Recording Supervisor Franklin Milton; Special E›ects A. Arnold Gillespie, Robert R. Hoag; Costumes Walter Plunkett; Hair Stylist Sydney Guilaro›; Production Supervisor Thomas Conroy, Walter Gibbons Fly; Makeup William Tuttle; Second Unit Director Richard Talmadge REVIEWS: “[A] dutiful duplication of

something you’ve already seen in anywhere from one to a thousand Western movies in the past sixty years…. With little or no imagination and, indeed, with no pictorial style…” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, April ¡, ¡963); “A monumental e›ort that achieves monumental success.” Christian Science Monitor (April ¡963); “Best picture of the year,” Photoplay Magazine ( June ¡963); “Not the best Western ever made, but it surely is the biggest and gaudiest.” Life Magazine (April ¡963); “It is Wayne’s most e›ective cameo appearance….” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, A.S. Barnes, ¡976); “The conclusion of the battle is one of Ford’s most evocative passages, reminiscent of Whitman’s descriptions of lamp-lit hospitals and men dying in torment, the elements grimly specific; mass graves dug by lines of men, a bloody operating table sluiced down before the doctor, anaesthetized by whiskey, deals with the next patient; Sherman and Grant dragged from the eminence of leadership to become vulnerable and helpless men.” The Cinema of John Ford ( John Baxter, A.S. Barnes, ¡97¡); “A vast sprawling epic….” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Phil Hardy, The Overlook Press, ¡983); “[A] celebration of the western movie, with bit parts for everyone and lots of action that could have been lifted from any number of films.” The Life and Times of the Western Movie ( Jay Hyams, Gallery Books, ¡983) SYNOPSIS: (This synopsis was provided in the film’s program by MGM. There are several substantial di›erences between the program and the released print of the motion picture): In ¡839, a New England farm family, the Prescotts (Karl Malden and Agnes Moorehead), start on a trek to the West. After a packet boat trip on the Erie Canal, they continue their journey down the Ohio River by raft. They meet a trapper, Linus Rawlings ( James Stewart), with whom daughter Eve Prescott (Carroll Baker) falls in love at first sight. Linus is tricked into a cave by the daughter of a river pirate (Walter Brennan) and is left for dead, but when the pirates later trap the

How the West Was Won Prescotts down stream, Linus arrives in time to drive them o›. When a storm spins their rafts over dangerous rapids, only the Prescott children survive. Linus gives up trapping to marry Eve and establish a farm, while Eve’s younger sister, Lilith (Debbie Reynolds) journeys to St. Louis. Ten years later, Lilith, now a musical hall star in St. Louis, leaves for Independence, Missouri, to join a wagon train heading West, with frontier woman Agatha Clegg (Thelma Ritter) as her companion. She is going to claim a gold mine inherited from an uncle. Because she has fallen in love with a dashing gambler, Cleve Van Valen (Gregory Peck), Lilith turns down the marriage proposal of wagonmaster Roger Morgan (Robert Preston). After an Indian attack has been repulsed, they arrive at Rabbit’s Foot Gulch and Lilith finds her gold claim to be worthless, whereupon Cleve disappears. But later they meet again on the riverboat Sacramento Queen and pledge themselves to each other once more. They turn their eyes to a new starting place—lusty San Francisco. It is now ¡862, and back on the Rawlings farm, Eve, whose husband has been killed in the Civil War, now sees her eldest son Zeb (George Peppard) enlist in the Army. After the bloody battle of Shiloh, Zeb encounters a Confederate deserter from Texas and the two overhear a conversation between Gen. Sherman and Gen. Grant ( John Wayne and Harry Morgan). When the Texan levels his pistol at Gen. Sherman, Zeb engages him in a struggle and bayonets him through the chest. At the end of the war, Zeb returns home to find that his mother has died. Leaving his brother Jeremiah to care for the farm, Zeb transfers to the Cavalry and seeks his fortune in the West. Now a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Cavalry, Zeb is stationed with the troops guarding the railroad crews who are joining the Union Pacific with the Central Pacific across the plains, with Mike King (Richard Widmark) the construction boss. Jethro Stuart (Henry Fonda), a grizzled bu›alo hunter, believes the railroad should follow only the route permitted by a treaty with the Indians, but King disregards the treaty. The Indians, fearing the railroad will brings scores of bu›alo hunters to slaughter their herds, stage a raid, stampeding a huge herd of bu›alo into the camp. There is a spectacular

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battle in which the Indians are defeated. Disgusted that he has been a party to doublecrossing the Indians, Zeb resigns from the Army and heads still farther West. By the late ¡880s, Lilith, now widowed, must auction o› her luxurious San Francisco mansion in order to pay o› her debts and have enough money to go to a ranch she has managed to hold onto in Arizona, where her nephew Zeb now is a U.S. Marshal. Zeb, his wife Julie (Carolyn Jones) and their three children meet her in Gold City when she arrives, and at the depot Zeb also encounters an old-time enemy, Charley Gant (Eli Wallach). The old feud revives, and the children overhear Gant’s plot to hold up a railroad train carrying a gold shipment. Zeb enlists the aid of another marshal, Lou Ramsey (Lee J. Cobb), to fight the bandits aboard the train. The battle rages as the train moves forward, but Zeb and Lou finally win out over the bandits, and law and order have been brought to the West. The West has been won. NOTES: Filmed from May 26 to November ¡96¡ at locations in the Ohio River Valley near Paducah, Kentucky; Monument Valley, Lone Pine, and Corriganville. For his five days work on the motion picture (starting on June 6, ¡96¡), Wayne was paid $25,000. All the stars who signed on for this project took considerably less than their usual salaries, with the understanding that a substantial percentage of the film’s profits would go to St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica for the building of a new wing. The combined salaries for the ¡3 major stars and ten co-stars came to $2,204,000. Utilizing ¡2,6¡7 extras and bit players, 630 horses, ¡50 mules and 350 Indians, the film completed production at a cost of $¡4,500,000. From a box o‡ce gross of $45,000,000, it earned domestic rentals of $20,932,883. Nominated for seven Oscars including Best Picture of the year, it was the winner of three Academy Awards: Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Story and Screenplay written directly for the screen. First network television showing was on October 24, ¡97¡. The movie drew a 46 percent share of the viewing audience, more than the combined number of viewers tuned in to CBS and ABC programming. In 2002, under the auspices of Warner Bros. at a cost in excess of $¡,000,000, the film was restored to its

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Hurricane Express

original format and in December of that year was shown at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood to a packed crowd of 500 enthusiasts. In September 2003, the film was brought back to the Dome and its 86 by 3¡ foot screen, for a limited two week engagement. Cinematographer Joseph LaShelle (¡909–89) also won an Oscar for his work in Laura. He received nominations for Come to the Stable (¡949), My Cousin Rachel (¡952), Marty (¡955), Career (¡959), The Apartment (¡960), Irma La Douce (¡962) and The Fortune Cookie (¡966). LaShelle entered the industry in ¡923 and within two years was co-lensing films. From ¡932 to ¡943 he worked at Fox, filming movies for a host of directors (including John Ford and Billy Wilder). The cinematographer shared a credit for filming Wayne’s The Conqueror. His last project was 80 Steps to Jonah (¡969). Producer Bernard Smith (¡907–2000) was also a noted book editor who spent 24 years in Hollywood. Beginning in ¡947 with Paramount, Smith ended his film career working with John Ford on both Cheyenne Autumn (¡964) and the director’s last film, Seven Women (¡966). Two of his productions, How the West Was Won and Elmer Gantry earned nominations for best picture. Stuntman Bob Morgan, husband of

Yvonne DeCarlo, lost a leg and an eye during the train sequence. Morgan also worked as George Peppard’s double, while Chuck Roberson doubled for Gregory Peck. World premiere was held in London in November ¡962. The United States premieres were held in February and March ¡963. The story was based on a sixpart series that appeared in Life Magazine from April to May ¡959. The film utilized footage from both Wayne’s The Alamo and MGM’s Raintree County (¡957). John Ford was paid $50,000. The original choice to compose the musical score was Dimitri Tiomkin. Alfred Newman was signed only after Tiomkin had to bow out of the project due to eye surgery. Composer Newman’s muscular theme was made memorable by the utilization of a large orchestra which included 52 strings, ¡¡ woodwinds, ten brass, seven percussion instruments and six horns. Originally the Kingston Trio was to be signed to record several of the film’s thematic songs, but they were replaced by the Whiskeyhill Quartet. The lead singer, Dave Guard, was a former member of the Kingston Trio. Scenes with Hope Lange as Henry Fonda’s saloon girl daughter, and the lover of the George Peppard character, were eliminated from the final cut.

Hurricane Express August 9, ¡932. ¡2 chapters. Tully Marshall, Conway Tearle, John Wayne, Shirley Grey, J. Farrell MacDonald, Matthew Betz, James Burtis, Lloyd Whitlock, Edmund Breese, Al Bridge, Ernie S. Adams, Charles King, Glenn Strange, Al Ferguson, Joseph Girard, Fred (Snowflake) Toones, Eddie Parker, Denver Dixon (Victor Adamson), Yakima Canutt, Kermit Maynard, Bert Goodrich. Mascot. Supervisor Nat Levine; Directors Armand Schaefer, J.P. McGowan; Story, Adaptation & Dialogue Colbert Clark, Barney Sarecky, Wyndham Gittens, Harold Tarshin, George Morgan, J.P. McGowan; Photography Ernest Miller, Carl Wester; Supervising Editor

Wyndham Gittens; Editor Ray Snyder; Sound George Lowerre; Music Lee Zahler REVIEWS: “Wayne seemed to be quite secure and in command of himself in these early pictures. He looked slender, almost lanky, and spoke his lines well…. He did all the stunts (sic) in this picture, including several hazardous falls from roofs and trains.” Shooting Star (Maurice Zolotow, Simon & Schuster, ¡974); “Wayne probably never worked harder in his life.” Cli›hanger (Alan Barbour, A&W Publishers, ¡977); “John Wayne’s second Mascot serial is in every way an improvement over The Shadow of the Eagle. The story is almost logical.” Forgotten Horrors—Early Talkie Chillers

Hurricane Express from Poverty Row (George E. Turner & Michael H. Price, A.S. Barnes & Co., ¡979) SYNOPSIS: When engineer Jim Baker becomes the latest fatality in a series of mysterious crimes against the L&R Railroad, his son Larry ( John Wayne) vows to bring the killers to justice. The attacks are masterminded by an unknown perpetrator known only as the Wrecker. There are many suspects. Gloria Martin, secretary to railway manager Howard Edwards, is actually Gloria Stratton, daughter of a convicted ex-employee recently escaped from prison. The elder Stratton hates the L&R for holding back evidence at his trial which could have cleared him. Another former employee is Walter Gray, now manager of a competing airlines company. He would like nothing better than to see his former employer su›er. Jordan, an engineer found guilty of criminal negligence in the crash which killed Larry’s father, is bitter toward those who dismissed him. In addition, Larry must contend with the suspicions of Edwards and the company detectives. With stockholders clamoring for a change in management, another disaster strikes the railroad: The Wrecker intercepts a gold shipment on board the Hurricane Express, demonstrating that, with lifelike masks, he can impersonate whomever he chooses. Larry’s timely interference prevents the Wrecker from making o› with the valuable shipment, but he is unable to stop Stratton from stealing the gold. The convict hopes to trade the gold for information which will clear his name. Gloria persuades Larry to trust her father, and this trio works to discover the Wrecker’s identity while battling his hired thugs at every turn. At an abandoned mine where the gold is hidden, a trap is set to catch the Wrecker. The villain, masquerading as Howard Edwards, escapes the snare after murdering the real Edwards. When the evildoers escape in one of Walter Gray’s transport planes, the airlines manager is arrested. The wily Wrecker has his agents spring Gray from jail, making it appear to everyone that Gray is the villain. Larry and Stratton, however, know better. They involve railway attorney Stevens, now managing the L&R in a final plot to bring the Wrecker to justice. Aboard the Hurricane Express the plan succeeds. Both Gray and

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Stratton are proven innocent, and they make plans to merge planes and trains into one grand transport company. The smart money is on a merger of a more personal nature between Larry and Gloria.—TAL N OTES : Wayne’s second Mascot serial. Filmed in three weeks in July ¡932, at locales in Newhall, Saugus and Palmdale, California. Due to the low budget of $50,000, the postproduction phase did not allow for the addition of a complete musical score or sound e›ects. The serial returned over $600,000 in rentals to Mascot. Following are the titles for each of the ¡2 chapters: ¡) “The Wrecker,” 2) “Flying Pirates,” 3) “The Masked Menace,” 4) “Buried Alive,” 5) “Danger Lights,” 6) “The Airport Mystery,” 7) “Sealed Lips,” 8) “Outside the Law,” 9) “The Invincible Army,” ¡0) “The Wrecker’s Secret,” ¡¡) “Wings of Death” and ¡2) “Unmasked.” Leading lady Shirley Grey (born Agnes Zetterstrand, ¡9¡0–8¡) was active throughout the ¡930s, appearing in numerous B-movies in support of the great Western stars of the day. At Columbia she starred opposite Buck Jones in One Man Law (¡932) and Treason (¡933) and opposite Tim McCoy in Texas Cyclone (¡932, also with the Duke), The Riding Tornado (¡932), Cornered (¡932) and Beyond the Law (¡934). Between ¡93¡ and ¡935, the Connecticut native appeared in over 40 films, including the Warner release The Life of Jimmy Dolan. The villain with the black mustache in many of his over–¡00 films, Charles King’s (¡899–¡957) career spanned 40 years. From the early ¡920s to the ¡950s, he stalked and menaced the hero in forgettable B-Westerns. During the ¡940s, at Republic alone, he would appear in ten B-Westerns a year. In film after film, King was repeatedly on the short end of gunfights against the likes of Bob Steele, Buck Jones, Ken Maynard, Bill Cody, Hoot Gibson, Tom Tyler, Rex Bell, Kermit Maynard, Johnny Mack Brown, Gene Autry and Tex Ritter. King was also a regular in the Western series,Trail Blazers and Texas Rangers as well as the serials The Painted Stallion (¡937), Zorro’s Fighting Legion (¡939), White Eagle (¡94¡) and The Iron Claw (¡94¡). Irishborn Al Ferguson (¡888–¡97¡) first appeared on the screen in ¡9¡0. By the early ¡920s he was much in demand in Westerns and serials,

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Hurricane Express (Mascot, ¡932). Ernie Adams, Glenn Strange, Lloyd Whitlock, Wayne, Al Ferguson

almost always in the role of the heavy. He enjoyed making life miserable for Bob Steele in Near the Rainbow’s End (¡930), Tim McCoy in One Way Trail (¡93¡), John Wayne in Desert Trail (¡935), and Hopalong Cassidy in a pair of Westerns, North of the Rio Grande (¡937) and Rustlers Valley (¡937). His work in serials included The Lightning Express (¡930), Tailspin Tommy (¡934) and Flash Gordon (¡936). Working on this film as both a writer and the supervising editor was Wyndham Gittens (¡885–¡967), born in Barbados in the West Indies. He began scripting for the screen in ¡9¡7. Although he directed four features and was involved in the editing of ten, his first love was always writing. In a career that lasted until

¡942, Gittens had over 70 of his scripts made into films including all three of the Wayne serials, The Vanishing Legion starring Harry Carey (¡93¡), the football drama The Galloping Ghost with real-life football legend Red Grange (¡93¡), Last of the Mohicans (¡932), again with Harry Carey, Jungle Jim (¡936) with Grant Withers in the title role, Ace Drummond (¡936), Flash Gordon’s Trip to Mars (¡938), and the Dave O’Brien serial Captain Midnight (¡942). Remade by Mascot in ¡934, at a cost of $80,000, as the Western serial Mystery Mountain starring Ken Maynard. In the late ¡940s an edited 80-minute feature version was released.

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I Cover the War June 29, ¡937. 65 minutes. John Wayne, Gwen Gaze, Don Barclay, James Bush, Pat Somerset, Charles Brokaw, Arthur Aylesworth, Earle Hodgins, Jack Mack, Abdullah, Major Sam Harris, Franklin Parker, Frank Lackteen, Olaf Hytten, Keith Kenneth, Richard Tucker. Universal. Producer Trem Carr; Associate Producer Paul Malvern; Director Arthur Lubin; Screenplay George Waggner; Photography Harry Neumann, Stanley Cortez; Editors Charles Craft, Erma Horsley; Original Story Bernard McConville; Art Director E.R. Hickson; Musical Director Charles Previn; Sound Joseph Lapis, Jesse T. Bastian; Technical Advisor Major Sam Harris. REVIEWS: “[A]n ingeniously romantic fable which never stoops to logic and is content to tell a good lie.” The New York Times (Frank S. Nugent, August 2, ¡937); “Happy mixture of melodrama and comedy gives star new type of role.” Film Daily (April 29, ¡937); “Once again production takes to the desert and romance against the melodrama of desert warfare and intrigue for screen material. … Universal is confident that the forthcoming feature will maintain the amusement and commercial appeal.” Motion Picture Herald (May 22, ¡937); “[A] sketchy production with unimpressive backgrounds. Of course there is some galloping and shooting and the kids will like that. The acting is uniformly sti›. The apparent e›ort to sprinkle comedy and romance into the plot is not realized much.” Variety ( July 7, ¡937); “Wayne is entirely at home in his performance, the smoothest he has ever o›ered, and an improvement over past work, that his fans will certainly appreciate.” Hollywood Reporter ( July ¡937); “The entire cast is well selected and gives fine performances….” Daily Variety ( July ¡937) SYNOPSIS: In London, Bob Adams ( John Wayne) and Elmer “Slug” Davis (Don Barclay), successful newsreel men, are assigned by Atlas Newsreel to the British protectorate of Samari near the Iraq border to photograph the legendary and elusive Arab leader Mu›adhi (Charles Brokaw). With the help of his pet

monkey, “Wide Angle,” Bob meets Pamela Howard (Gwen Gaze) on the airplane to Damascus. She is traveling to Samari to stay with her uncle, Col. Hugh Armitage (Major Sam Harris), and her fiancé, Capt. Archie Calvert (Pat Somerset). Bob’s younger brother Don ( James Bush) also arrives in Damascus, having quit medical school to become a newsreel man. Bob is disappointed by Don’s decision, and they argue. When Archie is sent on an important mission, Bob follows him, eluding the other local newsreel men. Archie, however, confiscates Bob’s film and tries to take the passes of all the reporters, but Bob sneaks out before losing his. Phillips, the head of Atlas’ London o‡ce, wires Bob to give Don a job. Before learning of this, Don helps Graham and Parker, gunrunners who are masquerading as newsreel men, reach Mu›adhi’s camp by stealing Bob’s pass. During a moonlight walk, the romance between Pamela and Bob becomes serious, and Archie sadly ends the engagement. Archie informs Bob that because of Don’s actions the previous night, he is suspected of gunrunning. Later, Bob finds a microphone planted in his room that leads to a local innkeeper. Archie’s men find Graham and Parker dead; without passes, they were no longer useful to Mu›adhi’s men. The innkeeper lures Bob and Elmer to an Arab camp, where he reveals that he is Mu›adhi. Mu›adhi announces his plan to attack the English and allows himself to be photographed. After the revolutionaries have left camp, Bob and Elmer escape in their sound truck and are wounded during a harrowing drive through the desert. They arrive back in Samari half dead. Phillips is waiting for them and immediately develops their film, which contains Bob’s warning of the peril awaiting the British. The troops are besieged in the rocks by Mu›adhi’s men, but as Muffadhi charges, airplanes bomb the Arabs and kill Mu›adhi. Elmer, Don, Pamela and Phillips are happily reunited in the hospital where Bob is recovering from his wounds. NOTES: Wayne’s fourth Universal adven-

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I Cover the War (Universal, ¡937). Don Barclay, Wayne, Pat Somerset, Gwen Gaze, Sam Harris

ture production. Filming started on April ¡0, ¡937, at Red Rock (¡5 setups), then, after one day, moved to Lone Pine, California, Forty Acres and finally the studio for interiors. Budgeted at $75,000, it completed filming at a cost of $65,745.94. Universal would add 30 percent for overhead charges. While in production (¡¡ days, six days a week), Lubin would get up to 5¡ setups a day. This was leading lady Gwen Gaze’s (¡909– ) first starring role. She would appear in less than a dozen films, including The Secret of Treasure Island (¡938) and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (¡94¡), then retire from the screen in ¡943. This was one of the first film’s that Stanley Cortez (¡908–97) worked on as a cinematographer. Born Stanislaus Krantz in New York City, he was the brother of screen actor Ricardo Cortez. In a career that spanned over 50 years (¡926–80) he photographed almost 80 films, the majority being of the B-variety but also some big productions including

Eagle Squadron (¡942), The Magnificent Ambersons (¡942), Since You Went Away (¡944), The Night of the Hunter (¡955), The Three Faces of Eve (¡957) and The Bridge at Remagen (¡969). Wayne’s sidekick in this film, Don Barclay (¡892–¡975), was born Donn Van Tassel Barclay. He was in films for 50 years, from ¡9¡4 to ¡964, and over that span of time appeared in over ¡00 features. The actor began in the industry as a bit player then became a Keystone Kop. Some of his more well-known films include Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (¡943), My Darling Clementine (¡946), The Long Gray Line (¡955) and his last e›ort, Mary Poppins (¡964). In the ¡950s he did vocals on three Disney animated features, Cinderella (¡950), Alice in Wonderland (¡95¡) and Peter Pan (¡953). Major Sam Harris (¡877–¡969) was a longtime favorite of John Ford. Whenever given the opportunity, Ford would find a role for the patrician actor. The native Australian made

I Married a Woman appearances in over ¡00 films including Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (¡93¡), The Quiet Man (¡952), The Wings of Eagles (¡957), Horse Soldiers (¡959), Two Rode Together (¡96¡), The

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Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (¡962), Hatari! (¡962), Donovan’s Reef (¡963), Cheyenne Autumn (¡964) and My Fair Lady (¡964).

I Married a Woman May 23, ¡958. 84 minutes. George Gobel, Diana Dors, Adolphe Menjou, Jessie Royce Landis, Nita Talbot, William Redfield, Steve Dunne, John McGiver, Steve Pendleton, Cheerio Meredith, Kay Buckley, Joan Dixon, Stanley Adams, Angie Dickinson, John Wayne. RKO Radio Released by Universal-International. Producer William Bloom; Director Hal Kanter; Screenplay Goodman Ace; Photography Lucien Ballard; Editor Kenneth Marstella; Art Directors Albert S. D’Agostino, Walter E. Keller; Sound Frank Webster, Terry Kellum; Music Cyril Mockridge; Assistant Director John E. Pommer; Editorial Supervisor Otto Ludwig; Set Decorators Dorcy Howard, William Stevens; Photographic E›ects Linwood Dunn; Gowns Howard Shoup; Makeup Harry Maret, Jr.; Hair Stylist Larry Germain REVIEWS: “Old-fashioned comedy that doesn’t come o›….” Variety (May 7, ¡958); “[T]he yarn stays close to comedy all the way. When it veers away, as it does on a couple of occasions, it slows down and falters. But those lapses are few.” Motion Picture Herald (May 3¡, ¡958); “Thin little comedy…. The task of stretching what might have been a pretty good ¡5-minute television sketch into eighty-four minutes just about licks everybody.” The New York Times (Howard Thompson, November 5, ¡958); “A bit draggy… No more than a series of skits hung on a light framework of situation.” The New York Herald Tribune (Paul V. Beckley, November 5, ¡958) SYNOPSIS : Marshall Briggs (George Gobel), wizard of the Sutton Advertising Agency, has little time to savor the victory of his “Miss Luxenberg Beauty Contest” which netted his firm the lucrative Luxenberg Beer account. Not only did his campaign bring the $¡2,000,000 customer to the agency, it enabled

the shy advertising genius to meet his future wife Janice (Diana Dors), Miss Luxenberg herself. But the lovely blonde has been acting a bit mysterious of late and Mr. Sutton (Adolphe Menjou) presents him with devastating news. Though the owner of Luxenberg Beer loves the campaign, his wife holds veto power over anything that has to do with beautiful girls in bathing suits. Marshall has just two days to come up with a new slant for the ad campaign or the account will be yanked. Under pressure at the o‡ce, Marshall finds it no easier to work at home as Janice tries to create an intimate mood so that she can reveal her secret—she is going to have a baby. But Marshall’s preoccupation with the beer campaign frustrates her attempts to reveal the big news. Dragging Marshall to a John Wayne movie, she swoons over the actor’s demonstrative displays of a›ection for his screen wife. Orchids, champagne and a diamond necklace become symbols of the attention Marshall used to show her when they were courting. “You treated me so much better as Miss Luxenberg,” she pouts. When Marshall starts to remind her that she is “Mrs. Luxenberg” now, the light bulb goes on in his head and he has the answer for the campaign. Sutton loves Marshall’s idea that Miss Luxenberg is now the happily married Mrs. because she serves her husband Luxenberg beer. A relieved Marshall sends flowers to Janice and begins a domestic campaign to reassure her of his a›ection. But unknown to the couple, Sutton has his photographer record their evening on the town. When the pictures are used as the new display for the ad campaign, Janice feels used again. A forlorn Janice talks of divorce and withholding her consent for the release of the pictures. But when Bob (Steve Dunne) informs his friend that

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Janice is pregnant, the feuding ends. An appreciative Sutton puts his ad ace on board a luxury liner for a second honeymoon. A wideeyed Janice spots John Wayne and his wife on the same cruise and Marshall smiles in satisfaction as the Duke receives a lecture on being more romantic and attentive to his spouse.— TAL NOTES: Filmed on the RKO lot from July ¡6 to August 30, ¡956. Release was held up for almost two years. Although RKO Radio made the motion picture, it was distributed by Universal. Total expenditure on the production amounted to $736,752, of which $572,502 was the negative cost. Wayne filmed his two sequences in one day. George Gobel (¡920–9¡), whose down-to-earth style endeared him to millions of viewers of TV’s The George Gobel Show in the ¡950s and the game show The Hollywood Squares in the ¡970s, was a B-26 pilot instructor during World War II. After appearances on radio and in night clubs, and guest spots on television, he introduced his variety show to the nation in ¡954. Gobel appeared in several other films including The Birds and the Bees (¡956), Rabbit Test (¡978), and Ellie (¡983). Director Hal Kanter (¡9¡8– ) was also an accomplished screenwriter who wrote many original comedies during the early days of television. For motion pictures Kanter penned the Bob Hope films My Favorite Spy (¡95¡), Road to Bali (¡953), Casanova’s Big Night (¡954), as well as Two Tickets to Broadway (¡95¡), The Rose Tattoo (¡956) and the Martin and Lewis comedy Artists and Models (¡956). After I Married a Woman, Kanter directed and produced Once Upon a Horse (¡958) and wrote screenplays for Bachelor in Paradise (¡96¡), Blue Hawaii (¡96¡ Elvis Presley vehicle) and the Doris Day comedy Move Over Darling (¡963). In the ¡970s Kanter served as executive producer of the groundbreaking comedy series All in the Family. Adolphe Menjou (¡890–¡963), one of Hollywood’s most politically conservative actors, was known as a fashion-plate for his impeccable grooming and suave delivery of his lines. A veteran of over ¡00 films from the silent era to ¡960, he began as a supporting actor, moved on to leading roles in the late ’20s and early ’30s, then settled back into character

assignments in the late ’40s. Along the way, the polished Menjou starred for Charlie Chaplin in the comedian’s A Woman of Paris (¡923), was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in The Front Page (¡93¡) and enlivened such films as A Farewell to Arms (¡932), Morning Glory (¡933) opposite Katharine Hepburn in her third film, Little Miss Marker (a ¡934 Shirley Temple vehicle), A Star Is Born (¡937), Golden Boy (¡939), A Bill of Divorcement (¡940), The Hucksters (¡947), State of the Union (¡948, starring Tracy and Hepburn), Across the Wide Missouri (¡95¡), Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory (¡957) and Walt Disney’s Pollyanna (¡960). When the U.S. Congress began investigating allegations of Communist subversion of the motion picture industry in the late ¡940s, Menjou appeared as a friendly witness and earned the empathy of only a small group in Hollywood. A graduate of London’s Royal Academy of Music, British composer Cyril J. Mockridge (¡896–¡979) arranged the music for over ¡00 films during his 30-year Hollywood career. The versatile music director was adept at scoring all types of motion pictures, from the Will Rogers comedy Judge Priest (¡934) to the Shirley Temple Fox entries The Little Colonel (¡935) and Poor Little Rich Girl (¡936), to the Sherlock Holmes mystery The Hound of the Baskervilles (¡939), the classic Miracle on 34th Street (¡947) and the Westerns The Ox-Bow Incident (¡943) and My Darling Clementine (¡946). He also composed the music for the Cary Grant comedy I Was a Male War Bride (¡949), Elvis Presley’s Flaming Star (¡960) and the Marilyn Monroe films River of No Return (¡954) and Bus Stop (¡956). In the ¡960s, Mockridge composed music for the television series Peyton Place (¡964), Lost in Space (¡965), and Cimarron Strip (¡967). Appearing in just 20 films, Jessie Royce Landis (born Jessie Royce Medbury, ¡904–72) spent most of her career on the stage. She is best remembered for her two Alfred Hitchcock films in the ’50s, To Catch a Thief (¡955) and North by Northwest (¡959). Although the same age as Cary Grant, she played his mother in the later film. Landis also had choice roles in Bon Voyage (¡962), Gidget Goes to Rome (¡963) and Airport (¡970).

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Idol of the Crowds September 30, ¡937. 60 minutes. John Wayne, Sheila Bromley, Billy Burrud, Russell Hopton, Charles Brokaw, Virginia Brissac, Clem Bevans, George Lloyd, Hal Neiman, Jane Johns, Huntley Gordon, Frank Otto, Wayne Castle, Lloyd Ford, Lee Ford, Ted Lorch. Universal. Producer Trem Carr; Associate Producer Paul Malvern; Director Arthur Lubin; Assistant Director Glenn Cook; Screenplay George Waggner, Harold Buckley; Original Story George Waggner; Photography Harry Newmann; Editor Charles Craft; Art Director Charles Clague; Musical Director Charles Previn; Sound William Hedgcock, Jesse Bastian REVIEWS: “In Idol of the Crowds you have John Wayne as a star puck-passer who scorns bribery and wins the big game for Sheila Bromley.” The New York Times (December 4, ¡937); “John Wayne appears in another athletic role—a hockey star—and gives a pleasing performance… Arthur Lubin’s direction is first class.” Film Daily (September 30, ¡937); “Establishes John Wayne as an all-arounder. The former football player … has been successively a western star, a truck driver, a cop, and now a big skate and club man, all of them knucklebruising roles handled well.” Variety (December 8, ¡937); “[O]ld-fashioned hokum, used in many an action melodrama.” Motion Picture Herald (October 2, ¡937); “John Wayne, pleasing, manly and slow-moving, fits his role… His huge bulk and good looks are sure to please audiences.” Hollywood Reporter (September 24, ¡937); “Practically a new John Wayne is revealed. He has a breezy role that definitely suits his personality and appearance. He carries o› the part in an appreciable style, making the character thoroughly likeable and believable.” Daily Variety (September 24, ¡937) SYNOPSIS: In another typical night at the Polar Palace, the New York Panthers ice hockey team is defeated by the Mustangs. The frustrated owner sends out his scouts to find new talent to help the team. The scouts travel to Metonsic, Maine, to track down veterans of a legendary semi-pro team, the Crushers. But

the former players have grown older, found other interests or are not physically able to play the demanding sport professionally. The last stop is a farm where Johnny Hansen ( John Wayne), a struggling chicken farmer, hesitantly accepts their o›er: “Seems like a man ought to have a regular job.” The small-town boy, accompanied by his ¡2-year-old brother Bobby (Billy Burrud), meets the big city in a hurry when his teammates decide to give the rookie a rough welcome on the practice ice. Johnny more than holds his own, winning the respect of all, particularly Squats Bates (Hal Neiman), who becomes his roommate. Sparked by Johnny’s play, the team begins to win. Between games, Johnny hangs out at the roller skating rink to win the attention of its beautiful main attraction, Helen Dale (Sheila Bromley). Jack Irwin (Charles Brokaw), unscrupulous owner of the rollercade, encourages Helen to feign interest in the hockey player as a public relations move for his su›ering business. Johnny becomes more comfortable with celebrity life as endorsements and commercial o›ers roll in. He even makes the box cover of Wheatie-Nifties. Though the team continues to win, Johnny’s coach begins to worry about the nightclubbing and the society column interest in which the skating couple is entangled. When Johnny learns that Helen likes chickens too, he falls helplessly in love. When the Panthers make it to the Stanley Cup Playo›s, Irwin’s gambling instincts prompt him to o›er Johnny money to hold back in game three in order to increase the betting odds. Johnny rejects the idea, and to put pressure on him, Irwin arranges an accident for Bobby, who ends up in the hospital. Helen, who has fallen in love with Johnny, confesses her earlier deception, informing him that her crooked partner has hired a hood to kill him if he doesn’t cooperate. With such things on his mind, Johnny’s play is a›ected. When he takes a crushing hit, he is hospitalized. The Panthers lose with the series tied at two. Irwin bets a bundle on the last game, unaware that Johnny and the coach have faked his injury to get the

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star player to safety. Leaving the hospital assured of Bobby’s good health, Johnny arrives at the game in time to help the Panthers win. Irwin and his associates are arrested and Johnny and Bobby return to Maine accompanied by the new Mrs. Hansen, Helen.—TAL NOTES:The fifth Wayne adventure film for Universal was again filmed on a budget of $75,000, with the star receiving a salary of $6,000. The pre-release title of the feature was Hell on Ice. Always the well-bred matron in scores of motion pictures, Virginia Brissac’s (¡895–¡979) screen career of 60-odd films spanned over two decades. In ¡939 she was featured in the tearjerker Dark Victory and the big-budgeted color Western Jesse James, while in the next year she could be seen in Little Old New York and Black Friday. Some of her other films included The Little Foxes (¡94¡), The Mummy’s Tomb (¡942), Phantom Lady (¡944), A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (¡945), Captain from Castille (¡947), Monsieur Verdoux (¡947), The Snake Pit (¡948) and the James Dean classic Rebel Without a Cause (¡955). One of the many familiar “hillbilly” country types, Clem Bevans (¡880–¡963) appeared on stage, in vaudeville and burlesque before trying his hand at films

in the early ¡930s. The character actor also appeared in his share of Westerns including 20Mule Team (¡940), Tombstone (¡942), Bob Hope’s The Paleface (¡948), Streets of Laredo (¡949) and Hangman’s Knot (¡952). Female lead Sheila Bromley (¡9¡¡–2003) also worked with Wayne in Westward Ho! and Lawless Range, but under the screen name of Sheila Manors. With appearances in the films Judgment at Nuremberg (¡96¡), and Hotel (¡967), her career would extend into the ¡960s. At di›erent times, the actress also was billed as Sheila LeGay. From the ¡930s to the ¡950s, Glenn Cook alternated between assignments as assistant director and production manager. As an assistant director he worked on dozens of B-Westerns including Wayne’s Blue Steel and Man from Utah, and as production manager he was employed on numerous Bowery Boys comedies including Live Wires (¡946), Spook Busters (¡946), Hard Boiled Mahoney (¡947), News Hounds (¡947) and Bowery Buckaroos (¡947). He jumped into the production end of television series working for two years (¡957–59), as production manager of Gunsmoke and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (¡964). Idol of the Crowds was reissued in May ¡949 by Realart Films.

In Harm’s Way March 3¡, ¡965. ¡67 minutes. John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Patricia Neal, Tom Tryon, Paula Prentiss, Brandon DeWilde, Jill Haworth, Dana Andrews, Stanley Holloway, Burgess Meredith, Franchot Tone, Patrick O’Neal, Carroll O’Connor, Slim Pickens, James Mitchum, George Kennedy, Bruce Cabot, Barbara Bouchet, Tod Andrews, Larry Hagman, Stewart Moss, Richard LePore, Chet Stratton, Soo Yong, Dort Clark, Phil Mattingly, Henry Fonda, Hugh O’Brian, Christopher George, Yankee Chang, Loren Janes, Johnny Andressano, Christian Haren, Dean Smith, Hal Needham, Ronnie Rondell. Paramount. A Sigma Production. Produced and Directed by Otto Preminger; Screenplay Wendell Mayes; Based on the novel by James Bassett; Music Jerry

Goldsmith; Production Designer Lyle Wheeler; Photography Loyal Griggs; Special Photography Farciot Edouart; Second Unit Photography Philip Lathrop; Sound Harold Lewis, Charles Grenzbach ; Camera Operators George Nogle, Gus Ryden; Chief Ga›er Homer Plannette; Construction Elmer C. Rodgers; Key Grips Carl Gibson, Morris Rosen; Painter Eugene Acker; Property Master Wallace Oliver; Editors George Tomasini, Hugh S. Fowler; Assistant Editor James Wells; Sound E›ects Editor Don Hall, Jr.; Music Editor Richard Carruth; Negative Cutter Connie Roese; Costume Coordinator Hope Bryce; Special E›ects Lawrence W. Butler; Script Supervisor Kathleen Fagan; Set Decorators Morris Ho›man, Richard Mansfield; Associate Art Director Al Roelofs; Executive

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In Harm’s Way (Paramount, ¡965). Otto Preminger, John Wayne

Assistant to the Producer Nat Rudich; Dialogue Coach Max Slater; Casting Bill Barnes; Production Managers Eva Monley, Henry Weinberger ,Stanley H. Goldsmith, James Henderling; Assistant Directors Daniel McCauley, Howard Joslin, Michael Daves; Makeup Del Armstrong, Web Overlander, David Grayson; Hairdressers Frederic Jones, Naomi Cavin; Wardrobe Eric Seelig, Alan Levine, Gordon Dawson, Grace M. Harris, Gildo Scarano; Titles Saul Bass; Department of Defense Project O‡cer Captain Blake J. Booth; Technical Advisor Capt. Colin J. MacKenzie; Produced in cooperation with the Department of Defense and the Department of the Navy. REVIEWS: “Preminger has packed his picture with action from beginning to end… John Wayne, vigorous and forthright, as usual, plays a ship’s commander with assurance….” The New York Daily News (Kate Cameron, April 7, ¡965); “[A]n impressive made war picture…. Topcast is John Wayne in a role expertly tailored to his talents…. It’s one of the best parts he’s drawn, and he handles it with his custom-

ary vigor and authority.” New York Journal American (Rose Pelswick, April 7, ¡965); “The picture was tailored for Wayne. He is in every sense the big gun of In Harm’s Way.” Variety (March ¡965); “It’s a great big boom-bang-bo› saga jam-packed with battle-film clichés and soap-opera situations and coated with enough schmaltz to give you a ¡0-day cholesterol hangover.” The New York Herald Tribune ( Judith Crist, April 7, ¡965); “You can’t kill John Wayne. That’s the message—the only message—that comes through loud and clear…. Mr. Wayne’s characterization is skin-deep. Fortunately, his skin is thick.” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, April 7, ¡965); “One of the finest action films you’ll ever see…. Duke Wayne hasn’t been as good in twenty years. He has the spring of a young man.” Hedda Hopper (March 30, ¡965); “Captain John Wayne delivers a bedrock performance that provides anchorage for the shipshape supporting cast … a slick, fast-moving entertainment as warm with characters who seem quick-witted, courageous, and just enough

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larger than life….” Time Magazine (April 9, ¡965); “Impressive entertainment should register well with general audiences… Otto Preminger has made himself quite a film here, replete with action, drama, romance, intrigue.” Motion Picture Exhibitor (March 3¡, ¡965) SYNOPSIS: Capt. Rockwell Torrey ( John Wayne), USN, was not unlike the ship he commanded: tall, spare, angular and plainly fabricated out of some hard gray substance that armored both man and cruiser against the weapons of a hostile world. When the Hawaiian dawn of December 7, ¡94¡, is shattered by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Rock guides his cruiser, along with a small fleet of light ships, past the burning battleships to sea. Low on fuel, Torrey orders his fleet to cease standard zigzagging tactics to add to their cruising time so that they can follow the order to seek out and engage the enemy. Torpedoes from a Japanese sub hit his cruiser and Rock’s arm is broken in the engagement, causing his executive o‡cer, Paul Eddington (Kirk Douglas), to proclaim, “We’ve got ourselves another war. A gut-busting, mother-lovin’ Navy war.” Though the enemy sub is sunk by Lt. William McConnell (Tom Tryon), Rock becomes a scapegoat of a panicked nation in the wake of the Pearl Harbor disaster. While a court of inquiry investigates his decisions, Torrey is assigned desk duty. Eddington, embittered by the death of his unfaithful wife, is reassigned to supplies on the island of Toulebonne. While bunking with intelligence o‡cer Egan Powell (Burgess Meredith), Rock meets and romances the nurse who sets his broken arm, Maggie Haynes (Patricia Neal). Her roommate, Annalee Dorn ( Jill Haworth), is dating a young ensign assigned to the PT boats, Jer Torrey (Brandon de Wilde). Rock’s son, whom he has not seen for ¡8 years, wants no part of his father, and has joined the Navy as a career move on the way to being assigned to the sta› of Admiral Broderick (Dana Andrews). Broderick, who commands the attack on Gavavutu, is more concerned with his image, continually polished by his PR o‡cer Neal Owynn (Patrick O’Neal), than with combat. When his troops become hopelessly mired on the strategic island, the Navy promotes Rock to admiral and places him in charge of Skyhook, the

operation to regain the key islands of Gavavutu and Levu-Vana. Naming Eddington his executive o‡cer, Torrey takes command and quickly devises a three-pronged attack which frees Gavavutu. Working with Owynn as part of Broderick’s sta›, Jer gets to watch his father in action and begins to appreciate the qualities of Torrey over the selfish political interests of his o‡cers. He asks to be reassigned to the PT boats and renews his courtship of Annalee. While preparations are being made to attack Levu-Vana, Eddington attends a picnic with Annalee. The attractive nurse becomes the victim of his pent-up hostilities against women and she is raped. She takes her life with an overdose of sleeping pills. While Rock takes the tragic news to his son, Eddington tries to redeem himself by commandeering a plane to report the strength of the oncoming Japanese fleet. He is shot down by enemy planes after relaying the important news. Choosing the narrowest part of the channel through which the enemy fleet must pass, Torrey places his smaller fleet in harm’s way. In a tremendous sea battle, Torrey loses his ship, his son and his leg, but stops the enemy fleet, ensuring the success of Skyhook. McConnell saves the life of his admiral and Torrey recovers aboard a medical ship. Maggie sits quietly by his bed pledging, “I’ll be here, Rock.”—TAL N OTES : Filmed between June 24 and September ¡964 in Hawaii, San Francisco, San Diego and aboard the Navy ships the U.S.S. Braine, U.S.S. Capitaine, U.S.S. O’Bannon, U.S.S. Philip, U.S.S. Renshaw, U.S.S. St. Paul and the U.S.S. Walker. The film’s negative cost was just over $8,000,000, of which $400,000 was spent for the miniature war ships used in the finale of the motion picture. From a domestic box o‡ce gross of $¡¡,000,000, the war epic earned rentals of $4,250,000. The film did far better in overseas theaters than it did in the United States. Kirk Douglas was paid $400,000 for his co-starring role. Patricia Neal received $¡70,000 for ¡7 days’ work. To support Wayne, the original cast choices were Burt Lancaster and Kim Novak. Otto Preminger had a five-picture–$¡5,000,000 deal with Paramount, which called for him to receive ¡5 percent of each film’s gross and a percentage of the profits. Born in the Austro-Hungarian empire,

In Old California Preminger (¡906–86) earned a law degree but pursued a career in filmmaking after studying under Max Reinhardt. He directed several films in Europe, then in ¡935 left for the United States and signed a contract with Fox. Di›erences of opinion with studio executives led to Preminger’s leaving California for Broadway, where he produced and starred in several plays. With the outbreak of World War II, the heavily accented Preminger was called back to Hollywood to act as the German villain in several propaganda films. During the War he directed Laura for Fox and was nominated for an Oscar for his superlative e›orts. Over the next two decades, Preminger (in the capacity of either producer, director or actor) would make several landmark films including The Moon Is Blue (¡953), Stalag ¡7 (¡953), The Man with the Golden Arm (¡955), Porgy and Bess (¡959), Exodus (¡960) and Advise and Consent (¡962). Yale-educated Tom Tryon (¡926– 9¡), a Navy veteran of World War II, made his Broadway debut in ¡952 in the musical Wish You Were Here. He came to Hollywood in ¡955 and found supporting roles until Walt Disney selected him to star as the title character Texas John Slaughter in a series of episodes for the Disney World of Color program. The tall, slim actor would star in several films including

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Three Violent People (¡957), Marines Let’s Go! (¡96¡) and The Longest Day (¡962), before Preminger cast him as the star of his big-budget Vatican film The Cardinal (¡963). Never comfortable in front of the cameras, Tryon quit acting in favor of a career as a writer. He had a flair for the written word and several of his books, including The Other and Crowned Heads, became best-sellers and motion pictures. Carroll O’Connor (¡925–200¡), a character actor for a number of years, achieved his greatest fame in the medium of television. He played the role of middle-class New Yorker Archie Bunker on TV’s All in the Family (CBS), an American institution dealing with the taboo subjects of the time and making fun of them. After completing his run in the comedy, O’Connor turned to drama and played the Southern sheri› on TV’s In the Heat of the Night. Character actor Yankee Chang (¡908– 90) was a Hawaiian native who appeared in the features Gidget Goes Hawaiian and Diamond Head as well as the television series Hawaii Five-O and Magnum P.I. Christian Haren (¡934–95) was an actor and model who was under contract to MGM in the ¡950s. He appeared in several Broadway plays and was seen in the print advertisements for Marlboro cigarettes and Budweiser beer.

In Old California May 3¡, ¡942. 88 minutes. John Wayne, Binnie Barnes, Albert Dekker, Helen Parrish, Patsy Kelly, Edgar Kennedy, Dick Purcell, Harry Shannon, Charles Halton, Emmett Lynn, Bob McKenzie, Milt Kibbee, Paul Sutton, Anne O’Neal, Frank McGlynn, Charles “Slim” Whitaker, Fern Emmett, Hal Price, Ed Cassidy, Wade Crosby, Jim Corey, Rex Lease, Matt Willis, Jack Williams, Dick Alexander, Hooper Atchley, Stanley Blystone, Frank Brownlee, Zeke Canova, Robert Homans, Frank Jaquet, Donald Curtis, Neal Hart, John “Blackie” Whiteford, Minerva Urecal, Guy Usher, Martin Garralaga, Forrest Taylor, Frank Ellis, George Lloyd, Ed Brady, Frank Hagney,

Jack Kirk, Jack O’Shea, Ruth Robinson, Lynne Carver, Pearl Early, Al Taylor, James Morton, Horace B. Carpenter, Olin Howlin, Chester Conklin, Ralph Peters, Bud Osborne, Karl Hackett, Art Mix, Merrill McCormick, Betty Danko, Dorothy Granger, Bob Saenz, Bill Shirley, Harry Tyler, Max Waizman, Cecil Weston, Jack Tornek. Republic. Director William McGann; Associate Producer Robert North; Screenplay Gertrude Purcell, Francis Hyland; Original Story J. Robert Bren, Gladys Atwater; Photography Jack Marta; Supervising Editor Murray Seldeen; Editor Howard O’Neill; Art Director Russell Kimball; Music David Buttolph; Music Director Cy Feuer

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REVIEWS: “If John Wayne and Binnie Barnes weren’t in it, it would be down with the usual run of strays. As it is, it doesn’t deserve to be much higher.” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, June ¡8, ¡942); “Good story, excellent acting and fine photography make this horse opry playable anywhere. Film hasn’t a dull moment. Wayne’s acting is tops throughout…. Production is generally big-time, with direction fast paced and the story and screenplay interesting.” Variety ( June ¡0, ¡942); “[T]his rather dreary picture is only enlivened by its action sequences.” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, A.S. Barnes, ¡976); “This minor Western saw Republic pairing down the film’s budget….” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Phil Hardy, The Overlook Press, ¡983); “Every Wayne film had to have a

slugfest in it and Wayne and Dekker’s battle … was brutal and acrobatic.” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974); “The picture is an odd mixture of broad humor … and serious drama.” The Best (and Worst) of the West! (Boyd Magers) SYNOPSIS: Tom Craig ( John Wayne), a mild-mannered Boston pharmacist, has not had an easy time reaching Sacramento. Awaiting his boat in a noisy San Francisco saloon, he meets Kegs McKeever (Edgar Kennedy), who is out of his mind with a toothache. The painkiller which the druggist administers wins him a friend and traveling companion. On the boat are powerful outlaw Britt Dawson (Albert Dekker) and his girl, Lacey Miller (Binnie Barnes). Britt’s main pastime is collecting protection money from poor ranchers. When

In Old California (Republic, ¡942). Pearl Early (left, foreground), Binnie Barnes (blonde, behind Wayne), Edgar Kennedy (on steps in black hat), Wayne, Robert Homans (white hat), Ethan Laidlaw (hatless, background), Neal Hart (black hat), Albert Dekker (hatless, long coat), Jack Evans (striped shirt, background), Jack Tornek (extreme right front with hand in pocket)

In Old California Tom interferes in Britt’s violence to a townsman, the outlaw has the druggist and Kegs unceremoniously dumped into the river with a warning to stay out of Sacramento. This only makes Tom more determined to establish his practice in the town. He charms Lacey into becoming a partner in his pharmacy, promising her half the profits in return for use of the building she owns. Lacey has taken quite an interest in Tom, but convinces the jealous Britt that she entered the partnership for her own gain. Kegs, who has grown friendly with Lacey’s maid Helga (Patsy Kelly), is unsure about marriage, insisting that his recurring toothache makes him too unstable. Helga removes this obstacle by removing his tooth. Another woman with marriage on her mind is Ellen Sanford (Helen Parrish) of San Francisco high society. Tom is smitten by her beauty and her fried chicken; the manipulative Ellen sees him as a way to advance in society. Lacey sees through Ellen and continuously finds reason to interrupt the time which this newcomer and the pharmacist spend together. On the evening he intends to propose to Ellen, Tom learns that townsmen’s homes are being attacked by Britt and his sadistic brother Joe (Dick Purcell). When the Higgens ranch is announced as the next target, Tom leads a group of neighbors there to drive o› the outlaw gang. A jubilant town celebrates the druggist’s prescription: “You take a band of angry men defending their homes, mix well and serve hot.” Infuriated, Britt poisons the elixir which Tom has dispensed to many of the townfolk. Whitey (Emmett Lynn), the town drunk, sneaks into the pharmacy for some of the tonic, and dies. When the elixir is found to be spiked with enough laudanum to kill a mule, the town turns against the druggist. Goaded by the Dawsons, a mob decides to lynch Tom, a plan interrupted by the discovery of gold. Soon mining camps like Bear Claw, Shinbone Creek and Brady Gulch spring up along the river. A U.S. marshal arrives to help keep the peace, but he refuses to pursue the case of the poisoning and Tom’s business remains closed. When the Dawsons shoot up the pharmacy, Tom follows Britt to the saloon where the two have a terrific fight. Ignoring Tom’s accusations, the marshal jails the druggist. When

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Lacey realizes Britt’s part in the poisoning, she leaves him. Arriving at the mine camp, she discovers that the people need food, medicine and blankets to fight an epidemic of typhoid. Lacey and Helga become nurses and Keg returns to Sacramento to find Tom. Released from jail, the druggist is prepared to leave with Ellen. “Why should you risk your life for a lot of ri›ra› ?” she demands selfishly, but Tom is determined to help even if it means losing his fiancée. While Craig convinces the townspeople to form a supply train, the Dawsons plot to seize the shipment of medicine and trade it for the gold in the camps. Britt learns that Lacey is there, and has second thoughts. Joe insists that they follow their plan and shoots his brother in the back. A running battle takes place as the outlaws try to stop the supplies. When the wagons are surrounded, Tom walks out to negotiate, convincing the evildoers that they too have the symptoms of the epidemic. When Joe tries to silence Tom with a bullet, he is shot by his wounded brother. The relief party reaches the needy camps and Britt dies, confessing his part in the poisoning of the elixir. Tom finds a treasure in Lacey, the woman with whom he wants to start his new life in Old California.—TAL NOTES: Filmed from March ¡3 to April 20, ¡942, on location in Kernville, California. Wayne was paid $807.69 a week by Republic. He was guaranteed a base salary of $42,000 for the year. William McGann (¡895–¡977) was an industry veteran who started in films before the “Great War,” then returned to motion pictures to ply his trade. Learning to operate cameras, he graduated to director of photography on some early Douglas Fairbanks projects; then in ¡923, he became an assistant director. Moving to England in the late ¡920s, he directed several B-films. He returned to the United States in ¡934 and signed a contract with Warners to helm lower-budget entries with such long-forgotten titles as Man of Iron (¡935), Times Square Playboy (¡936), Polo Joe (¡936), Penrod and Sam (¡937), Penrod and His Twin Brother (¡938) and Pride of the Blue Grass (¡939). After In Old California, he would direct only three more features, all Westerns, then retire in ¡943. Georgia native Helen Parrish (¡922–59) started in films in ¡927 at the age of

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In Old Oklahoma

five, playing baseball great Babe Ruth’s daughter. She was then signed to appear in Hal Roach’s Our Gang comedy shorts. The young actress appeared with Wayne in Fox’s Words and Music and The Big Trail (as Marguerite Churchill’s younger sister). In all, she appeared in under 50 full-length features before dying at age 37 of cancer. Her brother was Robert Parrish, the noted director, film editor and child actor. Featured player Dick Purcell (¡908–44) died of a heart attack at the age of 36 after completing a strenuous schedule starring in the title role in the serial Captain America. His 30odd other films were mostly of the B-variety.

Chester Conklin’s (¡888–¡97¡) film career included well over ¡00 motion pictures starting with Mack Sennett comedies in ¡9¡3 and ending with a cameo in the Western A Big Hand for the Little Lady (¡966). The comedian with the walrus mustache gained prominence during the silent era working in Keystone Kop and Charlie Chaplin comedies. He also worked with W.C. Fields in the ¡920s and appeared in a wide assortment of other films including Anna Christie (¡923), Greed (¡923), Gentleman Prefer Blondes (¡928), The Virginian (¡929), Modern Times (¡936), The Great Dictator (¡940) and The Perils of Pauline (¡947).

In Old Oklahoma December 5, ¡943. ¡02 minutes. John Wayne, Martha Scott, Albert Dekker, Gabby Hayes, Marjorie Rambeau, Dale Evans, Grant Withers, Sidney Blackmer, Paul Fix, Cecil Cunningham, Irving Bacon, Anne O’Neal, Byron Foulger, Richard Graham, Robert Warwick, Stanley Andrews, Will Wright, Harry Shannon, Emmet Vogan, Charles Arnt, Edward Gargan, Harry Woods, Tom London, Dick Rich, Charles Whittaker, LeRoy Mason, Lane Chandler, Arthur Loft, Rhonda Fleming, Hooper Atchley, Lynton Brent, Billy Bletcher, Dick Botiller, Linda Brent, Yakima Canutt, William Desmond, Post Park, Eddie Parker, Fred Graham, Bud Geary, Curley Dresden, Horace B. Carpenter, Jack Kirk, Gordon Jones, Kenne Duncan, George Chandler, Myrna Dell, Babe (Thelma) DeFreest, Alexis Davenport, Edmund Cobb, Wade Crosby, Rebel Randall, Tom Steele, Frank Ellis, Roy Barcroft, Cli› Lyons, Jack Rockwell, Larry Stewart, Bill Yrigoyen, Joe Yrigoyen, Pearl Early, John Dilson, Maxine Doyle, Gus Glassmire, Charles Sullivan, Nellie Walker, Shirley Rickert, Ori Taller, Linda Scott, Juanita Colteaux, Jess Cavan, Bonnie Jean Hartley, Jack O’Shea, Fern Emmett, Martin Garralaga, Frank Jaquet, George Lloyd, Forrest Taylor, Bob Reeves. Republic. Director Albert S. Rogell; Associate Producer

Robert North; Original Story & Adaptation Thomson Burtis; Screenplay Ethel Hill, Eleanor Gri‡th; Photography Jack Marta; Editor Ernest Nims; Art Director Russell Kimball; Musical Score Walter Scharf; Sound Dick Tyler, H. Wilson; Set Decorator Otto Siegel; Costumes Walter Plunkett; Special E›ects Howard Lydecker; Second Unit Directors Joseph Kane, Yakima Canutt; Songs: “In My Merry Oldsmobile,” “Put Your Arms Around Me, Honey!,” “Red Wing,” “Down by the Old Mill Stream,” “I Wouldn’t Want a Gosh Darn Thing.” REVIEWS: “Periodically, the folks over at Republic do themselves proud by turning out a highfalutin picture with all the high-budget trimmings…. Mr. Wayne, as usual, is as convincing as a knockout punch….” The New York Times (T.S., December 6, ¡943); “This is probably Republic’s most expensive picture. It looks well worth the e›ort, and it deserves a place with the season’s better entries. One of the best the company has ever made, it has names to sell, plenty of spectacle, and is packed with action.” The Motion Picture Exhibitor (October ¡943); “[T]he best things in the film are the action sequences.” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Phil Hardy, The Overlook Press, ¡983); “Despite fact picture is filled with inconsistencies, it unrolls at such a fast clip

In Old Oklahoma

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In Old Oklahoma (Republic, ¡942). Unknowns, John Wayne, Martha Scott

that audiences will overlook such shortcomings, with speedy and lusty direction by Albert Rogell doing a slick cover-up…. Wayne delivers neatly as the cowboy.” Variety (October, ¡943); “Republic has created a picture of action and romance on a scale not previously attempted at that studio… Albert S. Rogell’s direction takes advantage of the spectacle without overshadowing the romance.” Motion Picture Herald (E.A. Cunningham, October ¡943); “[Wayne is] honest, laconic, more apt with his fists than understanding a woman. He plays out his role with complete satisfaction to his western fans and with enough comedy to intrigue the general screen fan.” Los Angeles Evening Herald Express (W.E. Oliver, December 3, ¡943); “[A] Roman chariot race never was more exciting than this wild stampede of horses and oil-laden wagons through brush fires to beat a deadline on the oil’s delivery … topnotch for excitement and suspense….” Hol-

lywood Citizen News (Lowell E. Redelings, December 3, ¡943) SYNOPSIS: In ¡906, Easterner Catherine Allen (Martha Scott) scandalizes her community by writing a racy romance novel and deciding to quit her job as a schoolteacher to seek adventure in the West. As Catherine boards the train, she meets oilman James E. Gardner (Albert Dekker), who immediately takes a liking to her. Believing her to be as experienced as her romantic heroine, Jim makes advances, which Catherine indignantly spurns. The train stops when cowboy Daniel Somers ( John Wayne) flags it down, and Catherine gets him to sit near her to discourage Jim. Catherine intends to go to Kansas City although Jim asks her to go to Sapulpa, Oklahoma, where he has discovered oil. Her choice is made for her when she is put o› the train for being in Jim’s private car. Dan also gets o› the train and is greeted by his old pal, stagecoach driver

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Desprit Dean (George “Gabby” Hayes). Desprit warns Dan that their hometown of Sapulpa has changed drastically during Dan’s absence, as Jim’s oil discoveries have caused much dissension. Catherine also boards Desprit’s coach, and Jim is picked up when his car breaks down. They then stop at one of Jim’s oil rigs, and Catherine is impressed when the well comes in. Less happy is farmer Wilkins (Byron Foulger), who used to own the land on which the rig stands. Although Jim did buy the land, Wilkins feels that he has been cheated, and Dan is forced to stop them from fighting. Later, Jim asks Desprit to help him negotiate with Chief Big Tree, as the well’s main oil pool lays underneath Indian lands. At the next day’s meeting, when Jim o›ers Big Tree ¡2.5 percent of his profits, Dan advises the chief to refuse the deal. Jim is infuriated by Dan’s interference, but the small ranchers and Indians oppose the greedy Jim and support Dan, asking him to go to Washington to ask President Theodore Roosevelt (Sidney Blackmer) for the oil rights. Dan at first refuses, as he is not an ambitious man, but when it becomes clear that Catherine is attracted to Jim’s wealth and power, he decides to beat Jim at his own game in order to compete for her. Catherine does flirt with Dan, but hotel owner Bessie Baxter ( Marjorie Rambeau), Dan’s friend, realizes that she is doing it only to make Jim jealous enough to propose. The factions travel to Washington, where Dan, who fought with Roosevelt in Cuba, reveals his plan to give the Indians a 50 percent share of the profits. Roosevelt gives Dan four months in which to deliver ¡0,000 gallons of oil to a Tulsa refinery; if he does not make the deadline, the oil rights will go to Jim. Dan returns home and gets to work, but as his well nears completion, Jim’s half-breed servant, the Cherokee Kid (Paul Fix), deliberately sets o› an explosion that kills a worker and destroys the rig. Catherine, who has fallen in love with Dan, pleads with Jim to leave Dan alone, but when Dan sees them together, he assumes the worst and breaks o› his relationship with Catherine. Later, Dan and his men steal Jim’s portable rig and bring in the well, but because Jim has bought the only pipeline to Tulsa, they must build giant barrels and race to the refinery to meet the deadline.

The next day, Besse brokers a reconciliation between Dan and Catherine during the massive campaign to get the oil to the refinery. Despite more sabotage by Jim and his men, Dan gets the oil to Tulsa on time, and after besting Jim in a fistfight, Dan embraces Catherine and begins plans to build their house at the bend in the river where the cottonwoods grow. NOTES: Filmed from June 28 to September 4, ¡943, on Utah locations including Paria Canyon, Kanab, Cedar City and Virginia Springs. Working title of the Western was War of the Wildcats. Wayne received $43,229. After a successful stint on Broadway, leading lady Martha Scott (¡9¡4–2003) came to motion pictures in ¡940 and reprised her role from the stage in the screen version of Our Town. For this, her first film, she was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar. Scott would appear in six more features, including The Howards of Virginia (¡940), They Dare Not Love (¡94¡), and One Foot in Heaven (¡94¡), before signing to co-star with Wayne in the Republic Western. The film’s heavy, Albert Dekker (¡904–68), a Brooklyn-born stage-trained actor, relished his roles as a villain. He made his film debut in The Great Garrick (¡937) and in ¡940 was the personification of evil as the scientist who had gone mad in Dr. Cyclops (¡940). In ¡945 Dekker was elected to the California legislature as a Democratic assemblyman from Hollywood. After serving one term, he resumed his film and stage career. The tall, husky actor died in ¡968, a few months after completing his noteworthy role in The Wild Bunch (¡969). Grant Withers was paid $400 a week, Roy Barcroft $¡25 a week and Rhonda Fleming, in her first screen role, was also paid $¡25 a week. Fleming (¡922– ), a ravishing redhead and a graduate of Beverly Hills High School, was born Marilyn Louis in Los Angeles. After another bit part (in Since You Went Away), she played bigger roles in Spellbound (¡945), The Spiral Staircase (¡946) and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (¡949). The actress was busy throughout the ¡950s with starring roles in action films such as The Eagle and the Hawk (¡950) and Pony Express (¡953). Character actress Marjorie Rambeau (¡889–¡970) alternated between silent films and Broadway for

Island in the Sky over 20 years before deciding, in the mid– ¡930s, that Hollywood was more lucrative and less time-consuming. The actress appeared in the MGM hit Min and Bill (¡930) starring Wallace Beery and Marie Dressler, Hell Divers (MGM, ¡93¡) with Clark Gable in the lead, and had the title role in Tugboat Annie Sails Again (¡940). Also in ¡940, she had a substantial role in Tobacco Road and was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in Primrose Path. Again nominated for acting in Torch Song (¡953), the actress retired from the screen after a role in Man of a Thousand Faces (¡957). Dale Evans (¡9¡2–200¡), was born in Uvalde, Texas. A singer on the nightclub circuit, she came to Hollywood in the early ¡940s and was signed to a contract by Republic. In ¡947 Evans married Roy Rogers. They would stay married for 5¡ years, until his death in ¡998. For this film, Evans sang the song “Put Your Arms Around Me, Honey!” Sidney Blackmer (¡895–¡973) portrayed Teddy Roosevelt in this Wayne Western and in almost a dozen other films and plays. He was active in motion pictures from the early silent era (around ¡9¡2) to ¡968. Blackmer did not neglect Broadway, repeatedly returning to the medium for roles in hit plays such as Come Back, Little Sheba and Sweet Bird of Youth. Some of his many film credits included The Perils of Pauline (¡9¡4 serial), Kismet (¡930), Little Caesar (¡930), The Count of Monte Cristo

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(¡934), Heidi (¡937), Bu›alo Bill (¡944), Duel in the Sun (¡947), High Society (¡956) and Rosemary’s Baby (¡968). A veteran of over 200 motion pictures, Irving Bacon (¡893–¡965), came to Hollywood from St. Joseph, Missouri, in the early ¡920s. His film career spanned 35 years from ¡922 to ¡958. His films included Anna Christie (¡923), Million Dollar Legs (¡932), It Happened One Night (¡934), Diamond Jim (¡935), Gone with the Wind (¡939), The Grapes of Wrath (¡940), Meet John Doe (¡94¡), Western Union (¡94¡), Holiday Inn (¡942), Since You Went Away (¡944), The Glenn Miller Story (¡954) and A Star Is Born (¡954). Between ¡93¡ and ¡970, character actor Roy Barcroft (¡902– 69) appeared in 275 films. The badman who fought Roy Rogers, Wild Bill Elliott, Rocky Lane, Gene Autry, Sunset Carson, Monte Hale and Rex Allen was under exclusive contract to Republic from ¡943 through ¡953. To score the Western, Republic hired a 65-piece orchestra. Other films opening throughout the nation at the same time included The Iron Major starring Pat O’Brien as the late football coach Cavanaugh, and Northern Pursuit with Errol Flynn as a Canadian Mountie. The Wayne Western opened at the Paramount theaters in Los Angeles and Hollywood. Roy Rogers’ ¡945 Republic release Man from Oklahoma utilized footage of this film’s frantic finale. Re-released in June ¡950 under the title War of the Wildcats.

Island in the Sky September 5, ¡953. ¡09 minutes. John Wayne, Lloyd Nolan, Walter Abel, James Arness, Andy Devine, Allyn Joslyn, James Lydon, Harry Carey, Jr., Hal Baylor, Sean McClory, Wally Cassell, Gordon Jones, Frank Fenton, Robert Keys, Sumner Getchell, Regis Toomey, Paul Fix, Jim Dugan, George Chandler, Bob Steele, Darryl Hickman, Touch (Mike) Connors, Carl Switzer, Cass Gidley, Guy Anderson, Tony De Mario, Louis Jean Heydt, Ann Doran, Dawn Bender, Phyllis Winger, Fess Parker, Bill Scully, Fred Graham

Warner Bros. Director William A. Wellman; Screenplay Ernest K. Gann, from his novel; Photography Archie J. Stout; Aerial Photography William Clothier; Editor Ralph Dawson; Art Director James Basevi; Assistant Director Andrew V. McLaglen; Production Manager Nate H. Edwards; Music Emil Newman; Set Decorator Ralph Hurst; Script Supervisor Sam Freedle; Property Joseph La Bella; Special E›ects Alex Weldon; Makeup Web Overlander; Dialogue Recording Earl Crain, Ed Borschell; WarnerPhonic Sound William Mueller;

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Island in the Sky

Stills Don Christy; Technical Advisor Ernest K. Gann REVIEWS: “John Wayne plays perfectly the clean and leathery hero that has made him a top box-o‡ce attraction for years.” Time Magazine (September ¡953); “With a minimum of excess dialogue and narration, it manages to convey the terror, heartbreak, fear and eventually joy of a small group of men trapped in a snowy wasteland.” Film Daily ( Jay Remer, August 8, ¡953); “[O]ccasional suspense … erratic and unsurprising…. On the whole Island in the Sky remains a standard reply to an extraordinarily simple challenge.” The New York Times (H.H.T., September ¡0, ¡953); “An articulate drama of men and planes….. With John Wayne heading the cast it has name importance … a solid piece of drama … Wayne and the cast of male co-stars and featured players are perfectly at home in their characters…” Variety (August ¡2, ¡953); “Wayne is superb as a veteran pilot who subordinates his own worries and fears to concern for his men.” Sign Magazine ( Jerry Cotter, October ¡953); “Starting with a story that’s so simple and straightforward as to be almost transparent, Warner Brothers here present a film that plays on the emotions beautifully. With a minimum of excess dialogue and narration, it manages to convey the terror, heartbreak, fear and eventually, joy of a small group of men trapped in a snowy wasteland…. Wayne plays the leader of the lost crew, giving one of his best performances.” Motion Picture Herald ( Jay Remer, August 8, ¡953); “[A] first-rate cast … overrode the pretensions, and the results was a suspenseful, well-directed drama.” The Warner Brothers Story (Clive Hirschorn, Crown Publishers, ¡979) SYNOPSIS : After ¡5,000 flying hours, transport pilot Dooley ( John Wayne) is suspicious, cynical and, most of all, humble. In this flight over Labrador, he and his four-man crew are not worrying about the rough air making the ride uncomfortable. The seasoned pilot is worried about the wind, invisible, unpredictable and so powerful. Most of all, he worries about the killing ice and the fear which gnaws like hunger at all men who fly for a living. As the Corsair loses both radio contact and altitude in the icy winds, the crew fears it

has missed its destination, Goose Bay. The radio station at Presque Isle receives the plane’s frantic message that it is going down in an expanse of wilderness. Dooley safely lands the damaged plane with a cry of, “Thank you, God Almighty!” Back at headquarters, Col. Fuller (Walter Abel) assembles Dooley’s fellow pilots Moon (Andy Devine), McMullen ( James Arness), Stutz (Lloyd Nolan) and Handy (Allyn Joslin), all of whom rally to rescue one of their number who is down. The search focuses on ¡0,000 square miles of frozen, uncharted wasteland. On the ground, in temperatures which drop to 40 below zero, Dooley holds his crew together, knowing that he and Murray ( James Lydon), Stankowski (Hal Baylor), D’Annunzia (Wally Cassell) and Lovatt (Sean McClory) must work to survive the next five or six days with no food and no battery strength for the plane’s radio transmitter. Lovatt is lost when he wanders too far from the group to hunt for live game. In a blinding storm he freezes to death a few yards from their shelter. At Dooley’s insistence, the men continue to take turns sending bearing signals on a portable hand-cranked radio while the intrepid pilots continue the search above. With the search in its sixth day, the planes go out again and pick up a weak signal, “Return to same place,” directing them to the area where they last had a radio signal. The rescuers home in on the signal and pass directly over the downed fliers. The survivors are sighted and food is dropped from aloft. The rescuers wheel overhead, waving to their friends on the ground who will soon be going home to families and who will once again know the safety of their home aloft, their island in the sky.—TAL NOTES: Location work filmed at Donner Lake, California, from February 2 to April ¡953. Interiors were shot at the Goldwyn Studio in Hollywood. Original filming location was to have been Big Bear in Southern California. Lack of snow forced a move to Northern California. Budgeted at $900,000, the motion picture was completed at a negative cost of $962,000. It earned domestic rentals of $¡,66¡,000 and a further $78¡,000 from the foreign market. Wayne, who had signed to star in the film on December 29, ¡952, was paid $¡75,000 and a percentage of the film’s profits;

Jet Pilot his film company assumed ownership of all negative rights after seven years. Director Wellman received $¡00,000. This motion picture was made instead of the previously announced Pagoda, which never did reach the screen. Character actor Walter Abel (¡898¡987) entered the world of motion pictures in the late ¡920s after a successful career on the dramatic stage. In ¡935 he played one of the leads in The Three Musketeers, then had supporting roles in Fury (¡936), Men with Wings (¡938), Arise My Love (¡940), Hold Back the Dawn (¡94¡), Wake Island (¡942), The Kid from Brooklyn (¡946), ¡3 Rue Madeleine (¡946), Raintree County (¡957), Mirage (¡965) and The Ultimate Solution of Grace Quigley (¡984). In the mid–¡960s, Abel assumed the presidency of the American National Theater and Academy. Illinois-born George Chandler (¡898–¡985) was a three-term president of the Screen Actors Guild, succeeding Ronald Reagan in the elected post in ¡960. While still in college he performed in vaudeville; then in ¡927, a Universal talent agent signed him to a contract. Within two years he was a leading man in Bfilms. A character actor through over ¡25 roles into the mid–¡970s, his many film credits included Lady Killer, Stars Over Broadway, Fury, Three Men on a Horse, Nothing Sacred, Jesse James, Arizona, Western Union, Tobacco Road, The Ox-Bow Incident, Bu›alo Bill, Since You Went Away, Dead Reckoning, Across the Wide Missouri, The Steel Cage, Apache Uprising, The

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Ghost and Mr. Chicken and the Clint Eastwood comedy, Every Which Way but Loose. On television the actor had a recurring role as Uncle Petrie on the Lassie show. Two actors in minor roles would go on to major fame in the medium of television. Fess Parker would don a coonskin cap and become Davy Crockett for Walt Disney, and later Daniel Boone for NBC; Touch Connors would (as Mike Connors) star as the detective Mannix on the ¡967–75 CBS series. To promote the film, Decca Records released a ten-inch disc that was narrated by Wayne and featured the music of Emil Newman. A scene between Sean McClory and Phyllis Winger that was shot at Ocean Park on the Pacific Ocean was deleted from the film. Dublin-born Sean McClory (¡924–2003), before departing for the United States in ¡946, was a member of the Abbey Theater. In Hollywood, RKO started his film career by inserting him into several B-films including Dick Tracy’s Dilemma (¡947), Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (¡947), and Roughshod (¡949). Before appearing with Wayne in The Quiet Man, he had roles in the following ¡95¡ releases: Storm Warning, Lorna Doone, David and Bathsheba, The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel, and Anne of the Indies. Prior to production, Ward Bond and Noah Beery, Jr., were announced as having signed to be in the film. They did not work in the feature. The world premiere was held on September 3, ¡953, at the Paramount Theater in Hollywood.

Jet Pilot September 23, ¡957. ¡¡2 minutes. John Wayne, Janet Leigh, Jay C. Flippen, Paul Fix, Richard Rober, Roland Winters, Hans Conreid, Ivan Triesault, John Bishop, Perdita Chandler, Joyce Compton, Denver Pyle, Elizabeth Flourney, Jack Overman, Ruth Lee, Ruthelma Stevens, Lois Austin, Alan Dinehart III, Vince Gironda, Armand Tanny, Ken Tobey, Harry Lauter, Phil Arnold, Tom Daly, Al Murphy, Keith McConnell, Herbert Lyt-

ton, Nelson Leigh, Mike Lally, Theodore Rand, Janice Hood, Allen Matthews, Frank O’Connor, Jane Easton, Dorothy Abbott, Smokie Whitfield, Darrell Huntley, Billy Vernon, Joey Ray, Al Rhein, Carl Sklover, Gene Roth, Jimmy Dime, Paul Bakanas, Art Dupuis, Earl Breithard, Albert Morin, Michael Mark, Bruce Cameron, Gregg Barton, Jack Shea, Gene Evans, Sam Shack, Ralph Volkie, James Parnell, Bill Erwin, Mike Mahoney,

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Richard Norris, Dave Ormond, Mamie Van Doren, Barbara Freking, Carleton Young, Jimmie B. Smith, Bret Hamilton, Rick Vallin, Jim Brown, Wendell Niles, Bill Yaeger, Jamie Russell, Buck Young, Hall Bartlett, William Klein, Eugene Marshall, Lamont Johnson, John Morgan, Joan Jordan, Joan Whitney, Sylvia Lewis, Don Haggerty, Fred Graham, Paul Frees. RKO. Presented by Howard Hughes. Produced and Written by Jules Furthman; Released by Universal-International; Director Josef von Sternberg; Music Bronislau Kaper; Photography Winton C. Hoch; Aerial Sequences William Clothier; Supervisor of Aerial Shots Philip A. Shoop; Art Directors Albert S. D’Agostino, Field Gray; Film Editors Michael R. McAdam, Harry Marker, William M. Moore; Sound Earl Wolcott, Terry Kellum; Costumes Michael Woulfe; Set Decorators Darrell Silvera, Harley Miller; Aerial Cameraman Philip G. Cochran REVIEWS: “It should never have been released at all.” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974); “It oscillates between light comedy, romance and melodrama, with one not complementing the other…. Questionable is the casting of Miss Leigh. … The in-the-air scenes rate second to, say, the striking work done in Paramount’s Strategic Air Command.” Variety (September 25, ¡957); “[A] weak script, poor direction and indi›erent performances by all. Mr. Wayne and Miss Leigh play their quaint roles like a couple of fumbling kids. Others are even less impressive.” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, October 5, ¡957); “The common assumption has been that Jet Pilot was a fiasco. It is not. It is more than a satisfactory action comedy, rather elementary in its approach to things but goodhearted and often amusing.” Hollywood Reporter (September ¡9, ¡957); “[T]here are e›ective air scenes of jets against the sky, and some moments of excitement in the air and on air field which recommend themselves for audience entertainment… No opportunity is overlooked, characteristically, to picture the feminine form, above the waist, from all angles.” The Motion Picture Herald (C.S.A., September 2¡, ¡957) ; “[T]he most expensive home movie ever made.” John Wayne, the Actor, the Man (George Bishop, Caroline House Publishers, ¡979);

“[It] commits the unpardonable crime for a Wayne film: it is not only bad, but it is also inexcusably dull.” The John Wayne Scrapbook (Lee Pfei›er, Citadel Press, ¡989) SYNOPSIS: A Russian jet crosses the Bering Strait and makes an illegal landing in Alaska. Air Force o‡cers Col. Jim Shannon ( John Wayne) and Major Rexford (Paul Fix) are startled to discover that the Soviet pilot is a woman, Lt. Anna Marladovna ( Janet Leigh), seeking asylum to escape execution by her commanding o‡cer. Suspicious of her explanation, Shannon dutifully asks the Russian o‡cer to empty her pockets and to remove her clothes to search for concealed weapons. “He’s one of those men who suspects anything he can’t understand,” explains Rexford. Once Anna sheds her insulated coveralls, her obvious physical endowments become apparent to the embarrassed colonel. Seeing her clad in a towel convinces him of the necessity of escorting her personally to the awaiting brass at Palmer Field. “This might be some new form of Russian propaganda,” he muses. Anna refuses to reveal anything to U.S. intelligence, insisting that she is a refugee, not a traitor. Shannon resists being assigned to stay close to her, insisting that he is a jet man, not a gigolo. But he is ordered to keep her under his wing and to find out any information on Soviet air technology Anna is willing to o›er. The duo spends the following weeks engaged in numerous maneuvers in F-86s above the clouds. Back on land, Jim introduced the lovely pilot to such American resources as Palm Springs, negligees and thick juicy steaks. He also falls in love with her, or so it appears. When Anna is in danger of being deported, Jim marries her, only to discover from his shocked superiors that she is a Soviet agent named Olga who apparently loves him only for the information he can provide. In a daring Cold War maneuver of counter-conspiracy, Shannon defects to Russia with his wife. Here, while her husband is being treated as a celebrity for any information he can o›er, Anna realizes that she really has fallen in love. Jim feeds her growing disillusionment with Communism, insisting that she has grown too big for her Soviet straitjacket. When Anna learns that Jim has become expendable to the state and that he is being

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slowly poisoned, she says farewell to her life as Olga and undertakes a daring escape in a stolen jet. Losing the pursing Migs in a huge cloud bank, the lovers fly safely to democratic soil to enjoy a romantic dinner where kisses are postponed only long enough for Anna to wipe the steak juice from her chin.—TAL NOTES: Principal photography took place from October 3¡, ¡949, to February ¡3, ¡950, January 2¡, ¡95¡, to February 9, ¡95¡, and March ¡7 to April 2, ¡95¡. Additional aerial photography took place between August 30 and September ¡, ¡95¡. The original budget was set at $¡,444,000. By November ¡, ¡950, with the completion of principal photography, the cost of the film had soared to $2,863,043, of which the negative cost was $2,095,023. In ¡954 the final negative cost had approached $2,600,000. Wayne had originally contracted to star in the film for $85,000. With subsequent modifications Jet Pilot (RKO, ¡957). Janet Leigh, John Wayne to the terms and filming extending far beyond ten weeks, he was film’s completion, he lured his new discovery to paid $20¡,666.68. In its original form, the film America. They would make six films together, ran ¡48 minutes. Additional aerial sequences, representing the high point of the director’s ordered by Howard Hughes, were shot by career. Prior to making Jet Pilot, von Sternberg William Clothier from October ¡95¡ through had not directed a major feature in over a March ¡953. To neutralize adverse word-ofdecade. Janet Leigh, born Jeanette Helen mouth, Universal opened the film in over 400 Morrison (¡927– ) in Northern California, was theaters. For Josef von Sternberg (¡894–¡969), discovered by retired screen great Norma Jet Pilot represented the end of a career that Shearer, signed to an MGM contract and had begun in ¡9¡¡. Born in Vienna, the future placed in her first starring vehicle, The Romance director was raised in New York. He worked for of Rosy Ridge (¡947), all before the age of 20. the Army Signal Corps during World War I, The actress, who was married to Tony Curtis then stayed in Europe after the armistice was from ¡95¡ to ¡962 and is the mother of Jamie signed employed as an assistant director. Lee Curtis, appeared in several film classics Learning his craft, he returned to the United including Little Women (¡949), The Naked Spur States in ¡924 and settled in Hollywood. Now (¡953), Houdini (¡953), The Vikings (¡958), a full-fledged director, he worked on a dozen Touch of Evil (¡958) and the film that earned films before sailing to Germany in ¡930 to diher an Oscar nomination, Psycho (¡960). Polrect Emil Jannings in The Blue Angel. For the ish-born composer Bronislaw Kaper (¡902–83) female lead, von Sternberg discovered Marlene worked in German films until ¡934 when, seeDietrich after an exhausting search. Upon the

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King of the Pecos

ing the rise of Hitler, and anticipating the negative ramifications of his programs, he fled to the United States. Almost immediately Kaper was signed by MGM to compose music for some of their most prominent films including Mutiny on the Bounty (¡935), A Night at the Opera (¡935), San Francisco (¡936), A Day at the Races (¡937), Comrade X (¡940), Keeper of the Flame (¡942) and Bataan (¡943). Much in demand until he retired in ¡968, Kaper also composed the music for Them! (¡954), Auntie Mame (¡958), Butterfield 8 (¡960), Mutiny on

the Bounty (¡962), Lord Jim (¡965) and The Way West (¡967). In ¡953 Kaper won the Oscar for his work in Lili. Roland Winters (¡904–89) was a character actor who entered films in the mid–¡940s. Between ¡946 and the mid–¡960s he had supporting roles in over 50 films including ¡3 Rue Madeline (¡946), Cry of the City (¡948), The Feathered Serpent (¡948), Abbott & Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karlo› (¡949), Malaya (¡949), Follow the Sun (¡95¡), So Big (¡953), Top Secret A›air (¡957), Blue Hawaii (¡96¡) and Follow That Dream (¡962).

King of the Pecos March 9, ¡936. 56 minutes. John Wayne, Muriel Evans, Cy Kendall, Jack Cli›ord, Frank Glendon, Herbert Heywood, Arthur Aylesworth, John Beck, Mary MacLaren, Bradley Metcalfe, Jr., Yakima Canutt, Edward Hearn, Earl Dwire, Tex Palmer, Jack Kirk, Al Hart, Joe Yrigoyen, Horace B. Carpenter, Tex Phelps, Bud Pope, Tracy Layne, Neal Hart. Republic. Executive Producer Nat Levine; Supervisor Paul Malvern; Director Joseph Kane; Assistant Director Peter Jones; Original Story & Screenplay Bernard McConville, Dorrell McGowan, Stuart McGowan; Photography Jack Marta; Supervising Editor Joseph H. Lewis; Editor Lester Orlebeck; Sound John A. Stransky, Jr.; Sound Engineer Terry Kellum; Producer Trem Carr; Music Harry Grey REVIEWS: “A first rate western with plenty of emphasis on the elements in demand where the audience go for outdoor films … it gives John Wayne opportunity for a redblooded role…” Boxo‡ce Magazine (May 23, ¡936); “Excellent photography by Jack Marta and brisk, economical direction by Kane, keeps the film cracking along at a breakneck pace…. There are well-orchestrated chase sequences….” The Big Book of B Movies or How Low Was My Budget (Robin Cross, St. Martin’s Press, ¡98¡); “Dialogue is at a minimum and action, which is swift, and continuous, carries most of the narrative.” Motion Picture Herald (April ¡¡, ¡936)

SYNOPSIS: Profiteer Alexander Styles (Cy Kendall) lays claim to a million acres of range in the Pecos River area. One man stands in his way: A rancher named Clayborn ( John Beck) has already claimed the water-rich location of Sweetwater as his own. Styles o›ers Clayborn $¡000 for his land but the latter refuses to sell. The hired guns of boss Stiles, led by the murderous Ash ( Jack Cli›ord), kill the rancher and his wife. John Clayborn (Bradley Metcalfe, Jr.), a boy, survives the shootout and a beating by Ash and joins his grandfather in Austin. As John grows into a man, he learns the use of a law book as well as a six-gun. He intends to use both to bring Stiles to justice. As lawyer John Clay, the young man travels to Cottonwood, headquarters of the powerful King of the Pecos. Here he meets Hank and Josh (Arthur Aylesworth and Herbert Heywood), cattlemen thrown into poverty through the crooked dealings of Stiles. With their encouragement, the young lawyer serves a summons for the outlaw boss to appear in court. John’s case, however, is not tried since the circuit judge is too frightened to face the might of Boss Stiles. Clayborn sends Hank to round up other impoverished cattlemen, and they give the judge an armed escort to Cottonwood. The judge upholds the ranchers’ plea for use of water and grass, and Stiles sees most of his ill-gotten lands turned over to public domain for proper filing. The outlaw boss tries his best to defeat

King of the Pecos the lawyer. He convinces newcomers Jackson (Edward Hearn) and his lovely daughter Belle (Muriel Evans) that John is trying to cheat the ranchers and file claims for himself. The villain plans an ambush for those riding through the canyon to file claims. He sends Ash and the gunmen to the hills, instructing them to shoot anyone without the white arm bands which he has supplied to his own riders. John discovers the plot and his ranchers also don white arm bands, ensuring their safe passage. When John is wounded after forcing Belle to wear his arm band, the heroine realizes that he is truly on the ranchers’ side. With their claim successfully filed, the ranchers prepare a cattle drive to Abilene where the railroad is promising $20 per head. Stiles steals whatever cattle he can and moves his outlaws to Sweetwater, where he hopes to extort money for use of the water there. When the drive reaches Sweetwater, John parleys with Stiles, revealing that he is the son of the murdered Clayborns and that Sweetwater rightfully belongs to him. When Stiles refuses to surrender, John puts the site under siege. Stiles escapes on a buckboard, but when the wagon tips over he is crushed by the weight of the safe containing money he has stolen from others. John pursues Ash into the rocks, o›ering him a chance to draw first and then handily dispatching him. John leaves his gun and his quest for revenge at the site and turns his mind to Belle and his career in law.— TAL NOTES: Production ran from February 5 to February ¡¡, ¡936, at locations in Lone Pine and the vicinity of Mt. Whitney, California. Budgeted at $¡5,000, the final cost was just over $¡8,000. For his sixth Western, Wayne received $¡750. The working title was West of God’s Country. Just before production started, The Hollywood Reporter announced that director Kane was to be replaced by Aubrey Scotto. Kane would direct the entire film. This was Mary MacLaren’s (¡896–¡985) third picture

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with Wayne. The veteran of over ¡00 films shot between ¡9¡6 and ¡948, she had previously appeared in Westward Ho and The New Frontier with the actor. Between ¡935 and ¡942, the actress, who specialized in matronly roles, was featured in ¡5 Republic B-films including The Return of Jimmy Valentine (¡936), A Lawman Is Born (¡937), Man of Conquest (¡939), Rocky Mountain Rangers (¡940) and Sunset Serenade (¡942). Of character actor Edward Hearn’s (¡888–¡963) 22 films for Republic between ¡935 and ¡94¡, three starred John Wayne. Besides King of the Pecos, the actor appeared in Wayne’s The Lawless Nineties (¡936) and Dark Command (¡940), and had a minor role in the Mascot serial Shadow of the Eagle (¡932). Hearn also had parts in Tumbling Tumbleweeds (¡935), Red River Valley (¡936), Springtime in the Rockies (¡937), Gangs of Chicago (¡940) and Dick Tracy vs. Crime Inc. (¡94¡). Between ¡9¡6 and ¡954, the Washington native had roles in over 225 films. In his last screen appearance, This Island Earth, he played the part of a reporter. Bernard McConville (¡887–¡96¡), who co-authored the screenplay, began writing for the screen in ¡9¡5. For 30 years he was responsible for the screenplays on over ¡00 motion pictures, of which 23 were in the sound Western vein. His films for Wayne included The Lonely Trail, I Cover the War and Overland Stage Raiders. In a career that spanned just over 20 years (¡9¡5–36), Montana-born character actor Frank Glendon (¡886–¡937) played an assortment of roles ranging from judge and bank examiner to doctor and police commissioner. In The Lights of Old Broadway (¡925), he even portrayed the brilliant inventor Thomas A. Edison. During March ¡936, Universal Pictures unveiled the first chapters of their science-fiction serial Flash Gordon. Budgeted at $350,000, it was the most expensive serial to date. Remade by Republic in ¡940 as Texas Terrors starring Don “Red” Barry.

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Lady and Gent

Lady and Gent July ¡5, ¡932. 85 minutes. George Bancroft, Wynne Gibson, Charles Starrett, James Gleason, John Wayne, Morgan Wallace, James Crane, William Halligan, Billy Butts, Joyce Compton, Frank McGlynn, Sr., Charles Grapewin, Frederick Wallace, Lew Kelly, Syd Saylor, Russ Powell, Frank Darien, Hal Price, A.S. Byron, John Beck, Tom Kennedy, Frank Dawson. Paramount. Director Stephen Roberts; Original Story Grover Jones, William Slavens McNutt; Cinematographer Harry Fishbeck; Camera Operator Cli›ord Blackstone; Assistant Cameraman Arthur Lane; Associate Producer Louis D. Lighton; Sound Eugene Merritt; Casting Director Fred Datig; Still Photographer Junius Estep REVIEWS: “The film is a good one alongwell sentimentally tough lines.” The New York Times ( July ¡6, ¡932); “A deftly hooked-up sentimental story built around a rough-andtumble prize-ring dumbbell with a heart of gold … holds sympathetic interest during most of its footage.” Variety ( July ¡9, ¡932); “Paramount Studios, distinguished in cinema circles for its comparative freedom from the tyranny of the box o‡ce cycle, merits a cheer for Lady and Gent, which, sharply di›erent from the current run of movies, tells the simple story of a has-been prize fighter and his girl friend.” Hollywood Citizen News ( Jim Crow, July 7, ¡932); “It’s the finest production that has come from Paramount in many, many months. If it fails to do business in record breaking or near record breaking proportions the fault is entirely yours. It’s got everything that a good picture needs.” Motion Picture Herald ( July 9, ¡932); “An entertaining picture with human interest and comedy… Because of the fact that the hero and the heroine are living together without being married, it is hardly suitable for children or for Sunday viewing.” Harrison’s Reports ( July 23, ¡932); “Swell entertainment in suspenseful dramatic story that moves fast and has just enough laughs and love stu›…. Paramount invested this production with a surrounding cast that makes the story genuinely live. The whole a›air is an example

of what can be done with a real plot framework, suitable casting and intelligent direction.” The Film Daily ( July ¡6, ¡932) SYNOPSIS: For seven years, manager Pin Streaver ( James Gleason) has labored to bring his boxer, Slag Bailey (George Bancroft), to the top. Slag is a likable pug, a good-hearted bear of a man who would rather flirt and drink than train for a fight. Instead of training on the day of his match with newcomer, Buzz Kinney ( John Wayne), Slag is at the club of his girlfriend, Pu› Rogers (Wynne Gibson). That night Kinney knocks out the over-the-hill fighter, who is then fired by his promoter, Cash Enright (Morgan Wallace). Now Slag must stare dejectedly across Pu› ’s nightclub floor and watch Buzz Kinney surrounded by fawning admirers and beautiful women. The younger fighter shows some consideration when he helps Slag fight some local racketeers trying to force Pu› to buy their liquor. After a brawl, the police release Slag in time to learn of Pin’s desperate plan to rob Enright’s cash box. The boxer is unable to prevent his manager from being mortally wounded in the robbery attempt. Pu› and Slag visit the deceased’s apartment and are handed a telegram for Pin from a “Ted” in Irontown. Since the cryptic message speaks of four Gs, Pu› insists that they make the journey to the Irontown address to reclaim some of the money Slag lost due to his manager. With Pin’s key, they enter the house, unlocking a secret and quieter life of the manager. Ted arrives. He is the ten-yearold son of Streaver who has heard of Slag and “Mrs. Bailey” from stories told by his dad. After breaking the news of Pin’s death, Slag and Pu› stay on with the boy, even after learning that the four Gs mentioned in the telegram is a reference to report card grades. The couple give up its own plans to raise the boy, Slag making occasional returns to the ring to supplement his pay as a steel mill laborer. Ted eventually graduates from high school with honors. He attends State University on a football scholarship. To keep his son in school, Slag continues to fight in cheap arenas. He runs into

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Lady and Gent (Paramount, ¡932). Unknown, James Gleason, Morgan Wallace, Wayne

Buzz Kinney, now an unemployed wreck and another victim of the pitiless boxing world. When the opportunistic Cash Enright reappears, o›ering to make Ted an overnight sensation in the ring, Slag warns the boy, “He’ll make you rich in a minute and poor the rest of your life.” Ted and his adopted father fight bitterly. The youth finally realizes the danger in violence when he knocks his dad out. Fully appreciative of the sacrifices made by Slag and Pu›, Ted encourages his folks to marry and formally adopt him.—TAL NOTES: In production in the Los Angeles area from April 25 to May 28, ¡932. Remade in ¡939 under the title Unmarried. While in production, this film was known as The Challenger. Annapolis graduate George Bancroft (¡882–¡956) started out in minstrel shows before heading to Broadway to appear in plays

including The Trail of the Lonesome Pine. The husky actor turned to films in ¡92¡, getting his big break with Paramount in three ¡925 Westerns, Code of the West, The Rainbow Trail and The Pony Express. Shortly thereafter he was typecast as a gangster in Underworld (¡927) and The Docks of New York (¡928). In ¡929 he was nominated for Best Actor for his raw, masculine portrayal in Thunderbolt. Before retiring from the screen in ¡942, Bancroft would appear in over 20 films including Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (¡936), Submarine Patrol (¡938), Angels with Dirty Faces (¡938) and Stagecoach (¡939). Female lead Wynne Gibson’s (¡903–87) film career included over 40 motion pictures between ¡929 and ¡943. Before leaving for Hollywood to co-star in Nothing but the Truth (¡929), the New York–born native appeared on Broadway for one year. Hardly ever a sympa-

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Lady for a Night

thetic character, Gibson would usually appear as a gangster’s moll or a woman of misfortune. Almost all her appearances were in B-films such as Gangs of New York (¡938) and The Falcon Strikes Back (¡943). Charles Starrett (¡904– 86), the Massachusetts-born, Dartmouth-educated Western star, was generally regarded as the “handsomest Western actor.” From ¡926 through ¡952 he appeared in over ¡50 films, and between ¡937 and ¡952 was voted one of the top ten Western box o‡ce stars. While still in college he was one of several football players signed to appear in bit roles in The Quarterback (¡926). By ¡930, after a stint on Broadway, he was cast opposite Carole Lombard in Fast and Loose. The actor signed a long-term contract with Columbia in ¡935. The studio

had just lost the services of Tim McCoy and signed Starrett as a replacement. The Durango Kid (¡940) would be the first of 60 films in which Starrett starred as the black-clad masked avenger. In ¡933, Starrett joined Boris Karlo› and ¡5 other Hollywood notables to found the Screen Actors Guild. Director Stephen Roberts’ (¡895–¡936) entire film career consisted of 22 features over a period of ten years (¡926– 36), all classified as B-films. Morgan Wallace (¡88¡–¡953) started acting in the silent era (¡9¡9) and worked until ¡946. During that span of time he recorded over ¡00 screen appearances in films ranging from low-budgeted series entries (The Falcon, Mr. Moto and Mr. Wong) to the “A” films Hell’s House, Grand Hotel, Blonde Venus and Central Park.

Lady for a Night January 5, ¡942. 89 minutes. Joan Blondell, John Wayne, Ray Middleton, Philip Merivale, Blanche Yurka, Edith Barrett, Leonid Kinskey, Hattie Noel, Montagu Love, Carmel Myers, Dorothy Burgess, Guy Usher, Ivan Miller, Patricia Knox, Lew Payton, Marilyn Hare, Dewey Robinson, The Hall Johnson Choir, Bunny Bronson, Corrine Valdez, Margaret Armstrong, Ivan Miller, Betty Hill, Pierre Watkin, Jac George, Gertrude Astor, Minerva Urecal, Dudley Dickerson, Paul White, Dolores Gray, Mickey Simpson, Forbes Murray, Frank Orth, Roy Gordon, Ira Buck Woods, Kathryn Sheldon, Howard Hickman, Eula Morgan, Gladys Gale, Charles Miller, Charles McAvoy, Dick Rush, Henry Thomas, Neely Edwards, Charles Sherlock, Gaby McLaughlin, Tito Valdez, Leigh Whipper, Hal Cooke, Lloyd Whitlock, Howard Mitchell, Edith Evanson, Martin Turner, Maxine Ardell, Janet Gravis, Loretta Barnett, Valerie Hall, Marion Huston, Margaret Bryson, Jean LeRoy, Jeanette Dickson, Dorothy Schoemer, Francis Gladwin, Nancy Savoy, Pearl Early, Jack Kenny, Nora Lane, Bob Saenz, Bill Shirley, Dorothy Stevens, Merrill McCormick. Republic. Director Leigh Jason; Associate Pro-

ducer Albert J. Cohen; Screenplay Isabel Dawn, Boyce DeGaw; Based on a story by Garrett Fort; Photography Norbert Brodine; Supervising Editor Murray Seldeen; Assistant Director Phil Ford; Editor Ernest Nims; Art Director John Victor MacKay; Dance Director David Gould; Music David Buttolph; Musical Director Cy Feuer; Production Manager Al Wilson; Costumes Walter Plunkett; Technical Advisor William G. Beymer; Songs, “Up in a Balloon,” “Ta Ra Ra Boom De Ae,” “Anybody Seen My Man”; Music and lyrics by Henry J. Sayers, Sol Meyel, Jule Styne, H.B. Farnie REVIEWS: “This is one of Republic’s specials for the current season, with upped budget obvious in various production factors…. Miss Blondell handles the top assignment in fine fashion, with Wayne close up as the gambling and political boss.” Variety (December 3¡, ¡94¡); “This is a well-made program picture of considerable mass appeal. Included are many tried-and-true plot elements and all capably handled here. Acting, direction, and production are above average. Motion Picture Exhibitor (December ¡94¡); “Essentially a ‘woman’s picture’ … it gave Wayne a bland but sympathetic part….” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen

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Lady for a Night (Republic, ¡94¡). Frances Gladwin, George Chandler, Corrine Valdez, Wayne, Ivan Miller, Joan Blondell, Philip Merivale

Eyles, A.S. Barnes, ¡976); “[D]irected with skill and feeling by Leigh Jason. There is much of charm, warmth and appeal in the telling of the story … in a manner to interest the most exacting shopper for entertainment…. John Wayne as the gambler who uses his underworld power to further her plans without her knowledge, turns in a telling performance.” Motion Picture Herald (William R. Weaver, January 3, ¡942) SYNOPSIS : In the gala spirit of Mardi Gras, Memphis society gathers for the crowning of the Carnival’s Queen. This year, the city blue-bloods elect Jenny Blake ( Joan Blondell), entertainer and part owner of the gambling casino Memphis Belle. Her selection has been rigged by her lover and business partner, Jack Morgan ( John Wayne), who holds gambling debts on most of the city’s businessmen and

politicians. The women of Memphis turn up their noses at this Jezebel. Jack tries in vain to get Jenny to forget her dream of breaking into society. When Alan Alderson (Ray Middleton), the wastrel son of a bankrupt aristocrat, falls hopelessly in debt to the casino, Jenny senses an opportunity to force her way to respectability. “I have what you need—money,” she explains to the alcoholic gambler, “and you have what I want—a name.” Jenny cancels Alderson’s debts and saves the family estate, The Shadows, from auction in exchange for a wedding ring. The new Mrs. Alderson sets fire to her past as the Memphis Belle goes up in flames. Within the dreary walls of The Shadows, she must put up with the indi›erence of her husband and the outright hostility of Alan’s father (Philip Merivale) and Aunt Julia (Blanche Yurka). Only Julia’s simple and kind-

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hearted sister, Katherine (Edith Barrett), makes her welcome. Jenny tries hard to win over her in-laws and to bring some sunlight into the gloomy house. Meanwhile, Jack has opened a new place, the King’s Club. He tries to coax Jenny out of exile and back into dance hall circulation. She declines, but decides to bring music and laughter to The Shadows with a formal ball. As preparations are made, Julia spreads the word among the flowers of Southern society to avoid the event. When Morgan learns that Memphis plans to snub Jenny, he again uses his considerable influence to force the guests to attend. The success of the party makes Julia more determined to get rid of the newcomer. The wicked spinster presents Jenny with a horse and carriage. Unknown to Jenny, the horse is blind. Narrowly escaping serious injury in a carriage crash, she learns from Morgan that Julia’s cruelty was deliberate. The villainess adds hemlock to the mint toddy which Jenny is accustomed to drink each night. Alan makes an unexpected visit to his wife’s room to express regret for the failure of their marriage. With the instincts of an alcoholic homing pigeon, he intercepts the toddy. Memphis society, eager to put the upstart Jenny in her place, indicts the woman for the murder of her husband. Only Jack and her servant Chloe (Hattie Noel) stand by her as she is convicted. As sentence is handed down, the meek Katherine bursts out the truth about the murder. Jenny forsakes Memphis society to become Mrs. Jackson Morgan and a full partner in the renamed Queen’s Club.—TAL NOTES: In production from September 29 to November ¡4, ¡94¡. Working title was Memphis Belle. The first script was ready by mid– April ¡94¡. This was Wayne’s first film wherein he received a guarantee of a minimum salary against the film’s gross (dollars from rentals returned to the studio vs. actual box o‡ce receipts). Joan Blondell was paid $35,000 for her acting services. The trades reported that Mae Clarke had been signed for a featured role in the film. Her appearance never materialized. During the summer of ¡94¡, Republic had also hoped to secure the acting services of both Miriam Hopkins (for the lead role) and Judith Anderson for a key supporting character. Director Leigh Jason (born Leigh Jacobson,

¡904–79), a graduate of Columbia University, started in the film industry in ¡924 as first an electrician then a screenwriter and by ¡928, generally a director of B-films and shorts. He continually directed films from ¡928 to ¡952 then, in the same capacity, entered television. Besides the Wayne film, his most famous motion pictures were The Mad Miss Manton (¡938) and Meet Me on Broadway (¡946). Czechoslovakian-born Blanche Yurka (¡887– ¡974) sang at the Metropolitan Opera before turning her considerable talents to the Broadway stage, where she performed opposite John Barrymore in Hamlet (¡922). At the age of 48, Yurka entered the world of films by playing Madame DeFarge in A Tale of Two Cities (¡935). The character actress left her mark in some outstanding films including Queen of the Mob (¡940), Keeper of the Flame (¡942), The Song of Bernadette (¡943), ¡3 Rue Madeleine (¡947) and Thunder in the Sun (¡959). During his 30-year career, from ¡933 to ¡963, David Buttolph (¡902–83) was a composer and music director at Fox, Warners, United Artists and Republic. His versatility allowed him to compose music for a wide variety of films including Pigskin Parade (¡936), The Three Musketeers (¡939), Chad Hanna (¡940), Western Union (¡94¡), This Gun for Hire (¡942), Guadalcanal Diary (¡943), My Darling Clementine (¡946), Kiss of Death (¡947), Along the Great Divide (¡95¡), House of Wax (¡953), Long John Silver (¡955), The Lone Ranger (¡956) and Wayne’s The Horse Soldiers (¡959). He worked on over ¡50 films. This movie marked the first time that the new Republic logo, Independence Hall, was displayed. This Republic motion picture was Edith Barrett’s (¡907–77) first. Her career spanned slightly over ¡5 years (¡94¡ to ¡958) and included just 20 films. In the classic Jane Eyre (¡944) she portrayed Mrs. Fairfax and in Keys of the Kingdom (¡945) she was Aunt Polly. Fourth-billed Philip Merivale (¡886– ¡946), born in India, made his screen debut in ¡9¡4 in the film Trilby. Lady for a Night and Mr. and Mrs. Smith were two of four films he had in release in ¡94¡. Married to actress Gladys Cooper at the time of his death, he made appearances in close to ¡00 films including This Land Is Mine (¡943), Adventure (¡946) and The Stranger (¡946). For much of his career

Lady from Louisiana Merivale was typecast as either a judge, doctor or lawyer. At the same time that Republic released the Wayne film, the studio also had Roy Rogers’ Red River Valley in circulation; Monogram was debuting the B-Western, Forbidden Trails starring the trio of Buck Jones,

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Tim McCoy and Raymond Hatton, and Columbia tried to attract young fans with Royal Mounted Patrol starring Charles Starrett and Russell Hayden. Re-issued by Republic in ¡950.

Lady from Louisiana April 22, ¡94¡. 84 minutes. John Wayne, Ona Munson, Ray Middleton, Henry Stephenson, Helen Westley, Jack Pennick, Dorothy Dandridge, Shimen Ruskin, Jacqueline Dalya, Paul Scardon, Major James H. MacNamara, James C. Morton, Maurice Costello, Stanley Blystone, Alan Bridge, Noble “Kid” Chissell, Wela Davies, Ethan Laidlaw, Bob Kortman, Blackie Whiteford, George Lloyd, Lane Chandler, Virginia Farmer, Karl Hackett, Howard Hickman, Ted Mapes, Hugh Prosser, Bob Saenz. Republic. Director & Associate Producer Bernard Vorhaus; Assistant Director Phil Ford; Screenplay Vera Caspary, Michael Hogan, Guy Endore; Original Story Edward James, Francis Faragoh; Photography Jack Marta; Editor Edward Mann; Art Director John Victor MacKay; Production Manager Al Wilson; Supervising Editor Murray Seldeen; Musical Director Cy Feuer; Wardrobe Adele Palmer; Song, “Tres Bien” Jules Styne, Eddie Cherkose REVIEWS: “[A] super-deluxe item…. John Wayne brings his simple and casual charm to the leading role….” The New York Times (T.S., May ¡5, ¡94¡); “It is a little slow in getting started, but it gradually picks up speed and in the second half the action, which is of the racketeering type, is well-placed…. The performances are engaging, and the production values are good.” Harrison’s Reports (May ¡0, ¡94¡); “The cast includes a number of experienced and capable performers. John Wayne is well chosen for the role of the New Englander….” Variety (May 2¡, ¡94¡); “Here’s a surprise for you. Altogether unheralded, it’s a peacharoo, and the fact that it was turned out by one of the smaller studios, Republic, is news, too…. It all

looks so authentic and exciting—and the finale, showing the Mississippi rising … is incredibly good.” Modern Screen (August ¡94¡); “This new Republic o›ering has a colorful background, a capable cast, a considerable cast. A considerable amount of drama and romance and a su‡cient amount of action…. Wayne competently fills the bill…” Film Daily (April 30, ¡94¡); “[T]he nineteenth century piece lags in pace and interest except for a thrilling finale of blood and slugfest.” Motion Picture Herald ( Joseph F. Coughlin, May 3, ¡94¡) SYNOPSIS : On a Mississippi riverboat, high-spirited New Orleans belle Julie Mirbeau (Ona Munson) meets attorney John Reynolds ( John Wayne). The two fall quickly in love. When the ship lands, John learns that Julie is the daughter of Gen. Mirbeau (Henry Stephenson), who runs the city’s lottery. Julie discovers that John is the lawyer sent for by crusader Blanche Brunot (Helen Westley) to investigate allegations that the lottery is crooked. Blackie Williams (Ray Middleton), Mirbeau’s lieutenant, has designs on the general’s daughter and fans the strain and antagonism the lovers experience. Julie shows John the gaiety of the city at Mardi Gras, insisting that the lottery has contributed positive things to the community through its charities and levee works. But when a pastry shop owner is killed by ru‡ans for his lottery winnings, John is determined that love will not blind his eyes. Gen. Mirbeau believes that the proceeds have gone to local hospitals and levee-control equipment. When he learns that Blackie has put the funds into supporting local saloons and brothels and has made profits by squeezing protection money from local shop owners, he quietly

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Lady from Louisiana

Lady from Louisiana (Republic, ¡94¡). John Wayne, Ray Middleton, Ona Munson

dismisses him. Before the news becomes public, however, Blackie retaliates by having his chief tough, Cu›y Brown ( Jack Pennick), murder the General in the streets, making him look like the victim of an anti-lottery protest turned violent. Julie, holding John responsible for the death, breaks o› their relationship and takes her father’s place as head of the lottery enterprise. Using her charm and influence to sway public o‡cials, Julie is able to thwart John’s e›orts, blocking raids with court-order injunctions. Behind her back, Blackie continues the intimidation, extortion and killing. “A ticket a day keeps the bricks away,” his thugs remind the honest citizens. John and Blanche finally gain possession of the lottery records, incriminating public o‡cials who have been protecting Blackie’s racketeering. With police help, he gathers up the lottery gang, including Julie, who has finally opened her eyes to Blackie’s deceptions. While John, with Julie’s testimony, makes his case in the parish courthouse, the fury of the Mississippi grows in a

raging storm unchecked by the neglected levee works. As flood waters inundate the city, Blackie tries to escape with Julie, but abandons her to save himself when the levee gives way. Securing passage on a steamer, he bribes the captain to leave, but John comes aboard with another plan. Forcing the captain to use his boat to plug the break in the levee, John also battles Blackie, who falls overboard and drowns. The city is saved, as is the relationship between John and Julie.—TAL NOTES: In production from March 3 to March 26, ¡94¡, under the working titles Lady from New Orleans and Lady of New Orleans. Pre-production had begun as early as late ¡939. Wayne earned $24,000. In ¡939, Sol Siegel was attached to the project as producer. When the production was resurrected in mid–¡940, Armand Schaefer was announced as producer. Character actor Heinie Conklin was to have been part of the cast but did not make the final cut of the film. Ona Munson (¡903–55) was born Ona Wolcott in Portland, Oregon. A vet-

A Lady Takes a Chance eran of both vaudeville and Broadway, she first entered the film industry in ¡930. Her career, which lasted until ¡947, consisted primarily of B-Westerns and dramas with one notable exception, Gone with the Wind (¡939), in which she played the good-hearted madam, Belle Watling, and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She would again appear with Wayne in Republic’s Dakota (¡945). Munson died from an overdose of sleeping pills. Third-billed, Chicago native Ray Middleton (¡907–84) had a less than memorable film career. He made his screen debut in Gangs of Chicago (¡940), then appeared in four films in ¡94¡, including Lady for a Night and, in the title role, Hurricane Smith. His other films included I Dream of Jeanie (¡952) and Jubilee Trail (¡954). Fourth-billed Henry Stephenson (¡87¡–¡956) was a native of Granada in the Caribbean. Because of his British accent and bearing, he played many noblemen and individuals of authority such as Gen. Mirbeau in Lady from Louisiana. His career, which extended from ¡9¡7 to ¡949, featured over ¡00 films, of which the more familiar titles were A Bill of Divorcement (¡932), Little Women (¡933), Mutiny on the Bounty (¡935), Captain Blood (¡935), The Charge of the Light Brigade (¡936) and the Tarzan films Tarzan Finds a Son (¡939) and Tarzan and the Amazons (¡945). A performer since the age of four, Dorothy Dandridge (¡923–65), could sing, dance, and act. In the mid-’30s she worked on radio in The Beulah Show, then was relegated to minor appear-

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ances in films starting with the Marx Brothers’ A Day at the Races (¡937). In ¡94¡, besides appearing in the Wayne-Republic film, she also had small roles in Sun Valley Serenade starring Glenn Miller, Sundown and Bahama Passage. Continuing to appear in films while headlining in nightclubs, Dandridge was one of the first black actresses to become a leading lady with starring roles in Carmen Jones (¡954), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actress, and Porgy and Bess (¡959). In ¡965, at the height of her career, Dandridge was found dead in her apartment from an overdose of narcotics. Lady from Louisiana would be one of the last films of 66year-old Helen Westley (born Henrietta Meserole Manney, ¡875–¡942), who was in show business since the turn of the century. She also appeared in the Fredric March–Loretta Young comedy Bedtime Story and the Bob Hope farce My Favorite Spy. The actress, a graduate of the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts, learned her trade on Broadway. She continuously appeared in plays for over 35 years before departing for Hollywood and turning to character roles in some major productions including Moulin Rouge (¡934), The House of Rothschild (¡934), Anne of Green Gables (¡934), Showboat (¡936), Heidi (¡937), Alexander’s Ragtime Band (¡938) and All This and Heaven Too (¡940). The film opened in New York at the Criterion Theater on May ¡4, ¡94¡.

A Lady Takes a Chance August ¡9, ¡943. 86 minutes. Jean Arthur, John Wayne, Charles Winninger, Phil Silvers, Mary Field, Don Costello, John Philliber, Grady Sutton, Grant Withers, Hans Conried, Peggy Carroll, Ariel Heath, Sugar Geise, Joan Blair, Tom Fadden, Eddy Waller, Nina Quartaro, Alex Melesh, Cy Kendall, Paul Scott, Charles D. Brown, Butch & Buddy, The Three Peppers, Hank Worden, Frank Melton, Clarence Straight, Eddie Dew, Robert Cherry,

Mike Lally, Bobby Barber, Ronnie Rondell, Ralf Harolde, Roy Darmour, Bud Geary, Donald Kerr, Chalky Williams, Bert Dillard, Warren Jackson, Fred Burns, Monte Collins, Horace Murphy, Sid Saylor, Bob McKenzie, J.W. Cody, Eddie Borden, Armand Cortes, George Ford, Dorothy Grainger, Lane Chandler, Dorcas McKim, Harry Semels, Herbert Evans, Jack Daley, Mary Lee Martin, George De Normand, Bennie Bartlett, Joe Bernard, Patsy

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Moran, Polly Bailey, Mysty Shot, Hank Bell, Archie Ortego, Mimi Boyd (stand-in for Jean Arthur). RKO. Producer Frank Ross; Director William A. Seiter; Associate Producer Richard Ross; Screenplay Robert Ardrey, Garson Kanin (uncredited); Original Story Jo Swerling; Photography Frank Redman; Editor Theron Warth; Music Roy Webb; Art Directors Albert S. D’Agostino, Alfred Herman; Assistant Director J.D. Starkey; Set Decorators Darrell Silvera, Al Fields; Gowns Edward Stevenson; Recorder Roy Meadows; Re-recording James G. Stewart; Music Director C. Bakaleiniko›; Production Design Gordon Wiles; Dialogue Director Paul Fix; Special E›ects Vernon L. Walker REVIEWS: “John Wayne makes a convincing cowpuncher. … Mr. Wayne, with his muscles and slow drawl makes a sturdy partner in this romantic duet … a plain ordinary good time…” The New York Times (T.S., September ¡6, ¡943); “A conventional shallow script lacking memorable highlights.” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, A.S. Barnes, ¡976); “[A] bright and humorous screenplay incorporates for picturesque and exciting e›ect. … Frank Ross as producer invests the o›ering with quality and a sure-fire brand of showmanship….” Variety (August ¡7, ¡943); “John Wayne tries his hand at farce for the first time, and proves himself surprisingly adept. His cowboy is an excellent job on all counts.” Hollywood Reporter (August ¡7, ¡943); “[A] gentle comedy Western…. Garson Kanin’s uncredited involvement in the script guarantees a degree of wit but Seiter’s flat direction and the film’s impoverished production values are insurmountable, even by Arthur’s grin.” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Phil Hardy, The Overlook Press, ¡983); “[I]t maintains a greater impression of novelty and reality than the slight and not at all timely story would seem to allow…a film which takes the audience right along for the ride, laughing with alternate sympathy and delight at the escapades of their fellow passengers….” (E.A. Cunningham, Motion Picture Herald) SYNOPSIS: Easterner Molly J. Truesdale ( Jean Arthur) leaves a boring job and three obnoxious suitors for a vacation in the West. Rainbow Tours promises ¡4 breathless days under the direction of fast-talking guide Smi-

ley Lambert (Phil Silvers), but long hours on the cramped bus filled with snoring passengers and kids with toy guns dampen some of the traveler’s exhilaration. When the bus stops for the Fairfield Rodeo, things begin to pick up for Molly. As she moves to the front of the stands for a close-up of the action, cowboy Duke Hudkins ( John Wayne) is tossed from a bucking bronc and lands on top of her. The accident marks the end of Molly’s camera but the beginning of a new adventure for the breathless tourist. Duke takes her for a beer. At first she is overwhelmed by all the female attention showered on the broad-shouldered cowpoke, but Duke makes Molly feel welcome in this strange new environment of gambling tables and saloon brawls. Cactus milk, a concoction made up of the liquid of the desert plant fortified with tequila, apple jack and gin, helps the traveler lose track of time and miss the departure of her bus. Duke, wondering aloud, “When did I ever meet a girl like you?,” o›ers to drive Molly to Gold City where she can catch the bus in a couple of days for the return trip. The cowboy o›ers his hotel room to the damsel, who quickly dashes cold water on his idea that they might share the same quarters. Next morning Molly tries to hitchhike to Gold City but accepts a ride from Duke and his old sidekick, Waco (Charles Winninger), after a lonely vigil at the side of the road. She wrestles with her attraction to the independent bronc buster whose assessment of marriage is “Anything that ties you down is no good.” When the trio beds down on the desert that night, Molly takes the blanket from the back of Duke’s prize horse, Sammy. The animal catches a cold and Duke’s concern and care convinces the lady that any fellow who can love a horse like that can also love a girl. When Sammy is out of danger, Molly celebrates with a romantic home-cooked meal. In spite of the small size of the lamb chops and the near-fatal qualities of her “Sunset on the Desert” dessert, Duke is mesmerized by her charms. It is only when the lovestruck cowboy sees his reflection, bedecked with a frilly apron, that he flees this trap of domestic bliss. Next day, with a last look at the horizon, Molly boards the bus which will take her back to her humdrum life and her three overbearing suitors. The bicker-

A Lady Takes a Chance

A Lady Takes a Chance (RKO, ¡943). John Wayne, Jean Arthur

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ing trio meets her at the bus terminal. She is about to surrender herself to them when a tall cowboy enters the scene, sweeps her o› her feet and carries her back to a Rainbow Tours bus heading West. When Duke assures the confused lady that he has “divorced” Waco, she knows this is a cowboy with whom she can take a chance.—TAL NOTES: The entire film package was put together by producer Frank Ross, the husband of Jean Arthur. Henry Hathaway was initially set to direct and Ted Tetzla› was hired as the cinematographer. In production from December 8, ¡942, to March 20, ¡943, a total of ¡4 weeks. Working titles were Free for All, Rodeo Story and The Cowboy and the Lady. Negative cost of the film was placed at $664,000. It earned domestic rentals of $2,660,000, and grossed over $6,400,000 in the North American market. RKO reaped a profit of $580,000 from the production, and claimed at the time that the advertising budget for the film, placed at $250,000, was the largest ever allocated for publicity by the studio. For his acting in the film, Wayne earned $55,¡¡5.52. Princeton-educated Frank Ross (¡905–90) started as a contract player at Paramount in the late ¡920s. After several years he signed on with Hal Roach Productions as a producer. In ¡939 he was the associate producer on Of Mice and Men, one of the Best Picture nominees for that year. In ¡943 he was nominated for his work on The More the Merrier, and two years later he won the Oscar for Best Short Film, The House I Live In. In ¡966 the still-active producer received a writing credit for Cary Grant’s last film, Walk, Don’t Run. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Chicago University, Robert Ardrey (¡908–80) went to Hollywood to work on the screenplay for They Knew What They Wanted (¡940). During the ¡935-36 season, he had produced the play Star Spangled with Garson

Kanin. During his career he wrote the scenarios for The Secret Garden (¡949), Madame Bovary (¡949), The Power and the Prize (¡956), Khartoum (¡966) and Out of Africa (¡985). From the age of nine, Charles Winninger (¡884–¡969) spent the major part of his life in the entertainment world. He advanced from vaudeville to summer stock and, by ¡9¡2, to Broadway. By ¡9¡5 the 3¡-year-old veteran was appearing in up to ¡5 short films a year. In the ¡920s he alternated between feature-length films and appearances on Broadway in the Ziegfeld Follies and the play Show Boat. In ¡936 he co-starred in the film version of Show Boat and was also featured in White Fang and Three Smart Girls. Then in ¡939 he could be seen in Babes in Arms, Destry Rides Again and Barricade. John Ford gave him one of his best roles in The Sun Shines Bright (¡953). Ill health forced him to retire in ¡964. Phil Silvers (¡9¡2–85), the rapid-fire, bald-headed comedian, had a comfortable career on the big screen, but achieved his greatest fame as the character Sgt. Ernest Bilko in the television series The Phil Silvers Show which ran for four years on CBS, from ¡955 to ¡959. As Bilko, Silvers was the biggest con man on the mythical army post Fort Baxter in Kansas. New York City–born Mary Field (¡909–68) logged over ¡50 screen credits between ¡937 and ¡960. Some of her better known films included The Prince and the Pauper (¡937), The Bank Dick (¡940), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (¡94¡), Mrs. Miniver (¡942), Wake Island (¡942), Song of the South (¡946), Life with Father (¡947), The Babe Ruth Story (¡948) and Mighty Joe Young (¡949). In ¡955 she played young Audie Murphy’s mother in his screen biography To Hell and Back. The Lady Takes a Chance opened in New York the week of September ¡5. The film was reissued under the title The Cowboy and the Girl in ¡950, with Wayne now receiving top billing.

The Lawless Frontier November 22, ¡934. 59 minutes. John Wayne, Sheila Terry, George Hayes, Earl

Dwire, Yakima Canutt, Jack Rockwell, Gordon D. Woods, Bu›alo Bill, Jr., Lloyd Whit-

The Lawless Frontier lock, Eddie Parker, Artie Ortego, Herman Hack, Gordon D. Woods (Gordon DeMain), Tommy Coats. Monogram. Producer Paul Malvern; Director R.N. Bradbury; Story & Screenplay R.N. Bradbury; Photography Archie Stout; Music Lee Zahler; Editor Charles Hunt; Recording Engineer Ralph Shugart; Art Director E.R. Hickson REVIEWS: “Action in this western will keep the patrons on the edge of their seats. Fast and cleancut stu›. This is good regulation stu› for the Western fans…. Wayne is good-looking and built well for the part and the youngsters think he’s just about tops…” Film Daily ( January 3, ¡935); “John Wayne, above the title, as are all saddle-leather Lotharios, upsets the usual balance of luck any man should have as the big outdoor gent who’s better equipped for love, slugging and looks than any others.” Variety ( January 29, ¡935); “Lotsa good stunt work by Yakima Canutt doubling John Wayne…” The Best (and Worst) of the West! (Boyd Magers) SYNOPSIS : Pandro Zanti (Earl Dwire): This half-white, half–Apache evildoer is so dishonest, he poses as a Mexican as he rustles cattle and murders the good citizens in the vicinity of Polk City. John Tobin ( John Wayne), who lost his father in one of the outlaw’s raids, has been trailing the villain to even the score. While on this quest, John comes across Dusty (George Hayes), an old prospector, and his comely daughter Ruby (Sheila Terry). The two are fleeing Zanti, whose evil desires embrace not only the old man’s mining shack but the shapely Ruby as well. Hiding his granddaughter in a canvas pack tied to a mule, Dusty eludes the pursing outlaws. When the pack falls from the mule during a river crossing, Ruby is in danger of drowning. John rescues the girl, then sees to her safe arrival in town. When John discovers it was Zanti who has pursued them, he remains in Polk City hoping to come face to face with the villain. Sheri› Luke Williams ( Jack Rockwell), an inept but determined lawman, holds a town meeting to enlist deputies to pursue the gang. The meeting is disrupted when Zanti’s misfits rob the bank and shoot up the town. John shoots one of the robbers, recovering a bag of money, but the suspicious sheri› figures that

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Tobin may be in cahoots with the gang. The lawman and his posse decide to use Dusty’s shack as headquarters. “What a pleasant place this is going to be,” John comments sarcastically. While the lawmen lie around the place waiting for something to happen, John tails the gang and single-handedly takes Zanti prisoner. While the sheri› gloats over his good luck, the outlaw chief reminds him that “wolves run in packs and mine is not far behind.” The wily desperado secretly slips his foot from his manacled boot, knifing Dusty and killing a deputy. The thick-headed sheri› blames John and arrests him. Dusty has only been wounded and a timely shot from his .45 saves John’s life sending Zanti racing into the desert. A brutal chase ends at a waterhole where the outlaw collapses to quench his thirst. “Drink your fill, Zanti! It’s poison,” announces Tobin as he watches his father’s killer die. John and Dusty then rescue Ruby from the rest of the gang, turning the outlaws over to the sheri› who at last understands all that has happened. After Zanti’s downfall, John Tobin becomes sheri› of Polk City and husband of Ruby.—TAL NOTES : The tenth Lone Star Western was filmed on a budget of $¡¡,000 at Monogram City in Newhall and at Red Rock Canyon, California. Wayne received $¡250. Female lead Sheila Terry also worked with Wayne in the Westerns Haunted Gold and ’Neath the Arizona Skies. Equally comfortable with a badge pinned to his shirt or a neckerchief covering his face, New York City–born character actor Jack Rockwell (¡893–¡984) earned a contented living working in B-Westerns starring Wayne, Ken Maynard, Tim McCoy, Bob Steele, Johnny Mack Brown, Tom Tyler, Tex Ritter, Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy, Tim Holt and Sunset Carson. Over a 2¡-year period, his name appeared on the credits of over 2¡5 films. He also supported Wayne in Lucky Texan (as a judge), ’Neath Arizona Skies, The Lawless 90s, Winds of the Wasteland and Dark Command. Appearing in over 90 films from ¡9¡4 to ¡943, Gordon D. Woods (¡886–¡954) also went by the screen name of Gordon DeMain. In this film his role was that of a deputy while in his other Wayne Western, The Lucky Texan, he played the part of a

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The Lawless Nineties

banker. Many of Lloyd Whitlock’s ¡75 screen roles were as military o‡cers or professional individuals such as bankers, lawyers or managers. He started as an extra in ¡9¡6 and ended his film career with an unbilled part in Samson and Delilah (¡949). In the ’50s the actor could be seen in series television. His other films with Wayne were Shadow of the Eagle, Hurricane Express, Lucky Texan, and Lady for a Night. Almost all of stuntman-actor Tommy Coats (¡900–54) ¡00-plus films were Westerns. In a career that spanned ¡6 years, he never broke out of the oater genre, but made the most of

every appearance. In a 22-year career, Ernest R. Hickson (¡892–¡952) worked on over ¡¡5 films as either an Art Director, Technical Director or Set Decorator. Starting in ¡927 he repeatedly alternated between the three positions based on the current needs of the production companies. Hickson worked on a number of Wayne’s Monogram Westerns, three of his adventure stories at Universal (The Sea Spoilers, California Straight Ahead and I Cover the War) and, in the ’40s, worked behind the scenes on several episodes of the East Side Kids comedies for Monogram.

The Lawless Nineties February ¡5, ¡936. 55 minutes. John Wayne, Ann Rutherford, Harry Woods, George Hayes, Al Bridge, Lane Chandler, Snowflake (Fred Toones), Etta McDaniel, Tom Brower, Cli› Lyons, Jack Rockwell, Al Taylor, Charles King, George Chesebro, Tracy Layne, Chuck Baldra, Sam Flint, Tom London, Earl Seaman, Philo McCullough, Jimmy Harrison, Steve Clark, Henry Hall, Lloyd Ingraham, Horace B. Carpenter, Lew Meehan, Jim Corey, Sherry Tansey, Art Dillard, Curley Dresden, Tex Palmer, George Morrell, Jack Kirk, Edward Hearn, Steve Clark, Bud Osborne, Bud Pope, Pascale Perry, Bob Burns, Emma Tansey, Fred Parker. Republic. Supervisor Paul Malvern; Producer Trem Carr; Director Joseph Kane; Assistant Director Robert Tansey; Original Story Joseph Poland, Scott Pembroke; Screenplay Joseph Poland; Photography William Nobles; Editor Lester Orlebeck; Supervising Editor Joseph H. Lewis; Sound Engineer Terry Kellum; Music Lee Zahler REVIEWS: “It is rare that a western screen story a›ords so many legitimate and even logically necessary pretexts for action as does that of The Lawless Nineties.” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, June 29, ¡936); “Loaded with lurid lawlessness that carries a punch with plenty of thrills and action…. Has all the exciting stu› the fans will go for.” Film Daily (February 29, ¡936); “Wayne, aided and abet-

ted by a typical western crew, enacts a fairly exciting drama. It all hews close to the accepted horse op pattern, with lots of shooting, hardriding and fistfighting. On a dual platter it will make spicy dressing.” Variety ( July ¡, ¡936) SYNOPSIS: While the honest citizens of the Wyoming territory are working fervently for statehood, bands of marauding outlaws are doing their worst to ruin these plans. Government agents John Tipton ( John Wayne) and Bridger (Lane Chandler) are sent undercover to Crockett City to ensure that the upcoming elections are run fairly. The two agents split up, John taking the time to befriend a trio of settlers harassed by outlaws. The newcomers are Major Carter (George Hayes), his daughter Janet (Ann Rutherford) and their manservent Mose (Snowflake). Carter is coming to the city as the new editor and owner of The Crockett City Blade. When he announces plans to use the power of the press to discourage lawlessness and encourage statehood, he is warned by Plummer (Harry Woods), chairman of the Law and Order Committee, that such a stance could endanger his health. Plummer should know; in reality, he is the brain of the outlaw network. As voting day nears, violence is used as a deterrent against honest citizens. Tipton’s partner Bridger is murdered when a wiretapper in Plummer’s employ intercepts a telegram revealing the agent’s identity. Major Carter

The Lawless Nineties dies when he is “accidentally” shot, the victim of a pre-staged fight between two outlaws. His death strengthens John’s resolve to bring the gang to justice and Janet’s intention to edit the Blade. John leaks false information of a silver shipment in the hope of trapping the villains. His plan succeeds in catching much of the gang’s brawn, but its brain remains a mystery. It is not until election eve, when John is taken prisoner by the gang, that he learns that Plummer is the criminal mastermind. Tipton narrowly escapes death and rejoins his fellow agents outside of town. The vote for statehood hangs in the balance as gang members interfere with citizens at the polls. Tipton leads his men on a successful assault of the city barricades, scattering the outlaws and ensuring an honest election. The violence ended, John and Janet watch the victory celebration with pride and satisfaction.—TAL NOTES: Filmed from January ¡2 to January 2¡, ¡936, at locations in Lone Pine, California, including majestic Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the 48 United States. Budgeted at $¡5,000, the negative cost of the fifth Wayne Western for Republic was closer to $2¡,000. The actor was paid $¡750. The working title was initially The Vanishing Rider, then G-Men of the Nineties, until Warners objected to the word G-men. Warners had released (in ¡935) the Jimmy Cagney film G-Men, and threatened to sue any studio which used the word or derivation, Republic, seeking to avoid litigation, settled on the title The Lawless Nineties. Cli› Lyons also served as Wayne’s double. Harry L. Woods, Sr. (¡890–¡969), came to Hollywood in ¡92¡ to play a villain in several Ruth Roland serials. Active throughout the ¡920s and early ¡930s, he started at Republic in ¡936 and appeared in 27 films for the studio. Woods had roles in both versions of The Ten Commandments (¡923 and ¡956), I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (¡932) and the first sound version of Beau Geste (¡939). His other Wayne films were Conflict, Dark Com-

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mand, The Long Voyage Home, The Spoilers, Reap the Wild Wind, In Old Oklahoma, Tall in the Saddle, Tycoon and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. Earlier in the ’30s, he had also appeared with Wayne in Range Feud and Haunted Gold. Pennsylvanian Alan “Al” Bridge’s (¡89¡–¡957) film career consisted almost entirely of playing villains in dozens of Westerns from the early teens through ¡953. Along the way he opposed Tom Tyler, Ken Maynard, Tom Keene, Rex Bell, Jack Perrin, Hopalong Cassidy, Charles Starrett, Johnny Mack Brown, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and Rex Allen. In 40 years of motion pictures, Bridge also appeared in several films which were not of the “B” variety including the Mae West–W.C. Fields comedy Western My Little Chickadee (¡940) and The Oklahoma Kid (¡939) with James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart. Bridge was a member of the famed Preston Sturges stock company of characters. Appearing in more than 400 motion pictures, of which nearly 300 were Westerns, George Chesebro’s (¡888–¡959) career began in the early teens (after a stint in vaudeville) and lasted until ¡95¡. During the silent era he was a leading man, but by the mid–¡920s he had comfortably settled into supporting roles. Throughout the ’30s and ’40s, the World War I veteran appeared in Westerns, low-budget mysteries and serials, working at nearly all the “B” and “C” studios from Republic and Monogram to PRC, Superior and Reliable. The shifty-eyed villain also supported Wayne in Republic’s New Frontier (¡939). Emma Tansey (¡870–¡942), the perennial “old lady” in films, appeared in over 40 features including Wayne’s Blue Steel, the Academy Award–winning It Happened One Night (¡934), Les Miserables (¡935) and W.C. Fields’ The Bank Dick (¡940) and Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (¡94¡). She was the mother of director Robert Emmett Tansey and actor James Sheridan (aka Sherry Tansey). The film opened in New York at the Rialto Theater on June 28, ¡936.

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Lawless Range

Lawless Range November 4, ¡935. 55 minutes. John Wayne, Sheila Mannors, Earl Dwire, Frank McGlynn, Jr., Jack Curtis, Yakima Canutt, Wally Howe, Julia Gri‡th, Earl Dwire, Sam Flint, Bob Kortman, Robert Burns, Charles “Slim” Whitaker, Frank Ellis, Tex Palmer, Fred Burns, The Wranglers [a radio quartet consisting of Glenn Strange, Jack Kirk, Charley Sargent, Charles Baldra], Charles Brinley, Henry Hall, Ray Henderson, Sherry Tansey, Francis Walker, Fred Parker, Denver Dixon, Horace B. Carpenter, Pascale Perry, Herman Hack. Republic. Producer Paul Malvern; Vice President in Charge of Production Trem Carr; Director R.N. Bradbury; Screenplay & Story Lindsley Parsons; Photography Archie Stout; Editor Carl Pierson; Sound David Stoner; Technical Director E.R. Hickson; Music Lee Zahler; Songs “On the Banks of the San Juan” The Wranglers; “The Girl I Loved Long Ago” R.N. Bradbury REVIEWS: “[It] can hold its head high because its action is good. Its story keeps moving at a rapid speed. A family Western.” New York Exhibitor (December ¡0, ¡935); “Wayne grabs the picture all the way through, conducting himself with credit. On two occasions he unlimbers his baritone pipes for some western ditties, but they don’t cut into action.” Variety (May ¡3, ¡936); “[N]on-stop action.” The Best (and Worst) of the West! (Boyd Magers) SYNOPSIS: John Middleton ( John Wayne) gives up his chance to set records at the Cheyenne Rodeo when his invalid father (Sam Flint) asks for his help. “What’s a rodeo to me if it interferes with his happiness,” surmises the unselfish cowboy and sets out to investigate the disappearance of his dad’s old friend Hank Mason (Wally Howe). En route he thwarts a robbery attempt in Elk City and the marshal eagerly enlists his aid to ride on to the Poqueno Valley to discover what he can about Hank’s disappearance. The lawman christens him John Allen and has fake wanted posters put out so that John has a chance to penetrate the gang of Butch Martin (Frank McGlynn, Jr.), who holds the valley in a grip of terror involv-

ing cattle raids, barn burnings and starving the homesteaders. Gang members warn the stranger to avoid the town, but John rides through their blockade. He meets an attractive ally, Hank’s niece Ann (Sheilah Mannors), who helps him hold o› the bad guys until a posse arrives. The posse, however, mistakes him for one of the gang and intends to lynch him. Ann’s intervention prevents their mistake. Carter, town banker, and Emmett (Earl Dwire), the storekeeper, apologize and eagerly accept the stranger’s o›er to help bring provisions through to the starving town. John guides a supply train to its destination. The gang strikes from ambush, but he has filled some of the wagons with armed citizens and they successfully drive o› the attack. The town is jubilant, but the ranchers still face the problem of getting their cattle to the railway so they can raise the money to prevent the reluctant banker from foreclosing on their land. When a wanted poster surfaces, Carter convinces Emmett and the other townspeople that John is really out to betray them. This news hits Ann hard, for she has fallen in love with the cowboy. When John is captured by the Martin gang, the banker leads the cattle drive without him. John is tied up and thrown in a cave with Hank Mason, whose disappearance was due to his discovery of gold and banker Carter’s betrayal. Carter leads the cattle drive into ambush for the Martin gang as John and Hank escape to ride to the marshal for help. At Elk Junction the forces of good clash with the gang members. John pursues the escaping bandit chief, subdues him and pulls the phony beard from his chin, revealing Carter as the bandit chief, Butch Martin. Peace is restored to the lawless range, now enriched by the discoveries of gold and romance.—TAL NOTES: Filmed at Lone Pine, simultaneously with Westward Ho, from May ¡9 to June 3, ¡935, this original Monogram production was eventually released under the Republic logo as the third film in the series. Budgeted at $¡5,000, it ended production at a cost of $¡6,346. Wayne was paid $¡750. While film-

Legend of the Lost ing, the picture went through several title changes including Riders of the Border, Vanishing Rider, and Trail’s End. Vanishing Rider was the title of a low-budget Western from Spectrum Films in ¡935. Jack Kirk (born John “Jack” Kirkhu›, ¡895–¡948) is credited with having appeared in over 300 features, the preponderance being B-Westerns and serials. Starting out as an extra, by the early ’40s he had graduated to speaking roles as characters on both sides of the law. Through much of the ’40s he was a term-contract player at Republic. Known as “Pappy” to everyone on the set, he supported Wayne in ¡3 “sagebrush epics,” the last being Angel and the Badman. In this film, Wayne mouths the words to two songs, one of which was previously heard in Riders of Destiny (¡933). A veteran of over ¡70 films, Henry Hall (¡876–¡954) often played respected figures such as judges, detectives, doctors and attorneys. He would appear in eight B-Westerns with Wayne: Sagebrush Trail, Desert Trail, Paradise Canyon, Westward Ho!, Lawless Range, Lawless Nineties, The Lonely Trail and Winds of the Wasteland. Between ¡927 and ¡943, character actress Julia Gri‡th’s film career consisted of slightly over 30 features. She started out with roles at Universal and in Mack Sennett comedies, often playing the part

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of a maid or servant. Through the ’30s, accepting all o›ers of employment, the actress also worked at sub-B studios Monarch Pictures and Imperial Films. Born to a wealthy family in San Francisco, character actor Jack Curtis (¡880–¡956) started out in vaudeville, then in ¡9¡5 moved to films. By the time his career ended 35 years later, he had appeared in over ¡35 motion pictures. In over two dozen of these features he played the part of a bartender or, as in this B-Western, sheri› or U.S. Marshal. In ¡930 the actor had a supporting role in Al Jolson’s Mammy, and is credited with having been in the cast of five other Wayne films: Range Feud (as a bartender), Westward Ho, King of the Pecos (as a sheri› ), Stagecoach and Three Godfathers (again tending bar). In ¡950 he ended his career with two Jimmy Stewart films, Winchester ’73 and Harvey. Stuntman and bit player Francis (Frank) Walker performed dual duties in over 80 films including Wayne’s Winds of the Wasteland, The Lonely Trail and Night Riders. Beginning in ¡9¡¡, each of the Montana-born brothers, Bob (¡884– ¡957) and Fred Burns (¡878–¡955), had roles in over ¡50 films. One or the other and sometimes both had bit parts in ¡4 of Wayne’s B-Westerns during the decade of the ’30s. Bob Burns would also appear in Angel and the Badman.

Legend of the Lost December ¡7, ¡957. ¡09 minutes. John Wayne, Sophia Loren, Rossano Brazzi, Kurt Kaszner, Sonia Moser, Angela Portaluri, Ibrahim El Hadish, Chuck Hayward, Terry Wilson. United Artists. A Batjac Production. A Panama Inc. Presentation. Produced and Directed by Henry Hathaway; Screenplay Robert Presnell, Jr., Ben Hecht; Photography Jack Cardi›; Editor Bert Bates; Music A.F. Lavagnino; Art Director & Set Decorator Alfred Ybarra; Sound John Kean, W.H. Milner; Production Manager Nate H. Edwards, Franco Magli (Italy); Assistant Directors Edward Morey, Jr., Joseph Lenzi; Unit Production

Manager Gordon B. Portes; Makeup Supervisor Web Overlander REVIEWS: “Breathtaking adventure film….” The New York Daily News (December 23, ¡957); “Mr. Wayne’s characterization is distinguished only because he can use a sextant … and, surprisingly enough, translate Latin inscriptions…. Otherwise he is the same tough, laconic citizen who has been conquering the Old West for Hollywood all along….” The New York Times (December 23, ¡957); “Slowmoving and synthetic…. Brazzi overacts, Wayne is flat-voiced and Miss Loren alternates between petulance and subdued passion.” Va-

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Legend of the Lost

Legend of the Lost (United Artists, ¡957). Sonia Moser, Rossano Brazzi, Sophia Loren, Wayne

riety (December ¡8, ¡957); “The film is melodrama, with its areas of suspense, excitement and pictorial background e›ects all contributing in significant measure to the whole … highly saleable screen material.” Motion Picture Herald (Charles S. Aaronson, December 2¡, ¡957) SYNOPSIS: Paul Bonnard (Rossano Brazzi), a stranger in Timbuktu, is looking for a guide to take him into the desert. The city’s prefect recommends Joe January ( John Wayne), a loner who frequently spends the night in the o‡cial’s jail, but who knows the Sahara like the nail of his thumb. Joe takes the job as a chance to escape the drab life of Timbuktu. Before the two set out, Bonnard takes time to befriend Dita (Sophia Loren), a young woman of soiled virtue, who is impressed by the stranger’s kindness and pious encouragement that she can improve her life. Paul seems an unlikely traveling companion for the gru›, cynical January. The stranger knows the desert from his father’s

journals and countless books. January’s knowledge is more intimate. “It’s mine. It’s all I own.” The duo begins the journey only to be overtaken by a caravan of Tuareg tribesmen who leave the persistent Dita with them. Joe orders her to turn back, but Bonnard insists she remain. The explorer reveals his quest to find Ofir, the legendary Lost City which he believes his late father discovered ten years before. “The desert is full of bones that went looking for treasure,” warns Joe, but the adventurers press on. They endure fierce desert tribesmen, sandstorms, heat and the most formidable obstacle—the strain of their relationships. Dita dismisses Joe as part of the old life she is trying to forget and looks to Paul as a savior. Joe is beginning to view the streetwalker with a new respect. But Bonnard undergoes the most dramatic transformation. When faith and luck bless the trio with the discovery of the lost city, Paul uncovers some sordid truths about the father he worshipped

Legend of the Lost as a saint. Three skeletons and the remains of the earlier expedition suggest that the senior Bonnard ended his life in greed and lust. Drinking heavily, the younger Bonnard tries to force himself on Dita, and then convinces himself that his companions want to steal from him the jewels they have discovered. He sneaks o› into the desert, leaving Joe and Dita without food, without any canteens, without mules. The casto›s of Timbuktu are determined to live and to enjoy the newly kindled love they share. They pursue Bonnard, following a trail of discarded articles left behind by the crazed explorer. They find him, face down in the sand clutching his bag of jewels. Spying Janet the mule pawing at the sand, Joe begins to dig in the spot for water. Just as they begin to uncover wet sand, Bonnard plunges a knife into Joe’s back. Dita shoots Bonnard and attempts to keep Joe alive. A caravan appears on the horizon. “Joe. Joe, do you believe in God?” asks Dita. “Yes,” answers the wounded guide. “Then pray it isn’t a mirage!” A rider swerves away from the caravan and approaches the couple. Joe and Dita have been saved.—TAL NOTES: Exteriors were filmed over a period of five weeks (beginning in February ¡957) in Libya (Zliten, Leptis Magna and Gadames). Interiors were shot at Rome’s Cinecitta Studios in March and April. Working title was Legend of Timbuctoo. Wayne signed a contract with United Artists on November 7, ¡956. The film was budgeted at $¡,750,000. It earned domestic rentals of $2,200,000. This was the first of four pictures Wayne contracted to do with United Artists. The second motion picture was to have been China Doll. After Wayne had second thoughts about the screenplay, Victor Mature was signed for the lead. That adventure tale was released in August ¡958. For the other principal roles, Wayne wanted to secure the acting services of Gina Lollobrigida and James Mason. Loren was a last-minute replacement. On February 24, ¡957, while shooting in the Libyan desert, Wayne tore two ligaments in his left leg. He was forced to use crutches for over a week. United Artists Record Company released music from the film’s soundtrack. Film writer Robert Presnell, Jr. (¡9¡4–85), was a reporter for The Milwaukee Journal before spending eight years in New York writing, produc-

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ing and directing radio programs. Moving to Hollywood in the mid– ’40s, he wrote for Orson Welles and the radio program I Love a Mystery. Under contract at di›erent times to MGM and Paramount, he wrote the screenplays for Man in the Attic, A Life in the Balance, The Rawhide Years, Screaming Eagles, Conspiracy of Hearts, Let No Man Write My Epitaph and The Third Day. For television he wrote episodes of The Twilight Zone, Cimarron Strip, Dr. Kildare, Bracken’s World, High Chaparral, The Wild Wild West and McCloud. His wife of 40 years, actress Marsha Hunt, starred with Wayne in Born to the West (¡937). New York City–born Ben Hecht (¡894–¡964) was one of Hollywood’s brightest and highest paid writers during the ’30s and ’40s. Along with Charles MacArthur he wrote the classic play The Front Page (¡928), which became a hit movie in ¡93¡. At the time, Hecht was being paid $¡000 a week, and earned his salary by turning out such hits as Underworld (¡932), Viva Villa! (¡934) and The Scoundrel (¡935), all of which earned the writer Academy Awards for his screenplays. Some of his other successful films during the era were Design for Living (¡933), Twentieth Century (¡934), Barbary Coast (¡935), Nothing Sacred (¡937), Gunga Din (¡939), Wuthering Heights (¡939) and Comrade X (¡940). Alfred Hitchcock liked Hecht’s nononsense writing style and hired the author to pen the screenplays for Foreign Correspondent (¡940), Spellbound (¡945) and Notorious (¡946). For director Henry Hathaway, Hecht penned China Girl (¡942) and Kiss of Death (¡947). Stuntman Chuck Hayward served as Brazzi’s double, while Terry Wilson was Wayne’s double. Both men also handled the mules on the set. Competing with the Wayne film in the nation’s theaters were Peyton Place and The Girl Most Likely, a Universal release starring Jane Powell and Cli› Robertson. Fox was releasing the low-budget Western Ride a Violent Mile with a cast headed by John Agar and directed by Charles Marquis Warren of television’s Gunsmoke. Another ¡957 release, the widescreen epic The Pride and the Passion starring Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra and Sophia Loren, made at a negative cost of $3,700,000, went on the books as a $2,500,000 loss for United Artists.

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The Life of Jimmy Dolan

The Life of Jimmy Dolan June ¡3, ¡933 89 minutes. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Loretta Young, Aline MacMahon, Guy Kibbee, Fifi D’Orsay, Shirley Grey, Lyle Talbot, Al “Farina” Hoskins, Harold Huber, George Meeker, David Durand, Dawn O’Day (a.k.a. Anne Shirley), Arthur Hohl, Mickey Rooney, John Wayne, Arthur Dekuh, Clarence Muse, George Chandler, Frank McGrath. Warner Bros. Supervisor Hal Wallis; Director Archie Mayo; Writer Bertram Millhauser, Beulah Marie Dix; Dialogue Erwin Gelsey, David Boehm; Photography Arthur Edeson; Editor Bert Levy; Assistant Director Frank Shaw; Second Assistant Director Sylvan Karp; Mixer Charles Althouse; Recorder Harry Alphin; Grip Harry Barnhouse; Prop Man Pat Patterson; Hairdresser Lucille D’Antione; Orchestrations Leo F. Forbstein; Gowns Orry-Kelly REVIEWS: “As Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Loretta Young are the featured players, it is a safe wager that the film’s ending will prove satisfactory to those spectators wanting o›erings that steer clear of subtlety and do not tax their mental powers.” The New York Times (Mordaunt Hall, June ¡4, ¡933); “[A] fast moving story…. There is more romance than actual fighting in this picture and it provides adequate summer entertainment.” New York Daily News ( June ¡4, ¡933); “A neat, sure-footed picture that’s easy on eye and ear. … Dialog and everything that goes with it fits here, and the fight stu› is as realistic as anything that can be recalled for comparison.” Variety ( June 20, ¡933); “Fair entertainment. The story is rather routine….” Harrison’s Reports (May 27, ¡933) SYNOPSIS: Jimmy Dolan (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.), light heavyweight boxing champion, should be one of the happiest men alive. Though he presents an All-American image of clean living, he is in truth a boozer, a womanizer, an unhappy cynic convinced that “nobody does anything for anybody unless there’s something in it.” At a private party after a bout, a drunken Jimmy accidentally kills a reporter who had threatened to reveal the boxer’s true personality in print. The unconscious pugilist, having been driven back to his train-

ing camp, is then betrayed by Doc (Lyle Talbot), who steals his bankroll, his girl Goldie (Shirley Grey) and his wristwatch. Afraid of being associated with the murder, Doc and Goldie speed out of town. A blow-out ends their lives in a fiery crash. The next morning, a groggy Jimmy wakes up to the news of the reporter’s death and the car crash which ended the life of Jimmy Dolan, whose charred remains were identified by his wristwatch and other circumstantial evidence. Since the world thinks he is dead, Jimmy drifts around the country as Jack Dougherty. Everything connected with his former life is left behind with one exception: Phlaxer (Guy Kibbee), an old detective down on his luck, is convinced the boxer is alive. He doggedly pursues the investigation. Jack drifts to a Pleasant Valley, Utah, farm which serves as a place of rehabilitation for crippled children. He stays on as handyman, attracted to Peggy (Loretta Young), the young woman who helps her aunt run the farm. The hardened cynic cannot understand the generosity and selflessness of the woman, but he is gradually softened by their spirit of giving and by the admiration of the children. When the farm receives notice that it must pay $2000 in debts or be closed, Jack goes into training to win a local boxing prize. Competing with desperate men like young Smith ( John Wayne), who hopes to win money for his wife and the delivery of his baby, Jack is determined to stay in the ring against the brutal King Cobra. Phlaxer’s arrival on the day of the fight almost forces Jack to flee, but his love for Peggy and the kids makes him determined to fight. That night, after Smith is brutally beaten in the first round, Dougherty goes up against King Cobra. He manages to survive four full rounds, winning $2000 for the farm. He has lost his freedom, however, as Phlaxer puts on the cu›s. But when the old cop sees the new life the boxer has made for himself, he decides to free him. “Keep that kisser of yours out of the cameras!” he warns, and leaves Jack to continue his new life as a resident of Pleasant Valley.—TAL

The Life of Jimmy Dolan

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The Life of Jimmy Dolan (Warner Bros., ¡933). Harold Huber, unknowns, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Jack Roper, unknown, Wayne, George Chandler

NOTES: Filmed in 24 days from November ¡4 to December ¡6, ¡932, at the Warner Ranch in Burbank and locations at the Agoura Ranch, Pasadena Railroad Station and the Hollywood American Legion Hall on Highland Avenue. Negative cost of the film was $2¡5,000. Reported domestic rentals amounted to $242,000 with foreign rentals of an additional $¡94,000. Based on the play Sucker by Bertram Millhauser and Beulah Marie Dix. While in production the motion picture was known as Sucker. In ¡938, Warners remade the film as They Made Me a Criminal with John Garfield in the starring role. Director Archie Mayo (¡89¡–¡968), a New York City native, started in films as an extra in ¡9¡6. Preferring to work behind the camera, in ¡9¡8 he switched careers and became a director of two-reel

comedies. By ¡926 he had graduated to the direction of feature-length films, and in ¡932 signed an exclusive contract with Warners. Some of his more notable e›orts included The Sap (¡929), Svengali (¡93¡), The Man with Two Faces (¡934), The Petrified Forest (¡936), Black Legion (¡937), Four Sons (¡940), Orchestra Wives (¡942) and A Night in Casablanca (¡946). For six straight years, ¡938 to ¡943, Mickey Rooney was one of the top ten box o‡ce stars in the nation. He topped the charts from ¡939 through ¡94¡, proving to be a bigger attraction with the movie-going public than Clark Gable, Gary Cooper or Tyrone Power. Before entering films, Guy Kibbee (¡882–¡956), at the age of ¡3, worked on Mississippi riverboats, then progressed to the world of theater. After supporting roles in over 60 films, Kibbee retired

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The Lone Star Ranger

from the screen in ¡949, but not before appearing in two Wayne-Ford films, Fort Apache and Three Godfathers. The portly, kindly-looking actor also appeared in the well-remembered, 42nd Street (¡933), Babbitt (¡934), Captain Blood (¡935), Captain January (¡936), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (¡939) and The Horn Blows at Midnight (¡945). Kibbee, while working in Hollywood, lived on a ranch in Chatsworth, located just below the Iverson Ranch. Canadian-born Fifi D’Orsay (Yvonne Lussier, ¡904–83) came to films in the late ¡920s, from a stint in New York as a chorus girl and vaudeville performer. Her film debut was opposite Will Rogers in They Had to See Paris (¡929). The studio press department promoted the actress as a “hot” import from Paris with great sex

appeal. For five years she was typecast in roles which quickly became tiresome. Over the next three decades her work in motion pictures would be sparse as she followed other pursuits with greater challenges. The actress’ last film was Assignment to Kill (¡968). Jimmy Dolan, in a 7¡-minute version, opened for a one week engagement, on June ¡4, at the Rialto in New York. Performer salaries: Mickey Rooney, $300 a week; Arthur DeKuh, $500 a week; Shirley Grey, $400 a week; Dawn O’Day, $¡25 a week; Arthur Hohl, $600 a week; Farina Hopkins, $325 a week; Fifi D’Orsay, $¡000 a week; David Duran, $250 a week. Released in the United Kingdom with the title The Kid’s Last Fight. To publicize the film, the stars appeared on radio in a special ten-minute promotional.

The Lone Star Ranger January 5, ¡930. 64 minutes. George O’Brien, Sue Carol, Walter McGrail, Warren Hymer, Russell Simpson, Roy Stewart, Lee Shumway, Colin Chase, Richard Alexander, Joel Franz, Joe Rickson, Oliver Eckhardt, Caroline Rankin, Elizabeth Patterson, Billy Butts, Delmar Watson, William Steele, Bob Fleming, Ralph LeFevre, Ward Bond, Joe Chase, Roscoe Ates, Hank Bell, Willie Fung, Jane Keckley, Jack Perrin, Lon Po› . Fox. Presented by William Fox; Associate Producer James Kevin McGuiness; Director A.F. Erickson; Staged by A.H. Van Buren; Scenarist Seton Miller; Dialogue John Hunter Booth; Photography Daniel B. Clark; Editor Jack Murray; Recorder Barney Fredericks; Assistant Director Ewing Scott; Costumes Sophie Wachner REVIEWS: “A first-rate series of Westerns. Not to be confused with the low-budget, quickie programmers of the forties and fifties.” Shoot-Em-Ups (Les Adams & Buck Rainey, Arlington House, ¡978); “George O’Brien makes an impressive Buck Duane… [T]here’s plenty of the shooting here from the second reel on, with every sequence threatening the flight of lead.” Variety ( January ¡7, ¡930); “[T]he first all-talking series Western.” The

Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Phil Hardy, Overlook Press, ¡983); “An honest-togoodness all-talking Western melodrama, with thrills and suspense….” Harrison’s Reports ( January 25, ¡930) SYNOPSIS: Buck Daine (George O’Brien), having shot a man in self-defense, is accused of many crimes he did not commit. In order to prove his innocence, and hoping to win the approval of Mary Aldridge (Sue Carol), a girl from the East, he joins the Texas Rangers. He is assigned to round up a gang of cattle rustlers who are supported by the Bowery Kid (Warren Hymer), a New Yorker, and led by the girl’s father. NOTES : Partially filmed in Monument Valley with Wayne serving as a wrangler, stunt double and bit player. Due to their higher budgets (between $250,000 and $290,000) which a›orded the production company the opportunity to film at authentic locales, this George O’Brien Western and the series that followed were considered superior to the hundreds of B-films produced during the era. This was the first all-talking series Western. This film was based on the Zane Grey novel, The Lone Star Ranger, a Romance on the Border (¡9¡5). Holly-

The Lonely Trail wood would make the novel into a film four times (in ¡9¡9 with William Farnum; ¡923 with Tom Mix; and in ¡942). Grey (¡872– ¡939), a New York dentist who became “the people’s author,” started writing in ¡902. He turned to novels in ¡909, completing 89 books, of which 56 were stories of the West. The Lone Star Ranger was the ninth biggest-selling book of ¡9¡5. During the ten-year period between ¡9¡5 and ¡924 , Zane Grey books appeared in the top ten of best seller lists nine times, missing only in ¡9¡6. His biggest seller, Riders of the Purple Sage, has sold over ¡,600,000 copies in hard cover. By ¡9¡8 Hollywood had produced three motion pictures based on his Western novels. Since then, approximately ¡04 films have had their origins in Grey novels. From ¡956 through ¡960, the Zane Grey Western Theater enjoyed a ¡45-episode run on television. During a short film career that spanned ¡¡ years (from ¡927 through ¡937), female lead Sue Carol (¡907–82) appeared in 25 films. Her entire screen output was composed of modestly budgeted films that had a modicum of popularity in the nation’s smaller markets. After retiring, the former actress stayed in the “business” by becoming a well-known and successful talent agent. One of her discoveries, and her fourth husband, was Alan Ladd. Brooklyn-born Walter McGrail (¡888–¡970) acted in films from ¡9¡5 to ¡95¡. In 36 years he

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made appearances in over ¡30 motion pictures of every genre and in a variety of portrayals. Some of his films: Last of the Mohicans (¡932), The Green Hornet (¡939), My Little Chickadee (¡940) and The Grapes of Wrath (¡940). His other Wayne films were Men Without Women and Stagecoach. In a career that spanned five decades (¡909–53), supporting actor Lee Shumway (¡884–¡959), appeared in well over 240 motion pictures, the majority being BWesterns, mysteries and melodramas. Some of the Salt Lake City native’s more familiar films included Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (¡936), Charlie Chan at the Olympics (¡937), The Grapes of Wrath (¡940), I Wanted Wings (¡94¡), Henry Aldrich, Editor (¡942), The Lost Weekend (¡945), The Naked City (¡948) and Calamity Jane (¡953). Shumway also was featured in the Wayne Mesquiteer adventure The Night Riders and Ford’s The Long Voyage Home (¡940). The Western played at Loew’s New York Theater for only one day—January ¡7. It was released the same day as Universal’s Hell’s Heroes, the remake of the silent classic, Three Godfathers. The cast of Heroes was headlined by Charles Bickford, Raymond Hatton and Fred Kohler. Some of the B-Westerns released in January ¡930 included Parade of the West (Universal), starring Ken Maynard, and Firebrand Jones (National Players/Big 4), with Lane Chandler, Yakima Canutt and Cli› Lyons.

The Lonely Trail May 25, ¡936. 57 minutes. John Wayne, Ann Rutherford, Cy Kendall, Snowflake (Fred Toones), Etta McDaniel, Bob Kortman, Sam Flint, Yakima Canutt, Bob Burns, Lloyd Ingraham, Denny Meadows, Jim Toney, James Marcus, Rodney Hildebrand, Eugene Jackson, Floyd Shackelford, Jack Kirk, Glenn Strange, Jack Ingram, Bud Pope, Tex Phelps, Tracy Layne, Clyde Kenney, Leon Lord, Lafe McKee, Leon Lloyd, Clifton Young, Horace B. Carpenter, Charles King, Oscar Gahan, Francis Walker, Charles Bennett Republic. Producer Nat Levine; Supervisor Paul Malvern;

Director Joseph Kane; Original Story Bernard McConville; Adapted by Jack Natteford; Photography William Nobles; Editors Robert Jahns, Lester Orlebeck; Musical Supervisor Harry Grey; Sound Terry Kellum; Supervising Editor Murray Seldeen; Re-recording Roy Granville REVIEWS: “John Wayne essays straight acting with ease and understanding. [S]tory is interesting, particularly from the historical standpoint, and the direction and photography by Joseph Kane and William Nobles, respectively, are thoroughly adequate.” Film Daily

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The Lonely Trail

The Lonely Trail (Republic, ¡936). Unknown, Jim Toney, Wayne, Nina Mae McKinney, Ann Rutherford, Eugene Jackson, Charles Bennett, unknown, Leon Lloyd, Fred Toones, Horace B. Carpenter, unknowns, James Marcus

(November 3, ¡936); “Wayne is his usual goodlooking, erect-riding self but never impresses as being convinced of his role. On strength of its story and action, film should carry its portion of split programs.” Variety (October 28, ¡936); “Routine but well handled by director Joe Kane.” The Best (and Worst) of the West! (Boyd Magers) SYNOPSIS: Following the Civil War, an army of carpetbaggers descends on the South to control local government and law enforcement. In Texas, under the rule of Benedict Holden (Cy Kendall), mounted state troopers are organized. By a system of legalized murder, they terrorize the people to fill Holden’s pockets with confiscated greenbacks. The locals, bled dry by the war, harass the Yankee’s collection policy by bushwacking the murderous

troopers. The suspected leader of this insurrection is Dick Terry (Denny Meadows), and Holden is eager to capture him. Returning home from the war, Texan John Ashley ( John Wayne) and his friend Jed Callicut ( Jim Toney) receive no welcome from his former friends and neighbors. Ashley has fought for the Union, and his presence is yet another reminder of unwelcome Northern rule. The coldest reception of all is given by his former fiancée, Dick Terry’s sister Virginia (Ann Rutherford). The luckless Ashley also finds his farm in danger of being confiscated for the $4¡6 in taxes he has been assessed. When Ashley reports to Holden, the carpetbagger tries to convince the newcomer that his Southern friends are lawbreakers. Jed and John quickly learn who the real lawbreakers are when they

The Lonely Trail see troopers executing prisoners before they can be brought to a hearing. When Ashley realizes the trouble in which his friends are embroiled, he and Jed enlist as troopers. He is able to warn some of the ranchers to hide their valuables and livestock before the troopers can confiscate them, but he comes under the suspicion of Hayes (Bob Kortman), hard-hitting captain of the troops. As a test, Holden and Hayes order Ashley to capture Dick Terry . When John is unable to convince his former friend to flee in time, he and Jed prevent Terry’s murder by turning on the troopers. Holden tracks down the duo, capturing them at Terry’s tavern, headquarters of the rebels. John and Jed are imprisoned in typical Holden fashion—with the possibility of escaping into the gunfire of hidden snipers. Holden is surprised by a visit from the Governor (Sam Flint), who insists on answers to the many charges of the citizens. The smooth-talking villain almost convinces the Governor of his innocence when John and Jed burst into the o‡ce. They reveal the carpetbagger’s murderous practices, producing Holden’s journal of the money he has stolen. Holden and Hayes escape into the night as the Texans, led by Dick and Virginia, storm the compound. In the confusion, the two villains are shot down by their own troopers. The state is freed of the parasites; John is free to make a new start with Virginia.—TAL NOTES : The third Wayne-Republic Western directed by Joseph Kane and filmed on location in Lone Pine from April ¡4 to April 20, ¡936. It was budgeted at $¡5,000, but the negative cost ended up being closer to $20,000. Wayne again received $¡750. The opening sequence is a compilation of stock footage from earlier Republic B-Westerns. Cyrus Willard Kendall (¡898–¡953) got his start in show business by performing on the stage of the Pasadena Playhouse. Between ¡920 and ¡949 he appeared in ¡6 of their productions. Weighing well over 200 pounds, the veteran of over ¡00 films began appearing in motion pictures in the mid–¡930s and was, for a short time, the voice of radio’s first Charlie Chan. Because of his size and demeanor, he was usually cast as the menacing bad guy. Although the prepon-

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derance of his performances were in B-Westerns, he did obtain work in several other films including, Calling All Marines (¡939), Angels Wash Their Faces (¡939), The Saint Takes Over (¡940), Andy Hardy Meets a Debutante (¡940), Tarzan’s New York Adventure (¡942), Laura (¡944), Wilson (¡944) and The Farmer’s Daughter (¡947). The actor also appeared with Wayne in King of the Pecos (¡936), The Sea Spoilers (¡936), A Lady Takes a Chance (¡943), Tall in the Saddle (¡944) and Without Reservations (¡946). In many of his 230-plus films, character actor Sam Flint (¡882–¡980) played the role of judge, lawyer, military o‡cer, senator, sheri›, chief of police or doctor. The Georgia native had a very active screen career for 30 years (¡933–63), while also making his mark in early television Westerns. Flint was active in the serials of the ’40s playing an army colonel in Fighting Devil Dogs (¡938); an admiral in Spy Smasher (¡942); a government o‡cial in The Masked Marvel (¡943); and a doctor in Batman (¡943). During the dawn of the television age, he was a frequent guest star on The Gene Autry Show, The Roy Rogers Show, Annie Oakley, The Lone Ranger, Wild Bill Hickok, Hopalong Cassidy and The Range Rider. Another character actor with more than 200 film credits was Lafayette (Lafe) S. McKee (¡872–¡959) of Illinois. He entered the world of filmmaking in the teens when he was already over 40 years old. With a mane of white hair he perfectly fit the role of respected town citizen, sheri›, judge, banker, cavalry o‡cer or father of the heroine. By the ¡920s McKee was averaging over nine films a year, the majority being Westerns with such comic book titles as Blazing Arrows (¡922), Blood Test (¡923), Western Grit (¡924), Rainbow Rangers (¡924), Hard Hittin’ Hamilton (¡924) and Bringin’ Home the Bacon (¡924). McKee worked with Wayne in at least ¡¡ films including Ride Him Cowboy, The Big Stampede, Telegraph Trail, Man from Monterey, Riders of Destiny, West of the Divide, Blue Steel, Man from Utah, Rainbow Valley and Desert Trail. As an episode of the Three Mesquiteer series with Tom Tyler, Bob Steele and Rufe Davis, Republic remade the film in ¡94¡ under the title West of Cimarron.

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The Long Voyage Home

The Long Voyage Home October 8, ¡940. ¡03–¡05 minutes. John Wayne, Thomas Mitchell, Ian Hunter, Barry Fitzgerald, Wilfrid Lawson, Mildred Natwick, John Qualen, Ward Bond, Arthur Shields, Joseph Sawyer, J.M. Kerrigan, Rafaela Ottiano, Carmen Morales, Douglas Walton, Billy Bevan, Cyril McLaglen, Jack Pennick, David Hughes, Robert E. Perry, Constantin Romano›, Dan Borzage, Harry Tenbrook, Carmen D’Antonio, Harry Woods, Edgar “Blue” Washington, Lionel Pape, Jane Crowley, Maureen Roden-Ryan, Arthur Miles, Tina Menard, Judith Linden, Elena Martinez, Lita Cortez, Soledad Gonzales, James Flavin, Lee Shumway, Wyndham Standing, Lowell Drew, Sammy Stein, Constantine Frenke. United Artists. An Argosy Production. Director John Ford; Producer Walter Wanger; Screenplay Dudley Nichols; Photography Gregg Toland; Music Richard Hageman; Music Director Edward Paul; Editor Sherman Todd; Art Director James Basevi; Set Director Julia Heron; Sound Editor Robert Parrish; Special E›ects Ray Binger, R.T. Layton; Assistant Director Wingate Smith REVIEWS: “Wayne’s handling of the role of Ole completely e›aces the usual strength and stubbornness of his screen personality….” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, A.S. Barnes, ¡976); “[A] stark and tough-fibered motion picture which tells with lean economy the never-ending story of man’s wanderings over the waters of the world in search of peace for his soul.” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, October 9, ¡940); “Picture is typically Fordian, his direction accentuating characterizations and adventures of the voyage to highest pitch of realism…. Wayne’s role is submerged among the sailor characters….” Variety (October 8, ¡940); “One of the best films of ¡940.” Duke: The Story of John Wayne (Mike Tomkies, Henry Regnery Co., ¡97¡); “[O]ne of the loveliest looking films Ford ever put his hand to.” Shooting Star (Maurice Zolotow, Simon & Shuster, ¡974); “In its gloomy view of men isolated from the warmth of true community, [it] relates to Ford’s ‘island’ films and

describes, as they do, the desperate pugnacity and humour which hides the desperation its isolated individuals feel. Its performances are also of high quality….” The Cinema of John Ford ( John Baxter, A.S. Barnes, ¡97¡); “One of Wayne’s most unusual and convincing roles.” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974); “[V ]ery consciously artistic….” John Ford (Peter Bogdanovich, University of California Press, ¡968); “Best sea story since Mutiny on the Bounty.” Louella Parsons; **** (Highest Rating) New York Daily News (October 9, ¡940) SYNOPSIS: Men who live on the sea never change. They live apart in a lonely world, moving from one rusty tramp steamer to another. The crew of the Glencairn, dropouts, misfits and drifters, cling together under the leadership of Driscoll and Yank. Brawling, boozing, chasing women, they are convinced that they will eventually leave the sea and the steamers. They are mistaken. Only the philosophical Donkeyman (Arthur Shields) has accepted his fate. He never goes ashore, signs on immediately at the end of each voyage, and then waits for the others to drift back. On its present voyage, the Glencairn anchors in the Caribbean where the crew engages in a free-for-all involving rum and island ladies, then stops in the U.S. to take on cargo of explosives to be delivered to London. The tensions and dangers of traveling through the war zone reveal the futility and emptiness of the seamen’s lives. During a fierce storm, Yank (Ward Bond) is injured and dies, surrounded by his mates, recalling fights and women he has experienced around the world, but unable to recall a relation closer than a Cardi› barmaid who once loaned him money. In its wartime paranoia, the crew turn on Smitty (Ian Hunter), the alcoholic loner whom they accuse of being a German spy. They seize him and search his belongings while Smitty, bound and gagged, struggles desperately to prevent the crew from reading his letters. Drisc (Thomas Mitchell) reads them aloud, and Smitty’s secret comes out. Having lost a Royal Navy commission to alcoholism, he has left his family to spare them

The Long Voyage Home

The Long Voyage Home (United Artists, ¡940). John Wayne, Rafaela Ottiano

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further disgrace. Once his secret is known and his repentant shipmates accept him, Smitty gains back a measure of self-respect before he is killed by a strafing plane. As his widow and children meet the ship in London, Swede Axel Swanson ( John Qualen) sadly declares, “Smitty’s gone home.” Safely in port, the crew determines to help Ole Olsen ( John Wayne), a gentle giant of a man, to return to his mother’s farm in Stockholm. Unable to make such a decision for themselves, the men kid the good-natured Ole about his plans. Axel, his self-imposed guardian, declares what they all feel: “You don’t make fun of Ole. He go home. You got no home. I got no home. But Ole—he got a home.” After purchasing a steamship ticket for Olsen, the crew gets sidelined in a seedy pub. While his mates are getting drunk, Ole is drugged and shanghaied aboard the devil ship Amindra. Drisc leads the crew in a valiant rescue bid. They get Ole safely aboard his ship for Sweden, but Drisc is taken prisoner in his place on the Amindra. In the gray light of morning, money gone and drink dissipated, the crew drift back to the Glencairn. As they file past Donkeyman, they sadly reveal that Drisc has sailed on the other ship. Silently Donkeyman throws a newspaper over the side of the Glencairn, a paper whose headline proclaims, “Amindra torpedoed.”—TAL NOTES: Budgeted at $675,000, the negative cost of the production came in at $682,495. Despite much critical acclaim, the film reported rentals of only $580,¡29 which represented a loss of $224,336. Subsequent reissues would bring the production into the black. In production from April ¡8 to May 27, ¡940, at the Samuel Goldwyn Studios and the Port of Wilmington. Based upon four short plays by Eugene O’Neill, The Moon of the Caribees, In the Zone, Bound East for Cardi› and The Long Voyage Home. Gregg Toland (¡904–48), was one of the most innovative cinematographers of the late ’30s and early ’40s. In a career that began in ¡926 with the horror film The Bat, Toland repeatedly stretched the limits of photography. As he continued to experiment with angles, shadows and lighting, he shot many memorable films including Dead End (¡937), The Cowboy and the Lady (¡938), Wuthering Heights (¡939), The Grapes of Wrath

(¡940), The Westerner (¡940), Citizen Kane (¡94¡), Ball of Fire (¡94¡) and The Best Years of Our Lives (¡946). South African–born Ian Hunter (¡900–75) served in the British Army during both World Wars. For ten years, until he left for Hollywood in ¡934, he alternated between roles on the stage and cinema in London. In ¡938 he played the role of King Richard the Lion Hearted in The Adventures of Robin Hood (Warners), and a year later was featured in MGM’s Tarzan Finds a Son. Before returning to England to sign up for military service, Hunter also appeared in, Gallant Sons (¡940), Billy the Kid (¡94¡), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (¡94¡) and A Yank at Eton (¡942). His last screen appearance was 20 years later in Guns of Darkness (¡962). This would be English actor’s Wilfrid Lawson’s (¡900–66) second film with Wayne, the first being Allegheny Uprising. Starting on the London stage, the actor entered films in the late ¡920s. He played Doolittle in George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion (¡938). Alternating between Hollywood and London, he would continue to make films until his death. The Long Voyage Home would mark Bryn Mawr graduate Mildred Natwick’s (¡905–94) film debut. Born in Baltimore, the likable character actress would start on Broadway in ¡932, then eight years later make a successful transition to the screen. Over the course of her career, which encompassed 24 films and a dozen plays, she would be nominated for two Tony Awards and one Oscar (for her role in the ¡967 comedy Barefoot in the Park). John Ford was so entranced by the actress’ ability, he found roles for her in Three Godfathers, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and The Quiet Man. Some of her other films included The Enchanted Cottage (¡945), The Kissing Bandit (¡948), Cheaper By the Dozen (¡950), The Court Jester (¡956) and Peter Bogdanovich’s Daisy Miller (¡974). Seventh-billed John Qualen (born John Oleson, ¡899–¡987), of Norwegian descent, appeared in over ¡20 films, often as a foreigner or rural type. Leaving his home in British Columbia in the late ¡920s, he came to Broadway and worked in the stage productions Street Scene and Counselor-at-Law. When the plays were sold to Hollywood, he reprised his roles on the big screen. The tall, thin actor worked with John Ford for the first time in Arrowsmith, and

The Longest Day also appeared in The Farmer Takes a Wife, The Three Musketeers, The Road to Glory, Tortilla Flats, Adventure and Hans Christian Andersen. He was also in the Wayne films Shepherd of the Hills, The High and the Mighty, The Searchers, North to Alaska, The Comancheros, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and The Sons of Katie Elder. His last film, released in ¡973, was Frasier the Sensuous Lion. Other motion pic-

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tures that opened during the same period were Knute Rockne—All American starring Pat O’Brien in the title role and Ronald Reagan as the Gipper, George Gipp; They Knew What They Wanted, an RKO release starring Carole Lombard and Charles Laughton; and the RKO B-Western Triple Justice with George O’Brien. The film was reissued during the ¡948-49 season as part of a double bill with Stagecoach.

The Longest Day October 3, ¡962. ¡80 minutes. John Wayne, Eddie Albert, Paul Anka, Arletty, Jean-Louis Barrault, Richard Beymer, Bourvil, Richard Burton, Red Buttons, Sean Connery, Ray Danton, Irina Demich, Fabian, Mel Ferrer, Henry Fonda, Steve Forrest, Gert Frobe, Leo Genn, Henry Grace, John Gregson, Paul Hartmann, Werner Hinz, Je›rey Hunter, Curt Jurgens, Alexander Knox, Peter Lawford, Christian Marquand, Roddy McDowall, Sal Mineo, Robert Mitchum, Kenneth More, Edmond O’Brien, Ron Randell, Madeline Renaud, Robert Ryan, Tommy Sands, Rod Steiger, Richard Todd, Tom Tryon, Peter Van Eyck, Robert Wagner, Stuart Whitman, Michael Medwin, Norman Rossington, John Robinson, Patrick Barr, Leslie Phillips, Donald Houston, Frank Finlay, Lyndon Mounier, Sian Phillips, Howard Marion Crawford, Richard Wattis, Georges Wilson, Fernand LeDoux, Hans Christian Blech, Wolfgang Preiss, Heinz Reincke, Richard Munch, Ernst Schroeder, Kurt Meisel, Heinz Spitzner, Robert Freytag, Wolfgang Luckschy, Til Kiwe, Wolfgang Buttner, Ruth Hausmeister, Michael Hinz, Paul Roth, Hartmut Rock, Karl John, Dietmar Schonherr, Reiner Penkert, Kurt Pecher, Serge Tolstoy, Eugene Deckers, Mark Damon, Dewey Martin, John Crawford, Nicholas Stuart, John Meillon, Jack Hedley, Fred Dur, George Segal, Georges Riviere, Jean Servais, Maurice Poli, Alice Tissot, Jo D’Avray, Bill Nagy, Harold Goodwin, Michael Beint, Harry Fowler, Peter Helm, Pauline Carton, Neil McCallum, Christopher Lee, Chuck

Roberson. 20th Century–Fox. Producer Darryl F. Zanuck; Directors Ken Annakin (British exteriors), Andrew Marton (American exteriors), Bernhard Wicki (German episodes), Darryl F. Zanuck (American interiors), Gerd Oswald (parachute drops); Screenplay Cornelius Ryan, based on his book; Additional Episodes Romain Gary, Jack Jones, David Pursall, Jack Seddon; Photography Jean Burgoin, Henri Persin, Walter Wottitz, Guy Tabary, Pierre Levent; Helicopter Shots Guy Tabary; Art Directors Ted Haworth, Leon Barsacq, Vincent Korda; Editor Samuel E. Beetley; Music Maurice Jarre; Thematic Music Paul Anka; Arrangements Mitch Miller; Coordinator of Battle Episodes and Associate Producer Elmo Williams; Sound Jo De Bretagne, Jacques Maumont, William Sivel; Assistant Directors Bernard Farrel, Louis Pitzele, Gerard Renateau, Henri Sokal REVIEWS: “[A]t every opportunity the screen is cluttered with low-comedy Krauts and G.I. jokers. Such tricks may be good show business but they are also bad history and bad taste. They often insult the intelligence and sometimes insult the dead.” Time Magazine (October ¡9, ¡962); “A solid and stunning war epic…. The savage fury and sound of war is caught on film…. Some, however, loom larger than others in the story. Therefore … special pats are due to John Wayne, Robert Mitchum and to Red Buttons…” Variety (October 3, ¡962); “All the massive organization of that most salient invasion of World War II … all the courage and sacrifice involved, are strongly and stalwartly suggested in the

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The Longest Day

mighty mosaic of episodes and battle-actioned details that are packed into this film….” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, October 5, ¡962); “The Longest Day became the quintessential war film because of the authenticity of the battle scenes, but even more so because Zanuck followed the lead of Cornelius Ryan and focused on men before, during, and after battle. … [M]ost of the characters are human in their fears, pride, courage, and misery.” Guts and Glory: Great American War Movies (Lawrence H. Suid, Addison-Wesley, ¡978); “[It was] a mistake to cast John Wayne as the paratroop colonel. When Wayne calls ‘Move out’ to his men, he wipes out Normandy in a flash and takes us back to a dozen of his wars against the Apaches….” The New Republic (Stanley Kaufmann, November ¡0, ¡962); “[A] highly impressive account of the D-Day operations…. The beach battle scenes are magnificent and chilling, a glider landing in the dark is tension-filled, and the battle of troops of the 82nd Airborne Division for St. Mere Eglise has remarkable authenticity.” Saturday Review (Hollis Alpert, October 20, ¡962); “An impressive experience … to a high degree a brilliantly organized historical account of the actuality of the Normandy invasion.” The New York Herald Tribune (Paul V. Beckley, October 5, ¡962) SYNOPSIS: In ¡944, General Dwight D. Eisenhower (Henry Grace) makes the momentous decision that the combined Allied invasion of Europe will take place on the sixth of June. In the occupied French town of Ste. Mere Eglise, the parish priest promises his congregation, “For each of us, deliverance is coming.” Far across the English Channel, in one of the ¡,¡08 Allied camps in Britain, a frustrated Lt.-Col. Benjamin Vandervoort ( John Wayne) of the 82nd Airborne Division waits for deliverance from one of the worst rainstorms in 20 years. “Sometimes I wonder which side God is on,” he mutters to his superior, Brigadier General James Gavin (Robert Ryan), on this very rainy June 5. Van expresses his concern over the placement of the drop zones for the imminent invasion. If his paratroops overshoot their mark, they will be lost in the flooded areas around Ste. Mere Eglise; if they undershoot, it means coming down in

the town itself. Gavin sympathizes over the uncertainties involved but stresses that the town, straddling the only road the Germans could use to drive into the Allied northern flank, must be taken and must be held. That evening the green light is given for the invasion of Normandy. Putting his fears behind him, Van counts on the readiness of his troops. “Send ’em to hell!” he instructs his eager division. Over the drop zone his worst fears are realized. His parachuting soldiers are scattered by air currents and divided by darkness. Vandervoort himself su›ers a compound fracture in his landing, five miles from the drop zone. Using his rifle as a crutch he begins to collect his scattered troops. With daylight the force is able to direct its movement north by east towards Ste. Mere Eglise. Van is able to give his leg a rest by riding atop an ammo litter. Lt. Sheen (Stuart Whitman) finds the main body under Vandervoort and reports what he has witnessed at the town. The northern part of it is held by the Americans, purchased with the blood of the F Company paratroops who landed under fire right in the middle of town. The Germans, on a nearby hill, are giving the troops a pounding. Van leads his force to relieve the besieged town. On arrival he is met with the grim sight of F Company corpses hanging in their chutes which had become entangled in trees and buildings. He vows to hold the town, “for their sake, if for no other reason.” Broken ankle and all, he presses the attack on the Germans.—TAL NOTES: Filmed in Europe from June ¡96¡ to March ¡962 at the following locations: Saleccia Beach, Corsica and the Pointe du Hoc and Ile de Re areas of Normandy in France. Wayne’s scenes were shot in four days in February ¡962 in a studio outside of Paris. The actor was paid $250,000. No other performer was paid more than $25,000. Budgeted at $8,000,000, then $8,500,000, the actual negative cost came to $9,800,000. It was the most expensive black-and-white motion picture filmed to that date. Fox’s share of the budget was $7,750,000. Expenses included $¡75,000 for the screen rights; close to $800,000 for fuel for the various military vehicles and vessels utilized; $960,000 for transportation; and $800,000 for commissary to feed the actors and

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crews. Military cooperation was extensive: 23,000 British, French and American soldiers, sailors and airmen, and elements of the U.S. Sixth Fleet, were involved in the production. Approximately 500,000 rounds of blank ammunition were utilized, as were 60 World War II landing craft, rebuilt gliders, Spitfires and Messerschmidts. For the planes that had to be built from scratch, Rolls Royce was hired to build new engines. The film company shot over 360,000 feet of film, which came to 66 hours. World premiere held in Paris on September 26, ¡962. The film earned domestic rentals of $¡7,600,000 and just over $25,000,000 in rentals from the rest of the world. The initial box The Longest Day (Fox, ¡962). Steve Forrest, John Wayne o‡ce gross (exceeding $¡00,000,000) Golden Globe for best b&w cinematography. saved Fox from possible bankruptcy due to the Producer Zanuck had originally sought Howdebacle of Cleopatra, which was the costliest ard Hawks to direct several of the American American movie to date. In Japan the film sequences. Reissued in ¡969 to commemorate earned rentals of $3,340,000 from a box o‡ce the twenty-fifth anniversary of D-Day, it again gross of over $¡0,000,000. Nominated for Best proved to be a resounding box o‡ce hit. First Picture of the year and four other Oscars, it did aired on network television on November ¡4, win two Academy Awards: Best Cinematog¡97¡ (ABC), it garnered a 42 percent share of raphy and Best Special E›ects. The National the viewing audience. Board of Review selected The Longest Day as the best picture of the year. It also won a

The Lucky Texan January 2¡, ¡934. 56 minutes. John Wayne, Barbara Sheldon, George Hayes, Lloyd Whitlock, Yakima Canutt, Gordon DeMain, Edward Parker, Earl Dwire, Tex Palmer, Jack Rockwell, Artie Ortego, Tex Phelps, George Morrell, John Ince, Wally Wales, Tommy Coats. Monogram. Producer Paul Malvern; Director Robert N. Bradbury; Original Story & Screenplay Robert N. Bradbury; Photography Archie Stout; Editor Carl Pierson; Music Lee Zahler; Technical Director E.R. Hickson; Recorder Dave Stoner REVIEWS: “[It’s] notable for the foreshadowing of the comedic talents of George Hayes,

heretofore utility man of the Indies, seen advantageously and prolifically in character roles and upon occasion a dash of skullduggery.” Hollywood Corral (Don Miller, Popular Library, ¡976); “John Wayne is starred in this, but George Hayes pretty well shares the interest and takes the acting honors…. Wayne does well enough in the lead.” Variety (February ¡3, ¡934); “Audiences that favor westerns will eat this one up, because it is full of pep…. The romance between Wayne and Sheldon … is small but adequate, as film introduces new stunts and thrills which winds up with a laugh surprise.” Film Daily ( January 6, ¡934); “This

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The Lucky Texan

The Lucky Texan (Monogram, ¡934). Earl Dwire, Wayne, Yakima Canutt, Lloyd Whitlock

Western saw Hayes for the first time play the comic side-kick role that he was to make his own for some twenty years.” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia (Phil Hardy, Overlook Press, ¡983) SYNOPSIS: Lady Luck smiles upon Jake Benson (George Hayes), a down-and-out rancher, and Jerry Mason ( John Wayne), the son of Jake’s old partner, when the duo discovers gold in a creek. Bringing their first nuggets into town, they seek out Harris (Lloyd Whitlock) and Cole (Yakima Canutt), local assayers who also dabble in villainy. After collecting $¡6 an ounce, the happy prospectors set out for more gold, leaving the avaricious assayers to ponder the whereabouts of the strike. “I wouldn’t mind having Old Man Benson’s ranch either,” muses Harris. Wishing to avoid attention about their strike, Jake and Jerry

hold o› on filing their claim. In the meantime, Jake’s granddaughter Betty (Barbara Sheldon) returns from college to become a welcome addition to the Benson ranch. When the prospectors fill a canteen full of nuggets, they return to town to cash in. While in the assayer’s o‡ce, Jake is fooled into signing what he thinks is a receipt but what is really a deed to the ranch. To add to Jake’s woes, he becomes the suspect of an assault on the banker when he is found in the bank o‡ce bending over the unconscious body. When Jake is taken to jail, Jerry does some investigating. It seems that the sheri› ’s son, Al (Ed Parker), is known to be in debt to Harris for a lot of money. When Al flashes a roll of bills which include a scrap of paper which belonged to Jake, Jerry realizes that he has found the man who robbed and attacked the banker. A fight in the street, fol-

Maker of Men lowed by a chase outside of town, leads to Al’s capture, a confession of the crime and Jake’s release. But trouble continues to pursue Jake. He is ambushed a few days later by Harris and Cole. Leaving Jake for dead, the villains try unsuccessfully to capture the burrow and find his nuggets. Friday, Benson’s dog, leads Jerry back to Jake, who is wounded but very much alive. When Jerry rides into town alone with the canteen of nuggets, he is accused by Harris and Cole of killing the old man for his gold. Jerry, keeping the prospector’s survival a secret, is arrested and brought to trial. Jake appears disguised as a woman. When the old man stumbles in the court, revealing his masculine legs, he also reveals the villainy of Harris and Cole. The evildoers flee the courtroom but are caught by the two prospectors and brought to justice. This leaves time for Jerry to turn to the gentler pursuit of marrying Betty.—TAL NOTES : The third Wayne–Lone Star Western for Monogram. Filmed at Monogram and on locales in the Antelope Valley. Budget was slightly less than $¡3,000 with Wayne receiving a salary of $625 a week (or $¡250). Yakima Canutt not only had a supporting role as a villain, but doubled Lloyd Whitlock, the other “bad guy,” and performed stunts for Wayne. While doubling for Wayne, perform-

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ing a rear jump mounting a horse, Canutt’s pronounced bald spot could be seen, leading many young moviegoers to write to the studio questioning the star’s virility. Character actor Earl Dwire (¡884–¡940), had a face that was made for playing evildoers. He was a steady adversary for many heroes of the B-Western genre. Between ¡932 and ¡939 he averaged over ¡5 screen appearances a year, making life miserable for Wayne, Bob Steele, Tex Ritter, Tom Tyler, Hopalong Cassidy and Wild Bill Elliott. Dwire also managed to find the time to appear in several big-budget films and serials. Lead actress Barbara Sheldon’s career consisted of only two films, this Wayne B-Western and Flying Down to Rio (¡933). Bit player, extra, member of the posse, henchman, townsman and cowhand, San Jose, California–born Artie Ortega (¡890–¡960) blended into well over 200 films. Between ¡9¡2 and ¡955, a span of 43 years, he often appeared in up to ten BWesterns a year. His other Wayne films included The Trail Beyond, The Man from Utah, Randy Rides Alone, The Star Packer, Lawless Frontier, ’Neath the Arizona Skies, Rainbow Valley and Stagecoach. The film was reissued by Republic on December ¡0, ¡939, and again in ¡948.

Maker of Men December ¡8, ¡93¡. 67–7¡ minutes. Jack Holt, Richard Cromwell, Joan Marsh, Robert Alden, John Wayne, Walter Catlett, Natalie Moorhead, Ethel Wales, Richard Tucker, Mike McKay, Joe Sawyer, Ward Bond, Larry “Buster” Crabbe. Columbia. Director Edward Sedgwick; Writers Howard J. Green, Edward Sedgwick; Photography L. William McConnell; Editor Gene Milford; Recording Engineer Glenn Rominger; Assistant Director David Selman REVIEWS: “Human little story of father and son in college setting with plenty of football atmosphere. With clever direction by Edward Sedgwick, this one has been built up into

a very human father and son story….” Film Daily (December 20, ¡93¡); “Columbia o›ers its contribution to the screened football dramas of the current season…” Motion Picture Herald (December 26, ¡93¡); “Done here with a heavy hand and highly implausible…. Di‡cult to see where this film will appeal to any but the most juvenile of audiences.” Variety (December 22, ¡93¡) SYNOPSIS: The football team at Western University has done poorly the past two years. The bad showing has dimmed the reputation of coach “Uncle” Dudley ( Jack Holt). When his son Bob (Richard Cromwell) enrolls, Dudley automatically makes him a first stringer. To

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Maker of Men

Maker of Men (Columbia, ¡932). Wayne (seated left center, head bowed); Jack Holt (standing); Ward Bond (seated right center).

the coach, nothing is more important than football, and now he is preoccupied with placing Bob in the headlines. Bob is no fan of the game and dislikes the physical hardships, feelings he tries to hide from his father. Bob has a keen knowledge of the game, but is only a mediocre player because of his fear of injuries. The team continues to fare badly. The school’s alumni, furious about the losses, scheme to break Dudley’s contract. When Bob loses his nerve before the big game against Monroe, he asks the coach if he can quit. Bob’s teammates, including the athletic and popular Dusty ( John Wayne), inspired by the coach, brand him a coward. Bob is forced to play and his blunders help lose the game. Dudley expels him from the team and Bob’s girl, Dorothy ( Joan Marsh), turns against him because she thinks he is a quitter. The shame of his treat.

ment on the campus is the worst punishment of all, and the boy suddenly develops backbone. After a father-son confrontation in which Bob accuses Dudley of never being a parent to him, Bob leaves Western. Dudley is stung by his son’s words and worries that he may be a failure as a father. Bob enrolls at Monroe and joins their football team. Two years later he returns to Western to play his former teammates in a game that will determine Dudley’s future as Western coach. Bob’s skillful playing brings about a Monroe victory, though the boy is hammered on the final play. Dudley goes to see his son while he is being tended by the doctor. The coach’s own defeat is diminished by the fatherly pride over his son’s display of courage. This maker of men has become a father again.—TAL NOTES: Filmed from October 6 to Octo-

Maker of Men ber 26, ¡93¡. Wayne was being paid $350 a week by Columbia. In this film, Wayne and Bond repeated their real life football roles in college by playing members of the same football team. Filmed under the working title Yellow. Director Edward Sedgwick (¡892–¡953), a Texas native whose career in entertainment lasted 54 years, began performing with his family as one of the five Sedgwicks, a vaudeville group. He switched to screen acting in ¡9¡3, and by ¡92¡, after two dozen less-thanmemorable films, decided to try his hand on the other side of the camera, becoming a director of Westerns and comedies. He helmed films starring Buster Keaton, Tom Mix and Hoot Gibson. Throughout the ¡930s he was busy shooting dozens of low-budget entries. Later credits included Air Raid Wardens (¡943), A Southern Yankee (¡948) and Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm (¡95¡). At the time of his death, he was serving as an executive at Desilu Productions. Lead actor Jack Holt (¡888–¡95¡) developed his demeanor and bearing by attending the Virginia Military Institute (VMI). He broke into films in ¡9¡3 as the villain in dozens of one- and two-reel adventures, and appeared in one of the biggest movies of the decade, The Squaw Man (¡9¡8). Refusing to be restricted to one genre, he accepted almost anything o›ered to him including roles in Columbia’s Submarine (¡928), Shirley Temple’s The Littlest Rebel (¡935) and Gable’s San Francisco (¡936). Holt served in the Army during World War II and was discharged with the rank of major. In a career which spanned almost 40 years, the veteran of over ¡00 films also appeared in the blockbusters The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (¡948) with Bogart and Across the Wide Missouri (¡95¡) with Clark Gable. His children, Tim, David and Jennifer Holt became film personalities in dozens of BWesterns and several A-productions. Brooklyn-born Richard Tucker (¡869–¡942) appeared

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in well over ¡00 motion pictures. Throughout the silent era he played leading roles, but with the transition to sound he was forced to accept character parts. Beginning his career as a stage actor, Tucker moved to films and the Edison Company in ¡9¡3. Some of his more popular pictures were Cameo Kirby (¡923), Beau Brummel (¡924), The Air Mail (¡925), The Jazz Singer (¡927), The Squall (¡929), The Bat Whispers (¡930), Pack Up Your Troubles (¡932), Baby Take a Bow (¡934), Something to Sing About (¡937), The Texans (¡938) and The Great Victor Herbert (¡939). Before becoming a screen actor, Walter Catlett (¡889–¡960) performed in vaudeville and opera. Almost his entire cinema career (35 years from ¡922 to ¡957) consisted of roles as a comic character actor. The veteran of over 80 motion pictures appeared in mostly B-films, but there were several major productions including The Golden Calf (¡930), The Front Page (¡93¡), A Tale of Two Cities (¡935), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (¡936), Bringing Up Baby (¡938), Yankee Doodle Dandy (¡942), Friendly Persuasion (¡956) and Beau James (¡957). Canadian-born character actor Joe Sawyer (¡906–82) worked in films from ¡927 to ¡962. In many of his 200-plus films, he was cast in the role of a sergeant or coach, but achieved his greatest fame as Sgt. Aloysius “Bi› ” O’Hara in the children’s television series The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. Sawyer also appeared in the Wayne films College Coach, Dark Command, The Long Voyage Home, North to Alaska and How the West Was Won. Billed as the Christmas attraction, Maker of Men debuted at the Roxy Theater in New York on December ¡8, ¡93¡. Seven days later, in an abbreviated 67-minute version, the film was released nationally. During the Christmas season of ¡93¡, MGM released its lavish sophisticated comedy Private Lives with a large cast headed by Norma Shearer and Robert Montgomery.

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A Man Betrayed

A Man Betrayed February 27, ¡94¡. 83 minutes. John Wayne, Frances Dee, Edward Ellis, Wallace Ford, Ward Bond, Harold Huber, Alexander Granach, Barnett Parker, Ed Stanley, Tim Ryan, Harry Hayden, Russell Hicks, Pierre Watkin, Ferris Taylor, Raymond Bailey, Mary Bovard, Lynton Brent, Blackie Whiteford, Jack Roper, Tris Co‡n, Maurice Costello, Joseph Crehan, Roy Darmour, Joe Devlin, Eddie Dew, Betty Farrington, Eddie Fetherston, Lloyd Ingraham, Patricia Knox, Jack Lescoulie, Carey Loftin, Frank O’Connor, Leona Roberts, Bob Saenz, Tom Steele, Harry Strang, Charles Sullivan, Minerva Urecal, Bud Wolfe, Theodore Lorch. Republic. Director John H. Auer; Associate Producer Armand Schaefer; Screenplay Isabel Dawn; Original Story Jack Mo‡tt; Adaptation Tom Kilpatrick; Production Manager Al Wilson; Photography Jack Marta; Supervising Editor Murray Seldeen; Editor Charles Craft; Assistant Director George Webster; Art Director John Victor McKay; Musical Director Cy Feuer; Gowns Gwen Wakeling REVIEWS: “The Messrs. Ellis and Wayne, as well as Frances Dee, who provides the love interest, give exceptionally good performances with the material at hand…” The New York Times (T.M.P., March 27, ¡94¡); “Republic has given this picture a fine production—the sets are lavish, the performers competent, and the direction adequate. But it falls down as far as the story is concerned.” Harrison’s Reports (March 29, ¡94¡); “[A] loosely-written overlength drama… John Wayne will have to carry burden of attracting customers.” Variety (Walt, March ¡2, ¡94¡); “[H]ardly a milestone in Republic’s march forward. Although the players try hard, they are held back by the story. There are names to sell, but word-of-mouth will hold this down to the bottom dual notch in the firstruns, while in the later situations it will have to battle for any top-spotting it may get.” Motion Picture Herald SYNOPSIS: Lynn Hollister ( John Wayne), a fledgling lawyer from a flyspeck of a town called Spring Valley, travels to Temple City to

investigate the death of a friend. Johnny Smith, a young man with much to live for, died from a bullet wound shortly after leaving Club Inferno. Boss Cameron (Edward Ellis), who prides himself on running his town with ballots instead of bullets, covers up the crime by having it declared a suicide. Since the powerful politician seems to have taken an interest in the case, he is quickly visited by the young lawyer. At the Cameron residence, Lynn is derailed by the boss’ lovely daughter, Sabra (Frances Dee). Having just returned from three years of schooling, Sabra assures her father that she can keep the hick lawyer from causing him any trouble. She invites Lynn out on the town and he suggests Club Inferno, where he confirms his suspicions that proprietor T. Amato (Alexander Granach) and his simple brother Floyd (Ward Bond) may have something to do with the Johnny’s death. With the upcoming ward elections important for his hold on the city, Boss Cameron passes over T. Amato and hands the political o‡ce to another henchman, Morris Slade (Harold Huber). An angry Amato determines to defeat the Cameron machine by importing voters for his own election. Seeing a chance to stay close to Cameron and to his charming daughter (with whom he is falling in love), Lynn stays involved in the elections and witnesses the political boss’ brand of fraud and vote tampering. Lynn unearths an old Civil War statute which allows the fraudulent voters and thugs to be held without bail. He and prosecutor Pringle (Russell Hicks) collect the racketeers, who quickly begin singing. As the specter of election fraud hovers over Boss Cameron, he witnesses the desertion of his friends in high o‡ce. Though Sabra has suspected her father of unsavory tactics, she remains fiercely loyal to him and rejects Lynn. The lawyer, following clues which lead back to the Club Inferno, corners Floyd Amato and forces a confession: Amato reveals that he and Slade were responsible for murdering Johnny before he could cause any problems over the loaded dice used at the Club’s gambling tables. Cameron, stunned that a young lawyer could

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A Man Betrayed (Republic, ¡94¡). John Wayne, Frances Dee

topple an empire which took years to build, gives himself up and confesses his guilt. He cooperates with authorities in cleaning up the city, reveals the truth about Johnny’s death and is granted parole at Lynn’s pleading. Both father and daughter decide to build a new life in Spring Valley and bring Lynn into the family.—TAL NOTES: This was a remake of Republic’s ¡936 A Man Betrayed, which was also directed by Auer. Re-released by Republic in ¡953 and again in ¡956. Filmed under the working title Citadel of Crime from January 3 to 30, ¡94¡. The original script, dated August 9, ¡940, was titled Gangs of Kansas City. Budgeted at $250,000, the film was released to television under the title Wheel of Fortune. Ona Munson, of Gone with the Wind fame, was the first choice for the female lead. Other actresses

mentioned for the lead were Ellen Drew and Patricia Morison, both at the time under contract to Paramount. Republic paid Wayne $¡8,000 for his acting services. Director John H. Auer (¡906–75) born in Hungary, educated in Austria, was a child actor in European films before migrating to the United States and Hollywood in ¡928. Unable to find regular work at the studios, he went south of the border and became famous directing Mexican films. Returning to Los Angeles in ¡935, he was kept busy as director and occasional producer of dozens of B-films including Circus Girl (¡937), I Stand Accused (¡938), Calling All Marines (¡939), Hit Parade of ¡94¡ (¡940), Beat the Band (¡947), Thunderbirds (¡952) and Johnny Trouble (¡957). Los Angeles native Frances Dee (¡907–2004) married Western great Joel McCrea in ¡933 after they met working on the

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The Man from Monterey

feature The Silver Cord. Starting in films as an extra in the late ¡920s, Dee was co-starring with Maurice Chevalier in Playboy of Paris by the ¡930s. She appeared in several notable films during the ¡930s and ¡940s including If I Had a Million (¡932), King of the Jungle (¡933), Little Women (¡933), Of Human Bondage (¡934), Becky Sharp (¡935), Wells Fargo (¡937 with her husband), I Walked with a Zombie (¡943) and Four Faces West (¡948). During the ¡950s she appeared in only four films; she retired from the screen after completing her acting assignment in Gypsy Colt (¡954). English-born Wallace Ford (¡898–¡966) starred

on Broadway for over five years, then departed for Hollywood in ¡930. Between ¡930 and ¡965 he appeared in over ¡00 motion pictures, often of the B-type but also several A-productions, in character or supporting roles. Among his many noteworthy films, Ford was featured in The Lost Patrol (¡934), The Informer (¡935), The Mummy’s Hand (¡940), All Through the Night (¡942), The Mummy’s Tomb (¡942), The Cross of Lorraine (¡943), Spellbound (¡945), The Breaking Point (¡950), Harvey (¡950), The Man from Laramie (¡955), The Rainmaker (¡956), The Last Hurrah (¡958) and A Patch of Blue (¡965).

The Man from Monterey August ¡6, ¡933. 56–57 minutes. John Wayne, Ruth Hall, Nena Quartaro, Luis Alberni, Francis Ford, Donald Reed, Lillian Leighton, Lafe McKee, Charles Whitaker, Frank Ellis, Tom London, Chris-Pin Martin, Jim Corey, Bud McClure. Warner Bros. Producer Leon Schlesinger; Director Mack V. Wright; Screenplay & Dialogue Lesley Mason; Photography Ted McCord; Film Editors William B. Clemens, Thomas Pratt; Associate Producer Sid Rogell; Musical Score Leo F. Forbstein REVIEWS: “Colorful Western of old California packs plenty of thrills and fast action. John Wayne has a fat part as the U.S. captain….” Film Daily (August ¡6, ¡933); “More production money yields a better produced yarn, and the scenarist has kept this story moving at speed. Weak point is the dialog, frequently flat… Some of the players, including John Wayne, a bit ill at ease in the Spanish costumes.” Variety (August 22, ¡933) SYNOPSIS: The Rancho Castanares, a vast property near the Pueblo Santa Barbara reaching from the mountains to the sea, seems threatened by a decree of the American government requiring Spanish land owners to register their holdings by June ¡5 or see them revert to the public domain. Don Pablo Gonzales (Francis Ford) advises his wealthy friend Don

Jose Castanares (Lafe McKee) to defy the Americans. He wishes to have a chance to grab Rancho Castanares for himself and it is evident that his lazy son Luis will not obtain the property through marriage to Jose’s lovely daughter, Dolores (Ruth Hall). The senorita dreams of a storybook hero of energy and ambition rather than an empty braggart like Luis. When dashing Capt. John Holmes ( John Wayne) rides upon the scene to convince the land owners to protect their property by registration, Dolores quickly falls in love. John, guided through the countryside by fast-talking gentleman of fortune Felipe Guadalupe Constacio Delgado Santa Cruz de la Verranca (Luis Alberni), wins the trust of Don Jose and the wrath of the scheming Gonzales. Holmes enlists an unlikely ally in outlaw Jake Morgan (Charles Whitaker). When the young captain prevents his arrest by U.S. troops, the grateful outlaw promises to leave the Rancho Castanares alone. “Remember, any time you need Jake Morgan’s help, it’s yours,” he pledges. And Capt. Holmes soon needs it. Don Jose, on his way to meet John to register his lands before the deadline, is kidnapped by Don Pablo’s henchmen. When Dolores, in search of her missing father, arrives at the Gonzales ranch, she is held hostage and forced to consent to marrying Don Luis to save her father. But

The Man from Utah among the wedding guests summoned hastily to the rancho are John and Jake in the company of Luis’ jilted lover, Anita, and her “aunt” who is really Felipe in disguise. These four attempt to interrupt the unlawful marriage before Dolores is forced to make her vows. Outnumbered by Gonzales’ hired thugs, John and his company fight bravely with swords and ceramic projectiles while John’s wonder horse Duke leads Jake’s gang to the rescue.—TAL NOTES : Filmed at the La Providencia Ranch, just south of the Warners studio and today the site of Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Negative cost of the film was $28,000. It earned domestic rentals of $¡¡5,000 and a further $56,000 from overseas markets. Wayne was paid $850. This sixth and last remake of earlier Maynard Westerns was based upon The Canyon of Adventure (First National, ¡928). Between the late ¡920s and mid–¡940s, Nena Quartaro (¡908–85) was featured in over 40 films including One Stolen Night (¡929), The Virginian (¡930), The Hawk (¡93¡), Zeppelin (¡93¡) and Wayne’s Men Are Like That and A Lady Takes a Chance (¡943). Tucson-born Chris-Pin Martin (Ysabel Poinciana Chris

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Martin Piaz, ¡894–¡953) appeared as the Cisco Kid’s sidekick in ten films ranging from the ¡93¡ release The Cisco Kid starring Warner Baxter to the ¡947 B-grade Monogram series with Gilbert Roland in the lead role. The last two films in the series were Robin Hood of Monterey and King of the Bandits. Besides a small part in Stagecoach, Martin also had roles in more than 20 B-Westerns and low-budget motion pictures. This was Ruth Hall’s second WB Western with Wayne. Mexico City–born Donald Reed (¡90¡–73) appeared in films from ¡925 to ¡938. Almost all of them were of the low-budget variety. They included Naughty but Nice (¡927), The Texan (¡930), The Wolf Dog (¡933), Six Gun Justice (¡935), The Fighting Marines (¡935), Last Train from Madrid (¡937) and Renfrew of the Royal Mounted (¡938). Man from Monterey would be screenwriter Lesley Mason’s last major assignment in Hollywood. From the late ¡920s to the early ¡930s he had collaborated on over 25 screenplays. The film had a one-day run at Loews New York Theater, New York City, on August ¡5, ¡933. All six of these Westerns were re-released in early ¡940.

The Man from Utah May ¡5, ¡934. 55–57 minutes. John Wayne, Polly Ann Young, George Hayes, Yakima Canutt, Edward Peil, Anita Compillo, Lafe McKee, George Cleveland, Earl Dwire, Perry Murdock, Artie Ortego, Tex Phelps, Gil Perkins. Monogram. Producer Paul Malvern; Director Robert Bradbury; Assistant Director Glenn Cook; Story and Screenplay Lindsley Parsons; Photography Archie Stout; Editor Carl Pierson; Technical Director E.R. Hickson; Recorder J.A. Stransky, Jr.; Assistant Recording Engineer Jerry Roberts; Chief Electrician Edward Cox; Still Photographer Joe Walters REVIEWS: “[B]urdened with an overabundance of rodeo stock footage.” The Great Western Pictures ( James Robert Parrish and Michael R. Pitts, Scarecrow Press, ¡976); “Smart cutting in of scenes from a rodeo makes this one of the best westerns John Wayne has

appeared in for some time…. There’s plenty of riding and the fight scenes have the novelty of being staged in semi-darkness.” Motion Picture Daily (May 25, ¡934); “Snappy western crowded with thrill stu› and with John Wayne delivering splendidly. Here is one western that gets away from the routine formula and packs a tremendous wallop with a fast-action script that is moving every minute.” Film Daily (May 23, ¡934); “Sixty minutes of fast action and a good love angle. The kids went for it in a big way and it pleased the grownups, too.” Motion Picture Herald ( July 28, ¡934); “Despite its shortcomings … carries a certain punch and delights those desiring action… Wayne is appealing with his wholesome, engaging smile and ruggedness….” Wildest Westerns Magazine (Bo Jaworski, Issue #2) SYNOPSIS: John Weston ( John Wayne),

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the man from Utah, drifts into town as Marshal Higgins (George Hayes) is shooting it out with three robbers. John assists with deadly accuracy, causing the excited lawman to claim, “I’ve been looking for a fella that could shoot and ride like you for months.” Higgins convinces the young cowboy to help him investigate a crooked rodeo outfit which has been cheating neighboring towns of their money. Spike Barton (Ed Peil), mastermind of this operation, has cast a greedy eye on the Dalton Valley, and plans to add a robbery to his list of crimes. He plants outlaw Dolores (Anita Compillo) on the incoming stage and sends his henchman Cheyenne Kent (Yakima Canutt) with a gang to rob it. John Weston, riding towards Dalton, comes across the stage just as it is attacked. Driving o› the robbers, he wins the respect of another female passenger, Marjorie (Polly Ann Young), daughter of Dalton’s Judge Carter (Lafe McKee). When the judge meets the hero, he o›ers him the job of deputy sheri›. Intending to participate in the rodeo, Weston declines. During the first day of the rodeo, John defeats Cheyenne Kent in three contests, causing the disgruntled outlaw to sni›, “He looks like a ringer to me.” Dolores is sent by the gang to invite the newcomer to meet Kent. Since Marshall Higgins had encouraged him to get in with the gang, John follows the deceitful beauty to the outlaw lair. The wary Weston spots the trap and narrowly escapes a beating at outlaw hands. Trying brains over brawn, Boss Barton invites the cowboy to join the crooked operation and to throw some of the next day’s contests. Weston leads the gang to believe that he is with them, but he is determined to win the events. When he captures the bulldogging prize in ¡¡ seconds, the outlaws decide to rid themselves of this nuisance in the same manner in which they have done away with other contenders— a venom-tipped needle placed in the bucking

bronc’s saddle. Marshal Higgins’ investigations have prepared Weston for such treachery. He finds the needle, wins the bronc riding contest and rides o› after the gang, which intends to rob the bank in the rodeo’s closing minutes. Through the e›orts of the Man from Utah, the gang is captured. John Weston is free to seriously romance Marjorie.—TAL NOTES: In production from the end of March to April 3, ¡934, on location at Lone Pine. The sixth Wayne–Lone Star Western under the Monogram banner. Filmed at a cost of $¡2,000. Wayne earned $¡250. Wisconsin native Edward Peil (¡882–¡958) made his screen debut in ¡908. The veteran of over 300 films, mostly of the B-type, he portrayed a variety of roles ranging from sheri›s to rustlers and ranchers. Peil had minor but visible roles in King of Kings (¡927), In Old Arizona (¡929), Destry Rides Again (¡932), The Phantom Empire (¡935), Bride of Frankenstein (¡935), The Heroes of the Alamo (¡937) and Dodge City (¡939). His other Wayne films were The Great K&A Train Robbery wherein he portrayed the bandit leader, The Three Musketeers, Blue Steel, The Night Riders and Reap the Wild Wind. Polly Ann Young (¡908–97), the older sister of Loretta Young, started as an extra in films in the early ¡920s. As her younger sister’s career hit its stride in the ¡930s, Young remained stuck in the B-world of Westerns, serials, horror films, and minor crime dramas. All four Young sisters worked together only once, in The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (¡939). This is believed to be Anita Campillo’s sole English film. Throughout the ’30s, the actress appeared in at least a dozen Spanish-language features. First remade in ¡937 by Grand National as Trouble in Texas with Tex Ritter and Rita Hayworth, then again in ¡944 by Monogram as The Utah Kid, with Hoot Gibson and Bob Steele. Both films relied heavily on stock footage from the earlier Wayne e›ort.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

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The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance April ¡¡, ¡962. ¡23 minutes. John Wayne, James Stewart, Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, Edmond O’Brien, Andy Devine, Woody Strode, John Qualen, Jeanette Nolan, Lee Van Cleef, Strother Martin, Ken Murray, Jack Pennick, John Carradine, Paul Birch, John McIntyre, Blackie ( John B.) Whiteford, Stuart Holmes, Dorothy Phillips, Buddy Roosevelt, Gertrude Astor, Bill Henry, Monte Montana, Robert F. Simon, Joseph Hoover, Anna Lee, Charles Seel, O.Z. Whitehead, George “Shug” Fisher, Earle Hodgins, Eva Novak, Slim Talbot, Helen Gibson, Major Sam Harris, Ted Mapes, Jack Kenny, Willis Bouchey, Carleton Young, Denver Pyle, Chuck Roberson, Charles B. (Chuck) Hayward, Mario Arteago, Leonard Baker, Larry Finley, Daniel Borzage, Ralph

Volkie, Charles S. Morton, Mike Edward Jauregui, Brian “Slim” Hightower, Jack Carrollton Williams, Ronald James Pennick, Frank C. Baker, Jacqueline Malouf, Tom Hennesy, Bob Morgan (double for John Wayne), Bear Hudkins, Hal Needham, Stephanie Pond. Paramount. John Ford Productions. Director John Ford; Producer Willis Goldbeck; Screenplay James Warner Bellah, Willis Goldbeck; From a story by Dorothy M. Johnson; Photography William H. Clothier; Unit Production Manager Don Robb; Editor Otho Lovering; Art Directors Eddie Imazu, Hal Pereira; Assistant Director Wingate Smith; Sound Philip Mitchell, Charles Grenzbach; Set Decorators Sam Comer, Darrell Silvera; Costumes Edith Head; Music Cyril J. Mockridge; Theme from “Young Mr.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Paramount, ¡962). Jimmy Stewart, Wayne, John Ford, two unknowns, William Clothier

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Lincoln” Alfred Newman; Music Conductor Irvin Talbot; Hair Styles Nellie Manle; Process Photography Farciot Edouart; Stunt Coordinator John Hudkins REVIEWS: “Mr. Wayne again proves, if it is necessary at this late date, that he can sit a horse well, shoot from the hip and throw a haymaker with the best of them. And, fortunately, he is more laconic then most.” The New York Times (A.H. Weiler, May 24, ¡962); “An entertaining and emotionally involving western… Yet, it falls distinctly shy of its innate story potential…. Stewart and Wayne do what comes naturally in an engagingly e›ortless manner….” Variety (April ¡¡, ¡962); **** (highest rating) The New York Daily News (May 24, ¡962); “Nostalgic, sour and powerful, it is one of the most memorable of all his (Ford) Westerns…..” Western Movies (Walter C. Clapham, Octopus, ¡974); “John Ford, as usual, shows how to make a Western really western. What under many a director would be only a series of plot clichés, under his direction achieves character…..” The New York Herald Tribune (Paul V. Beckley, May 24, ¡962); “In recent Westerns, four-time Oscar winner Ford has given the impression of a man lost in a trackless waste, with [Liberty Valance], he is back on the main trail. He has very skillfully put together a rough, tough, often funny show that is as consistent and unassailable as ‘Sweet Adeline.’ ” Time Magazine (May 7, ¡962); “Wayne gave an exceptionally strong and convincing portrayal….” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974); “[O]ne of Ford’s most heartfelt and moving pictures.” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, A.S. Barnes, ¡976); “It is Ford’s clearest expression of the current of nostalgia and regret that runs through his work, isolated in this film from the compensating forces of the grandeur of the outdoors and the purifying e›ect of Ford’s visual beauty….” The Western Films of John Ford ( J.A. Place, Citadel Press, ¡974) SYNOPSIS : Senator Ransom Stoddard ( James Stewart) and his wife Hallie (Vera Miles) return to Shinbone to attend the funeral of an old friend, Tom Doniphon ( John Wayne). Only a couple of survivors from Shinbone’s wild pre-statehood days are on hand to greet the couple: former Marshal Link Apple-

yard (Andy Devine), and Tom’s aged black ranch hand Pompey (Woody Strode). The senator is pressed by the editor of The Shinbone Star to tell why he has traveled all this way to pay respects to an unimportant body in a pine box. Ranse tells of his first visit to Shinbone many years before, a story which includes Hallie, Link, Pompey and the long-forgotten Tom Doniphon. It was Tom and Pompey who found the young lawyer Ranse after he was brutally taught Western law at the end of the silvernobbed whip of Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). Tom informs this pilgrim from the East that Valance is “the toughest man south of the picket wire, next to me.” Determined to bring law and order to the wild territory, Ranse rooms at the Ericsons ( John Qualen and Jeanette Nolan), owners of the town cafe, where he is nursed back to health by their daughter, Hallie, who is Tom’s girl. Dutton Peabody (Edmond O’Brien), hard-drinking editor of The Shinbone Star, allows Ranse to hang his “Attorney-at-Law” shingle at his o‡ce in spite of Tom’s admonition that he might have to defend it with a gun. Ranse avoids violent confrontation with Valance and attempts to civilize the town by opening a school in which Hallie becomes his devoted pupil. Shinbone becomes su‡ciently civilized to hold a town meeting to elect representatives to a territorial convention. Valance tries to intimidate the townfolk into nominating him to represent the interests of the big ranchers. Bolstered by Tom’s support, the town defies Valance and elects Ranse and Peabody to represent Shinbone. In retaliation, Valance brutally beats Peabody and destroys his o‡ce, issuing a challenge to Ranse to meet him in the street. Ranse refuses Tom’s o›er to get him safely out of town and goes out to face Valance in a showdown. The gunman taunts the lawyer but as he aims to fire the fatal bullet, their shots ring out simultaneously and Valance falls. Miraculously, Ranse has become the Man who Shot Liberty Valance. Ranse’s guilt over this act of violence almost forces him to quit the territorial convention, but Tom shows up to prevent this, revealing that it was he who fired the fatal shot from an alley to save Ranse’s life and his future with Hallie, who has fallen in love with the crusading lawyer. Ranse is moved by Tom’s

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance advice to return to the convention hall where his political career begins its meteoric rise as surely as Tom’s life, derailed by the loss of Hallie, fades away. Ranse tells his story for the benefit of modern Shinbone’s press and asks if they will print the truth. “This is the West, sir,” the editor informs him while tearing up his notes. “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.”—TAL NOTES: In production from September 5 to November 7, ¡96¡, on a reported budget of $3,207,000. The very few outdoor sequences were filmed at the Paramount Ranch in Agoura, California. Ford finished the production $84,850 under budget. Wayne received a guaranteed $750,000 against 7.5 percent of the gross receipts. Stewart was paid $300,000 against the same 7.5 percent and 50 percent ownership of the negatives after ¡2 years. Lee Marvin earned $50,000. Ford was paid $¡50,000 and received 25 percent of the profits and a 25 percent stake in the ownership of the negatives. In its first year of release, the Western earned domestic rentals of $2,936,096 and total worldwide rentals of $7,067,360. It would end up (after two reissues) grossing close to $9,000,000 in the domestic market (from total rentals of $3,940,000) and a further $¡¡,000,000 from the rest of the world. Born Woodrow Wilson Woodwine Strode (¡9¡4–94) in Los Angeles, the 6'4" giant with the chiseled features, muscular build and soulful face, attended UCLA, where he excelled in football and track and field. Completing some very minor roles in three B-features of the early ’40s, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and saw combat in the Pacific. After his discharge, he signed with the Cleveland Rams and became one of the first four blacks to enter professional football. After a short career as a wrestler, Strode turned to work as an actor in movies and television. In his early years he was often typecast in lowbudget jungles films in both media. In the ’50s and ’60s, with his trademark shaved head, Strode would appear in numerous features including Androcles and the Lion (¡952), Demetrius and the Gladiators (¡954), The Ten Commandments (¡956), Pork Chop Hill (¡959), Spartacus (¡960) and several Tarzan films. In ¡960, John Ford placed Strode in the starring role of Sergeant Rutledge. The actor, becoming

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a favorite of the old director, would be a late addition to the Ford stock company and was inserted into the director’s productions of Two Rode Together (¡96¡) and Seven Women (¡966). Strode’s last production was the disastrous Sharon Stone Western The Quick and the Dead (¡995). Costume designer Edith Head was nominated for an Academy Award for her work in this Western. Singer Gene Pitney’s stirring rendition of “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” although not sung in the film, proved to be a gigantic hit with sales of over 500,000 copies. Today, it is still one of the most requested songs on oldies-format radio stations throughout the nation. Cast member Ken Murray (¡903–88), born Ken Abner Doncourt in New York City, made his film debut in Half Marriage (¡929). Beginning in ¡942 he appeared at Los Angeles’ El Capitan Theater in the play Ken Murray’s Blackouts, which ran for an impressive 3,844 performances until ¡949. A success in both television and radio, his film credits included Ladies of the Jury, Crooner, Disgraced, You’re a Sweetheart and A Night at Earl Carroll’s. For three years (¡949–5¡) he had one of the nation’s top ten television shows, CBS’s The Ken Murray Show. Character actress Jeanette Nolan (¡9¡¡–98) had a career which spanned 60 years. In ¡932 she participated in the first transcontinental radio broadcast, then had a busy career in that medium where she performed in the series The Hollywood Hotel, One Man’s Family, Suspense, Cavalcade of Stars and March of Time. Her motion picture debut was made opposite Orson Welles in Macbeth (¡948) and was followed by appearances in a host of Westerns including Saddle Tramp (¡950), The Seventh Cavalry (¡956), Tribute to a Bad Man (¡956), Guns of Fort Petticoat (¡957) and Two Rode Together (¡96¡). Nolan was married to actor John McIntire and was a frequent guest in his television series The Virginian and Wagon Train. The actress also appeared in numerous episodes of Gunsmoke and Laredo and the dramatic series Perry Mason, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, I Spy, The FBI and Charlie’s Angels. Just before she died, Nolan played Robert Redford’s mother in The Horse Whisperer (¡998). New York City–born O.Z. Whitehead (¡9¡¡–98), an actor on the Broadway stage in the ¡930s, joined John Ford’s stock company in ¡940 by

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way of a character role in The Grapes of Wrath. He would have supporting roles for Ford in The Last Hurrah (¡958), The Horse Soldiers (¡959) and Two Rode Together (¡96¡). Some of Whitehead’s other 30-odd movies included Ma and Pa Kettle (¡949), The San Francisco Story (¡952), Rally Round the Flag, Boys! (¡958) and, oddly enough, The Lion in Winter (¡968), as the Bishop of Durham. Character actor Willis Bouchey (¡907–77) had roles in nine John Ford films and two of the director’s television shows: The Long Gray Line (¡955), Rookie of the Year (TV, ¡955), The Wings of Eagles (¡957), The Last Hurrah (¡958), The Horse Soldiers (¡959), Sergeant Rutledge (¡960), Two Rode Together (¡96¡), How the West Was Won (¡962), Flashing Spikes (TV, ¡962) and Cheyenne Autumn (¡964). During the ¡950s and ’60s the actor averaged over five screen appearances a year. On television he could be seen on many of the most popular series of the time including Perry Mason, Laramie, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Munsters, Green Acres, F Troop, Gunsmoke, McHale’s Navy and The Andy Gri‡th Show. Stephanie Pond (Smith, ¡953–98), who

appeared as one of the children in the school taught by Jimmy Stewart’s character, also had small roles in Rebel Without a Cause and The Left Handed Gun. As an adult she stayed in the industry in the capacity of film publicity. She was an executive at Carolco working on promotion for Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Basic Instinct, Chaplin and Stargate. First public screening held on February 2, ¡962, in Riverside, California. Liberty Valance was one of ¡5 Westerns released in ¡962. Two of the others were Sergeants 3 (United Artists) starring Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin and the classic Ride the High Country with Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea in their best performances. Paramount sold television rights to the movie, for two showings only, to CBS for $773,4¡5.09. On September ¡8, ¡967, the movie was first shown and attracted 46 percent of all viewers. The repeat showing, a scant five months later on February 8, ¡968, garnered an equally impressive 40 percent share of the viewing audience. The Ford film was reissued in May ¡963 as part of a double-bill with Brando’s One-Eyed Jacks.

McLintock November ¡3, ¡963. ¡27 minutes. John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Yvonne DeCarlo, Patrick Wayne, Stefanie Powers, Jack Kruschen, Chill Wills, Jerry Van Dyke, Edgar Buchanan, Bruce Cabot, Perry Lopez, Michael Pate, Strother Martin, Gordon Jones, Robert Lowery, Ed Faulkner, H.W. Gim, Aissa Wayne, Chuck Roberson, Hal Needham, Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez, Jr., Hank Worden, Leo Gordon, Mary Patterson, Big John Hamilton, Ralph Volkie, Dan Borzage, John Stanley, Kari Noven, Mari Blanchard, Bob Steele, Neil Summers, Loren Janes, Polly Burson, Tom Hennesy, Rudy Robbins, Lucille Howes, Bill Hart, Boyd “Red” Morgan, Chuck Hayward, Jim Burk. United Artists. A Batjac Production. Producer Michael Wayne; Director Andrew V. McLaglen; Assistant Director Frank Parmenter; Production Manager Howard

Joslin; Assistant Production Manager Robert E. Morrison; Screenplay James Edward Grant; Photography William Clothier; Editors Otho Lovering, Bill Lewis; Art Directors Eddie Imazu, Hal Pereira; Set Decorators Sam Comer, Darrell Silvera; Costume Supervisor Frank C. Beetson, Jr.; Costumes Ann Peck, Lon Talsky; Music Frank DeVol; Sound Jack Solomon; Makeup Web Overlander, Lorraine Roberson; Fight Sequences Cli› Lyons; Title Design Richard Kuhn; Script Supervisor Richard Cha›ee; Original Songs: “Love in the Country” Frank DeVol, sung by The Limeliters; (music) “By” Dunham (lyrics); “Just Right for Me” “By” Dunham (music and lyrics) REVIEWS: “[O]ne of Wayne’s most thoroughly pleasant films.” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974); “When it comes to sparring partner for Mr. Wayne in a battle of

McLintock the sexes, no one has ever approached the vigor of titian-haired Maureen O’Hara…” The New York Times (Eugene Archer, November ¡4, ¡963); “Simple-minded potpourri of Western clichés….” The New York Herald Tribune ( Judith Crist, November ¡4, ¡963); “[A] John Wayne western, and that is a category not to be underestimated since Wayne is about the last thriving exponent of a great tradition, the last active member of a select fraternity of larger-than-life western film heroes…” Variety (November ¡3, ¡963); “[It] shovels up songs, slapstick, civic spirit and drawing room comedy cut to the size of a range war. It is dedicated to the proposition that where there’s a will, there’s a Wayne….” Time Magazine (November ¡5, ¡963); “[A] broad comedy with oceans of mud at its center….” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Phil Hardy, The Overlook Press, ¡983) SYNOPSIS: When ranchers in the Southwest town of McLintock try to force a group of homesteaders out of the area, George Washington McLintock ( John Wayne), rip-snorting cattle baron, finds among them a lovely widow, Louise Warren (Yvonne DeCarlo), whom he hires as a cook. With Louise is her small daughter (Aissa Wayne) and her handsome son Dev (Patrick Wayne). Then McLintock’s estranged wife, Katherine (Maureen O’Hara), returns from the East to insist on a divorce and to get custody of their daughter Becky (Stefanie Powers) on her return from college. Later, when Becky arrives, she brings with her a Harvard boy, Matt Douglas, Jr. ( Jerry Van Dyke), and this leads to rivalry and fisticu›s with Dev, who is also courting her. In addition to the violent arguments of Katherine and McLintock, further trouble arises when a band of Indians, just released from prison, arrive in town. When this crisis calms down, Dev and Becky announce their engagement and McLintock, roused to an exasperated fury by Katherine’s jealousy and stubbornness, chases her through the house, through the town and upon catching her, gives her a solid spanking, much to the delight of the onlookers. After telling her to go ahead and get a divorce, Katherine throws herself into his arms and the McLintocks are together again. NOTES : Filmed in Nogales, Tucson,

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Tombstone and San Raphael Valley, Arizona, from October 24, ¡962, to January ¡963. Budgeted at $2,000,000 (including $74,000 for added buildings at the Old Tucson set, and $50,000 to construct and film the elaborate three-day mud slide sequence), the film was completed at a negative cost of $2,¡50,000. Wayne’s compensation was not included in the film’s budget. His salary was 5 percent of the gross up to the break-even point then ¡0 percent of the gross above break-even. But $700,000 of the actor’s salary would be paid to United Artists to repay the loan incurred for the added financing on The Alamo.Batjac was paid a fee of $50,000 and was allowed to include overhead costs which were not to exceed $¡50,000. The contract with United Artists called for Batjac to receive ¡0 percent of the gross receipts and 75 percent of the net profits of the motion picture. Additionally, Batjac would retain the negative rights to the film, which in future years, with the advent of cable television and home video recorders, would generate much income for the company. The Western earned domestic rentals of $4,500,000 on a box o‡ce gross of $¡¡,200,000 (average ticket price: 93 cents). Five years after the film’s release, all rights and negatives reverted back to Batjac Productions. Wayne selected Henry Hathaway to direct the film at a salary of $200,000 but his son, Michael, wanting to cut costs, hired Andrew McLaglen instead, at a salary of $25,000. The United Artists script Wayne turned down in favor of doing McLintock was Mr. Moses, which would eventually be made with Robert Mitchum in the title role. For Mr. Moses, Wayne would have received a salary of $750,000 against ¡0 percent of the film’s gross. Polly Burson doubled for Yvonne DeCarlo while Lucille Howes doubled Maureen O’Hara. For some stunts, Dean Smith and Loren Janes doubled O’Hara. For her fourth film collaboration with Wayne, Maureen O’Hara was paid $¡00,000. Third-billed Yvonne DeCarlo (¡922– ), born Peggy Yvonne Middleton in Vancouver, British Columbia, arrived in Hollywood as a teenager with the express purpose of becoming a movie star. At first she would be assigned to minor roles in more than a dozen films including This Gun for Hire (¡942), Road to Morocco (¡942), Lucky

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McLintock (United Artists, ¡963). Maureen O’Hara, Wayne, Yvonne DeCarlo

Jordan (¡942), For Whom the Bell Tolls (¡943) and So Proudly We Hail! (¡943). In ¡944 she auditioned for Universal; impressed by her singing and dancing ability, the producers selected her for the lead role in their production of Salome, Where She Danced. After 2¡ films, she had finally arrived. Over the next decade she played in an assortment of motion pictures including Frontier Gal (¡945), Song of Scheherazade (¡947), Brute Force (¡947), The Desert

Hawk (¡950), Hurricane Smith (¡952), Sea Devils (¡953) and The Ten Commandments (¡956), for which she was paid $25,000. In ¡955 she married stuntman Robert Morgan, a favorite of Ford and Wayne. When Morgan lost a leg and nearly lost his life due to a mishap on the set of How the West Was Won, DeCarlo, facing mounting medical bills, was forced to take almost any type of work. In ¡965 she reluctantly accepted Universal’s o›er to star in a new com-

McQ edy series, The Munsters. It would become a hit with reruns still being shown over 40 years after the last original episode aired. Among the supporting cast, both Stefanie Powers and Jerry Van Dyke would have greater success in television than on the big screen. Powers (born Stefania Zsofia Federkiewicz, ¡942– ), a darkhaired beauty, was signed out of Hollywood High to a contract by Columbia Pictures. Tammy Tell Me True (¡96¡), her first major screen role, was quickly followed by parts in Experiment in Terror (¡962), The Interns (¡962) and Palm Springs Weekend (¡963). Cast as the daughter of Wayne and Maureen O’Hara in McLintock, she would shine in the role. Her only other noteworthy features would be The New Interns (¡964) and the remake of Stagecoach (¡966), wherein she played the role originated by Louise Platt. Of Powers’ four starring television series, Hart to Hart (¡979–84) with Robert Wagner would be the most successful. McLintock would mark Jerry Van Dyke’s (¡93¡– ) debut in motion pictures. The younger brother of comedian Dick Van Dyke also appeared in The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (¡963) and Palm Springs Weekend (¡963). After completing his part in the Wayne Western, he was o›ered the title role in a new comedy television series, Gilligan’s Island. He turned it down but for the next 40 years would be seen all over the little screen in numerous guest shots and several television series, the most successful being Coach (¡989–97). Brooklynborn character actor Leo Gordon (¡922–2000) made a career of playing tough guys. In real life he served four years in San Quentin for robbery. Once out of prison, he drifted for a short time before attending the American Academy

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of Dramatics. In ¡953 he made his film debut in the Western City of Bad Men. He also had featured roles in Hondo, Riot in Cell Block ¡¡ and Tobruk, a war film that he wrote. In addition to his more than 70 films, the actor appeared in almost every Western series of the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s including Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Virginian, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin and Have Gun Will Travel. He also wrote scripts for Adam-¡2, Cheyenne and Bonanza. Canadian native Jack Kruschen (¡922– 2002) had a career that included over 75 films and appearances in more than 200 television shows. He made his film debut in ¡949 with a small part in Red, Hot and Blue. Some of his earlier motion pictures included The Lemon Drop Kid, Abbott and Costello Go to Mars, Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation, The War of the Worlds and The Benny Goodman Story. In ¡960 he was Oscar-nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role of the doctor in support of Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine in The Apartment. Throughout the ¡950s, the actor was a regular on both the radio and television versions of the police series Dragnet. Some of his other films included the original Cape Fear, The Unsinkable Molly Brown and The Ladies Man. Michael Pate, who played one of the Indian chiefs in the Western, was paid at the rate of $950 a week. He worked on the film in the Tucson area for eight weeks, earning $7600. In ¡963, America’s most decorated soldier during World War II, Audie Murphy, starred in two Westerns for two di›erent studios: Showdown (Universal) and Gunfight at Comanche Creek (Allied Artists). Robert Taylor, near the end of his long film career would star in one of his last MGM films, the Western Cattle King.

McQ January ¡5, ¡974. ¡¡6 minutes. John Wayne, Eddie Albert, Diana Muldaur, Colleen Dewhurst, Clu Gulager, David Huddleston, Jim Watkins, Al Lettieri, Julie Adams, Roger E. Mosley, William Bryant, Joe Tornatore, Richard Kelton, Richard Eastham, Dick Friel,

Fred Waugh, Chuck Roberson, Kim Sanford, Gary McLarty. Warners. A Batjac and LevyGardner Production. Executive Producer Michael Wayne; Producers Jules Levy, Arthur Gardner; Written and Co-Produced by Lawrence Roman; Director John Sturges; Photography

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Harry Stradling, Jr.; Production Designer Walter Simonds; Editor William Ziegler; Sound Charles M. Wilborn; Set Decorator Tony Montenaro; Script Supervisor John Franco; Music Elmer Bernstein; Unit Production Manager Michael S. Glick; Assistant to the Producers Thomas Kane; Second Unit Director Ron R. Rondell; Makeup David Grayson, Joe DiBella; Wardrobe Luster Bayless; Production Coordinator Robert Levy; Special E›ects Howard Jensen and Stunts Unlimited; Second Assistant Director Jerry Grandey; Unit Publicist Jack Casey REVIEWS: “In this wildly undramatic picture, music and gunshots have to provide the gumption that the acting lacks.” The New York Times (Nora Sayre, February 7, ¡974); “[A] good contemporary crime actioner … attracts and sustains continued interest from the opening frame….” Variety ( January ¡974); “The Duke remains amiable and unru·ed throughout, but it is a bit troubling to see him poaching so obviously on Clint Eastwood’s lonercop territory.” Time Magazine (February ¡974); “The many fans of John Wayne will be happy to know that he’s as e›ective in a crime-ridden police force as he has been in the saddle…. John Wayne can do almost anything he sets his face to, and pretty well, at that.” The New York Post (Archer Winston, February 7, ¡974) SYNOPSIS : Tough Lon McQ ( John Wayne), big-city detective lieutenant, goes on a rampage when his best friend, Sgt. Stan Boyle (William Bryant), is shotgunned to death. Suspecting dope king Manny Santiago (Al Lettieri), McQ goes after him, trails him to a restaurant men’s room and works him over good. Santiago’s corruptive power surfaces and a barrage of phone calls to contacts in high places results in McQ being called in by captain of detectives Ed Kosterman (Eddie Albert), who takes him o› the case. Knowing he’s being sacrificed to placate political bosses who frequently find it financially profitable to go along with the underworld, McQ resigns. He then calls on his friend Pinky Farrow (David Huddleston), private detective, to hire him as a private eye. Pinky agrees reluctantly, knowing McQ could be headed for trouble. They go to the police station to register McQ. Kosterman watches the proceedings, saying nothing. But his silence is ominous. Knowing

he’ll need quick money to get information on Santiago, McQ goes to his ex-wife Elaine ( Julie Adams), who has since married Walter Forester (Richard Eastham). Still good friends despite their divorce, McQ gets $5000 from Forester. When McQ lays a chunk of dough on a black numbers cat named Rosey (Roger E. Mosley), he learns Santiago has imported three gunmen for a big heist. Maybe a drug heist, says Rosey. McQ is interested. He drops in on over-the-hill cocktail waitress Myra (Colleen Dewhurst) who had known Boyle fairly well. She feels the police are in on the drug heist and that Boyle had known something about it. McQ hurries to a police station to snoop around the narcotics division and sees three men wheeling out a cart of drugs to a waiting laundry truck, supposedly heading for a secret location to be burned. As he follows them, two of the men open fire and take to the freeway. McQ follows in his “Green Hornet” Pontiac Firebird, but loses the truck in tra‡c. Returning to headquarters, McQ faces an irate Kosterman, who resented McQ’s interference in the abortive laundry truck chase. He stops McQ’s pending private eye license and takes away his gun. McQ goes to a gunshop owned by an old friend and borrows a high-powered, experimental Ingram automatic with a silencer. He then visits Stan’s widow Lois (Diana Muldaur), who suggests they get together—on any basis McQ wants. He’s tempted, she’s desirable … he leaves. He goes to Santiago’s warehouse, is caught, beaten up by the dope king, and learns that the envelopes of dope heisted in the laundry truck contained sugar. Obviously, an inside switch by the police. Then several things happen. McQ rousts Rosey, who tells him Boyle was the informer. Myra is killed because McQ was seen at her apartment. Two diesel trucks trap McQ in an alley and proceed to crush his sports car and he ends up battered and bruised in a hospital. Learning that his car is in the impound lot, McQ checks himself out of the hospital to retrieve his Ingram from the trunk of the Trans Am. Under the backseat, he discovers an envelope of cocaine. The real dope has been stashed in his car. McQ now realizes who is responsible for what has happened. He goes to see Lois, who is packed and ready to go visit her folks. McQ says he will drive her.

McQ

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McQ (Warner Bros., ¡974). Diana Maldaur, John Wayne

Once on the road, he tells her Stan was crooked and so is she. Emphasizing his point, he tosses one of her suitcases out the window, then the second. At the third, she stops him, suggests they spend the two million in dope inside together. At this point, McQ notices a car following. He turns o› the road to a deserted beach. The car follows, and in the ensuing gunfight, the pursuer is killed. It was Toms (Clu Gulager), a fellow o‡cer in the police department, who had it planned with Lois. Suddenly, two cars with Santiago and his armed henchmen appear. A wild chase and bloody shootout ensue. McQ throws the dope into the ocean and mows down the gang with his automatic. The questions have all been answered. It’s over. Eliminated from the released print was the following closing scene: Later, on his boat, McQ has visitors, Kosterman and J.C. ( Jim Watkins). Kosterman apologizes. McQ nods. Two tough cops in a face-o›. McQ breaks the silence, suggests a drink. Kosterman

accepts. The three raise glasses over a detective badge lying on the table. NOTES: Filmed in the Seattle, Washington, area (including Ocean Shores and the Olympic Peninsula) from June 4 to August ¡973. The production was completed at a negative cost of $2,400,000. Wayne was paid $750,000 and a hefty percentage of the film’s gross profits. In the North American market, the action-drama earned rentals of $4,¡00,000. Original choice for the Diana Muldaur role was Shirley Jones. When the actress demanded $50,000, Muldaur was hired at half the salary. Born in New York City, Muldaur (¡938– ) graduated from the elite Sweet Briar College. Although she had roles in numerous films, the talented actress achieved fame by appearing in a host of television series. In ¡96¡ she was a frequent guest on Dr. Kildare, then in ¡965 she had a recurring role on the daytime soap opera The Secret Storm. Her big break came in the early ¡970s when she won a regular role on the

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Dennis Weaver contemporary Western McCloud. Just prior to signing on for McQ, she completed a short stint as Joy Adamson in the unsuccessful adaptation of the hit film Born Free. Muldaur married television executive Robert Dozier in ¡98¡ and served several terms as president of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. This was the only motion picture that Lawrence Roman produced. He did write the screenplays for Vice Squad (¡953), Drums Across the River (¡954), The Man from Bitter Ridge (¡955), A Kiss Before Dying (¡956), Slaughter on Fifth Avenue (¡957), Day of the Badman (¡958) and Under the Yum Yum Tree (¡963). Wayne sought the services of Andrew McLaglen to direct, but he was overruled by producers Levy and Gardner, who believed that the film needed the expertise of more senior, no-nonsense action director John Sturges. Sturges (¡9¡¡–92), having made films since ¡946, earned a reputation for making two-fisted action movies. Some of the better known of his 44 features included Bad Day at Black Rock (¡954), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (¡957), Last Train from Gun Hill (¡959), The Magnificent Seven (¡960), The Great Escape (¡963), Ice Station Zebra (¡968), Marooned (¡969) and Joe Kidd (¡972). McQ would be his next-to-last directed release. On January ¡5, ¡974, to stimulate interest in the upcoming police drama, Wayne accepted an invitation to come to Harvard, be presented with their annual “Brass Balls” Award, and be interrogated by Harvard Lampoon students. Arriving in an army personnel carrier (APC) courtesy of the Massachusetts National Guard, the trip and publicity stunt made front page headlines

throughout the nation. To further publicize the film, Wayne journeyed to London in January ¡974 and appeared on a Glen Campbell television special produced by Sir Lew Grade; it aired in the United States in February. For the twenty-fifth time in 26 years Wayne found himself among the top ten box o‡ce attractions in the nation: (¡) Robert Redford, (2) Clint Eastwood, (3) Paul Newman, (4) Barbra Streisand, (5) Steve McQueen, (6) Burt Reynolds, (7) Charles Bronson, (8) Jack Nicholson, (9) Al Pacino and (¡0) Wayne. Oklahoma native Clu Gulager (¡928– ) had a recurring role on the long-running The Virginian television series (¡964–68), was a semi-regular in the role of Billy the Kid, in the short-lived The Tall Man, and was a frequent guest on Wagon Train, Black Saddle, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Laramie, Law of the Plainsman, Riverboat, The Rebel, The Deputy and Bonanza. His best screen roles were in Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show (¡97¡) and The Killers (¡964). The actress who played Wayne’s estranged wife in the film, Julie Adams (¡926– ), made her screen debut in the ¡949 Paramount release, Red, Hot and Blue. Over the next seven months she would survive the ordeal of being contractually obligated to appear in seven B-grade Lippert Westerns that starred James Ellison and Russell Hayden. Getting back to the A-studios, Adams would co-star in the Westerns Bend of the River, Horizons West, The Lawless Breed and The Man from the Alamo. In ¡954 she played the female lead in the very popular Universal horror flick Creature from the Black Lagoon. World television premiere on NBC on October 30, ¡976.

Men Are Like That August ¡6, ¡93¡. 67–7¡ minutes. Laura La Plante, John Wayne, June Clyde, Forrest Stanley, Nena Quartaro, Susan Fleming, Loretta Sayers, Hugh Cummings, Charles Sellon. Columbia. Director George B. Seitz; Assistant Director Sam Nelson; Screenplay Robert Risken, Dorothy Howell; Original Story Augustus

Thomas; Photography Ted Tetzla›; Editor Gene Milford; Art Director Stephen Goosson; Sound Engineer Glenn Rominger; Technical Director Edward Shulter REVIEWS: “[I]t is hardly a film that can be characterized as good entertainment… Miss La Plante is not convincing in the role, any

Men Are Like That more than John Wayne is in the part of Denton.” The New York Times (August ¡7, ¡93¡); “Just why Columbia Pictures should choose this ancient bit of balderdash and make it into a film, must forever remain a mystery. John Wayne … is probably supposed to act awkward and boyish. He does.” Los Angeles Evening Herald ( July 24, ¡93¡); “[O]ne of the most powerfully dramatic movies shown in many months. The screen version has been splendidly done. John Wayne is the boy-hero and does very nicely. Had Wayne unbent a little more his role would have scored greatly.” The Los Angeles Examiner ( July 24, ¡93¡); “Will serve to place Laura La Plante in the public’s fancy once again. John Wayne … has a distasteful characterization. However, he carries the part o› rather well, and will doubtless win praise from many.” Los Angeles Evening Express ( July 24, ¡93¡); “It’s slow and unconvincing…. Only action in the film comes from library clips of soldiers on parade…. That Forrest Stanley and John Wayne’s roles couldn’t have emerged to better impression must be laid to weak treatment and dialog.” Variety (August ¡8, ¡93¡) SYNOPSIS: Following the annual ArmyNavy football game, star West Point athlete Bob Denton ( John Wayne) ends his long-running a›air with Evelyn Palmer (Laura La Plante) by telling her that he does not love her any more. She takes the news quietly and asks to spend one last night together, but Bob refuses. He explains that he is to attend the evening’s victory ball with his guardian and best friend, Col. Bonham (Forrest Stanley), who has come from his post in Arizona to see Bob play in the game. Angry that she is not considered suitable to join the group, Evelyn determines to avenge herself. At the dance, she becomes jealous of the attention Bob receives from his beautiful female fans. When the football used in the game is auctioned, both Evelyn and Bonham bid on it for sentimental reasons. Evelyn’s bid drives the price up to $500, at which price the Colonel buys it. Bonham meets Evelyn after the auction and falls in love with her as the evening passes. Not knowing of her a›air with Bob, the Colonel asks Evelyn to marry him and return with him to Arizona. Evelyn decides that this will be the means of her revenge against Bob and accepts. When

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they reach Arizona, Bonham and Evelyn send for her sister, Bonita ( June Clyde), who has been studying in an Eastern school. After graduating, Bob is assigned to Bonham’s command. Bonham has neglected to tell Bob the name of his bride, and so Bob is shocked to discover that she is Evelyn. Bob says nothing, however, and quickly falls in love with Bonita, despite Evelyn’s disapproval. Her attitude causes Bonita to keep their marriage a secret after they elope to Mexico, and when Evelyn sees Bob in what seems to be a compromising situation with another girl, she mistakenly assumes that he has been pursuing other women while conducting a romance with Bonita. Determined to protect her sister and to revenge herself further on Bob, she tells Bonham that Bob tried to embrace her. She succeeds in forcing Bob to resign, but as he is leaving, Bonita tells Evelyn about their secret marriage. Realizing her error, Evelyn confesses her misdeeds to Bonham, and Bob’s commission is saved. NOTES : In production from May 5 to May 22, ¡93¡. Based upon the August Thomas hit play Arizona, the film premiered at New York’s Strand Theater on August ¡6, ¡93¡. Months later, it was released in England under the title The Virtuous Wife. Although filmed under the working title Arizona, the motion picture was entitled Men Are Like That when released nationwide. When reissued by Columbia later in the decade, the film reverted to its working title, Arizona. The stage play was filmed twice before under the title, Arizona. In ¡9¡3, All-Star Feature Company released a version starring Cyril Scott, then in ¡9¡8 Douglas Fairbanks produced and directed another version (for Artclass). George Brackett Seitz (¡888-¡944) came to Hollywood in ¡9¡3 to work as an actor and screenwriter. At Pathé Studios he wrote several major productions but excelled in the development of writing for the nascent serial genre. Seitz wrote Pearl White’s landmark serial The Perils of Pauline (¡9¡4); then by working on numerous chapter plays into the mid–¡920s, added acting, directing and producing to his résumé. In ¡925, Seitz was one of the first individuals from Hollywood to take an entire film company to Monument Valley to take advantage of the

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magnificent scenery and shoot a Western, The Vanishing American. Seitz returned to Monument Valley in early ¡940 to film the more conventional Western Kit Carson. The prolific director of well over ¡00 features would helm five films in ¡930 and end his career in ¡944 after directing eight Andy Hardy screen stories for MGM. Leading lady Laura La Plante (¡904– 96) was one of Universal’s leading female stars of the ¡920s. Known as the “Girl Next Door,” the Missouri native broke into films as a teenager with small roles in the Christie comedies. She appeared in a number of two-reel Westerns then in ¡92¡ was signed at $250 a week by Universal to a five-year contract. La Plante made feature Westerns with Hoot Gibson as well as comedies and dramatic entries throughout the ¡920s. As her popularity increased, so did her salary. At the peak of her career, she was earning $3500 a week and starring in the well-received The Beautiful Cheat (¡926), The Cat and the Canary (¡927) and Showboat (¡929). For eight years (¡926–34), the actress was married to director William Seiter. She retired from the screen in ¡935, but returned in ¡946 for a small role in Little Mister Jim, and again in ¡956 for the film Spring Reunion.

Third-billed June Clyde (¡909–87) was a Missourian who, from ¡929 to ¡959, appeared in 54 films. Men Are Like That was one of her five screen roles in ¡93¡. Some of her other motion pictures included Racing Youth (¡932), Sealed Lips (¡94¡) and The Story of Esther Costello (¡957). After writing the dialogue for Jean Harlow’s Platinum Blonde, screenwriter Robert Riskin (¡897–¡955) signed an exclusive contract with Columbia in early ¡93¡. He would win the Academy Award for Best Screenplay for his writing on It Happened One Night (¡934), then turn in equally fine work in Carnival (¡935), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (¡936), Lost Horizon (¡937), The Real Glory (¡939), Meet John Doe (¡94¡) and The Thin Man Goes Home (¡944). Cinematographer Ted Tetzla› (¡903–95) started as a camera assistant in the early ¡920s. Atta Boy in ¡926 was his first credit as Director of Cinematography. Despite proving competent in filming several of Frank Capra’s earlier e›orts, Tetzla› was relegated to working on lower budget productions. He did manage to photograph some “A” films including My Man Godfrey (¡936), Easy Living (¡937), Road to Zanzibar (¡94¡), I Married a Witch (¡942) and Son of Sinbad (¡955).

Men Without Women January 3¡, ¡930. 77 minutes. Kenneth MacKenna, Frank Albertson, Paul Page, Pat Somerset, Walter McGrail, Stuart Erwin, Warren Hymer, J. Farrell MacDonald, Roy Stewart, Warner Richmond, Harry Tenbrook, Ben Hendricks, Jr., George Le Guere, John Wayne, Robert Parrish, Charles Gerard, Frank Baker, Walter McGrail. Fox. Presented by William Fox; Director John Ford; Associate Producer James Kevin McGuiness; Writers Dudley Nichols, John Ford; Based on the story “Submarine” by John Ford, James K. McGuiness; Photography Joseph H. August; Editor Paul Weatherwax; Music Peter Brunelli, Glen Knight; Stage Director Andrew Bennison; Art Director William S. Darling; Technical Advisor Schuyler E. Grey; Assistant Director Edward O’Fearna; Sound W.W. Lindsay, Donald Flick

REVIEWS: “Despite a tragic plot, the movie skillfully balanced pathos and humor.” John Ford Hollywood’s Old Master (Ronald L. Davis, University of Oklahoma Press, ¡995); “Excellently produced but considerably gruesome…. The action is extremely realistic…. The e›orts of the battleships outside to reach the submarine by divers, too, is realistic.” Harrison’s Reports (February 8, ¡930); “[A] truly great motion picture. It shatters all our highly respected screen traditions.” The Film Spectator; “A picture that will get itself talked about and will contribute to the artistic prestige of the Fox product. As gripping drama it bows to nothing on the screen in a long time…” Variety ( January ¡930) SYNOPSIS: Through the misty, bustling streets of Shanghai wander the crew of sub-

Men Without Women marine S-¡3. On shore leave, the men eagerly visit the longest bar in the world. Their revelry is interrupted by the arrival of Chief Petty O‡cer Burke (Kenneth MacKenna), who informs his comrades that they must report back to the ship. As they leave the bar, Weymouth (Charles Gerard), an o‡cer of the British Navy, thinks he recognizes his old comrade, Quartermain, in the person of Burke. This prompts Weymouth to follow the submarine crew as it staggers back to duty. Capt. Gerson (Roy Stewart), with his boyish new ensign Price (Frank Albertson), awaits the crew at the dock, explaining to him the need for the men to let o› steam in the face of such dangerous duty. Weymouth, now certain that Burke is actually his old friend Quartermain, watches S¡3 slip out to sea. The sub, entrapped in a fog and violent storm, collides with a ship and sinks 90 feet to the ocean floor. Capt. Gerson is washed overboard, and Ensign Price has the command thrust upon him. The crew is held together by the experienced Burke, who carefully rations the precious oxygen which will prolong their lives for the hours it will take a rescue team to find them. Weymouth’s ship becomes part of the search party and finally makes contact with the sub’s fading radio. The men avoid a riot over the oxygen and are sobered by the death of a delirious crew member whom the young Ensign is forced to shoot. They now dare to hope that rescue will come in time. Divers locate the sub. Hammers, within and without, become communicators as Morse code spells out the situation and is passed on by the rescue ship’s radio operator. A torpedo tube is cleared from the outside and, as deadly chlorine gas permeates the sub, the crew is jettisoned one by one to the surface. Only Burke and Price remain. Since someone must stay and work the torpedo valve, Price, as commander, is about to assume the responsibility. Burke then tells him the story of Quatermain, an o‡cer of the British navy found guilty of selling plans to the enemy and causing the destruction of his ship. He has no desire to face his former friend, who was also an o‡cer at his trial. Knocking Price unconscious, he sends him through the tube to safety. The ensign keeps Burke’s secret and taps sounds the loss of a brave sailor.—TAL

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NOTES: Filmed o› the coast of Catalina Island, 26 miles from the mainland of Southern California, from September to October ¡929, with the limited cooperation of the U.S. Navy, who allowed the use of a fleet submarine. After filming Salute, Ford and George O’Brien left on an extended trip to Southeast Asia. O‡cially the trip’s purpose was to conduct research for the director’s upcoming production of Men Without Women and to film some background sequences in the Shanghai area. In reality, both men were providing questionable intelligence on harbor defenses to U.S. Naval intelligence. Wayne was busy in this film. Besides being a prop man, he drew extra pay as a stuntman during the diving sequences, was a sailor in the hapless submarine and played a radio operator on the rescue ship. This e›ort marked the first collaboration between Ford screenwriter Nichols and cinematographer August. Top-billed Kenneth MacKenna (¡899– ¡962) was born Leo Mielziner. The multi-talented actor also worked on the stage and at various times, served in the capacity of story editor, stage director and film producer. Married to actress Mary Phillips, MacKenna entered motion pictures as an actor with Paramount in the mid–¡920s, at Astoria Studios on Long Island. In ¡930 he also appeared in Crazy That Way, Temple Tower, The Three Sisters, Man Trouble, Sin Takes a Holiday and Virtuous Sin. His last screen work was in Judgment at Nuremberg (¡96¡). Throughout the ’30s and ’40s, actor Stuart Erwin (¡902–67) appeared in dozens of low-budget films, then made the successful transition to television with a highly popular comedy series that bore his name. Virginia native Warner Richmond (¡895–¡948) was born to play villains. From ¡9¡6 to ¡946, he appeared in over 80 films, almost always in the role of the heavy. In the ¡93¡ Huckleberry Finn, his evilness caused audiences to shudder, while later in the year, in the Clyde Beatty serial, The Lost Jungle, he again created problems for the hero and heroine. Playing the role of an evil emperor in the ¡2-chapter serial The Phantom Empire (¡935), Richmond had a field day devising various plans to destroy the Earth and Gene Autry. In the B-Western genre, he made life di‡cult for Autry, Tex Ritter, Ken Maynard, Johnny Mack Brown and Wayne (in The

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Mother Machree

New Frontier). No complete sound versions of this film are known to exist. Opened at the Roxy Theater in New York during the last week of January ¡930. Several blocks away, the Gaiety Theater was showing Lost Zeppelin with a cast headed by Conway Tearle, Virginia

Valli, Ricardo Cortez and Duke Martin. Elsewhere in the country, Rin Tin Tin was starring in On the Border (Warners), while Ken Maynard appeared in his latest Universal Western, Parade of the West.

Mother Machree January 22, ¡928. 75 minutes. Belle Bennett, Neil Hamilton, Victor McLaglen, Ted McNamara, Ethel Clayton, Constance Howard, Eulalie Jensen, William Platt, Philippe DeLacy, Pat Somerset, Jacques Rollens, John MacSweeney, Rodney Hildebrand, Joyce

Wirard, Robert Parrish. Fox. Presenter William Fox; Director John Ford; Scenarist Gertrude Orr; Story Rida Johnson Young; Photography Chester Lyons; Editors Katherine Hilliker, H.H. Caldwell; Assistant Directors Edward O’Fearna, R.L. “Lefty” Hough

Mother Machree (Fox, ¡928). Neil Hamilton, two unknowns, Ted McNamara, Belle Bennett

Mother Machree REVIEWS: “The first half hour … is as bad as the last half hour is good. … Rida Johnson Young has evolved an e›ective mother story which John Ford, directing, gets under way in too slow a manner.” Variety (March 7, ¡928); “An excellent all-screen entertainment … a sympathetic and skillful blending of gentle humor and restrained sentiment…. Mr. McLaglen introduces moments of humor and sadness.” The New York Times (Mordaunt Hall, March 6, ¡928); “[F]eatures stunning lighting, leagues ahead of most other directors.” Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford (Scott Eyman, Simon & Schuster, ¡999) SYNOPSIS: In the year ¡899, the sun shines brightly on the fishing village of Ballymoney, where geese roam freely in the little streets. Fisherman Michael McHugh kisses his wife Ellen (Belle Bennett) and his young son Brian (Philippe De Lacy) and sets out to sea. A fierce storm hits the coast and Father McShane comes to inform Ellen, “It’s you that needs God’s comfort this night.” The death of her husband makes Ellen decide to leave Ireland. While mother and son make their way to Queenstown to board a ship for America, they are befriended by a trio of carnival folk. Terence O’Dowd (Victor McLaglen), the celebrated Giant of Kilkenny, accompanied by the Harper of Wexford (Ted McNamara) and the Dwarf of Munster (William Platt), look after the widow. When they reach the coast, Terrance says farewell, “though the heart of me goes along with you.” “I’m hoping there’ll be more giants like you in America,” says Brian. Job hunting proves frustrating for the widow in this new land short on kind words. To her delight, Ellen runs into her carnival friends. “The bottom dropped out of the giant business in Ireland,” Terrance informs her. He quickly finds her employment in the circus as the “Half-lady” on the midway. Her lifestyle is questioned by authorities and Ellen is forced to surrender her son to a school principal. To ensure his upbringing, she becomes housekeeper for a wealthy Fifth Avenue family. With the passing of years, Ellen becomes an indispensable fixture in the Cutting household raising their daughter Edith (Constance Howard) with love while bound to her promise to stay dead to the son of her heart. Now of mar-

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riageable age, Edith is pursued by Bobby de Puster (Pat Somerset), a wealthy playboy. Ellen prefers the polite, quiet friend, Brian Van Studdiford (Neil Hamilton). On a visit to see Edith, Brian picks up a piece of sheet music of “Mother Machree.” “That’s what I called my mother,” he informs Ellen. “It means Mother— my heart.” After singing a beautiful rendition of the song, Ellen realizes that Brian is her lost son. True love wins out. Brian wins the heart of Edith and is reunited with his mother.—TAL NOTES: Started production in September ¡926. By the time the synchronized score had been added over a year later, the cost of the film had exceeded $700,000. Fox released the motion picture in January ¡928 with tinted sequences, then pulled it from circulation while music and synchronized sound were added. The new version was released on October 2¡, ¡928, and proved to be a substantial moneymaker. While Wayne earned $35 a week toiling at Fox, the bigger names in Hollywood were earning considerably more for their e›orts: Buster Keaton was being paid $3000 a week and Mary Astor earned $3750 a week. Victor McLaglen earned $¡200 a week. The original story idea for the film first appeared in the February ¡924 issue of Munsey’s Magazine as “The Story of Mother Machree.” Its prolific author Rida Johnson Young (¡875–¡926) also penned the plays Brown of Harvard, Boys of Company B, Glorious Betsy, The Lottery Man, Naughty Marietta, The Yellow Streak and The Lancers. In the ¡960s, assistant director Hough’s son Stanley L. Hough became the chief executive o‡cer of 20th Century–Fox. He also wrote the Wayne vehicle The Undefeated (¡969). Child star Robert Parrish appeared with Chaplin in the classic silent film City Lights. As an adult he would win the Academy Award of ¡947 for Best Film Editing for his work on the boxing picture Body and Soul. In the ¡960s, Parrish turned to writing, detailing stories of Hollywood and celebrities. Belle Bennett (¡89¡–¡932), the star of the film, was in 65 motion pictures over an ¡8-year period from ¡9¡3 until the time of her premature death. Her most famous films were Stella Dallas (¡925), Reckless Lady (¡926), Fourth Commandment (¡927), Way of All Flesh (¡927), Battle of the Sexes (¡928) and The Iron Mask (¡929).

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’Neath the Arizona Skies

Actress Ethel Clayton (¡884– ¡966) began appearing in films almost at the dawn of the industry. Starting at the Essanay Studio in ¡9¡0, she toiled in dozens of one-reel comedy shorts. Married to director Joseph Kaufman (who helmed many of her motion pictures), she worked at Essanay, then switched to World Studios where she remained for over a decade. By the early ¡920s her career as a lead actress

was in decline. Working infrequently, she accepted character roles, and appeared in less than a dozen films after Mother Machree. Cast member Ted McNamara (¡892–¡928) died of pneumonia just before the national release of the film. He was one-half of the Fox assembled comedy team of McNamara and (Sammy) Cohen. The motion picture played in New York at the Globe Theater.

’Neath the Arizona Skies December 5, ¡934, 52–57 minutes. John Wayne, Sheila Terry, Jay Wilsey (Bu›alo Bill, Jr.), Yakima Canutt, Jack Rockwell, Shirley Jane Rickert (Shirley Ricketts), George Hayes, (Major) Phil Kie›er, Frank Hall Crane, Weston Edwards (Harry Fraser), Earl Dwire, Artie Ortego, Eddie Parker, Herman Hack, Tex Phelps. Monogram. A Lone Star Western. Producer Paul Malvern; Director Harry Fraser; Story & Screenplay Burl R. Tuttle; Photography Archie J. Stout; Editors Charles Hunt, Carl Pierson; Music Lee Zahler; Recording Engineer Ralph Shugart; Art Director E.R. Hickson REVIEWS: “Besides its fair share of the riding, shooting and fighting action which the fans of the western film seem thoroughly to enjoy, this picture has in the lead the lively and young, John Wayne, who has a substantial following.” Motion Picture Herald (Aaronson, December ¡5, ¡934); “It is possibly a box o‡ce asset in that in addition to the star John Wayne there are small parts played by Bu›alo Bill Jr. and Yakima Canutt… It generates a kind of excitement and kids will probably like it.” Variety (March 20, ¡935); “This one casts logic to the winds in several vital spots in the plot, but the producer certainly has crowded in the thrills and the excitement, and after all, that’s the only excuse for making these westerns.” Film Daily (December ¡¡, ¡934) SYNOPSIS: Chris Morrell ( John Wayne) undertakes a search for the father of Nina (Shirley Jean Rickert), the young Indian girl he is raising. The government is prepared to

pay her a considerable sum in interest on oil wells from the Indian lands if Chris can locate the girl’s surviving parent, a drifter named Tom (Earl Dwire) whom Chris knew years ago. Local ru‡an Sam Black (Yakima Canutt) learns of Nina’s worth and sends three of his toughs to steal the girl. Chris and Nina elude capture but are hotly pursued by Black and his gang. Fearing that they will be overtaken, Morell sends Nina riding on ahead while he faces the gang with six-shooter and lariat. Chris is able to run o› the outlaw’s horses, but receives a head wound from Black. After riding a short distance, Chris falls from his horse and lies unconscious. He is found by Jim Moore ( Jay Wilsey) who has just robbed the express o‡ce in town. Thinking that he can cast the blame on the unconscious Morrell, the thief switches hats and shirts before continuing his escape. Chris is later found by Clara (Sheila Terry), Jim’s sister, as she is returning from town. Having heard a description of the robber, she takes the unconscious cowboy for the bandit as she ministers to his wound. Chris comes to and convinces Clara that he has been framed. He learns that she is the daughter of his old friend Bud Moore, who has recently been killed. It is to the Bud Moore Ranch that Chris has sent Nina. The young Indian girl has reached the ranch which is now run by Vic Byrd ( Jack Rockwell), a low-life who has no interest in having a child around. He gives her to the ranch’s cook, Matt Downing (George Hayes). Matt, an old friend of Chris, recognizes Nina as the daughter fathered by one of

The New Frontier the ranch hands, Tom. Tom is charmed by his daughter and decides he will not be separated from her again. But Sam Black and gang, tipped o› by Byrd and Jim Moore, plan to steal the girl. Vic Byrd, having shot Moore for the express money, is killed by Tom when the outlaw attempts to take Nina to Black. Chris joins Tom, and the two hold o› the gang as ammunition runs out. Matt Downing arrives with a posse, but during the shootout, Black kills Tom and steals Nina. Chris rides o› in pursuit which ends with a fight in the river. With the villain’s watery death, peace is restored. Chris and Nina join Clara and Matt as permanent residents of the Moore ranch.—TAL NOTES: Wayne’s tenth Lone Star Western. The release of the picture was delayed three weeks until after the regional debut of Lawless Frontier. For his ten days work in this film, Wayne received a salary of $¡250. The Western was budgeted at $¡2,000. Yak and Eddie Parker again doubled for the principals including Wayne. Eddie Parker (¡900–60), one of the premier stuntmen of his era, worked in almost 200 films. He alternated between BWesterns, serials and adventure films. His last screen appearance was as an old slave in Kirk Douglas’ Spartacus. He performed stunts in at least ¡¡ Wayne films including Hurricane Express, Lucky Texan, Star Packer, Trail Beyond, Lawless Frontier, Rainbow Valley and Westward Ho! This was a remake of Superior Talking Pictures’ Circle Canyon (¡933) which starred Buddy Roosevelt and June Mathews. Monogram, ever thrifty, did not even bother to change the names of the characters from the ¡933 film. During the ¡93¡-32 season, Shirley Jean Rickert was featured in the popular Our Gang series as a junior Mae West character. She then joined Mickey Rooney in the comi-

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cal Mickey McGwire short subjects. Rickert retired from the screen after a small role in the classic musical Singin’ in the Rain (MGM, ¡952). Wyoming-born Jay Wilsey (¡896–¡96¡) was a real cowboy who performed in Wild West shows before succumbing to the lure of Hollywood in the early ¡920s. He toiled as a stuntman and bit player for several years, then in ¡924 signed a contract with Pathé Studios to headline a series of low-budget Westerns. Eventually the studio changed his screen name to Bu›alo Bill, Jr., and in ¡926, Wilsey reached the high point of his career by appearing in a series of modest but well-received Westerns for Universal. By the end of the decade, his star had receded and he could only secure work on “Gower Gulch” with low-grade studios (Superior Talking Pix, Big-4, West Coast, Syndicate, Cosmos, Principal, Imperial and American Pictures). After appearing in the ¡94¡ PRC release The Lone Rider in Ghost Town, Wilsey retired from the screen. Philip Kei›er (a.k.a. Kie›er or Keefer), a major in the army during World War I, became a favorite of John Ford and a member of his repertory company. Usually serving as a technical advisor in militarythemed films, he was assigned small roles whenever scripts called for an authoritative figure with military bearing. Shown in New York for one day (March ¡5, ¡935) as part of a double bill at the Arena Theater. Across the street, the Orion Theater was unreeling (also for one day only) In Old Santa Fe starring Ken Maynard, Evalyn Knapp and a young man named Gene Autry. Variety, noting that Gene Autry and his orchestra seemed to be “spliced into the picture for a dance scene,” added, “They’re a little too long, making it look like an audition.”

The New Frontier October 5, ¡935. 59 minutes. John Wayne, Muriel Evans, Murdock MacQuarrie, Warner Richmond, Sam Flint, Earl Dwire, Alan Bridge, Allan Cavan, Glenn Strange, Mary

MacLaren, Theodore Lorch, Frank Ball, Jack Montgomery, Phil Kie›er, Ed Parker, Art Dillard, Chuck Baldra, Sherry Tansey, Tex Palmer, Tex Phelps, Jack Kirk, Hooper Atchley, Perry

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The New Frontier (Republic, ¡935). Jack Kirk, Tex Phelps, Alan Bridge, Chuck Baldra, Herman Hack, unknowns, Wayne

Murdock, Cactus Mack, Fred Parker, Herman Hack, Pat Harmon. Republic. Vice President in Charge of Production Trem Carr; Producer Paul Malvern; Director Carl L. Pierson; Writer Robert Emmett; Photography Gus Peterson, Harry Neumann; Editor Gerald Roberts; Technical Director E. R. Hickson; Recorder J. A. Stransky, Jr.; Music Heinz Roemheld REVIEWS: “It’s [Wayne’s] second film for Republic release. O›ering a good voice and nice personality, Wayne ought to get up front in these yarns. Stronger stories and production should do the trick.” Variety (December ¡8, ¡935); “It was a strong picture in its category.” The Filming of the West ( Jon Tuska, Doubleday, ¡976); “Good western helped by better than usual handling in all departments … the John Wayne production stacks up with the better

westerns. Wayne in his cool style does a fine job.” Film Daily (September 24, ¡935) SYNOPSIS : Trail herders Milt Dawson (Sam Flint) and his son John ( John Wayne) watch the land rush to the Cherokee Strip with interest. John is not ready to try his hand at homesteading; he prefers his present job of leading outfits safely to their destination. He leaves his father long enough to lead in the latest outfit—the Miller-Myers party. Milt returns to the nearby frontier town and witnesses the dubious advances of civilization. Some of the pioneers he has brought West, like Parson Shaw (Allan Cavan) and Tom Lewis (Murdock MacQuarrie), struggle to bring religion and an honest work ethic to the territory. Others, led by saloon proprietor Ace Holmes (Warner Richmond), open up the frontier to

The New Frontier murder and corruption. The parson and his congregation ask Milt to become the town’s first sheri›, but he declines: “Packin’ people is my business, not packin’ a star.” But when a citizen is murdered, Milt confronts Holmes. In the dark he is shot down in cold blood by the villain. On the trail, John eagerly makes his way towards his father and the girl who has fallen in love with him, Tom Lewis’ daughter Hanna (Muriel Evans). John has successfully brought his latest group of settlers through the wilderness, averting a battle with a hungry gang of hombres when he befriends the gang’s leader, Kit (Alan Bridge), by leaving behind some extra food and supplies. But his homecoming is ruined by news of his dad’s death. John takes the job as sheri›. Holmes, intent on controlling the town himself, enlists the aid of a gang of cutthroats called the Norton gang. Encamped in the hills on the outside of town, the gang lures John into a trap. John outwits the desperadoes and returns to town. He bravely faces Ace Holmes in a showdown but is struck down from behind. Before Ace can murder the unconscious lawman, Kit’s wellfed gang enters Ace’s saloon and rescues John. As John is being ministered to at the church, Ace sends for Norton’s gang. “Light up them torches and get mounted,” Norton orders his men. John deputizes Kit and his men and they confront Holmes outside his saloon. A gun battle begins, with John and his men taking to drainage ditches in the town’s main street. Tom Lewis sets fire to Ace’s saloon in the hope of smoking out the villains. Norton arrives and his men set the rest of the town ablaze as the gunfight rages on. Kit gives his life to save John from being shot in the back by Holmes. The forces of good defeat the proponents of lawlessness, ensuring some degree of peace and happiness in the years to follow.—TAL NOTES : The second Republic Western with Wayne was shot at Monogram City (Talisman Studios) in Newhall, California, from August ¡5 to August 2¡, ¡935, with some additional location work done at Lone Pine and Kernville, California. Budgeted at $¡5,000, actual negative cost was several thousand dollars higher. The film opens with stock footage of the Cherokee Strip land rush and a sequence from the silent Ken Maynard Western The Red

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Raiders. Wayne was again paid a salary of $¡750. Between ¡935 and ¡940, leading actress Muriel Evans (¡9¡0–2000) was busy in the B world of Westerns, playing not only the love interest for Wayne in two features, but also Buck Jones (in seven features and serials), Hopalong Cassidy and Tex Ritter. She began her career as an extra at the age of ¡5 and became a favorite of comedian Charlie Chase, who, beginning in ¡932, inserted her in close to a dozen comedy shorts for the Hal Roach Studios. Evans also appeared in several major productions including Queen Christina (¡933) starring Greta Garbo, Manhattan Melodrama (¡934) with William Powell and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (¡936) with Gary Cooper. Before retiring from the screen in the early ¡940s, the Minnesota-born actress would appear in over 40 features. Writer Robert Emmett was also known as Robert Emmett Tansey. Extra and bit player Cactus Mack (¡899–¡962) hailed from New Mexico and came to Hollywood in the late ¡920s. From ¡930 to ¡958, the talented Mack (who was also an accomplished violinist and guitar player) appeared as “one of the crowd” in over ¡30 features, almost all B-Westerns. In his first role with Wayne, Westward Ho!, he was one of the singing riders, while in his later Westerns he played an assortment of characters, from a deputy in Cherokee Flash (¡945) to a member of the gang in Son of Zorro (¡947), a stagecoach driver in The Dalton Gang (¡949) and a bandit in Big Jack (¡949). Cast member Allan Cavan (¡880–¡94¡) played the role of a minister. The veteran of over ¡00 motion pictures journeyed to Hollywood from northern California in the early ¡920s and appeared in over 40 silents including Lon Chaney’s London After Midnight (¡927). For much of his career he played an assortment of doctors, police o‡cials and military o‡cers. In the ¡936 release Rebellion, he was the twelfth President of the United States, Zachary Taylor, while in Old Louisiana (¡937) he portrayed President Thomas Je›erson. His other films with Wayne included Night Riders and Wyoming Outlaw. Milwaukee-born Heinz Eric Roemheld (¡90¡–85), composer for The New Frontier, was responsible for the music on over 600 motion pictures. A child prodigy, he studied in Europe during the ¡920s, then re-

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New Frontier

turned to America and went to work as a composer and music director at Universal. One of his first e›orts was on All Quiet on the Western Front (¡930). Throughout the ’30s and ’40s he was continuously employed by Universal, Paramount, Warners and Republic, winning the

Academy Award for his original music in Yankee Doodle Dandy (¡942). Some of his betterknown films included Dracula’s Daughter, Gentleman Jim, The Invisible Man, The Lady from Shanghai, The Perils of Pauline, and Shine On Harvest Moon.

New Frontier August ¡0, ¡939. 56 minutes. John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, Raymond Hatton, Phylis Isley [ Jennifer Jones], Eddy Waller, Sammy McKim, LeRoy Mason, Harrison Greene, Reginald Barlow, Burr Caruth, Dave O’Brien, Hal Price, Jack Ingram, Bud Osborne, Charles (Slim) Whitaker, Fred Burns, Charles Murphy, Wilbur Mack, Jody Gilbert, Curley Dresden, George Plues, Herman Hack, Cactus Mack, George Chesebro, Bill Wolfe, Oscar Gahan, Bob Reeves, Frank Ellis, Walt LaRue, John Beach, Frankie Marvin, Victor Cox, Jim Corey, Bob Burns, John Elliott, Bill Nestell, Bud McClure, Al Haskell, George Montgomery. Republic. Director George Sherman; Associate Producer William Berke; Screenplay Betty Burbridge, Luci Ward; Assistant Director William O’Connor; Musical Score William Lava; Photography Reggie Lanning; Supervising Editor Murray Seldeen; Editor Tony Martinelli; Production Manager Al Wilson REVIEWS: “One of the most popular series of Westerns ever turned out.” The Thrill of It All (Alan G. Barbour, Collier, ¡97¡); “[R]epresents Republic’s recent and most repercussive nemesis—lack of story originality. Casting, direction and camera are standard, with John Wayne excellent in one of the featured roles, but the story falls far short with its trite dialog and transparent situations.” Variety (August ¡6, ¡939); “Wayne’s final outing as a Mesquiteer … was held back by Republic to cash in on the star’s new popularity after the huge success of Stagecoach.” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Phil Hardy, Overlook Press, ¡983); “Good western helped by better than usual handling in all departments…. The John Wayne production stacks

up with the better Westerns. Wayne in his cool style does a fine job.” The Film Daily (September 24, ¡939) SYNOPSIS: The community of New Hope Valley celebrates its golden jubilee in recognition of the peace and contentment won by Major Braddock (Eddy Waller) and the original settlers who carved a home in this portion of the West after the Civil War. The Three Mesquiteers, Stony Brooke, Tucson Smith and Rusty Joslin ( John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, Raymond Hatton), join in the festivities by recreating the Pony Express run to the valley. In town, Stony and Tucson vie for the attentions of Braddock’s pretty granddaughter Celia (Phylis Isley), while Rusty plots to escape the clutches of his own dance partner so that he can sit down to the fine meal awaiting them. “It’s a great day to bring them bad news,” sighs Assemblyman Proctor (Harrison Greene) who, accompanied by a construction boss, M.C. Gilbert (LeRoy Mason), arrives to tell the stunned ranchers that the state has declared their property condemned to make way for a huge water reservoir to serve the growing city of Metropole. The state legislature intends to buy their land for the project and to flood the whole valley. The ranchers defy the civil authorities and the construction teams, but the courts uphold the rights of the state. When checks for their land arrive, Major Braddock and the ranchers rip them up and band together. They throw a barricade across Cutstone Canyon to stop the construction wagons. Violence breaks out when the ranchers fire at the wagons and the construction men set fire to the barricades with a flaming fuel wagon. This act pulls the Mesquiteers into the dispute.

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New Frontier (Republic, ¡939). Curley Dresden, Jack Ingraham, Raymond Hatton, Wayne, Ray Corrigan, Slim Whitaker

“Folks are liable to get kind of unreasonable when their homes are taken away from them,” observes the sheri› (Hal Price) to the irate Gilbert. The lawman is forced to arrest the ranchers, but the Mesquiteers are released to meet with Proctor and Gilbert. Along with a swindler named Dodge (Wilbur Mack), the boys are duped into endorsing a plan to peacefully relocate the ranchers to nearby Devil’s Acres, an arid tract of land which will be turned into a garden by the irrigation pipes being laid through the mountain. The Mesquiteers are persuasive and the New Hope residents prepare for the move. While herding cattle to the new location, the boys discover that the irrigation plan for Devil’s Acres is a hoax and that the dam waters are set to flood their valley as soon as the settlers move out. The Mesquiteers stop the wagon train and the

ranchers band together and ride to the dam. In an attempt to catch Proctor, the boys are trapped at his house, but escape in time to lead the fight at the dam. After a furious battle, Stony shuts down the flood waters. The land swindlers are convicted and the legislature makes sure that Devil’s Acres is properly irrigated, allowing the displaced settlers to move with hope to their new home.—TAL NOTES : The eighth and last WayneMesquiteer Western. It was also the last of 38 B-Westerns that the actor had appeared in since ¡932. New Frontier was filmed from June 26 to July 3, ¡939, under the working title Raiders of the Wasteland. It was budgeted at $35,000; Wayne received $3000. The Western used stock footage from several other films including Birth of a Nation (¡9¡4), The Big Trail (¡930) and Billy the Kid Returns (¡938). The

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The Night Riders

music was also recycled from the Republic serials SOS Coast Guard (¡937) and Daredevils of the Red Circle (¡939). The Three Mesquiteers series continued (for a total of 5¡ films) with Tom Tyler then Bob Steele in the Stony Brooke role. Actress Phylis Isley (¡9¡9– ), who was paid $75 for appearing in the Western, would soon have her name changed to Jennifer Jones and become a substantial star in the ’40s and ’50s. The Tulsa native studied at the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, then headed to Hollywood and was signed to a short term contract by Republic. They inserted her into several of their Bfilms including the serial Dick Tracy’s G-Men. David O. Selznick then signed her to an exclusive contract and began grooming her for stardom. In a span of four successive years, Jones won an Oscar for Best Actress for her role in The Song of Bernadette (¡943), and was nominated for her portrayals in Since You Went Away (¡944), Love Letters (¡945) and Duel in the Sun (¡946). In her private life, the actress was first married to actor Robert Walker (¡939–44), then Selznick (¡949–65) and finally,

industrialist Norton Simon (¡97¡–93). From ¡936 to ¡944, William Berke was an associate producer at Republic on 25 features. He served in this capacity on all eight of the WayneMesquiteer adventures. Following Red River Range and The Night Riders, this was juvenile star Sammy McKim’s third Mesquiteer Western with Wayne. Although he worked for many other studios, McKim appeared in 25 Republic productions including Hit the Saddle (¡937), The Old Barn Dance (¡938), The Lone Ranger (¡938), Man of Conquest (¡939), Dick Tracy’s GMen (¡939) and Thunderbirds (¡952). Ohioborn Hal Price (¡886–¡964) played the sheri› in this Western. In a career that spanned over 20 years (¡930–52), the character actor appeared in more than 200 films, most of them Westerns of the “B” variety, and several early episodes (¡949) of TV’s The Lone Ranger. His other films with Wayne included Lady and Gent (¡932), Riders of Destiny (¡933), Sagebrush Trail (¡933), West of the Divide (¡934), and The Night Riders (¡939). When re-released in the late ’40s, Republic changed the film’s title to Frontier Horizon. Also re-released in ¡953.

The Night Riders April ¡2, ¡939. 57 minutes. John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, Max Terhune, Doreen McKay, Ruth Rogers, George Douglas, Tom Tyler, Kermit Maynard, Sammy McKim, Walter Wills, Ethan Laidlaw, Edward Peil, Sr., Tom London, Jack Ingram, William Nestell, Glenn Strange, Horace Murphy, Alan Cavan, Francis Sayles, Hugh Prosser, Hal Price, Hank Worden, Roger Williams, Jack Kirk, Bud Osborne, Dave Sharpe, Olin Francis, Cactus Mack, Frankie Marvin, Francis Walker, Al Taylor, Lee Shumway, Georgia Summers, David McKim, George Montgomery, Frank O’Connor, Bob Card, Art Dillard, Eva McKenzie, George Simmons, Tommy Coats, Tex Palmer, John Beach, Jane Keckley, Yakima Canutt and Nellie Walker (stunt doubles). Republic. Director George Sherman; Assistant Director Phil Ford; Associate Producer William

Berke; Screenplay Betty Burbridge, Stanley Roberts; Based on characters by William Colt MacDonald; Photography Jack Marta; Supervising Editor Murray Seldeen; Editor Lester Orlebeck; Musical Score William Lava; Production Manager Al Wilson REVIEWS: “[It] benefited from good direction, fine acting, tight editing and a rousing musical score (by William Lava).” The Great Western Pictures ( James Robert Parish and Michael Pitts, Scarecrow Press, ¡976); “Di‡cult as it is to believe there could be anything genuinely new in Westerns, Night Riders has it in a solid story, evolved along unique lines, filled with engaging surprises and unusual twists. It is a cinch hit in its class.” The Hollywood Reporter (April 4, ¡939); “Despite the aura of incredibility, as a whole the finished negative raises the Mesquiteer standard a

The Night Riders notch. Exhibs have a selling point in John Wayne, leader of the trio, based on the approval given his performance in Stagecoach.” Variety (April 5, ¡939); “Slick, fast hour you’d come to expect from Republic.” The Best (and Worst) of the West! (Boyd Magers) SYNOPSIS : A chance encounter with a card sharp aboard a riverboat becomes a prelude to hard times for the Three Mesquiteers (Wayne, Corrigan, Terhune). Pierce Talbot (George Douglas), caught cheating at cards, is stabbed in the arm and thrown overboard in a scu·e witnessed by the boys. The scoundrel swims to shore and is taken in by Hazelton (Walter Wills), a former engraver at the mint convicted for counterfeiting. The outcasts take a liking to one another. Hazelton reveals a forged land grant which he has created. An interested Talbot is drawn into his plan to lay claim to 3,000,000 acres. With the card sharp assuming the identity of Don Luis de Serrano, the masterpiece of forgery is upheld in court. Posing as a benevolent land baron, the greedy Don soon extracts heavy taxes from the real landowners. In a short time, he takes livestock, possessions and property from the inhabitants. Even the 3M ranch is not immune. The Mesquiteers successfully repulse the Don’s collectors, but must move o› their land at the sheri› ’s insistence. Stony, Tucson and Lullaby join other dispossessed ranchers and write to President Garfield. Even the president is forced to acknowledge the Don’s claim to the land. Stony stirs his partners to action. “The ones who opened up this country didn’t sit around and cry for help. They did something.” Clad in white, the Mesquiteers become Los Capaqueros, mysterious caped riders taking up the cause of the ranchers. Like Robin Hood of old, they steal from the Don’s collectors and return the money to the poor. An enraged Don Luis sends his riders out to hunt down the trio. In escaping one of the Don’s traps, the boys climb into the bedroom of a surprised President Garfield. Touring the West, the president is anxious to relieve the tense situation. He needs hard evidence to convict the villain. To capture Los Capaqueros, the Don raises an army; to get first-hand information, the boys enlist. “We’re goin’ to get awful dizzy chasin’ ourselves,” observes Lullaby. The sight of the

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Mesquiteers riding with the Don’s army is a blow to the ranchers, especially Susan Randall (Ruth Rogers) and her brother Tim (Sammy McKim), whom the Mesquiteers have befriended. Stony proves his suspicions about the Don when, seeing him handle a deck of cards, he reveals the scars from a knife wound. Hazelton discovers a cape under one of their beds, and the Mesquiteers are jailed as Los Capaqueros. The boys send Susan to verify Talbot’s past and she learns he is an ex-con. She writes the president, but Garfield is shot before he can read the evidence. The sheri›, convinced of de Serrano’s guilt, fakes the execution of Los Capaqueros. A riot breaks out at the Don’s house when the people fear their champions have been killed. The Mesquiteers sneak into the Don’s house, warning Talbot that, unless he signs a full confession, they will stay dead long enough for the mob to have its way. Talbot and Hazelton surrender. Prosperity returns to the true owners of the land.—TAL NOTES: Filmed from February ¡6 to February 24, ¡939, under the working titles Heroes of the Desert and Lone Star Bullets. Budgeted at $35,000. Wayne’s salary was $3000. Kermit Maynard (¡897-¡97¡), younger brother of Ken Maynard, got his start in films, in ¡927, doubling for George O’Brien, Tom Tyler, Rex Bell and Victor McLaglen. In ¡933 he was the World’s Champion performer in trick and fancy riding and still had time to star in several B-Western series for Rayart and Ambassador Studios. Between ¡934 and ¡937 Maynard had roles in over 20 oaters. Montana native Ethan Laidlaw (¡899–¡963) was one of the foremost “bad guys” in Westerns of the ¡930s and ¡940s. During his career he worked with almost every major cowboy star from Wayne to Harry Carey, George O’Brien, Charles Starrett, Gene Autry, Bill Cody, Jack Perrin, Red Barry, Johnny Mack Brown and Tex Ritter. The dour-faced actor appeared in two Three Stooges shorts as well as the bigbudget Joan of Arc (¡948) and DeMille’s The Ten Commandments (¡956). With a magnificent physique, Tom Tyler (born Vincent Markowski, ¡903–54) entered films in ¡924 as a stuntman and extra. By the time he was forced to retire, due to crippling rheumatic arthritis, he had appeared in ¡57 motion pictures. Tyler

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would have small roles in four other Wayne films: Stagecoach, They Were Expendable, Red River and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. Besides appearing as the title character in the serials Captain Marvel and The Phantom, he also had minor roles in Gone with the Wind (¡939), The Westerner (¡940) and San Antonio (¡945). Doreen McKay’s acting career lasted five years and consisted of less than ten films. By contrast, cinematographer Jack Marta would work consistently for 50 years (¡928–77) and churn out over 220 motion pictures. He spent two decades at Republic and photographed ten Wayne films: King of the Pecos, Red River Range, Dark Command, A Man Betrayed, Lady from Louisiana, In Old California, Flying Tigers, In Old Oklahoma and Dakota. He ended his ca-

reer with the Billy Jack series: The Trial of Billy Jack (¡974), The Master Gunfighter (¡975) and Billy Jack Goes to Washington (¡977). The Mesquiteer adventure faced competition on the nation’s screens from Paramount’s latest entry in the Bulldog Drummond series, Bulldog Drummond’s Secret Police, Warners’ Adventures of Jane Arden with Rosella Towne in the title role, the Paramount B-film Boy Trouble with Charlie Ruggles and Donald O’Connor and MGM’s musical The Kid from Texas starring Dennis O’Keefe and Florence Rice. Remade by Republic in ¡942 as Arizona Terrors with Don “Red” Barry in the starring role and Al “Fuzzy” St. John for comedy relief. George Sherman directed both versions.

Noah’s Ark November ¡, ¡928. ¡35 minutes. George O’Brien, Dolores Costello, Noah Beery, Guinn Williams, Myrna Loy, Louise Fazenda, Paul McAllister, Nigel De Brulier, Anders Randolf, Armand Kaliz, William V. Mong, Malcolm Waite, Noble Johnson, Otto Ho›man, Joe Bonomo, Andy Devine, Torben Meyer, John Wayne. Warner Bros. Director Michael Curtiz; Story Darryl F. Zanuck; Adaptation Anthony Coldeway; Photography Hal Mohr, Barney McGill; Editor Harold McCord; Miniature E›ects Fred Jackman; Music Score & Synchronization Louis Silvers, Alois Reiser; Song “Heart o’ Mine” Billy Rose, Louis Silvers; Titles De Leon Anthony; Other Technicians Henry Blanke, John Daumery, Lewis Geib, Paul Grimm, Esdras Hartley, Ned Mann, Harold Miles, Frank Murphy, Victor Vance REVIEWS: “Frequently borders on the ridiculous… After sitting through this cumbersome production, one feels that it is a great test of patience.” The New York Times (Mordaunt Hall, November ¡928); “A solid bore, with a very second rate war story in which everything from The Big Parade to date has

been shabbily copied.” New York Post (November ¡928); “An idiotic super-spectacle with parallel Old Testament and Jazz Age sequences—Moses against Scott Fitzgerald.” The New Yorker (Alva Johnson, November ¡928); “Warner Bros. has turned out in Noah’s Ark more spectacle and thrill than any producer has ever achieved … reminiscent of The Ten Commandments, King of Kings, Wings, The Big Parade…” Variety (November 7, ¡928); “[It] is tremendously interesting … exceptionally thrilling and awe-inspiring in many parts.” Photoplay Magazine (October ¡928); “It seems as if one-half million dollars were spent in the production of this picture. Despite this great expenditure of money, however, as a two-dollar admission entertainment, it is an imposition on the public. The story never rises above the intelligence of a seven year old child…. The action is incoherent….” Harrison’s Reports (March 23, ¡929) SYNOPSIS: In ¡9¡4, as the world rushes to war, the voice of Him who said to the waters, “Peace—be still” seems silenced. Aboard the crowded Orient Express, two young Ameri-

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Noah’s Ark (Warner Bros., ¡928)

cans, Travis and Al (George O’Brien and Guinn Williams), befriend a Bible-carrying old man who has put up with the taunts of the cynical crowd. Other passengers on the train include a ruthless Russian agent (Noah Beery) and a German actress (Dolores Costello) whom he is pursuing. Near the French border, the train crashes at a collapsed bridge. The survivors take refuge at an isolated lodge. Eventually French troops arrive and announce that war has been declared. When the United States enters the war, the two young Americans enlist in the army to do their duty, but not before one of them marries the German actress he has fallen in love with. While Travis is part of the Argonne o›ensive, his wife, Marie is part of a theater troupe entertaining Allied soldiers. On the front line, Al is killed and the Russian agent, working for Allied Intelligence, has Marie wrongly convicted of spying. Picked

for firing squad duty, Travis recognizes his wife and frees her just as a barrage of German heavy artillery opens the ground at their feet. The group is buried alive in an old cavern and rescued by the old holy man they befriended on the train. Praying to be rescued, the old man draws comparisons between the flood of Noah’s day and the flood of blood which now sweeps over them. The flood which had destroyed the evil king Nephilim washed away a world of lust and sin. The present flood will cleanse the world of its love of war and greed. As a rescue party breaks through, the news of the Armistice spreads throughout the world. The rainbow of a new covenant promises a brighter future.—TAL NOTES: Although the studio claimed the production had a negative tag in excess of $¡,500,000, the actual production cost was $940,000. The film managed a small profit in

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the United States but, with a gross of over $900,000, was a big hit throughout Europe. Wayne and Andy Devine were hired as stunt swimmers. Nationwide release of the epic was delayed until June ¡5, ¡929. By that time, the film had been cut to ¡04 minutes. During the massive flood sequence, three of the stunt swimmers lost their lives, one lost a leg and half a dozen were left crippled. During the course of filming, 3500 extras were utilized. Darryl F. Zanuck, the author of the story, was at the age of 27 one of Warners’ youngest executives. The film was to be his answer to Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments (Paramount, ¡923). Starting in ¡9¡¡, Dolores Costello (¡905–79) and her younger sister Helen began working as child actresses for their father, director Maurice Costello. The former wife of John Barrymore then withdrew from the industry as she pursued her education. She returned to show business by performing on Broadway in George White’s Scandals (¡924). She made her starring film debut opposite Barrymore in Warners’ The Sea Beast. The actress worked almost non-stop throughout the late ’20s and early ’30s, but by the end of the decade, her interest in films had waned. Her

last starring role was in Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons (¡942). Actress Myrna Loy (¡905–93) had already appeared in over 50 films before her dual roles in Noah’s Ark. She played di›erent characters in both the Biblical and modern sequences. The MGM Thin Man series in the ¡930s brought Loy eternal fame as Nora Charles (and a salary of $¡500 a week). Loy would be credited with roles in over ¡35 motion pictures. Cast member, stuntman and extra Joe Bonomo (¡902– 78) was a professional strongman who went into movies for the thrills and monetary rewards. He made his debut in films by doubling Lon Chaney in A Light in the Dark and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Noah’s Ark’s competition at the box o‡ce was MGM’s The Wind starring Lillian Gish, Queen of the Night Clubs (Warners) with Texas Guinan and The Cavalier headlining Richard Talmadge from little independent Ti›any Studios. World premiere was held at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, on November ¡, ¡928, and at the Winter Garden Theater in New York. The film was reissued in ¡957 with a narration and a truncated 75-minute length. The film was restored in ¡989.

North to Alaska November 7, ¡960. ¡22 minutes. John Wayne, Stewart Granger, Ernie Kovacs, Fabian, Capucine, Mickey Shaughnessy, Karl Swenson, Joe Sawyer, Kathleen Freeman, John Qualen, Stanley Adams, Stephen Courtleigh, Douglas Dick, Jerry O’Sullivan, Ollie O’Toole, Frank Faylen, Esther Dale, Richard Deacon, Kermit Maynard, Lilyan Chauvin, Joey Faye, Arlene Harris, James Gri‡th, Tudor Owen, Marcel Hillaire, Max Hellinger, Richard Collier, Fortune Gordien, Roy Jensen, Charles Seel, Rayford Barnes, Fred Graham, Alan Carney, Tony Miller, Peter Bourne, Tom Dillon, Paul Maxey, Oscar Beregi, Johnny Lee, Pamela Raymond, Maurice Delamore, Patty Wharton, Yvonne Peattie, Loren Janes, Major Sam Harris, “Hap” Johnson, Stan Johnson,

Boyd “Red” Morgan, Tom Hennesy, Bob Morgan (Morgan doubled Wayne), John Epper. 20th Century–Fox. Produced and Directed by Henry Hathaway; Screenplay John Lee Mahin, Martin Rackin, Claude Binyon, Wendell Mayes; Based on the play Birthday Gift by Laszlo Fodor; From an idea by John Kafka; Photography Leon Shamroy; Editor Dorothy Spencer; Special Photographic E›ects L.B. Abbott, Emil Kosa, Jr.; Art Directors Duncan Cramer, Jack Martin Smith; Set Decorators Walter M. Scott, Stuart A. Reiss; Sound Alfred Bruzlin, Warren B. Delaplain; Music Lionel Newman; Fabian sings “If I Knew” by Russell Faith; Lyrics by Robert P. Marcucci, Peter DeAngelis; “North to Alaska” sung by Johnny Horton; Orchestrations Urban Thielmann,

North to Alaska Bernard Mayers; Assistant Director Stanley Hough; Costumes Bill Thomas; Makeup Supervisor Ben Nye; Hairstyles Helen Turpin; Second Unit Director Richard Talmadge; Dances Staged by Josephine Earl REVIEWS: “[A] loose, lopsided, often funny Western…..” Newsweek (November ¡960); “This is a bouncy, richly enjoyable comedy….” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, A.S. Barnes, ¡976); “Hathaway’s direction is fully up to scratch for command of narrative tempo, and altogether the promise held out by the rousing ballad sung over the opening titles by Johhny Horton is amply sustained.” The BFI Companion to the Western (Edward Buscombe, Atheneum, ¡988); “It’s been so long since good old-fashioned hoke has been well produced, directed, acted and edited that North to Alaska seems a lot better on screen than its hackneyed script allows it to be in retrospect….” Films in Review (Dudley Boelker, December ¡960); “Uneven but pleasantly boisterous … the proceedings are easily dominated by the indefatigable Mr. Wayne.” The New York Times (Eugene Archer, November ¡¡, ¡960); “A good-humored, old-fashioned, no-holdsbarred, all-stops-out Northern … the sort of easy-going, slap-happy entertainment that doesn’t come around so very often anymore in films…. Wayne displays a genuine flair for the light approach….” Variety (November 9, ¡960); “[A] sort of northwestern for intellectuals, resets the Tristram legend as a Klondike comedy.” Time Magazine (November 28, ¡960); “[T]he picture is much too uncertain about its intentions to be much good … the brawls are satirically fine.” The New York Herald Tribune (Paul V. Beckley, November ¡¡, ¡960); “[It] resembles a cross between The Spoilers and a humorous Italian opera.” The Life and Times of the Western Movie ( Jay Hyams, Gallery Books, ¡983); “Wayne is amusing in his by now familiar role of the man’s man, experiencing pangs of unrequited love. With a virility and an enthusiasm that belies his age, he adeptly combines fast adventure with mild comedy….” Shoot-Em-Ups (Les Adams & Buck Rainey, Arlington House, ¡97¡) SYNOPSIS: In Nome, ¡900, Sam McCord ( John Wayne) and his partner George Pratt (Stewart Granger) have hit a big gold strike.

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Before traveling to Seattle to buy mining equipment, Sam celebrates their luck with beer and a barroom brawl. Sam is entrusted to bring back his partner’s fiancée, Jenny LaMont (Lilyan Chauvin), left behind in Seattle three years ago, while George stays to finish their honeymoon cabin. Sam tracks Jenny to a mansion where she is employed as a maid and married to a butler. Wondering how his partner is going to take the news, Sam takes solace at the Hen House. Among the friendly ladies of the night, he meets the lovely Michelle Bonet (Capucine), called “Angel.” Charmed by her beauty and her French accent, Sam is inspired to take her back to George: “A Frenchie broke his heart; a Frenchie can fix it!” Thinking that the good-natured Sam means to have her for himself, Michelle accepts the proposition. On the ship to Nome, Michelle learns the truth. Heartbroken at first, she decides to continue the journey in the hope of eventually winning Sam’s heart. They arrive in Nome to news of claim-jumping, cross filings and killings. Sam plans to join George at a friend’s claim after leaving Michelle at the town’s hotel, now owned by a fast-talking confidence man, Frankie Canon (Ernie Kovacs). Frankie is delighted to see his former lover from their days in New Orleans, but Michelle rejects his advances, leaving the hotel to go with Sam. Sam drops her at his cabin and asks George’s ¡7year-old brother Billy (Fabian) to watch over her. While Sam and George battle claim jumpers at their friend’s mine, Michelle wards o› the clumsy advances of the hormone-driven Billy. When George finds out about Jenny and Sam’s cockeyed plan to substitute Michelle, he is upset. But when the first French words trip from her lips, George decides not to pine for lost love. When he realizes that Michelle really loves Sam, George gallantly conceives a plan to help her win him over. Playing on his stubborn partner’s jealousy, George pretends to romance Michelle. Sam misunderstands and the plan backfires. He vows to dissolve their partnership. Before he can leave, however, a troop of soldiers arrives to impound the mine and their money due to a cross-filing of Frankie’s alcoholic hotel porter, Boggs (Mickey Shaughnessy), who once ran a trapline on the property. Dejected because she cannot

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North to Alaska (Fox, ¡960). Capucine, Wayne, Karl Swensen

get Sam to listen to her, Michelle returns to town where she learns that Frankie is behind the cross-filing. Sam, George and Billy unite to track down Boggs, hidden with a case of whiskey in one of the hotel rooms. When they find the inebriated claim jumper, he agrees to sing to the authorities. On the way, they grab Frankie in the muddy streets and a fight ensues. After a boisterous bout, Frankie is pulled before the Commissioner as a whistle announces the departure of the Queen of Seattle, the boat Michelle intends to board. Sam, accompanied by his partners and the whole disheveled town, insists that Michelle has to stay, “Why?” she asks Sam. “Because I love you, that’s why!” Sam bellows and beams happily as he at last realizes “I got myself a real gold mine.”—TAL NOTES: Filmed under the working titles Go North and Port Fury from May to August

¡960. Exteriors were shot at Point Mugu, Lone Pine and Big Bear, California, with all interior work done at the Fox Studios in the Century City section of Los Angeles. Budgeted at $3,500,000, the film was completed at a cost of $3,865,000. The Western earned domestic rentals of $5,000,000 on a North American gross of over $¡2,500,000. After Can-Can with a cost of $4,995,000, this was Fox’s most expensive production of ¡960. Wayne was paid $666,666.67. This was the second of three motion pictures he had contracted to do for Fox in ¡956. Henry Hathaway received a salary of $¡25,000 plus 7.5 percent of the profits. Fabian, who was fourth-billed, earned $35,000. To avoid being confused with Jimmy Stewart, British actor James Lablanche Stewart had to change his screen name to Stewart Granger (¡9¡3–93). During a career that spanned nearly 60 years, the tall, distinguished actor with the

North to Alaska mane of silver-gray hair, appeared in over 60 films. Granger made his motion picture debut in England in Southern Maid and 2¡ pictures later, in ¡949, appeared in his first American film, Adam and Evelyne. But it was not until the following year’s King Solomon’s Mines, wherein he played the role of Allan Quatermain, that he achieved lasting fame in the United States. Cultivating his image as an action star and ladies man, the actor starred in Soldiers Three (¡95¡), Scaramouche (¡952), The Prisoner of Zenda (¡952), Salome (¡953) and Beau Brummell (¡954). As film roles dried up during much of the ¡970s and ¡980s, the actor frequently turned to the small screen and starred in made-for-television movies. From ¡950 to ¡960 Granger was married to actress Jean Simmons. Character actor Karl Swenson (¡908–78) was a semi-regular on the hit television show Little House on the Prairie (NBC). Second unit director Richard Talmadge (¡892– ¡98¡), born Sylvester Metzetti in Switzerland, started in the industry as an extra, then stuntman. Before coming to America he toured throughout Europe as a circus acrobat. Arriving in the United States in ¡9¡2, he immediately found plenty of work performing in dozens of silent shorts and features. By ¡92¡ he was doubling Douglas Fairbanks and performing some of the magnificent stunts (such as in Robin Hood) that were credited to the actor. Talmadge also did much of the di‡cult stuntwork in several of the Laurel and Hardy comedies of the late ¡920s and early ¡930s. He added second unit work to his résumé with assignments on Beau Geste (¡939) starring Gary Cooper and Ray Milland, Move Over Darling (¡963), the sophisticated comedy featuring Doris Day, the Peter O’Toole–Woody Allen comedy What’s New Pussycat (¡965), Hawaii (¡966), the epic film with Julie Andrews in the lead, and the least likely of all the James Bond adventures, Casino Royale (¡967). A veteran of almost 50 films, Mickey Shaughnessy (¡92¡– 85) first appeared on the screen as Aldo Ray’s brother-in-law in George Cukor’s The Marrying Kind (¡952). He was then seen in the epic war drama From Here to Eternity (¡953) and in such diverse films as Jailhouse Rock (¡957) with Elvis Presley, The Sheepman (¡958), one of Glenn Ford’s most popular motion pictures,

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and the service comedy Don’t Give Up the Ship (¡959). Frank Faylen (¡9¡5–85) was a character actor who, from ¡936 to the mid–¡970s, had minor roles in almost ¡00 films. His first screen appearance was in the gangster film Bullets or Ballots (¡936). At about this time he married Carol Hughes, who appeared in several of the Flash Gordon serials of the ¡930s. Although he was seen in Kid Galahad, That Certain Woman, The Grapes of Wrath and Margie, he is probably more familiar to television viewers of the ¡960s as the long-su›ering grocery owner and father of Dobie Gillis (CBS, ¡959–63). Character actor Tony Miller (¡927–99) began his acting career in ¡94¡ on Broadway as a teenager in Life with Father. After service during World War II, he returned to Broadway, replacing Brando as costar of I Remember Mama. He then appeared in live television dramas and radio programs before journeying to Hollywood in ¡955 and winning roles in dozens of motion pictures including Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (¡96¡). Miller’s work in series television including guest appearances on Three’s Company, Cagney and Lacey, Dallas and the soap operas General Hospital and Days of Our Lives. In ¡962, Miller and his wife were the founders of the Film Industry Workshop. Veteran vaudeville comedian Joey Faye (¡9¡0–97) was born Joseph Anthony Palladino in New York City. His 65 years in the entertainment industry included stints on Broadway, vaudeville, motion pictures and television. Preferring comedy over all other types of roles, he happily played second banana to Sid Caesar, Phil Silvers and Jack Albertson. Beginning in ¡937 he appeared in over 30 plays including Room Service, Top Banana, High Button Shoes, The Man Who Came to Dinner and Man of La Mancha. His other film credits included The Tender Trap (¡955), Ten North Frederick (¡958) and That Touch of Mink (¡962). In the late ¡960s Faye was one of the dancing green grapes in the popular series of Fruit of the Loom underwear commercials. In the ¡940s, character actor Ollie O’Toole (¡9¡3– 92) was a comedy partner of Art Carney. By the ¡950s he was a frequent guest on the Jack Benny and Phil Harris Shows and made guest appearances on Bonanza, Mission Impossible, Cannon, Newhart and Cheers. The Pittsburgh native also appeared in the films Mutiny on the Bounty

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Operation Pacific

(¡962) and the disappointing musical–Western Paint Your Wagon (¡969) starring Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin. Kathleen Freeman (¡923–200¡) always had a comedic flair. The daughter of vaudevillians made her first screen appearance in ¡948 with a bit role in The Naked City. From the ¡950s on she was continuously employed in either movies, television or plays. The actress made several comedies (always as a foil) with Jerry Lewis, and also appeared in the Westerns The Rounders with Henry Fonda and The Far Country with Jimmy Stewart. She had small roles in the updated Dragnet with Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks, The Blues Brothers and Blues Brothers 2000. On television she worked on I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, Topper, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Murphy Brown and Married with Children. At the time of her death (lung cancer), she was appearing as a regular in the hit Broadway show The Full Monty. Cinematographer Leon Shamroy (¡90¡–74), a New York native, shot the first of his ¡25-plus films in ¡926. Most of the movies he was assigned to in the ’20s and ’30s were

low-budget e›orts. His breakthrough years were ¡939–40 when he was in charge of photography on ten motion pictures including Made for Each Other, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Story of Alexander Graham Bell, Four Sons and Tin Pan Alley. As a cameraman he was one of the first technicians to utilize the innovative zoom lens process. Equally adept in black-and-white or color photography, and married to actress Mary Anderson, Shamroy won Academy Awards for Cinematography for his work on The Black Swan (¡942), Wilson (¡944), Leave Her to Heaven (¡945) and Cleopatra (¡963). Working primarily at Fox during his later years, Shamroy was the cinematographer on several Doris Day e›orts and the original Planet of the Apes (¡968). Other Westerns that premiered in the last quarter of ¡960 included The Magnificent Seven (United Artists) with Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen and James Coburn, Elvis Presley’s Flaming Star (Fox), The Plunderers (Allied Artists) starring Je› Chandler and the bigbudget Cimarron (MGM) with Glenn Ford.

Operation Pacific January ¡0, ¡95¡. ¡¡¡ minutes. John Wayne, Patricia Neal, Ward Bond, Scott Forbes, Philip Carey, Martin Milner, Jack Pennick, Paul Picerni, Bill Campbell, Katherine Givney, Virginia Brissac, Jack Morton, Cli› Clark, Vincent Fotre, Lewis Martin, Louis Mosconi, Sam Edwards, James Flavin, Harlan Warde, Carleton Young, Harry Lauter, Richard Loo, John Baer, Gayle Kellogg, Steve Wayne, Bob Nash, Bill Self, Bob Strong, Eric Hoeg, Carl Saxe, Al Kikume, Bob Carson, Ray Hyke, Chris Drake, Vera Burnett. Warner Bros. Producer Louis F. Edelman; Director & Writer George Waggner; Photography Bert Glennon; Editor Alan Crosland, Jr.; Art Director Leo K. Kuter; Music Max Steiner; Special E›ects William McGann, H.F. Koenekamp; Orchestrator Murray Cutter; Technical Advisor Vice Adm. Charles Lockwood; Makeup Gordon Bau; Sound Francis J. Scheid; Set Decorator John Gilbert Kissel

REVIEWS: “Our old friend John Wayne as the hero does a good square-jawed, iron-man, ship-shape job….” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, February 3, ¡95¡); “[A] tiresome love versus duty romance…. Actor Wayne’s flinty authority as a man of action crumbles under the trite situations and dialogue ashore… What should be Operation Pacific’s strongest point proves its major disappointment: the action at sea.” Time Magazine ( January 29, ¡95¡); “ Marquee weight of John Wayne’s name in the action field and other good selling points o›set the rather formula conception and give it sturdy chances…. Wayne registers with his usual punch.” Variety ( January ¡0, ¡95¡); “The combat scenes, both surface and underwater, are equal or superior to any Navy pictures previously made. There is no dearth of action and the story itself is interesting with some well-handled comedy

Operation Pacific

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Operation Pacific (Warner Bros., ¡95¡). John Wayne, Patricia Neal, George Waggner

touches….” Motion Picture Herald Product Digest ( January ¡95¡)) SYNOPSIS: After Pearl Harbor, U.S. Navy submarines carry the war to the enemy in the Pacific. Subs like #502—the Thunderfish— which now waits o› an enemy-held island for the return of a landing party led by the ship’s executive o‡cer, Lt. Commander Duke Gifford ( John Wayne). Duke’s rescue party has found the Catholic nuns and orphaned children who have bravely walked through 40 miles of jungle and he safely gets them aboard the sub. Duke reports to his skipper, Pop Perry (Ward Bond), carrying an infant he has nicknamed “Butch.” The baby reminds him of his own infant son who died four years earlier while Duke was at sea. This sad event was the catalyst of Duke’s divorce from Mary Stuart (Patricia Neal), now a Navy nurse assigned to

Honolulu, the submarine’s home port. Following a skirmish with enemy ships in which the Thunderfish’s torpedoes fail to explode on target, the sub safely brings its cargo of nuns and orphans to port. Visiting Butch at the Navy hospital, Duke runs into Mary. A passionate kiss suggests to the divorced couple that the old zing is still there. Duke is anxious to give the relationship a second try, but Mary, who is dating Pop’s kid brother Bob (Philip Carey), is worried about being swept o› her feet again by a man whose first love is the Navy. After a raucous shore leave, the crew is summoned back to the submarine for another patrol. The Thunderfish scores some big hits against enemy shipping, but the torpedoes which do not explode continue to frustrate Pop, who vows to research the problem as soon as he returns to base. But an armed decoy lures the submarine to the sur-

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The Oregon Trail

face, then opens fire. The submarine is crippled and Pop dies on deck, ordering his ship to submerge before he can be rescued. Duke’s actions in rescuing the ship and bringing it home are upheld by the Navy, but Bob bitterly accuses the commander of letting his brother die so that he could go glory hunting. Mary tries to console Duke on the death of their close friend, but is rebu›ed. Allowing no time for grief, Duke throws himself into working on the firing devices of the faulty torpedoes. Finally the answer seems to be found in the use of lightweight aluminum firing pins. At sea, the Thunderfish quickly gets to try the new pins when it intercepts an armada of the Imperial Fleet. Besides inflicting heavy damage on the enemy ships, the sub is able to rescue a number of downed pilots. The last of these is Bob Perry, whom Duke saves while losing two crew members in the attempt. “Well done, Thunder!” wires the Navy brass as the submarine heads for home where Mary eagerly awaits Duke’s return.—TAL NOTES: Filmed on location in Hawaii and at the Warners Studios in Burbank from late September to November ¡950. The Navy allowed the use of the submarine Thunder for outdoor sequences while, at Burbank, within one of its larger sound stages, Warners built a full size replica of a submarine. This was Wayne’s first picture in a seven-year contract with Warners. His salary was $¡75,000 a film, an additional $50,000 for each re-release and up to 50 percent of the film’s gross once it recouped its negative cost. Negative cost was

$¡,465,000. The motion picture earned domestic rentals of $2,563,000 and foreign rentals of $¡,300,000. The worldwide box o‡ce take in the first year of release was $8,900,000. The studio was paying Patricia Neal $3000 a week for her acting services. She had started at the studio in the late ¡940s at a weekly salary of $¡250. Cast member Paul Picerni would go on to fame in the medium of television as one of The Untouchables (ABC, ¡959–62) who aided Eliot Ness in his war against crime in the Chicago of the late ¡920s and early ¡930s. Commenting on this film, Admiral Nimitz, wartime Commander-in-Chief Pacific Naval forces, stated, “The great work of the American submarine service, a magnificent branch of the U.S. Navy, is depicted in the screen production Operation Pacific. Everyone who sees the many dramatic achievements of the submarine Thunderfish in this picture will better understand the quality of men who operate these subs and their important and vital function in guaranteeing the freedom and security of America. The picture shows the fine balance and coordination that go to make up a successful submarine operation.” Other Hollywood releases during the first quarter of ¡95¡ included: Tomahawk, a Universal Western starring Van Heflin and Yvonne De Carlo; Republic’s racetrack yarn Pride of Maryland with Stanley Clements, Peggy Stewart and Frankie Darro; and The Mating Season, a comedy from Paramount featuring Gene Tierney, John Lund and Miriam Hopkins.

The Oregon Trail January ¡8, ¡936. 59 minutes. John Wayne, Ann Rutherford, Yakima Canutt, E.H. Calvert, Fern Emmett, Gino Corrado, Marian Farrell, Frank Rice, Joe Girard, Harry Harvey, Ben Hendricks, Jack Rutherford, Roland Ray, Edward J. LeSaint, Octavio Giraud, Frances Grant, Dave O’Brien. Republic. Producer Paul Malvern; Associate Producer Trem Carr; Director Scott Pembroke; Assistant Director Robert

Emmett; Screenplay Robert Emmett, Jack Natteford, Lindsley Parsons; Photography Gus Peterson; Editor Carl Pierson; Supervising Editor Joseph H. Lewis; Musical Director Harry Grey; Sound John Stransky, Jr.; Assistant Director Robert Tansey REVIEWS: “There’s no reason for the haphazard production methods displayed in this picture…. [One] glaring fault … is a battle

The Oregon Trail scene where three spectacular shots of men falling o› cli›s and a number of other stunts are repeated twice.” Variety ( January 6, ¡936); “Entertaining western on historical theme generously sprinkled with romance and adventure. This one combines an epic theme with the sustained action of a western. Love, adventure, suspense and gun-play is the general make-up of story.” Film Daily ( June ¡6, ¡936) SYNOPSIS: Abandoned by his guide in a snow-covered pass of the Rocky Mountains, Col. Delmont ( Joe Girard) perishes with his entire command when he fails to receive rations and winter clothing. His fate is the result of a plot conceived by Major Harris (Ben Hendricks), a renegade soldier who intercepts the supply train and persuades the guide, Benton ( Jack Rutherford), to abandon the expedition. Harris plans to use the loot and Delmont’s identity to seize outlying California settlements and weld them into a Western empire outside of the authority of the American government. At Fort Laramie, young Capt. John Delmont ( John Wayne) proceeds with two companions to learn the fate of his father. Tracking the Delmont expedition, he finds the colonel’s diary and learns what has happened. He pushes on along the Oregon Trail and meets a party of Western-bound settlers led by old Jim Ridgley (E.H. Calvert). In his party also travels his pretty daughter Anne (Ann Rutherford), whom John has met previously at Fort Laramie. As they join a party of Californians, the combined group is attacked by a band of fake cavalrymen. John is recognized by Benton, who retreats to carry word back to Harris. John sends a man to bring up the rest of the Ridgely party, but this man is shot down by a detachment of Harris’ scouts. Harris sends word to John that his man has been captured and tells John to accompany the messenger if he ever wants to see his man alive again. On the trail, John forces Harris’ messenger to change clothes with him and sends him on ahead into the renegade stronghold. The messenger walks into the gunfire meant for John and is shot down by his own men. John makes his way to the rear of the stronghold while his companions begin an attack on the heavy front gates. The renegade outpost is so strong that the attackers are perishing quickly, but John

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manages to overcome the cannon crew and turns the gun, loaded with grape shot, on the gates, blowing them to pieces and permitting the capture of the Harris gang. With the renegades overcome by John’s heroism, the Californians hold a great fiesta, permitting the reunion of John and his sweetheart Anne. NOTES: Filming of this fourth RepublicWayne production took place at Lone Pine between December ¡4 and December 23, ¡935. Budgeted at $¡5,000, the film was put into the can at a cost of just over $22,000. Wayne was paid $¡750. Characteristic of Republic, less than 30 days after the Western was completed the finished product was released to theaters. While in production the film was known as Trail’s End. Oregon Trail was also the title of a Universal ¡8-chapter serial in ¡923, a Sunset Carson B-Western for Republic in ¡946, and a Fred MacMurray Western in ¡959. No known prints or copies of this film are known to exist. Fifteen-year-old Ann Rutherford (¡920– ) would gain her greatest fame as Mickey Rooney’s long-su›ering girlfriend Polly in the enormously popular MGM Andy Hardy series. After appearing in more than 70 films, Rutherford turned her talents to television and was featured as a panelist on NBC’s Leave It to the Girls (¡949–54) and several episodes of Dramatic Shorts (ABC, ¡952) and Campbell Soundstage (NBC, ¡952–54). Supporting actress Fern Emmett (¡896–¡946) can be readily identified in Trail of the Lonesome Pine, Made for Each Other, A Song to Remember and Wayne’s The Shepherd of the Hills. Emmett also appeared with Wayne in Riders of Destiny, Texas Terror, Rainbow Valley, Overland Stage Raiders and In Old California. Character actor Gino Corrado (¡893–¡982), born in Florence, Italy, had a career that spanned almost 40 years (¡9¡6–54) and encompassed more than 225 mostly uncredited screen appearances. When he started working in the industry during the second decade of the twentieth century, trying to hide his ethnicity, Corrado invented the screen name Eugene Corey. Often chosen to play the roles of a waiter, clerk or chau›eur, he appeared in the big three films of Hollywood’s golden era: Gone with the Wind (¡939), Citizen Kane (¡94¡) and Casablanca (¡942). The actor is also visible in Pride of the Yankees (¡942), Talk of the

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Overland Stage Raiders

Town (¡942), I Dood It (¡943) and My Wild Irish Rose (¡947). Cuban-born Octavio Giraud (¡890–¡958), who played the role of Don

Miguel, also appeared in Anthony Adverse and as the Spanish commandant in A Message to Garcia.

Overland Stage Raiders September 20, ¡938. 55 minutes. John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, Max Terhune, Louise Brooks, Frank LaRue, Anthony Marsh, Gordon Hart, Olin Francis, John Archer, Roy James, Fern Emmett, Henry Otho, George Sherwood, Archie Hall, Charles Whitaker, John Beach, Edwin Ga›ney, Yakima Canutt, George Plues, Jack Kirk, Dirk Thane, Curley Dresden, Tommy Coats, Bud McClure, George Morrell, Bud Osborne, Milt Kibbee, Fred Burns, Bill Wolfe. Republic. Associate Producer William Berke; Director George Sherman; Screenplay Luci Ward; Original Story Bernard McConville, Edmond Kelso; Photography William Nobles; Supervising Editor Murray Seldeen; Editor Tony Martinelli; Production Manager Al Wilson; Unit Manager Arthur Siteman; Assistant Director Harry S. Knight; Music Cy Feuer, William Lava REVIEWS: “This series improves with each new adventure. Starting out as typical cow country stories, Republic has seemingly upped the budget as successive chapters caught on…. Direction and story permit numerous technical errors which sharp-eyed kids will pick out.” Variety (September 28, ¡938); “[It’s] most memorable as being the last film of Brooks, the lustrous star of G.W. Pabst’s masterpiece, Pandora’s Box (¡929).” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Phil Hardy, Overlook Press, ¡983); “This is another outdoor entertaining picture of the west featuring the Three Mesquiteers. They generally have a workable plot. For the picture, too, they are three stars for divertissement.” Motion Picture Herald (October ¡, ¡938); “The Three Mesquiteers … have a new leader in this film, with John Wayne replacing Bob Livingston. The change has not made any di›erence in the boys’ hard riding, hard hitting and swift shooting tactics, with plenty of action and bullets put

on the screen….” Film Daily (September 28, ¡938) SYNOPSIS: Mesquiteers Tucson Smith and Lullaby Joslin (Ray Corrigan and Max Terhune), riding to town to meet their partner Stony Brooke ( John Wayne), hear the familiar sound of Ned Hoyt’s (Anthony Marsh) old airplane overhead. When a body drops from the plane, Tucson and Lullaby gallop to an open field. The parachutist is Stony, who from the air has spotted the imminent robbery of the Oro Grande bus. The Three Mesquiteers ride to the rescue, driving o› the robbers. Upon receiving a $¡000 reward, Stony announces to Dave Harmon (Roy James), president of Oro Grande mining, that the Mesquiteers have become partners in Ned Hoyt’s struggling Summit Airlines. Eager to help Ned and his beautiful sister Beth (Louise Brooks), Stony interests Harmon in transporting his troubled gold shipments by air. The Mesquiteers convince their fellow cattlemen, battling dust and drought, to sell their herds and invest in a new airplane. The cows are rounded up and driven to railroad cattle pens. Mullins (Gordon Hart), owner of the bus lines and secretly responsible for the robberies, does not want to lose the mining company’s business. “If those cattle didn’t get to market,” he surmises for his gang, “they couldn’t pay for that plane, could they?” As the cows are being loaded onto a train, the drone of an airplane is heard. Rancher Pete Hawkins (Charles Whitaker) assures the Mesquiteers that he can finish loading, and urges the men to greet their new plane. To Ned’s delight, the pilot is an old friend, Bob Whitney ( John Archer), who quickly accepts the job as co-pilot for Summit Airlines, This displeases radio operator Joe Waddell (Archie Hall), who had hoped to be named to the position. Mullins uses Waddell’s disappointment

Overland Stage Raiders to further his greed. While most of Oro Grande is at the airport, rustlers steal the cattle train. A wounded Pete manages to ride back to report the theft. In a running gun battle, the Mesquiteers and friends overtake the train. Stony boards the locomotive and the ranchers recapture the cattle. Just when it seems certain that the air transport will be successful, two ex-cons passing through the area recognize Ned as someone they knew by another name in prison. Ned admits to his friends that he and Beth moved to Oro Grande under new names to escape the damage that an unjust conviction did to his reputation. When the first transport flight disappears with over $¡00,000 in gold bullion, Ned is presumed guilty. In truth, Mullins has had the two ex-cons, Dutch and Gat ( John Beach and Edwin Ga›ney), hijack the plane, unceremoniously tossing the terrified passengers from the aircraft. When one of the survivors recalls hearing Ned radio Joe Waddell for help, the Mesquiteers suspect that the operator is in on the heist. Ned empties the plane’s fuel, forcing a landing on Furnace Mountain. When the crooks transmit their location to Joe, the Mesquiteers overhear the plans. Leaving Joe bound and gagged, they ride to overtake the pack mules carrying fuel up the mountain. Joe frees himself and radios Mullins, who leads his henchmen in pursuit. Meanwhile, Beth has warned the sheri›. The forces of good and bad converge on the airplane. The heroism of the Mesquiteers saves the airline, ensures Mullins’ arrest and allows Ned to begin legally clearing his name.—TAL NOTES : The second of eight WayneMesquiteer Westerns. In production from August 6 to August ¡5, ¡938, it was budgeted at $35,000. Wayne’s salary for the film was $3000. Max Terhune (¡89¡–¡973), who was paid $200 a week by Republic to play the role of the third Mesquiteer, hit his stride while appearing in these Republic B-Westerns. In ¡937 he was featured in ¡¡ films and in the following year he made another ten. Only a year older than Wayne, Louise Brooks’ (¡906–85) film career was ending as the actor’s was beginning its meteoric rise. Brooks, a considerable talent in Hollywood and Europe in the late ¡920s and early ¡930s, was paid $300 for

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her last screen role. In ¡928, after a half dozen features in Hollywood, the independent actress, despite pleadings from the studio, left for Europe and began appearing in films for noted German director G. W. Pabst. Pandora’s Box (¡928) and Diary of a Lost Girl (¡929), her two features with the director, were acclaimed throughout the continent, but received little attention in the United States. Returning to America, she could only find work in two BWesterns before losing interest in film work and moving to New York, where she held an assortment of low paying jobs at department stores. Rediscovered in the late ¡950s by French critics, the former actress was now living in upstate New York. She began writing essays about films and filmmaking and wrote her popular biography Lulu in Hollywood (¡982). Between ¡938 and ¡957, John Archer appeared in nine Republic films including Dick Tracy Returns (¡938) and A›air in Reno (¡957). Charles “Slim” Whitaker (¡893–¡960), working briefly for Broncho Billy Anderson, entered films in the early part of the century. Between ¡930 and ¡95¡ he appeared in well over ¡00 BWesterns opposite almost all the Western heroes of the day including Gene Autry, Wild Bill Elliott, Ken Maynard, George O’Brien, Harry Carey, Buster Crabbe, Buck Jones, Tim McCoy, Johnny Mack Brown, Tom Tyler, Reb Russell, Eddie Dean and Tim Holt. His appearances with Wayne were in Ride Him Cowboy, The Big Stampede, Somewhere in Sonora, Haunted Gold, The Telegraph Trail, The Man from Monterey, Lawless Range, New Frontier (¡939), In Old California and In Old Oklahoma. Born in Germany, bit player George Sherwood (¡892–¡983) often played law enforcement o‡cials in his 90 films. He started in the industry in the mid–¡930s with low-budget releases such as Little Tough Guys (¡938) and Wyoming Wildcat (¡94¡), but by the ’40s also had parts in the highly publicized films, Citizen Kane (¡94¡), Ball of Fire (¡94¡), Action in the North Atlantic (¡943), Wayne’s The Fighting Seabees, The Naked City (¡948), and The Fountainhead (¡949). Sherwood was also in at least two ¡940s serials, Spy Smasher (¡942) and Captain America (¡944). Re-released in ¡953.

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Pals of the Saddle August 2, ¡938. 55 minutes. John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, Max Terhune, Doreen McKay, Josef Forte, George Douglas, Frank Milan, Ted Adams, Harry Depp, Dave Weber, Don Orlando, Charles Knight, Jack Kirk, Olin Francis, Curley Dresden, Monte Montague, Art Dillard, Yakima Canutt, Tex Palmer, Phil Keefer, George Plues, Kenner G. Kemp, John Beach, Jack Montgomery, Bob Burns, Joe Yrigoyen, Bill Yrigoyen, Tommy Coats, Milburn Morante, George Montgomery, Nellie Walker (stunt double). Republic. Associate Producer William Berke; Director George Sherman; Writers Stanley Roberts, Betty Burbridge; Based on characters created by William Colt MacDonald; Photography Reggie Lanning; Supervising Editor Murray Seldeen; Editor Tony Martinelli; Music Cy Feuer; Production Manager Al Wilson; Unit Manager Arthur Siteman; Second Unit Stunt Coordinator Yakima Canutt REVIEWS: “John Wayne replaced Bob Livingston as Stony Brooke … and stamps the footage with realism in appearance and performance…. Wayne doesn’t go in for any heart stu›, dialog in one or two places only inferring romance interest with Miss McKay.” Variety (September ¡4, ¡938); “John Wayne … more than fills the shoes, or rather the saddle, of Bob Livingston. Ray Corrigan and Max Terhune round out the trio and their initial e›ort of the new season is certain to please and gain them new friends.” Boxo‡ce Magazine (September ¡7, ¡938); “[Wayne’s] personality brought a new vigor to the series and the eight titles he appeared in were among the very best in the entire long string of Mesquiteer adventures.” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974); “[S]ome of the Wayne-Mesquiteer movies rate among the very best over the entire Mesquiteer span, and thereby with the best budget Westerns made anywhere.” Hollywood Corral (Don Miller, Popular Library, ¡976); “[O]ne of the most expert and enjoyable of all western series … consistent in their fast, clean, uncomplicated action entertainment … the stuntwork … was of the highest caliber.” A Pictorial His-

tory of the Western Film (William K. Everson, Citadel Press, ¡969); “There is considerably more plot to this one than is to be found in the average western….Wayne looks like a strong bet to go through with this popular series of westerns.” Film Daily (September ¡5, ¡938); “A western story of so much action that with a little padding it might have been serial material, is presented in less than an hour in a feature in which thumping, riding, gun-play and fisticu›s are balanced with suspense, intrigue, loyalty and romance.” Motion Picture Herald (September 24, ¡938) SYNOPSIS: It would be hard to believe that peaceful Mesquite County could have anything to do with Monium, the poison gas being illegally manufactured and smuggled from the U.S. to enemy countries. But the tranquility of the Sherwood Dude Ranch is a thin disguise for the subversive activities taking place there. Respected Judge Hastings ( Josef Forte) and suave Paul Hartman (George Douglas), dude ranch guests, are really agents planning to oversee an illegal shipment of monium across the border. Attractive guest Ann Cameron (Doreen McKay) is a U.S. agent trying to trap Paul before he introduces himself at the salt refinery—the center of monium production. Stony ( John Wayne), Tucson (Ray Corrigan) and Lullaby (Max Terhune)—the Three Mesquiteers—spend the night at the ranch and become embroiled in the espionage. Anne’s partner Frank (Frank Milan) shoots Hartman just before Stony enters the room. To maintain her cover, Ann allows Stony to be accused of the shooting. As the desk clerk phones the law to arrest the hapless Mesquiteer, Lullaby leaves his berth in the barn to pose as the arresting o‡cer. Thus clear of the posse, Stony leaves his pals of the saddle to track the real killer of Hartman. Tucson and Lullaby return to the ranch to question Ann about the lies that implicated Stony. She cleverly eludes her interrogators and disappears until Stony finds her and Frank in an abandoned shack. When Frank dies of a wound received in the Hartman shooting, Stony gamely volunteers to take the

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Pals of the Saddle (Republic, ¡938). Phil Keefer, Doreen McKay, Wayne, Ray Corrigan, Max Terhune

agent’s place. Frank is buried as the deceased Stony Brooke; the Mesquiteer assumes the identity of one Ezekial Saunders, an alleged ex-employee of the 3M Ranch. When Stony arrives at the refinery, he introduces himself as Paul Hartman. Tucson and Lullaby, despondent about newspaper accounts of Stony’s death, set o› to find Ezekial Saunders. The trail leads them to the refinery, where the two are caught. They discover that Stony is alive and assuming an identity for an important reason. Accepted by the smugglers as Hartman, Stony helps Tucson and Lullaby escape to tell Ann what he has discovered. Stony’s cover is blown when Judge Hastings arrives and recognizes the Mesquiteer from the dude ranch. The lethal monium is loaded on board a wagon train which also carries the bound figure of Stony. As Ann races to fetch the 8¡st Cavalry, Tucson and Lullaby overtake the wagons. They

make a daring rescue of Stony, then the three go into action. With a steady rain of gunfire, they e›ectively block the wagon train until the cavalry arrives.—TAL NOTES: John Wayne’s first of eight appearances in the popular Mesquiteer adventures. He was paid a salary of $3000 for each film in the series. Co-star Max Terhune received $200 a week for his acting services. In production from July ¡5 to July 23, ¡938. Outdoor locations were shot at Corriganville in Simi Valley and Red Rock Canyon in the Antelope Valley. Budgeted at $35,000 the film’s final negative cost was $43,5¡6. George Sherman (¡909–9¡), director of the Wayne-Mesquiteer adventures, started in motion pictures in the early ’30s, as an assistant to George Marshall on Mack Sennett comedy shorts. By ¡937, having developed his own style for controlling the flow of action, he moved to Republic and

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was assigned to direct their popular Mesquiteer series. He helmed nine B-Westerns in ¡938 and ten during the following year. In the ¡940s, as he continued to churn out some of the finest B-Westerns of the genre, he would add the title associate producer to his résumé. Sherman, with over ¡00 films to his credit, would retire after completion of his directorial chores on Wayne’s Big Jake. He joined the stampede to television by helming episodes of the popular weekly series The Naked City, Rawhide, Route 66 and Daniel Boone. Associate producer William Berke (¡903–58) worked his way up in the industry from o‡ce boy to editor to cameraman. He joined Republic in ¡937 as a producer and stayed in that capacity until ¡942, when he decided to turn his attention to the direction of all types of B-films, from Westerns to crime dramas and mysteries. In the ’40s he also directed episodes of the Dick Tracy, Jungle Jim and Falcon series. Towards the end of his career, in the mid–¡950s, Berke worked on films in the dual capacity of producer and director. For more than 30 years, Ted Adams (¡890–¡973) appeared on both sides of the law in more than ¡50 films. Although the vast majority of his work was in B-Westerns, the actor did enliven serials (The Mysterious Pilot, ¡937;

Holt of the Secret Service, ¡94¡; Daredevils of the West, ¡943; King of the Rocket Men, ¡949) and A-Westerns including Billy the Kid (¡94¡). The supporting actor appeared in Westerns headlined by Tom Tyler, Bob Steele, Lane Chandler, Hopalong Cassidy, Kermit Maynard, Tim McCoy, Gene Autry, Jack Randall, Buster Crabbe, Charles Starrett, Whip Wilson and Rocky Lane. Olin Francis (¡892–¡952), an engineering graduate from the University of Mississippi, trained on the stage, then arrived in Hollywood in the early ¡920s. Immediately cast as “the bad guy,” he worked in dozens of silents from melodramas to romances and Westerns. In the mid–¡930s Olin was one of the founding members of the Screen Actors Guild. Throughout the ’30s and ’40s his face would become familiar to fans of the B-Western and other B-genre films. Perennial bad guy Albert J. “Curley” Dresden (¡900–53) almost always played the silent heavy who usually belonged to a gang of outlaws. He is credited with having appeared in ¡45 motion pictures, of which ¡29 were Westerns. At the time of his death, Dresden was living in a hotel in Seattle. Monogram remade this film in ¡944 as Song of the Saddle starring Jimmy Wakely, Dennis Moore and Lee “Lasses” White.

Paradise Canyon July 20, ¡935. 59 minutes. John Wayne, Marion Burns, Reed Howes, Earle Hodgins, Gino Corrado, Yakima Canutt, Perry Murdock, Gordon Cli›ord, Henry Hall, Tex Palmer, Tex Phelps, Horace B. Carpenter, George Morrell, Robert E. Burns, James Sheridan (Sherry Tansey), Charles Baldra, Earl Dwire, Herman Hack, John Goodrich, Fred Parker. Monogram. A Lone Star Production. Producer Paul Malvern; Director Carl L. Pierson; Assistant Director Robert E. Tansey; Story Lindsley Parsons; Screenplay Robert E. Tansey; Photography Archie Stout; Editor Jerry Roberts; Technical Director E.R. Hickson; Recorder D.S. Stoner; Songs “Snap Those Old Suspenders,” “When We Were Young and

Foolish” Sung by Perry Murdock, Gordon Cli›ord REVIEWS: “A western that has what it takes in thrills, action and plot development. Presents John Wayne in about his neatest broncho dramatic job to date with plenty of strong support.” Variety (September ¡8, ¡935); “Packs plenty of thrills with gun-play and rough-and-tumble scraps in fast action plot…. Another Lone Star Western that has John Wayne in action most of the time and delivering a fine brand of horsemanship, scrapping and gun work.” The Film Daily (May ¡4, ¡935) SYNOPSIS : Agent John Wyatt ( John Wayne), searching for a counterfeit ring on the Mexican-American border, joins Doc Carter’s

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Paradise Canyon (Monogram, ¡935). Yakima Canutt, Wayne, Reed Howes, Tex Palmer, Chuck Baldra

(Earle Hodgins) Traveling Medicine show. Carter, recently released from prison for counterfeiting, is a prime suspect. While Wyatt acts the part of trick sharpshooter “Cowboy John” for the show, he is keeping an eye on Doc. His attention is also being drawn to Carter’s beautiful daughter Linda (Marion Burns), who plays “Natasha” in John’s act. Beneath the doctor’s lovable, bumbling alcoholic showman facade is a man determined to find the former partner who framed him with the counterfeit charges that sent him to prison. The guilty party is Curly Joe Gale (Yakima Canutt), whose successful and illegal enterprise will be threatened with discovery at the approach of the Carter medicine show to Los Piedros. Curly Joe’s first attempt at keeping the show out of the border town fails when John overcomes three henchmen and drives them away from the wagon. When a second attempt (which involves trying to bribe Wyatt to get the show out of town) fails, the lawbreaker

frames the young cowboy for stealing a watch. While John is escaping from the sheri›, Curly Joe abducts Doc and Linda. Wyatt eludes the posse and crosses the border to get extradition rights from the Mexican captain of the Rurales (Gino Corrado). The captain has had his own man, Miguel, watching Curly Joe and he promises the American agent his government’s support. John makes his way to Curly Joe’s headquarters and tries to arrest him. In the ensuing fisticu›s, John is mistakenly arrested as a thief by Mexican law o‡cers while the villain escapes to his hideout. The counterfeiter discovers Miguel there, knocks him unconscious with the butt end of his revolver, then heads for the hideout at the Old Paradise Mine. The Rurale captain releases John, allowing them to ride o› to confront the villain and his gang. While the Rurales battle the hirelings, John drops into Curly Joe’s hideout, saving Linda and Doc from certain death. Wyatt’s fists spell the end of the counterfeit

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ring. John’s plans to marry Linda are only slightly delayed when Doc introduces his highly alcoholic elixir to the justice of the peace before the ceremony.—TAL NOTES: John Wayne’s sixteenth and last Monogram–Lone Star Western. He was paid $¡250. Filmed in early April ¡935 at Monogram City and other locations in Newhall, California, at a cost of $¡2,000. While in production, the film was known as Paradise Ranch. With a nondescript face and a habit of rapidly delivering his lines, Utah native Earle Hodgins (¡893–¡964) found himself much in demand in the B-Western genre. He started in the late ¡920s and was active in the industry until ¡962. Between ¡935 and ¡949, Hodgins was featured in over 75 low-budget Westerns, including many starring Gene Autry (Oh Susanna, The Singing Cowboy, The Old Barn Dance, Sierra Sue, Call of the Canyon and Guns and Guitars), Hopalong Cassidy (Border Land), Bill Cody, Roy Rogers (Under Western Skies and Bar 20), Tim McCoy, The Three Mesquiteers, Johnny Mack Brown, Tim Holt, Wild Bill Elliott, Sunset Carson and Rocky Lane. Besides Westerns, the veteran actor also appeared in the Cary Grant comedy My Favorite Wife (¡940) and Abbott and Costello’s Keep ’Em Flying (¡94¡). His total film count exceeded 200. The character actor appeared with Wayne in I Cover the War and The Man

Who Shot Liberty Valance. The vast majority of Horace Bernard Carpenter’s (¡875–¡945) 250plus roles were uncredited. He acted in films for over 30 years (¡9¡4–45), and between ¡925 and ¡929 worked as a director on ¡¡ motion pictures. Although he played ranch owners and old miners, he also populated many of the BWesterns as “one of the townsmen.” Of the actor’s ¡94 Westerns, eight starred Wayne: Riders of Destiny, West of the Divide, Blue Steel, Paradise Canyon, Lawless Nineties, The Lonely Trail, Winds of the Wasteland and In Old California. Robert Emmett Tansey (¡897–¡95¡), author of the screenplay, was the brother of cast member Sherry Tansey (¡904–6¡) and the son of actress Emma Tansey. Tansey, a jack-ofall-trades, also worked as a production manager, producer, director and assistant director. During the ¡930s and early ¡940s, he worked on Westerns for Tim McCoy, Tom Keene, Jack Randall, Wally Wales and the Range Busters at studios with names such as Capitol, RoundUp, Imperial, Mayfair, Reliable, Superior, Grand National and Normandy. The film played at New York City’s Arena Theater for a two-day run, starting on September ¡5, ¡935. This Western was remade twice, first in ¡937 as Arizona Day (Grand National), starring Tex Ritter, and again in ¡944 as Harmony Trail (a.k.a. White Stallion), Ken Maynard’s last starring Western role. Re-released in ¡948.

Pittsburgh November 20, ¡942. 98 minutes. Marlene Dietrich, Randolph Scott, John Wayne, Frank Craven, Louise Allbritton, Thomas Gomez, Ludwig Stossel, Shemp Howard, Sammy Stein, Paul Fix, John Dilson, Samuel S. Hinds, Douglas Fowley, Virginia Sale, Bess Flowers, Mira McKinney, William Haade, Charles Coleman, Nestor Paiva, Harry Cording, William Gould, Charles Arnt, Ray Walker, Brooks Benedict, Phil Warren, Ed Mortimer, Frank Marlowe, Broderick O’Farrell, Jack Gardner, Larry McGrath, Irving Mitchell, Sandra Morgan, Nolan Leary, Jack Chefe, Hal Craig,

Charles Sullivan, Jack C. Smith, Grace Cunnard, Ethan Laidlaw, Gil Perkins, Kay Linaker, Frances Morris, Wade Boteler, Lorin Raker, William Ruhl, Alphonse Martell, Harry Seymour, Charles Sherlock, Hobart Cavanaugh, Edmund MacDonald, Edward Keane, Don Barclay, Robert Barron. Universal. Production Company Charles K. Feldman Group; Producer Charles K. Feldman; Director Lewis Seiler; Associate Producer Robert Fellows; Screenplay Kenneth Gamet, Tom Reed; Original Story George Owen, Tom Reed; Additional Dialogue John Twist; Photography Robert de Grasse;

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Pittsburgh (Universal, ¡942). John Wayne, Shemp Howard, Randolph Scott

Special Photographic E›ects John Fulton; Special E›ects Harry Kaufman; Music Frank Skinner, Hans J. Salter; Music Director Charles Previn; Editor Paul Landres; Art Director John Goodman; Set Decorator R.A. Gausman; Assistant Director Charles Gould; Gowns Vera West; Dialogue Director Paul Fix; Contract Writers Winston Miller, Robert Fellows; Director of Sound Bernard B. Brown; Sound Technician Paul Neal; Technical Advisor Leland T. Doan; Unit Publicist Dan Thomas REVIEWS: “[A]n overt act of propaganda and red-blooded Americanism.” Shooting Star (Maurice Zolotow, Simon & Schuster, ¡974); “[A]nother lusty and totally synthetic film … routine entertainment at best.” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, February 25, ¡943); “[A] carelessly made film but it’s pretty good propaganda and it teaches a good lesson—that

in working for others is true happiness found… [Wayne is] much too attractive and charming for the role of a power-mad industrialist.” Hollywood Citizen News (Lida Livingston, April 9, ¡943); “[The] picture combines lusty melodramatics, romance and touches of patriotism for war workers, to catch profitable biz in the regular runs as solo or billtopper…. Wayne e›ectively portrays the aggressive member of the team…” Variety (December 9, ¡942); “Production is expansive and expensive … and the direction by Lewis Seiler yields realistic results, when not hampered by dialogue freighted with purpose.” Motion Picture Herald (December 5, ¡942). SYNOPSIS: Charles “Pittsburgh” Markham ( John Wayne), a likable, self-assured coal miner, boasts that he will not always be slinging a pick for a living. His self-centeredness is

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a source of trouble for those who are close to him, particularly to his best friend Cash Evans (Randolph Scott). When this duo meets Josie Winters (Marlene Dietrich), their lives are dramatically changed. The child of a coal miner, the beautiful “Hunky” wants to rise above the mines. Her challenge reinforces the same feelings in Pitt and Cash. In a bold move, the boys quit as diggers. Mixing cleverness, luck and a touch of deceit, they win a contract to supply coke to one of the town’s biggest industries, Prentiss Steel. The success of the new Markham and Evans firm opens the door of opportunity to the partners. Cash is pleased to see the profits helping the miners and spurring on research on the coal tar derivatives under old friend Doc Powers (Frank Craven). Pitt’s pleasure centers on $2 cigars, expensive tailormade suits and the power that money can bring. His greed causes him to throw away the chance for a life with Josie for a marriage with Shannon Prentiss (Louise Allbritton), daughter of the steel magnate. Callousness to the needs of his former co-workers in the mines causes unrest within the financial empire he has so quickly come to control. When Pitt refuses to let Doc Powers continue with research on sulfa drugs because it shows no profits, Cash ends his partnership. An outbreak of violence, a brutal fistfight with Cash and a near-fatal accident involving Josie put an end to Pitt’s greedy manipulation of his associates. He tries to reform, but too late to halt his financial slide. Pitt loses his wife, his company and his self-respect. The outbreak of World War II gives him a second chance and he finds redemption in the work of a common laborer within Cash Evans’ industry. Working his way up to production manager through honest toil instead of cleverness, he is reunited with those who were his close friends. Together they roll up their sleeves for America’s war e›ort.—TAL NOTES: The film was shot on the Universal lot from August 24 to October ¡8, ¡942, under the working title Out of This Earth. The concept for the story was initiated in October ¡940. By July ¡94¡ the rewrites had begun. Six writers would eventually have a turn at the script. Charles Feldman sold the screen rights to Universal on July 29, ¡942, for $¡3,500 and ¡2.5 percent of the film’s first $240,000 in gross

receipts and 25 percent of the net profits. Feldman would eventually realize $¡47,843.98 as his share of the profits. The negative cost of the production came in at $630,782.87. It earned domestic rentals of $920,¡40.27 and worldwide rentals of $¡,930,000. Arthur Lubin, who had originally been signed to direct the film, walked away from the project on July ¡5, ¡942. For the key supporting role of the doctor, Universal vainly tried to secure the services of Walter Brennan, who was under contract to the Goldwyn Company. For Pittsburgh Wayne received $50,000, paid at the rate of $6250 a week for eight weeks work, while top-billed Dietrich earned $¡00,000 and Scott was paid $65,000. Lewis Seiler (¡89¡-¡963) last worked with Wayne when the actor was known as Morrison and was a full-time student and parttime laborer on the set of the Tom Mix Western Great K & A Train Robbery (¡926). Actor Frank Craven (¡875–¡945) preferred being known for his considerable writing ability which was in ample display on the stage and screen. He arrived in Hollywood in the late ¡920s accepting numerous character roles while continuing to write screenplays such as Too Many Crooks (¡93¡), The First Year (¡932) and the Laurel and Hardy classic Sons of the Desert (¡933). He appeared in both the stage and screen version of Our Town and had supporting roles in State Fair (¡933), Barbary Coast (¡935), City for Conquest (¡940), Keeper of the Flame (¡942) and Jack London (¡944). Louise Allbritton’s (¡920–79) career lasted barely eight years. The University of Oklahoma and Pasadena Playhouse graduate began in bit roles in ¡94¡. By ¡942 Universal elevated her to supporting parts in modestly budgeted features. In ¡942, besides appearing in Pittsburgh she also could be seen in Not a Ladies Man and Who Done It? Four years later, she married CBS news correspondent Charles Collingwood. After completing her assignment in The Doolins of Oklahoma (¡949), she retired from the screen. Appearing on the stage for ¡8 years, Thomas Gomez (¡905–7¡) changed venues and made his motion picture debut in ¡942. Besides Pittsburgh, his ¡942 releases were Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror and Arabian Nights. In ¡947 the stout actor received an Academy Award nomination for Best Sup-

The Quiet Man porting Actor for his performance in Ride a Pink Horse. Some of his better known films of the ¡940s and ¡950s included Key Largo (¡948), Sorrowful Jones (¡949), Kim (¡950), Macao (¡952), Pony Soldier (¡952), The Conqueror (¡956), Trapeze (¡956) and John Paul Jones (¡959). Character actor Ludwig Stossel (¡883– ¡973), an Austrian native, began acting in the early part of the century. He appeared in German and Austrian films in the late ¡920s, then immigrated to the United States in ¡940 and continued his film career. With the heavy European accent he was typecast as the jovial elderly type, appearing in Four Sons (¡940), Man Hunt (¡94¡), The Pride of the Yankees as Lou Gehrig’s father, Casablanca (¡942), Hitler’s Madman (¡943), Cloak and Dagger (¡946), The Beginning or the End as Albert Einstein (¡947), A Song Is Born (¡948) and The Blue Angel (¡959). For an early ¡960s series of comic commercials, the Gallo Brothers winery signed him for the role of the “little old winemaker.” Shemp Howard (¡900–55) was one of the original Three Stooges. In real life he was the brother of Moe and Curly. New York City native Paul Landres (¡9¡2–200¡) attended UCLA for two years before dropping out to enter the film business. Starting in ¡93¡ as an assistant

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editor at Universal, he became an accomplished film editor on the studio’s B-productions in ¡937. Of the more than two dozen films he cut, Pittsburgh was the only A-production. Leaving Universal in the late ’40s, Landres began freelancing and directing lowbudget films for several independents. In ¡950 he turned to the medium of television and directed more than 350 episodes of Boston Blackie, The Cisco Kid, Bonanza, Daniel Boone, Death Valley Days, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, The Lone Ranger, Maverick, Ramar of the Jungle, The Rifleman, Sky King and Topper. The Universal release opened at New York City’s Criterion Theater on February 24, ¡943, then premiered in Los Angeles at Grauman’s Chinese Theater on April 8, ¡943. In Los Angeles, the film shared the screen with Universal’s musical When Johnny Comes Marching Home starring Allan Jones, Gloria Jean, Donald O’Connor and Jane Frazee. Competing for the audience at the nation’s theaters during the first quarter of ¡943 were the Barbara Stanwyck starrer Lady of Burlesque, the screwball comedy The More the Merrier with Jean Arthur and Joel McCrea, the Western American Empire featuring Richard Dix and Edge of Darkness starring Errol Flynn and Ann Sheridan.

The Quiet Man August ¡4, ¡952. ¡29 minutes. John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Barry Fitzgerald, Ward Bond, Victor McLaglen, Mildred Natwick, Francis Ford, Eileen Crowe, May Craig, Arthur Shields, Charles FitzSimons, James Lilburn, Sean McClory, Jack McGowran, Joseph O’Dea, Eric Gorman, Kevin Lawless, Paddy O’Donnell, Web Overlander, Ken Curtis, Mae Marsh, Ruth Cli›ord, Harry Tenbrook, Major Sam Harris, Elizabeth Jones, Harry Tyler, Pat O’Malley, Bob Perry, Jack Roper, Al Murphy, Douglas Evans, Don Hatswell, David H. Hughes, Freddie Ridgeway, Darla Ridgeway, Tiny Jones, Patrick Wayne, Michael Wayne, Melinda Wayne, Antonia Wayne, Noble “Kid” Chissell, Bob Mor-

gan, Terry Wilson, Mimi Doyle, Frank Baker, Tony Canzoneri, Maureen Coyne, Mimi Doyle, Patrick Ford, Robert Foy, John Horan, Billy Jones, Fred Kennedy, Jack MacGowran, Jim McVeigh, Jim Morrin, Michael O’Briain, Frank O’Connor, Willie Quinn, Philip Stainton, Eddie Gibbons, John Gibbons, Martin Thornton, Stephen Lydon (Victor McLaglen’s doubles), Paddy Clarke (stand-in for Ward Bond), Michael Hopkins, Pakie Ryan, Bertie Costello, Bill Maguire (also Wayne’s double), Jackie Gibbons, John McGrath, Paddy Hopkins, John Luskin, Pat Conroy, Birdie Hopkins, Eileen Ryan (stand-in), Phyllis Joyce, Mary Maguire, Eileen Murphy, Phyllis Luskin, Joe Fair (Wayne riding double), Etta

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The Quiet Man

The Quiet Man (Republic, ¡952). John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara

Vaughn (Maureen O’Hara double), John Daly (Barry Fitzgerald double), Steve Donoghue. Republic. Argosy Pictures Corporation. President Herbert J. Yates; Director John Ford; Assistant Directors Wingate Smith, Andrew

McLaglen; Producers John Ford, Merian C. Cooper; Based on the story “Green Rushes” by Maurice Walsh; Screenplay Frank S. Nugent; Photography Winton C. Hoch; Second Unit Photography Archie J. Stout; Technicolor Color

The Quiet Man Consultant Francis Cugat; Art Director Frank Hotaling; Editor Jack Murray; Set Decorators John McCarthy, Jr., Charles Thompson; Costumes Adele Palmer; Music Victor Young; Sound T.A. Carmen, Howard Wilson; Second Unit Directors Patrick Ford, John Wayne; Assistant Editor Barbara Ford; Location Supervisor Charles FitzSimons; Songs “The Isle of Innisfree” Richard Farrelly; “Galway Bay” Dr. Arthur Colahan, Michael Donovan; “The Humour Is On Me Now” Richard Hayward; “The Young Man Moon” Thomas Moore; “The Wild Colonial Boy,” “Mush-Mush-Mush” Sean O’Casey, Dennis O’Casey REVIEWS: “Ford has gotten superb visual e›ects from meadows, tilled fields, and streams of the village of Cong…Wayne is a quiet man who turns into a properly irate citizen dragging his wife over half the countryside to prove his love….” The New York Times (A.W., August 22, ¡952); “Once again the master ( John Ford) brewed his stylized mixture of raucous comedy, sentimentality and virile action to fashion another classic.” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974); “Republic has an excellent money picture…. It is a robust romantic drama…. Wayne works well under Ford’s direction, answering all demands of the vigorous, physical character.” Variety (May ¡4, ¡952); “[It] foams like a glass of Guiness with the classic attributes of the Irish: their brogue, hot tempers, passion for betting, above all their belligerence, which keeps them whacking at each other in a blood-thirsty and utterly charming way for the two hours of film time.” Life Magazine (September 8, ¡952); “Should go down in history as one of the greatest comedies ever made.” Look Magazine (September ¡952); “There is a genial pleasure about The Quiet Man in individuality and eccentricity that shows itself at many points in the story….” Sight and Sound (Lindsay Anderson) SYNOPSIS: Sean Thornton ( John Wayne), an American prizefighter, returns to the village of Inisfree to settle down following his accidental killing of a man in the ring. Peace is all he wants but it is romantically linked with the purchase of White O’Mornin’, the little thatched cottage where he was born, and right there his troubles begin. Burly “Red” Will Danaher (Victor McLaglen), the village bully

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who has plenty of land, covets that particular piece because it adjoins that of the rich widow Tillane (Mildred Natwick), whom he also covets. Then Sean meets and falls hard for Danahar’s pretty sister Mary Kate (Maureen O’Hara). The villagers, who have long wanted to see Danaher get his comeuppance, gleefully wait for the fireworks. But they are sadly disappointed. Aided by the local priest, Father Lonergan (Ward Bond), and one Michaeleen Flynn (Barry Fitzgerald), who acts as the village marriage broker when he isn’t making book on the horses, Sean gets White O’Mornin’ and he also gets Mary Kate without a single blow being exchanged. The wedding is a charming a›air that promises a bit of action when Danaher refuses to pay Mary Kate’s rightful dowry, but again Sean avoids a fight. One that Mary Kate would prefer to Sean’s utter lack of interest in her “fortune,” for passionately though she loves him, no self-respecting Irish lass can come to the side of her man without a dowry. White O’Mornin’ is the scene of a honeymoon without love and filled with taunts and recriminations over Sean’s cowardice and fear to fight “Red” Will for what is Mary Kate’s. Under the taunts of his bride and the prompting of the villagers, Sean makes up his mind, but not before Mary Kate has left him and boarded the train for Dublin. Angry now and moved to action, Sean arrives on the doublequick, yanks Mary Kate from the train, literally drags her across the station platform and heads afoot, straight for the Danaher farm. As Sean bounces her along the road, sometimes standing, more often sitting, the news spreads from villager to villager who gather to follow the struggling newlyweds to Danaher’s to witness the impending fray. When Sean hurls Mary Kate at her brother’s feet, yelling “no dowry no marriage!,” Danaher, for the first time is at a loss. Shamed before the whole village by the return of his sister, he promptly pays the money to Sean. That is one thing, but when Sean tosses the money into a nearby kiln, that is quite another. White with rage, “Red” Will packs all the power of his hulking frame into his ham-like fist and throws it like a hundred pound weight into the American’s face. And the fight is on! From Danaher’s farm it ebbs and flows across the fields, over the meadows,

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Rainbow Valley

through the brook and takes its first breather in the village itself in Pat Cohan’s bar where combatants and onlookers alike have a bit of a refresher. New wagers are laid and the second round begins when Thornton knocks Danaher through a wall of the pub. Over the cobbled streets of Inisfree the fight sways back and forth until both fall exhausted and unconquered, but with new respect for each other and the full blessings of Michaeleen, who has reaped a fine harvest making book. At last, peace and quiet come to Inisfree and to Sean and his bride Mary Kate and their love nest, White O’Mornin’. NOTES: Filmed in Ireland from June 7 to late July ¡95¡. Two weeks of interior lensing commenced at Republic studios on August 3. The production wrapped on August 23, ¡95¡. Budgeted at $¡,464,¡52, the negative cost came to $¡,698,254. It returned domestic rentals for Republic of $3,800,000 in its first year of release. Total worldwide rentals: $5,800,000. As a favor to Ford, Wayne accepted a straight salary of $¡00,000 with no profit sharing or revenue percentage. This would be less than half of his normal compensation for a feature. Maureen O’Hara was paid $75,000 at the rate of $6,500 a week, with a minimum guarantee of ten weeks. Republic allotted $3¡0,000 for the promotion of the Ford film. For writing the music, Victor Young earned $¡0,000. The film received seven Academy Award nominations: Picture, Director, Cinematography, Supporting Actor, Screenplay, Art Direction and Sound. It won the awards for best Director and Cinematography. An uncredited producer of

the film was John Ford’s longtime friend Michael Morris (¡9¡4–99), known around the world as Lord Killanin of Ireland. The English-Irish nobleman served as president of the International Olympics Committee from ¡972 to ¡980. The Eton-educated Killanin worked as a journalist in England, then in ¡937 became a war correspondent in China. After the War, as a columnist and film producer he put together the package for the film The Playboy of the Western World and assisted in the Quiet Man financing. Cast member and location supervisor Charles FitzSimons (¡924–200¡), the younger brother of Maureen O’Hara, from ¡98¡ to ¡999 held the position of executive director of the Producers Guild of America. After The Quiet Man completed location work in Ireland, FitzSimons accompanied Ford and Cooper to Hollywood. He worked on numerous films in various capacities including associate producer. In ¡959 he entered television production and worked on the popular series Love American Style (¡969–74) and Wonder Woman (¡976–78). Joe Mellotte worked as Wayne’s double. A poll of 60,000 Brits in ¡999 ranked The Quiet Man as their sixty-sixth alltime favorite film. At the box o‡ce the Wayne-O’Hara team had to contend with competition from the latest Spencer Tracy– Katharine Hepburn pairing Pat and Mike (MGM); the most recent update of the costume melodrama Scaramouche (MGM) with Stewart Granger, Eleanor Parker and Janet Leigh; and the RKO drama Clash by Night starring Barbara Stanwyck, Paul Douglas and Robert Ryan. Reissued by Republic in May ¡957.

Rainbow Valley March ¡2, ¡935. 52 minutes. John Wayne, Lucile Brown, LeRoy Mason, George Hayes, Bu›alo Bill, Jr., Bert Dillard, Lloyd Ingraham, Lafe McKee, Frank Ellis, Art Dillard, Frank Ball, Fern Emmett, Henry Rocquemore, Eddie Parker, Herman Hack, Tex Phelps, Artie Ortego, Buck Morgan, Tex Palmer, Jack Jones. Monogram. Producer Paul Malvern; Director

Robert N. Bradbury; Story & Screenplay Lindsley Parsons; Editor Carl Pierson; Photography William Hyer; Technical Director E.R. Hickson; Recording Engineer Dave Stiner REVIEWS: “[S]atisfactory material of its kind. The selling will revolve about the name of John Wayne, with the emphasis directed at the youngsters and those adults who have

Rainbow Valley demonstrated a fondness for the screen cowboys….” The Motion Picture Herald (March ¡6, ¡935); “ It’s studded with punchy moments, but the director has overlooked an essential item in the formula and that’s suspense…. Rainbow Valley follows the undercover-man motive, with handsome John Wayne doing a doughty job by this role.” Variety (May ¡5, ¡935); “Rather mild western runs to too much talk before it gets going with thrill stu›.” The Film Daily (March ¡2, ¡935) SYNOPSIS: A lone cowboy, John Martin ( John Wayne), plunks down $2¡0 for a new set of clothes, a fancy .45 and a horse before setting out for Rainbow Valley. Outside of town he finds old timer George Hale (George Hayes) desperately seeking water for his beloved Nellie. Sharing his canteen to help, John learns that Hale’s faithful old gal is Nugget Nell, the automobile in which he delivers the mail. When four road agents attempt to relieve George of the mine payroll he is carrying, John again rides to the rescue and drives them o›. In town, Martin quickly establishes himself as a fighter when he accosts one of the outlaws in the street. His grit is noted by Rainbow Valley’s town spokesman, storekeeper Powell (Frank Ball). The town has been caught in a stranglehold by the gang which robs pack trains and drives o› workers attempting to clear the road, washed out in a mudslide, linking them to the world outside. Powell is circulating a petition to the governor to send someone to secure law and order. At the same time, the lawless elements, secretly led by townsman Rogers (LeRoy Mason), plot to release gang leader Butch Gault (Bu›alo Bill, Jr.), from prison. Powell tells John, “You’re the one man who won’t be intimidated by this gang.” John, who claims to have taken Engineering in school, volunteers to clear the road. Though he is warmly welcomed by the town, John gets o› on the wrong foot with Eleanor (Lucile Brown), the town’s pretty postmistress, who likes her men more bashful than boastful and is put o› by the cowboy who tends to use his fists to make a point. But as she sees the success of the road crew in spite of frequent outlaw attacks, she begins to appreciate the stranger. Things look bad for the Valley when the smooth-talking Rogers steals the petition

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from Eleanor’s care and attaches the signatures to his own petition to have Butch Gault released from prison. The triumphant gang has even more reason to celebrate when Gault returns and informs them that John was his former cellmate at the big house. Rogers makes sure Eleanor knows about John’s past and the town grows suspicious that its savior is joining forces with the gang. Intent on gumming up the road project, Gault enlists his old cellmate to plant enough dynamite to seal up the town for good. Powell calls the townsmen to arms and a furious battle takes place at the construction site. When George and Eleanor find a letter from the governor revealing that John is his special investigator, they race to the site in time to witness a huge explosion. Gault sets o› the dynamite only to realize that John has tricked him into killing his own men and opening up the pass with the blast. “Appears like I was right about him,” smiles George. The opening of the Valley closes the gap between John and Eleanor, who eagerly make good use of Nugget Nell’s back seat for a little romancing.—TAL NOTES: Wayne’s twelfth Lone Star Production, filmed in early November ¡934, was the thirteenth in release. The film had a budget of $¡¡,000, of which $¡250 was allotted for Wayne’s salary. Through the latter part of the ’30s, Lucile Browne (¡907–76) and her husband, actor James Flavin, were contract players at Universal. The Memphis-born Browne did some modeling and stage work before journeying to Hollywood in the late ¡920s and signing as a contract player at Fox. Throughout the ’30s she was busy in B-Westerns opposite George O’Brien, Bob Steele, Ken Maynard, Gene Autry, Tom Tyler and Johnny Mack Brown. Browne also had starring roles in six serials equally divided between Universal and Mascot: Danger Island (¡93¡), Battling With Bu›alo Bill (¡93¡), Airmail Mystery (¡932), The Last of the Mohicans (¡932), Mystery Squadron (¡933) and The Law of the Wild (¡934). Bert Dillard (¡909–60) was a stuntman who occasionally accepted acting assignments. He was active in the industry from the early ¡930s to the mid–¡950s, and worked with Wayne on Texas Terror and The Dawn Rider. Between ¡927 and ¡943, Texas-born Henry

264

Randy Rides Alone

Rocquemore (¡886–¡943) appeared in over ¡50 feature films. Some of the better known pictures that he had supporting roles in were Cimarron (¡93¡), Powdersmoke Range (¡935), San Francisco (¡936), The Prisoner of Zenda (¡937), Test Pilot (¡938) and Boom Town (¡940). He was also in the Wayne Western, Texas Terror. Cinematographer William Hyer, born William Albert Trainer (¡905–89), entered the industry as a teenager and began to learn the art of using cameras. At the age of 22, the seasoned cameraman received his first screen credit as head of photography. During a comparatively short career that lasted only ¡3 years (¡927–40), Hyer shot 68 films and serials, almost all in the B-Western and low-budget dramatic categories, for second-level (or below)

film companies including Victory Pictures and Metropolitan Films. At the age of 35, while still in demand, he dropped out of the industry. The film opened in New York City (at the Arena Theater) on May ¡0, ¡935, as part of a double-bill, for a two-day run. Other motion pictures playing throughout the country at the same time as Rainbow Valley were the Universal horror flicks, WereWolf of London with Henry Hull in the title role and Bride of Frankenstein, the sequel to the original classic; the low-budget romantic-action sea saga Eight Bells (Columbia) starring Ann Sothern and Ralph Bellamy; the Hoot Gibson Western Sunset Range (First Division); and John Ford’s Victor McLaglen starrer The Informer (RKO).

Randy Rides Alone June ¡5, ¡934. 54 minutes. John Wayne, Alberta Vaughn, George Hayes, Earl Dwire, Yakima Canutt, Tex Phelps, Arthur Ortego, Tex Palmer, Mack V. Wright, Herman Hack, Tommy Coats, Horace B. Carpenter, Murdock MacQuarrie, Perry Murdock. Monogram. Producer Paul Malvern; Director Harry Fraser; Screenplay Lindsley Parsons; Photography Archie Stout; Recording Engineer J.A. Stransky, Jr.; Technical Director E.R. Hickson; Editor Carl Pierson; Music Abe Meyer REVIEWS: “[I]t’s still the bloodthirstiest but most intriguing beginning of any low-budget Western.” The Hollywood Corral (Don Miller, Popular Library, ¡976); “The film is slackly shot and edited…. Wayne’s walk in this film has a lazy air of increasing confidence, and he is seen twirling his six-shooter with professional ease….” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, Grosset & Dunlap, ¡976); “Cut to the usual and popular pattern, this western presents John Wayne, one of the favorites of the western films, and his beautiful white horse.” Motion Picture Herald ( June 24, ¡934); “The most intriguing of Wayne’s Lone Star Westerns.” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia (Phil Hardy, Overlook Press, ¡983); “Possibly

the most entertaining of John Wayne’s early Lone Stars.” The Best (and Worst) of the West! (Boyd Magers, January 2002) SYNOPSIS: A lone rider approaching The Halfway House is assured of comradeship and relaxation by the sound of lively piano music. On entering the rest station, he discovers that the music comes from a player piano in a room otherwise as still as death. As the cowboy examines corpses and a huge empty safe, a posse arrives guided by Matt the Mute (George Hayes), a storekeeper from the nearby town who communicates by scratching messages on a note pad. The cowpoke, Randy Bowers ( John Wayne), is taken for one of the gang members who committed the crime and, in spite of his protests that he was simply coming to visit the bar’s proprietor, Ed Rogers, is led o› to jail. But one witness knows the truth: The deceased owner’s niece, Sally Rogers (Alberta Vaughn), has seen the crime through a peephole in a hidden room in the bar. She knows the gang has failed to find the payroll box hidden in a compartment in the floor in front of the bar. Matt the Mute also knows that the robbery attempt has failed, for he is really the ruthless leader of the gang, the notorious Marvin Black. Black

Randy Rides Alone suspects that Sally must know the whereabouts of the money and, as Matt the Mute, pesters her with the insistent handwritten notes to take him into her confidence. Sally rebu›s his attempts. Knowing the stranger’s innocence, she places her trust in Randy, an investigator for whom her uncle had sent to look into the outlaw raids. She helps Randy escape from jail and the lone rider stays one step ahead of the sheri› ’s posse. In escaping his pursuers he stumbles upon the gang’s hideout in a series of caves hidden by a waterfall. Black makes the fugitive a gang member and continues with plans to force Sally Rogers to reveal where she has hidden the money. As Sally is taken prisoner by the gang, Randy makes the connection between Matt the Mute and the stoic outlaw Black. With a key given him by Sally and some dynamite stolen from the gang, Randy switches the money in the hidden strongbox with the explosives, He then races into town, taunting the posse to follow him. He leads the lawmen to the outlaw hideout where a showdown takes place. When Randy tells Marvin about the hidden strongbox, Sally fears she has been betrayed. Black leaves his gang members to battle the posse and rides on to the Halfway House with Randy in pursuit. The outlaw finds the box and pulls his sidearm in triumph to shoot o› the lock. Randy and the Sheri›, watching from the hill above, hear the shot and watch as the dynamite puts an explosive end to Black. Randy is cleared. “I reckon you’ll be riding along,” says the sheri›. “Yes,” replies the lovestruck Sally, “but not alone.”—TAL NOTES: The seventh Lone Star Western was filmed at General Service Studios and Monogram City between late April and early May ¡934 under the working title Randy Rides Again. It was budgeted at $¡¡,000; Wayne received $¡250. Just prior to the start of production, the female lead Cecilia Parker was replaced by Alberta Vaughn. At the age of ¡6, Vaughn (¡905–92) was voted “the prettiest girl in Kentucky.” Arriving in Hollywood in ¡922, she quickly caught the eye of comedian Buster Keaton, who brought her to the attention of Mack Sennett. Throughout the decade the girl from the mountains of Kentucky was kept busy acting in both Keaton and Sennett comedies as well as the feature Smile, Please starring Harry

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Langdon. Along with Wayne, she had a bit part in the Warners film The Drop Kick (¡927). In the ’30s, Vaughn slipped into B-film work, appearing opposite many Western stars who were now forced to work at Gower Gulch. With Hoot Gibson the actress starred in Wild Horse (¡93¡) for Allied Studio. In ¡934, after her marriage to a rich businessman, Vaughn left the world of motion pictures. San Francisco native Harry Fraser (¡889–¡974) was a director, writer and actor. Between ¡925 and ¡95¡ he directed 7¡ features including Wayne’s ’Neath the Arizona Skies in which he appeared in one scene. Fraser also wrote the screenplays for over 50 films, mostly B-Westerns and serials, including Batman (¡943) and Captain America (¡944), and was the assistant director on Wayne’s Riders of Destiny. Character actor Murdock MacQuarrie (¡878–¡942) began as an assistant director, then director in the ¡9¡0s and ¡920s. As far back as ¡9¡3, he did occasional acting assignments. By the time of his death in ¡942, his film acting credits had exceeded ¡70. MacQuarrie also appeared in Wayne’s Ride Him Cowboy (¡932), Shadow of the Eagle (¡932) and New Frontier (¡935). Arriving in Hollywood from Indiana at the age of 20, Mack V. Wright (¡894–¡965) started out as an actor in the industry in ¡9¡4. Besides acting in supporting roles (¡9¡4–34), over the years he was a director of 24 features, an assistant director on 60 films, production manager for ten releases, and the writer and editor of three. He directed Wayne in Haunted Gold, Somewhere in Sonora, Man from Monterey and Winds of the Wasteland. After some work in television including the series Sea Hunt, he retired. Between ¡932 and ¡942, composer Abe Meyer was responsible for the music in over ¡00 B-films including the horror flicks White Zombie (¡932) and The Vampire Bat (¡933) and the independent features Tarzan the Fearless (¡933) with Buster Crabbe as the ape man, The New Adventures of Tarzan (¡935) starring Bruce Bennett in the title role, Tarzan’s Revenge (¡938) with Glenn Morris, and Tarzan and the Green Goddess (¡938), again starring Bennett. Besides this B-Western, he worked on Wayne’s Star Packer and The New Frontier (¡935).

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Range Feud

Range Feud November 22, ¡93¡. 64 minutes. Buck Jones, John Wayne, Susan Fleming, Ed LeSaint, William Walling, Wallace MacDonald, Harry Woods, Frank Austin, Jerome “Blackjack” Ward, Glenn Strange, Frank Ellis, Lew Meehan, Al Taylor, Hank Bell, Rube Dalroy, Bob Reeves, Jim Corey, Archie Ricks, Merrill McCormick, Silver (horse). Columbia. Producer Irving Briskin; Director D. Ross Lederman; Writer Milton Krims; Based upon a story by George Plympton; Photography Benjamin Kline; Editor Maurice Wright; Assistant Director Mack V. Wright REVIEWS: “Story well written and continuity well developed. Buck Jones gives good performance. No love interest for Jones in the talker. What there is, is between Miss Fleming and John Wayne.” Variety (December ¡, ¡93¡); “A routine Jones series entry. [Wayne’s] first Western since his disastrous debut as a leading man in The Big Trail….” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Phil Hardy, The Overlook Press, ¡984); “Fascinating to see the pre-star John Wayne learning the ropes … in this strong, dramatic Buck Jones B… Terrific barroom brawl between Woods and Jones midway.” The Best (and Worst) of the West! (Boyd Magers, March ¡¡, 2002) SYNOPSIS : Sheri› Buck Gordon (Buck Jones) hopes to stop a range war brought about when his stepfather, Dad Turner (William Walling), trespassed on John Walton’s (Ed LeSaint) land. At a church peace meeting, Vandall (Harry Woods) urges Turner to accuse Walton of cattle rustling, and Buck intervenes to prevent a gunfight. After the meeting, Clint Turner ( John Wayne), Buck’s stepbrother, visits his girlfriend, Judy Walton (Susan Fleming). Walton refuses to let Judy marry Clint. Later, as Walton reads a letter from Jed Biggers, he is shot by an unseen figure. Walton’s ranch hands accuse Clint of the crime, and Buck unhappily agrees to arrest him. At Clint’s trial, he is found guilty. Biggers arrives at the Walton ranch to explain that Walton believed the herd he had purchased from Biggers was rustled. The conversation is interrupted when

a shadowy figures shoots and wounds Buck. As Buck has his wound dressed, Biggers finds a piece of the mysterious man’s clothing hanging on the fence. The next day, as Walton’s men prepare to hang Clint, Turner and his men, Biggers, Buck and Judy ride out to the site. Buck notices a tear in the pants of Walton’s foreman, who admits they were given to him that morning by Vandall. It is revealed that Vandall murdered Walton to prevent him from learning that Biggers bought the cattle from Vandall, who stole them from Turner. With the range war over, Judy and Clint are reunited. NOTES : On a budget of $25,000, this Western was filmed in early August ¡93¡ at the Ti›any Studio lot in Los Angeles and the Walker Ranch in Placerita Canyon near Newhall, under the working title Range War. Buck Jones, who had earned upwards of $2500 a week in the ¡920s, was paid $550 while Wayne received $350. After a dispute with Buck Jones, Louis King, who was originally signed to direct the film, was replaced by D. Ross Lederman. Between ¡930 and ¡958, Columbia released over 300 formula B-Westerns. Over that 28-year period, the elements for each would hardly vary. The studio mandated that all the features be approximately one hour in length, be budgeted at between $20,000 and $50,000 and, to keep costs down, rely extensively on stock footage from other Westerns. Harry Woods (¡889–¡968), the quintessential “bad guy” with the menacing look, snarling lips and a pencil-thin mustache, started in ¡9¡4 and ended in the late ¡950s, appearing in over ¡00 films. After a short stint on the stage during the first decade of the century, the actor turned to silent films, where, starting with the famous serial The Perils of Pauline, he developed a reputation for excelling in evil. To many fans, he was considered the supreme “brain heavy” in dozens of B-Westerns and serials opposite Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Tex Ritter, Johnny Mack Brown, Charles Starrett, Tim Holt, Wild Bill Elliott, Sunset Carson, George O’Brien and Smith Ballew. During the silent

Range Feud

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Range Feud (Columbia, ¡932). Susan Fleming, Wayne, Buck Jones, William Walling

era and into the beginning of talkies, actor Woods expertly plied his trade in numerous films including Jesse James (¡927), The Lone Rider (¡930) and I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (¡932). Some of the actor’s other films included The Plainsman (¡937), Blockheads (¡938), Union Pacific (¡939), Beau Geste (¡939), Lone Star (¡952) and The Ten Commandments (¡956). During the 20-year period between ¡936 and ¡955, Woods appeared in 27 Republic films in roles ranging from crooked bankers to evil bar owners to the nasty leader of outlaw gangs. Range Feud would be the first of his ¡2 screen appearances with Wayne. The other films were Haunted Gold, Lawless Nineties, Conflict, The Long Voyage Home, Dark Command, Reap the Wild Wind, The Spoilers, In Old Oklahoma, Tall in the Saddle, Tycoon and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, where he was killed by

an arrow while trying to sell rifles to the renegades. Wallace MacDonald (¡89¡–¡978) had a career which encompassed over ¡00 screen appearances between ¡9¡4 and ¡933; he retired from the screen in the mid–¡930s. Some of his films included Fancy Baggage (¡929), Hit the Deck (¡930), Branded (¡93¡) and The Vanishing Frontier (¡932). He was also in the cast of Texas Cyclone. The female lead, New York City–born Susan Fleming (¡909–2002), made only ¡8 films. Her screen career lasted a brief eight years from ¡930 to ¡937, but was preceded by a stint on Broadway in The Ziegfeld Follies. In Hollywood she had a minor supporting roles in Wayne’s Men Are Like That, as well as the films Lover Come Back (¡93¡), Charlie Chan’s Courage (¡934), The Great Ziegfeld (¡936) and Gold Diggers of ¡937. The actress also played W.C. Fields’ daughter in Million Dollar Legs

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Reap the Wild Wind

(¡932) and was married to Harpo Marx until his death in ¡964. With a running time of 58 minutes, the

film played at Loews New York for one day (November ¡6).

Reap the Wild Wind March ¡9, ¡942. ¡24 minutes. Ray Milland, John Wayne, Paulette Goddard, Raymond Massey, Robert Preston, Lynne Overman, Susan Hayward, Charles Bickford, Walter Hampden, Louise Beavers, Martha O’Driscoll, Elisabeth Risdon, Hedda Hopper, Victor Kilian, Oscar Polk, Janet Beecher, Ben Carter, William Davis, Lane Chandler, Davison Clark, Lou Merrill, Frank M. Thomas, Keith Richards, Victor Varconi, J. Farrell Macdonald, Harry Woods, Raymond Hatton, Milburn Stone, Dave Wengren, Tony Patton, Barbara Britton, Julia Faye, Ameda Lambert, D’Arcy Miller, Bruce Warren, Gertrude Astor, Constantine Romano›, Fred Graham, Jimmie Dundee, Kenneth Gibson, J.W. Johnston, Eugene Jackson, Forrest Taylor, George Melford, John St. Polis, Stanhope Wheatcroft, David Clyde, Sam Flint, Gohr Van Vleck, Oscar G. Hendrian, Nestor Paiva, Jack Cli›ord, Ed Brady, Jim Mason, John Merton, Don Zelaya, James Flavin, William Haade, Will Stanton, Bob Homans, Frank C. Shannon, James Anderson, Buddy Pepper, Carmen Johnson, Charles Hamilton, Hassan Ezzat, Tom Chatterton, Frank Hagney, Frank Lackteen, Alan Bridge, Al Ferguson, Frank Richards, Hayden Stevenson, Wheaton Chambers, Dick Alexander, Ed Peil, Sr., George Anderson, Guy Usher, Stanley Andrews, Emory Parnell, Lee Prather, Byron Foulger, Dick Elmore, Cyril McLaglen, Carl Mathews, William Cabanne, Louise LaPlanche, Laurie Douglas, Colin Blair, Stella Mary Burgess, Jack Dixon, Mary Sue Thomas, Mary Joyce Walsh, James Gillette, Mildred Shay, Mildred Harris, Leota Lorraine, Helen Dickson, Dorothy Sebastian, Ynez Seabury, Catherine Wallace, Hope Landin, Claire McDowell, Lora Lee, Mary Currier, Mel Ruick, Tom Conlon, Emmett King, Richard Neill, Jack Luden, Lloyd Whit-

lock, John Merkyl, Monte Blue, George H. Reed, Ottola Nesmith, Sarah Edwards, Gil Perkins, Ralph Dunn, George Guhl, Eric Alden, George Barton, Sven Hugo Borg, Bob Ireland, Clarke J. Jennings, Wally O’Connor, Dale Van Sickel, Carl Zwolsman, Jerome DeNuccio, William D. Faralla, Jerry Franks, Jr., Ethan Laidlaw, King Mojave, Houghton Ralph, Ray Spiker, Harry Warren, George Bruggeman, Jack Chapin, Stubby Kruger, Larry Lawson, George Magrill, Jack Sterling, Fred Zendar, Frank Ferguson, Cap Anderson, Sam Appel, Max Davidson, Harry Dean, Christian J. Frank, Billy Elmer, Tony Martelli, Robert Milasch, John Power, A.D. Sewall, Leo Sulky, Maurice Costello, Elmo Lincoln, Paul Stader. Paramount. Produced and Directed by Cecil B. DeMille; Associate Producer William H. Pine; Associate Director Arthur Rossen; Screenplay Alan LeMay, Charles Bennett, Jesse Lasky, Jr.; Based on the Saturday Evening Post story by Thelma Strabel; Contributing Writer Jeanie MacPherson; Photography Victor Milner, William V. Skall; Second Unit Second Cameraman William Rand; Second Unit Assistant Camera James V. Murray; Second Unit Stills G.E. Richardson; Underwater Photography Dewey Wrigley; Special E›ects Gordon Jennings, W.L. Pereira, Farciot Edouart; Second Unit S.E.D. Glassman Edward Overstreet; Film Editor Anne Bauchens; Art Directors Hans Dreier, Roland Anderson; Sound Recording Harry Lindgren John Cope; Musical Score Victor Young; Dance Director Sam Ledneri; Second Unit Technicolor Director William Fritzchel; Second Unit Technicolor Technicians Roger Mace, Fritz Brosch; Assistant Director Edward Salven; Technical Advisor Capt. Fred Ellis; Dialogue Supervisors Edwin Maxwell, Phyllis Loughton; Second Unit Assistant Directors Kenneth DeLand, Chico Alonso, Howard

Reap the Wild Wind Joslin, Clem Jones; Second Unit Second Assistant Director Art Camp; Supervising Set Dresser Sam Comer; Set Decorator George Sawley; Props Russ Brown; 2nd Unit Props Carl Coleman; 2nd Unit 2nd Props Harold Worthington; Costumes Natalie Visart; Wardrobe Dressers R. Doney, Dwight Franklin, Lois Jessen; Men’s Wardrobe Joe Caplan, Pat Williams; Woman’s Wardrobe Edna Shotwell, LeVaughn Larson REVIEWS: “[A]s jam-full a motion picture as has ever played two hours upon a screen… It definitely marks a DeMillestone. It is the master turned loose, with no holds barred…. John Wayne makes a rugged shipmaster.” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, March 27, ¡942); “Wayne’s performance is excellent despite DeMille’s loose hold over actors.” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, A.S. Barnes, ¡976); “It was imaginative, glossy entertainment in DeMille’s traditional style.” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974); “[A]n old-time melodrama with as much happening as a three-ring circus. Bloody fights, piracy, romance—and well, just about a little of everything motivates C.B.’s latest opus … no one can complain that it is ever dull or lacking in action….” Los Angeles Examiner (Louella O. Parsons, March ¡9, ¡942); “The film is overlong, overly involved, and erratic. It is of mediocre literary quality. It is almost never believable; it rarely creates the illusion of reality that a good film ought to have … and thus it sometimes excites titters when intense dramatic excitement was intended….” Hollywood Citizen News ( James Francis Crow, March ¡9, ¡942); “Just about everything that money could buy has been poured into this Thirtieth Anniversary production from the hand of Cecil B. DeMille and the result is two hours of spectacle in Technicolor….” Motion Picture Herald (William R. Weaver, March 28, ¡942); “It is a film possessing the spectacular sweep of colorful backgrounds which characterize the DeMille type of screen entertainment…. The interiors are elaborate and the costuming vivid. Production throughout expresses the finest technical attention, both in preparation and execution.” Variety (March 25, ¡942) SYNOPSIS : The salvage masters of the Florida Keys reap the harvest of the wild winds, saving lives and cargo from the rocks of

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those dangerous shoals. Salvage partners Capt. Philpott (Lynne Overman) and Loxi Claiborne (Paulette Goddard) often seem to arrive at the scene of a wreck just after the Cutler brothers (Raymond Massey and Robert Preston), who have a knack for knowing when a ship will be destroyed. After cleaning out the cargo of the Jubilee, King Cutler leaves the crew behind for Philpott and Loxie to rescue. Loxi meets Capt. Jack Stuart ( John Wayne), unlucky skipper of the Jubilee, who intends to prove that the wreck was the fault of pirates like Cutler. Stephen Tolliver (Ray Milland), chief lawyer for Stuart’s employer, the Devereaux Line, is Jack’s chief rival to run the company when Commodore Devereaux (Walter Hampden) retires. Though there is no love lost between the two, Tolliver supports Stuart’s contention that Cutler is behind the loss of ships in the area. Loxi, infatuated with Jack, has been using her charms to enlist Tolliver as an advocate to have Stuart given command of the firm’s newest ship, the Southern Cross. Devereaux and Tolliver secretly plan to give Stuart the commission after Tolliver’s investigation in the Keys proves the captain’s innocence. The rivals quickly become engaged in a contest to win Loxi’s hand in marriage, but they must first contend with Cutler. The villain plans to have Stephen shanghaied aboard a whaler. Aware of the plan, Loxi presses Jack to rescue the lawyer. The two men are able to defeat Cutler’s bullies with fists and fortitude. Stuart’s newfound respect for Tolliver disappears with the discovery of the commission papers in the lawyer’s coat pocket. Jack makes the tragic assumption that Tolliver was purposely keeping the command from his rival to ruin his career. King Cutler feeds upon this falsehood, convincing Jack that, with the death of the Commodore, there will now be no place for Stuart in the Tolliver-run shipping line. The impulsive Stuart takes his commission papers to Havana, picks up the Southern Cross and purposely runs her aground for Cutler’s benefit. Jack’s plan of revenge upon Tolliver and the Devereaux line becomes an even more serious crime. Unknown to the unlucky captain, Drusilla Alston (Susan Hayward), a friend of Loxi’s, had stowed away to join her lover, Dan Cutler, in Florida. When Jack destroys the

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Reap the Wild Wind

Reap the Wild Wind (Paramount, ¡942). Paulette Goddard, John Wayne

ship at Satan’s Shoals, he kills not only Loxi’s faith in him, but Drusilla. When this death is alleged at Jack’s trial, King Cutler taunts Tolliver to produce proof that the woman was actually on board. The Southern Cross is perched perilously on a reef below the ocean, and only the most experienced of divers would dare enter the wreck. Stuart, sickened by his guilt and his association with the villains he despises, makes the dive with Tolliver. Underwater, the men find Drusilla’s shawl, and Stuart gives his life rescuing Tolliver from the tentacles of a giant squid. The captain has gone with his ship. The pirate ring is broken, and the future looks brighter for Loxi and Steve.— TAL NOTES: In production on the Paramount lot from May 26 to August ¡9, ¡94¡, and September 9 through September ¡2, ¡94¡. Budget

was $2,000,000. It completed production at a negative cost of $2,250,000. The sea-faring saga earned domestic rentals of $4,000,000 for the studio based on a gross of $¡2,000,000 in the North American market. Wayne was paid $30,839.22 for his role in the film while Paulette Goddard earned $35,000. Prior to the signing of Milland, Wayne and Goddard, DeMille also considered the following stars for the lead roles: John Barrymore, James Stewart, Rex Harrison, William Boyd, Claudette Colbert, Katharine Hepburn and Tallulah Bankhead. This film carried the banner for Paramount’s thirtieth anniversary of making motion pictures. World premiere held in Los Angeles on March ¡8, ¡942, with the proceeds donated to the Navy Relief Fund. The premiere drew a crowd of 3000 onlookers. Crusty character actor Lynne Overman (¡887–¡943),

Reap the Wild Wind in his heyday (¡934 through ¡943), was busy in over 40 motion pictures. After ¡943 he would only appear in three additional films. At Fox, he co-starred with Shirley Temple in Little Miss Marker (¡934), then in the mid–¡930s worked almost exclusively for Paramount. His later films included The Big Broadcast of ¡938, DeMille’s Union Pacific (¡939), Edison, the Man (¡940), North West Mounted Police (¡940), The Forest Rangers (¡942) and The Desert Song (¡944), which reached the screens after his death. Gordon Jennings, who died in ¡953, was a master of special e›ects who almost singlehandedly elevated the art from its primitive existence to a sophisticated form of magic. He entered motion pictures in ¡9¡9 and by the mid–¡930s was appointed head of the Special E›ects Department at Paramount. He remained in that position until his death. The craftsman won five Academy Awards for creating superlative illusions on celluloid for the following films: Spawn of the North (¡938), I Wanted Wings (¡94¡), Reap the Wild Wind (¡942), When Worlds Collide (¡95¡) and The War of the Worlds (¡953). Canadian-born and Oxford-educated, Raymond Massey (¡886–¡983) performed on the London stage for nine years, then made his motion picture debut in ¡93¡. A veteran of both World Wars (as an o‡cer in the Canadian army), he portrayed Abraham Lincoln on both stage and screen. In ¡932 he played Sherlock Holmes in the British production The Speckled Band, and was later seen in The Scarlet Pimpernel (¡935), H.G. Wells’ science-fiction classic Things to Come (¡936), The Prisoner of Zenda (¡937), John Ford’s The Hurricane (¡937), Santa Fe Trail (¡940), The Fountainhead (¡949), David and Batsheba (¡95¡), Battle Cry (¡955), East of Eden (¡955) and his last film role, Mackenna’s Gold (¡969). Barbara Britton’s (¡9¡9–80) film career consisted of 25 movies over a ¡5-year period (¡94¡–56). She was featured in Louisiana Purchase (¡94¡), The Fleet’s In (¡942), Wake Island (¡942), So Proudly We Hail (¡943), The Story of Dr. Wassell (¡944), The Virginian (¡946), I Shot Jesse James (¡949), Bwana Devil (¡953) and The Spoilers (¡956). In the early ¡950s the actress appeared on the television series Mr. and Mrs. North. Educated as a civil engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Charles

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Bickford (¡889–¡967) saw service in World War I as a sailor, then upon his discharge in ¡9¡9 made his Broadway debut. He left for Hollywood in ¡929 and won a plum role opposite Greta Garbo in Anna Christie. Appearing in close to ¡00 films between ¡929 and ¡966, he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his roles in The Song of Bernadette (¡943), The Farmer’s Daughter (¡947) and Johnny Belinda (¡948). Louise Beavers (¡902– 62) and Milburn Stone (¡904–80) played character roles throughout their film careers but achieved their greatest fame in the medium of television. In ¡95¡ Beavers won acclaim for the title role in the series Beulah, while Stone became a television institution as Doc Adams on Gunsmoke. In the mid–¡920s, the Kansas native started entertaining with a theatrical troupe. In ¡932 he made his Broadway debut in Sinclair Lewis’ The Jayhawkers. Some of his many film credits included The Savage, Arrowhead, The Atomic City, Second Chance, Black Tuesday, The Long Gray Line and The Private War of Major Benson. During his tenure on Gunsmoke the actor appeared in almost 500 episodes of the show. Gertrude Astor (¡887–¡977) started performing at the age of ¡3 in ¡900. Between ¡9¡4 and ¡929 she performed as a leading lady or character actress in over 70 films. With the advent of sound, Astor settled into infrequent character roles for DeMille, Ford and other old time directors who fondly remembered her from the silent era. The veteran actress had minor roles in Hell Bound (¡93¡), Wine, Women and Song (¡934), Misbehaving Husbands (¡940), Hold Back the Dawn (¡94¡), Father Makes Good (¡950), Around the World in Eighty Days (¡956) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (¡962). The film marked DeMille’s fifth successive piece of screen Americana, following, The Plainsman, The Buccaneer, Union Pacific and North West Mounted Police. Just prior to the start of filming, Hedda Hopper replaced Spring Byington in the cast and Charles Bickford stepped in for Morris Ankrum. Special e›ects expert and photographer Farciot Edouart (¡890–¡975) was a ten-time Oscar nominee who won the coveted award for Spawn of the North, I Wanted Wings and Reap the Wild Wind. For various innovations throughout the years, he was also honored with seven

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Red River

technical Oscars. Edouart worked at Paramount from ¡9¡5 to ¡967. The World War I veteran also did the acclaimed special e›ects for the parting of the Red Sea sequence in DeMille’s ¡956 The Ten Commandments. He was also nominated for his work in Union Pacific, Dr. Cyclops, Typhoon, Aloma of the South Seas, So Proudly We Hail, The Story of Dr. Wassell and

Unconquered. The film had an exclusive fiveweek run at New York’s Radio City Music Hall where it broke all existing attendance records. On March 8, ¡943, Ray Milland and Paulette Goddard reprised their roles in the DeMille film for a Lux Radio Theater broadcast. The film was reissued in ¡954.

Red River September ¡7, ¡948 ¡25 minutes. John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Walter Brennan, Joanne Dru, Harry Carey, Sr., John Ireland, Coleen Gray, Harry Carey, Jr., Noah Beery, Jr., Paul Fix, Tom Tyler, Lane Chandler, Shelley Winters, Chief Yowlachie, Hank Worden, Mickey Kuhn, Ivan Parry, Hal Taliaferro, Paul Fierro, William Self, Ray Hyke, Glenn Strange, Dan White, George Lloyd, Lee Phelps, Harry Woods, Jack Williams, John Merton, Joe Dominguez, Davison Clark, Danny Sands, Dick Farnsworth, Sidney Davis (stand-in for Wayne). United Artists. A Monterey Production. Director and Producer Howard Hawks; Executive Producer Charles K. Feldman; Co-Director Arthur Rosson; Screenplay Borden Chase, Charles Schnee; From the Saturday Evening Post Story by Borden Chase; Music Dimitri Tiomkin; Song, “Settle Down” by Dimitri Tiomkin; Music Recording Vinton Vernon; Photography Russell Harlan; Film Editor Christian Nyby; Art Director John Data Arensma; Special Photographic E›ects Allan Thompson; Special E›ects Donald Steward; Assistant Director William McGarry; Sound Richard DeWeese; Makeup Lee Greenway; Production Manager Norman Cook; Choral Director Jester Hairston; Grip Thomas Thompson; Script Clerk Bobbie Sierks REVIEWS: “[A] solidly masculine cast, topped o› by a withering job of acting a bosswrangler done by Mr. Wayne. This consistently able portrayer of two-fisted, two-gunned outdoor men surpasses himself in this picture. We wouldn’t want to tangle with him.” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, October ¡, ¡948);

“It is a rattling good outdoor adventure movie.” Time Magazine (October ¡¡, ¡948); “[It] will take its place among the other big, box-o‡ce important western epics that have come from Hollywood over the years. It’s a spectacle of sweeping grandeur, as rugged and hard as the men and the times with which it deals.” Variety (September ¡948); “[A] film which is spectacle at its best although spectacle is by no means all of it….It is epic in its sweep and size of its canvas but the canvas is packed with hard-bitten detail rather than romantic flourishes.” Western Movies (Walter C. Clapham, Octopus, ¡974); “It is not only one of Wayne’s best performances; it is one of the most memorable in any Western.” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, A.S. Barnes, ¡976); “[T]he screen was filled with strikingly e›ective images of massive cattle herds, moving in panoramic display. The resilience and camaraderie of rough-hewn men under stress was conveyed by a well-chosen cast.” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974); “What is most impressive about Red River is Hawks’ concentration on character relationships and the swirling dust of horses and cattle.” The World of Howard Hawks (Andrew Sarris, The New York Film Bulletin, ¡96¡) ; “Red River is not a work of art, but it is an extremely good adventure western, justifiably admired despite its controversial ending…. The first two hours are so good they cannot be ruined by a bad final five minutes … one of the most beautiful of all black-and-white westerns.” The Great Movies (William Bayer, Grosset and Dunlap, ¡973); “In this epic Western, all doubt

Red River is removed about John Wayne’s stature as an actor…. In his fiery exchanges with talented Montgomery Clift, who plays his son, he is unforgettable.” Duke The Real Story of John Wayne ( Jean Ramer, Award Books, ¡973); “Wayne in Red River is a deeply ambivalent figure; the kind of lovable bastard who puts men through Hell and earns their respect but also their hatred.” Stardom (Alexander Walker, Stein & Day, ¡970); “John Wayne gives what must be the best performance of his career…..” The Long View (Basil Wright, Alfred A. Knopf, ¡974); “[A] film of the most powerful human emotion expressed on an appropriately dramatic scale. The result is the finest Western made to that date.” The Western Film (Charles Silver, Pyramid, ¡976); “It is a movie of epic dimensions that says something of intrinsic importance about the individual’s role in the Western myth.” There Must Be a Lone Ranger: The American West in Film and in Reality ( Jenni Calder, McGraw-Hill, ¡977); “The film’s richness of character, narrative, and realistic details make it among the most balanced spectacles in the genre.” The Making of the Great Westerns (William R. Meyer, Arlington House, ¡979) SYNOPSIS: Thomas Dunson ( John Wayne) and his friend Groot Nadine (Walter Brennan) leave St. Louis and join a wagon train headed for California. When they reach the northern border of Texas, they decide to head south deeper into Texas and establish a cattle ranch. Fen (Coleen Gray), Tom’s sweetheart, wants to stay with him, but he tells her that he will send for her later and gives her his mother’s bracelet. Soon after Tom and Groot take their wagon and bull and head south to the Red River, they look back and see that the wagon train has been attacked and burned by Comanches. That night several Indians attack Tom and Groot’s camp, and Tom is horrified to discover the bracelet he gave to Fen on the wrist of an Indian he has just killed. The next day as the travelers break camp, Matthew Garth (Mickey Kuhn), a young boy who escaped the wagon train massacre, wanders towards them with his cow. Tom and Groot take the dazed boy with them, cross the Red River and head further south until, near the Rio Grande, Tom finds an area he likes. The land

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legally belongs, by land grant, to a Mexican, but after Tom stakes his claim by killing several of the owner’s hired gunmen, he claims it for himself. Tom’s bull and Matt’s cow then become the beginning of a great herd sporting the Red River-D brand. Fifteen years later, the ranch boast thousands of cattle, but Tom faces ruin unless he can move them from the impoverished post–Civil War market. He decides to take ¡0,000 head ¡000 miles to Missouri, where the railroads serve the North and East, and Matt (Montgomery Clift), now grown to manhood and like a son to Tom, helps to plan the drive. Tom agrees to take a neighbor’s hired hand, Cherry Valance ( John Ireland), on the long trail drive. Both Cherry and Matt are expert gunmen and enjoy a friendly, if intense, rivalry. After a few days on the trail, the men reach the Brazos. Hills and rock impede their progress and the cowboys become tired and unhappy. One night when the cattle are restless, cowboy Bunk Kenneally (Ivan Parry) takes some sugar from Groot’s chuckwagon and accidentally knocks over pots and pans, spooking the cattle and causing a stampede. Cowboy Dan Latimer (Harry Carey, Jr.) is killed in the stampede, and although Bunk admits his mistake, he refuses to allow Tom to whip him and draws his gun. Matt shoots and wounds Bunk before Bunk can shoot Tom. Forty days into the drive, the men are forced to endure heavy rains and short rations, as a grub wagon was lost in the stampede. Tom becomes very demanding and faces dissension among the cowboys. Some days later a wounded wrangler (William Self ) from another drive rides into camp and explains that his group was attacked by a large gang of outlaws after they crossed the Red River. He also tells them about a trail blazed by an Indian trader, Jesse Chisholm, to a railroad terminus in Abilene, Kansas. When three of Tom’s men state that they should be heading to Abilene instead of Missouri and threaten to quit, Tom kills them. More men desert with supplies and Tom sends Cherry after them. When the herd reaches the Red River, Tom decides to cross immediately despite the men’s exhaustion. The next day when Cherry returns with two of the deserters, Tom says he is going to hang them but Matt intervenes. As Tom goes to draw his gun on Matt,

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Red River

Red River (United Artists, ¡948). Walter Brennan, John Wayne, Mickey Kuhn

Cherry shoots him in the hand. Matt then assumes command of the drive, and they head to Abilene, leaving Tom behind, bitter and swearing he will catch up to Matt and kill him. On the drive, Matt and the others encounter a wagon train being attacked by Apache Indians whom they help to drive o›. Matt meets Tess Millay ( Joanne Dru), a card dealer, and before he resumes the drive, they have fallen in love. On August ¡4, ¡865, Matt’s tired cowboys reach Abilene and become the first cattle drive to cross over the Chisholm Trail. Melville (Harry Carey), a representative of an Illinois trading company, makes Matt a very good o›er for the entire herd and gives him a check payable to Tom. The next day, as Matt prepares to face Tom, Cherry challenges Tom, who shoots him but is injured by his return fire. Matt refuses to draw his gun against Tom, but when Tom attacks him with his fists, Matt eventually fights back. Their brawl is inter-

rupted by Tess, who fires a gun and angrily reminds them that they both love each other. After Tom tells Matt that he should marry Tess, he and Matt are finally reconciled. Tom then tells Matt, as he had promised years before, he will create a new branding iron to include Matt’s initial, as he has earned it. NOTES: Filmed, on location, in Elgin and Rain Valley, Arizona, in 76 days, from August 26 to December ¡6, ¡946. Interiors were shot on four large sound stages (each ¡¡0  ¡20 feet) at the Goldwyn Studios in Hollywood. To add realism to the interiors, at a cost of $20,000 the film company imported 20 tons of sand and assorted mesquite from the location sites. The initial proposed budget for the Western was $¡,258,000. By the start of production, the budget had risen to $¡,800,000. The film completed production at a negative cost of $2,700,000. The screenplay, based on Borden Chase’s unpublished novel Break of Dawn, was

Red River serialized in The Saturday Evening Post under the title The Chisholm Trail. Howard Hawks was scheduled to receive $¡75,000 and a percentage of the profits while Wayne was initially signed to a $¡25,000 salary and a like percentage of the profits. By the time the film had been completed, the star’s contract was renegotiated to a salary of $¡65,000 and ¡0 percent of the net profits. Including successful reissues, Wayne received $375,000 for working in the epic Western. Both Montgomery Clift and Walter Brennan were paid $50,000 for their acting services while John Ireland received $600 a week for his work and Paul Fix was paid $800 a week. The film earned domestic rentals of $4,506,825 in its first year of release from a box o‡ce gross of $¡¡,000,000, and a further $2,000,000 from the overseas markets. Red River was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Story and Best Editing. Original casting notes: Gary Cooper for the Dunson role and Cary Grant as Cherry Valance. At 22, West Virginia native Joanne Dru (born Joanne Letitia LaCock, ¡922–96) was on Broadway performing as a showgirl in an Al Jolson play. She made her screen debut six years later in Abie’s Irish Rose (¡946), then signed with Howard Hawks for Red River and John Ford for the second film of his Cavalry Trilogy, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. In ¡949 she married her Red River co-star John Ireland, and in the following year the two appeared together in the Academy Award–winning All the King’s Men. When Ford called again, Dru responded by playing the female lead in the Western Wagon Master. Although her name became associated with Westerns, the actress was featured in the ’50s in other types of films including The Pride of St. Louis (¡952), Thunder Bay (¡953) with Jimmy Stewart, the Martin & Lewis laugh romp 3-Ring Circus (¡954) and Hell on Frisco Bay (¡955). The actress took the television plunge in ¡960, starring in the situation comedy Guestward Ho! The failure of the show left her disillusioned and estranged from the industry. Coleen Gray (born Doris Jensen, ¡922) had originally been signed for the female lead opposite Montgomery Clift. When she informed director Hawks of her pregnancy, she was relegated to a small role at the opening of the film (at a salary of $400 a

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week), and replaced by Joanne Dru. Gray graduated from college with Honors, studied Dramatics and appeared in little theaters throughout the Midwest, before coming to Hollywood in the mid–¡940s and signing a standard sevenyear contract with Fox. When Fox initially refused to loan her out to Hawks for Red River, she personally appealed to Darryl F. Zanuck, who overrode the other studio executives and allowed her to work for the director and United Artists. Upon completion of the Wayne project, Fox would insert her into the eerie Tyrone Power starring vehicle Nightmare Alley (¡947). The talented actress would appear in another 25 films, including Riding High (¡95¡), Apache Drums (¡95¡), Kansas City Confidential (¡952), Johnny Rocco (¡958) and The Leech Woman (¡960). Glenn Strange (¡899–¡973), born George Glenn Strange in New Mexico of Cherokee Indian and Irish parents, entered the film industry as a stuntman after a short career as a modestly successful boxer and rodeo performer. He appeared in over ¡00 B-Westerns starring such stalwarts as Buck Jones, Dick Foran, Bob Baker, Ken Maynard, George O’Brien, Hopalong Cassidy, Tim Holt, Buster Crabbe, Roy Rogers, Eddie Dew, Jimmy Wakely and Tex Ritter. Usually in the role of villain, Strange had supporting roles in Wayne’s Range Feud (¡932), Hurricane Express (¡932), Lawless Range (¡935), The Star Packer (¡934), Westward Ho (¡935), The Lonely Trail (¡935), The New Frontier (¡935), Conflict (¡937), Adventure’s End (¡937), The Night Riders (¡939) and Dark Command (¡940). The former singer with the Arizona Wranglers also showed his versatility by playing the Frankenstein Monster in House of Frankenstein (¡944), House of Dracula (¡945) and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (¡948). In ¡962 Strange began serving beer and booze at the Long Branch Saloon as Sam the bartender in the long-running Gunsmoke television series. The actor who portrayed the gentle giant Bunk Kenneally, Ivan Arthur Parry (¡9¡5–200¡) appeared in less than half a dozen films and several episodes of Gunsmoke before switching careers and becoming a teacher in a radio and television school in the San Fernando Valley. Serving in the Navy during World War II, and surviving seven campaigns in the Pacific

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Theater, Parry came to Hollywood after the war and, as a lark, went to an audition for cowboy types for a big-budget Western. Without

reading from a script or knowing the name of the film, he was hired by Hawks for a role in Red River.

Red River Range December 22, ¡938. 56 minutes. John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, Max Terhune, Polly Moran, Lorna Gray, Kirby Grant, Sammy McKim, William Royle, Perry Ivins, Stanley Blystone, Lenore Bushman, Burr Caruth, Roger Williams, Earl Askam, Olin Francis, Theodore Lorch, Fred “Snowflake” Toones, Ed Cassidy, Al Taylor, John Beach, Curley Dresden, Robert McKenzie, Jack Montgomery, Joe Whitehead. Republic. Associate Producer William Berke; Director George Sherman; Assistant Director William Strohbach; Original Story Luci Ward; Based on Characters Created by William Colt MacDonald; Screenplay Stanley Roberts, Betty Burbridge, Luci Ward; Photography Jack Marta; Editor Tony Martinelli; Musical Score William Lava; Production Manager Al Wilson; Unit Manager Arthur Siteman REVIEWS: “John Wayne is at all times the focal point of the story’s telling…. One of the most capable hoss operators, he looks the part and delivers action aplenty when he closes in.” Variety ( January ¡¡, ¡939); “The pace is slower than earlier entries in the series with comedy to the fore….” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Phil Hardy, Overlook Press, ¡983) SYNOPSIS: Local ranchers of Red River Range continue to lose valuable herds to rustlers who disappear without a trace. Catching the thieves is too big a job for the local sheri›. The Red River Cattlemen’s Association asks the governor for help. From the Civilian Volunteer Reserve unit, the Attorney General’s O‡ce sends the Three Mesquiteers: Stony Brooke, Tucson Smith and Lullaby Joslin ( John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, Max Terhune). As the trio approach Red River, a lone rider gallops by. Mistaking the horseman for a rustler, the boys pursue. Stony bulldogs the rider and discovers he is an acquaintance, Tex

Reilly (Kirby Grant), investigating the rustling as a representative of the Retail Butcher’s Association. Catching a glimpse of stolen cattle was the cause for his swift flight. Tex’s prime suspect is an ex-con named Payne (William Royle) who runs a dude ranch. Since Tex has already been seen by the rustlers, Stony volunteers to take his place and check out Payne’s Health Hacienda. He poses as escaped con, Killer Madigan, registering at the dude ranch under the alias of Jack Benson. Tex takes Stony’s place so that the Three Mesquiteers can still report to Red River. The boys are taken in by local rancher Pop Mason (Burr Caruth) and his lovely daughter Jane (Lorna Gray). Another cattleman, Hartley (Perry Ivins), secretly the head of the rustling ring, wastes no time sending a few thugs out to the Mason place to dispose of the Mesquiteers. The boys drive o› the gunmen, but Tex is wounded in the pursuit. The rustlers then hit rancher Jones’ stock. When Tucson and Lullaby discover a pit containing fresh hides, they realize that the tractor trailer trucks they have spotted in the area are actually carrying rustlers, their horses and the dressed stolen beef. Meanwhile, Stony, as an eastern dude, joins the ranch’s social outings. These “rustling” parties involve the guests in capturing cattle in the manner of the Old West. Unwittingly, they are aiding the rustlers, who quickly butcher the cattle once the guests depart. When Stony is caught investigating one of the trucks, he is brought to Payne. Feeling he has a new confederate in Killer Madigan, Payne takes the dude in and orders him to kill the Mesquiteers. Stony is recognized by Tucson and Lullaby when he has to fire some shots at Mason’s ranch. He is able to tip them o› about an upcoming raid. The Mesquiteers join the ranchers to stop the raid. As the trucks

Red River Range

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Red River Range (Republic, ¡938). Burr Caruth, Lorna Gray (Adrian Booth), Bob McKenzie, Kirby Grant, Wayne, Ray Corrigan, Sammy McKim, Max Terhune

head for their destination, Hartley pulls a gun on Tucson and reveals his role as the outlaw leader. Stony, atop the truck, bravely climbs down to the door and helps his friend push the villain from the cab. The ranchers rout the rustlers, who are arrested. Tex, nursed back to health by Jane, is brought by his friends before the Justice of the Peace to marry the rancher’s daughter.—TAL NOTES: Wayne’s fourth Mesquiteer adventure, and the twentieth in the series. Filmed in ¡¡ days from October 28 to November 7, ¡938, at the Agoura Ranch, just northwest of the San Fernando Valley. Budgeted at $35,000, the production’s final cost approached $40,000. Wayne was paid $3000. Red River Range was Lorna Gray’s (¡9¡8– ) third film following the Columbia “B” movies, Adventure in Sahara and

Smashing the Spy Ring (both ¡938). After Red River Range, Gray returned to Columbia and was featured in the low-budget Warren William–Ida Lupino–Rita Hayworth vehicle The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt. Born Virginia Mae Pound in Michigan, she started in show business as a vocalist for a band. Before her first screen credit, the actress changed her name to Lorna Gray, then began alternating between roles in B-Westerns with the likes of Roy Rogers, Charles Starrett and Wild Bill Elliott, and serials with the thrilling titles Flying G-Men (¡939), Deadwood Dick (¡940), Perils of Nyoka (¡942), Captain America (¡944) and Daughter of Don Q (¡946). Prior to a name change in ¡946 to Adrian Booth, she also appeared in several major films including Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (¡939) and So Proudly We Hail (¡943).

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Her film career consisted of 35 films over a period of ¡3 years (¡938–5¡). Her last film role was in the ¡953 release Love’s-a-Poppin. Kirby Grant (¡9¡¡–87) would achieve his greatest fame as “America’s Flying Cowboy” on the juvenile favorite television series Sky King. The show had an original run from ¡95¡ to ¡954, then played for many more years in syndication. Grant, a child prodigy with the violin, started out as a radio singer before forming his own band in the mid–¡930s. Under the name Robert Stanton he appeared in several BWesterns. Monogram signed him in ¡949 to star in a series of ten Northwesterns featuring him as a mounted policeman. The series ran until ¡954. Fred “Snowflake” Toones (¡905–62) appeared in over ¡45 features, the vast major-

ity being stereotypical roles of a porter, bellhop, janitor or servant. He also worked with Wayne in Hurricane Express, Central Airport, Lawless Nineties and The Lonely Trail, and appeared in several major motion pictures including A Star Is Born (¡937), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (¡939), Sun Valley Serenade (¡94¡), Palm Beach Story (¡942), and The Lost Weekend (¡945). Pauline Theresa (Polly) Moran (¡884–52), the perennial character comedienne, began her film career in the very early days of the silents. Between ¡9¡¡ and ¡920 she livened up over 60 shorts and full-length features. She ended her career on a high note with appearances in the Spencer Tracy-Katharine Hepburn comedy Adam’s Rib (¡949) and The Yellow Cab Man (¡950) starring Red Skelton.

Reunion in France December 2, ¡942. ¡04 minutes. Joan Crawford, John Wayne, Philip Dorn, Reginald Owen, Albert Bassermann, John Carradine, Ann Ayars, Moroni Olsen, J. Edward Bromberg, Henry Daniell, Howard Da Silva, Charles Arnt, Morris Ankrum, Edith Evanson, Ernest Dorian, Margaret Laurence, Odette Myrtil, Peter Whitney, Ava Gardner, Ann Codee, Oliver Blake, Natalie Schafer, George Travell, Michael Visaro›, Felix Basch, Paul Weigel, John Considine, Jr., Claudia Drake, Peter Leeds, Arthur Space, Ira “Buck” Woods, Rodney Bieber, Bobby Dillon, Barbara Bedford, Basil Bookasta, Henry Kolker, George Calliga, Harry Adams, Larry Grenier, Jean Del Val, Lester Sharpe, Ed Rickard, Philip Van Zandt, Louis Mercier, Hans Furberg, Otto Reichow, Frederick Brunn, Paul Kruger, David Clarke, Carl Ekberg, Adolph Milar, Ludwig Donath, William Edmunds, Arno Frey, Joel Friedkin, Wilda Bieber, Greta Keller, Walter O. Stahl, Doris Borodin, Jody Gilbert, Edgar Licho, Jacqueline White, Bob Stevenson, Hans von Morhart, Crane Whitley, James Craven, Gayne Whitman, Kay Deslys, Sheldon Jett, Major Fred Farrell, Henry Rowland, George Aldwin, William Vaughn, Ray

de Ravenne, Eddie Lee, Tommy Lee, Muriel Barr, Norma Thelan, Sandra Morgan, John Meredith, Martha Banattre, Joe Bernard, Harry Semels, Lotte Palfi, Lisl Valetti, Stuart Hall, Alan Schute, Guy D’Ennery, Jack Zoller, Hermine Sterler, Trude Berliner, Louise Colombet, Greta Meyer. MGM. Producer Joseph L. Mankiewicz; Director Jules Dassin; Assistant Director Stanley Goldsmith; Screenplay Jan Lustig, Marvin Borowsky, Marc Connelly, Charles Ho›man; Original Story Ladislaus Bus-Fekete; Photography Robert Planck; Art Director Cedric Gibbons; Editor Elmo Vernon; Music Franz Waxman; Special E›ects Warren Newcombe; Recording Director Douglas Shearer; Set Decorator Edwin B. Willis; Song “I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead You Rascal You” Music and Lyrics Charles Davenport REVIEWS: “[It makes] the shallowest drama out of the pith and substance of an ironic tragedy … a stale melodrama exercise for a very popular star [ Joan Crawford]…. John Wayne is totally unconvincing as the American flyer…” The New York Times (Theodore Strauss, March 5, ¡943); “What MGM had in mind … is hard to say. It could be that Miss Crawford was at a loose end.” The New York

Reunion in France Herald Tribune ( Joseph Pihodna, March 5, ¡943); “[I]t falls apart at the halfway point…. Miss Crawford and John Wayne will have to carry it through the regular runs for more than moderate grosses…. Standard performances are provided by Miss Crawford, Wayne and Dorn in the top spots.” Variety (December 2, ¡942); “Wayne’s part is one of the most thankless he has ever been given…” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, Grosset & Dunlap, ¡976); “The film gives the impression that, if history had waited a bit, it might have typified the Quislings in the manner to which audiences have been accustomed and would have carried conviction. Lack of conviction is its chief fault as is.” Motion Picture Herald (William R. Weaver, December 5, ¡942) SYNOPSIS : In May ¡940, the war with Germany seems far away to Michele de la Becque ( Joan Crawford), one of the elite of Paris society. While French troops await the inevitable German advance, Michele concerns herself with buying expensive clothes and planning her future with her fiancée, Robert Cortot (Philip Dorn), an influential French industrialist. As Cortot’s attentions are drawn to the defense of France, Michele pouts, “I’m not at war with anyone. I’m in love!” While the socialite is traveling in the south, Paris falls to the Nazis. With di‡culty, Michele makes her way back to the city to discover that her house has been taken over as the Coal Allotment Bureau; she has but one room to call her own. An even bigger surprise to the penniless Michele is that Cortot continues to live in a·uence in the new regime. France’s poverty seems to have become the industrialist’s fortune. Cortot factories are setting records turning out vehicles for the German army. Cortot seems deaf to Michele’s pleading that he forsake the Nazis. Refusing any financial assistance from him, she finds employment at Mme. Montanot’s (Odette Myrtil) dress shop. While walking home from her first day of work, she is approached by a stranger. Stumbling from a darkened doorway, downed RAF pilot Pat Talbot ( John Wayne) convinces Michele to act as his girlfriend for the benefit of the Gestapo agent who is tailing them. Michele takes the exhausted stranger to her room for food and rest. The flier, a brash American from Wilkes-

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Barre, Pennsylvania, has escaped from a concentration camp. He desperately seeks to flee the city, but needs money, papers and a fast car. Michele becomes Pat’s Joan of Arc, working to help his escape. Reluctantly she seeks the help of Cortot, asking for a car to travel south with her chau›eur, the American. The departure from Paris takes place sooner than she planned when Cortot wakes Michele and, after telling her of his love for both her and France, makes arrangements for her to leave. When Pat and Michele are placed in a car with two German o‡cers, she fears she has been betrayed with a kiss. But the o‡cers are actually British soldiers who, with Pat, are making an escape aided by British intelligence and the foremost figure in the French resistance, Robert Cortot. Michele bids farewell to Pat as a secret British plane makes a landing. Rushing back to Paris, she rejoins her fiancée in time to supply an alibi for him, snatching him from Gestapo arrest. Together the lovers work with the underground to free their beloved France.—TAL NOTES : In production for 55 shooting days between June ¡7 and August 4, ¡942, under the working title, Reunion. An added sequence was shot on September ¡5. The film was budgeted at $¡,000,000 and ended with a negative cost of $¡,054,000. Crawford earned $200,000 from MGM in ¡942 (for starring in two films). Wayne, on loan from Republic, was paid $8,866.67 for his secondary role. The film earned domestic rentals of $¡,046,000 and a further $8¡7,000 from overseas markets. This represented a profit of $222,000 for MGM. Prior to signing Wayne for the male lead, MGM had hoped to secure the services of Alan Ladd. Original cast choices also included Agnes Moorehead, Keenan Wynn and Hans Conried. The producer of the film, Joseph Leo Mankiewicz (¡909–93), started writing screenplays in ¡929 for Paramount. He moved to Fox, then (in ¡936) MGM, where he became a producer. Seeking scripts with a preference toward literate dialogue versus action, Mankiewicz was responsible for bringing to the screen The Gorgeous Hussy (¡936), A Christmas Carol (¡938), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (¡939), The Philadelphia Story (¡940) and Woman of the Year (¡942). When illness forced Ernst Lubitsch out of directing Dragonwyck

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Reunion in France (MGM, ¡942). Moroni Olsen, Joan Crawford, Wayne, Henry Daniell

(¡946), Mankiewicz took over the assignment and did a creditable job. By the late ¡940s Mankiewicz had hit his professional stride. His work in A Letter to Three Wives (¡949) won him Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Screenplay. He repeated the double honors in ¡950 by again winning for All About Eve. The Columbia University graduate also directed (and wrote the screenplay for) Julius Caesar (¡953), The Barefoot Contessa (¡954), Guys and Dolls (¡955), Suddenly Last Summer (¡959) and Cleopatra (¡963). Franz Waxman (¡906–67), a native of Germany who immigrated to the United States in ¡934, composed scores for over ¡00 films. After working in his native country, his first e›ort for Hollywood was the music for Universal’s Bride of Frankenstein (¡935). Much in demand throughout the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s, his more famous films included

Captains Courageous (¡937), Rebecca (¡940), Boom Town (¡940), Air Force (¡943), Destination Tokyo (¡944), Objective Burma (¡945), Sorry Wrong Number (¡948), Sunset Blvd. (¡950), for which he won an Academy Award, and A Place in the Sun (¡95¡), which garnered him his second Academy Award. His music arrangements were also heard in Stalag ¡7 (¡953), Rear Window (¡954), Mister Roberts (¡955), Sayonara and Peyton Place (¡957). Albert Bassermann (¡867– ¡952) was a noted actor on the German stage and screen in the early part of the century. After six years of residency in Switzerland, he came to Hollywood in ¡939 and immediately found work as a character actor. In his first year in America he had roles in four films including Dr. Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet and Hitchcock’s Foreign Correspondent, for which he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. In ¡948 he

Ride Him, Cowboy left Hollywood, returned to Europe and appeared in the English production The Red Shoes. While returning to America from Europe, the actor was killed in an airline crash. In the Europe of the ¡920s, Hungarian-born J. Edward Bromberg (¡903–5¡) enjoyed a career of some prominence on both the stage and screen. He arrived in Hollywood in early ¡936, signed a contract with Fox and in rapid succession appeared in two films, Under Two Flags and Stowaway. He also had varied roles in Seventh Heaven (¡937), Four Men and a Prayer (¡938), Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (¡938), Jesse James (¡939), The Mark of Zorro (¡940), Phantom of the Opera (¡943), Salome (¡945), Cloak

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and Dagger (¡946), Arch of Triumph (¡948) and I Shot Jesse James (¡949). In the role of Mrs. Thurston Howell, III, Natalie Schafer would gain everlasting fame on television’s Gilligan’s Island (CBS, ¡964–67). Other films opening in December of ¡942 were Warners’ Casablanca, MGM’s Andy Hardy’s Double Life, Republic Bfilms The Traitor Within starring Don “Red” Barry, Ridin’ Down the Canyon with Roy Rogers, MGM’s war film Stand By for Action starring Robert Taylor, Brian Donlevy and Charles Laughton, and the Ritz Brothers Universal comedy Behind the Eight Ball. Reunion would have its Los Angeles premiere in March at Grauman’s Chinese Theater.

Ride Him, Cowboy August 27, ¡932. 56–63 minutes. John Wayne, Ruth Hall, Henry B. Walthall, Harry Gribbon, Otis Harlan, Charles Sellon, Frank Hagney, Lafe McKee, Charles Whitaker, Frank Ellis, Jim Corey, Ben Corbett, Jack Kirk, Glenn Strange, Fred Burns, Edmund Cobb, Murdock MacQuarrie, Hal Price, Bud McClure, Blackjack Ward, Rose Plummer, Bob Burns, Chuck Baldra, Duke, the Devil Horse. Warner Bros. Producer Leon Schlesinger; Director Fred Allen; Writer Kenneth Perkins; Dialogue Scott Mason; Editor William Clemens; Photography Ted McCord; Second Camera Milton Krasner; Assistant Cameramen John McBirney, Irving Glassberg; Sound Oliver Garretson; Still Photographer William Thomas; Associate Producer Sid Rogell; Music Leo F. Forbstein; Songs “She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain,” “Til We Meet Again” REVIEWS: “[I]t established Wayne as a studio cowboy star… Had more meat on its bones than most Western yarns.” Hollywood Corral (Don Miller, Popular Library, ¡976); “The six pictures that resulted under the contract were short, well-produced and actionful, combining the thrills of the chase and the fistfight with humor, romance and horsemanship in an artless but breezy fashion.”

John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, A.S. Barnes, ¡976); “Once in a while somebody makes a western and treats it with due respect. It is not shot o› the cu› with a pick-up cast and crew. So Leon Schlesinger deserves commendation as the producer of this entertaining horse opus…. John Wayne is a prepossessing hero….” Film Daily (October 29, ¡932) SYNOPSIS: A lone cowpoke, jauntily blowing “She’ll be Comin’ Around the Mountain” on his harmonica, pulls up his horse in the midst of a town gathering. A spirited white horse named Duke is being tried for the attempted murder of cowhand Bob Webb. Charges against the animal are presented by Henry Simms (Frank Hagney), one of the town’s most respected men. The young cowpoke, John Drury ( John Wayne), speaks up. “Where I come from, we don’t shoot horses when they get ornery, we tame ’em.” He volunteers to tame the animal if charges are dropped. While the crowd cheers “Ride him, cowboy,” Judge Bartlett (Charles Sellon) agrees. Drury sticks to the saddle in a ferocious ride which ends with Duke’s taming. “Isn’t he wonderful?” sighs Ruth Gaunt (Ruth Hall), owner of the horse. “He sure knows horseflesh, honey!” asserts her grandfather. The

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likable cowboy is invited by the townfolk to a vigilante meeting. The countryside has been plagued by a masked desperado called the Hawk, a plunderer of local ranches. The outlaw hides out somewhere in the desert and the vigilantes have been searching for a volunteer to seek him out. John agrees to play a lone hand and bring the Hawk to justice. Henry Simms o›ers to serve as escort and suggests they leave at dawn. At a dance following the meeting, Ruth gives Duke to John to help him in his search. Next day, Drury and Simms set o› into the wild country, pausing to rest under a blazing noon sun. Duke is skittish in Simms’ presence and John is forced to tie his horse to a tree. Simms expresses interest in Drury’s sidearm, a .38 mounted on a .45 frame. When John hands the gun over for inspection, the rancher turns it on him and reveals he is the Hawk. “You should have stuck to bronc riding, cowboy,” sneers the villain. “Catching hawks is out of your line.” He leaves Drury tied to a tree, just out of reach of food and water. As the desert saps the cowboy’s strength, a determined Duke pulls himself free and rescues his master by chewing through the ropes. Returning to town, Simms loses no time planting the lie that John Drury is the Hawk. A ranch is raided and burned that night and Simms leaves Drury’s harmonica there for the law to find. Drury returns and is immediately arrested as the Hawk in spite of his insistence that Simms is the villain. The vigilantes take their prisoner to Desolation where Judge Necktie Jones (Otis Harlan) presides. Drury’s conviction seems certain. Bob Webb regains consciousness, informing Ruth that it was not Duke who attacked him, but Henry Simms. Ruth rides to the rescue and unmasks the real Hawk. Attempting to escape, Simms is trampled to death by Duke. A grateful Drury expresses thanks to the brave horse and the beautiful woman who rescued him.— TAL NOTES: The first of six Warner Westerns that Wayne contracted to do for the studio. He was paid $850 for starring in each of the productions. Budgeted at $28,000, the film, a remake of The Unknown Cavalier (First National, ¡926), relied heavily on footage from a series of silent Ken Maynard Westerns. It was

shot in July ¡932. Warners, expressing satisfaction in the way William B. Clemens (¡905– 80) edited 20 features, elevated him in ¡936 to director of B-films. From ¡936 to ¡947 he directed 33 features which included numerous episodes of the Torchy Blane, Nancy Drew, Dead End Kids, Philo Vance and Falcon series. Clemens edited five of the six Wayne-Warners Westerns. Between ¡930 and ¡935, leading lady Ruth Hall (born Ruth Gloria Blasco Ibanez (¡9¡0–2003), appeared in 30 films. The one-time wife of cinematographer Lee Garmes also worked with Wayne in The Three Musketeers serial and The Man from Monterey and costarred in three Ken Maynard Westerns: Dynamite Ranch (¡932), Between Fighting Men (¡932) and Strawberry Roan (¡933). In the ’40s and ’50s she returned to the screen for occasional cameo roles. Cinematographer Ted McCord (¡898–¡976) worked in the industry for almost 50 years. Starting as a camera assistant in ¡9¡7, he earned his first screen credit as a photographer in ¡92¡. In the ¡920s and ¡930s McCord was involved in the shooting of up to eight films a year. Some of his better-known productions include Action in the North Atlantic (¡943), The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (¡948), Johnny Belinda (¡948), The Breaking Point (¡950), Young at Heart (¡954), East of Eden (¡955), The Helen Morgan Story (¡957), The Hanging Tree (¡959) and The Sound of Music (¡965). Character actor Henry B. Walthall’s (¡870–¡936) screen career began in the early ¡920s and, 60 films later, ended in ¡936. His more notable motion pictures included Jazz Age (¡929), Abraham Lincoln (¡930), Viva Villa! (¡934), Judge Priest (¡934), Dante’s Inferno (¡935) and A Tale of Two Cities (¡935). Charles Sellon (¡870–¡937) was another character actor who started in the motion picture industry in the early ¡920s and, over ¡00 films later, retired in ¡935 after a bit part in Diamond Jim. Although the vast majority of his screen appearances were in B-films, he was recognizable in several bigger productions including Bulldog Drummond (¡929), Tom Sawyer (¡930), and Shirley Temple’s Bright Eyes (¡934). Also playing at the nation’s theaters at the same time (late summer of ¡932) were Kongo from MGM starring Walter Huston; Chandu the Magician (Fox), with Edmund Lowe and Bela Lugosi,

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Ride Him, Cowboy (Warner Bros., ¡932). John Wayne, Duke the Devil Horse

based on the popular radio broadcast; and The Most Dangerous Game (RKO) with Joel McCrea and Fay Wray. After Wayne’s success in

Stagecoach, Warners reissued Ride Him, Cowboy in ¡940.

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Riders of Destiny October ¡0, ¡933. 58 minutes. John Wayne, Cecilia Parker, George Hayes, Forrest Taylor, Al St. John, Charles “Heinie” Conklin, Earl Dwire, Lafe McKee, Yakima Canutt, Horace B. Carpenter, Hal Price, Si Jenks, Fern Emmett, Jim Bradbury, Jr., Larry Killion, Addie Foster, Tex Palmer, Silver Tip Baker, Jack Kirk, Duke. Monogram. Producer Paul Malvern; Director Robert N. Bradbury; Assistant Director Harry O. Jones (a.k.a. Harry Fraser); Story Robert N. Bradbury; Photography Archie Stout; Music Lee Zahler; Technical Director E.R. Hickson; Recording Engineers John A. Stransky, Jr. Glenn Rominger; Film Editor Carl Pierson REVIEWS: “[A] fast-moving, tightly con-

structed, brilliantly directed Western which still sustains interest.” Shooting Star (Maurice Zolotow, Simon and Schuster, ¡974); “Though the budgets were low, Wayne’s star rose higher with the Monograms. His youthfulness, ability, leisurely manner of speech blended to make him a Western favorite, if not of the top rank then securely in the more elevated popularity brackets.” Hollywood Corral (Don Miller, Popular Library, ¡976); “[T]hey had lots of action, traditional plots, good supporting casts, fine scenic photography, sprightly editing and a young, popular and pleasing hero [Wayne].” The Great Western Pictures ( James Robert Parish and Michael R. Pitts, Scarecrow Press, ¡976); “Conventional western … this material

Riders of Destiny (Monogram, ¡933). Wayne, Cecilia Parker, George Hayes

Riders of Destiny is pretty poor. For the rest it’s hard riding, threats and misplaced suspicion in the usual manner.” Variety (December ¡2, ¡933); “One of the pivotal B-Westerns of all time…. The fast paced Lone Star gave Wayne further training to develop his screen personality.” The Best (and Worst) of the West! (Boyd Magers) SYNOPSIS: “A cowboy sang a song of fate as he wandered the desert wide…” Riding towards Antelope Valley, Singin’ Sandy Saunders ( John Wayne) interrupts his song to come to the rescue of a wounded sheri›, Bill Baxter (Lafe McKee). The lawman has been shot in the back attempting to discover who has been robbing the stage. Leaving the sheri› in nearby Starbuck, Sandy resumes his journey and witnesses a stage hold-up. The driver shoots the horse from under the fleeing bandit and Sandy follows the rider to discover it is a woman, Fay Denton (Cecilia Parker). She convinces the young cowboy to help her escape from her pursuers. Sending the attractive road agent ahead on his horse, Sandy leads the pursuing stagemen on a wild goose chase and then watches as a pair of hold-up men learn from the crooked stage drivers that the money they intended to steal has already been taken. The situation in town is desperate for the ranchers. The Kincaid Land and Water Company is charging to use the precious water, lending money to needy cattlemen, buying up property and secretly stealing livestock and robbing money. Fay and her father, Charley (George Hayes), explain the stranglehold which the greedy Kincaid has on the people and Fay reveals that the money she robbed from the stage was their own, a monthly payment for their half-interest in a gold mine, which she took before Kincaid’s henchmen could steal it from them. Sandy, attracted by the qualities of the lovely Fay, throws in with the beleaguered townsmen, assuring Kincaid that he will be around for a while. “I don’t like the way that fella talks,” snorts the villain. “We’ll watch him!” The contracts over use of his water are about to expire and Kincaid is trying to force the ranchers of the valley to sell at $¡ an acre or risk having the water shut o› entirely. When his hired killer, Slip Morgan (Earl Dwire), is bested by Sandy in a gun battle, Kincaid o›ers the stranger a job. To Fay’s horror, Saunders accepts. But

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Sandy, in reality a secret government agent sent to investigate the situation, convinces his shady employer to blow up the only other source of water in the valley, Dan Denton’s well. A dynamite blast rips the well apart, revealing the running waters of an underground creek which Sandy had previously discovered. The cascading water refills the dry creek beds and helps deplete the store of water dammed on Kincaid’s land. With his own creek going dry and a healthy Sheri› Baxter back in town, Kincaid kills Morgan and rides o› with the last of his stolen money. Sandy pursues and watches Kincaid’s horse plunge headlong over a cli›, sending the villain to a grave in the waters he had hoarded for so long. The jubilant town thanks their hero while Fay, ashamed that she had misjudged Sandy, sadly wonders about their future.—TAL NOTES: Wayne’s first of eight Lone Star Westerns for Monogram Studios. He was paid a combined salary of $¡0,000 for agreeing to star in all eight of the films ($¡250 for each production). Filmed in August ¡933, under the working title of Singin’ Sandy at Monogram City, the Walker Ranch and on location in the desert communities of Palmdale and Lancaster, on a budget of $¡5,000. Canadian-born Cecilia Parker (¡905–93) achieved a modicum of fame for being cast as Mickey Rooney’s older sister in ten episodes of the MGM Andy Hardy series. Starting out as an extra and bit player in the late ¡920s, the diminutive actress was assigned a supporting role in the Lon Chaney film The Unholy Three (¡930). She played a maid in Frankenstein (¡93¡), then, two dozen features later, was signed by MGM and inserted by the studio into their big-budget Jeanette MacDonald–Nelson Eddy musical Naughty Marietta (¡935). In ¡942, after working in 65 motion pictures, she retired from the screen. The actress came out of retirement for one final film in ¡958, when Mickey Rooney decided to reprise his role as Andy Hardy in Andy Hardy Comes Home. George Francis Hayes (¡885–¡969) would come to be regarded as one of the most popular sidekicks in the history of motion pictures. Born in upstate New York, he worked as a teenager in burlesque and vaudeville. In the mid–¡920s, he started in silent films as an extra and bit player. In a

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career that lasted 25 years, the man who would be fondly remembered as “Gabby” would be featured in ¡92 films; ¡49 of them were Westerns. When Paramount started producing the Hopalong Cassidy series of Westerns in ¡935 with William Boyd in the lead role, Hayes was a member of the supporting cast. With the release of the fifth entry in the series, Three on the Trail (¡936), Hayes became the lovable but ornery sidekick “Windy Halliday.” The teaming of Hopalong and Windy would last for ¡8 features until Hayes, in a contract dispute with the studio, left for Republic Pictures. At Republic, beginning with the Western Southward Ho, Hayes, now known as Gabby, would be the sidekick to Roy Rogers in 40 Western adventures. The prolific actor also had time (in ¡943) to assist Wild Bill Elliott in his B-Western series. Before leaving the large screen for work as a television host on various children’s programs, Hayes made one last appearance with a supporting role in the film Cariboo Trail (¡950). The actor appeared in ¡2 Wayne Bfilms in the ’30s, and three A-Westerns with the Duke in the ’40s. After trying his hand at hotel management and being a forest ranger, Archie Stout (¡886–¡965) entered the film industry in ¡9¡4 to work as an apprentice cameraman at the Mack Sennett Studio. By ¡923 he was one of the film operators in charge of shooting DeMille’s The Ten Commandments. In the ¡930s, the man who was earning a reputation for outstanding outdoor photography

teamed with Wayne on ¡8 B-Westerns and two Universal adventures. In the ¡940s he shot the Wayne films Angel and the Badman and Fort Apache. His work for John Ford on The Quiet Man in ¡952 earned him an Academy Award. Stout, who photographed ¡29 features including Wayne’s Big Jim McLain, Trouble Along the Way, Island in the Sky, Hondo and The High and the Mighty, retired from films after su›ering a heart attack in ¡955. In a career that spanned over 40 years, character actor Forrest Taylor (¡884–¡965) appeared in over ¡50 films, the vast majority low-budget Westerns and serials. Starting in ¡9¡4, he was consistently on the payroll of a studio until ¡954. During that time he worked in Westerns starring almost every B-Western star from Bob Steele and Johnny Mack Brown to Tex Ritter, Gene Autry, Sunset Carson, Whip Wilson and Rex Allen. Si Jenks (¡876–¡970), nicknamed “Rawhide,” had roles in over ¡30 features. Besides appearing in Stagecoach, some of his other notable films included Captain January (¡936) starring Shirley Temple, and the Cary Grant comedy Topper (¡937). In ¡939 Jenks was featured in eight motion pictures including Union Pacific, You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man, Frontier Marshal and Drums Along the Mohawk. As part of a doublebill, the film opened at the Loew’s New York State for a one-day stand. Republic reissued the Western on October 20, ¡939 (with Sagebrush Trail), and again in ¡948.

Rio Bravo February ¡7, ¡959 ¡4¡ minutes. John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Angie Dickinson, Walter Brennan, Ward Bond, John Russell, Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez, Estelita Rodriguez, Myron Healey, Claude Akins, Malcolm Atterbury, Harry Carey, Jr., Bob Steele, Fred Graham, Bing Russell, Eugene Iglesias, Tom Monroe, Riley Hill, Robert Herron, Jackie Williams, Bob Terhune, Ted White, Nesdon Booth, George Bruggeman, John “Bear” Hudkins, Chuck Hayward, Sheb Woo-

ley, Dean Smith, Duane Grey, Joseph Shimada, Jose Cuchillo. Warner Bros. An Armada Production. Directed and Produced by Howard Hawks; Screenplay Leigh Brackett, Jules Furthman; From a short story by B.H. Campbell; Music Dimitri Tiomkin; Photography Russell Harlan; Editor Folmar Blangsted; Art Director Leo K. Kuter; Assistant Director Paul Helmick; Sound Robert B. Lee; Costumes Marjorie Best; Set Decorator Ralph S. Hurst; Song Lyrics Dimitri Tiomkin Paul Francis Webster;

Rio Bravo Makeup Gordon Bau, Web Overlander; Songs: “My Rifle, My Pony and Me” and “Cindy” REVIEWS: “Topnotch western…. Wayne delivers a faithful portrayal of the peace o‡cer.” Variety (February ¡8, ¡959); “[D]eservedly recognized as a classic…. One of the most impeccably constructed Westerns ever produced … the antithesis of High Noon, and the clearest exposition of Hawks’ philosophy of professionalism.” A Pictorial History of Westerns (Parkinson and Jeavons, Hamlyn, ¡972); “[A] beautifully controlled film, with its action thoughtfully placed and never too fast to savor.” Western Movies (Walter C. Clapham, Octopus, ¡974); “If I were asked to choose a film that would justify the existence of Hollywood, I think it would be Rio Bravo.” Howard Hawks (Robin Wood, Doubleday, ¡968); “[Wayne] has always been an underrated screen personality, and if one does not accept the preeminence of Wayne as the incarnation of the Western hero, one will have di‡culty in fully appreciating the stature of the Ford and Hawks Westerns.” The World of Howard Hawks (Andrew Sarris, The New York Film Bulletin, ¡96¡); “Wayne’s role was not of such depth that it merited any exceptional e›ort on his part. It did, however, create the model which Wayne was to use in many of his later films….” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974); “Despite its slickness, virility, occasional humor and … authentic professional approach, it is well made but awfully familiar fare….. [Wayne] is satisfyingly laconic and fast with a six shooter and a rifle.” The New York Times (A.H. Weiler, March ¡9, ¡959); “[A] major work, perhaps Hawks’ best … at ¡4¡ minutes, Rio Bravo is probably the longest great Western….” The Western Film (Charles Silver, Pyramid, ¡976); “[A] routine Western that is almost actionless in the first ¡20 of its ¡40 minutes. Trite dialogue and stock characterizations make these ¡20 minutes a soporific bore…. The performances lack any distinction.” Films in Review (Romano Tozzi, April ¡959); “As standard Western fare as has ever turned up a Hollywood menu… There is excitement, tension, the pleasure of looking at Western landscapes, and the age-old gratification when the good guys beat the bad.” Saturday Review (Arthur Knight, March ¡4, ¡959);

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“Wayne, of course, walks o› with the show-not by doing anything in particular, but simply by being what he is: at 5¡, still one of the most believable he-men in Hollywood.” Time Magazine (April 6, ¡959); “[T]he inventiveness that keeps this picture fresh and flavorsome for nine minutes less than two hours and a half ought to be a lesson in directorial ingenuity to be studied by some directors of Westerns.” The New York Herald Tribune (Paul V. Beckley, March ¡9, ¡959); “[A] droll and relaxed exposition of self-respect and professional teamwork…. John Wayne and Dean Martin might seem to be inhabiting familiar roles—authoritarian and alcoholic, respectively—yet the parts are written and conceived so well that neither has ever been better.” Classic Movies (Neil Sinyard, Salem House, ¡985) SYNOPSIS: In the Texas border town of Rio Bravo, Sheri› John T. Chance ( John Wayne) arrests the murderous brother (Claude Akins) of the area’s most powerful rancher, Nathan Burdette ( John Russell), who then has professional gunmen bottle up the town to prevent Chance from turning over his prisoner to the Marshal. With only old, crippled Stumpy (Walter Brennan) as his deputy, Chance enlists the aid of a former gunslinger named Dude (Dean Martin) who has been waging a twoyear battle with alcohol. Burdette’s blockade has forced three other people to remain in Rio Bravo. They are Feathers (Angie Dickinson), a traveling lady gambler who takes an immediate shine to Chance; Pat Wheeler (Ward Bond), a dealer in fuel and dynamite and an old friend of Chance’s; and Colorado (Ricky Nelson), Wheeler’s young, gun-slinging guard who joins forces with Chance when Wheeler is murdered. Dude is eventually captured, whereupon Burdette demands the release of his brother in exchange for Dude’s life. Chance agrees, but at the exchange of prisoners, Dude makes a break and the fight is on. Burdette’s men far outnumber Chance and his few friends, but Stumpy turns the tide of the battle by joining the action with sticks of dynamite. The terrific blasts of the thrown dynamite decimate the barn Burdette and his men have been firing from. They meekly surrender and are quickly placed in jail to await the arrival of the Marshal.

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Rio Bravo

Rio Bravo (Warner Bros., ¡959). Foreground: Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, John Wayne

NOTES: In production 6¡ days, from May 4 to July 23, ¡958 (six days over the schedule). Twenty-four days of location work at Old Tucson, Arizona, from May 4 to May 28. Interiors were shot at the Burbank Studios from

June 2 to July 23 (seven and a half weeks). The initial working title was Bull by the Tail. Prior to the start of production, the project was known as El Paso Red. It was budgeted at $¡,950,000; the slow pace of production,

Rio Grande brought on by script problems, increased the final negative cost to $3,06¡,000. The Western earned domestic rentals of $5,450,000 in its first year of release; an additional $4,328,000 came from overseas markets. The worldwide box o‡ce gross exceeded $30,000,000. Wayne was paid $750,000 plus overages in excess of ¡2 weeks. Howard Hawks agreed to a salary of $¡00,000 for directing while his Armada productions split the profits 50-50 with Warners after the studio had recouped its investment. Co-star Dean Martin earned $50,000 at the rate of $5,000 a week (for ten weeks work), while Walter Brennan was paid the same $50,000 but for only five weeks of acting. Third-billed Ricky Nelson’s salary, negotiated by his father Ozzie Nelson, came to $35,000 (at $3,500 a week for ten weeks). A former Marine lieutenant and a veteran of World War II, John Russell (¡92¡–9¡) was the second lead in several films, a menacing heavy in many others, and achieved his greatest fame as Marshall Dan Troop in The Lawman (ABC, ¡958– 62). A bout with malaria forced his early release from the Marines in ¡944 and led to a career in motion pictures starting with the war film A Bell for Adano. Other films quickly followed, including Somewhere in the Night, Forever Amber, The Last Command (Republic’s alltime biggest budgeted film), Yellowstone Kelly, Cannon for Cordoba, Undertow and two Clint Eastwood Westerns, The Outlaw Josey Wales

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and Pale Rider. Writer Jules Furthman was paid $45,000 while Leigh Brackett received $4800 (at the rate of $600 a week for eight weeks). Wayne’s personal makeup man Web Overlander was paid $350 a week. The project was first conceived in July ¡957 with Wayne coming on board and signing the contract to star on April ¡, ¡958. Costume designer Marjorie O. Best (¡903–97) won an Oscar in ¡949 for her work in The Adventures of Don Juan. Her career began in ¡943 when she started working in the wardrobe department at Warners. Best was also nominated for her work in Giant (¡956), Sunrise at Campobello (¡960) and The Greatest Story Every Told (¡965). Some of her other notable screen credits included The Nun’s Story, The Left-Handed Gun, Tender in the Night and State Fair. Pete Weissmuller, kid brother of Johnny, served as Wayne’s stand-in during production. He was also the stand-in for Gordon Scott in the Tarzan films. Ted White also stunted for Wayne in a crash through a barn door and falling down stairs. Rodd Redwing, a native American, instructed Ricky Nelson in the finer techniques of handling handguns. Montgomery Clift was the first choice for the Dude role which eventually went to Dean Martin. Other actors considered for the assignment included Frank Sinatra, James Cagney, Richard Widmark, Rod Steiger and Edmund O’Brien.

Rio Grande November 2, ¡950. ¡05 minutes. John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Ben Johnson, J. Carrol Naish, Victor McLaglen, Chill Wills, Harry Carey, Jr., Claude Jarman, Jr., Grant Withers, Peter Ortiz, Steve Pendleton, Karolyn Grimes, Alberto Morin, Stan Jones, Fred Kennedy, Jack Pennick, Patrick Wayne, Chuck Roberson, Cli› Lyons, Chuck Hayward, Bob Rose, Terry Wilson, Frank McGrath, Billy Yellow, Essie White, Erma Newell, Sis Taylor, Astell Stewart, Lydia Skewes, Maggie Taylor, Lelia Turner, John “Bear” Hudkins, Eve

March, Don Summers, Slim Hightower, Many Mules Son, Billy Jones, Patrick M. Ford, Post Park, Walter Coy, The Sons of the Pioneers (Ken Curtis, Hugh Farr, Karl Farr, Lloyd Perryman, Shug Fisher, Tommy Doss). Republic. An Argosy Production. Director John Ford; Producers John Ford, Merian C. Cooper; Screenplay James Kevin McGuinness; Based on The Saturday Evening Post story, “Mission with No Record” by James Warner Bellah; Photography Bert Glennon; Second Unit Photography Archie J. Stout; Art Director Frank Hotaling;

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Rio Grande (Republic, ¡950). John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara

Film Editor Jack Murray; Music Victor Young; Assistant Director Wingate Smith; Set Decorators John McCarthy, Jr., Charles Thompson; Assistant Editor Barbara Ford; Second Unit Director Cli› Lyons; Special E›ects Howard Ly-

decker, Theodore Lydecker; Costumes Adele Palmer; Hair Stylist Peggy Gray; Makeup Bob Mark; Property R. Dudley Holmes; Stills Ira Hoke; Uniforms D.R. Overall Hatswell; Technical Advisor Major Philip Kie›er; Songs sung

Rio Grande by Sons of the Pioneers; “My Gal Is Purple,” “Footsore Cavalry” “Erie Canal,” “I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen,” “Down by the Glen Side,” “You’re in the Army Now,” “Yellow Stripes” Stan Jones; “Aha, San Antone” Dale Evans; “Cattle Call” Tex Owens REVIEWS: “John Wayne is fine as the taciturn fighting man, who loves his wife and son but one who is ready to state that ‘on the o‡cial records you’re my son, on this post you’re just a trooper.’ ” The New York Times (A.W., November 20, ¡950); “[O]utdoor action at its best, delivered in the John Ford manner… It features, big, brawling mass action clashes… Wayne is very good as the male star, and Miss O’Hara gives one of her best performances.” Variety (November 8, ¡950); “Ford’s thoroughgoing craftsmanship, especially in his clearly planned battle sequences, often invigorate Rio Grande. But it no longer quite makes up for his shoddy taste in material, nor can it satisfy moviegoers who remember him as the director of The Informer and The Grapes of Wrath.” Time Magazine (December ¡¡, ¡950); “[T]he third part of Ford’s loose cavalry trilogy failed to match either the force of Fort Apache or the pictorial splendor of She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.” Great Hollywood Westerns (Ted Sennett, AFI Press, ¡990); “[A] gentle study of the reconciliation of a colonel and his estranged wife during their involvement in the Apache wars.” A Pictorial History of Westerns (Parkinson and Jeavons, Hamlyn, ¡972); “An unusual film because it is a sequel to Fort Apache, with Wayne playing Kirby York as a middle-aged man. [It] is outstanding for the depth and maturity of the relationship between Wayne and his screen wife Maureen O’Hara.” Duke—the Real Story of John Wayne ( Jean Ramer, Award Books, ¡973); “[It] operates on many levels, the highest being the love story between Kirby and Kathleen and all the others serving to express the complexities of that relationship.” The Western Films of John Ford ( J.A. Place, Citadel Press, ¡974) SYNOPSIS : As an o‡cer in the Union Army under the command of Gen. Sherman ( J. Carrol Naish), Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke ( John Wayne) was obliged to burn the plantation of his Southern-born wife (Maureen O’Hara). She refused to forgive him and they have been

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estranged for ¡5 years. During that time he has not seen his son, Je› (Claude Jarman, Jr.). Col. Yorke has thrown himself whole-heartedly into fighting the Indian Wars in the West—a lost cause since the U.S. and Mexican governments have agreed that their respective military forces will not cross the Rio Grande under any circumstances. This enables the Apaches to raid, torture and kill the settlers, then escape across the border to a remote Mexican village “somewhere in the interior.” The situation is at a stalemate when Gen. Sherman arrives at Col. Yorke’s headquarters on a routine inspection. Yorke is supposed to whip the Apaches into submission in order to make the Southwest safe for settlers, but the border sanctity set-up and the shortage of troops have licked him. Thus, at the worst possible time, Yorke’s son Je›, having flunked out of West Point, enlists in the army and is assigned to his father’s command as an ordinary trooper. When young Je› gets into a fight with a tough soldier, troopers Tyree (Ben Johnson) and Boone (Harry Carey, Jr.), Sgt. Quincannon (Victor McLaglen) and Dr. Wilkins (Chill Wills) come to his rescue. Then Mrs. Yorke arrives at Fort Starke and, flaunting her charms before Yorke’s lovestarved eyes, she tries to obtain his agreement to young Je› ’s discharge. Je› and his father both hold out against her but she embarrasses them by taking her place among the enlisted men’s wives and mothers on “laundresses row.” Eventually, war settles the family di›erences. A fresh attack by the Apaches leads Gen. Sheridan to give Col. Yorke informal permission to cross the border and smoke the Indians out of their hideout. They both know it will mean court-martial for Yorke, even if he defeats the Apaches, but the general promises to hand pick the members of the court. The mission succeeds and the Apaches are taught a lesson. Je› acquits himself admirably and by so doing cuts loose from his mother’s domination. (The original script featured the following ending: The colonel, as “punishment,” is sent to the Court of St. James as U.S. Military Attaché. This pleases his wife immensely. They are reconciled and the trip to England serves as a second honeymoon.) NOTES: Filmed in 32 days on locations in Utah including Moab, White’s Ranch, Profes-

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sor Valley and the Colorado River. While shooting from June ¡5 to July 2¡, ¡950, the production was known alternately as Rio Bravo and Rio Grande Command. Budgeted at $¡,2¡4,899 (including cast salaries of $3¡8,433), the film completed production at a negative cost of $¡,5¡¡,043. Republic reported that the Western earned $2,000,000 in domestic rentals and $735,¡3¡ from foreign markets (of which England contributed $23¡,970 and Italy $¡22,000). Although Wayne’s contract with Republic stipulated that he would receive ¡0 percent of the film’s gross against a minimum of $¡50,000, he accepted a flat fee of $¡00,000. Maureen O’Hara, on loan from another studio, was paid $50,000. By contrast, for starring in the Universal Western Winchester ’73 (¡950), and forgoing an upfront salary, James Stewart received $600,000, which represented 50 percent of the profits generated by the film. For ¡6-year-old Claude Jarman, Jr. (¡934– ), Rio Grande was his seventh film. He made a spectacular debut at the age of ¡2 in MGM’s The Yearling. As a result of his sensitive and disarming portrayal in the film opposite Gregory Peck, a special Oscar was awarded to the boy. MGM loaned him to Republic for the role in the Wayne Western. Jarman would make only four more motion pictures and do some guesting on several television programs before deciding on other pursuits. New York City–born J. Carrol Naish (¡897–¡973) was in over 200 films over 4¡ years (¡930–7¡). The perennial character actor, who could assume the role of almost any ethnic type, also acted in Captain Blood (¡935), Anthony Adverse (¡936), Beau Geste (¡939) and Joan of Arc (¡948). For his roles as a disillusioned Italian soldier opposite

Humphrey Bogart in Sahara (¡943), and a Mexican villager in A Medal for Benny (¡945), he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. In the Columbia Batman serial (¡943), the versatile actor played the part of evil Japanese scientist Dr. Daka, while in the musical Annie Get Your Gun (¡950), he was Sioux war chief Sitting Bull. In a less-than-successful ¡957 television series, Naish had the title role of the oriental detective Charlie Chan Naish’s last film was the B-flick Dracula Vs. Frankenstein (¡97¡). Playing the part of tall, ramrod-straight Capt. Jacques was Peter Ortiz, who appeared in films for less than ten years. Over that period he was seen in ¡8 motion pictures including Twelve O’Clock High (¡949), Spy Hunt (¡950), When Willie Comes Marching Home (¡95¡), What Price Glory? (¡952) and Retreat Hell! (¡952). His last screen role was in the Western The Halliday Brand (¡957). Essie White was a stand-in for O’Hara and Ken Lee doubled Harry Carey, Jr. Stuntmen Cli› Lyons, Chuck Roberson and Chuck Hayward doubled as Apaches. Fifty Navajo Indians were signed to play Apaches in the film. While Rio Grande hit the nation’s theaters, the B-Western was still alive and thriving. Audie Murphy could be seen starring in Universal’s Kansas Raiders (co-starring Brian Donlevy and Marguerite Chapman); Tim Holt rode the plains in RKO’s low-budget release, Rio Grande Patrol; Gene Autry was singing and fighting his way through The Blazing Sun for Columbia; and the Durango Kid (in the person of Charles Starrett) broke up a gang of murderers in Raiders of Tomahawk Creek (Columbia). Rio Grande was reissued in ¡956.

Rio Lobo December ¡970. ¡¡4minutes. John Wayne, Jorge Rivero, Jennifer O’Neill, Jack Elam, Christopher Mitchum, Victor French, Susana Dosamantes, David Huddleston, Mike Henry, Bill Williams, Jim Davis, Sherry Lansing, Dean Smith, Robert Donner, George Plimp-

ton, Edward Faulkner, Peter Jason, John Ethan Wayne, Robert Rothwell, Chuck Courtney, Bob Steele, Boyd “Red” Morgan, Hank Worden, Chuck Roberson, Jack Williams, Neil Summers, Gregg Palmer, Donald Barry, William Byrne, Jerry Gatlin, Chuck Hayward,

Rio Lobo Terry Leonard, Tap Canutt, Joe Canutt, Jose Angel Espinosa, Anthony Sparrow Hawk, Charlie Longfoot, Frank Kennedy, John McKee, Stanley Corson, Sandra Currie, Jim Prejean, Harold Cops, John “Bear” Hudkins, Rudy Robbins, Danny Sands, Ace Hudkins. Cinema Center Films. A National General Release. Director and Producer Howard Hawks; Associate Producer Paul A. Helmick; Screenplay Burton Wohl, Leigh Brackett; Story Burton Wohl; Second Unit Director Yakima Canutt; Photography William H. Clothier; Editor John Woodcock; Music Jerry Goldsmith; Production Designer Robert E. Smith; Set Decorator William R. Kiernan; Sound John Carter; Production Manager Robert M. Beche; Assistant Director Mike Moder; Property Master Ray F. Mercer, Jr.; Men’s Costumes Ted Parvin; Makeup Monte Westmore; Hair Stylist Jean Austin; Special E›ects A.D. Flowers, Cli›ord E. Wenger; Title Design Don Record REVIEWS: “[The] basic appeal of Wayne on horse should draw healthy takes in general release…. [It’s] the sort of western that John Wayne and producer-director Howard Hawks can do in their sleep.” Variety (December ¡970); “[A] routine western with routine action.” The New York Daily News (Ann Guarino, February ¡¡, ¡97¡); “Wayne … seems as natural and right in his role as a well-worn saddle…. The Duke knows by instinct what audiences accept without questions: whatever he may be called in the script he is always unmistakably John Wayne. And who would have it any other way?” Time Magazine ( Jay Cocks, March ¡5, ¡97¡); “As Wayne declines in years and physically deteriorates, director Hawks, in compensatory fashion, insistently endows him with grater apparent dignity and self-respect.” Film Heritage (Greg Ford article Mostly on Rio Lobo, Fall ¡97¡); “[I]t is close enough to greatness to stand above everything else so far in the current season.” The New York Times (Roger Greenspun, February ¡¡, ¡97¡); “Watching Rio Lobo is like seeing the dead come back to life.” The Washington Post (Kenneth Turan, January 26, ¡97¡); “We go to a classic John Wayne Western not to see anything new, but to see the old done again, done well, so that we can sink into the genre and feel confident we won’t be betrayed.” Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert,

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December 23, ¡970); “[I]t is unlikely that any other movie this year will surpass Rio Lobo in the graceful simplicity and directness of its visual style.” The Village Voice (William Paul, March 4, ¡97¡) SYNOPSIS: As the Civil War nears its end, Confederate guerrillas led by Capt. Pierre Cordona ( Jorge Rivero) capture a Union train and make o› with a shipment of gold. They are pursued by Union colonel Cord McNally ( John Wayne) who rides upon the scene of the robbery to learn that his friend, Lt. Ned Forsythe (Peter Jason), has been fatally injured in the action. Splitting his own force to pursue the scattered Rebs, McNally is captured by Cordona and his sergeant, Tuscarora Phillips (Christopher Mitchum). When the rebs force McNally to guide them through Union lines, the colonel outwits his captors and Cordona and Tuscarora spend the final months of the war in a Union prison. Upon their release they are met by McNally asking for the names of the Union traitors who informed the enemy of the gold shipments. Cordona reveals that he never knew the traitors’ names but describes them as a big, dark-haired man and a shorter man with white hair. The former enemies share a drink and go their own ways. In Blackthorne, Texas McNally meets up again with Cordona, who saves his life in a shootout when McNally comes to the aid of Shasta Delaney ( Jennifer O’Neill), a refugee from a questionable quartet of deputies from nearby Rio Lobo. When Cordona recognizes a dead deputy as one of the traitors, McNally rides on to Rio Lobo, a troubled town in the grip of a carpetbagger named Ketcham (Victor French). Accompanied by Cordona, riding to the aide of his former sergeant Tuscarora, and Shasta, pursued because she witnessed the murder of a friend by crooked lawmen, McNally enters the town under cover of dark. They are befriended by Tuscarora’s girlfriend (Susana Dosamantes), who tells them that Ketcham and his crooked sheri› “Blue Tom” Hendricks (Mike Henry) have confiscated most of the land around the town. To force one of the last holdouts, cantankerous Old Man Phillips ( Jack Elam), to give up his deed, Hendricks arrests his grandson, Tuscarora, on a trumped-up charge of stealing horses. Swinging into action, McNally,

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the grateful citizens of Rio Lobo as he limps o› into the distance with the assistance of the beautiful, young Amelita (Sherry Lansing).—TAL NOTES: In production from March ¡6 to mid–June ¡970 on locations in Old Tucson, Arizona, and Nogales and Cuernavaca, Mexico. The first two weeks, featuring the train crash, were shot in Cuernavaca. The film company then moved to Old Tucson for 25 days; Nogales for one week; and finally 22 days of interior work at the former Republic Studios (the current CBS Studio City) where episodes of Gunsmoke were being filmed. While in production, the motion picture was known as San Timoteo. Budgeted at $5,000,000, the film earned domestic rentals of $4,250,000 in the North American market. The worldwide gross exceeded $¡9,000,000. Wayne received a salary of $¡,000,000 and ¡0 percent of the profits. Dean Smith and Neil Summers doubled Chris Mitchum. Smith also doubled Jorge Rivero. Actor VicRio Lobo (Cinema Center Films, ¡970). John Wayne tor French (¡935–89) was feaCordona and Phillips take Ketcham hostage tured in several successful television series: Litand Cord recognizes the carpetbagger as fortle House on the Prairie (¡974–77), Carter mer Union sergeant Ike Gorman, the traitor Country (¡977–79) and Highway to Heaven who sold out the gold shipments. The heroes (¡984–89). He made frequent appearances on force Ketcham to sign back the stolen land and Gunsmoke both as an actor and director and to release Tuscarora. It is Cord’s plan to hold worked on Get Smart and Bonanza. The actor’s up in the jail with Ketcham while Cordona other motion picture credits included An rides to the closest Army post for help. But O‡cer and Gentleman, Wild Rovers and Death Cordona is captured by Hendricks’ men and of a Gunfighter. Actor and stuntman Chuck brought back to Rio Lobo. Hendricks deCourtney (born Charles T. Courtney, Jr., mands an exchange—Ketcham for Cordona. ¡930–2000) worked in four other Wayne films, Forced to comply, McNally releases his hostage Flying Leathernecks, Eldorado, The Green Berets while informing Hendricks that his partner has and The Cowboys, but will be remembered as signed back the stolen lands. As the enraged the Lone Ranger’s nephew, Dan Reid, in the Hendricks shoots Ketcham, serious gunfightlong-running television series. The native Caling breaks out. Assisted by Rio Lobo’s grateifornian started out in motion pictures with bit ful ranchers, many of whom are ex-soldiers, parts in several ¡950 releases including Joel McNally, slightly wounded, defeats the evilMcCrea’s Stars in My Crown (MGM), The Asdoers. “You got your town back,” he informs phalt Jungle and the Ronald Reagan comedy

Rooster Cogburn Louisa. Learning the art of stunting from the post–World War II generation of stuntmen, the eager, young Courtney would be in constant demand. Over the next several years he would have featured roles at the major studios as well as several of the independents. In ¡952 he could be seen in the Universal comedy, Francis Goes to West Point and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The following year he had supporting roles in the Universal Donald O’Connor–Janet Leigh musical Walking My Baby Back Home and Monogram’s Edmund O’Brien B-Western Cow Country before being signed to star in the independent release Born to the Saddle. While continuing in films with minor roles in John Ford’s The Long Gray Line (¡955), Je› Chandler’s Away All Boats (¡956), Friendly Persuasion (¡956) and Tea and Sympathy (¡956), he worked regularly as both a stuntman and actor in most all the popular Westerns of the ’50s and ’60s including Wild Bill Hickok, Bu›alo Bill, Jr., Broken Arrow, Tales of Wells Fargo, 26 Men, Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Lawman, Zane Grey Theater, Laramie, Wagon Train, The Virginian, Laredo, and The Wild Wild West starring his close friend, Robert Conrad. In ¡957 director Paul Helmick signed Courtney and his buddy Robert Fuller for the independent production Teenage Thunder. In the same year, he was sixth-billed in the exploitation film Teenage Monster. Over the next decades Courtney would be seen as a slave in Spartacus (¡960), a warrior in Charlton Heston’s The War Lord (Universal, ¡965), a terrorist in Chuck Norris’ Invasion U.S.A. (¡985), and a cop in Clint Eastwood’s The Rookie (¡990). Harvard graduate George Ames Plimpton (¡927–2003),

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founded the well-respected The Paris Review Magazine in ¡953 and would invent the term “participatory journalist.” Seeking to fulfill his Walter Mitty type dreams, he would pitch baseballs to Willie Mayes, play quarterback for the Detroit Lions, perform on a trapeze at a circus, box with Archie Moore, race cars on the circuit and have minor roles in numerous films including Reds and Good Will Hunting. The film opened in New York on February ¡0, ¡97¡. A day earlier, over the ABC television network, a one-hour special entitled Shootout at Rio Lobo was telecast. Hosted by George Plimpton, who also had a small role in the Western, this David Wolper production featured biographies of Wayne and Hawks and served as a good promotion for the motion picture. A.D. Flowers (¡9¡7–200¡) won Special E›ects Oscars for his superb work in Tora! Tora! Tora! (¡970) and The Poseidon Adventure (¡972). He was also nominated for the ¡979 Steven Spielberg comedy ¡94¡. After spending over ten years at MGM, Flowers, a Texas native, began specializing in explsove special e›ects work. On television he worked on the series Gunsmoke and Combat. His other memorable motion picture work included Apocalpyse Now and The Godfather, for which he devised his own formula for movie blood and a jacket which spurted out the red liquid. Also released in the late fall and early winter of ¡970 were the Westerns Monte Walsh (National General) starring Lee Marvin, Dirty Dingus Magee (MGM) with Frank Sinatra and There Was a Crooked Man… (Warners) featuring Kirk Douglas and Henry Fonda.

Rooster Cogburn October ¡7, ¡975. ¡07 minutes. John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Zerbe, Richard Jordan, John McIntire, Strother Martin, Paul Koslo, Lane Smith, Jack Colvin, Jerry Gatlin, Mickey Gilbert, Chuck Hayward, Chuck Roberson, Gary McLarty, Richard Romancito, Warren Vanders, Tommy Lee, Jon

Lormer, Dick Farnsworth, George Robotham, Jerry Summers, Ralph Volkie, Gary Combs. Universal. Producer Hal B. Wallis; Director Stuart Millar; Screenplay Martin Julien [Martha Hyer]; Photography Harry Stradling, Jr.; Second Unit Photography Rexford Metz; Editor Robert E. Swink; Music Laurence Rosenthal;

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Art Director Preston Ames; Set Decorator George Robert Nelson; Sound Leonard S. Peterson, John Carter; Assistant Directors Pepi Lenzi, Richard Hashimoto; Second Unit Director Michael Moore; Stunt Co-ordinator Jerry Gatlin; Special E›ects Jack McMasters; Costumes Edith Head; Associate Producer Paul Nathan R EVIEWS: “[It] will certainly never be ranked anywhere near the top, or even the middle, among the achievements of John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn in their respective dramatic careers.” The Village Voice (Michael McKegney, November 3, ¡975); “[A] highclass example of the low Hollywood art of recycling—taking bits and pieces of old stories and characters and making from them other movies that can never be described as completely new or fresh.” The New York Times (Vincent Canby, October ¡8, ¡975); “Big star power on soggy story base. Exploitable…has an embarrassingly prefab script, along with much forced and strident acting, all badly coordinated by the numb and ragged direction of Stuart Millar.” Variety (October ¡5, ¡974); “Wayne and Hepburn have both seen better days and better vehicles, but spunk still counts for something and they’ve got more than enough to spread around.” The New York Daily News (Rex Reed, October 24, ¡975) SYNOPSIS: “It seems,” pronounces an exasperated Judge Parker ( John McIntire) to unrepentant U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn ( John Wayne), “you cannot serve the papers of this court and e›ect arrests without breaking heads and spraying bullets about. The West is changing and you haven’t changed with it!” After shooting 64 suspects in eight years, the hard-bitten lawman is relieved of his badge by the judge. But when a band of outlaws, under a murderous cutthroat named Hawk (Richard Jordan), steals a wagonload of nitroglycerin from the U.S. Cavalry, Rooster’s brief retirement comes to an end. Alone he enters the Indian territory and finds a mission at old Fort Ruby ravaged by the outlaws the day before. Rooster escorts two survivors, an Indian boy (Richard Romancito) named Wolf and the minister’s spinster daughter Eulah Goodnight (Katharine Hepburn), on to Bagby’s outpost, hoping to leave them there. But the spry, East-

ern-bred, Bible-quoting Eulah insists on accompanying the marshal. With Wolf, they make an unlikely trio to track down Hawk and his murderers, who have enlisted the services of an old acquaintance of the marshal, an exscout named Breed (Anthony Zerbe). Hawk guides the wagon of nitro through rough mountainous terrain, planning to use the stu› to blow a gold-shipment safe. When the wagon breaks an axle, he and Breed ride on ahead to scout the job while the gang attends to the wagon. Rooster, Wolf and Eulah ambush the wagon in the woods, convincing the outlaws they are surrounded by a band of marshals. After a brief fight which leaves two of their number dead, they abandon the wagon and face the unpleasant task of informing their boss of the loss. An enraged Hawk becomes the hunter, surrounding Rooster’s camp after nightfall and demanding his surrender. A Gatling gun found on the wagon holds the outlaws at bay and Wolf spooks their horses, buying some time for the marshal. Rooster, Eulah and Wolf exchange the wagon for a raft at Shanghai McCoy’s (Strother Martin) ferry. They navigate the sometimes treacherous waters while the outlaws pursue them from the blu›s overhead. Breed saves his old friend Rooster by spoiling one ambush set by Hawk and is murdered by the sadistic outlaw. In the shallows at the foot of the rapids, Hawk and his last three men wait. As boxes of nitroglycerin float around the bend before them, the outlaws rejoice at the demise of the trio. But as Eulah guides the raft into view, Rooster emerges with his Winchester firing at the nitro cases floating amidst the mounted villains. “Pay day! Come and get it, boys!” he shout as he sends the evildoers to meet their Maker. Eulah makes an impassioned defense of the marshal’s conduct before Judge Parker and Rooster is reinstated. The lawman escorts Eulah to the relief wagons bound for rebuilding the Ruby site and fondly drinks a toast to “someday” and the chance that they will meet again.—TAL NOTES: In production from September 5 to October 30, ¡974, at locations in Bend, Oregon, the Cascade Mountains, Deschutes National Forest and the Rogue River. The working title was first Rooster Cogburn—A Man of

Rooster Cogburn

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Rooster Cogburn (Universal, ¡975). Strother Martin, Katharine Hepburn, John Wayne

True Grit, then Rooster Cogburn and the Lady. Budgeted at $3,928,600, its final negative cost was $3,730,000. Studio overhead of $932,500 (25 percent of the negative) brought the total production cost to $4,662,500. The budget allotted for talent was $¡,¡¡¡,500. Wayne was paid $750,000 and a substantial percentage of the net profits but no ownership percentage. Katharine Hepburn received $¡50,000 (at the rate of $¡2,500 a week for ¡2 weeks’ work) and an additional $¡00,000 from the net profits. The actress also was paid $¡500 a week in living expenses. Her stunt double Kevin Johnson was paid $647.50 a week. Other cast salaries: John McIntire $¡0,000 a week; Strother Martin $7500 a week; Richard Jordan $25,000 (at the rate of $2500 a week) and $50 a day for living expenses; Anthony Zerbe $3500 a week; Paul Koslo $¡500 a week; John Lormer $¡250 a week; Jerry Gatlin $¡000 a week; George Robotham (stuntman) $¡000 a week; Lane Smith

$¡000 a week. The following stuntmen earned $647.50 a week: Mickey Gilbert, Chuck Hayward, Dick Farnsworth, Gary Combs (doubled Richard Jordan), Gary McLarty and Jerry Summers. Wayne’s stuntman Chuck Roberson was paid at the rate of $850 a week. Tommy Lee earned $800 a week, Ralph Volkie was paid $604 a week and Richard Romancito received $650 a week. From a domestic box o‡ce gross of $¡8,400,000 the film returned $7,500,000 in rentals to Universal. Martha Hyer, wife of producer Hal Wallis, wrote the screenplay under the pseudonym Martin Julien. Alternate casting choices included Loretta Young for the Hepburn role and Melvyn Douglas for the role of the judge (played by John McIntire). For the part of the leader of the outlaws (Hawk), the following actors were considered: Brian Keith, Richard Boone, Frederic Forrest, Warren Oates, Mitchell Ryan, Neville Brand, Rip Torn and Stuart Whitman.

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Keith was o›ered the role but made exorbitant salary demands (in the six-figure range). Forrest, seeking a $40,000 paycheck, was dropped from consideration since his name meant little on a marquee. Brand was passed over because of a problem with alcohol, and Whitman was rejected because associate producer Paul Nathan did not like the actor’s past attitude. Nathan (¡9¡3–77) was the right hand man to Hal Wallis. Starting out in the mid–¡930s as a casting director and story editor, Nathan had a hand in the hit films Saratoga Trunk, Love Letters, The Rose Tattoo and Gunfight at the OK Corral. He worked with Wallis on Anne of a Thousand Days, Becket and True Grit. To help publicize the film, on September 27, ¡975, Wayne appeared as a guest on Howard Cosell’s new ABC-TV variety show. Two-time Academy Award–winning art director Preston Ames (¡906–83) started in the industry with MGM in ¡936. He was nominated for the Oscar on six occasions (The Story of Three Loves, Brigadoon, Lust for Life, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Airport and Earthquake), and won golden statues

for An American in Paris (¡95¡) and Gigi (¡958). His many television credits included Maverick, Bonanza, and Private Benjamin. Veteran film editor Robert E. Swink (¡9¡8–2000) was thrice nominated for Academy Awards, for his work on Roman Holiday (¡953), Funny Girl (¡968) and The Boys from Brazil (¡978). The Colorado native entered the industry in ¡936 by way of the editorial department of RKO. During World War II he worked for the Army Signal Corps, helping produce training films, then returned to Hollywood in ¡945, working at Paramount and other studios while establishing a professional relationship with director William Wyler that would span several decades. Swink retired in ¡989. First shown on network television on September ¡7, ¡977. The NBC telecast was seen by 39 percent of the viewing audience. Other Westerns released in ¡975 included The Master Gunfighter (MGM) starring Tom Laughlin, the all-star Western, Bite the Bullet (Columbia) with Gene Hackman and James Coburn, and Posse (Paramount) starring Kirk Douglas.

Rough Romance June 22, ¡930. 56 minutes. George O’Brien, Helen Chandler, Antonio Moreno, Noel Francis, Eddie Borden, Harry Cording, Roy Stewart, John Wayne, Frank Lanning, David Hartford. Fox. Presented by William Fox; Director A.F. Erickson; Photography Daniel B. Clark; Author Kenneth B. Clark; Scenario Elliott Lester; Editor Paul Weatherwax; Sound Engineer Barney Fredericks; Assistant Director Ewing Scott; Songs George A. Little, John Burke; Dialogue Donald Davis REVIEWS: “It’s just a routine sentimental tale of the type that used to be called ‘kitchen action,’ all hoke artificial romance. … [E]vil is punished, virtue is rewarded and the big, strong hero ultimately gets the girl.” Variety ( June 25, ¡930); “Those responsible for the production … have not bothered to intrude any new ideas. The result is a heterogeneous collection of odd bits of familiar material

wrapped into a merely passable picture…” The New York Times ( June ¡6, ¡930); “Standard low-budget ranch-romance oater….” Western Films: A Complete Guide (Brian Garfield, Da Capo Press, ¡982); “A good lumber camp melodrama of the program variety. The action is pretty fast, there is love interest, and there are some thrills.” Harrison’s Reports ( June ¡4, ¡930) SYNOPSIS: Amid the tall timbers of the great Northwest, lumberjack Billy West (George O’Brien) exhorts his pal Laramie (Eddie Borden), “Quit beefing about the dames and put a little more beef into your ax.” While topping a tree, Billy spies two men in the distance stealing furs from a trap. When shots ring out, Billy drops from his perch to pursue the thieves through the snow. The lumberjacks arrive too late to save Old Man Francis, shot by the thieves as he discovered the crime. Billy suspects Loup LaTour (Antonio

Rough Romance Moreno) and his partner Carson (Harry Cording) and vows to look into the matter more closely. At the trading post, Marna Reynolds (Helen Chandler) pines for some romance and excitement in her drab life and finds comfort dreaming of pink rose chi›on dresses and other romantic comforts found in the pages of the mail order catalogue. When Billy and Laramie stop by talking about the upcoming Jubilee dance in town, Marna jokes with the boys about how much fun it would be. In jest, Billy demonstrates to his partner the proper way to invite a lady to a dance, unaware that Marna accepts the invitation at face value. While Marna dreams of the dance, her father is being forced to purchase stolen furs from Loup and Carson. To make matters worse, the lecherous Loup begins to view Marna in a new light. When the night of the dance arrives, Marna rushes to meet the train bearing the lumberjacks into town. Billy hops from the train, embarrassed that he has mislead Marna, a vision in pink chi›on. This is not the kind of shindig to which he wants to take an impressionable young girl, and he fervently promises to take her to a nice place soon. In town the celebration can’t hide the natural tension between lumbermen and trappers and the sheri› keeps a wary eye on the merry-making. The drinking, flirting and gambling almost lead to brawling when Billy forces Loup to stop cheating at cards. When the lumberman suggests that he suspects them of theft and murder, further violence is interrupted by the sheri›, who throws the lumberjacks out. As the boys return home, they are ambushed. Billy takes a bullet in the shoulder but kills Carson. Laramie takes Billy to the trading post where Marna ministers to his wound. The sheri›, convinced by Loup that Billy murdered Carson, begins a search. While Laramie leads the sheri› on a dogsledded wild goose chase, Loup returns to the post intent on having his way with Marna. A weakened Billy struggles with the villain as Marna races toward the logjammed river. Pursued by Loup, she tries to cross the treacherous jam. The shifting of the mass of logs claims the life of Loup; Marna is pulled to safety by Billy. Billy is cleared of murder, Pop

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Reynolds (Frank Lanning) is free to become an honest trader again and Marna sees her dreams of romance coming true.—TAL NOTES : Based on the story “The Girl Who Wasn’t Wanted” in Munsey’s Magazine (April ¡928). New York City–born female lead Helen Chandler (¡906–65) appeared in over 30 films between ¡927 and ¡938. Perhaps her most famous role was in the classic horror film Dracula (Universal, ¡93¡) starring Bela Lugosi in the title role. She also had a featured part in John Ford’s Salute. Wayne, as a card player, is visible in two scenes and has one line of dialogue. Roy Stewart (¡889–¡933), who played the sheri›, had a 20-year film career. It began in ¡9¡3 as a star in two-reel Westerns, and ended as a supporting actor in B-Westerns; he died after su›ering a heart attack at the age of 44. For Texas-born Noel Francis (¡906–59), Rough Romance was his second film. His brief film career (seven years) was highlighted by appearances in Up the River (¡930), I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (¡932), the Tom Mix Western My Pal the King (¡932) and Edna Ferber’s So Big (¡932). Adolph F. Erickson (¡879–¡956) directed only four films, Rough Romance, Lone Star Ranger, Woman from Hell (¡929) and Under Suspicion (¡930). For much of his film career he worked as an assistant director. Missouri-born cinematographer Daniel B. Clark (¡890–¡96¡) filmed two other pictures featuring Wayne, The Great K&A Train Robbery and Lone Star Ranger. Between ¡922 and ¡938, he was responsible for the photography on 88 motion pictures which included three of the last Tom Mix Westerns (My Pal the King, Riders of Death Valley, Destry Rides Again), several George O’Brien oaters and numerous Charlie Chan programmers including Charlie Chan in Egypt (¡935), …at the Circus (¡936), …at the Olympics (¡937) and …at Monte Carlo (¡937). The film opened at the Hippodrome Theater in New York. Also at the nation’s theaters at the beginning of the summer of ¡930 were Shadow of the Law (Paramount) starring Dick Powell; the B-Western Trigger Tricks (Universal) with Hoot Gibson; and the semimusical In Gay Madrid starring Ramon Novarro and Dorothy Jordan.

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Sagebrush Trail

Sagebrush Trail December ¡5, ¡933. 55–58 minutes. John Wayne, Nancy Shubert, Lane Chandler, Yakima Canutt, Wally Wales, Art Mix, Robert E. Burns, Earl Dwire, Henry Hall, William Dyer, Ted Adams, Hank Bell, Charles “Slim” Whitaker, Hal Price, Tex Phelps, Tex Palmer, Silver Tip Baker, Archie Ricks, Blackjack Ward. Monogram. Producer Paul Malvern; Director Armand Schaefer; Writer Lindsley Parsons; Photography Archie J. Stout; Technical Director E.R. Hickson; Editor Carl Pierson; Music Lee Zahler; Recording David S. Stoner REVIEWS: “The physically attractive John Wayne … supplies all the riding thrills the fans want, hopping from saddle to ground—and other men’s necks—and back to the saddle with regularity.” The Motion Picture Herald (December 23, ¡933); “Wayne’s second Western for Monogram is an altogether quieter e›ort than his debut for the company which saw him as Singin’ Sandy.” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia (Phil Hardy, Overlook Press, ¡983); “If it’s thrills the fans crave in their westerns, which they do, they will get plenty in this shoot-em-up film. It is a trifle slow in getting underway, but once John Wayne really starts, there can be no complaints. There is more shooting in this one than in the average dozen westerns.” Film Daily (December 8, ¡933); “More than the usual amount of aimless gunplay in this porridge of the plains. In fact, guns go o› so often and miss the mark so consistently that average audience is in a horsela› [sic] tempo with the final dissolve.” Variety ( January 9, ¡934) SYNOPSIS: John Brant ( John Wayne), a fugitive from a Maryland prison, makes his escape west. When the train he is riding is stopped outside of Sagebrush, he steals a horse, galloping o› with Sheri› Parker (Robert E. Burns) and a deputy (Wally Wales) in pursuit. A lone cowboy, stopping for a drink at a mountain lake, watches Brant elude his pursuers by swimming underwater. When the lawmen ride o›, Brant surfaces in front of the amused onlooker. “You’re a pretty smart hombre,” comments the stranger who uses the name of Jones

(Lane Chandler), “and you got plenty of nerve.” Jones’ line of work is robbery, and the gang is short a few members. He brings the newcomer, whom he obligingly christens Smith, to meet his co-workers. Though Smith and Jones quickly become friends, outlaw chief Ed Walsh (Yakima Canutt) distrusts the stranger, whom he has made a cook. “I know a square guy when I see one,” insists Jones as he volunteers to rob the Sagebrush Post O‡ce with John. The two friends ride into town to survey the robbery site and are slightly distracted by the clerk’s attractive daughter, Sally (Nancy Shubert). While Jones checks out the safe, John scribbles a note to Sally warning her to leave a couple of men in the store that night with the lights on to avoid a robbery. When the sheri› is informed, he sets a trap for the robbers. Darkness enables the desperadoes to escape, but John is wounded. While convalescing at Blind Pete’s (William Dyer) Saloon, he learns the gang is planning to rob the stage. John rides out alone and holds up the stage before the outlaws arrive. He hides the strongbox in an old tree and tells Sally its location. The run of bad luck for the gang coincides with the newcomer’s arrival. Even Jones, stung with jealousy in their rivalry for Sally, begins to suspect his partner. When the mine prepares to ship bullion on the stage, Jones agrees to follow John. “If we come back together,” he informs the chief, “he’s all right. But if he comes back alone—” “We know what to do!” nods the boss. By matching handbills, Sheri› Parker discovers that Smith is another fugitive, Joseph Conlon. Conlon is the killer of George Wagner, the man whom Brant is convicted of murdering in Baltimore. Conlon fled west, never realizing his absence meant the sentencing of an innocent man. The posse pursues this duo and Conlon sends John back to the gang— alone. Finding Sally in town, Conlon learns the truth about Smith, who has stayed on with the gang in the hope of helping his new friend go straight. While Sally rides for the posse, the contrite outlaw races back to the hideout to prevent an ambush. He joins John as shots

Salute ring out from the mine tunnels around them. Conlon is fatally wounded and dies in John’s arms after telling the sheri› the truth about Wagner. The gang is rounded up, leaving the disgruntled outlaw leader to exclaim, “I always told Jones that bird wouldn’t make good as a badman!”—TAL NOTES: Wayne’s second Lone Star Western. He was paid $¡250 for approximately two weeks work. Filmed in October ¡933 on a budget of slightly more than $¡5,000. This was a remake of Monogram’s Partners of the Trail (¡93¡), which starred Tom Tyler with Betty Mack and Reginald She‡eld in supporting roles. Yakima Canutt doubled for Wayne in several of the riding sequences. Producer and studio executive Paul Malvern (¡902–93) started in the industry as a stuntman. His remarkable skill with firearms helped him secure many early jobs. He worked with Wayne as a producer or supervisor on 30 films (¡6 for Monogram, eight for Republic and six for Universal). Besides being the writer of many Monogram productions, Lindsley Parsons also served in the capacity of studio publicity chief. Lane Chandler, Art Mix and Wally Wales (a.k.a. Hal Taliaferro) were all staples in BWesterns of the ¡930s and ¡940s. Chandler (¡899–¡972) began in films at the age of 24 in ¡923, and had a career which spanned over 35 years. The versatile actor could play heroes, heavies and an assortment of character roles. By ¡926 Paramount a›orded the tall, rugged Chandler the opportunity to become a major leading man. He tried to live up to the studio’s expectations but lost out in the competition to another young unknown, Gary Cooper. Un-

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daunted, Chandler persisted. He stayed steadily employed by accepting almost all acting o›ers. Throughout the ¡930s and ¡940s his face could be seen in serials and B-Westerns and melodramas, as well as the bigger-budgeted films Union Pacific (¡939), North West Mounted Police (¡940), Along Came Jones (¡945), Tall Man Riding (¡954), The Indian Fighter (¡955), The Lone Ranger (¡956) and Requiem for a Gunfighter (¡965). Sheridan, Wyoming, native, Wally Wales (born Floyd Taliaferro Alderson, ¡895–¡980) was a real cowboy who was raised on a ranch, then journeyed to Hollywood and became an extra in Tom Mix Westerns and other films in ¡9¡6. After serving with the Army during World War I, he returned to film work, appearing in dozens of Western and outdoor thrillers. The years of hard work paid o› when, in ¡924, he signed with the Pathé Company to star in his own Westerns series. Staying in the saddle, Wales never managed to make the step to the majors, but he continued to work in dozens of low-grade shoot-’em-ups at obscure studios including Big 4 Film Company and Imperial Pictures. Stock footage from this Western was seen in Monogram’s The Utah Kid (¡944). The Monogram release opened on December 26, ¡934, at New York’s Loew’s Theater on Broadway, for a one-day run. It faced competition from RKO’s Man of Two Worlds drama starring Francis Lederer; the Madeleine Carroll Fox release I Was a Spy; and the Paramount musical Eight Girls in a Boat. Reissued in an edited 55-minute version (along with Riders of Destiny) by Republic on October 20, ¡939.

Salute September ¡, ¡929. 83–86 minutes. George O’Brien, Helen Chandler, Stepin’ Fetchit, William Janney, Frank Albertson, Joyce Compton, Lumsden Hare, David Butler, Rex Bell, John Breeden, Ward Bond, John Wayne, Cli› Dempsey, Don Moses, Ernie Pinckert, Marshall Du‡eld, Lee Tracy, Dean Cromwell,

and members of the USC football team. Fox. Directors John Ford, David Butler; Screenplay John Stone; Original Story Tristram Tupper, John Stone; Dialogue James K. McGuinness; Photography Joseph H. August; Editor Alex Tro›ey; Title Writer Wilbur Morse, Jr.; Sound W.W. Lindsay; Assistant Directors Edward

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O’Fearna, R.L. Hough; Technical Advisor Schuyler E. Grey REVIEWS: “[A] rather curious and even pointless kind of film, though perfectly acceptable from a period in which it was enough that films just talked and made noise, and indeed far above the average standards of that year.” Focus on Film (“Forgotten Ford” article by William K. Everson); “Cast and skill of the director in handling his backgrounds here has made what otherwise would be a mediocre picture stand out as an agreeable bit of light entertainment.” Variety (October 9, ¡929); “[A] whooping bit of flag-waving … is almost too well done, so taut is the tension it develops.” Sailing on the Silver Screen (Lawrence Suid, Naval Institute Press, ¡996); “John Ford … shows a happy faculty for interesting detail, a keen imagination and a good sense of humor. It is a picture which is all the stronger for no player being favored… It is a genuinely well thought out yarn.” The New York Times (October 5, ¡929); “Full of lackadaisical camerawork and bad acting.” Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford (Scott Eyman, Simon & Schuster, ¡999); “It is just a pretty good entertainment. The best part of the picture is the Army and Navy football game. The scenes at Annapolis and at West Point have been done well.” Harrison’s Reports (October ¡9, ¡929) SYNOPSIS: The traditional rivalry between West Point and Annapolis is typified in two patriarchs, Major General Somers (Cli›ord Dempsey) and Rear Admiral Randall (Lumsden Hare). They are grandfathers of the Randall boys, John and Paul (George O’Brien and William Janney). John is a popular cadet, a ballplayer on the Army football team, and not above encouraging the attentions of his younger brother’s flirtatious girl, Marian ( Joyce Compton). Paul, trying hard to measure up to John, is accepted to the Naval Academy. “I’m gonna make you proud of me,” Paul promises Marian. To the strains of “Anchors Aweigh” he bids his family home goodbye. Arriving at Annapolis, he is befriended by Midshipman Albert Price (Frank Albertson). While struggling to make the football team, the two plebes fall prey to “Dread Month,” the traditional hazing and initiation bestowed enthusiastically by the up-

perclassman. A couple of students lose furlough when the hazing goes overboard; Midshipman Randall is wrongfully accused of ratting on them. He despondently leaves school, but his desertion is reversed by the pleadings of Nancy Wayne (Helen Chandler), the girl who has faithfully loved him in spite of his infatuation with Marian. Also, a visit from the family’s servant, Smoke Screen (Stepin’ Fetchit), bedecked in the Admiral’s finest dress uniform, brings encouragement from home. At the dance preceding the Army-Navy game, John flirts with Nancy, hoping to spur his brother into being more assertive about the things he wants in life. The trickery works only too well; Paul, realizing how much he loves Nancy, is inspired to get into the game. In a driving rain, the underdog Navy team battles one of the best teams ever sent down the Hudson by West Point. But the Navy team refuses to be beaten. Before ¡00,000 spectators, Paul scores a touchdown and tackles John on a crucial, game-saving play. “I had a spill coming to me, Paul,” John admits after the game. “I’m thankful to you. I’m proud of you.” “Gee, John,” answers the gracious victor, “You’re sure regular.”—TAL NOTES: Filmed at Annapolis, Maryland, from May to July ¡929. This was Fox’s biggest box o‡ce hit of ¡929. After the success of this film, the studio signed Ford to an exclusive two-year contract at $3250 a week. Wayne and football players from the ¡929 USC team were each paid $50 a week for participating in the film. Known as “The Chest” for his impressive physique, George O’Brien (¡900–85), son of the police chief of San Francisco, came to Hollywood after serving in the Navy during World War I. He worked as an assistant cameraman and stuntman on Tom Mix Westerns at Fox, before being discovered by Ford and achieving stardom in his Western production The Iron Horse (¡924). Throughout the ’20s he worked at the studio on many prestige films including Ford’s Three Bad Men and Howard Hawks’ Fig Leaves and Paid to Love. O’Brien was then cast opposite Janet Gaynor in F.W. Murnau’s production of Sunrise. In the ’30s, as his star declined, he slipped into B-Westerns for RKO and other studios. At the outbreak of World War II, the actor again joined the Navy. He

Sands of Iwo Jima was again in uniform during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. His last major films were all for John Ford: Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Cheyenne Autumn (¡964). Appearing in his third motion picture, in a minor role, was former University of Iowa football great, Rex Bell (¡905–62). Born George Francis Beldham in Chicago, Bell would marry the “It” girl, Clara Bow, in ¡930 and go on to star in numerous B-Westerns for Monogram, Colony and Resolute Studios. Tired of the film grind, he retired from the picture scene in ¡942 and took up ranching. In the early ’50s, Bell turned to politics and reached the pinnacle of his career when, in ¡954, he was elected lieutenant governor of Nevada. As a favor to his good friend Clark Gable, he returned to the screen in ¡96¡ for a small role in Gable and Monroe’s last film, The Misfits. Film editor Alexander Tro›ey (¡895–¡978) started out in films as the o‡ce boy to Universal owner Carl Laemmle. In ¡926 he was sent to New York to learn to be a “cutter.” Actor (William) Lee Tracy (¡898– ¡968) was known for his fast-talking, breezy style. Prior to appearing in Salute he had starred on Broadway in The Front Page. His

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first screen appearance was in Big Time (¡929). An o‡cer who served during both World Wars, Tracy was kicked o› the Mexican set of Viva Villa after insulting the local populous while in a drunken stupor. Appearing sporadically in films until his retirement, he received his only Academy Award nomination for his last film role, The Best Man (¡964). Southernborn Joyce Compton (¡907–97) had a film career which extended from ¡925 to ¡958 and included over ¡38 screen roles. A ¡926 Wampas Baby Star, she signed a contract with Fox and also appeared opposite Wayne in Three Girls Lost. The actress could also be seen in The Sky Hawk (¡930), Three Sisters (¡930), Magnificent Obsession (¡935), The Awful Truth (¡937), They Drive by Night (¡940), Christmas in Connecticut (¡945), Mildred Pierce (¡945), The Best Years of Our Lives (¡946), Mighty Joe Young (¡949) and an uncredited role in Jet Pilot. Opening at the Roxy Theater in New York, the film faced competition from Sunny Side Up (Fox) starring Janet Gaynor and the mystery-thriller The Unholy Night (MGM), which had a cast headed by Roland Young and Richard Tucker.

Sands of Iwo Jima December ¡4, ¡949. ¡09 minutes. John Wayne, John Agar, Adele Mara, Forrest Tucker, Wally Cassell, James Brown, Richard Webb, Arthur Franz, Julie Bishop, James Holden, Peter Coe, Richard Jaeckel, Bill Murphy, George Tyne, Hal Fieberling, John McGuire, Martin Milner, Dick Wessel, I. Stanford Jolley, Gil Herman, Leonard Gumley, William Self, Dorothy Ford, Dick Jones, David Clarke, Gil Herman, Conrad Binyon, Billy Lechner, Glen Vernon, Steve Wayne, Bill Hudson, Mickey McCardle, Bruce Edwards, Fred Datig, Jr., Al Murphy, Don Haggerty, Bruce Edwards, John Whitney, Roger McGee, Carole Gallagher, Judy Sochor, Joy Windsor, Margot Powers, Fred Graham, Terry Wilson, Roy Barcroft, Frank O’Connor, Loren Riebe, Col. D.M. Shoup, Lt. Col. H. P. Crowe, Capt.

Harold G. Shrier, Rene A. Gagnon, Ira H. Hayes, John H. Bradley, Lt. Gen. Holland M. Smith. Republic. Director Allan Dwan; Associate Producer Edmund Grainger; Screenplay Harry Brown, James Edward Grant; Story Harry Brown; Photography Reggie Lanning; Editor Richard L. Van Enger; Assistant Editor Bill Lewis; Music Victor Young; Art Director James Sullivan; Sound T.A. Carmen, Howard Wilson; Special E›ects Howard Lydecker, Theodore Lydecker, Jack Co›ee; Set Decorator John McCarthy, Jr., Otto Siegel; Costumes Adele Palmer; Hair Stylist Peggy Gray; Makeup Supervisor Bob Mark; Makeup Vern Murdock; Technical Advisor Capt. Leonard Fribourg; Assistant Director Nate Barrager; Camera Operator Herb Kirkpatrick; Ga›er Syd Swaney, Jr.; Stills Don Keyes; Production Manager Lee

304

Sands of Iwo Jima

Sands of Iwo Jima (Republic, ¡949). John Wayne, John Carroll, Forrest Tucker

Lukather; Script Supervisor Robert Walker; Grip Nelson Mathias REVIEWS: “[A] war picture that bristles and booms with enough clips from o‡cial combat films to give its audience a realistic touch of battle fatigue. The rest of it is just plain fatiguing; the plot has no more freshness or emotional tug than a military manual….” Time Magazine ( January ¡6, ¡950); “Wayne is especially honest and convincing, for he manages to dominate a screen play which is crowded with exciting, sweeping battle scenes… There is so much savage realism in Sands of Iwo Jima, … the film has undeniable moments of greatness.” The New York Times (T.M.P., December 3¡, ¡949); “[There are] exceptionally well staged battle sequences with outstanding pyrotechnics… [Wayne is] the very picture of determination and forcefulness in his role as

Stryker.” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974); “Wayne takes over the picture, his command of the screen absolute since the rest appear to be little more than raw male dummies.” Films and the Second World War (Roger Manvell, A.S. Barnes, ¡974); “[T]he film is substantially produced, impressively delineated and understandingly directed.” Boxo‡ce Magazine (December 24, ¡949); “[A] genuinely absorbing and extremely well-made epic in the grand style…” The Great War Films (Lawrence J. Quirk, Citadel Press, ¡994) SYNOPSIS: This is the story of a squad of marines of Abel Company, ¡st Platoon. Traveling 8,000 miles from the U.S. to New Zealand, the raw recruits are placed under squad leader Sgt. John Stryker ( John Wayne), a veteran of the recent Guadalcanal campaign. Stryker’s barking command of “Saddle up!” is

Sands of Iwo Jima the soundtrack to months of grueling and relentless training. His ruthless tactics, which include use of the butt end of a rifle to make a point, earn him the dislike of the men. Pfc. Peter Conway ( John Agar) has even more reason to dislike Stryker, a good friend of his late father, Col. Sam Conway. All his life young Conway has struggled to measure up in his father’s eye and resents always having to be compared to Stryker. On their first leave, however, Conway’s negative feelings are pushed into the background when he falls hopelessly in love with Allison Bromley (Adele Mara), whom he meets at a servicemen’s dance. Stryker, meanwhile, spends his leave getting drunk as he wrestles with his failed marriage and being removed from the life of his five-year-old son. Rejecting Stryker’s warnings about war-time romances, Conway marries Allison and has a brief honeymoon ended by orders to move out. To Stryker’s command of “Lock and load!,” the squad lands on Tarawa, an island held by tough Japanese marines. After four days of battle, the squad, trained well by Stryker and bloodied by the action, is victorious. Stryker’s leadership has won the respect of his men, especially his risk of his life to blow up a bunker with a skillfully thrown satchel bomb. Withdrawn to Hawaii, the squad deals with the loss of one of their men killed at Tarawa; Stryker, on leave in Honolulu, exorcises some of his demons when an encounter with a street woman supporting a young child reminds him that there are tougher ways of making a living than going to war. Conway, who has become a father, continues to give Stryker the cold shoulder until the sergeant saves his life when a misdirected grenade explodes during training. The word comes down from channels and the squad moves out again, this time to Iwo Jima, a dangerous piece of real estate containing 20,000 Japanese troops. Conway, fighting a troubled premonition that this fight may be his last, sticks close to the indestructible Stryker. In the days of bloody fighting at the foot of Suribachi, the men of the squad fight heroically and successfully. As the action ends, Stryker is shot in the back by a lone sniper’s bullet. After pausing around his body and reading an unfinished letter to his son, Conway in the spirit of both his late father and his fallen

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sergeant, takes charge. “Let’s get back in the war!”—TAL NOTES: Filmed on location at San Diego, Camp Pendleton and Camp Del Mar, California, during the month of July ¡949. Interiors were shot at Republic in August ¡949. In production from July ¡¡ to August 23, ¡949. Budgeted at $937,008, the war epic completed filming at a negative cost of $¡,397,558. Without almost limitless Marine Corps assistance, the budget would have easily exceeded $2,500,000. For the large-scale battle scenes, ¡200 o›-duty Marines were recruited as extras. The Corps also supplied Sherman tanks, planes, Jeeps, trucks, artillery, weapons, flame throwers and walkie-talkies. For the beach landing segments, two squadrons of Corsair planes from Marine Air Station at El Toro and 30 amtracs were used. The battle sequences required that ¡9 special e›ects men bury 2,000 sticks of dynamite and 50 black powder bombs. With his percentage of the profits, Wayne earned just over $480,000. He received his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor and received the ¡950 Photoplay Magazine Gold Medal Award for most popular performer of the year. The film earned domestic rentals of $5,000,000. Theatergoers paid over $¡2,000,000 to see the film in the North American market. Director Dwan received $¡000 a week and 5 percent of the film’s net profits. Strapping 6'5" Forrest Tucker (¡9¡9–86) appeared in over 80 features and several television series. He started with a small role in Gary Cooper’s The Westerner (¡940) and retired after completing his work in the little lamented Thunder Run (¡985). In between Tucker would have roles in the Joe E. Brown comedy Shut My Big Mouth (¡942), Submarine Raider (¡942), the Tracy-Hepburn melodrama Keeper of the Flame (¡942), wherein he played Hepburn’s cousin, The Yearling (¡946), The Plunderers (¡948), The Nevadan (¡950), Rock Island Trail (¡950), California Passage (¡950), Oh! Susanna (¡95¡), Warpath (¡95¡), Pony Express (as Wild Bill Hickok, ¡953) and, as the love interest of Rosalind Russell, in the musical-comedy Auntie Mame (¡958). Despite all the movies, his greatest fame came for the role of Sgt. Morgan O’Rourke in the television series F-Troop (ABC, ¡965–67). For writing the music, Victor Young earned $¡0,000.

306

Santa Fe Stampede

Music director Young (¡900–56), a child prodigy in Poland, arrived in Hollywood in the early ¡930s. Signing a contract with Paramount, he composed and scored dozens of songs for the studio’s top releases. Over a period of 20 years he was involved in over 80 motion pictures including Mae West’s Klondike Annie (¡936); Golden Boy (¡939) with William Holden as the boxer-violinist; DeMille’s North West Mounted Police (¡940) and Reap the Wild Wind (¡942); State of the Union (¡948) with the team of Tracy and Hepburn; the best picture winner of ¡952, The Greatest Show on Earth; Shane (¡953); and Around the World in Eighty

Days (¡956). Young won the Oscar for Eighty Days. Texas-born Julie Bishop (¡9¡4–200¡), born Jacqueline Wells, appeared in 84 movies over four decades. After a succession of child and youth roles in the ¡920s and ¡930s, the actress signed a contract with Warners in ¡940, working opposite their top leading men including Errol Flynn in Northern Pursuit and Humphrey Bogart in Action in the North Atlantic. In the ’40s and ’50s she appeared opposite Roy Rogers in The Ranger and the Lady, Gene Autry in Back in the Saddle, Robert Taylor in Westward the Women and Alan Ladd in The Big Land, her final feature.

Santa Fe Stampede November ¡8, ¡938. 56 minutes. John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, Max Terhune, June Martel, William Farnum, LeRoy Mason, Martin Spellman, Genee Hall, Walter Wills, Ferris Taylor, Tom London, Dick Rush, James F. Cassidy, Charles King, Dick Alexander, Bud Osborne, Yakima Canutt, Nelson McDowell, Ralph Peters, Bob Woodward, Curley Dresden, Bud McClure, Horace B. Carpenter, Bill Wolfe, Duke Lee, George Chesebro, Martin Sais, Jerry Frank, Cli› Parkinson, Blackjack Ward, Robert Milasch, Jim Corey, Frank O’Connor, Russ Powell, George Morrell, Charles McMurphy, Gri› Barnett, John Elliott, George Montgomery, Chick Hannan. Republic. Associate Producer William Berke; Director George Sherman; Assistant Director Thomas Flood; Screenplay Luci Ward, Betty Burbridge; Original Story Luci Ward; Based on Characters Created by William Colt MacDonald; Photography Reggie Lanning; Editor Tony Martinelli; Supervising Editor Murray Seldeen; Musical Score William Lava; Production Manager Al Wilson; Unit Manager Arthur Siteman REVIEWS: “Mr. Wayne seems to be the D’Artagnan of a curious trio known as the Three Mesquiteers, whose success up to now is probably due to the fact that nobody has thought of ambushing them with a Flit gun.” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, April

26, ¡939); “All the ingredients of a good western are here. Given an almost airtight script, terrific suspense, some rootin’-tootin’ hard fisted sorrel-saddlers on the side of law and order, and a ruthless thorough-going villain, western producers can’t go wrong.” Variety (December 7, ¡938); “Sherman’s direction is routine but Lanning’s cinematography is superb.” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Phil Hardy, The Overlook Press, ¡983); “Rip-snorting western has plenty of everything in the way of fast action…. The western fans will be more than pleased with this one.… LeRoy Mason is one of the most despicable villains seen on a screen in many a day, good for a six-barreled hissing from any audience.” Film Daily (December 8, ¡938) SYNOPSIS: “Looks like folks ain’t exactly welcome around here,” concludes Lullaby (Max Terhune), as the Three Mesquiteers encounter locked gates, NO TRESPASSING signs, and Billy and Julie Jane (Martin Spellman and Genee Hall), the young children of their old friend Dave Carson (William Farnum), armed with rifles. Dave and his pretty eldest daughter Nancy ( June Martel) explain that they have discovered gold in the mine in which the Mesquiteers are partners. Afraid of claim jumpers, they have been unable to travel to Placerburg to file. As Dave explains the greedy

Santa Fe Stampede intentions of the town’s crooked mayor, two desperados race from his property on stolen horses. The Mesquiteers catch one of the thieves and bring him to town. Justice, however, is in the stranglehold of Mayor Byron (LeRoy Mason), his shady attorney Harris (Walter Wills) and the ine›ectual and alcoholic Judge Henry Hixon (Ferris Taylor). When Byron’s men lie to give the horse thief a phony alibi, the boys realize the problem facing the honest citizens of Santa Fe Junction. The Mesquiteers organize a petition of appeal to have the Mayor investigated by federal authorities. Stony sets out for Capitol City with Dave, Julie Jane and the petition, but leaves his friends en route to ride to Placerburg to file the claim. As soon as he departs, Dave’s wagon is pursued by Byron’s henchmen. The wagon falls over a cli›, killing the miner and his daughter, and the petition falls into outlaw hands. Byron accuses Stony of murdering the Carsons for Dave’s gold and wires authorities in Placerburg to arrest him. Fortunately for Stony, Marshal Jim Wood (Tom London) is not only a friend but an honest lawman. When Stony explains how bad things are in Santa Fe Junction, Wood returns with him to ensure his safety. While Stony is held in jail, Byron has Tucson and Lullaby captured to prevent them from finding two witnesses who can prove Stony’s innocence. While the mayor poisons the townspeople’s minds against Stony, a remorseful Judge Hixon secretly makes sure that Marshal Wood’s request for more deputies is sent by telegraph. With Byron inflaming the town to violence, Nancy, who has never doubted Stony’s innocence, is struck by a rock thrown into the jail just as she attempts to unlock his cell. Byron learns that a posse is on the way; he incites the crowd to burn the jail. Meanwhile, Billy Carson sneaks out to the ranch where Tucson and Lullaby are held and helps them escape to try to save their friend. With Marshal Wood overpowered by the mob, Nancy lying unconscious on the jail floor and the building engulfed in flames, Stony frees himself by using his belt to slide the key ring on the floor to his cell. Dynamite thrown by one of Byron’s men blows a hole in a burning wall, allowing Stony to carry Nancy to safety as help arrives to stop the riot. When the judge ea-

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gerly confesses the truth, Stony’s innocence is proven and Byron’s reign of terror ends.—TAL NOTES: Wayne’s third Mesquiteer adventure, and the nineteenth in the series. Filmed from October ¡¡ to October ¡9, ¡938, at the Iverson Ranch on a budget of $35,000. Wayne received $3000. Boston native William Farnum (¡876–¡953) was one of the most popular actors of the silent era. With his first starring e›ort, The Spoilers (¡9¡4), he became an audience favorite and a star. That very same year he had a notable role in The Sign of the Cross, then played the title role in Samson (¡9¡5). In ¡9¡7 he was seen in two major hits, A Tale of Two Cities and Les Miserables. Over the next two years, he was favored by Western fans for his starring roles in Zane Grey–inspired films as well as other outdoor actions oaters. In the ¡920s his string of hits continued with The Gunfighter (¡923), The Man Who Fights Alone (¡924) and Du Barry, Woman of Passion (¡925). With the dawning of the age of sound, his days as a star were over. He would appear in some remakes of his prior successes (The Spoilers, ¡942), but in supporting roles. Louisville, Kentucky–born Tom London (Leonard Clapham, ¡893–¡963) had a career which spanned 60 years and included appearances in a staggering 400 films. At the age of ten he was in the first Western ever made, The Great Train Robbery (¡903). The actor appeared in up to 20 pictures a year through the silent era and successfully made the transition to sound. The vast majority of his roles were as villains but he did play the occasional law enforcement o‡cer, and over the course of his lengthy career he appeared with almost every Western star in Hollywood. For female lead June Martel (¡909– 78), this Mesquiteer Western would be her last film. Between ¡935 and ¡938, the Chicago native appeared in ¡¡ motion pictures, all of the low-budget variety, with the titles Front Page Woman (¡935), Fighting Youth (¡935), Forlorn River (¡937) and Wild Horse Rodeo (¡937). Teenage actor Martin Spellman appeared in just under 20 films. He had a minor role in Clark Gable’s Test Pilot (¡938), was memorable as “Skinny” in Boys Town (¡938), played gang member “Gimpy” in The Streets of New York (¡939), and had the title role in Meet the Champ (¡94¡). The man in charge of the music for this

308

The Sea Chase

and the other Mesquiteer Westerns, William Lava (¡9¡¡–7¡), had his compositions placed into over 350 motion pictures. Entering films in the early ¡930s, he retired in ¡97¡ after working on the low-budget Dracula Vs. Frankenstein. Film editor Murray Seldeen (¡904–87) worked on over 85 films in ¡3 years (¡930–42).

He edited the ¡936 The Three Mesquiteers and cut the Wayne films The Lonely Trail, Winds of the Wasteland, Dark Command, Three Faces West, A Man Betrayed, Lady from Louisiana, Lady for a Night and In Old California. Opened in New York City at the Rialto Theater on April 25, ¡939.

The Sea Chase May ¡2, ¡955. ¡¡7 minutes. John Wayne, Lana Turner, David Farrar, Lyle Bettger, Tab Hunter, James Arness, Richard Davalos, John Qualen, Paul Fix, Lowell Gilmore, Luis Van Rooten, Alan Hale, Jr., Wilton Gra›, Peter Whitney, Claude Akins, John Doucette, Alan Lee, Gail Robinson, Gil Perkins, Adam Williams, James Lilburn, Gavin Muir, Anthony Eustrel, Tudor Owen, Patrick O’Moore, Fred Stromsoe, Tony Travers, John Indrisano, Joey Ray, Cameron Grant, Gloria Dea, Josephine Para, Lucita, Isabel Dwan, Theresa Tudor, Renata Huy, John She‡eld, Terry Wilson, Loren Brown, Joe Brooks, Frank Losee, John O’Malley, Harold Dyrenforth, Ed Coch, Charles Wagenheim, Edward Colman, Trudie Wyler, Alma Beltran, Pilar Del Rey, Jean DeBriac, Victor Bartell, Eddie LeBaron, Abdullah Abbas, Nacho Galindo, Gilchrist Stuart, Dick Lupino, John Dodsworth, James Fairfax, Bruce Lester, Stuart Holmes, Richard Binder, Ken Bischof . Warner Bros. CinemaScope and Warnercolor. Producer and Director John Farrow; Screenplay James Warner Bellah, John Twist; From the Novel by Andrew Geer; Photography William Clothier; Editor William Ziegler; Art Director Franz Bachelin; Music Roy Webb; Orchestrators Maurice de Pach, Leonid Raab; Sound Francis J. Scheid; Assistant Directors Emmett Emerson, Russell Llewellyn; Wardrobe Moss Mabry; Set Decorators William Wallace; Makeup Gordon Bau; Special E›ects Hans Koenekamp; Singing voice of Lana Turner Bonnie Lou Williams REVIEWS: “[A] conventionally heroic and ideologically silly sea romance… John Wayne … plays it as though he were heading a herd

of cattle up the old Chisholm Trail.” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, June ¡¡, ¡955); “While seemingly equipped with all the elements for exciting screenfare, the picture never quite lives up to its promise, having overlooked gripping suspense, the one basic ingredient that would have made the di›erence.” Variety (May ¡8, ¡955); “[A] singularly trite and unexceptional adventure yarn….” The Warner Bros. Story (Clive Hirschhorn, Crown, ¡979); “[A] keen and suspenseful sea story of World War II which should do much towards rectifying any late spring box o‡ce doldrums … the picture is as handsome as it is full of action.” Motion Picture Herald (Vincent Canby, May ¡4, ¡955); “[I]t was supposed to be a thriller, but was actually a dreary picture…. The best-selling novel by Andrew Geer was more straightforward, suspenseful, and exciting but the movie it inspired, under John Farrow’s boring direction, was a melodrama with a lot of talk but not enough action.” John Wayne: Prophet of the American Way of Life (Emanuel Levy, Scarecrow Press, ¡988) SYNOPSIS: On the day that Hitler rejects Britain’s ultimatum on Poland, a German tramp steamer, the Ergenstrasse, is docked in Sydney, Australia. The steamer’s captain, Karl Ehrlich ( John Wayne), a man of integrity and a former o‡cer in the Imperial Navy, is in disfavor with the Nazi regime which he has boldly criticized. His friend, a British o‡cer named Je› Napier (David Farrar), urges him to continue resisting the Nazis, but Karl cannot renounce his homeland. With war inevitable, the captain secretly prepares to leave Sidney. Karl incurs Je› ’s anger when the captain meets his

The Sea Chase friend’s fiancée, Elsa Keller (Lana Turner). Ehrlich knows the woman’s sordid reputation and forces her to get out of Je› ’s life or risk exposure. The consul general orders the captain to take on a passenger, German spy Elsa Keller. In a fog, the Ergenstrasse secretly departs, beginning a sea chase that will capture international attention. Since the crew has not enjoyed shore leave since Singapore, Ehrlich confines the beautiful Elsa to a limited section of the ship. Low on fuel and provisions, Ehrlich’s first destination is the shipwreck supply station at Auckland Island. Here he sends out his first mate, Kirchner (Lyle Bettger), to commandeer food. Kirchner, a ruthless and e‡cient member of the Nazi party, secretly kills some shipwreck survivors so he can take all the provisions aboard the ship. The Ergenstrasse’s voyage continues, with Ehrlich’s determination giving strength to the rusting steel. “Have you ever in your life made a compromise with a conviction?” asks Elsa, who is quickly falling in love. “I was always afraid,” answers Karl, “that if I started, it wouldn’t be easy to stop.” Outraged by reports of the murders at Auckland Island, Je› Napier and the British Navy continue their relentless pursuit. At Pom Pom Galli, the crew cuts enough wood to take them to their next destination. Facing fatigue, rats and the suicide of a young ensign attacked by a shark, Ehrlich learns of Kirchner’s atrocity. He forces his insubordinate o‡cer to log the truth of the events at Auckland. Fourteen days later, the Ergenstrasse sails into neutral Valparaiso to a hero’s welcome. The captain is uneasy with the publicity which has fueled the Nazi propaganda machine. He endures the humiliation of Je› ’s public denouncement in stoic silence. When the British are called into action, Ehrlich heads for the North Sea and his final destination. Napier is flown back to England to help prevent the Ergenstrasse’s return home. Having outlived its usefulness to the Reich, the ship’s position is given to the enemy by German radio. Surrounded by the British, Ehrlich sends his crew and ship’s log to be rescued. He and Elsa go down with the ship and are never found. Has the ocean claimed their lives? Or have the lovers made it to the safety of the Norwegian shore? It remains a mystery. NOTES : Filmed on location in Hawaii

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(near Kona) from September 24 to October 30, ¡954, with interiors at the Warner lot in Burbank. Budgeted at $3,000,000, the motion picture completed filming at a negative cost of $3,049,000. With domestic rentals of $6,000,000 and a further $¡,7¡7,000 from foreign markets, it was one of the ten highest grossing films of the year. Warners had to pay MGM $300,000 to secure the services of Lana Turner. Before Turner was signed for the role of the German spy, other contenders for the part included Virginia Mayo and Susan Hayward. David Farrar received $20,000 (at the rate of $5000 a week), Paul Fix earned $7000 (at $¡000 a week) and cinematographer William Clothier was paid $900 a week. Just before the crew left for Hawaii to start filming, Grant Withers had to drop out of the cast due to illness. Author Andrew Clare Geer wrote the novel The Sea Chase in ¡948. The screen rights were purchased in ¡950. Some of Geer’s other successful books included The New Breed, The Story of the U.S. Marines in Korea (¡952), Reckless, Pride of the Marines (¡955) and Canton Barrier (¡956). Fourth-billed Lyle Bettger (¡9¡5–2003) graduated from American Academy of Dramatic Arts in ¡937, then spent over a decade on Broadway and summer stock before heading towards a career in Hollywood as a menacing character actor. Some of his 30-odd films were Union Station (¡950), The Greatest Show on Earth (¡952), Denver and Rio Grande (¡952), The Great Sioux Uprising (¡953), Forbidden (¡953), Destry (¡954) and The Lone Ranger (¡956). Bettger retired from the screen after minor roles in The Hawaiians (¡970) and The Seven Minutes (¡97¡). Alan Hale, Jr. (¡9¡9–90), son of popular character actor Alan Hale, was a veteran of over 65 films and three television series, one of which, Gilligan’s Island, has endured in syndication for over 30 years after it completed its initial three-year CBS network run (¡964–67). Hale played the long-su›ering skipper to Bob Denver’s Gilligan character. Hale first broke into films in ¡933 with a small role in Wild Boys of the Road, then retreated from the screen until appearances in I Wanted Wings and Dive Bomber in ¡94¡. Some of his other motion pictures included Top Sergeant (¡942), Wake Island (¡942), To the Shores of Tripoli (¡942), Eagle Squadron (¡942), No Time

310

The Sea Spoilers

The Sea Chase (Warner Bros., ¡955). Lana Turner, John Wayne

for Love (¡943), Watch on the Rhine (¡943), It Happens Every Spring (¡949), The Gunfighter (¡950), The West Point Story (¡950), The Big Trees (¡952), Springfield Rifle (¡952), Destry (¡954), Young at Heart (¡955), The Indian Fighter (¡955), Bullet for a Badman (¡964) and

Hang ’Em High (¡968). Hollywood premiere held at the Egyptian and Paramount theaters on May 27. On May ¡2 Warners simultaneously released the film into over 300 movie houses throughout Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.

The Sea Spoilers September 20, ¡936. 63 minutes. John Wayne, Nan Grey, Fuzzy Knight, William Bakewell, Russell Hicks, George Irving, Lotus Long, Harry Worth, Ernert Hilliard, George Humbert, Ethan Laidlaw, Chester Gan, Cy Kendall, Harrison Greene, Harry Tenbrook, Hal Price, George Barrows. Universal. Producer

Trem Carr; Associate Producer Paul Malvern; Director Frank Strayer; Story Stuart E. McGowan, Dorrell McGowan; Screenplay George Waggner; Photography Archie J. Stout, Edward Synder; Special E›ects John P. Fulton; Editors Hanson T. Fritch, Ray Lockert; Music Director Herman S. Heller; Art Director E.R. Hick-

The Sea Spoilers son; Sound Technician Joe Lapis; Technical Advisor Commander R. L. Jack, U.S.C.G. REVIEWS: “The films were cheaply made and, for their kind, far worse products than Duke’s Republic Westerns.” The Filming of the West ( Jon Tuska, Doubleday, ¡976); “Although the U.S. Coast Guard was enrolled to turn this pic out, it is by no means a flag-waver…. Wayne acquits himself along routine lines. He fidgets a bit in the love scenes and looks stalwart otherwise.” Variety (October 28, ¡936); “Dimly realized and little understood activities of the Coast Guard … make up the major content of this melodrama…. There is much action, a substantial measure of menace, and the outcome is well cloaked until late in the picture.” Motion Picture Herald (November 28, ¡936); “Not even John Wayne was able to come to the rescue of Sea Spoilers, a mundane actioner….” The Universal Story (Clive Hirschhorn, Hamlyn, 2000)

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SYNOPSIS: Bob Randall ( John Wayne) has made his ship, the Niobe, the best in the Alaskan Coast Guard. His promotion however, is postponed when Commander May’s (George Irving) son (William Bakewell), a young lieutenant with little practical experience, is given command of the vessel. The lieutenant is eager to begin searching for seal poachers plaguing the Alaskan waters, and he instructs the crew that they will put out to sea the next morning. Bosun Randall slips away to bid his attractive fiancée, Connie Dawson (Nan Grey), goodbye. Connie is an entertainer who at the moment is playing for party guests aboard the yacht of the wealthy Reggie Winton (Ernest Hilliard). Also on board are Phil Morgan (Russell Hicks) and Nick Austin (Harry Worth). Unknown to Reggie, these two are using his yacht to transport a fortune in stolen seal skins. When the playboy accidentally discovers what the poachers are doing, he

The Sea Spoilers (Universal, ¡936). William Bakewell, John Wayne

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The Sea Spoilers

is murdered. Connie, an innocent witness, is kidnapped. Bob arrives on the yacht moments after the criminals have escaped on a speedboat. The Coast Guard joins the police in a search of all ships in the Alaskan waters. Near a landmark bedecked with bird droppings, the Niobe overtakes a small fishing boat captained by Johnny Hopscotch (George Humbert). Bob is suspicious of the shady character, but the naive lieutenant is duped by the captain’s lies and fails to discover that Connie and her captives are on board. Later, when the Niobe’s landing boat braves the surf to see an Eskimo informant, the lieutenant panics in the rough waters. Bob saves his skipper from drowning and covers for his mistakes. The incident, however, forces the lieutenant to admit that he will never overcome his fear of rough water. He transfers to the Air Corps, leaving the Niobe in Bob’s hands. Bob and his mate Hogan (Fuzzy Knight) are granted 30 days of independent duty. They go undercover to continue the search. From Ketchikan to Kodiak, Juneau to Seward, they sail without luck. When Lt. Mays, joining the search as a pilot, lands near a fishing boat, he is captured by poachers. Later, Bob and Hogan spot Johnny Hopscotch near Pie a la Mode Rock and follow him to the smugglers’ stronghold. The two seamen pass themselves o› as poachers, but Johnny identifies them and they are locked up with Lt. Mays. The three are pressured to send a false radio message to draw the Coast Guard far away from the port so that the skins can be smuggled out. Mays and Hogan refuse and receive beatings. Bob, threatened by the harm which might befall Connie, radios a coded message which ends “Everything is pie a la mode!” This alerts the Coast Guard to their exact location. While the hideout is attacked, Bob and Hogan escape and blow up the controls to the mines in the harbor. Justice triumphs. Bob is assured both command of the Niobe and the fair hand of Connie, much to the approval of the ship’s bosun, Hogan.—TAL NOTES: Filmed in two weeks in July ¡936 under the working title Casey of the Coast Guard. Wayne’s first of six action features for Universal Pictures. The budget of the film was $75,000; Universal’s share of the cost was $65,000. Trem Carr productions paid the bal-

ance. Wayne received a salary of $6,000. Director Frank Strayer (¡89¡–¡964), a graduate of the Pennsylvania Military Academy and Carnegie Tech, served as an o‡cer in the Navy during World War I. He came to Hollywood after the war and found limited employment as an actor before deciding he would be happier working behind the cameras. Signing with Metro, Strayer demonstrated enough ability and eagerness to become an assistant director assigned to mostly B-features. By the early ¡930s he was a full-fledged director making an assortment of low-budget yet interesting films for Columbia and Universal. It soon became apparent that he had a knack for making horror films (The Monster Walks, The Vampire Bat and The Ghost Walks), until in ¡938, in a startling change of direction, he signed to helm the popular Blondie comedy series. He directed ¡3 episodes of the comic strip come to life. After the Blondie comedies, he made ¡2 more films, then retired from the industry in ¡95¡. Perennial sidekick to B-Western stars, John Forrest “Fuzzy” Knight (¡90¡–76), a law school graduate, was also a talented musician, singer, bandleader and vaudeville performer. By the mid–¡920s, besides his other activities, he was appearing in shorts and several feature-length films. A favorite of Mae West, Knight had supporting roles in her comedies She Done Him Wrong (¡933), Belle of the Nineties (¡934) and My Little Chickadee (¡940); he also appeared with Wayne in The Shepherd of the Hills. Of his more than 200 films, a significant number were in support of leading men Johnny Mack Brown and Tex Ritter. Between ¡955 and ¡957, Knight spent time as Private Fuzzy Knight in Buster Crabbe’s Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion TV series. The actor retired after brief appearances in three low-budget Westerns, The Bounty Killer (¡965), Waco (¡966) and Hostile Guns (¡967). Eighteen-year-old, Texasborn Nan Grey’s (Eschal Miller, ¡9¡8–93) film career lasted less than ten years and included roles in over 25 low-grade movies. In ¡950 she married popular singer Frankie Laine. Character actor Russell Hicks (¡895–¡957) started in Hollywood in ¡920 as an assistant casting director for the Famous Players Company. He turned to acting in the early ¡930s and appeared in over 200 films before ill health forced

The Searchers him to retire from the screen in ¡956. Often playing the role of a distinguished citizen or man of prominence, Hicks was seen in Babbitt (¡934), Charlie Chan in Shanghai (¡935), The Three Musketeers (¡939), Virginia City, The Mortal Storm, The Return of Frank James, The Bank Dick (¡940), Western Union (¡94¡), Blood and Sand (¡94¡), Flame of Barbary Coast (with Wayne in ¡945), The Sea of Grass (Tracy and Hepburn, ¡947) and Samson and Delilah (¡949). Actress Lotus Long was forever relegated to roles calling for Oriental types. Besides having an unbilled part in Wayne’s Flying Tigers, she graced the casts of Eskimo (¡933), Mysterious Mr. Wong (¡935), China Passage (¡937), Think Fast, Mr. Moto (¡937), The Mystery of Mr. Wong (¡939), Mr. Wong in Chinatown (¡939) and Tokyo Rose (¡946). Former construction executive Trem Carr (¡89¡–¡946)

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entered the world of motion pictures in ¡922. By ¡925 he was vice-president in charge of productions at Syndicate Films. He left the company in ¡93¡ to become one of the founders of Monogram; in ¡933, Carr and Paul Malvern signed a young John Wayne to star in a series of Lone Star Westerns. Observing the actor’s potential, Carr signed Wayne to a personal contract in ¡935, then negotiated his services to Republic Pictures. Before dying of a heart attack in ¡946, Carr would produce or supervise over ¡25 films, of which 68 were Westerns. Coast Guard cooperation for the film extended to the use of the cutters Aurora and Hermes. Scenes from the climactic battle were recycled by Universal and shown in the serials Don Winslow of the Navy (¡94¡), Chapters ¡¡–¡2, and Don Winslow of the Coast Guard (¡943), Chapter ¡.

The Searchers May 26, ¡956. ¡¡9 minutes. John Wayne, Je›rey Hunter, Vera Miles, Ward Bond, Natalie Wood, John Qualen, Olive Carey, Henry Brandon, Ken Curtis, Harry Carey, Jr., Antonio Moreno, Hank Worden, Beulah Archuletta, Walter Coy, Dorothy Jordan, Pippa Scott, Pat Wayne, Lana Wood, Robert Lyden, Bill Steele, Cli› Lyons, Away Luna, Billy Yellow, Bob Many Mules, Exactly Sonnie Betsuie, Feather Hat, Jr., Harry Black Horse, Jack Tin Horn, Many Mules Son, Percy Shooting Star, Pete Gray Eyes, Pipe Line Begishe, Smile White Sheep, Jack Pennick, Peter Mamakos, Ruth Cli›ord, Mae Marsh, Dan Borzage, Chief Thundercloud, Nacho Gallindo, Phil Kei›er, Shug Fisher; Stuntmen: Billy Cartledge, Chuck Hayward, Slim Hightower, Fred Kennedy, Frank McGrath, Chuck Roberson, Dale Van Sickel, Henry Wills, Terry Wilson, John “Bear” Hudkins. Warner Bros. A C.V. Whitney Picture. Executive Producer Merian C. Cooper; Director John Ford; Associate Producer Patrick Ford; Screenplay Frank S. Nugent; From the Novel by Alan LeMay; Photography Winton C. Hoch; Editor Jack Murray; Sound

Hugh McDowell, Howard Wilson; Art Directors Frank Hotaling, James Basevi; Second Unit Photography Alfred Gilks; Special E›ects George Brown; Production Supervisor Lowell J. Farell; Music Max Steiner; Orchestrator Murray Cutter; Assistant Directors Wingate Smith, Hugh Brown; Color Consultant James Gooch; Set Decorator Victor Gangelin; Costumes Frank Beetson, Ann Peck; Props Dudley Holmes; Makeup Web Overlander; Hairdresser Fae Smith; Songs: “The Searchers” Music & Lyrics: Stan Jones; “Skip to My Lou,” “Shall We Gather at the River”: Traditional REVIEWS: “Wayne maps Ethan so closely to his own gestures that it seems non-acting. A world is created, it lives and breathes, but it’s filled with contradictions and unanswered questions. This engages and moves the viewer more than smoothed-over films do.” The BFI Companion to the Western (Edward Buscombe, Atheneum, ¡988); “[A] work of art. The Searchers is a picture of such economy of expression and such purity of line that it puts to shame the self-important works of filmmakers who treat the western form as if it were a ves-

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sel that anyone who has the nerve to call himself an artist is qualified to fill.” The Great Movies (William Bayer, Grosset & Dunlap, ¡973); “The pictorial composition of many scenes in The Searchers are among the best to be found in any of Ford’s Westerns, most notably in the moving final sequence in which Wayne reclaims his daughter [sic].” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974); “The box o‡ce appeal of John Wayne … makes The Searchers a contender for the big money stakes. It’s a western in the grand scale—handsomely mounted … eyefilling and impressive…. Wayne is fine in the role of the hard-bitten, misunderstood, and mysterious searcher.” Variety (March ¡4, ¡956); “Ethan [is] played (quite superbly) by Wayne…. One of Ford’s most haunting and melancholic films.” A Pictorial History of Westerns (Parkinson & Jeavons, Hamlyn, ¡972); “Masterpiece isn’t a word to be used lightly but few would quarrel about applying it here.” Western Movies (Walter C. Clapham, Octopus, ¡974); “[A] great film by a great director—and Wayne becomes a great actor to fulfill his key place in it.” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, A.S. Barnes, ¡976); “[A] film of great charm and much crudity dominated by the cultural assurance of John Wayne….” Westerns (Philip French, Viking Press, ¡973); “[A]n epic story, filled with comedy and drama….” John Ford (Peter Bogdanovich, University of California Press, ¡968); “[A] rip-snorting Western, as brashly entertaining as they come… [It] has the toughness of leather and the sting of a whip. … John Wayne is uncommonly commanding as the Texan whose passion for revenge is magnificently uncontaminated by caution or sentiment.” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, June 4, ¡956); “[It] has that clear yet intangible quality which characterizes an artist’s masterpiece—the sense that he has gone beyond his customary limits, submitted his deepest tenets to the test, and dared to exceed even what we might have expected of him….” John Ford ( Jospeh McBride and Michael Wilmington, Da Capo Press, ¡975); “The Searchers is one of Ford’s finest achievements, even considered by some the greatest film ever made. It has a richness, resonance, and virtuosity unrivaled by any other Western, except

perhaps for a handful of Ford’s own.” The Western Film (Charles Silver, Pyramid, ¡976); “A goodly proportion of observers will opine that the top-lining performance by John Wayne is the unquestioned best of his long and impressive career. He makes the most of a custom-tailored role…” Boxo‡ce Magazine (March 24, ¡956); “[It’s] one of the great ones—one of the greatest of the great pictures of the American West… [It] promises to make economic as well as entertainment history.” Motion Picture Herald (William R. Weaver, March ¡7, ¡956) SYNOPSIS : From the dark interior of a ranch house, the camera looks through an open door to the dry, sun-baked plains of the great Southwest. Under the bright blue sky, a lone horseman makes his way, his huge body swathed in a Confederate great coat. It is obvious that the travel-stained giant ( John Wayne) has looked on many strange sights and done many dangerous things since the War Between the States ended three years before. He is first sighted by his niece, nine-year-old Debbie Edwards (Lana Wood), who calls her father, Aaron (Walter Coy). Gradually, the family gathers silently on the porch of the adobe house to watch the approach of the man they recognize as Ethan Edwards, brother of Aaron. There is Lucy (Pippa Scott), her mother Martha (Dorothy Jordan) and the boy, ¡4year-old Ben (Robert Lyden). As Ethan greets his kinfolk, we sense that there are strange undercurrents in his relationships and in his personality. There are hints of outlawry, unexplained wealth—which he gives to Ben for safekeeping—and presents for the children, including a military medal for little Debbie. But this is his family and they welcome the hardbitten Ethan unquestioningly with a generous dinner. Just as the family sits down, a lithe, animal-quick young man, dark of hair and skin, slides o› a horse and takes his place at the table. He is Martin Pawley ( Je›rey Hunter), one-eighth Cherokee, who has been cared for by the family ever since his family was massacred by Comanche Indians. Early the next day, six horsemen ride up to the adobe house in the dim light of dawn. They are led by the Rev. and Texas Rangers Captain Sam Clayton (Ward Bond). With him are Lars Jorgensen ( John Qualen), a neighboring rancher, his son Brad

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The Searchers (Warner Bros., ¡956). Wayne, John Ford, Jack Penick, Je›rey Hunter, Dolores del Rio

(Harry Carey, Jr.), Charles McCorry (Ken Curtis), Mose Harper (Hank Worden), an old, bald, bony Indian scout, and Ed Nesby (Bill Steele), a rancher. Clayton informs the Edwards that Indians have run o› some of Jorgensen’s cows and that he is deputizing the local ranchers to hunt both the cattle and the rustlers. Ethan tells his brother to stay with the family and volunteers to go in his place, along with Martin, as part of the posse. When the deputy Rangers find the cows needlessly slaughtered 40 miles away, they know that the raid was a Comanche trick to pull them away from the ranches for a deadlier purpose. The Edwards family finds this out at first hand. Aaron rounds up the children and he and his wife begin barring the windows. They dress little Debbie and tell her to crawl into a hiding place and not to move, no matter what

happens. As Debbie reaches her hiding place outside the cabin, a shadow falls over her. She looks up to see a Comanche chief (Henry Brandon), wearing war paint and bearing a scar on his cheek. Returning to the Edwards ranch, Ethan and Pawley find their worst fears have been realized. Aaron and Martha and young Ben have been slaughtered. In the burned house there are no other bodies, leading Ethan to deduce that the Comanche have taken Lucy and Debbie alive. After a hasty funeral, the posse is re-assembled to seek the girls. Locating the raiding party, and disregarding Ethan’s advice, Clayton allows the Comanches to slip through his fingers and rides into an ambush. A skirmish convinces most of the posse that they cannot take the girls by force, and most of them leave. But Ethan, Martin and young Brad Jorgensen, in love with Lucy, decide to

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press on alone. Eventually, they camp overlooking the Comanches. Brad says that he sees Lucy. Ethan is forced to tell him that Lucy has been killed and that he buried her in his own coat; that what Brad saw was a young brave wearing her dress. Brad goes berserk and rides his horse alone, shooting as he goes, into the Comanche camp. There are answering shots, then silence. Brad is killed. Ethan and Martin move on relentlessly for almost two years. They finally lose the Comanche trail in the snow country and are forced to return home. Laurie (Vera Miles), daughter of the Jorgensens, is overjoyed to see Martin. She gives a letter that has arrived during the men’s absence to Ethan. It contains a piece of Debbie’s dress and the o›er of information regarding her whereabouts from one Futterman, a man who runs a trading post in the Brazos River country. Ethan tells Martin, whom he constantly reminds is no kin to the Edwards, that he should stay behind; but Martin insists on leaving the downcast Laurie and continuing the search. Futterman proves a venal type who sells the information that Debbie has been seen with Chief Scar, a renegade Comanche, heading for a Northern reservation. That night, Futterman and two henchmen try to steal the thousand dollar reward promised them by Ethan, if their information proves accurate, but instead are ambushed by Ethan and killed. The two hardbitten, saddlesore men ride o› to find Scar. Martin unwittingly gets himself married to a Comanche squaw (Beulah Archuletta) who leaves when she hears the name Scar (Cicatrice, in the Spanish patois) and is killed by her people. In New Mexico, the men meet Emilio Figueroa (Antonio Moreno) who, for a price, agrees to lead the searchers to Scar. They agree and he brings them into the heart of Scar’s encampment. Scar recognizes them; and they recognize Debbie, now a young woman (Natalie Wood), by the medal she still wears around her neck. Ethan proposes that they talk trade the next day. Figueroa, fearing Scar, tells him that he doesn’t want his “blood money” and rides away, urging Ethan and Martin to also depart. They refuse. The next day, Debbie comes to them and, in the Comanche tongue, tells them to leave as she wishes to live with the Indians. Ethan is about to kill her

when he is wounded by a Comanche rifle bullet. Martin helps the wounded man mount his horse and leads him to safety in a natural cave. There the two manage to stave o› an Indian attack with rifle fire. Once the Comanche retreat, Ethan hands Martin his will bequeathing everything to the young man because he, Ethan, is “without blood kin.” Martin remonstrates with him saying that Debbie is still alive. Ethan responds, “She’s been livin’ with a buck. She’s nothin’ but a—” Martin tells him to shut his dirty mouth and builds a travois to take him back home. There Laurie is about to wed Charlie McCorry, but when she sees Martin she runs to his side. This leads to a roughand-tumble fight between Martin and the almost-groom. The fracas is interrupted by young cavalry lieutenant Greenhill (Patrick Wayne), who brings a request from his father, Col. Greenhill (Cli› Lyons), for a detachment of Texas Rangers to join his troop in a punitive action against Chief Scar, now raiding nearby. Martin goes in ahead to try to save Debbie. She resists him, then he hears the click of Scar’s rifle lever. He whirls, draws and fires in one quick motion. Scar is killed. Martin drags the girl away while the soldiers and Rangers attack successfully. Then Ethan spots Martin and Debbie. He rides full tilt at them, knocking Martin down and forcing the girl ahead until she drops. Then, instead of killing her, he picks her up and gently carries her back to the Jorgensen Ranch. Laurie rushes to Martin. Everyone enters the house but Ethan. He places one hand on the other elbow, then slowly turns away and walks towards the sunbaked plains. NOTES: In production from June ¡5 to August ¡6, ¡955. Fifty days were spent on location at Monument Valley and environs with nine days of interior work at RKO-Pathé Studios. Second unit location work was filmed in February in Gunnison, Colorado, and Edmonton, Canada, with stuntmen Terry Wilson doubling Wayne and Chuck Hayward doubling Hunter. Budgeted at $2,500,000, the final negative cost came to $2,502,000. With a domestic box o‡ce gross of $¡0,200,000, the Western returned rentals of $4,900,000 to Warners and C.V. Whitney Pictures. Foreign rentals amounted to $¡,732,000. The Searchers

The Searchers was one of the first 25 films selected and designated as “national treasures” under the National Film Preservation Act. Merian C. Cooper purchased the screen rights to the novel, which had been a best seller and was serialized in The Saturday Evening Post. His wife, actress Dorothy Jordan (¡906–88), returned to films for the role of Edwards’ sister-in-law. Ford was contracted to receive $¡25,000 and ¡0 percent of the net profits. Wayne was to be paid $250,000 against ¡0 percent of the gross receipts after Warners received the first $2,500,000 in rentals. Wayne’s contract called for him to be paid at the rate of $¡000 a week. With his profit participation, the actor earned just over $350,000 for the film. Actress Olive Carey (born Olive Fuller Golden, ¡900–92) came to California in ¡9¡4. She joined Mary Pickford, Lillian and Dorothy Gish and Harry Carey in becoming a stock player for D.W. Gri‡th. While appearing in dozens of silent films, she introduced a Universal prop man named John Ford to her future husband, Harry Carey. After marrying Carey, she retired from the screen to raise two children on the family ranch in Saugus, California. When Carey died in ¡947, she resumed her film career, appearing in a score of films that included Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, The Alamo and Ford’s Two Rode Together. Character actor Henry Brandon (¡9¡3–90), who played Chief Scar, was born Henry Kleinbach in Berlin, Germany. Over the course of his 50-year film career he portrayed native Americans in 26 films. The veteran of close to ¡00 motion pictures arrived in Hollywood in ¡934 after a two-year run in the original The Drunkard play. Hal Roach signed the actor for the role of Silas Barnaby in the ¡934 Laurel and Hardy Christmas fantasy Babes in Toyland. Brandon also had roles in the serials Buck Rogers (¡939) and Drums of Fu Manchu (¡940) and the features Beau Geste (¡939), Underground (¡94¡), Joan of Arc (¡948), Pony Express (¡953), The War of the Worlds (¡953) and The Big Fisherman (¡959). In several sequences, Chuck Roberson doubled Brandon, when he was not doubling Wayne. Lana Wood (born Svetlana Gurdin, ¡946– ) was the younger sister of Natalie Wood. She appeared in the James Bond adventure Diamonds Are Forever (¡97¡) and was a regular in

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the nighttime soap opera Peyton Place (¡966– 67). Even before the dawn of the third decade of the twentieth century, Ruth Cli›ord (¡900– 98) was a star of motion pictures. The Rhode Island–born actress, at the age of ¡4, began her acting career with the Thomas Edison studio. In ¡9¡6 she signed a contract with Universal and appeared in several films for young director John Ford. Some of her better-known silent films included A Kentucky Cinderella (¡9¡7), The Kaiser—Beast of Berlin (¡9¡8) and Abraham Lincoln (¡924). During the sound era she became a character actress with supporting roles in almost 40 films including Stand Up and Cheer (¡934), Dante’s Inferno (¡935), Four Men and a Prayer (¡938), The Keys of the Kingdom (¡944), Wagonmaster (¡950) and The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (¡956). In the ¡950s she also guest-starred on several early television shows including Highway Patrol and I Led Three Lives. A poll taken of 60,000 Brits in ¡999 revealed that The Searchers was listed as the seventy-second all-time most popular film in England. While a U.S. park ranger, Arizona-born Stan Jones (¡9¡4–63) composed the vastly popular hit song “Ghost Riders in the Sky.” Becoming a bit player, he had roles in nine films including Rio Grande and The Horse Soldiers, for which he also composed some of the music. A scene with actor Peter Ortiz in the Gen. Custer role was edited from the released print. Stuntman Henry Wills’ only scene, dressed as an Indian on a horse, was an outtake from She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. The shot was used for publicity purposes only. To coincide with the release of the film, MGM Records came out with a 45 RPM that featured Danny Knight singing the theme of The Searchers. In ¡999 filmmaker Nick Redman wrote and directed the award-winning documentary A Turning of the Earth: John Ford, John Wayne and “The Searchers.” The 35-minute featurette utilized footage that was shot on location while the feature was being made in Monument Valley. In June ¡957, after completing The Searchers, Warners attempted to get Wayne to commit to one additional film beyond the seven that he had contracted for on May 2, ¡949. He was o›ered three projects: Trouble Marshal, The Marblehead and The Long Highway. Wayne rejected all three scripts.

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Seven Sinners October 25, ¡940. 86–87 minutes. Marlene Dietrich, John Wayne, Broderick Crawford, Mischa Auer, Albert Dekker, Billy Gilbert, Anna Lee, Oscar Homolka, Samuel S. Hinds, Reginald Denny, Vince Barnett, Herbert Rawlinson, James Craig, William Bakewell, Antonio Moreno, Russell Hicks, William Davidson, Richard Carle, Willie Fung, Frank Hagney, David Sharpe, Gil Perkins, Jimmy Fawcett, Tom Steele, Duke Green, Eric Alden, Danny Beck, Mamo Clark, Edgar Edwards, Tay Garnett, Michael Harvey, Al Hill, Soledad Jimenez, Noble Johnson, Mike Lally, Perc Launders, Larry Lawson, Harry Payne, Rolfe Sedan, Tom Seidel, Evelyn Selbie, Harry Seymour, John Sheehan, Charles Sta›ord, Peter Sullivan, Frank Swann, Nanette Vallon, Roquell Verria, Henry Victor, Leslie Vincent, Ward Wing. Universal. Producer Joe Pasternak; Director Tay Garnett; Screenplay John Meehan, Harry Tugend; Story Ladislaus Fodor, Lazlo Vadnai; Photography Rudolph Mate; Art Director Jack Otterson; Musical Director Charles Previn; Editor Ted J. Kent; Set Decorator Russell A. Gausman; Sound Bernard B. Brown, Robert Pritchard; Music Frank Skinner, Hans Salter; Songs “I Fell Overboard,” “I’ve Been in Love Before,” “The Man’s in the Navy,” Frederick Hollander, Frank Loesser, “I Can’t Give You Anything but Love, Baby” Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields, “Anchors Aweigh” Charles A. Zimmerman, R. Lovell, Alfred Hart Miles; Costumes Vera West; Miss Dietrich’s gowns Irene; Assistant Director Phil Karlson; Unit Publicist Alanson Edwards; Technical Advisor Capt. I.C. Johnson REVIEWS: “Nothing new in either background or story setup…. Picture looks like it underwent intensive cutting, and as a result is decidedly episodic…. Wayne is okay as the naval o‡cer who falls hard for the tarnished article, but finally accepts fate.” Variety (October 30, ¡940); “[A] lot of noisy, robust fun…. John Wayne, acting very stalwart and romantic as Lieutenant Whitney.” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, November ¡8, ¡940);

“[It’s] top cut for fans who like rum, rowdyism, and rebellion in their movies.” Time Magazine (November ¡8, ¡940); “[O]ne of the wildest brawls ever staged.” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974); “The story, which has as many inconsistencies as islands, and they’re plenty, serves merely as a frail framework before which Marlene parades her charms…” Boxo‡ce Magazine (November 2, ¡940) SYNOPSIS: Trouble follows cabaret singer Bijou Blanche (Marlene Dietrich) from one South Sea Island to the next. Along with her self-proclaimed bodyguard, ex–Navy man Little Ned Finnegan (Broderick Crawford), and Sasha (Mischa Auer), a magician troubled by kleptomania, she is treated as part of the human backwash of the territory. After a fight breaks out in her latest place of employment, the three are deported. On board a steamer, Bijou meets the ship’s doctor (Albert Dekker), an alcoholic derelict who falls for the sultry entertainer and o›ers her some quiet companionship. More important to her uncertain itinerary, Bijou also meets Dorothy Henderson (Anna Lee), en route to meet her father, the new governor of the island of Boni-Komba. The change in government gives the unwelcome travelers a chance to return to the place from which they had previously been uprooted. Upon her arrival, Bijou meets a handsome Navy lieutenant, Dan Brent ( John Wayne), who helps her through the crowd at the dock before assuming his duties as Miss Henderson’s escort. With Ned and Sasha in tow, Bijou returns to her former place of employment, the Seven Sinners Cafe, and convinces its owner, Tony (Billy Gilbert), to rehire her. Unfortunately, she also meets an unsavory character from her past, Antro (Oscar Homolka), a knife-wielding bully who wants to reclaim her attention. When Bijou’s performances at the cafe pull away the young naval o‡cers from the reception for Miss Henderson, an angry Lt. Brent confronts them at the Seven Sinners. But his heart quickly melts as the enchanting songstress casts her usual spell. Brent is so taken with the entertainer that he invites her

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Seven Sinners (Universal, ¡940). Stuntman, Wayne, Broderick Crawford, stuntman

to sing at a party on board their ship. The Navy brass, worried about the lieutenant’s interest in Bijou, does its best to break up the couple. When it becomes apparent that Dan will resign to marry Bijou, Ned intervenes and convinces the singer that she would ruin the o‡cer’s life by letting him leave his true love— the Navy. Meanwhile, a jealous Antro, unable to command any respect from Bijou, plans harm to her young man. As Dan comes to see her at the cafe, Antro’s hired thugs surround him. With the strong fists of Little Ned and some other local seamen, Dan slugs it out in the saloon with Antro and his men. When Tony takes a knife in the back, Antro is arrested while Ned spirits an unconscious but victorious Dan from the premises. By dawn, with all emotion in the proper perspective, the principals carry out their final decisions. Dan,

who has found a way for Ned to be reinstated in the Navy, remains with his fellow o‡cers on board ship. Bijou and Sasha board the next steamer out, where the weary songstress is reunited with her friend, the doctor.—TAL NOTES: Filmed from July to September ¡4, ¡940, on the lot at Universal Studios and at the Saugus Airfield, just north of the San Fernando Valley. For starring in the film, Dietrich was paid $¡50,000 while director Garnett earned $¡00,000. A graduate of the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Tay Garnett (¡894–¡977) was a flight instructor with the Navy during World War I. After the war he began writing comedy material as well as short stories for Hal Roach, Mack Sennett and Cecil B. DeMille. This lasted until ¡928, when he was a›orded the opportunity to direct. Throughout the ¡930s and ¡940s,

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MGM, Fox and Paramount and other studios hired Garnett to direct many of their productions including China Seas (¡935), Trade Winds (¡939), My Favorite Spy (¡942), Bataan (¡943), The Postman Always Rings Twice (¡946) and Wild Harvest (¡947). Born in the Hungarian province of Transylvania, Joe Pasternak (¡90¡–9¡) came to the United States in ¡92¡ and began working as a dishwasher at Paramount’s Astoria Studios in New York. Within two years he was a fourth assistant director, and in another two years he was writing and directing for the studio. As a Universal producer he was sent to work in their European operations. He returned to the U.S. in ¡936 with a secure reputation and immediately began to create box o‡ce hits for the studio. Pasternak’s ten films starring Deanna Durbin helped the studio avert bankruptcy in the late ¡930s. He also revived the sagging career of Marlene Dietrich by inserting her opposite Jimmy Stewart in the comedy Western Destry Rides Again (¡939). Moving to MGM in ¡94¡ (he would remain there until ¡968), Pasternak made some memorable musicals including Presenting Lily Mars, Two Girls and a Sailor and A Date with Judy starring Elizabeth Taylor. In the early ¡950s he scored with two musicals starring singing sensation Mario Lanza, and in the ¡960s produced comedies and musicals with Doris Day and Elvis Presley. His last film, The Sweet Ride, was released in ¡968 by Fox, but failed to ignite at the box o‡ce. A drinking buddy of John Wayne, Broderick Crawford (¡9¡¡–86) first appeared on the screen in ¡937 in several brief and forgettable roles. In ¡949, after years of supporting parts, he reached the zenith of his career by winning the Academy Award for Best Actor for playing Willie Stark, a role which had originally been o›ered to Wayne, in All The King’s Men. Screenwriter, producer and studio executive, Brooklyn-born, Harry Tugend (¡898–¡989) was one of the original members of the Screen Writers Guild in ¡932. After service with the Army during World War I, Tugend became a singer-actor in vaudeville and on radio. In his spare time he started writing sketches for the Ziegfeld Follies as well as for Fred Allen and Fanny Brice. By the ¡930s he had signed a contract with 20th Century–Fox to write scripts

for the studio’s emerging star, Shirley Temple. These films, The Littlest Rebel (¡935), Poor Little Rich Girl (¡936), Captain January (¡936) and Little Miss Broadway (¡938), were all substantial hits. After working on the Dietrich-Wayne film he accepted an assignment at Paramount to work on the Mary Martin picture Kiss the Boys Goodbye (¡94¡). At Paramount he also scripted Bob Hope’s Caught in the Draft, Bing Crosby’s Birth of the Blues and the all-star StarSpangled Rhythm (¡942). As a producer Tugend presented Paramount’s California (¡946), Cross My Heart, Dietrich’s Golden Earrings (¡947), and the Crosby-Hope Road to Bali (¡952). Costume designer Irene (Irene Lentz, ¡90¡–62) began dressing some of Hollywood’s biggest female stars in ¡933. She joined MGM in ¡942 after creating spectacular fashions for Flying Down to Rio (¡933), Topper (¡937) and Algiers (¡938). At MGM she worked on Madame Curie (¡943), A Guy Named Joe (¡943), The White Cli›s of Dover (¡944), National Velvet (¡944), Ziegfeld Follies (¡945), The Harvey Girls (¡946), The Postman Always Rings Twice (¡946), The Hucksters (¡947), Easter Parade (¡948) and Neptune’s Daughter (¡949). In the ¡960s she designed the costumes for Doris Day in Lover Come Back (¡96¡) and Midnight Lace (¡960), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award. Mischa Auer (Mischa Ounskowski, ¡905–67) was born in Russia and came to the United States at the age of ¡5. While appearing on Broadway he was o›ered a small part in the film Something Always Happens (¡928). Appreciative of the art of filmmaking, the heavily accented performer decided to stay in Hollywood, working as a villain in an assortment of films including Tarzan the Fearless (¡933) and The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (¡935). In ¡936, changing to a comedic portrayal, he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in My Man Godfrey. After appearing in over 60 films, in the late ¡940s the actor returned to Europe and continued his film career in England, France, Spain and Italy. Character actor William Bakewell (¡907–95), a cofounder of the Screen Actors Guild, is credited with appearances in over ¡00 films and 200 television programs. He made his motion picture debut in the silent film He’s a Prince (¡925), worked steadily through the late ¡940s,

Shadow of the Eagle and was even featured in Gone with the Wind (¡939). The actor gladly accepted television o›ers and was a staple in the early days of the medium. The film employed over 30 stuntmen (at $35 a day) led by David Sharpe and Duke Green (stunting for Wayne). As a lark, director Garnett, dressed as a drunken sailor, placed himself at a table for one bar scene. Polishborn cinematographer, Rudolph Mate (¡898– ¡964) graduated from college in Hungary and almost immediately found work assisting legendary cameramen Alexander Korda, then Karl Freund. Moving to Hollywood in ¡935, he was hired to lens Dante’s Inferno. Some of the

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better known of his 50-plus screen credits include Dodsworth (¡936), the Gary Cooper films The Adventures of Marco Polo (¡938), The Real Glory (¡939) and The Pride of the Yankees (¡942), and Rita Hayworth’s Gilda (¡946). In ¡947, after ¡3 years of cinematography, he turned to directing and was responsible for two well-received e›orts, D.O.A. (¡950) and the sci-fi epic When Worlds Collide (¡95¡). In ¡949, the same story, with a reworked screenplay, was released as South Sea Sinner. The world premiere was held in New Orleans. In England the film was released under the title Café of Seven Sinners.

Shadow of the Eagle February ¡, ¡932. ¡2 chapters. 250 minutes. John Wayne, Dorothy Gulliver, Edward Hearn, Richard Tucker, Lloyd Whitlock, Walter Miller, Edmund Burns, Pat O’Malley, Little Billy (Rhodes), Ivan Linow, James Bradbury, Jr., Ernie S. Adams, Roy D’Arcy, Bud Osborne, Yakima Canutt, Kenneth Harlan, Billy West, Monty Montague, Murdock MacQuarrie. Mascot. Supervisor Nat Levine; Director Ford Beebe; Story Ford Beebe, Colbert Clark, Wyndham Gittens; Photography Ben Kline, Victor Scheurich; Supervising Editor Wyndham Gittens; Editor Ray Snyder; Sound George Lowerre REVIEWS: “Wayne had … opportunity to demonstrate his athletic prowess.” Cli›hanger (Alan G. Barbour, A&W Publishers, ¡977); “[Wayne] became a star in the eyes of the Saturday matinee habitués long before he achieved exalted status with the mainstream audience.” Forgotten Horrors: Early Talkie Chillers from Poverty Row (George E. Turner & Michael H. Price, A.S. Barnes & Co., ¡979) SYNOPSIS: “You shot down the Eagle and stole his invention. His shadow has returned. Prepare to pay!” So reads a cryptic message which is part of a series of threats received by the executive of the Evans Aero Corporation. Major Evans (Richard Tucker) and his business partners were all members of the same

flying unit in World War I. One of their comrades, Nathan Gregory (Edward Hearn), was mistakenly shot down on May 23, ¡9¡8, by Green (Lloyd Whitlock), another member of the unit and now a corporation executive. Since their fallen comrade was nicknamed “the Eagle,” the ex-fliers are understandably troubled by the current threats. When they discover that Gregory is alive and is the owner of a bankrupt carnival, they immediately accuse him of the threats. This confrontation by his former comrades reveals to Gregory that his own invention has been used by the company to build its success. When the carnival owner disappears before the police can question him, Evans and his partners are convinced of his guilt. In fact, Gregory has been kidnapped by the villain’s henchmen Gardner (Roy D’Arcy) and Moore (Bud Osborne). Fortunately for Gregory, his carnival family works tirelessly to rescue him and prove his innocence. Headed by flying ace Craig McCoy ( John Wayne), the troupe uses its talents to fight the villain. Billy (Little Billy), a midget, uses his size to eavesdrop on the henchmen; the strongman (Ivan Linow) puts his muscle to work in the many confrontations that occur; Henry ( James Bradbury, Jr.), the ventriloquist, uses his talents as a mimic to confuse the evildoers. Kelly (Ernie S. Adams), the carnival barker and Gregory’s

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Shadow of the Eagle

Shadow of the Eagle (Mascot, ¡932). Little Billy (Rhodes), Edmund Burns, Wayne, Walter Miller

wartime mechanic, helps the cause by confessing to the murder of one of the corporation executives so that Craig will not be framed for the crime. And Gregory’s daughter Jean (Dorothy Gulliver), continuously puts herself in peril as she works to find the Eagle’s identity. Craig and his comrades discover that it is one of the executives who has secretly been using the Eagle’s revenge scheme to scare o› other executives and gain sole ownership of the company. When Kelly confesses from his jail cell that it was he who sold Gregory’s plans to the corporation, the Eagle fears that his secret is in jeopardy. Craig uses Kelly as a decoy, tricking the ruthless villain into revealing himself. The executives of the Evans Corporation make their former flying partner, Nathan Gregory, a full business partner. Craig wins the admira-

tion of all for his cunning and his courage.— TAL NOTES: Filmed in 2¡ days between December ¡93¡ and January ¡932 at locations in the Antelope Valley, just North of Los Angeles, and at Bronson Canyon in Hollywood. Budgeted at $50,000. There is no musical score or added sound e›ects. The serial returned almost $60,000 to Mascot in rentals. The ¡2 chapter titles were: ¡) “The Carnival Mystery,” 2) “Pinholes,” 3) “The Eagle Strikes,” 4) “The Man of a Million Voices,” 5) “The Telephone Cipher,” 6) “The Code of the Carnival,” 7) “Eagle or Vulture?,” 8) “On the Spot,” 9) “When Thieves Fall Out,” ¡0) “The Man Who Knew,” ¡¡) “The Eagle’s Wings” and ¡2) “The Shadow Unmasked.” In ¡926, female lead Dorothy Gulliver (¡908–97) was cast by Uni-

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon versal to appear in their lengthy and popular series of shorts The Collegians, shot on the campuses of the University of Southern California (USC) and the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA). In the late ¡920s and ¡930s, Gulliver alternated between serials (The Winking Idol and Strings of Steel) and numerous BWesterns (The Rambling Ranger, The Pecos Dandy, The Fighting Caballero, Custer’s Last Stand, In Early Arizona) starring Jack Hoxie, Hoot Gibson, Tim McCoy, Rex Lease and Rin Tin Tin. Prior to Shadow of the Eagle, she costarred in two other Mascot serials, The Phantom of the West (¡93¡) and The Galloping Ghost (¡93¡) starring football great Red Grange. After the Wayne serial, Gulliver moved to RKO to appear in their Western serial The Last Frontier (¡932) with Creighton Chaney (Lon Chaney, Jr.). Throughout the ’30s she was in great demand, appearing in films for the sub–B studios Majestic, Mayfair and Weiss Productions. Her career would encompass almost 50 films. Texas-born Lennie B. “Bud” Osborne (¡88¡–¡964) was an outstanding stuntman and bit-role actor whose film career spanned almost 40 years and included over 450 sound films (the majority uncredited), of which approximately 400 were Westerns and 36 were serials. As an extra or bit player, usually in the role of a member of the posse or gang or stage-

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coach operator, he started with the Thomas Ince Company in ¡9¡5 and continued in that function to the end of the B-Western genre in the mid–’50s. Along the way, as a lawman or villain, he supported almost every major and minor Western star in the industry including Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Tim McCoy, Tim Holt, Hoot Gibson, Leo Maloney, Tom Mix, Sunset Carson, Jack Perrin and Dick Foran. Osborne (he was also billed as Osbourne) made at least ¡4 features with Wayne including Texas Cyclone, Two-Fisted Law, Ride Him Cowboy, The Big Stampede, Haunted Gold, Telegraph Trail, Santa Fe Stampede, Night Riders, New Frontier (¡939), Allegheny Uprising, The Spoilers, In Old California and Flame of the Barbary Coast. Pint-sized Ernie S. Adams (¡885–¡947) had a film career that spanned 30 years and was comprised of over 350 motion pictures. In ¡939 alone, the actor can be seen in 27 films including such well-known items Tower of London, Young Mr. Lincoln, Man of Conquest, Union Pacific and You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man. For the ¡942 Lou Gehrig biography starring Gary Cooper, The Pride of the Yankees, he portrayed legendary Yankee manager Miller Huggins. The actor also supported Wayne in the other Mascot serial Hurricane Express and had an unbilled role in Republic’s Dark Command.

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon July 28, ¡949. ¡04 minutes. John Wayne, Joanne Dru, John Agar, Ben Johnson, Harry Carey, Jr., Victor McLaglen, Mildred Natwick, George O’Brien, Arthur Shields, Harry Woods, Chief John Big Tree, Noble Johnson, Cli› Lyons, Tom Tyler, Michael Dugan, Mickey Simpson, Frank McGrath, Don Summers, Fred Libby, Jack Pennick, Billy Jones, Bill (Steele) Gettinger, Fred Graham, Rudy Bowman, Post Parks, Ray Hyke, Lee Bradley, Francis Ford, Chief Sky Eagle, Dan White, Paul Fix, John Epper, Chuck Hayward, Bear Hudkins, Bob Rose, Slim Hightower, Al Murphy, Frank Baker, Fred Kennedy, Roydon

Clark, Eva Novak, Everett Creach. RKO. An Argosy Film. Presented by John Ford, Merian C. Cooper; Director John Ford; Associate Producer Lowell Farrell; Scenarists Frank S. Nugent, Laurence Stallings; From the Saturday Evening Post story “War Party” by James Warner Bellah; Photography Winton C. Hoch; Art Director James Basevi; Film Editor Jack Murray; Second Unit Photography Charles Boyle; Camera Operator Harvey Gould; Assistant Directors Wingate Smith, Edward O’Fearna; Photographic E›ects Jack Cosgrove; Technicolor Color Director Natalie Kalmus; Associate Morgan Padelford; Musical Score Richard Hageman;

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She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

Musical Arrangements Lucien Cailliet; Musical Conductor C. Bakaleiniko›; Costumes Research D.R.O. Hatswell; Men’s Wardrobe Michael Meyers; Makeup Don Cash; Hairdresser Anna Malin; Sound Frank Webster, Clem Portman; Sound E›ects Patrick Kelly; Special E›ects Jack Ca›ee; Properties Jack Golconda; Set Decorator Joe Kish; Technical Advisors Major Philip Kie›er, Cli› Lyons; Assistant Editor Barbara Ford; Narrator Irving Pichel; Ga›er Robert Campbell; Stills Alex Kahle; Script Supervisor Meta Sterne; Grip Tom Clement REVIEWS: “The most sentimental of all [Ford’s] westerns.” A Pictorial History of Westerns (Parkinson and Jeavon, Hamlyn, ¡972); “Deep-dyed romantic in concept and execution it lilts along as if in time with its theme tune and is often quite incredibly beautiful. Never have the cavalry been braver images… Landscapes, men and horses are all decked out with fetching flourishes.” Western Movies (Walter C. Clapham, Octopus, ¡974); “[A] superb vehicle for [Wayne] and gave him one of his favorite screen roles.” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974); “[A] classic of the Western and one of John Ford’s most enduring works … probably the most beautiful Western ever made and one in which the visual pleasure is constantly reinforced by the depth of feeling.” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, A.S. Barnes, ¡976); “[T]he film, drenched in reverence for the gallant calvarymen, fairly glows with a›ection for their rituals and rites of passage… Playing a role older than his actual age, Wayne invested the character with a matchless strength and authority.” Great Hollywood Westerns (Ted Sennett, AFI Press, ¡990); “A real moneymaker… [W]estern meller done in the best John Ford manner … adds up to socko box o‡ce.” Variety ( June ¡949); “Not only a superb film in the western tradition, but also one of the best e›orts in John Ford’s distinguished career… Will be happy news indeed for an exhibitor, wherever his situation and whatever audience he caters to.” Motion Picture Herald ( June ¡949); “Treated to unstinting production values, flaming Technicolor photography, meticulous attention to historical and technical details and vast know-how [it will] be a top money attraction in every booking.” Boxo‡ce

Magazine ( July ¡949); “One of those products for which the American industry is chiefly admired—a topnotch, grand scale western….” Showmen’s Trade Review ( July ¡949); “A sure hit … the finest outdoor picture produced in Hollywood for a very long time.” Hollywood Reporter ( July ¡949); “Sets a mark that will be hard to match. Another of John Ford’s classics of the early west, told with the distinctive screen craftsmanship that is his trade mark… Rates the box o‡ce payo› it will surely get.” Daily Variety ( June ¡949) SYNOPSIS: Custer is dead and around the bloody guidons of the Seventh Cavalry lie the 2¡2 o‡cers and men he led. Stirred by victory, Indian braves from the Canadian border to the Rio Bravo join in a holy war against the U.S. Cavalry’s dog-faced soldiers in dirty blue. Signal smokes, war chants and feathered bonnets fill the Western skies as Capt. Nathan Brittles ( John Wayne), after 43 years of service, faces his impending retirement. His commander, Major Allshard (George O’Brien), gives him a last-minute mission before his return to civilian life. Nathan leads his C Troop from Fort Stark to follow a raiding party of Cheyenne dog soldiers. At the same time he must escort the Major’s wife (Mildred Natwick) and her pretty niece, Olivia ( Joanne Dru), to the stage depot at Sudrow’s Wells. Hamstrung with the protection of the women, Brittles is hesitant to engage the hostiles or to follow the fort’s sutler, Rynders (Harry Woods), who has set o› in a wagon after the Cheyenne. Nathan’s cautious detour has dire consequences for the Paradise River patrol, under attack by the Arapahoe and decimated before Brittles’ force can relieve them. Meanwhile, the Cheyenne have beaten him to Sudrow’s Wells, leaving it scarred with destruction. A dejected Brittles turns his force in retreat. On the return march, a scouting group witnesses Rynders’ murder when the Indians stop bartering for his repeating rifles and take them by force. A large body of warriors follows the retreating column. Brittles is forced to choose between his junior o‡cers, Lieutenants Flint Cohill ( John Agar) and Ross Pennell (Harry Carey, Jr.), to leave a rear guard at the river crossing. Until now, the young o‡cers have devoted most of their energies to debating for which of them Olivia wears a

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yellow ribbon as a token of love. But this campaign has matured them, and Brittles orders Cohill to remain and buy them some time. The column wearily drags itself back to the fort where Nathan is relieved of command. At dawn of his last morning in the service, he reviews his men under the command of Lt. Pennell, and watches them ride out to relieve Cohill. Brittles bids farewell to the fort, then pursues Pennell in the hope of giving his last hours as a soldier to help the inexperienced o‡cer. Riding into the war camp of the Indians, he pleads for peace with his friend, Pony That Walks (Chief Big Tree). “Too late, Nathan,” nods the old chief, pushed aside by his younger warriors. With a good knowledge of the camp’s layout, Brittles returns to the troop and unfolds his plan. At full gallop the pony soldiers descend upon the sleeping encampment and stampede hundreds of Indian ponies, scattering them across the desert. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (RKO, ¡949). John Wayne The only casualty is the pride of the braves, now forced to return on foot to their reservations. “It’s your cavalry, Mr. Codays; Mormon extras were paid $¡2 a day. Cinhill. Good luck,” says Nathan in farewell, but ematographer Winton Hoch was paid at the before he can ride too far into the West, he is rate of $750 a week; James Warner Bellah rerecalled and appointed Chief of Civilian ceived $¡2,000 for the screen rights to his story. Scouts.—TAL In its first year of release, the film earned doNOTES: Filmed in 3¡ days from October mestic rentals of $2,700,000 from a box o‡ce gross of $6,650,000. It grossed an additional 28 to November 27, ¡948, on location in Mon$2,500,000 from overseas markets. Winton ument Valley. Budgeted at $¡,85¡,290 (includHoch, with his brilliant color photography, ing a 20 percent overhead charge), the film was won the Oscar for Best Cinematography. Francompleted at a cost of $¡,856,67¡.99. For porcis Ford (¡88¡–¡953), older brother of John traying the role of Capt. Nathan Brittles, Ford and a prominent director at the dawn of Wayne was paid $¡00,000 and an additional the motion picture industry, saw his star go $75,000 for his share of the film’s profits. into decline in the mid–’20s, just about the Salaries for other selected members of the cast: same time as his younger brother began gainJohn Agar, $466.67 a week; Ward Bond, ing in stature. Staying active as an actor right $35,000; Victor McLaglen, $35,000; Joanne up to the time of his death, the elder Ford acDru, $¡0,625; George O’Brien, $¡5,000; Ben cepted any and all types of roles o›ered, inJohnson, $250 a week (total salary $¡874.99); cluding several minor and menial comical apHarry Carey, Jr., $300 a week (total salary pearances for his brother. Ford also appeared $¡650); Francis Ford, $¡60 a week. The 200 in the Wayne films The Man from Monterey, Navajo extras were each paid $¡8 a day for 20

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The Shepherd of the Hills

Stagecoach, Fort Apache, Three Godfathers and The Quiet Man. In a career that spanned almost 40 years, character actor Daniel M. “Dan” White (¡908–80) appeared in over ¡35 films, of which over ¡00 were Westerns. The actor had minor roles in The Yearling (¡946), Duel in the Sun (¡946), The Sea of Grass (¡947), The Red Badge of Courage (¡95¡), The Tall Men (¡955), Giant (¡956) and Touch of Evil (¡958). In Red River he portrayed the hapless trailhand,

Laredo. Chief John Big Tree (¡865–¡967), born Isaac Johnny John, was a Seneca Indian from upstate New York. He had roles in films, mostly uncredited, from ¡9¡5 to ¡960 including The Iron Horse, The Big Trail, Drums Along the Mohawk, Stagecoach, North West Mounted Police, Western Union and Unconquered. The native American was one of the models used by sculpture James Fraser for his work on the bu›alo nickel. Reissued in ¡954.

The Shepherd of the Hills June ¡0, ¡94¡. 98 minutes. John Wayne, Betty Field, Harry Carey, Beulah Bondi, James Barton, Samuel S. Hinds, Marjorie Main, Ward Bond, Marc Lawrence, John Qualen, Fuzzy Knight, Tom Fadden, Dorothy Adams, Olin Howland, John Harmon, Carl Knowles, Fern Emmett, Charles Middleton, Virita Campbell, William Haade, Robert Kortman, Henry Brandon, Jim Corey, Selmer Jackson, Hank Bell. Paramount. Producer Jack Moss; Executive Producer William LeBaron; Director Henry Hathaway; Assistant Director George (Dink) Templeton; Screenplay Grover Jones, Stuart Anthony; Original Story Harold Bell Wright, from his novel; Photography Charles Lang, Jr., W. Howard Greene; Editor Ellsworth Hoagland; Sound Recording Harold Lewis, John Cope; Art Directors Hans Dreier, Roland Anderson; Music Gerard Carbonara; Makeup Bob Ewing; Color Art Director Natalie Kalmus; Associate Henri Ja›a; Color Technicolor; Song “There’s a Happy Hunting Ground”: Music and Lyrics Sam Coslow REVIEWS: “Gifted John Wayne and Betty Field do their best against the inanities of their roles … a lachrymose bore.” The New York Times (T.S., July 3¡, ¡94¡); “[A] powerful one on the lines of Stagecoach but with greater depth involving the kind of intense, interior conflict that he [Wayne] could register powerfully.” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, A.S. Barnes, ¡976); “Wayne gave a first-class, though occasionally awkward performance.” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974);

“The sharp Technicolor photography and striking locations complement the drama and create a genuinely pungent insight into the lives of mountain people caught up in their own predilections and primitive passions.” Shoot-Em-Ups (Les Adams & Buck Rainey, Arlington House, ¡978); “A sentimental, rural idyll of a Western….” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Phil Hardy, Overlook Press, ¡983); “This is the third time this story has been filmed, but this version is by far the best. From an artistic standpoint it is outstanding—the acting, direction and production, including the Technicolor photography, are excellent….” Harrison’s Reports ( July 5, ¡94¡); “Picture is studded with excellent performances from top to bottom. Carey dominates the tale…. Betty Field’s interpretation of the mountaineer girl … is a standout. Wayne handles himself with exceptional ability as the young Ozarkian.” Variety ( June ¡8, ¡94¡); “The entire cast is excellent, with top honors going to John Wayne for his top job to date.” Motion Picture Herald ( June ¡94¡); “In Technicolor, it has good photography and good acting, although the overwrought tearjerker plot may make it a bit too soapy for modern audiences.” Western Films: A Complete Guide (Brian Garfield, Da Capo Press, ¡982) SYNOPSIS: A shadow has fallen over the Ozarks since the untimely death of Matt Matthews’ ( John Wayne) mother, abandoned by her husband years before. The Matthews clan busies itself with illegal moonshining as

The Shepherd of the Hills young Matt nourishes an oath of revenge, promising his dead mother that he will kill “him that never come back to you.” The mountaineer’s obsession is a stumbling block preventing Matt and his sweetheart, Sammy Lane (Betty Field), from marrying. Into this suspicious community, convinced that its bad luck is born of the troubles and hates of the Matthews clan, comes a stranger. He introduces himself to Sammy as Daniel Howitt and immediately wins her respect when he tends the wounds of her father, who was shot escaping Revenue agents. When the stranger helps revive a neighbor’s sick child, leading her back from the brink of death, he is likened by some to the Good Shepherd. Howitt intends to stay in the superstitious community, and approaches Matt’s aunt Mollie (Beulah Bondi) and uncle Old Matt ( James Barton) to buy Moanin’ Meadow, the cursed tract of land which contains Matt’s mother’s empty house. His o›er of $¡000 is accepted, but young Matt is enraged. “No stranger’s gonna trample on her grave,” he vows, but Howitt’s determination and the sheri› ’s intervention prevent Matt from chasing o› the newcomer. Sammy overcomes her own fears of Moanin’ Meadow to visit Howitt. Her attraction to both young Matt and this Shepherd of the Hills helps her spot the resemblance between the two men. Daniel reveals to Sammy that he is Matt’s father. He is determined to help free his son of the blood oath, knowing that if Matt kills him, it will only enslave the young man. It was the murder of another man which sent Daniel to jail, leaving Matt’s mother alone. Rather then see Matt go through the same hell, he is willing to shoot his son to prevent him from killing. The truth of Howitt’s identity is revealed to Matt when an old mountain woman’s sight is restored through the financial assistance of the Shepherd of the Hills. The keenness of her new vision recognizes the similarity between the two men. Reluctant but determined, Matt forces a confrontation in the meadow. His father’s sure hand fires a shot which drops the young man. With the outpouring of love from both father and sweetheart, the wounded Matt finds the will to live. He revives in a spirit of peace which will bring harmony to the hills, clearing the way

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for him to live in happiness with his loved ones.—TAL NOTES : Filmed near Big Bear Lake, Moon Ridge and Bartlett Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California from September 9 to November ¡4, ¡940. Wayne’s first color production. The book Shepherd of the Hills (published in ¡907) sold nearly 2,000,000 copies in hardcover. Before Wayne was signed for the lead, the studio considered Tyrone Power and John Garfield for the role of the confused mountain lad, and for supporting roles Paramount had tested Robert Preston, Burgess Meredith and Lynne Overman. Producer Jack Moss replaced William LeBaron, who had initially taken over the project from Stuart Walker during pre-production. In ¡94¡ Harry Carey celebrated 33 years in motion pictures. Shepherd of the Hills was 22-year-old Betty Field’s (¡9¡8–73) fifth film. As a teenager she appeared in several George Abbott–produced comedies on Broadway. When the rights to the play What a Life! were sold to Hollywood, Field repeated her stage role in the ¡939 film version. The next year, critics applauded her seductive performance in Of Mice and Men. Although her screen roles were infrequent, she did return to the medium to co-star in some big-budgeted productions including Peyton Place (¡957), Butterfield 8 (¡960), Birdman of Alcatraz (¡962) and John Ford’s Seven Women (¡966). For most of his career, which encompassed over ¡00 screen roles over 60 years, Marc Lawrence (born Max Goldsmith in New York City in ¡9¡0) was typecast as a villain. Shepherd of the Hills proved to be one of his rare sympathetic portrayals. Some of his more memorable roles were in San Quentin (¡937), Charlie Chan on Broadway (¡937), Dust Be My Destiny (¡939), Johnny Apollo (¡940), Hold That Ghost (¡94¡), This Gun for Hire (¡942), The OxBow Incident (¡943), Dillinger (¡945), The Virginian (¡946), Key Largo (¡948), The Asphalt Jungle (¡950) and Johnny Cool (¡963). Samuel S. Hinds (¡874–¡948), a Harvard graduate, was a practicing lawyer for over 30 years before switching occupations and becoming a stage and screen actor. Between ¡932 and ¡949 he appeared in over ¡00 films, including If I Had a Million (¡932), Little Women (¡933), Men in White (¡934), The Raven (¡935), She (¡935),

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The Shootist

The Shepherd of the Hills (Paramount, ¡94¡). John Wayne, Betty Field

Young Doctor Kildare (¡938), Destry Rides Again (¡939), Son of Dracula (¡943), It’s a Wonderful Life (¡946) and The Boy with Green Hair (¡948). He also supported Wayne in Seven Sinners, The Spoilers and Pittsburgh. Character actor James Barton (¡890–¡962) was a former vaudeville song-and-dance man who, between ¡923 and ¡96¡, appeared in 30 motion pictures. He had supporting roles in the Gregory Peck Western Yellow Sky (¡948), Wabash Avenue (¡950) starring Betty Grable, The Naked Hills (¡956) and his last film The Misfits (¡96¡). Paramount held the world premiere of the film in Denver, Colorado. The movie opened on July 30, ¡94¡, at the Paramount Theater in New York City. Playing at theaters around the country at the same time were The Big Store (MGM), starring the Marx Brothers, Moon Over Miami (Fox) with Don Ameche and Betty Grable, The Saint’s Vacation (RKO) with Hugh Sinclair in the Simon Templar role, Nevada City (Republic) starring Roy Rogers and Gabby Hayes, and Texas Marshall (PRC), a low-budget Western with Tim McCoy. Re-released in ¡955.

The Shootist July ¡9, ¡976. 99 minutes. John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard, Bill McKinney, James Stewart, Richard Boone, Hugh O’Brian, Harry Morgan, John Carradine, Sheree North, Richard Lenz, Scatman Crothers, Gregg Palmer, Alfred Dennis, Dick Winslow, Melody Thomas, Kathleen O’Malley, Marisa Wayne, Chuck Roberson, Jim Burk, James Nolan, Peter Dunn, Roydon Clark, Ralph Volkie, Henry Slate. Paramount. A Dino DeLaurentiis Production. Producers Mike Frank-

ovich, William Self; Director Don Siegel; Screenplay Miles Hood Swarthout, Scott Hale; Based on the Novel by Glendon Swarthout; Photography Bruce Surtees; Music Elmer Bernstein; Editor Douglas Stewart; Production Designer Robert Boyle; Executive Production Manager Russell Saunders; Assistant Director Joe Cavalier; Script Supervisor Betsy Norton; Second Unit Director Joe Florence; Sound Mixer Alfred J. Overton; Sound Re-recording Arthur Piantadosi, Les Fresholtz, Michael Minkler;

The Shootist Camera Operator Tom Del Ruth; Camera Assistants Timothy E. Wade, Rick Mention; Property Master Bill Dietz; Ga›er Chuck Holmes; Key Grip Kenneth Adams; Construction Coordinator Joseph M. LeBaron; Special E›ects Augie Lohman; Miss Bacall’s Costumes Moss Mabry; Men’s Costumes Luster Bayless; Women’s Costumes Edna Taylor; Set Decorator Arthur Parker; Assistant Art Director Richard Lawrence; Hair Stylist Vivienne Walker; Makeup Dave Grayson, Joe Di Bella; Public Relations Al Horwitz; Casting Pam Polifroni, Doris Sabbagh; Production Coordinator Eudie Charnes; Assistant Editor Jerrold L. Ludwig; Music Editing D. Harris Music Service; Sound E›ects Burbank Editorial Service REVIEWS: “[The Shootist] will stand as one of John Wayne’s towering achievements… Don Siegel’s terrific film is simply beautiful… The entire film is in totally correct balance, artistically and technically… [It] is one of the great films of our time.” Variety ( July ¡9, ¡976); “[T]his is unmistakably, Wayne’s valedictory performance. Only a great actor could have given this skillfully delineated performance.”The New York Daily News (Kathleen Carroll, August ¡2, ¡976); “When Wayne warms up to a role and lets loose with his sour twang of a voice, he can still command an audience’s undivided attention—and he can still wipe most any other actor o› the screen….” The New York Post (Frank Rich, August ¡2, ¡976); “Wayne’s proud, quietly anguished performance … has a richness that seems born of self-knowledge; he lends the film a tremendous sense of intimacy and a surprisingly confessional mood.” Newsweek ( J.M., August ¡6, ¡976); “A film to proudly talk about! A most unusual emotional experience.” ABC Television Network (Rona Barrett); “It’s a fine film. The Shootist is not only a moving picture, it is a very moving picture … touching and strong, with an exceptional performance by Wayne.” NBC Television Network (Gene Shalit); “John Wayne gives the performance of his long and historic film career in The Shootist.” Cosmopolitan Magazine (Liz Smith) SYNOPSIS : His name was J.B. Books ( John Wayne). He had a matched pair of .45s with antique ivory grips that were something to behold. He had a credo that went, “I won’t

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be wronged, I won’t be insulted, and I won’t be laid a hand on. I don’t do these things to other people and I require the same from them.” By January of ¡90¡, the legendary gunman was a relic of earlier, wilder days. In addition, he was hurting. In Carson City, Doc Hostetler ( Jimmy Stewart) confirms that Books’ body is being ravaged by cancer. Two months, six weeks, this may be all the time the gunman has left. Taking a room in Mrs. Rogers’ (Lauren Bacall) boarding house, Books attempts to find the solace to face his life’s end with dignity. The town, however, will not let him die in peace. Marshal Thibido (Harry Morgan) badgers the sick man, urging him to die quickly. Others in the town, or from his past, hope to gain something of fame or fortune from associating with the celebrated shootist in his final hours. Though respect grows between Books and Bond Rogers, the widow is not thrilled at having as a lodger a man who has killed 30 others. Her son Gillom (Ron Howard), at first thrilled at meeting a living legend, must sort out his own feelings of disappointment and resentment when he is told the man is dying of cancer. When Doc Hostetler gives his patient a bottle of Laudanum to ease the pain, he also plants the idea that the gunman might not necessarily have to die in the inevitable manner of a cancer victim. Knowing the town contains those who would love a chance to go up against the gunfighter, Books makes preparations for his final day. With Gillom’s assistance, Books passes the word to three would-be challengers that tomorrow he will be in the Metropole Saloon. January 29 dawns as a beautiful “false spring” day. Having bid a cautious but heartfelt farewell to Gillom and Mrs. Rogers, the gunman enters the Metropole for a birthday drink and the inevitable showdown. Town bully Jay Cobb (Bill McKinney), obnoxious rancher Mike Sweeney (Richard Boone) and the proud and polite Faro dealer Jack Pulford (Hugh O’Brian) all warily eye the gunman in a silence interrupted only by the squeak of the overhead fans. In honor of his birthday, Books downs a shot of whiskey and the bar erupts in gunfire. Though Books is wounded several times, his skill and experience decide the contest. He kills all three men. Turning his back on the scene,

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he is shot from behind by the nervous bartender just as Gillom enters the room. The boy instinctively shoots the bartender. As the dying Books nods his approval, Gillom throws the gun away, forsaking a life of living as the shootist and leaving behind the innocence of his youth.—TAL NOTES: In production from January ¡3 to early April ¡976 on location in the Carson City, Nevada, vicinity and at the Burbank Studios where, at a cost of $400,000, several blocks of turn-of-the-century Carson City were recreated. The cost of the production was $8,000,000, of which half came from Paramount for North American distribution rights and the other half from the DeLaurentiis Company for the rest of the world rights. The Western grossed over $¡3,000,000 in the North American market and earned domestic rentals of $5,987,000. It did far better at the box o‡ces of Europe and the Orient. Wayne received $750,000 for his starring role and an unspecified percentage of any profits generated. It was Jimmy Stewart’s first film in five years. Both he and Lauren Bacall were paid $50,000 for their supporting roles. Director Siegel’s contract called for him to receive $250,000. Screen rights were purchased for $350,000. Scatman Crothers replaced Yaphet Kotto when the latter had to bow out due to other commitments. As a tribute to Wayne, the film opened with scenes from some of the actors most notable previous Westerns: Red River, Hondo, Rio Bravo and El Dorado. Former Marine Hugh O’Brian (born Hugh Krampe, ¡925– ), a personal favorite of Wayne, became rich and famous as the legendary Wyatt Earp on the television series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (ABC ¡955–6¡). Beginning in films in ¡950, he appeared in dozens, including Rocketship X-M (¡950), Fighting Coast Guard (¡95¡), Little Big Horn (¡95¡), Red Ball Express (¡952), The Lawless Breed (¡953) and Broken Lance (¡954). Glendon Swarthout also authored They Came to Cordura, the basis for one of Gary Cooper last film’s, Where the Boys Are and Bless the Beasts and the Children. Upset at the way Paramount was neglecting the handling of publicity on the film, (they were instead pouring millions into the promotion of their remake of King Kong), Wayne crossed the

country, appearing on national and local television shows to drumbeat his latest production. He appeared on The Mike Douglas Show, a Dick Cavett special (CBS), Kup’s Show in Chicago, AM America (ABC) and The Donahue Show (NBC). James Nolan (¡9¡6–85), a child performer in vaudeville and on Broadway, was first under contract to RKO, then Warners. He had supporting roles in dozens of films including Little Miss Big (¡946), Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (¡947), The Big Caper (¡957), Airport (¡970), Dirty Harry (¡97¡) and All Night Long (¡98¡). His work on television consisted of over 350 appearances in all types of weekly programs. Double and stuntman Peter Dunn (¡922–90) entered motion pictures after life on the rodeo circuit. Some of his more notable films included Kismet, Giant, Soldiers Three, Mackenna’s Gold, The Poseidon Adventure and Blazing Saddles. He also worked regularly on television, appearing as a guest on the great Westerns of the period: Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Rawhide and Wagon Train. In ¡976, Boxo‡ce Magazine’s annual ranking of top male stars placed Wayne in the seventh position, his twenty-fourth appearance among the top ten. Motion Picture Herald’s survey of theater owners revealed that Wayne was ranked eleventh. The top ten stars for ¡976 were: (¡) Robert Redford, (2) Jack Nicholson, (3) Dustin Ho›man, (4) Clint Eastwood, (5) Mel Brooks, (6) Burt Reynolds, (7) Al Pacino, (8) Tatum O’Neal, (9) Woody Allen and (¡0) Charles Bronson. Chicago-born Don Siegel (¡9¡2–9¡) came to Hollywood in ¡933 and was signed by producer Hal Wallis as an assistant film librarian. Over the next nine years he worked his way up to assistant editor, chief of the insert department and head of the studio’s montage department. In the last capacity he worked on Casablanca, Passage to Marseille and Yankee Doodle Dandy. By ¡944 Siegel was directing shorts at the studio and won an Oscar for Star in the Night (¡945). In ¡946 he was given his first feature assignment, the low-budget mystery The Verdict, with perennial supporting players Peter Lorre and Sidney Greenstreet. After completing Night Unto Night (¡949) with Vivica Lindfors, he married the actress; then, in the early ’50s, made films at Universal, RKO and Allied Artists. His ¡954

The Shootist

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The Shootist (Paramount, ¡976). John Wayne

production Riot in Cell Block ¡3 for producer Walter Wanger, brought the director his first critical acclaim, and two years later his science fiction classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers would become a cult favorite and a symbol of ¡950s paranoia over Communism during the era of the Cold War. Some of his other films included the early Elvis Presley e›ort Flaming Star (¡960), Steve McQueen’s war film Hell Is for Heroes (¡962), Ronald Reagan’s last film The Killers (¡964), Madigan (¡968) starring Richard Widmark and Henry Fonda, and the early Clint Eastwood–starring e›ort Coogan’s Blu› (¡968). Over the next ¡¡ years, the director and star would team on four other productions: Two Mules for Sister Sara (¡969), The Beguiled (¡97¡), Dirty Harry (¡97¡) and Escape from Alcatraz (¡979). His last film, Jinxed (¡982), starring Bette Midler, was an unmitigated disaster. Cinematographer Bruce Surtees (¡937– ), the son of noted director of photography Robert L. Surtees (¡906–85), has, in a career that started in the late ¡960s, been involved in

the photography of over 40 motion pictures. Beginning with The Beguiled (¡97¡), he has been in charge of photography on ¡2 Clint Eastwood films. Going back to ¡942, Harry Morgan (born Harry Bratsburg, ¡9¡5– ) has appeared in more than ¡00 films and several hundred episodes of series television. Morgan’s more memorable films include The Ox-Bow Incident (¡943), A Bell for Adano (¡945), All My Sons (¡948), Dark City (¡950), High Noon (¡952), The Glenn Miller Story (¡954), Strategic Air Command (¡955) and Inherit the Wind (¡960). Despite an active film career, he managed to find time to be a regular in ten television series, the most popular being December Bride (¡954–59), Pete and Gladys (¡960–62), Dragnet (¡967–70) and M*A*S*H* (¡975–83), wherein he played the commander of the zany surgical unit, Col. Sherman Potter. Ron Howard (¡954– ), born in Oklahoma, grew up on television in front of millions of viewers each week, as Opie Taylor on The Andy Gri‡th Show (¡960–68), then created the role of Richie

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Somewhere in Sonora

Cunningham, the quintessential ¡950s teenager from Milwaukee, in Happy Days (¡974– 80). Although he appeared in a number of successful films including George Lucas’ American Gra‡ti (¡973), his heart was set on directing. After a stint at USC, Howard went on to direct some of the most financially successful films of the past two decades including Splash (¡984), Cocoon (¡985), Parenthood (¡989), Backdraft (¡99¡), Apollo ¡3 (¡995), Ransom (¡996), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) and A Beautiful Mind (200¡). Thirty-three Westerns

were released in the United States in the Bicentennial year of ¡976, of which the most notable were Clint Eastwood’s The Outlaw Josey Wales (Warners), Bu›alo Bill and the Indians (UA) starring Paul Newman and featuring Burt Lancaster, The Great Scout and Cathouse Thursday (AIP) with Lee Marvin, and The Last Hard Men (Fox) featuring Charlton Heston and James Coburn. The Shootist was first shown on network television in September ¡978 (CBS).

Somewhere in Sonora June 7, ¡933. 57 minutes. John Wayne, Shirley Palmer, Henry B. Walthall, Paul Fix, Ann Fay, Billy Franey, Ralph Lewis, Frank Rice, J.P. McGowan, Charles Whitaker, Bud Osborne, Glenn Strange, Blackie Whiteford, Jim Corey, Ray Henderson, Art Dillard, Frank Ellis, Duke, the Miracle Horse. Warner Bros. Producer Leon Schlesinger; Director Mack V. Wright; Writer Will Levington Comfort; Dialogue Joe Roach; Photography Ted McCord; Editor William Clemens; Associate Producer Sid Rogell; Musical Score Leo F. Forbstein REVIEWS: “Several points of merit pull this from the ruck of westerns…. They’ll like this where they like westerns. Several times the action stops to land in a bolster upper, and still it’s inside the hour.” Variety ( July 4, ¡933); “A routine western.” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Phil Hardy, The Overlook Press, ¡983) SYNOPSIS: Mary Burton (Shirley Palmer) and Patsy Ellis (Ann Fay), two young ladies motoring through Arizona on their way to somewhere in Sonora, stop in Twin Forks and get caught up in the excitement of the annual rodeo and the big stagecoach race. “Isn’t he gorgeous and so intelligent,” gushes Patsy at the sight of Duke, a beautiful white horse. Mary is more interested in Duke’s owner, cowhand John Bishop ( John Wayne), a cinch to drive the winning stage. John convinces the girls to stay for the race, innocently kidding

that with Mary pulling for him, “the other coach will probably fall to pieces before it gets around the first curve.” Unknown to John, greedy townsmen with heavy bets have tampered with the other stage, which piles up in a horrible wreck. Circumstantial evidence points to John and he is jailed as the injured driver is carried o›. Assuming his guilt, the disappointed ladies travel on to meet up with Mary’s father at his silver mine across the border. John’s close friends—his employer Bob Leadly (Henry B. Walthall) and ranch hands Shorty (Billy Franey) and Riley (Frank Rice)—never doubt his innocence. They spring John from the jail and urge him to ride to freedom. When John presses Leadly for a reason for taking such a chance, the rancher tells him of his own son, Bart (Paul Fix), who fell in with the wrong crowd and was wrongly accused of murder. Bart ran from the scene of the crime and is now across the border riding with the notorious outlaw Monte Black ( J.P. McGowan) in the Brotherhood of Death, so named because anyone who tries to leave the gang is killed. John vows to repay his employer’s faith in him by bringing Bart Leadly back to Arizona where he has been cleared of the crime. John is joined on the road by Shorty and Riley bringing good news of the proof of his own innocence and the recovery of the rival stage driver. In a Mexican cantina, the trio meets up with Mary and Patsy, who have traded their auto for a buck-

The Sons of Katie Elder board. John is also noticed by Monte Black who watches with interest how the tall cowboy with the tainted reputation handles the gang’s toughs in a saloon brawl. The girls still distrust John, but after he saves them when their wagon races out of control, they are set straight by Shorty and Riley. Welcomed by Mary’s father as a friend of Bob Leadly, John learns that the Mexican Rurales under Capt. Ramirez have been pursuing Monte Black’s gang. When one of Black’s spies is captured, the Rurales learn the location of the hideout and plan an all-out attack. John rides out alone, hoping to find Bart Leadly before the gang is wiped out. Black takes John into his hornets nest, figuring to add another gun. When John meets Bart, he secretly tells the young man that he has come to rescue him from this family of killers. The gang rides out to raid the mine o‡ce at Paloma. While watching the outlaw horses, John is able to send Duke ahead. The wonder horse beats the raiders to the encampment and pulls the warning bell’s rope. Burton and his men are able to repel the outlaws, who by now have discovered the treachery and ride in pursuit of John and Bart. In the rocky hills the fugitives are captured by Black’s desperados, but the timely arrival of the Rurales, led to the spot by Duke, prevents any more killing. Monte Black’s career in crime is ended, Bart becomes a free and pardoned man, and John and Mary take the opportunity to explore a little romance.—TAL NOTES: The fifth Wayne–WB Western was based upon the novel of the same title, published in ¡925 and serialized in The Saturday Evening Post (November 22–29, ¡924) under the title Somewhere South in Sonora. The film was budgeted at $28,000; Wayne again re-

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ceived $850. Made into a Ken Maynard Western in ¡927 with Albert Rogell directing. The original Maynard version was partially shot at the Alabama Hills in Lone Pine. The female lead, Chicago native Shirley Palmer (¡908– 2000), appeared in 2¡ films over nine years. She started in ¡926 with small roles in A Bankrupt Honeymoon and The Winning Wallop, and never made an “A” film. After Somewhere in Sonora the actress appeared in just two more features, Pilgrimage (¡933) and The White Parade (¡934). Actor Ralph Lewis made appearances in films from the mid–¡920s until ¡946. His other film credits for ¡933 were Sucker Money and Riot Squad. His 40-plus films included The Utah Kid (¡944), Dillinger (¡945), The Flying Serpent (¡946) and Ziegfeld Follies (¡946). Frank Rice (¡892-¡936) was born to play the sidekick. The Michigan native entered films in the early ¡920s and quickly migrated to the Western genre where he would lend his able support to a host of Western heroes including Ken Maynard, Tom Keene and Jack Perrin. While at the height of his career he contracted hepatitis and died from complications. The Western played in New York for a one-day run ( June 6) at the Loew’s New York. It was double-billed with Columbia’s Night of Terror starring Bela Lugosi as a turban-clad red herring. Across the street at the Strand Theater, James Cagney was starring in one of his lesser known films, Warners’ Mayor of Hell. In a 20-year period from ¡935 to ¡954, Texas-born Art Dillard (¡907–60) appeared as a villain in over ¡50 BWesterns and serials. Dillard was also featured as a member of the posse or a townsman in the Gene Autry television program and other Flying A productions. Somewhere in Sonora was re-released by Warners in ¡940.

The Sons of Katie Elder July ¡, ¡965. ¡22 minutes. John Wayne, Dean Martin, Martha Hyer, Michael Anderson, Jr., Earl Holliman, Jeremy Slate, George Kennedy, Dennis Hopper, Sheldon Allman, John Litel, John Doucette, John Qualen, Percy

Helton, James Westerfield, Rhys Williams, Rodolfo Acosta, Strother Martin, Karl Swenson, Paul Fix, James Gregory, Chuck Roberson, Glen Anderson, Paul Whitson, Jose Trinidad Villa, Henry Wills, Joseph Yrigoyen,

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Jerry Gatlin, Jack Williams, Loren Janes, Ralph Volkie, Harvey Grant, Boyd “Red” Morgan, Chuck Hayward. Paramount. Producer Hal Wallis; Director Henry Hathaway; Associate Producer Paul Nathan; Photography Lucien Ballard; Screenplay William H. Wright, Allan Weiss, Henry Essex; Story Talbot Jennings; Editor Warren Low; Music Elmer Bernstein; Art Directors Hal Pereira, Walter Tyler; Sound Harold Lewis; Assistant Director D. Michael Moore; Costumes Edith Head; Set Decorator Ray Moyer; Production Manager Frank Ca›ey; Unit Production Manager William Gray; Property Wallace Oliver; Special E›ects Robert Peterson; Wardrobe Frank Beetson, Jr.; Makeup Loren Cossand, Web Overlander; Hairdresser Dorothy White; Script Supervisor Claire Behnke; Head Wrangler Chema Hernandez REVIEWS: “[It] carries all the elements of a first-class range drama, with lusty performances, fast gunplay, and exciting action to attract and hold audiences and build to profitable returns…. Wayne delivers one of his customary rugged portrayals….” Variety ( June 22, ¡965); “[It] has what every bang-up Western ought to have, an una›ected story, striking scenery and John Wayne. Furthermore, it’s salted with healthy humor…. Wayne’s rugged looks have aged but he is still tops.” The New York Daily News (Kathleen Carroll, August 26, ¡965); “[A] good, tough, unpretentious and gory little Western with a professional stamp and a laconic bite.” The New York Times (Howard Thompson, August 26, ¡965); “[M]ore lavish than most, more carefully made and better acted.” The New York World Telegram & Sun (Leonard Harris, August 26, ¡965); “[It’s] one of those welcome rarities, a big Western, laden with big names, surveying a big country with lots of Technicolor and Panavision…. John Wayne, oldest of the Elder brothers, returns to the screen unscathed by his recent bout with cancer….” Saturday Review (Arthur Knight, September 4, ¡965); “[A] super Western with a terrific cast, each of whom is in top form…. Almost everything about it reflects sound filmmaking.” The John Wayne Scrapbook (Lee Pfei›er, Citadel Press ¡989); SYNOPSIS: The sons of Katie Elder return to Clearwater, Texas, to attend their mother’s funeral. John ( John Wayne), oldest and tough-

est, is a gunfighter who has not seen his brothers for ten years. His presence makes the town uneasy, but he is determined to renew ties with his brothers Tom (Dean Martin), Matt (Earl Holliman) and the youngest, Bud (Michael Anderson, Jr.). The boys learn that their ranch is now owned by Morgan Hastings ( James Gregory), a grasping firearms manufacturer who has just hired a professional killer (George Kennedy) to take care of them. “You want to own a town, you’ve got to put out something,” he gru·y informs his sniveling son, Dave (Dennis Hopper). The brothers ask questions in town about how their mother died in poverty and look into the circumstances of their father’s death six months earlier. Hastings, who cheated Bass Elder out of his ranch and then killed him, nervously watches. Sheri› Wilson’s (Paul Fix) eager young deputy, Ben Latta ( Jeremy Slate), looking for any excuse to arrest the Elders, also follows them closely. As they wrestle with guilt at abandoning their mother for the last years of her life, John determines that they will make good on Katie’s last wish, that Bud attend and finish college. To raise money, they contract with a horse rancher to move his herd to Colorado. While rounding up the herd. Hastings makes Ben aware of a poster claiming gambler Tom Elder is wanted for murder. Sheri› Wilson makes his impetuous deputy stay behind while he rides on to speak with the Elders. He is shot from ambush by Hastings, who blames the brothers for the deed. Ben swears in a posse which includes some of Hastings men and they overtake the roundup, arrest the boys and bring them back to Clearwater in disgrace. Hastings stirs up talk of a lynching, but cooler heads persuade the deputy to take his prisoners to Laredo to ensure a fair trial. En route, the Hastings men ambush the brothers in a violent shoot-out which leaves Ben and Matt dead and Bud seriously wounded. John drives o› the crooked deputies, who return to town claiming they were ambushed by the Elder gang. John and Tom bring Bud back to town to find the doctor. Seeking shelter in the livery stable, John holds back the angry town. He convinces the judge to send for the Federal marshal in Laredo. Under cover of dark, Tom captures Dave Hastings from his father’s store to get

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some answers. Attempting to rescue his son, the elder Hastings shoots Dave. As he dies, Dave reveals the crimes of his father. John goes after the villain and the ensuing gunfight is the end of Morgan Hastings. John, Tom and Bud are cleared as some peace returns to the legacy of Katie Elder.—TAL NOTES: In production at Durango and Chupaderas, Mexico (exteriors), and the Churubusco Studios, Mexico City (interiors), from January 5 to March 5, ¡965. Wayne signed the contract to appear in the film on June 29, ¡964. The production was to have started filming on October 26, ¡964, but was delayed due to the actor’s bout with cancer. While the average feature released in the United States in ¡965 had a negative cost of $2,000,000, this Western was budgeted at $2,750,000 with an additional Paramount overhead charge of 22.5 percent. It earned domestic rentals of $6,000,000 from a North American box o‡ce gross of over $¡6,000,000. Wayne The Sons of Katie Elder (Paramount, ¡965). Hal Wallis, John was paid $600,000 (at the rate of Wayne $60,000 a week), a one-third inthe screenplays for The Good Earth (¡937) and terest in the profits and a one-third undivided Northwest Passage (¡940). He was personally ownership in the negatives of the photoplay. recruited by Irving Thalberg to join MGM in Over the years, with his profit participation the early ¡930s. Talbot received two Oscar and sales to television, the actor earned an adnominations for writing: Mutiny on the Bounty ditional $2,000,000 as his share of the income (¡935) and Anna and the King of Siam (¡946). from Katie Elder. Dean Martin was paid The script for the movie had been bouncing $¡00,000 (at the rate of $¡0,000 a week) for his around Hollywood for over a decade. It was acting services, while director Hathaway refirst submitted to Universal in mid–¡954, then ceived $200,000. Ralph Volkie, Wayne’s masto Paramount in December of the same year. seur, was paid $350 a week by the production Short and pudgy John Doucette (¡92¡–94), a company. A Teamster on the set, Wayne’s graduate of the Pasadena Playhouse and a driver George Coleman received $3.80 an World War II veteran, toured with Mae West hour. Chuck Roberson doubled for Wayne; in her play Come On Up, Ring Twice, then Jerry Gatlin and Henry Wills doubled for turned to television, appearing in all types of Martin. series shows from Adventures of Superman to To publicize the film, on September 23, the Westerns The Lone Ranger, Gene Autry and ¡965, Wayne appeared on Dean Martin’s Bonanza. Doucette also had noteworthy roles NBC-TV variety hour. He made another guest in Cleopatra (¡963) and Patton (¡970). After appearance on Martin’s show in ¡966. Writer spending over a decade appearing in plays on Talbot Jennings (¡895–¡985) collaborated on

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Speakeasy

Broadway (including Key Largo in ¡939), character actor James Gregory (¡9¡2–2002) made his motion picture debut in the ¡948 crime drama The Naked City. The veteran of over 50 films served in the Navy and Marines during World War II, and played the part of John F. Kennedy’s commanding o‡cer in the ¡963 film PT-¡09. Due to his ramrod bearing and perpetual scowl, Gregory was often selected to play police o‡cials or o‡cers in the military, as in the first episode of the classic sciencefiction television series The Twilight Zone (¡959), where he was cast as a general. However, it was in the role of Inspector Frank Luger, in the comedy series Barney Miller (ABC, ¡975–82) that the actor gained his greatest acclaim. Gregory also had significant roles in The Manchurian Candidate (¡962), Beneath the Planet of the Apes (¡970) and the Dean Martin Matt Helm series. Besides being a popular character actor, ninth-billed Sheldon Allman (¡925–2002) was also a songwriter and cartoon voice. The man who wrote the song George of the Jungle was also the singing voice of Mr. Ed (¡96¡–65) and a guest star on several early episodes of Gunsmoke, Maverick and The Untouchables. His most famous of more than 20 film appearances was in Hud, Nevada Smith and In Cold Blood. Paramount’s record album for the movie featured Johnny Cash singing the theme song. In ¡965, 24 Westerns were released in the United States. The top three box o‡ce hits in the genre were Shenandoah (Universal), which brought Jimmy Stew-

art back into the ranks of the top ten stars for the last time, the comedy Cat Ballou (Columbia) starring Lee Marvin in an Academy Award–winning role and Jane Fonda in the title role, and The Sons of Katie Elder. In the early summer, United Artists also released the formula Western The Glory Guys starring Tom Tryon and Embassy came out with Requiem for a Gunfighter featuring Rod Cameron. Other Westerns that came out during the year included Arizona Raiders, starring Audie Murphy; the ludicrous Billy the Kid Versus Dracula with Chuck Courtney as the hero and John Carradine as the displaced vampire; Leoni’s second of three Italian Westerns with Clint Eastwood, For a Few Dollars More; John Sturges’ Fort Apache–Major Dundee hybrid, the big-budget ($7,200,000) Western-comedy flop The Hallelujah Trail (UA) starring Burt Lancaster; and a highly successful comedy from Burt Kennedy, The Rounders with veterans Glenn Ford and Henry Fonda. Two years later, Katie Elder was re-released by Paramount as part of a double-bill with Red Line 7000. The advertising logo used for the features was, “The Gun Breed and the Speed Breed.” First shown on network television (ABC) on November ¡7, ¡968, it garnered a 46 percent share of the viewing audience, more than the combined audience for the regular programming on CBS and NBC. A repeat telecast on March ¡, ¡970, also drew hefty ratings as it swamped the opposition on the competing channels.

Speakeasy March ¡3, ¡929. 64 minutes. Lola Lane, Paul Page, Sharon Lynn, Warren Hymer, Helen Ware, Henry B. Walthall, Stuart Erwin, James Guilfoyle, Erville Alderson, Joseph Cawthorn, Ivan Linow, Marjorie Beebe, Sailor Vincent, Helen Lynch. Fox. Presented by William Fox; Director Benjamin Stolo›; Screenplay Frederick Hazlett Brennan, Edwin Burke; Based on the play by Edward Knoblock, George Rosener; Dialogue Edwin Burke; Photography

Joseph A. Valentine; Film Editor J. Edwin Robbins; Sound W.W. Lindsay; Assistant Director R.L. Hough; Wardrobe Sophie Wachner REVIEWS: “[It] really amounts to a Movietone newsreel given continuity by an indi›erent story staked out with unknown featured players who do not improve with path to the objective.” Variety (March ¡3, ¡929); “An early talkie that intercuts Movietone newsreel footage with a dull drama starring Page as a down-

Speakeasy and-out fighter who’s being conned by his untrustworthy manager.” The Motion Picture Guide; “A well made pugilistic picture, in which the interest is maintained well all the way through…. The fight is well done… Mr. Page, the hero, has a great future ahead of him… It is good entertainment. The only thing against it is its title.” Harrison’s Reports (March ¡6, ¡929); “[A]n ingeniously contrived talking picture…. The story moves along swiftly, but the final scenes are reminiscent of other prize-ring narratives…. Although a prizefight is the pivotal point of interest, this film is more than a pugilistic yarn.” The New York Times (Mordaunt, Hall March ¡¡, ¡929) SYNOPSIS: Alice Woods (Lola Lane), a New York newspaper reporter, is assigned to write a story on a middleweight fighter who left college to turn pro and who has just lost the championship. Paul Martin (Paul Page), the fighter, refuses to see her in his dressing room, so Alice must force her way into the speakeasy that is his usual hangout. When the fighter still refuses to speak to her, she fabricates her story, writing that the ex-champ is planning to make a comeback. Alice soon falls in love with the fighter. Using her ingenuity and her reporter’s instincts, she proves that Paul has been sold down the river by his crooked manager, Cannon Delmont (Warren Hymer). Martin returns to the ring on his own and, with Alice’s encouragement, regains the middle-weight crown. NOTES: The film was based on the play of the same name by Edward Knoblock and George Rosener. Due to a recommendation from assistant director Hough, Wayne was assigned to this film as a third or fourth assistant property man. Producer-director Benjamin Stolo› (¡895–¡960), a graduate of USC, had a knack for helming low-budget mysteries and action films. He started as a director of comedy shorts for Fox in the late teens, then progressed to Tom Mix and Buck Jones fulllength features. Among his nearly 40 motion

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pictures were several musicals and the Tom Mix version of Destry Rides Again (¡932). Although he worked regularly into the late ¡940s, Stolo› never was accorded the opportunity to direct “A” films. In the early ¡950s, he abandoned movies for the new medium of television. Lola Lane (¡909–8¡), born Dorothy Mullican in Iowa, was one of the three acting Lane sisters (along with Priscilla and Rosemary). After a stint on Broadway she was signed by Fox in ¡928 to appear in their smaller productions. Speakeasy was her first film for the studio. Before retiring from the screen in ¡946, she had appeared in over 40 films including The Big Fight (¡930), Burn ’Em Up Barnes (¡934), Marked Women (¡937), Four Daughters (¡938), Four Wives (¡939), Four Mothers (¡94¡) and her last feature, They Made Me a Killer (¡946). Sharon Lynn’s (¡9¡0–63) screen career lasted barely ten years. She started as an extra in comedies, most notably starring Harold Lloyd. Her big break came when Fox signed her to a contract inserting her into ¡4 of their films. Lynn appeared opposite Bing Crosby in The Big Broadcast and made her final screen appearance opposite the madcap duo of Laurel and Hardy in Way Out West. Fourth-billed Warren Hymer (¡906–48) came from a family of actors. Both his mother and father were successful performers in a number of media. The actor made his motion picture debut in Fox Movietone Follies of ¡929. With his looks and demeanor he was quickly typecast as a second lead to the star. By ¡935 he was earning $¡000 a week and appearing in both major productions and numerous B-films. Some of Hymer’s better known e›orts included Cock-Eyed World (¡929), Lone Star Ranger (¡930), The Seas Beneath (¡93¡), Charlie Chan Carries On (¡93¡), 20,000 Years in Sing Sing (¡933) Little Miss Marker (¡934), The Gilded Lily (¡935), San Francisco (¡936), Destry Rides Again (¡939) and Meet John Doe (¡94¡). Opened in New York at the Roxy Theater.

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The Spoilers

The Spoilers Desmond, Gibson Gowland. Universal. Production Company Charles K. Feldman Group; Producer & Second Unit Director Frank Lloyd; Director Ray Enright; Screenplay Lawrence Hazard, Tom Reed; Based upon the novel by Rex Beach; Photography Milton Krasner; Editor Clarence Kolster; Art Directors Jack Otterson, John B. Goodman; Musical Director Charles Previn; Music Frank Skinner, Hans J. Salter; Associate Producer Lee Marcus; Assistant Director Vernon Keayes; Set Decorators R.A. Gausman, Edward R. Robinson; Sound Bernard B. Brown; Sound Technician Robert Pritchard; Special Photographic E›ects John P. Fulton; Dialogue Director Gene Lewis; Gowns Vera West; Song “Little Joe the Wrangler” Frank Loesser, Frederick Hollander REVIEWS: “[A] grand scale climactic fight, a minor masterpiece of stunt action, skillful doubling and tight editing…” A Pictorial History of the Western Film (William K. Everson, Citadel, ¡969); “[It] provided one of the biggest slam-bang fight climaxes ever.” A Pictorial History of Westerns (Michael Parkinson and Clyde Jeavons, Hamlyn, ¡972); “[A] brawling bedlam of battles fought along distinctly primeval lines of etiquette.” The New York Times (T.S., May 22, ¡942); “All the plot contrivances were only a buildup to the film’s spectacular climax, a bruising barroom brawl between Wayne and Scott that justly deserves the title of ‘classic.’ ” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974); “Spoilers is renowned for its long concluding brawl between villain and hero. The current version is a beaut. … When it is finally over, Sourdough Harry Carey pulls the hero together and chides: ‘That’s enough now, come on.’ ” Time Magazine (April 27, ¡942); “[A] first-rate production cast, direction and The Spoilers (Universal, ¡942). John Wayne

April ¡0, ¡942. 87 minutes. Marlene Dietrich, Randolph Scott, John Wayne, Margaret Lindsay, Harry Carey, Richard Barthelmess, William Farnum, George Cleveland, Samuel S. Hinds, Marietta Carty, Robert W. Service, Russell Simpson, Jack Norton, Charles Halton, Ray Bennett, Irving Bacon, Robert McKenzie, Chester Clute, Harry Woods, Robert Homans, Bud Osborne, William Gould, William Haade, Willie Fung, Lloyd Ingraham, Charles McMurphy, Forrest Taylor, Art Miles, Drew Demarest, Emmett Lynn, Ed Brady, Harry Cording, Matt Willis, Robert Barron, Mickey Simpson, Merrill McCormick, Ben Taggert, Frank O’Connor, Frank Austin, Harry Strang, Tex Phelps, Richard Cramer, Eddie Parker, Alan Pomeroy, Gil Perkins, Paul Newlan, Duke York, Earle Hodgins, Glenn Strange, Kitty O’Neill, Dick Rush, Al Haskell, Robert Milash, Monte Montague, William

The Spoilers plenty of action … The slugging match in the final reel between Wayne and Scott is something that apparently could be staged profitably at Madison Square Garden. It is that spectacular.” Variety (April ¡5, ¡942) SYNOPSIS: The muddy streets of Nome team with violence as claim jumpers use signed a‡davits to rob honest miners of their hardearned stakes. Gold commissioner Alexander McNamara (Randolph Scott), a sinister spoiler beneath his suave exterior, has designs on the large mines like the Midas, owned by Roy Glennister ( John Wayne) and Al Dextry (Harry Carey). Cherry Malotte (Marlene Dietrich), owner of the Northern Saloon and Roy’s sweetheart, warns the commissioner that Glennister is not a man to be pushed around. When a ship from Seattle brings Roy back from a business trip, Cherry becomes understandably upset; the miner arrives with a young lady, Helen Chester (Margaret Lindsay), in tow. Miss Chester is the niece of Judge Stillman (Samuel S. Hinds), whose arrival will allegedly bring law and order to Nome. But the judge, along with a crooked lawyer named Struve (Charles Halton), is a partner of McNamara’s who plans to use the legal system to further deprive miners of their claims. Roy makes it clear to Helen that Cherry is his girl, but he acts too casual in his relationship with the Northern’s lovely owner. The greedy McNamara now sees a chance to move in on both the Midas and the upset lady. When Struve arrives at the Midas to serve notice of crossfiling, Helen Chester convinces Roy to follow her uncle’s court order. Against Dextry’s pleading that they are being swindled, Glennister tries to give the legal system a chance. Predictably, Judge Stillman sets the case forward 90 days and impounds the monies of the Midas in the town bank. The partnership of Roy and Dextry is almost demolished by the crisis, but Cherry, seeking out Nome’s honest lawyer Wheaton (William Farnum), sets a plan in motion to get legal help from Seattle. The miners forcibly remove their money from the bank. The town marshal is killed during this adventure and Glennister, falsely accused, is jailed. McNamara plans to let Roy escape into an alley of waiting ambushers. Cherry, with the reluctant help of her dealer Bronco (Rich-

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ard Barthelmess), rescues Glennister herself. Though she presses him to hide until the real law arrives from Seattle, Roy and the miners are determined to take back the mines. While Cherry keeps McNamara distracted in her chambers, the miners crash a locomotive through the barricades surrounding the Midas and win back their mine. Glennister returns to the saloon to deal personally with McNamara. In a brawl which destroys much of the Northern, Roy beats the villain. As the battered hero rests his head in Cherry’s lap, she forgives her man, reminding him of the house policy: “Anything you can win, you can collect.”—TAL NOTES: Filmed between January ¡2 and February 25, ¡942, on the Universal lot and on location at Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino Mountains. Additional second unit photography at Sunland in the San Fernando Valley. Budgeted at $725,000, the film was completed at a cost of $723,455. It recorded film rentals of $2,063,923 in its first year of release. Charles Feldman secured the motion picture rights in July ¡94¡ for $¡7,500. On November 29, ¡94¡, he sold the film rights to Frank Lloyd Productions for $50,000 and 25 percent of the net profits. Director Enright was borrowed from Warners. Feldman hired Tom Reed (at $350) for a one-week writing assignment to polish the script. Supporting actress Margaret Lindsay simultaneously worked on A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen. In November ¡952 Universal o›ered Feldman $¡50,000 for his rights to the film. Feldman refused to sell his percentage in the motion picture. Marlene Dietrich’s salary was $¡00,000 while Randolph Scott was scheduled to receive $40,000 and 5 percent of the film’s profits, and Wayne was signed for $42,000 (for six weeks work). In the acclaimed fight scene, Eddie Parker doubled for Wayne while Alan Pomeroy stood in for Scott. Fifteen cameras were used to shoot the sequence. The film was nominated for Academy Awards in the Art and Set Decoration categories. The Spoilers had three previous incarnations on the screen and would again be produced in ¡955: In ¡9¡4 the Selig Company produced the first version which starred William Farnum and Tom Santschi. The Goldwyn Company made a ¡923 version with Milton Sills and Noah Beery in the lead

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Stagecoach

roles and in ¡930 Paramount had Gary Cooper fighting William Boyd in the hectic finale. In ¡955 Universal produced the first color version of the oft-repeated story. The stars who had to fill some pretty big boots were Je› Chandler and Rory Calhoun. Director Enright (¡896– ¡965) entered the film industry in ¡9¡4, as an assistant editor on early Charlie Chaplin shorts. After a stint in the Army during World War I, in which he saw service in Europe, he returned to Hollywood and became an assistant to Thomas Ince. By the late ¡920s he had been promoted to director and would begin work on the first of over 70 features. His first directorial e›ort for Warners starred the canine wonder Rin Tin Tin. Over the next 25 years he directed films at Universal, RKO and Columbia. In ¡942 Enright directed four films, slowed down to two in ¡943 (The Iron Major and Gung Ho!) and retired in ¡953. As a cam-

era assistant in ¡92¡, director of photography Milton Krasner (¡904–88) began filming movies in the silent era while working at the Vitagraph Studio. In ¡933 he received his first assignment as head of photography of an entire production. Although his career consisted of work in mostly B-films, he did have the opportunity to film some big-star A-productions including the W.C. Fields comedy classic You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man (¡939), The House of Fear (¡939), The Invisible Man Returns (¡940), The House of the Seven Gables (¡940), Fields’ The Bank Dick (¡940), The Ghost of Frankenstein (¡942) Pardon My Sarong (¡942) and Arabian Knights (¡942). Krasner also worked with Wayne on Without Reservations (¡946). The Spoilers was reissued in ¡948 and again in November ¡949 as part of a double-bill with Flying Tigers.

Stagecoach February ¡5, ¡939. ¡05 minutes. Claire Trevor, John Wayne, Andy Devine, John Carradine, Thomas Mitchell, Louise Platt, George Bancroft, Donald Meek, Berton Churchill, Tim Holt, Chris-Pin Martin, Elvira Rios, Francis Ford, Marga Ann Daighton, Kent Odell, Yakima Canutt, Chief John Big Tree, Joseph Rickson, Vester Pegg, Tom Tyler, Paul McVey, Jack Pennick, Harry Tenbrook, Cornelius Keefe, Florence Lake, Walter McGrail, Louis Mason, Brenda Fowler, William Ho›er, Bryant Washburn, Nora Cecil, Buddy Roosevelt, Bill Cody, Helen Gibson, Dorothy Appleby, Duke Lee, Mary Kathleen Walker, John McGowan, Chief White Horse, Ed Brady, Steve Clemente, Theodore Lorch, Fritzi Brunette, Leonard Trainor, Chris Phillips, Tex Driscoll, Teddy Billings, John Eckert, Al Lee, Jack Mohr, Patsy Doyle, Wiggie Blowne, Margaret Smith, Si Jenks, Robert Homans, Artie Ortega, Tex Driscoll, Henry Wills, Eva Novak, Franklyn Farnum, Merrill McCormick. United Artists. Producers John Ford, Walter Wanger; Director John Ford; Screenplay Dud-

ley Nichols; Based on the Short Story “Stage to Lordsburg” by Ernest Haycox; Production Company Walter Wanger Productions; Photography Bert Glennon; Cameraman Ray Binger; Art Director Alexander Tolubo›; Assistant Director Wingate Smith; Editors Otho Lovering, Dorothy Spencer, Walter Reynolds; Settings Wiard B. Ihnen; Costumes Walter Plunkett; Music (adapted from ¡7 American folk tunes of the ¡880s) Richard Hageman, W. Franke Harling, John Leipold, Leo Shuken, Louis Gruenberg; Second Unit Director/Stunt Coordinator Yakima Canutt; Arranger & Music Conductor Boris Morros REVIEWS: “The cast is a strikingly good one. Trevor and Wayne, as the girl and jailbird, do one grand job of the love interest, and make it better then legitimate—they make it something for which an audience can root.” The Hollywood Reporter (February 3, ¡939); “John Wayne seemed born for the part he plays.” Hollywood Spectator (February ¡8, ¡939); “In one superbly expansive gesture … John Ford has swept aside ten years of artifice and talkie com-

Stagecoach promise and has made a motion picture of the grand old school, a genuine rib-thumper and a beautiful sight to see.” The New York Times (Frank S. Nugent, March 3, ¡939); “Since ¡939, Stagecoach has been a reference point for anyone who has worked within the genre, as a picture either to be emulated or reacted against, as a treasury of themes and motifs to be worked out in new variations.” The Great Movies (William Bayer, Grosset and Dunlap, ¡973); “John Ford’s Stagecoach is not just a classic in the annals of Hollywood; it is also a milestone in both the art and science of motion picture production.” Stagecoach (Richard J. Anobile, Avon, ¡975); “Obviously, Stagecoach was not the screen’s first adult Western, its first poetic Western, or its first literary Western, but it was the first one in a long while to combine those elements so e›ectively.” A Pictorial History of the Western Film (William K. Everson, Citadel, ¡97¡); “I think the best Western ever made is the ¡939 version of Stagecoach.” Westerns (Philip French, Viking Press, ¡973); “Stagecoach revolutionized the Western. It defined Western archetypes and created a new frame of reference rich in irony and sophistication…. Before Stagecoach, the Western seemed to be dying; after Stagecoach, it became the one permanently popular film genre.” John Ford ( Joseph McBride and Michael Wilmington, Da Capo Press, ¡975); “John Wayne immediately registers his star quality in the closeup, and we are drawn to him irresistibly. Without Wayne’s powerful presence, the character of Ringo would not carry us.” The Western Films of John Ford ( J.A. Place, Citadel, ¡974); “[It had] more influence on the genre than probably any Western before or since. It was the first Western to combine successfully the poetic grandeur and sense of myth-making of the real and imaginary West with pure entertainment value.” A Pictorial History of Westerns (Michael Parkinson and Clyde Jeavons, Hamlyn, ¡972); “Visually it is still magical and its action scenes are as thrilling and well staged as one could wish on seeing it today.” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, A.S. Barnes, ¡976); “Sweeping and powerful drama of the American frontier, Stagecoach displays potentialities that can easily drive it through as one of the surprise big grossers of the year.”

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Variety (February 8, ¡939); “Stagecoach was a class Western, handsomely mounted, with an action-filled story, fascinating characters, a John Ford masterpiece.” Four Giants of the West (David Hanna, Tower, ¡976); “[T]he nonpareil, the source from which all Western clichés seem to me to flow. This ¡939 Grand Hotel-on-wheels is so perfectly structured, so immaculately cast and so beautifully directed that it would head my list of choice Westerns.” Directors in Action (Bob Thomas, Editor, Bobbs Merrill Co., ¡968); “Stagecoach was the picture that changed everything. John Ford’s photographic masterpiece was the prestige success among all Western films, bringing heightened attention to the genre.” The Last Hero: A Biography of Gary Cooper (Larry Swindell, Doubleday, ¡980); “Perhaps no film exploits the visual resources of the western landscape more brilliantly than John Ford’s ¡939 Stagecoach.” The Six-Gun Mystique ( John G. Cawelti, Bowling Green University Press, ¡97¡) SYNOPSIS: Winchester in hand, the Ringo Kid ( John Wayne) halts the stage to Lordsburg after losing his horse. The kid, too, has business in Lordsburg. He intends to find the Plummer brothers, that infamous trio who murdered his brother and caused Ringo to be imprisoned on false charges. Ringo, having escaped the pen to carry out his revenge, is now forced to ride the stage as the prisoner of Marshal Curly (George Bancroft), who has ridden shotgun this trip in the hope of finding the kid in Lordsburg. The young fugitive is the last addition to a group of desperate travelers. Drunken Doc Boone (Thomas Mitchell) and young prostitute Dallas (Claire Trevor) have been run out of town by the Law and Order League. Banker Gatewood (Berton Churchill) is running away with stolen funds. The pregnant Lucy Mallory (Louise Platt), in search of her o‡cer husband, is escorted by Hatfield ( John Carradine), a notorious gambler. A meek whisky drummer, Peacock (Donald Meek), and the corpulent stage driver, Buck (Andy Devine), complete the company. With Geronimo on the warpath, the stage is being escorted by a company of cavalry. At the rest stop of Dry Fork, the travelers lose their military escort. The group must decide whether to turn back or make the perilous trip to Lordsburg.

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Stagecoach

Stagecoach (United Artists, ¡939). Claire Trevor, Wayne, Andy Devine, John Carradine, Louise Platt, Thomas Mitchell, Berton Churchill, Donald Meek, George Bancroft

They decide to travel on. The di›erence in personalities and the tension caused by their situation make for abrasive relationships among the passengers. The group, with the exception of the greedy Gatewood, is suddenly brought closer together when Mrs. Mallory unexpectedly gives birth to her daughter at the Apache Wells stage stop. A sober Doc Boone is able to deliver the baby and win the respect of his companions. Ringo, having fallen in love with Dallas, is persuaded by her to escape, but Apache smoke signals force him to stay with the group. The stage hurries o› and makes a successful crossing of a river at the burned-out ferry. As the coach crosses the flats on the last part of the journey, the Indians attack. The group bravely fights o› the pursuers from the moving stage until ammunition runs out. The timely arrival of the cavalry saves all the trav-

elers except for Hatfield, who has died in the fight. The group arrives in Lordsburg where Ringo rea‡rms his love for Dallas, even after learning of her profession. Convinced that “there are some things a man just can’t run away from,” he meets the Plummer boys in a shootout and is victorious. Doc Boone and Marshal Curly help send Ringo and Dallas out of town to the Kid’s ranch across the border where, they hope, the two will prosper, saved from the “blessings” of civilization. NOTES: In production from November ¡0 to December 22, ¡938, at Monument Valley, Kayenta and Mesa, Arizona, and the following locales within California: Dry Lake, Victorville, Fremont Pass, Newhall, RKO lot (Encino), Republic Studios, Calabasas and Chatsworth. Budgeted at $392,000, the film completed production with a negative cost of

Stagecoach $53¡,374.¡3. The combined salary for the entire cast was $65,000 with Wayne being paid at the rate of $600 a week. Walter Wanger also had to pay Republic an additional $600 a week for the loan-out of the actor. As a comparison, in ¡939, James Cagney was being paid $¡2,500 a week by Warners; Paul Muni earned $¡¡,500 a week; Errol Flynn and George Raft were earning $5000 a week; Bette Davis and Pat O’Brien, under contract to Warners, were receiving $4000 a week; and teenager Olivia DeHavilland was getting $¡250 a week to support Flynn in his adventure films. Director Ford received a salary of $50,000 and a percentage of the film’s profits. Domestic rentals in the first year of release were $¡,¡03,757. It brought a net profit of $297,639. A ¡944 reissue brought in a further $273,000. The film played at the Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood and New York’s Radio City Music Hall. The film was nominated for four Academy awards (Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actor, Music) and won in two categories (Supporting Actor and Music). John Ford was voted Best Director of ¡939 by the New York Film Critics Association. Top-billed Claire Trevor (¡909–2000) was born Claire Wemlinger in New York City. She attended Columbia University and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, but did not graduate from either institution. At the age of 2¡ Trevor made her Broadway debut. Two years later she was in Hollywood and signed to a contract by Fox. Prior to her role in Stagecoach, the actress had already worked in nearly 30 motion pictures including Dante’s Inferno (¡935), Dead End (¡937), for which she earned her first Oscar nomination, and The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (¡938). Relegated to supporting roles, in the ’40s Trevor would appear opposite Wayne in Dark Command (¡940), Dick Powell in Murder My Sweet (¡944) and Bogart in Key Largo (¡948). For her role of the desperate girlfriend of Edward G. Robinson in Key Largo, Trevor won her only Academy Award. For her work in the ¡954 Wayne vehicle The High and the Mighty, the actress received her third nomination. After appearing in Kiss Me Goodbye (¡982), she retired from the screen. For co-starring in this film, Andy Devine (¡905–77) received $¡0,000. The Arizona native’s dis-

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tinctive voice came about due to a childhood accident. While running with a stick in his mouth, he fell, injuring his vocal cords and roof of his mouth. In ¡925 Devine was discovered by a casting agent from Universal who, impressed by his athletic build (6'2" and 2¡5 pounds), signed him to appear as an extra in The Collegians. Devine and Wayne were stunt swimmers in the silent epic Noah’s Ark. Through much of the ’30s and early ’40s the rotund actor could be seen in six to nine films a year. Some of the more famous of his nearly 300 features included Destry Rides Again (¡932), Romeo and Juliet (¡936), A Star Is Born (¡937), Yellow Jack (¡938), Geronimo (¡939), Buck Benny Rides Again (¡940) and The Red Badge of Courage (¡95¡). In ¡95¡ Devine signed to co-star as Guy Madison’s sidekick in the television Western Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok. A generation of children discovered and loved him. From ¡955 to ¡960 he also hosted his own television show aimed directly at the pre-teen market, Andy’s Gang. He would continue to make movies, including Two Rode Together (¡96¡), How the West Was Won (¡962), It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (¡963) and Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (¡976), right up until the time of his death (leukemia). John P. McGowan (¡880–¡952), who had a small role in this feature, started in the industry during its infancy as part of the Kalem Company in ¡908. After several years in front of the camera he turned to directing and found his niche in the action genre. His wife, Helen Holmes, was the star of several of his hit serials. By the time the silent era ended, McGowan had acted in, directed and written well over ¡00 films. In the ¡930s his work was chiefly confined to the B-Western category although he did help direct the Mascot serial The Hurricane Express. A clip from Stagecoach was seen in Barry Levinson’s ¡990 film Avalon, which took place in the Baltimore of the early ¡950s. The main characters, immigrants from eastern Europe, are sitting around a television watching Stagecoach and reminiscing fondly while trying to remember the name of the film. The ¡942 Columbia–Charles Starrett Western Lawless Plainsmen used stock footage from Stagecoach, as did the ¡949 Starrett-Columbia Western Laramie (Columbia), and the ¡950

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The Star Packer

Eagle Lion release I Killed Geronimo, starring Jimmy Ellison. A 92-minute truncated version was available for subsequent reissues. Reissued in the late ¡940s as part of a double-bill with

The Long Voyage Home, and again in ¡95¡, this time with Sergeant York.

The Star Packer July 30, ¡934. 52–54 minutes. John Wayne, Verna Hillie, George Hayes, Yakima Canutt, Earl Dwire, George Cleveland, Arthur Ortego, Edward Parker, Tom Lingham, Davie Aldrich, Tex Palmer, Glenn Strange, Billy Franey, Frank Ball. Monogram. Producer Paul Malvern; Director Robert N. Bradbury; Story

and Screenplay Robert N. Bradbury; Photography Archie J. Stout; Editor Carl Pierson; Recording Engineer J.A. Stransky, Jr.; Technical Director E.R. Hickson; Musical Director Abe Meyer REVIEWS: “Old fashioned western will please fans with plenty of shooting and tough

The Star Packer (Monogram, ¡934). Back, left to right: Unknown, Frank Ball, unknown, Verna Hillie, unknown. Front, left to right: Wayne, Tom Lingham, George Hayes

The Star Packer fights. This western goes in for the rough stu› in large gobs, and manages to keep the excitement going.” Film Daily ( July 3, ¡934); “One good fist fight, yards and yards of chase, and three or four scenes so well composed and photographed that they look almost out of place in an indie product..” Variety (October, ¡934); “Trem Carr, Monogram’s head, had considerably upped the budget on the series from the original figure of $5,000 to $8,000 per entry.” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Phil Hardy, The Overlook Press, ¡983) SYNOPSIS : Before the Shadow and his gang of outlaws execute a stagecoach robbery, John Travers ( John Wayne), a United States marshal, and his Indian friend Yak (Yakima Canutt) intercept the coach and rob it themselves. Two of the Shadow’s henchmen brutally murder the coach driver and guard, and the horses bolt and run away with the coach. Travers saves passenger Anita Matlock (Verna Hillie), who is on her way to claim the ranch left to her by her recently murdered father, and escorts the coach into the town of Little Rock. Soon after the coach arrives, the sheri› is shot and killed, and Travers learns from Matlock, Anita’s uncle and a respected rancher, that Little Rock’s two previous sheri›s were also murdered. With the help of Yak, Travers begins an investigation and discovers that the killer’s instructions are coming from a voice behind a phony safe in the saloon. Travers and Yak follow the gunmen and find a hideout that is near Matlock’s ranch, full of notorious outlaws. After warning Matlock and Anita, who is visiting her uncle for the first time, about the outlaws, Travers and Yak jail two of the Shadow’s men. That night, they further investigate the saloon, finding a secret tunnel that leads to a hollow stump in the middle of the main street. Anita learns from a ranch hand named Jake that Matlock is the Shadow and that he killed her father and uncle and has assumed her uncle’s identity. She tries to warn Travers, but is taken hostage by the gang as they head for town with a machine gun. Travers deputizes the townsmen and, following a daring chase, captures Matlock and the gang. Eventually, Anita and Travers marry.

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NOTES: Production on the eighth Lone Star Western began on May 8, ¡934, at locations in Newhall (Monogram City) and at the General Service Studio on a budget of $¡2,000. Wayne received $¡250. In addition to being in the cast, Yakima Canutt and Ed Parker worked as stuntmen on the film. Yak doubled Wayne and other cast members. This was the last entry in the first series of eight Wayne–Lone Star Westerns for Monogram. Actress Verna Hillie’s (¡9¡4–97) film career consisted of ¡7 films in ten years. She was the bridesmaid in Madame Butterfly (¡932), had an unbilled role in the Marx Brothers’ Duck Soup (¡933), was featured in Henry Hathaway’s Man of the Forest starring Randolph Scott (¡933), had supporting roles in House of Mystery and the Ken Maynard serial Mystery Mountain (both in ¡934), also appeared with Wayne in the Western The Trail Beyond (¡934) and ended her career in the Disney featurette The Reluctant Dragon (¡94¡). Chicago-born William “Billy” Franey (¡889–¡94¡), in a career that lasted 26 years, appeared in more than 300 films, the preponderance being silents during the teens. In one four-year stretch from ¡9¡4 to ¡9¡7, he received credits for ¡5¡ productions. The actor, who was in Wayne’s Somewhere in Sonora, worked more infrequently through the ¡930s and died of influenza in ¡940, with two completed films set for release in ¡94¡ (It Happened All Night and Mad About Moonshine). For Tom Lingham (¡874–¡950), Star Packer would mark the end of the road. This was the last of his more than 60 features going back to ¡9¡4. In ¡934 Fox released several B-Westerns starring George O’Brien that were produced by Atherton Productions; Buck Jones continued to star in low-budget Westerns for Columbia; and Ken Maynard was headlining oaters for Universal while his brother Kermit was appearing in cheapie films for Ambassador Studios. Ken Maynard could also be seen in the Nat Levine produced Mascot entry In Old Santa Fe, which was notable as being the first screen appearance of Gene Autry. Footage from the film’s climax was used in Crooked River (¡950), a Jimmy Ellison B-Western. In the United Kingdom this Western was retitled He Wore a Star.

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Strong Boy

Strong Boy March 3, ¡929. 78 minutes. Victor McLaglen, Leatrice Joy, J. Farrell MacDonald, Clyde Cook, Kent Sanderson, Douglas Scott, Slim Summerville, Tom Wilson, Jack Pennick, Robert Ryan, Eulalie Jensen, David Torrence, Dolores Johnson. Fox. Director John Ford; Story Frederick Hazlett Brennan; Continuity John McLain; Titles Malcolm Stuart Boyland; Scenarists James Kevin McGuinness, Andrew Bennison, John McLain; Photography Joseph H. August; Presented by William Fox REVIEWS: “Bearing in mind the asinine story, Ford’s finished product demands tolerance…. He has in fact demonstrated that a director finesse and imagination can … take unadulterated hokum and knead it into some sort of form approaching downright merit.” Variety (April 3, ¡929); “One might be justified in imagining that [Ford] had had a great deal of fun in making this picture…. Mr. McLaglen’s genial presence and his capable acting add a great deal to the gaiety of this photoplay.” Film Daily (April 7, ¡929); “A very good comedy, of program grade…. There are some thrills in the picture too.” Harrison’s Reports (April 6, ¡929) SYNOPSIS : A railroad porter (Victor McLaglen) with limited ambitions is promoted to the Lost and Found department. To make him look successful, his friends constantly furnish him with items they have found on their journeys. The items they find include a three-year-old child, a monkey, goats, rabbits and other assorted animals of all sizes and types. While working as a fireman on a train which is carrying a visiting Queen and her retinue, the former porter breaks up a robbery by overpowering four holdup men who were after the Queen’s jewels. He becomes a hero and marries the boss’s daughter (Leatrice Joy). NOTES:While in production, the working title was The Baggage Smasher. Filmed at the Fox Studios with some location work done in San Diego. Released with music and synchronized sound e›ects. For directing three Fox films during the ¡929-30 season (The Black Watch, Strong Boy and Salute), John Ford

earned $¡33,977. McLaglen received $¡250 a week. Wayne was an extra and worked as a prop man. The only existing print of this film (a 35mm nitrate copy) is believed to be in a private collection in Australia. This feature marked the first collaboration between Ford and writer James Kevin McGuinness. Female lead Leatrice Joy (¡893–¡985) was born Leatrice Joy Zeidler in New Orleans. Arriving in Hollywood in ¡9¡2, she immediately found work as an extra. Her uncanny beauty and wits led to bigger and better roles until she became a star in a series of comedies for Oliver Hardy and Billy West. The ¡920s saw her star rise even higher. In ¡922 she married John Gilbert, one of the biggest motion picture stars of the era, and starred in Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments. After appearing in The Love Trader (¡930), she temporarily retired from the screen to devote herself to other pursuits. Over the next 20 years she could be seen, in supporting roles, in Of Human Hearts (¡938), First Love (¡939), Air Hostess (¡949) and Love Nest (¡95¡). Actor Slim (George) Summerville’s (¡892–¡946) film career, as both an actor and short subject director, lasted over 30 years. He started in ¡9¡4 in the Mack Sennett Keystone comedies, became one of the Keystone Kops, then signed with Fox and starred in their Sunshine Comedies. Throughout much of the ¡920s, Summerville was content directing short subjects while appearing in the occasional character role. As an actor he is best remembered for notable performances in All Quiet on the Western Front (¡930), The Spoilers (¡930), The Front Page (¡93¡), Air Mail (¡932), The Farmer Takes a Wife (¡935), Captain January (¡936), Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (¡938), Submarine Patrol (¡938), Jesse James (¡939), Western Union (¡94¡) and The Hoodlum Saint (¡946). Australian-born Clyde Cook (¡89¡–¡984) arrived in Hollywood after service with the British Navy during World War I. He worked alongside Summerville in the Keystone comedies and the Fox Sunshine comedies. His versatility allowed him to be cast in both dramas and humorous films. Some of his more famous motion pictures included

The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi Taming of the Shrew (¡929), The Dawn Patrol (¡930), Oliver Twist (¡933), Barbary Coast (¡935), Wee Willie Winkie (¡937), The Little Princess (¡939), The Sea Hawk (¡940), White Cargo (¡942) and Donovan’s Reef (¡963). Strong Boy opened at the Roxy Theater in New York City during

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the week of March 30, ¡930. In the nation’s big cities, the Victor McLaglen film faced competition from a Wallace Beery e›ort, Chinatown Nights, as well as the Buster Keaton comedy Spite Marriage and the railroad melodrama The Greyhound Limited with Monte Blue.

The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi November ¡933. 73–76 minutes. Mary Carlisle, Buster Crabbe, Charles Starrett, Florence Lake, Eddie Tamblyn, Sally Starr, Mary Blackford, Tom Dugan, Burr McIntosh, Major Godsell, Ted Fio Rito and His Orchestra, Leif Erickson, Billy Carey, Betty Grable, Muzzy Marcellene, The Three Midshipmen, The Three Blue Keys. Monogram. Producer W.T. Lackey; Director Edwin L. Marin; Story George Waggner; Screenplay Luther Reed, Albert E. DeMond; Photography Gil Warrenton; Editor J. Edwin Robbins; Dance Director Eddie Prinz; Recording John A. Stransky, Jr.; Songs “Sweetheart of Sigma Chi” Byron D. Stokes, F. Dudleigh Vernor; “It’s Spring Again” and “Fraternity Walk” Ted Fio Rito, Edward Ward, George Waggner REVIEWS: “An excellent indie which should be able to stand alone in splits on its appeal to adolescent patronage. … Buster Crabbe seems slightly uncomfortable in the college atmosphere, but evidently that is intended..” Variety (November 2¡, ¡933); “A quasi musical comedy … not overburdened with intelligence…. Mr. Crabbe’s … acting ability is limited.” The New York Times (Mordaunt Hall, November 9, ¡933) SYNOPSIS: Beautiful co-ed Vivian (Mary Carlisle) is known as the “Sigma Siren” because of her reputation as a Rawley campus flirt and femme fatale. All the members of the university rowing team fall for Vivian, except Bob North (Buster Crabbe), who is devoted to his sport. One day, Vivian tries to attract Bob’s attention by pretending to drown in a river, but after rescuing her, Bob realizes that he has been tricked. Later, when Bob returns Vivian’s dress to her sorority, the Theta Beta House, the

other girls open the package and tease him. Driven to distraction by his suspicion that Vivian is merely toying with him, and that the person she is really infatuated with is Morley (Charles Starrett), a Kappa man, Bob’s performance on the crew begins to falter. As a result, he is taken o› the team and replaced by Morley. When Bob takes back the pin he gave to Vivian, she becomes angry and tells him that she and Morley are engaged. On the day of the big homecoming race, Bob is reinstated on the team because Morley has broken his arm. Still distracted by thoughts of Vivian, Bob rows poorly and causes his team to fall behind. Then he is told that Vivian has rejected Morley and will be waiting for him at the finish line. Newly inspired by the news, Bob rows his team to an easy win. After the race, Bob gains Vivian’s admiration when he performs a daring rescue and saves the drowning coxswain and his girlfriend Dizzy (Florence Lake). Vivian then shows her true feelings for Bob by showing him her heart-shaped pin collection cushion, which now only sports Bob’s pin. NOTES: Production began in early August ¡933. The song upon which the film was based was popularized by Rudy Vallee in the ¡920s. Wayne’s one scene in the film (with a mustache) was edited out of the final print. Major Godsell was a world champion sculler and coach of the UCLA sculling team. Monogram remade the film in ¡946 with Phil Regan and Elyse Knox in the starring roles. Within three years, Larry “Buster” Crabbe (¡907–83) would achieve eternal fame playing Flash Gordon in three Universal serials, which many experts and fans have proclaimd to be the most popular representative of the genre. Like Wayne,

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Tall in the Saddle

The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi (Monogram, ¡933). Joe Sauers (Sawyers) (extreme left, striped tie), unknowns, Buster Crabbe (white short-sleeved shirt), Wayne, Eddie Tamblyn (plaid jacket), unknowns

Crabbe went to USC. He was an athlete in both the ¡928 and ¡932 Olympics, bringing home the gold medal for the 400-meter freestyle swimming event. Besides playing Flash Gordon, he was also in the ¡939 Buck Rogers serial and played Tarzan in one film. In the ’40s, Crabbe was busy starring in several series of low-budget Westerns for minor studios. His

career was resurrected in the mid–’50s when he played the role of Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion. Crabbe’s last Western screen appearances were in the ¡960s oaters The Bounty Killer and Arizona Raiders. The film opened at New York’s Mayfair Theater on November 8, ¡933.

Tall in the Saddle September 29, ¡944. 87 minutes. John Wayne, Ella Raines, Ward Bond, George “Gabby” Hayes, Audrey Long, Elisabeth Risdon, Don Douglas, Paul Fix, Russell Wade,

Emory Parnell, Raymond Hatton, Harry Woods, Wheaton Chambers, Frank Puglia, Bob McKenzie, Clem Bevans, Russell Simpson, Frank Orth, Cy Kendall, Erville Alder-

Tall in the Saddle

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Tall in the Saddle (RKO, ¡944). Clem Bevans, George Hayes, Paul Fix, Wayne, Russell Simpson, unknown, Jack O’Shea

son, Frank Darien, Bobby Samarich, Eddy Waller, George Chandler, Hank Bell, Dora Leyva, Walter Baldwin, Sam McDaniel, Al Murphy, Russell Hopton, Fred Graham, Tom Smith, Victor Cox, Henry Wills. RKO. Producer Robert Fellows; Director Edwin L. Marin; Screenplay Michael Hogan, Paul Fix; Original Story Gordon Ray Young; Associate Producer Theron Warth; Photography Robert de Grasse; Special E›ects Vernon L. Walker; Editor Philip Martin, Jr.; Art Directors Albert D’Agostino, Ralph Berger; Music Roy Webb; Musical Director C. Bakaleiniko›; Assistant Director Harry Scott; Set Decorators Darrell Silvera, William Stevens; Gowns Edward Stevenson; Recording John E. Tribby; Rerecording James G. Stewart REVIEWS: “John Wayne is tall, lean and tight-lipped and he’s equally handy with his

fists or a six-shooter. In short, he’s a good one to have on your side in a fight.” The New York Times (T.M.P., December ¡5, ¡944); “Wayne is at his best in the type of role he plays here and he gives it the proverbial works, underplaying and making the character entirely convincing and intriguing.” The Hollywood Reporter (September 20, ¡944); “[It’s] lusty outdoor entertainment assured of big returns at box-o‡ce…. Picture is reminiscent of Stagecoach, of several seasons back; same gutsy approach and spirit elevating it to a plane apart from most westerns.” Variety (September 20, ¡944); “[A] western omelet made of the traditional ingredients and served up with a trifle more than the traditional style and fun….” Time Magazine (November 6, ¡944); “[A]n excessively complicated mystery Western….” John Wayne and the

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Tall in the Saddle

Movies (Allen Eyles, A.S. Barnes, ¡976); “[O]ne of Wayne’s most mature and intelligent Western portrayals.” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974); “[I]f it’s blood and thunder you’re looking for, it’s all there in Tall in the Saddle. There’s a potent hodge-podge of bare-fist fights, a wild stagecoach ride, a couple of shootings, and THE CHASE…” Hollywood Citizen News (Lowell E. Redelings, March 9, ¡945); “Superior western out for enthusiastic reception from lovers of action films… Intelligently and resoundingly produced… Wayne is really in his element in this one. His support is of the best.” Film Daily (September 29, ¡944) SYNOPSIS : “Boy oh boy, has somebody come to town!” This is the assessment of Dave (Gabby Hayes), the cantankerous, whiskeyloving stage driver who has brought tall, taciturn Rocklin ( John Wayne) to Santa Inez. Others are not so enthusiastic. Rocklin has already been insulted by fellow stage passenger Miss Martin (Elisabeth Risdon), a matron escorting her niece Clara Cardell (Audrey Long) to claim the inheritance of the K.C. Ranch after the mysterious murder of its owner, Red Cardell. On his first night in town, the cowboy must forcibly take his poker winnings from hot-headed Clint Herolday (Russell Wade) and, the next morning, su›er the wrath of Clint’s fiery sister, Arly (Ella Raines), the owner of the Topaz Ranch. The newcomer stands up to the town bullies, the Clews brothers (Paul Fix and Harry Woods), and publicly humiliates them. Finally, his questions about Red Cardell, from whom the cowboy has a written invitation for the job of foreman at the KC Ranch, cause discomfort, especially for Judge Garvey (Ward Bond), who had handled Red’s business a›airs. The smooth-talking Garvey quickly unites with the avaricious Miss Martin to control the KC Ranch. Having no desire to work for the woman, Rocklin is hired by Arly to help prevent the cattle rustling which has lately plagued the Topaz. The senior Herolday (Don Douglas), owner of the Red Rock Stage Line and Arly’s stepfather, sends Rocklin to a lonely section of the ranch to watch for rustlers. After someone takes a shot at him at the remote outpost, he is visited by Arly. The sultry horsewoman is attracted to

the stranger and makes it clear with a passionate kiss. In the meantime, Clara Cardell grows distrustful of the alliance between her aunt and Garvey and approaches Rocklin for help. Suspicious of the Judge because of his past dealings with Red Cardell, Rocklin investigates Garvey’s o‡ce looking for a letter which would prove that Clara is not a minor, and thus able to inherit the ranch without her aunt’s control. Rifling the lawyer’s desk, Rocklin finds a deck of marked cards. When he learns from Dave that Red had been killed after finding such a deck, Rocklin is determined to take Clara to the District Judge for an investigation. He summons Clint to his hotel room to ask some questions, but young Herolday is shot through the window with Rocklin’s gun. Rocklin insists that he will not be arrested until he has brought the culprits to justice. He escapes from the sheri› and, with Dave, heads to the KC Ranch. The place is being watched by the Clews brothers and a fight breaks out. Desperately believing that Rocklin is not responsible for her brother’s death, Arly aids the cowboy with the help of her friend and protector, Tala (Frank Puglia). Tala, who witnessed Herolday shooting Clint through the window, clears up the mysteries surrounding the death of Red Cardell. Rocklin, the intended heir of the ranch, is revealed as the owner’s nephew, and Clara’s cousin. Herolday is revealed as the secret partner of Garvey; both have swindled and murdered ranchers for their land. The evildoers are undone, Clara returns east and Rocklin, whose code has been “No woman’s gonna get me hog-tied and branded,” squeezes Arly in a passionate embrace.—TAL NOTES: Filmed from April ¡7 to June ¡9, ¡944, on location at Lake Sherwood, California (the Albertson Ranch), with second unit work at Flagsta› and Tucson, Arizona. Segments were also shot at the RKO Ranch in Encino. Negative cost of the production was $443,728.78. With overhead charges of $¡22,025.4¡ for studio use, prints, bank charges and advertising, the film’s total cost was $565,754.¡9. The motion picture earned rentals of $2,045,000 on a domestic gross of slightly over $5,300,000. RKO reported a profit of $730,000 from the production’s initial release in the North American market. Wayne re-

Tall in the Saddle ceived a salary of $50,000 (at the rate of $6250 a week) while co-stars Ella Raines earned $35,000, Ward Bond $¡5,000 ($2500 a week), Gabby Hayes $6250 ($¡250 a week), Raymond Hatton $¡000 a week and Paul Fix $550 a week. The combined salaries for all members of the cast totaled $¡90,000. The novel was first published in ¡943 and serialized in The Saturday Evening Post from March 7 to April 25, ¡942. Sultry Washington native Ella Raines (¡92¡–88) came to Hollywood in ¡942, almost immediately signed to a film contract by a new Howard Hawks–Charles Boyer production company and rushed into minor roles in Corvette K-225 and Cry Havoc. In the next year, besides the Wayne Western, she was seen in three other films including Hail the Conquering Hero and Phantom Lady. Although enamored by Hollywood, she told reporters, “I’m going to do my best to see that these [rewards] never disturb the essential values in my life— love of husband, family, home, the things that really count.” After marrying a career military o‡cer, her Hollywood life took a back seat. Her entire film output would be less than 25 features. This film marked editor Theron Warth’s first credit as an associate producer. After a stint at the University of Pennsylvania, Edwin L. Marin (¡899–¡95¡) journeyed to Hollywood in ¡9¡9 to work in the film industry in an assortment of jobs behind the cameras. Patiently learning the craft, he rose to the position of director in the early ¡930s. Monogram’s Sweetheart of Sigma Chi, one of his first directorial e›orts, led to his signing by MGM (¡934–4¡) to direct many of their lower-budgeted productions. Marin helmed several entries in the low-budgeted Maisie series as well as Man of the People (¡937), Hold That Kiss (¡938), A Christmas Carol (¡938), Paris Calling (¡942) and several Randolph Scott Westerns in the late ¡940s and early ¡950s. Second female lead Audrey Long’s (¡923– ) film career lasted just over ten years, a period in which she appeared in over 30 motion pictures. The former model from Orlando, Florida, had supporting roles in several popular films including The Male Animal (¡942), Yankee Doodle Dandy (¡942), Abbott and Costello’s Pardon My Sarong (¡942), Wanderer of the Wasteland (¡945), Born to Kill (¡947), Stage Struck (¡948) and her

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last e›ort, Indian Uprising (¡952). Cinematographer Robert De Grasse (¡900–7¡), a graduate of USC, started working as a camera assistant at Universal while still in college. His keen grasp of the mechanics of camerawork led to his appointment as a full-fledged cinematographer at the age of 2¡. Although he worked continuously throughout the ¡920s, it was from the mid–¡930s on that he was a›orded the opportunity to be director of photography on some major productions. Some of the more famous films he shot included The Outcasts of Poker Flat (¡937), Stage Door (¡937), The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (¡939) with the team of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Kitty Foyle with Rogers (¡940), My Favorite Spy (¡942) starring Bob Hope, The Body Snatcher (¡945), The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (¡947) with Cary Grant and Shirley Temple and Home of the Brave (¡949). Special e›ects wizard Vernon Walker (¡894–¡948), started out as a cameraman after being intrigued by trick photography. He developed many early camera techniques which were universally adapted by the studios. In the early ¡930s, RKO made the innovator the head of their newly formed special e›ects department. He remained in that position from ¡933 to ¡947. While working at RKO, his team was responsible for the special e›ects on such notable films as Flying Down to Rio, with the musical-dance team of Astaire and Rogers (¡933), The Son of Kong (¡934), The Last Days of Pompeii (¡935), John Ford’s Mary of Scotland (¡936), Hitchcock’s Notorious (¡946) and the Douglas Fairbanks–Maureen O’Hara fantasy Sinbad the Sailor (¡947). Tall in the Saddle was one of the first films to employ the photographic e›ect (invented by Walker) that combined matte clouds and mountain backgrounds with outdoor process shots. Steel, the horse ridden by Wayne in this film, was also the mount for other stars in the ¡940s including Robert Mitchum, Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott. Fred Graham performed many of the fighting stunts for both Wayne and Harry Woods. Gabby Hayes would appear in ¡4 films with Wayne and state that, of his ¡65 features, My Pal Trigger starring Roy Rogers was his favorite, closely followed by Tall in the Saddle. Reissued by RKO in ¡949 and again in the late ¡950s.

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The Telegraph Trail

The Telegraph Trail March ¡8, ¡933. 59 minutes. John Wayne, Marceline Day, Frank McHugh, Otis Harlan, Yakima Canutt, Albert J. Smith, Clarence Geldert, Lafe McKee, Charles “Slim” Whitaker, Frank Ellis, Al Taylor, Bob Burns, Artie Ortego, Jack Kirk, Jim Thorpe, Chief John Big Tree, Chuck Baldra, Bud Osborne, Ben Corbett, Blackjack Ward, Duke, the Wonder Horse. Warner Bros. Producer Leon Schlesinger; Associate Producer Sid Rogell; Director Tenny Wright; Writer Kurt Kempler; Photography Ted McCord; Editor William Clemens; Music Leo F. Forbstein; Song “Mandy Lee” sung by Jack Kirk, Chuck Baldra REVIEWS: “Wayne makes a likeable young scout and it’s not his fault or Marceline Day’s that their love scenes are overstressed.”Variety (April 4, ¡933); “The least interesting of Wayne’s Westerns for Warners. The film is simply too melodramatic and old fashioned to be believable, and was even when first shown.” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia (Phil Hardy, Overlook Press, ¡983); “A fast-moving western of pioneer days…. It has human interest and some good comedy situations….” Harrison’s Reports (April ¡5, ¡933) SYNOPSIS: Civilization’s slow creep westward has an even better chance for success with the arrival of the telegraph. On the frontier, however, the Indians have their doubts about the singing wires and do their best to stop the advance. One telegraph work party, under attack, wires back to the fort: “Outrages in this section all due to white man named”—but the wire goes dead. Alice Ellis (Marceline Day) and her Uncle Zeke (Otis Harlan) come upon the scene and give aid to a dying trooper named Jonesy (Al Taylor). He gives Alice a photograph picturing him with two army friends, Scout John Trent ( John Wayne) and Cpl. Tippy (Frank McHugh). These very troopers have received permission to search the area for the devious white man who has incited High Wolf (Yakima Canutt) and his Indian braves to violence. The two cavalrymen want to find out why trader Gus Lynch (Albert J. Smith) seems to be the only merchant who can get his

supplies through Indian territory. Lynch opposes the telegraph, which would inevitably hurt his business monopoly. When the brute makes advances on Alice, she puts him o› by showing him the photograph of the cavalrymen, fabricating a story that John Trent is her lover. Her falsehood takes on new life as Trent chooses this same moment to enter her general store. He quickly becomes an enemy of the arrogant trader Lynch. “Come on, boys,” the young scout exhorts the settlers, “we need your help.” At his urging, a wagon train is outfitted to bring the necessary supplies to the telegraph camp. Lynch persuades High Wolf to wait in ambush for the train, a plan which is overheard by Alice, who warns the group in time. When the Indians attack, they are surprised by riflemen hidden in the wagons and are driven o›. The supplies are brought to the beleaguered camp where John takes some time to get to know Alice. When the last link in the wires is connected, Lynch and High Wolf attack again. “Circle the wagons!” orders Trent, who bravely rides o› to find the section of wire cut by the attackers. The camp, under a tipsy Cpl. Tippy, fights bravely but ammunition runs low. However, John, called “the Devil Scout” by the Indians, is able to connect the lines and summon the cavalry. The timely appearance of the troop saves the camp just as a dying High Wolf shoots the cowardly Lynch. John is awarded the rank of captain and Alice makes no secret of her feelings for her hero.—TAL NOTES: The fourth Wayne-Warner collaboration relied heavily on footage (including action sequences involving several hundred Indians and ¡2 war chiefs) from Ken Maynard’s silent Western The Red Raider (¡927). This seemingly large cast allowed the $28,000 film to appear to be a major undertaking. Wayne was paid $850. The film earned domestic rentals of $¡29,000 and a further $56,000 from overseas sources. Leading lady Marceline Day (¡908–2000) appeared in 56 films between ¡924 and ¡937. Within a few years after her screen debut, she was being featured opposite major stars John Barrymore in The Beloved

The Telegraph Trail

353

The Telegraph Trail (Warner Bros., ¡932). Front: Blackjack Ward (plaid shirt, kerchief around neck), Marceline Day, Otis Harlan (in print vest), Wayne. Back: Frank McHugh (army corporal, kerchief around neck), Albert J. Smith (arm around McHugh), unknowns

(¡927), Lon Chaney in London After Midnight (¡927) and Buster Keaton in The Cameraman (¡928). By the early ¡930s, with the influx of new talent, Day was relegated to appearances in low-budget films. At the age of 30 she retired from the screen and left Hollywood. While Day left the industry, character actor, Frank McHugh (¡898–¡98¡) was starting a long run as a contract player at Warners. The son of performers, McHugh, by the age of ten, was entertaining audiences across America. He appeared on Broadway, then in ¡930 was signed by Warners, where he became an uno‡cial “sidekick” to fellow Irishmen James Cagney and Pat O’Brien. Having worked on over ¡20 films from ¡930 to the early ¡960s, some of his better known features included Dawn Patrol (¡930), The Front Page (¡93¡), Gold Diggers of ¡935 (¡935), The Roaring Twenties (¡939), The Fighting 69th (¡939), Going My Way (¡944) and John Ford’s The Last Hurrah (¡958). Leo Forb-

stein’s (¡892–¡948) music can be heard in over 500 films, the vast majority for Warners. In ¡926 he was appointed the head of the music department at the studio, and during the ¡930s he was averaging over 30 credits a year for Warners. In ¡936 Forbstein won the first-ever Oscar for Best Score for his work on Anthony Adverse. Studio executive Sid Rogell (¡900– 73), the older brother of director Albert Rogell, helped originate the Wayne-Warner series of remakes which were the first films he served on as producer. In the ¡940s Rogell was head of the B-unit at RKO. His name as producer is on over 60 films including Murder, My Sweet (¡944), Zombies on Broadway (¡945), Dick Tracy (¡945), Born to Kill (¡947), Blood on the Moon (¡948) and his last film, At Sword’s Point (¡952). Remade by Warners in ¡937 as Prairie Thunder with a cast headed by Dick Foran. Yakima Canutt, Albert J. Smith, Frank Ellis and Slim Whitaker. Reissued in ¡940.

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Texas Cyclone

Texas Cyclone July 8, ¡932. 63 minutes. Tim McCoy, John Wayne, Shirley Grey, Wheeler Oakman, Wallace MacDonald, Harry Cording, Vernon Dent, Walter Brennan, Mary Gordon, James Farley, Bud Osborne, Frank Ellis, Al Haskell, Ray Henderson, Bob Roper, Jack Evans, Glenn Strange, Jack Kirk, Dick Dickinson. Columbia. Director D. Ross Lederman; Producer Irving Briskin; Screenplay William Colt MacDonald; Dialogue Randall Faye; Photography Benjamin Kline; Editor Otto Meyer; Sound Glen Rominger REVIEWS: “Fast action western has the stu› with Tim McCoy supplying plenty of fights and thrills. Here is a good regulation western that sticks to the time-honored formula, but dishes it up with some new twists, and plenty of good directorial touches.” Film Daily ( July 8, ¡932); “One of the earliest sound movies to use the look-alike plot that was to become a cliché of the B Western…” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Phil Hardy, The Overlook Press ¡983); “[A] solid story, with a twist ending, aided greatly by watching two developing stars in their salad days. Walter Brennan as a crotchety old sheri› and John Wayne as a fast draw young ranch hand.” The Best (and Worst) of the West (Boyd Magers, September 6, 2003). SYNOPSIS: Wanderer Texas Grant (Tim McCoy) enters the town of Stampede and is immediately mistaken for rancher Jim Rawlins. Grant learns that his lookalike Jim has disappeared five years earlier, and is believed dead. To protect the good citizens of the town against a gang of thugs, Grant assumes Jim Rawlins’ identity. At the Diamond R Ranch, owned by Rawlins, Grant meets the missing man’s wife, Helena (Shirley Grey). Like everyone else in town, she mistakes Grant for her missing husband. Grant learns that Helena is struggling to keep the ranch as her livestock is being rustled by Utah Becker (Wheeler Oakman), owner of the Red Dog saloon, who is using several of her own employees for his nefarious means. The employees are fired, leaving only Steve Pickett ( John Wayne), who has

remained loyal to Helena throughout her entire ordeal. Back in town, Grant confronts Becker, then sends a telegram to friends in Texas, seeking their help. Returning to the ranch, Grant thwarts some rustlers, killing one of them, and is wounded in the shootout. His horse Pal returns him to the Diamond R. Recuperated, Grant returns to town, confronts and captures Becker, then turns him over to Sheri› Collins (Walter Brennan). Backed by the arrival of Grant’s Texas friends, the Sheri› announces his plan to expel all the local undesirables. When Becker learns that Grant is really Jim Rawlins, he challenges him to a gunfight. Grant kills Becker and the outlaw hired by Becker to ambush him. In the showdown, Grant is seriously wounded, but is nursed back to health by his wife Helena, who has learned that her husband has been su›ering from amnesia since he was ambushed by Becker five years earlier. NOTES : Filmed from January 5 to ¡¡, ¡932, on a budget of $20,000. Remade in ¡937 as One Man Justice (Columbia) with Charles Starrett. Cast members Mary Gordon and Frank Ellis appeared in both films. While McCoy earned $800 for this film and Wayne was paid $350, Paramount had Cary Grant under contract at the rate of $450 a week and Bing Crosby was earning $60,000 a film from his studio. Clark Gable, still a rising star at MGM, was receiving a weekly salary of $2500 while W.C. Fields’ weekly take was double that. The supreme acting talent, John Barrymore, at the zenith of his career, was being paid $¡50,000 per film by MGM. Appearing as the villain in ¡3 McCoy Westerns from ¡932 through ¡938, Wheeler Oakman (¡890–¡949) was a constant thorn in the side of “the colonel.” The veteran of over ¡00 films made his first major screen appearance in the first adaptation of The Spoilers (¡9¡4), but he reached the height of his screen infamy in the ¡930s serving as the able nemesis to a score of Western heroes including Hoot Gibson, Buck Jones, Kermit Maynard, Charles Starrett and Fred Scott. In the early ¡920s, Scottish actress Mary

Texas Cyclone

355

Texas Cyclone (Columbia, ¡93¡). Wheeler Oakman, Tim McCoy, John Wayne

Gordon (¡882–¡963) arrived in the United States with a touring stage company. She stayed in Hollywood appearing as a character actress in dozens of films from the silent version of Naughty Nanette (¡927) to the acclaimed, groundbreaking musical No No Nanette (¡940). In between she was featured in supporting roles in Bride of Frankenstein (¡935), Mutiny on the Bounty (¡935), Mary of Scotland (¡936) and The Plough and the Stars (¡937). In several Sherlock Holmes films and

radio episodes, she essayed the role of the sleuth’s housekeeper Mrs. Hudson. Alabama native Benjamin H. Kline (¡896–¡977) shot a remarkable 257 motion pictures. Of that number, the vast majority were B-films and lowbudget Westerns. Besides lensing four Wayne films (Range Feud, Shadow of the Eagle and Two-Fisted Law were the others), he was also involved with Pride of the Marines (¡936), Call of the Rockies (¡938), Island of Doomed Men (¡940), Detour (¡945) and Backlash (¡947).

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Texas Terror

Texas Terror February ¡, ¡935. 5¡–58 minutes. John Wayne, Lucile Brown, LeRoy Mason, George Hayes, Bu›alo Bill, Jr., Bert Dillard, Lloyd Ingraham, Fern Emmett, John Ince, Henry Rocquemore, Jack Du›y, Yakima Canutt, Bobby Nelson, Tex Phelps, Eddie Parker, Bert O’Hara, Frank Ball, Jack Jones. Monogram. A Lone Star Western. Producer Paul Malvern; Director Robert N. Bradbury; Story Robert N. Bradbury; Photography William Hyer, Archie J. Stout; Editor Carl Pierson; Sound Recording Dave Stoner, Ralph Shugart; Technical Director E.R. Hickson REVIEWS: “John Wayne rides hard and fast, the cowboys and Injun (sic) shoot often at each other, plus the judicious cutting to threequarters of an hour combine into making this bronc opera acceptable… It’s all Wayne.” Variety (April ¡0, ¡935); “Slower and tamer than many of John Wayne’s Lone Star epics.” The Best (and Worst) of the West (Boyd Magers, July 24, 2002); “Routine fare.” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia (Phil Hardy, Overlook Press, ¡983) SYNOPSIS : Sheri› John Higgins ( John Wayne), in hot pursuit of a trio which robbed the express o‡ce in town, trails the outlaws to a shack and opens fire. Unbeknownst to the sheri›, his best friend Dan Matthews lies dead inside, a victim of the villainous treachery. When the bandits escape from the rear of the shack, John enters to find the corpse. Convinced that one of his shots killed his friend, Higgins resigns as sheri› to live alone in the desert. John meets few people in this self-imposed exile, but does win the friendship of Chief Black Eagle by befriending his injured son. The ex-sheri› ’s solitude is shattered by the arrival of Beth Matthews (Lucile Brown) a year after her father’s death. When the stage is attacked by thieves, Beth narrowly escapes and is taken to safety by Higgins. Beth assumes that the scru›y recluse is a desperado, but is relieved when he sends her safely on into town. When John rides in later to visit current sheri› Ed Williams (George Hayes), he learns that Beth is the daughter of his murdered

friend. Sheri› Williams talks Higgins into taking the job of foreman of Beth’s struggling Lazy M Ranch, assuring the recluse that once he has shaved and cleaned up, Beth will never recognize him as the desperado at the stage hold-up. John accepts and keeps his secret within him, even while falling in love with his attractive employer. Beth, too, is in love and cannot understand why John is so reserved in his relationship with her. At a barn dance, the leader of the unidentified trio of robbers, Joe Dickson (LeRoy Mason), tells Beth that John Higgins killed her father. Beth confronts John with this horrible secret and orders him o› her ranch. Trailing the Martin brothers, close friends of Dickson, John overhears a plot to steal Beth’s fine herd of horses. Enlisting the aid of Black Eagle’s warriors, John and Ed Williams set an ambush and prevent the theft. When John forces a confession from Blackie Martin, he learns that Dickson is Dan Matthews’ murderer. The outlaw leader is cornered at Beth’s ranch and is brought to justice by an avenging John Higgins. With the truth in the open, John drops the weight of the world from his heart, freeing him to pursue the love of Beth Matthews.—TAL NOTES : Production began on the thirteenth Lone Star Western (twelfth in release) on November ¡5, ¡934, a day after the completion of Rainbow Valley, in Monogram City and the Placerita Canyon area of Newhall, with the same six principles from the previous film. It was budgeted at $¡¡,000 with Wayne receiving $¡250. Although produced under the Monogram banner, the film was the first feature to be distributed by the newly formed Republic Pictures. Cast member John Ince (¡879–¡947) first performed in front of an audience at the age of eight in ¡887. At di›erent stages of their careers, John and his brothers Ralph and Thomas worked simultaneously as silent movie actors and directors. Although not nearly as famous as his younger brother Thomas, John acted in and directed dozens of notable films in the teens and ’20s. By the end of the decade he grew weary of directing and made the com-

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Texas Terror (Monogram, ¡935). Foreground: Wayne, Lucile Brown, Fern Emmett, LeRoy Mason

plete transition to being an actor. His renewed acting career consisted of roles in several dozen B-films and serials as well as the praiseworthy motion pictures Moby Dick (¡930), In Old Kentucky (¡935), The Miracle Kid (¡94¡), Wilson (¡944) and The Last Frontier Uprising (¡947). LeRoy Mason (¡903–47) was famous as the lead heavy in scores of Westerns going all the way back to the silent era. During the course of his career, he enjoyed terrorizing not only Wayne but other “white hats” including Bill Cody, George O’Brien, Kermit Maynard, Gene Autry, Tom Keene, Bob Baker, Charles Starrett, Tim Holt, Don Barry, Wild Bill Elliott and Roy Rogers. While shooting Califor-

nia Firebrand (Republic, ¡948), he was stricken with a heart attack and died shortly thereafter. The veteran of World War II also appeared with Wayne in Rainbow Valley, Wyoming Outlaw, New Frontier (¡939 version), California Straight Ahead, Santa Fe Stampede, In Old Oklahoma, The Fighting Seabees and Angel and the Badman. Character actor Jack Du›y (¡882– ¡939) was forever playing the roles of grandpas or toothless old men. Between ¡9¡9 and ¡936 he appeared in over 40 films. Trem Carr and Paul Malvern remade this Western in ¡938 as Guilty Trail (Universal) starring Bob Baker. The director was Joseph West (a.k.a. George Waggner).

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That’s My Boy

That’s My Boy November ¡7, ¡932. 7¡ minutes. Richard Cromwell, Dorothy Jordan, Mae Marsh, Arthur Stone, Douglas Dumbrille, Lucien Littlefield, Leon Ames, Russell Saunders, Sumner Getchell, Otis Harlan, Dutch Hendrian, Elbridge Anderson, Crilly Butler, Douglas Haig, Lafe McKee, Ward Bond, John Wayne, the University of Southern California (USC) football team of ¡93¡ (Ernie Pinckert, Jim Musick, Gaius Shaver, Tay Brown, Ernie Smith, Toby Hunt, Earl Sparling). Columbia. Director Roy William Neill; From the novel by Francis Wallace; Adaptation and Dialogue Norman Krasna; Assistant Director Jay Marchant; Film Editor Jack Dennis; Photography Joseph August; Recording Glenn Rominger; Costumes Robert Kalloch REVIEWS: “Light programmer of the football cycle. Never heavy drama nor directed or acted in genius fashion, but on a whole a programmer that will please the mob at admissions up to possibly 50 cents.” Variety (November ¡932); “The film’s principal claim to attention is its original point of view. In other respects it adheres to the formula in these matters.” The New York Times (November 24, ¡932); “It is fairly entertaining picture, with human interest and some suspense. There are the usual thrilling football games played…. The closing scenes are dramatic and arouse much pity for the hero….” Harrison’s Reports (November 26, ¡932); “Fair football drama that should please the pop audiences, good work by Cromwell.” The Film Daily (November ¡932) SYNOPSIS: Thomas Je›erson Scott (Richard Cromwell) is a poor freshman at Thorpe University who is hoping to someday become a doctor. His ability on the athletic field impresses Coach Adams (Douglas Dumbrille), who makes him a member of the freshman football squad. By his sophomore year, Scott has become a valued member of the football team and the coach’s secret weapon. His open field running inspires the press to nickname him “Snakehips.” His newfound fame leads Tom to a pretty coed, Dorothy (Dorothy Jordan), who has a very wealthy and influential fa-

ther. The new celebrity status causes Scott to demand a sizable cut of the football revenues or he will quit the team. One of the assistant coaches connects Scott with a shady New York investment broker, who uses the young man’s famous name to draw money from friends, After sustaining large gambling debts, the investment broker goes bankrupt, leaving Tom to su›er the hostility of an outraged public. Reality sets in and Tom wants to pay back the investors who, relying on his name, have lost $¡00,000 with the crooked brokers. Dorothy’s father now sees a way to rid his daughter of this young man. He o›ers Tom $¡00,000 to get out of his daughter’s life. Tom takes the money and turns it over to the district attorney’s o‡ce, then suits up for his next football game. Against an imposing Harvard team, he scores a touchdown but is booed unmercifully by a hostile home crowd. Once the press learns of the $¡00,000 from the D.A.’s o‡ce, they relay the news to the fans in the stands, who immediately change their boos into cheers. In the game’s final minutes, Tom breaks another run, scoring the winning touchdown. More important, his public redemption ensures a campus wedding with Dorothy.—TAL NOTES: Filmed from July 30 to August 20, ¡932, this was one of the many college football films made by Columbia and First National–Warners in the late ’20s and early ’30s. Wayne’s role in the film may be confined to stock footage utilized from the earlier Columbia film Maker of Men. Wayne is Taylor, the star player of the Harvard team, who is shown carrying and kicking the ball. After studying ballet and a short career on the Broadway stage, Dorothy Jordan (¡906–88) came to Hollywood in the late ¡920s. She appeared in several Ramon Novarro films as well as Taming of the Shrew (¡929), Hell Divers (¡93¡) and Cabin in the Cotton (¡932). In ¡934, after marrying producer, Merian C. Cooper, she retired from films. In the mid–¡950s, John Ford enticed her to return to films, providing the actress with roles in three of his productions: The Sun Shines Bright (¡953), The Searchers (¡956) and The

They Were Expendable Wings of Eagles (¡957). Working for D.W. Gri‡th in the early part of the century, Mae Marsh (¡895–¡968) appeared in the early epics The Birth of a Nation (¡9¡5) and Intolerance (¡9¡6). Tiring of the film grind, having costarred in over 50 films by ¡925, the actress reduced her motion picture workload by appearing infrequently in films of the ¡930s and ¡940s. A favorite of director Ford, Marsh had small but memorable roles in his Three Godfa-

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thers (¡948), Sergeant Rutledge (¡960), Two Rode Together (¡96¡) and Donovan’s Reef (¡963). Also playing at the nation’s theaters in the late fall of ¡932 were Rockabye (RKO–Pathé) starring Constance Bennett, Paul Lukas and Joel McCrea; First National’s comedy You Said a Mouthful with Joe E. Brown and Ginger Rogers; and another comedy, Men of America (RKO) with Bill Boyd and Chic Sales.

They Were Expendable November 23, ¡945. ¡36 minutes. Robert Montgomery, John Wayne, Donna Reed, Jack Holt, Ward Bond, Louis Jean Heydt, Marshall Thompson, Russell Simpson, Leon Ames, Paul Langton, Arthur Walsh, Donald Curtis, Cameron Mitchell, Je› York, Murray Alper, Harry Tenbrook, Jack Pennick, Charles Trowbridge, Robert Barrat, Bruce Kellogg, Tim Murdock, Vernon Steele, Robert Emmett O’Connor, William B. Davidson, Tom Tyler, Lee Tung Foo, Trina Lowe, Robert Shelby Randall, Art Foster, Larry Dods, Jack Stoney, Duke Green, Stubby Kruger, Phil Schumacher, Major Frank Pershing, Joey Ray, Dan Borzage, William Ne›, Del Hill, Bill Barnum, Ted Lundigan, Michael Kirby, William McKeever Riley, Frank McGrath, Sammy Stein, Blake Edwards, Ernest Saftig, Stephen Barclay, Franklin Parker, Leslie Sketchley, Philip Ahn, Pacita Tod-Tod, Robert Homans, William B. Davidson, Jack Cheatham, Forbes Murray, Emmett Vogan, Sherry Hall, Alan Bridge, Jack Luden, Jon Gilbreath, Marjorie Davies, Karl Miller, Len Stanford, George Bruggeman, Reginald Simpson, James Carlisle, Dutch Schlikenmeyer, Tony Carson, Jack Lorenz, Brad Towne, Charles Calhoun, Leonard Mellin, Frank Donahue, Dan Quigg, Cli›ord Rathjen, Dick Karl, Jack Lee, Wedgewood Nowell, Dick Thorne, Leonard Fisher, John Roy, Michael Kostrick, Jimmy Magrill, Sam Simone, Paul Kruger, Bruce Carruthers, Jack Semple, Roy Thomas, Bob Thom, Larry Steers, Gary Delmar, Eleanor Vogel, Leota

Lorraine, Almeda Fowler, Betty Blythe, Jane Crowley, Charles Murray, Jr., Margaret Morton, George and Michael Economides, Roque Yberra, Jr., Nino Pipitone, Jr., Ralph Soncuya, Vincent Isla, Max Ong, Jim Fraley, Ernest Dominguez, Henry Mirelez, Lee Tung Foo, Bill Wilkerson, John Carlyle, Mary Jane French, Patrick Davis, Roger Cole, Fred Beckner, Jack Ross, Brent Shugar, Kermit Maynard, Bill Donahue, Frank Eldridge, Jack Carrington, Hansel Warner, Charles Ferguson, Jack Trent, Robert Strong, John Epper, Bill Nind, Don Lewis, William “Merill” McCormick, Jack Mower. MGM. Producer John Ford; Director John Ford; Associate Producer Cli› Reid; Scenarist Lt. Commander Frank W. Wead; Based on the Book by W.L. White; Photography Joseph H. August; Second Camera Herbert Fischer; Art Directors Cedric Gibbons, Malcolm F. Brown, Howard Campbell; Set Decorators Edwin B. Willis, Ralph S. Hurst; Music Herbert Stothart; Editors Frank E. Hull, Douglas Biggs; Second Unit Director James C. Havens; Rear Projection Plates R. Montgomery; Matte Paintings Warren Newcombe; Matte Paintings Camera Mark Davis; Assistant Director Edward O’Fearna; Sound Douglas Shearer; Unit Mixer Lowell S. Kinsall; Re-recording and E›ects Mixers James Z. Flaster, Robert W. Shirley, Newell Sparks, William Steinkamp, Michael Steinore, John A. Williams; Music Mixers M.J. McLaughlin, Herbert Stahlberg; Special E›ects Arnold Gillespie; Miniatures Assistant Donald Jahraus; Makeup Jack Dawn;

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Unit Manager Gilbert Kurland; Research Director George Richelavie; Assistant Research Director Gladys Norvell; Technical Advisor Ernest Saftig REVIEWS: “This film comes from the heart of Ford’s work, not only in its typical characters and attitudes, but in its unashamed depth of feeling, its total response to the human tragedy of war.” The Cinema of John Ford ( John Baxter, A.S. Barnes, ¡97¡); “[An] outstanding war film….” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, A.S. Barnes, ¡976); “Three of the best films about World War II were released shortly after it was over; The Story of GI Joe, They Were Expendable, and A Walk in the Sun. They had much in common: first rate directors with long experience, sources in superior, intelligent novels and journalism; an understated, episodic, documentary approach to small actions that transformed them into examples of soldierly nobility.” The War Film (Norman Kagan, Pyramid, ¡974); “[A] stirring picture … a moving remembrance of things past … the drama and essence of the story are most movingly refined in those scenes which compose the pattern of bravery and pathos implicit in the tale…. Mr. Wayne is magnificently robust….” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, December 2¡, ¡945); “The nobility of the characters in They Were Expendable seems to spring not so much from their human qualities as from their superhuman possibilities, from their sublimation of fear and pain and loneliness into a virtual mystique of heroism.” John Ford ( Joseph McBride and Michael Wilmington, Da Capo Press, ¡975); “This is one of the fine war movies and a stirring reminder of American gallantry in the early days of disaster. The acting is firstrate throughout, but the film is at its documentary best in action….” Newsweek ( January ¡946); “John Wayne is excellent as another skipper…. They Were Expendable is a memorable war film.” New York Herald Tribune (Howard Barnes, December 2¡, ¡945); “Robert Montgomery and John Wayne, acting with almost melancholic restraint, pointed up the gallantry and devotion to duty of the men chosen to e›ect the historic evacuation of General MacArthur at the end of the campaign.” A Pictorial History of War Films (Clyde Jeavons,

Citadel Press, ¡974); “No American film reflects more profoundly the age old tradition of war….” Films and the Second World War (Roger Manvell, A.S. Barnes, ¡974); “Produced and photographed excellently, it’s highly interesting if too long … virtually certain to go over big… Montgomery and Wayne dominate among cast members…” Variety (November ¡945); “[It] represents the type of service film the entire public, soldier and civilian, has been waiting for: the war film conceived and executed by the fighting men themselves. And in more ways than in this one respect, They Were Expendable seems well worth waiting for….” New York PM Exclusive (McManus, December 2¡, ¡945); “[A]n interesting war picture, grim as all war pictures are grim, but e›ectively handled and photographed…. The picture was made with a careful attention to detail, as is evidenced in its over two hours of running time, but it’s at its best in the scenes of action.” New York Journal American (Rose Pelswick, December 2¡, ¡945); “[A] good war drama, exciting and stirring…. Director John Ford, Captain USNR, has put grim realism into the fighting scenes…. Only when the picture moves o› its documentary course does it slow up….” The New York Daily News (Wanda Hale, December 2¡, ¡945); “Robert Montgomery brings to the picture one more of his clear cut, significant acting jobs. John Wayne is as firm and convincing in his role of the executive o‡cer.” New York World-Telegram (William Hawkins, December 20, ¡945) SYNOPSIS: Manila Bay in the year ¡94¡: Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three, led by Lt. Brickley (Robert Montgomery), goes through its paces before the Admiral, who leaves with a few politely disparaging remarks about the worth of the small wooden boats. O‡cial doubts about the usefulness of the PT boats causes Brickley’s friend and second-incommand, Rusty Ryan ( John Wayne), to wonder about the wisdom of his own career choice. But with the announcement of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, war becomes a reality, which leaves little time for self-doubt. Enemy bombers attack the squadron’s base as rumors grow of a large enemy task force. But Brickley and his boats are used for messenger trips until the fall of Manila presents the squadron with

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They Were Expendable (MGM, ¡945). John Ford, Wayne, W.L. White

its first real test—a successful attack and sinking of a Japanese cruiser with the loss of one PT boat. Further action follows, resulting in more losses. Ryan injures his hand in combat and meets Sandy (Donna Reed), a beautiful Army nurse, while he recuperates in a sickbay. But with the fall of the Philippines imminent, romance between Rusty and Sandy is severed abruptly. Brickley and four of his boats are ordered to carry MacArthur south to Mindanao en route for the safety of Australia. The spare crews are sent away to reinforce the soldiers at Bataan. Losing one boat along the way, Brickley brings his last three boats to Mindanao, where he is ordered to serve under the Army there. An accident cripples another boat. Brickley and Ryan take the last two boats on a gallant attack against a Japanese cruiser. Returning from the mission, the two are sepa-

rated. Ryan’s boat is attacked from the air and destroyed along with two of his crew. As local radios announce the fall of Bataan, Rusty rejoins Brickley as their last boat is being hauled away on a truck to run errands for the Army. Exhausted and saddened at the demise of the squadron, the survivors march o› to join the retreat as Brickley, Ryan and two junior o‡cers are ordered back to Australia in the one plane that remains. With nothing to sustain them but MacArthur’s vow, “We shall return,” the remnants of the squadron straggle down the deserted beach as the plane soars above.—TAL NOTES: Filmed in South Florida (near Miami and Key Biscayne) over a period of 84 days, from February ¡¡ to June ¡4, ¡945. The project, first conceived in ¡942 by MGM, was envisioned as a Technicolor starring vehicle for Spencer Tracy, with Sidney Franklin as

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producer. The rights to the novel had been secured for $30,000 plus royalties up to a maximum of $20,000, with the understanding that one-third of that sum would be donated to the Navy Relief Fund. By the summer of ¡943, MGM announced that Sam Zimbalist would produce and Mervyn LeRoy would direct the ambitious motion picture. In mid–¡944, Frank Wead was signed to write a new script and John Ford placed in charge of the production. It was budgeted at $2,600,000; the final negative cost came to $2,933,000. It earned domestic rentals of $3,¡09,000 and $¡,238,000 from foreign sources. In its first year of release (based on a box o‡ce gross of $9,400,000), the film reportedly represented a loss of $¡0¡,000 for MGM. Director Ford’s salary was $300,000 while Wayne was paid $75,000. Expendable was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Sound Recording and Best Special E›ects. The film’s star, Robert Montgomery (¡904–8¡), had just returned from active duty in the Navy with a Bronze Star earned during combat. His film career had started in ¡929, after some stage work and writing, when MGM signed him, at $500 a week, to a standard five-year contract. In his first production for the studio he played a carefree playboy in This Is College (¡929). He began to hit his stride when, in quick succession, he was placed in the major productions Their Own Desire (¡930) and The Divorcee (¡930), both opposite Norma Shearer; Garbo’s Inspiration (¡93¡); Private Lives (¡93¡), again with Norma Shearer; and three films with Helen Hayes. Always an independent thinker, the actor raised the ire of the studio when he refused to appear opposite Clark Gable in Mutiny on the Bounty (¡935). He received his first Oscar nomination for Night Must Fall (¡937); starred opposite Carole Lombard in the comedy Mr. and Mrs. Smith (¡94¡); and in the same year, while loaned out to Columbia, was again nominated for a disarming performance in Here Comes Mr. Jordan. In ¡939 Montgomery, one of the original founders of the Screen Actors Guild, was elected president of SAG. After the war, and after having been under contract to MGM for nearly ¡7 years, the actor signed a two-picture contract with Universal. He then moved to the Warners lot and appeared in several films including the for-

gettable comedy June Bride with Bette Davis. For seven years (¡950–57), Montgomery hosted and occasionally starred in the Robert Montgomery Presents TV anthology series. During the last two seasons of the show, the father of Elizabeth Montgomery of Bewitched fame would earn nearly $500,000 a year for his television work. Actor Robert Barrat (¡89¡–70) also portrayed General MacArthur in the motion picture An American Guerilla in the Philippines (¡950). The original choice for MacArthur was Ian Keith. Cast member Marshall Thompson (¡925–92), portraying a young o‡cer under Montgomery’s command, was a direct descendent of Chief Justice John Marshall. Signed by MGM in ¡944 at $400 a week, the young man was immediately inserted into Reckless Age (¡944) with Gloria Jean, The Purple Heart (¡944), The Clock (¡945) and Valley of Decision (¡945). The John Ford war film would be his seventh feature. Over a span of eight years, beginning in ¡944, MGM would insert the young actor into 20 features. Although he appeared in all types of motion pictures it was the war film (The Purple Heart, Command Decision, Battleground, To Hell and Back, Battle Taxi) first, then cheap science fiction movies (It! The Terror from Beyond Space, Fiend Without a Face, First Man into Space) that became his forte in the ’50s and early ’60s. Also in the ’60s, he starred in the television series Angel (CBS, ¡96¡) and Daktari (CBS, ¡966–69). Cameron Mitchell (¡9¡8–94), born Cameron Mizell, worked on Broadway before enlisting in the Army Air Corps at the onset of World War II. After serving as a bombardier over Europe, he moved to Hollywood and was signed to appear in Expendable and What Next Private Hargrove? (¡945). Mitchell was also featured in the Clark Gable starrer Command Decision (¡949), then earned his greatest acclaim for both the stage and screen adaptations of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman (¡95¡). Busy throughout the ’50s, Mitchell appeared in Outcasts of Poker Flat (¡952), Les Miserables (¡952), How to Marry a Millionaire (¡953), Powder River (¡953), Garden of Evil (¡954), The Tall Men (¡955) and Carousel (¡956). From the ¡960s to the time of his death he worked in numerous low-budget and foreign films. Capitalizing on the popularity of Bonanza, NBC

Three Faces West signed Mitchell to star in another impressive Western series, The High Chaparral, which had a four-year run (¡967 to ¡97¡). After a short career as a newspaperman and stage actor, Louis Jean Heydt (¡905–60) entered films in ¡932. A competent character actor, he kept busy appearing in films throughout the ¡930s, ¡940s and ¡950s. Some of the more popular motion pictures included Test Pilot (¡938), They Made Me a Criminal, Each Dawn I Die, Charlie Chan at Treasure Island, Gone with the Wind (¡939), Abe Lincoln in Illinois (¡940), High Sierra, Dive Bomber (¡94¡), Tortilla Flat (¡942), Gung Ho! (¡943), Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (¡944) and The Big Sleep (¡946). In the ¡950s he appeared with Wayne in Island in the Sky and The Wings of Eagles. His last film was Inside the Mafia (¡959). Cast member (William) Blake Edwards’ (¡922– ) grandfather and father were prominent Hollywood directors. While writing scenarios, Edwards accepted minor acting assignments including roles in Ten Gentlemen from West Point (¡942) and A Guy Named Joe (¡943). After Expendable he appeared briefly in The Best Years of Our Lives and began concentrating on writing for the screen. By the mid–¡950s the talented Edwards began directing his own written e›orts. While directing the popular films Operation Petticoat

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(¡959), Breakfast at Ti›any’s (¡96¡), Experiment in Terror (¡962), Days of Wine and Roses (¡963) and the Pink Panther comedies, he still found time to create several entertaining television series including Peter Gunn (¡958–60). In ¡969 Edwards married Julie Andrews and starred her in the big-budget bomb Darling Lili (¡970). His later film successes included ¡0 (¡979) and Victor/Victoria (¡982). Bit player and technical advisor Ernest Saftig, a Navy veteran, became one of Wayne’s closest personal friends in Newport Beach. In the ’60s and ’70s they were joint investors in several business ventures. Second unit director James C. Havens (¡902– 90) was a captain in the U.S. Marines during the war, and served in the Reserves while working on this production. The Ford war film competed against Warners’ Saratoga Trunk starring two formidable box o‡ce giants, Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman; the MGM comedy What Next, Corporal Hargrove? with Robert Walker, Chill Wills and Keenan Wynn; and the Errol Flynn super–Western San Antonio (WB). The world premiere was held in Washington, D.C., on December ¡9, ¡945. It played during the Christmas season at New York’s Capitol Theater alongside a live stage show which featured Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra.

Three Faces West July ¡2, ¡940. 79–8¡ minutes. John Wayne, Sigrid Gurie, Charles Coburn, Spencer Charters, Helen MacKellar, Roland Varno, Sonny Bupp, Wade Boteler, Trevor Bardette, Russell Simpson, Charles Waldron, Wendell Niles, Dewey Robinson, Horace B. Carpenter, Si Jenks, Byron Foulger, Frederick Vogeding, Wolfgang Zilzer, Frank Brownlee, Jane Keckley, Vic Potel, Douglas Evans. Republic. Director Bernard Vorhaus; Associate Producer Sol C. Siegel; Screenplay F. Hugh Herbert, Joseph Moncure Marsh, Samuel Ornitz, Doris Anderson; Production Manager Al Wilson; Photography John Alton; Editor William Morgan; Supervising Editor Murray Seldeen; Art Direc-

tor John Victor MacKay; Musical Score Victor Young; Wardrobe Adele Palmer; Special E›ects Howard Lydecker; Assistant Director Kenneth Holmes REVIEWS: “[A] superior script.” Shooting Star (Maurice Zolotow, Simon & Schuster, ¡974); “Of the cast John Wayne, as the dogged young farmer, again turns in a performance of conviction and casual assurance…. Put down Three Faces West as a film with good intentions but insu‡cient stamina.” The New York Times (T.S., August ¡9, ¡940); “It is highly unlikely, that it has the stu› of which movie hits are made. In the first place, its approach seems dated, and then, too, like The Grapes of Wrath,

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although it is compelling and honest drama, it also is serious and cheerless drama, and does not conform to the entertainment standard recently required by the movie masses.” Hollywood Citizen News (Carl Combs, July 22, ¡940) SYNOPSIS: In response to the radio show We the People’s o›er to link refugee doctors to needy rural communities, John Phillips ( John Wayne) of Ashville Forks sends an urgent telegram. Dr. Karl Braun (Charles Coburn) of Vienna, accompanied by his lovely daughter Leni (Sigrid Gurie), travels the 2000 miles from New York to the small Dust Bowl community. Though Leni looks ahead to a future free of Nazi terror, her heart is linked to the past with her love of Dr. Eric Von Scherer (Roland Varno), her fiancé who gave his life to ensure their escape from Austria. Dust storms and influenza provide a cruel welcome to their new home and Dr. Braun spends his first night traveling from house to house to help. “How can people live in this filth?” cries an exhausted Leni as John Phillips at last escorts them to their own dust-covered living quarters. Though Leni insists that they leave, the good doctor cannot refuse to meet the grateful townfolk gathered for church services. A crippled boy presents an excuse for delaying their departure, and quickly Braun is embraced by the needy community. “He may be a furriner,” reflects Nunk Atterbury (Spencer Charters), the local vet, “but he sure knows his onions.” At John’s urging, Leni takes root in her new home; her heart is stirred by the young leader’s zealous battle against Mother Nature. Asheville Forks fights the dust with windbreaks, ditches and contour plowing, but it is too late. An overdue rainstorm gives temporary relief to the parched community, providing a backdrop for John and Leni to declare their love for one another. But nature and fate deal the lovers cruel blows. The dust returns, and when the community learns that the government considers their land worthless, John urges the community to relocate ¡500 miles away in Oregon. Meanwhile, a telegram from Europe informs Leni that Eric is alive and traveling to San Francisco to see her. Her sense of duty forces her to call o› her wedding with John. Carrying his grief and the needs of the

whole town on his broad shoulders, John leads a truck caravan from Asheville Forks to the government-promised lands in Oregon. Along the way he battles dissenters, the heat and cold of the desert, and the temptation to quit. Leni and the doctor leave the group for San Francisco, where the incredulous duo learn that Eric is an agent of the Reich who wishes to return them to the Fatherland. “America is our home now,” Braun insists. He and Leni eagerly rejoin their friends in Oregon. Under a large tree serving as a temporary chapel, John and Leni are married.—TAL NOTES: In production from March 27 to April ¡6, ¡940, on location in Lone Pine and on the Republic lot. Budgeted at $¡00,000, the picture completed filming at a negative cost of just under $¡35,000. Wayne was paid $¡5,000. The working titles of the film were The Refugee and Doctors Don’t Tell. After helming two dozen films in England, German-born director Bernard Vorhaus (¡898–2000) came to the U.S. in ¡937. His usual assignments were lowbudget films with topical settings such as King of the Newsboys and Tenth Avenue Kid (both ¡938). After directing Wayne in Lady from Louisiana, Vorhaus’ next e›orts were Angels with Broken Wings, Hurricane Smith and Mr. District Attorney in the Carter Case (all ¡94¡). By ¡947 he was relegated to directing such mundane e›orts as Republic’s Winter Wonderland and PRC’s Bury Me Dead. In the early ¡950s the director’s career came to a screeching halt when he was identified as having been a past member of the Communist Party. Samuel Ornitz (¡890–¡957), one of the collaborators of the film’s screenplay, was in ¡947 one of the “Hollywood Ten” cited for contempt of Congress for failing to cooperate with HUAC (the House on Un-American Activities Committee) and divulge their political a‡liations. Between ¡929 and ¡945 he wrote the screenplays for 29 films including, They Live in Fear (Columbia), Circumstantial Evidence (Fox) and China’s Little Devils (Monogram). In ¡943, jovial, grandfatherly Charles Coburn (¡877– ¡96¡) won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The More the Merrier. The actor was over 50 when he made his screen debut in Of Human Hearts (¡938). Trevor Bardette (¡902–77), a classic villain

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Three Faces West (Republic, ¡940). Sigrid Gurie, John Wayne, Charles Coburn, Spencer Charters

throughout his film career, worked in more than 60 films. He started out by menacing Hopalong Cassidy and other Western stalwarts in the mid–’30s, then progressed to roles in A-films including The Oklahoma Kid (¡939), Abe Lincoln in Illinois (¡940), The Big Sleep (¡946) and, late in his career, Mackenna’s Gold (¡969). Alternating between B-Westerns at Republic and Columbia, Bardette was a thorn in the sides of Gene Autry, Buck Jones, Rocky Lane and Rex Allen. Between ¡959 and ¡96¡, the actor appeared as Old Man Clanton, head of the Clanton Clan, in the television series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (ABC). During a 20-year period from ¡93¡ to ¡95¡, Dewey Robinson (¡898–¡950) had minor, often uncredited, roles in over 225 motion pictures. For ¡2-year-old Sonny Bupp (born Moyer Bupp, ¡928– ), Three Faces West and Citizen Kane were the highpoints of his Hollywood career which lasted ten years from ¡934 to ¡943, and included over 60 films. Working

since the age of five, the juvenile actor had appeared on the screen with the Three Stooges, Bogart, Hopalong Cassidy and Ronald Reagan. Born in the Netherlands, Roland Varno ( Jacob Frederik Vuerhard, ¡908–96) had a film career that spanned over 25 years (¡93¡–57). Appearing in European motion pictures, the character actor moved to America in ¡935 and quickly was cast in small roles in Conquest (¡937), Gunga Din (¡939) and The Fighting 69th. (¡940). Spencer Charters (¡875–¡943) began in films in ¡920. By the time of his death (suicide), he had recorded roles in approximately 2¡5 motion pictures. Although the majority of his parts were uncredited, he can be spotted in Santa Fe Trail (¡940), High Sierra, Tobacco Road, They Died with Their Boots On (¡94¡), Yankee Doodle Dandy and The Pride of the Yankees (¡942). In Los Angeles, Three Faces West was double-billed with Gambling on the High Seas, a B-movie starring Wayne Morris, Gilbert Roland and Jane Wyman.

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Three Girls Lost

Three Girls Lost April ¡9, ¡93¡. 7¡ minutes. Loretta Young, John Wayne, Lew Cody, Joyce Compton, Joan Marsh, Paul Fix, Katherine Clare Ward, Bert Roach, Ward Bond. Fox. Director Sidney Lanfield; Associate Producer A.L. Rockett; Assistant Director Charles Woolstenhulme; Screenplay Bradley King; Original Story Robert D. Andrews; Editor Ralph Dietrich; Photography L. William O’Connell; Sets Jack Schulze; Costumes Sophie Wachner; Sound Alfred Bruzlin REVIEWS: “John Wayne, who rode all over the prairies lands in The Big Trail, appears in civilian clothes as the young man, turning in a capsule portrayal, while Lew Cody is his usual debonair self.” Los Angeles Daily News ( June ¡3, ¡93¡); “An absorbing drama…. Loretta Young and Joyce Compton were … splendid and proved their worth, as did John Wayne….” Los Angeles Evening Herald (Hal Wiener, June ¡3, ¡93¡); “A good picture for sophisticated audiences. There is humor and pathos almost all the way through.” Harrison’s Reports (April 25, ¡93¡); “[T]he picture is a shade thinner than the average on both story and punch. … John Wayne looks as if he’ll come along if getting the right stories. Wayne has a fine speaking voice and a pleasing manner.” Variety (May 6, ¡93¡) S YNOPSIS : At the Minneapolis airport, Norene McMann (Loretta Young) bids adieu to her fiancé, Tony Halcomb (Paul Fix) and the small town life of Fremont. On a plane bound for Chicago, she meets Edna Best ( Joyce Compton), leaving her home in Missouri. En route to the city, they meet gold digger Marcia Tallant ( Joan Marsh) from Oregon. Lest they become three girls lost in a big city, they decide to room together in Mrs. McGhee’s (Katherine Clare Ward) flats on Ontario Street in the shadow of the Lido Night Club. Norene, as practical as she is pretty, secures a job as a secretary in a meatpacking house. Marcia, a girl who believes that it’s not what you have from the neck up that counts, immediately looks for more imaginative ways to bring in money. She first sets her sights on Gordon Wales ( John Wayne), a

young architect living in their building. Led on by her flirtations, the naïve youth takes her to the lakefront apartment he is designing for a shady beer baron, Jack Marriott (Lew Cody). Marriott takes an immediate interest in Marcia, placing her in a high-paying job as a photographer’s model. Though she has become Gordon’s fiancée, the gold digger fears that he has as much future as last year’s calendar and begins to spend time with the suave racketeer. When she breaks a dinner date with Gordon, the young man takes Norene to a Chinese restaurant where they discover that they really like each other. When his penthouse is completed, Marriott throws a party. Dejected by the attention that Marcia is paying to his employer, Gordon gets drunk. Marcia also has her share to drink and accepts Marriott’s invitation to breakfast, despite the protests of Norene and Gordon. Marriott and Marcia leave together. Prodded by Norene, Gordon follows in a taxi. Two mobsters who have been tailing the racketeer use this opportunity to make a hit. Sensing trouble, Marriott lets Marcia out of the car. She walks home and tries to persuade Gordon that her attentions to Marriott have only been to help the novice architect to get ahead. Police arrive with the purse that she left in the car and report that Marriott has been shot. Marcia tells the authorities that Gordon had been following them and he is arrested. She refuses Norene’s plea to set the record straight and to raise the money to hire a lawyer for Gordon’s defense. When Norene wires Tony to send $300 for an emergency, he figures that his fiancée wants the money for a ticket home. Norene visits Gordon in jail. Thinking that he is still in love with Marcia, the selfless girl tells him that it was Marcia who put up the money. When Tony tries to persuade Norene to return home with him, she confesses her love for Gordon, who is freed when the real murderer is apprehended. Edna, whose own love a›air has turned out to be a flop, encourages Norene to fight for Gordon. Meanwhile, the architect has rebuked Marcia and is seeking Norene. Arriving at their apartment building, Gordon meets

Three Godfathers Norene on her way to Tony’s hotel. He pulls his love inside the cab and begins a fierce embrace to the amusement of the cab driver.—TAL NOTES: In production from December ¡8, ¡930, to mid–January ¡93¡. This film marked the first of 25 screen appearances Paul Fix would make with Wayne. Writing comedies and serious screenplays, director Sidney Lanfield (¡898–¡972) began working at Fox in ¡926. He was promoted to director in ¡930 and was responsible for Wayne’s Cheer Up and Smile as well as Three Girls Lost. After directing over 40 films in 20-plus years, including the wellreceived The Hound of the Baskervilles (¡939) and the Bob Hope comedies My Favorite Blonde (¡942) and The Lemon Drop Kid (¡95¡), he moved to the medium of television in ¡952 and helmed well over 200 episodes of popular series including Wagon Train, Checkmate, McHale’s Navy and The Addams Family. After a successful stint in vaudeville and on the stage, and enthralled by the nascent Hollywood industry, former medical student Lew Cody (Louis Joseph Cote, ¡884–¡934) entered motion pictures in ¡9¡5. The seductively handsome Cody was married for a short time, to actress Mabel Normand. In his almost 20-year film career, he had roles in over 60 films, of which almost 50 were silent. Joan Marsh (born Nancy Ann Rosher, ¡9¡3–2000), daughter of cinematographer Charles Rosher, was only ¡7 when she appeared in this film, but was already

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a veteran of over 20 motion pictures. During the teens, as a child actress, she appeared in several Mary Pickford films, then in ¡929 changed her name to Joan Marsh and had minor but pertinent roles in All Quiet on the Western Front and The King of Jazz. The platinum-haired Marsh was frequently compared to Joan Harlow and was described by the Los Angeles Times as possessing “an extraordinary speaking and singing voice.” After marrying for the second time in ¡943, following her role in Follow the Leader (¡944), she retired from the screen. Upon completion of this film, Wayne’s contract was dropped by Fox. Bert Roach (¡89¡–¡97¡) appeared in over ¡75 films, the overwhelming majority being B-films. Some of the more familiar features that he participated in were Murders in the Rue Morgue (¡932), The Thin Man (¡934), San Francisco (¡936), Saratoga (¡937), My Favorite Spy (¡942), Abbott and Costello in Hollywood (¡945) and the epic Western Duel in the Sun (¡946). The film opened at New York’s Roxy Theater during the week of May ¡, ¡93¡, and faced sti› competition from First National’s production of Too Young to Marry with a cast headed by Loretta Young and Grant Withers; Ladies’ Man from Paramount starring William Powell and Carole Lombard; and the Columbia Bmystery Subway Express with veteran Jack Holt in the lead role.

Three Godfathers December ¡, ¡948. ¡06 minutes. John Wayne, Pedro Armendariz, Harry Carey, Jr., Ward Bond, Mae Marsh, Mildred Natwick, Jane Darwell, Guy Kibbee, Dorothy Ford, Ben Johnson, Charles Halton, Hank Worden, Jack Pennick, Fred Libby, Michael Dugan, Don Summers, Francis Ford, Richard Hageman, Cli› Lyons, Ivan Parry, Jack Williams, Frank McGrath, Emilia Grace Yelda, Ruth Cli›ord, Gertrude Astor, Eva Novak. MGM. An Argosy Picture. Presented by John Ford and Merian C. Cooper; Director John Ford; Assistant

Directors Wingate Smith, Edward O’Fearna; Screenplay Laurence Stallings, Frank S. Nugent; Photography Winton Hoch; Second Unit Photography Charles Boyle; Camera Operator Harvey Gould; Second Unit Camera Operator Edward Fitzpatrick; Stills Alex Kahle; Sound E›ects Patrick Kelley; Special E›ects Jack Ca›ee; Technicolor Color Director Natalie Kalmus; Associate Morgan Padelford; Art Director James Basevi; Film Editor Jack Murray; Set Decorator Joe Kish; Props Jack Golconda; Costume Research D.R.O. Hatswell; Men’s

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Wardrobe Michael Meyers; Women’s Wardrobe Ann Peck; Musical Score Richard Hageman; Arranger and Conductor Lucien Cailliet; Sound Frank Moran, Joseph I. Kane; Makeup Don Cash; Hair Dresser Anna Malin; Assistant to the Director Lowell Farrell; Script Supervisor Meta Sterne; Grip Thomas Gri‡n; “Silent Night, Holy Night” Franz Gruber; Songs “Bringing in the Sheaves” George A. Minor; “Beautiful River” Robert Lowry REVIEWS: “The increasing anti-realism of the film, abetted by some evocative desert cinematography, reworks the story of the Magi with sentiment and humor, while the masculine preoccupations of the genre are satirized in the comic baby-minding scene.” The BFI Companion to the Western (Edward Buscombe, Atheneum, ¡988); “It is Mr. Ford’s wonderful style in picturing a frontier fable that has the classic mold. John Wayne … is wonderfully raw and ructious… There are humor and honest tear-jerking in this visually beautiful film.” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, March 4, ¡949); “[A] western masterpiece … a beautiful western with all the qualities of tenderness and humor and pictorial grandeur and action sequences which every Ford western has possessed.” Shooting Star (Maurice Zolotow, Simon and Schuster, ¡976); “[T]his is a film in which Wayne’s range is clearly demonstrated to moving e›ect.” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, A.S. Barnes, ¡976); “Godfathers is close to being an unintentional parody on the old-fashioned western.” Time Magazine (February 7, ¡949); “[E]ven with its hamhanded treatment of religious themes, it is still a fine movie.” John Wayne American (Randy Roberts and James Olson, The Free Press, ¡995); “John Wayne’s name is a particularly bright marquee lure for the action fan, and the performance he delivers does him proud…. [The] camera paints desert scenes in glowing Technicolor with a touch that is breath-taking.” Variety (December ¡, ¡948) SYNOPSIS: Three cattle rustlers choose the small town of Welcome, Arizona, for their first attempt at bank robbery. The trio—Bob Hightower ( John Wayne), Pedro “Pete” Roca Fuerta (Pedro Armendariz) and William Kearney (Harry Carey, Jr.), known throughout Texas as the “Abilene Kid”—first engage one of the

townsmen in idle conversation, only to discover that he is the town marshal, Buck Sweet (Ward Bond). “I’ll be seeing you boys, probably,” he cautiously tells the cowhands as they ride on through town. The success of the bank robbery is short-lived, for the town quickly produces a number of gun-toting citizens who open fire. The Kid’s horse goes down and he is rescued by Bob. In a buckboard, the marshal and three deputies pursue the would-be robbers on two horses. As the outlaws head for the safety of the desert, Buck hits their water bag with a well-placed shot. From here the pursuit turns into a checker game of wits as Marshal Sweet places deputies along the railroad water stops, preventing the outlaws from refilling their canteens. To make matters worse, the Kid has been wounded and his condition steadily worsens. Trying to outwit the lawmen, Bob takes the unlikeliest course deeper into the desert to find the natural water hole at Terrapin Tanks. They struggle through heat and sandstorms, losing their horses to the harsh land. When they arrive at the Tanks, things are ominously quiet. They find an abandoned wagon and a dry water bed where a tenderfoot traveler has dynamited the tanks to produce a faster water supply, destroying the granite walls of the well. This fool has apparently died in the desert as he went o› to retrieve his sick cows. To make matters worse, he has left behind a wife in the wagon who is just about to give birth. Pete helps deliver the baby while Bob and the Kid squeeze precious water drops from barrelhead cactus. The dying mother gives birth to a boy who is christened Robert William Pedro. With her last breath the mother asks these unlikely godfathers to see that her son is saved. The three godfathers accept this duty. After burying the woman, they set out on foot for the first town over the mountains, New Jerusalem. Having deduced their move into the desert, Buck continues his relentless pursuit. When the posse arrives at Terrapin Tanks, he mistakenly concludes that the outlaws have purposely destroyed the water supply and killed the unfortunate travelers. Meanwhile, carrying canned milk, a Bible and young Robert William Pedro, the trio staggers on. The Kid dies from his wound and Pete and Bob carry on the journey until a prairie dog

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Three Godfathers (MGM, ¡948). Harry Carey, Jr., Wayne, Pedro Armendariz, Jr.

hole catches Pete’s foot and causes a broken leg. Pete reminds his friend that it is Christmas Eve and wishes him Godspeed for the rest of the journey. Bob takes the baby and staggers on alone. Exhausted and delirious, he miraculously finds a donkey which helps to support him as he travels down the mountain side to New Jerusalem just minutes ahead of Buck’s avenging posse. When the Marshal learns the truth about what happened in the desert, Bob is granted a light sentence due to the “exterminating circumstances.” The Sweets agree to take care of little Robert William Pedro until his godfather pays his debt to society.—TAL NOTES: Filmed in Death Valley, on a 32day schedule, between May 3 and June 9, ¡948. Interiors were shot at RKO–Pathé in Culver City. While in production the film was known as Christmas Eve at Mojave Tank. Negative cost

of the film was placed at $¡,243,000. It earned domestic rentals of $2,078,000 and a further $763,000 from overseas sources. This was the first time that MGM agreed to distribute a film without any financial investment or creative input in the production. MGM did charge 30 percent for distribution and received 25 percent of the profits. With his percentage of the profits, Wayne earned $207,800. Harry Carey, Jr., received a salary of $350 a week; Ward Bond was paid $2500 a week. Merian Cooper was paid $30,000 while Ford received $¡50,000. Based on a novel published in ¡9¡3. The story was filmed twice before, first in ¡9¡6 starring Harry Carey, then again in ¡936 with Chester Morris in the lead. Three notable actresses from the silent screen era, Ruth Cli›ord (¡900–98), Gertrude Astor (¡887–¡977) and Eva Novak (¡899–¡988), had supporting roles

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in this film. Jane Darwell (born Patti Woodward, ¡879–¡967) rose to fame playing a succession of sympathetic, matronly roles. For her portrayal of Ma Joad in Ford’s The Grapes of Wrath (¡940), she won an Academy Award. Between ¡9¡2 and ¡9¡5, Darwell appeared in ten films, including several for Cecil B. DeMille, before returning to her first true love, the stage. When she came back to Hollywood in ¡930, the only o›ers she received were for character roles, which she quickly accepted. In the mid–¡930s she was featured in the Shirley Temple films Curly Top, Bright Eyes, Captain January and Poor Little Rich Girl. She also appeared in Gone with the Wind (¡939) as Dolly Merriwether; Jesse James (¡939) as the outlaw’s beleaguered mother; The Ox-Bow Incident (¡943) in the role of Jenny Grier; My Darling Clementine (¡946) as Kate Nelson; and Mary Poppins (¡964) as the bird woman. Dorothy Ford (¡923– ),who made her motion picture debut in ¡943, had early roles opposite the diminutive Mickey Rooney in Love Laughs at Andy Hardy and with Abbott and Costello in Here Comes the Co-Eds. At a reported 6'2", she was John Wayne’s tallest leading lady. With the exception of one long shot, her scene in Republic’s Sands of Iwo Jima was edited out of the released version. The actress also had an unbilled part in The High and the Mighty (¡954). Composer and conductor Richard Hageman (¡882–¡966) was a co-winner of the Acad-

emy Award for Best Score for Stagecoach. Born in Holland, he came to the United States in ¡906. After conducting various orchestras throughout the country, he arrived in Hollywood in ¡937 and began receiving assignments to score a number of major productions. Ford took note of his work and signed the former child prodigy to orchestrate The Long Voyage Home, Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Wagonmaster. John Ford’s older brother Francis Ford (¡882–¡953) had a career as a leading man in the early teens, before turning to directing. He gave up directing in ¡928 and accepted character parts in over ¡50 motion pictures ranging from Charlie Chan B-films to many of his brother’s e›orts including The Black Watch (¡929), Judge Priest (¡934), Young Mr. Lincoln (¡939), Drums Along the Mohawk (¡939), My Darling Clementine (¡946), Wagon Master (¡950) and his last role, The Sun Shines Bright (¡953). World premiere held in Washington, D.C., on November 25, ¡948. In ¡974, ABC broadcast a made-for-tv movie, Godchild, based on Three Godfathers. The film starred Jack Palance and was directed by John Badham. At the nation’s theaters the Western faced competition from Paramount’s comedy Western The Paleface starring Bob Hope and Jane Russell and The Adventures of Don Juan (WB) with an aging Errol Flynn in the lead role.

The Three Musketeers April 7, ¡933. ¡2 chapters. John Wayne, Jack Mulhall, Raymond Hatton, Francis X. Bushman, Jr., Ruth Hall, Lon Chaney, Al Ferguson, Noah Beery, Jr., Edward Peil, George Magrill, Gordon DeMain, William Desmond, Robert Frazer, Emile Chautard, Robert Warwick, Rodney Hildebrandt, Yakima Canutt, Wilfred Lucas, Hooper Atchely, Merrill McCormick, Charles Middleton, Frank Ellis, Kermit Maynard, Ken Cooper, Edmund Burns, Kenneth Harlan, Richard Tucker. Mascot Pictures. Supervisor Victor Zobel; Directors

Armand Schaefer, Colbert Clark; Story Norman S. Hall, Colbert Clark, Wyndham Gittens, Barney Sarecky; Production Manager Larry Wickland; Photography Ernest Miller, Ed Lyons; Assistant Cameramen Monte Steadman, Joe Lykens; Dialogue Ella Arnold; Assistant Directors George Webster, Louis Germonprez; Producer Nat Levine; Supervising Editor Wyndham Gittens; Editor Ray Snyder; Music Lee Zahler; Sound George Lowerre REVIEWS: “Using stars who had worn out their welcome at the larger studios, Levine

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The Three Musketeers (Mascot, ¡933). Robert Warwick, Wayne, Edmund Burns, Emile Chautard

turned out serial epics still remembered today for their fast action, deep intrigue, o›beat plots, production values, and general interest. In short, Mascot releases harked back to a simpler, uncomplicated past using up-to-date techniques.” Continued Next Week—A History of the Moving Picture Serial (Kalton C. Lahue, University of Oklahoma Press, ¡964); “The last and best of John Wayne’s Mascot serials has everything a Saturday serial fan could want.” Forgotten Horrors—Early Talkie Chillers from Poverty Row (George E. Turner & Michael H. Price, A.S. Barnes & Co., ¡979) SYNOPSIS: American aviator Tom Wayne ( John Wayne) and his co-pilot Stubbs (Noah Beery, Jr.) are flying over the African desert when they spy trouble below: Arab bandits are attacking three Legionnaires. Using the machine gun mounted on his plane, Wayne quickly stops the Arab advance. The rescued Legionnaires introduce themselves as “The Three Musketeers” as they warmly welcome their new-

found D’Artagnan into their confidence. They inform Tom that their attackers are followers of the Devil’s Circle, a fanatic cult out to destroy the Foreign Legion by gunrunning and insurrection. The cult’s leader is the mysterious El Shaitan, a masked villain whose true identity is not known. Tom is drawn into the fight against El Shaitan through the encouragement of his newfound friends, and the call for help from an old one, Armand Corday (Lon Chaney). Duped into the a›airs of the Devil’s Circle, Armand has decided to break away from the evildoers. Tom Wayne arrives at the Corday household in time to prevent his friend’s suicide, but Armand is killed by an unseen assassin before he can reveal the identity of the evil El Shaitan. Tom is framed for the murder as well as gunrunning. Only the Three Musketeers believe in his innocence. While escaping his captors, Tom’s friend Stubbs is killed, making Tom even more determined to smash the Arab cult. Helped by the Musketeers and Ar-

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mand’s sister Elaine (Ruth Hall), Tom prevents a large shipment of guns from reaching the rebels. An assortment of suspicious characters is then examined in the hopes of revealing the identity of El Shaitan. Is it the independent Arab chieftain El Kadar? Could it be Col. Duval of the Legion? What about Major Booth, who has been conducting his own investigation in a suspicious manner? Or is it Ali, the Cordays’ housekeeper, who has been anything but trustworthy of late? It is only by bravely entering a meeting of the Devil’s Circle that Tom Wayne is able to unmask the villain. He solves the mystery, winning the love of Elaine and causing the Foreign Legion to proclaim, “A splendid piece of work, Wayne!”—TAL NOTES: Filmed in April ¡932 at locations in the Mojave Desert, near Yuma, Arizona, and in Bronson Canyon in the hills above Hollywood. Budgeted at $60,000, it earned rentals of $70,000 for Mascot. Lon Chaney (¡906–73), who appeared here under the screen name Creighton Chaney, was the son of legendary silent film great, Lon Chaney. In ¡935, the husky actor would change his name to Lon Chaney, Jr. The first of his almost ¡50 films were the serials The Three Musketeers and The Last Frontier (¡932). Throughout the ¡930s he appeared in numerous low-budget films and some A-movies including Alexander’s Ragtime Band (¡938), Jesse James and Union Pacific (¡939). For playing the role of the slow-witted giant Lennie in Of Mice and Men, Chaney received much critical recognition, yet his greatest fame came from work in the Universal horror movies of the ¡940s. He originated the role of The Wolf Man (¡94¡), then was featured prominently in The Ghost of Frankenstein, The Mummy’s Tomb (¡942), Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, Son of Dracula (¡943), The Mummy’s Ghost, House of Frankenstein, The Mummy’s Curse (¡944), House of Dracula (¡945) and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (¡948). Dublin-born William Desmond (¡878–¡949) was a star in Hollywood during the teens and early ¡920s. Women liked his virile, good looks and muscular build, but by the late ’20s his star had started to decline, leaving him relegated to supporting roles in low-budget Westerns and serials. Desmond retired from the screen in ¡940, but not before appearing in several note-

worthy films and serials including Tailspin Tommy (¡934), The Vanishing Shadow (¡934), Powdersmoke Range (¡935) and A Little Bit of Heaven (¡940). A veteran of over 200 films, diminutive Iowa-born Raymond Hatton (¡887–¡97¡) began working in motion pictures when the Kalem Studios hired him in ¡9¡¡. Cecil B. DeMille placed him in many of his productions, as did Mack Sennett and Wallace Beery. By the ¡930s Hatton had found his niche with the Western film. He became one of the most popular sidekicks in the history of B-Westerns, o›ering support to Johnny Mack Brown, Buster Crabbe, Roy Rogers, John Wayne (The Three Mesquiteers), Tim McCoy and Buck Jones. His last screen appearance was in In Cold Blood (¡967) with Robert Blake. Supervisor Victor Zobel (¡895–¡964), born in New York City, was also producer or production manager on the following low-budget entries: In Old Santa Fe (¡934), The Miracle Rider (¡935), Return of Jimmy Valentine (¡936), The Girl from Mandalay (¡936), and Mandarin Mystery (¡937). Character actor Emile Chautard (¡864–¡934), who played the role of General Pelletier, was born in Avignon, France. In his almost 30 years in the industry he directed several illustrious motion pictures in his homeland. Arriving in the United States during the early part of the second decade of the twentieth century, he also worked as an actor in over 50 features including House of Horror (¡929), Morocco (¡930), Shanghai Express (¡932), and Blonde Venus (¡932). His last film role would be that of an unbilled o‡cer in Viva Villa! (¡934). The ¡2 episodes of the serial were titled: (¡) The Fiery Circle, (2) One for All and All for One, (3) The Master Spy, (4) Pirates of the Desert, (5) Rebel’s Rifles, (6) Death’s Marathon, (7) Naked Steel, (8) The Master Strikes, (9) The Fatal Cave, (¡0) Trapped, (¡¡) The Measure of a Man and (¡2) The Glory of Comrades. In an e›ort to keep within the meager budget, Mascot developed an expertise in reusing stock footage. The same aerial dogfight footage was used in five of the chapters, while a fight sequence was used in at least three other chapters. Reissued in ¡946 by Favorite Films under the title, Desert Command, in a 60minute feature-length version.

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Three Texas Steers May ¡2, ¡939. 57 minutes. John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, Max Terhune, Carole Landis, Ralph Graves, Roscoe Ates, Collette Lyons, Billy Curtis, Ted Adams, Stanley Blystone, David Sharpe, Ethan Laidlaw, Lew Kelly, Naba (Gorilla), John Merton, Ted Mapes, Dave Willock, Bob Burns, Jimmy Fawcett, John Beach, Yakima Canutt, Jack Kirk, Cli› Lyons, Joe Yrigoyen. Republic. Director George Sherman; Assistant Director Tommy Flood; Written by Betty Burbridge, Stanley Roberts; Photography Ernest Miller; Editor Tony Martinelli; Supervising Editor Murray Seldeen; Associate Producer William Berke; Musical Score William Lava; Production Manager Al Wilson R EVIEWS: “[A] fast, furious and very funny story….” Hollywood Corral (Don Miller, Popular Library, ¡976); “Has enough entertainment value to fill box o‡ce requirements on action fillers. Wayne as usual hits the top with first-rate riding and carries his teammates along at a fast clip throughout.” Variety (August 9, ¡939); “[A] lively Western adventure which keeps up the high entertainment average Republic has set for this riding trio. Should do well in action spots and, as John Wayne’s box o‡ce stature has increased since his appearance in Stagecoach, will also fit in on some neighborhood duals.” Film Bulletin (Frank Leyendecker, July ¡, ¡939); “One of the funniest of the Three Mesquiteers’ outings.” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Phil Hardy, Overlook Press, ¡983); “[O]ne of the more o›beat and entertaining Mesquiteer adventures.” The Best (and Worst) of the West! (Boyd Magers) SYNOPSIS: Nancy Evans (Carole Landis), young owner of the successful West-East Circus, does not heed the advice of her business manager, George Ward (Ralph Graves), to sell her run-down ranch in Mesquite County. The land has become valuable with government plans to build a dam in the area, knowledge which her crooked manager keeps from her. Since the success of the circus insures Nancy from any financial need to sell her property, Ward plans a series of accidents to sink the

show. Bad publicity, huge bills and legal attachments finally put an end to the circus. Ward suggests she sell her property for a couple thousand dollars; Nancy declines and sets o› for the ranch with a handful of loyal and impoverished performers, Willie the Gorilla (Naba) and Rajah the performing horse. Ward sends henchmen to scare o› the travelers when they pass into Mesquite County, but the plan is interrupted by the timely arrival of Stony, Tucson and Lullaby—The Three Mesquiteers ( John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, Max Terhune). The boys stop in town while Nancy and her troupe find her ranch, a nice little place marked clearly with a W-E signpost. When the Mesquiteers arrive, they find their ranch occupied, an error caused by the fact that their 3-M sign has been hanging upside down. The boys don’t have the heart to force Nancy and her menagerie o› their place, so they take up temporary residence on the real W-E spread. When someone sets fire to the barn, the Mesquiteers suspect that Nancy’s bad fortune has not just been the hand of fate. While Ward fails to find any engagements for the troupe, the Mesquiteers generously o›er $¡000 for the permits needed to enter the County Fair. In gratitude, Nancy gives the mortgage to her ranch as collateral. Lullaby draws the money from the bank, but is swindled by a con man into selling the mortgage at a profit and then is promptly robbed of all the money. Nancy, unable to believe Stony’s doubts about Ward, is convinced that the Mesquiteers have cheated her. The boys learn that the swindler, Mike Abbott ( John Merton), is a partner of Ward. In a search of Ward’s hotel room they find the letter from the power company o›ering Nancy a handsome sum of money for her property, but Lullaby loses the evidence in a scu·e with Ward’s henchmen. The boys are also accused of stealing when they take Rajah to see if the horse is fast enough to win the fair’s sulky race. They know the grand prize will be enough to help Nancy regain control of her ranch. The sheri› (Roscoe Ates) reluctantly takes the boys into custody, but allows them to race the horse.

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Three Texas Steers

Three Texas Steers (Republic, ¡939). Unknown, Ralph Graves, Wayne, Carole Landis, Roscoe Ates, Max Terhune, Ray Corrigan

The Mesquiteers fight o› Ward’s desperate attempts to throw the race and Rajah wins the purse. Back on its feet, the West-East Circus leaves Mesquite County to resume touring. Stony and Tucson bid a reluctant adios to the lovely owner while Willie the Gorilla, who has taken quite a liking to Lullaby, gives the cowboy one last chase around the ranch.—TAL NOTES : The sixth Wayne-Mesquiteer Western was filmed from March ¡7 to March 3¡, ¡939, at the Iverson Ranch and Devonshire Downs in the San Fernando Valley. Its budget of $35,000 was exceeded by $2500. Wayne was paid $3000. Stock footage from Republic’s Circus Girl (¡937) was utilized in this film. Leading lady Carole Landis (¡9¡9– 48) was born Francis Lillian Mary Ridste in Wisconsin. In Hollywood by the age of ¡8, and already divorced, the beautiful blonde with the outstanding legs was almost immediately cast in A Star Is Born (¡937) and the Marx Brothers’

A Day at the Races (¡937). After this Mesquiteer adventure she received a major star buildup and won roles in One Million B.C. (¡940), Topper Returns (¡94¡), Moon Over Miami (¡94¡), Cadet Girl (¡94¡), Orchestra Wives (¡942) and Four Jills in a Jeep (¡944). During World War II she entertained the troops alongside Martha Raye and Kay Francis. At the age of 29, she died from an overdose of sleeping pills. Character actor Roscoe Ates’ (¡895–¡962) film career (more than 80 films) spanned five decades from the late ¡920s to ¡96¡. Besides appearing as a jovial sidekick in numerous B-Westerns, the actor had roles in a number of major productions including Billy the Kid (¡930), Cimarron (¡93¡), The Champ (¡93¡), Freaks (¡932), Gone with the Wind (¡939), Ziegfeld Girl (¡94¡), The Sheepman (¡958) and the Jerry Lewis comedy The Errand Boy (¡96¡). Nebraska-born Ted Mapes (¡90¡–84) started as a grip boss in Hollywood.

The Trail Beyond He worked behind the cameras on the Mary Pickford–Douglas Fairbanks The Taming of the Shrew (¡929), Tom Mix’s last film The Miracle Rider (¡935) and Gene Autry’s first starring vehicle, the serial The Phantom Empire. Over the course of his long career he appeared in over ¡00 films, working as a double for Gary Cooper in ¡7 and, in the late ¡950s and early ¡960s, Jimmy Stewart in a half-dozen features.

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Mapes did some stunts in How the West Was Won (¡963) and also appeared in the Wayne films Lady from Louisiana and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Seventh-billed Boston native Collette Lyons (¡908–86) appeared in only ¡4 motion pictures. Three Texas Steers was her fifth film credit and Return to Peyton Place (¡96¡) her last. Released in Britain under the title Danger Rides the Range.

The Trail Beyond October 22, ¡934. 55 minutes. John Wayne, Verna Hillie, Noah Beery, Sr., Iris Lancaster, Noah Beery, Jr., Robert Frazer, Earl Dwire, Eddie Parker, James Marcus, Reed Howes, Arthur Ortego, Tex Palmer, Yakima Canutt. Monogram. A Lone Star Production. Producer Paul Malvern; Director Robert Bradbury; Writer James Oliver Curwood; Screenplay Lindsley Parsons; Photography Archie Stout; Film Editor Carl Pierson; Music Lee Zahler; Art Director E.R. Hickson; Recordists Ralph Shugart, Dave Stoner REVIEWS: “[A] marathon of action.” A Pictorial History of the Western Film (William K. Everson, Citadel, ¡969); “[T]he plot creaks with the usual contrivances … too underdeveloped in characterization and too weakly plotted to rise more than marginally above the general standard of the series…” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, Grosset & Dunlap, ¡976); “There is plenty of action in this one and some thrilling spills, though the tale is somewhat lacking in suspense.” Film Daily (September ¡5, ¡934); “A superior series Western let down by Parsons’ indi›erent script.” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia (Phil Hardy, Overlook Press, ¡983); “Very likely the best of the John Wayne Lone Stars with gorgeous locations, terrific action and a solid story.” The Best (and Worst) of the B-Westerns (Boyd Magers, April 2002) SYNOPSIS: Rod Drew ( John Wayne), who is traveling to French Canada to track down the niece of his father’s best friend, runs into a half-breed college chum, Wabi (Noah Beery,

Jr.), on the train. After Wabi is framed in an on-board poker game, Rod helps him to escape from the ensuing shooting brawl. Rod and Wabi jump the train and are chased by authorities to an abandoned cabin, where they find a map to a gold mine and two skeletons, one that of John Ball, the father of the girl he must find. Seeking refuge at Wabinosh House, a general store run by the unsuspecting Felice Newsome (Verna Hillie) and her father, Rod and Wabi request that the map be stored in Newsome’s safe. The map is seen by Benoit (Earl Dwire), a henchman of renegade trapper Jules LaRoque (Robert Frazer), who then plots to rob the safe but ends up kidnapping Felice instead. Through a decoy, Rod and Wabi rescue Felice, but a determined LaRoque sends gang member Marie La Fleur (Iris Lancaster) to Wabinosh House to pose as a bookkeeper and steal the map. Before she can break into the safe, Rod and Wabi, who secretly loves Felice, canoe their way to the map’s location and discover not only the gold, but also papers identifying Felice as John Ball’s daughter. Caught by one of LaRoque’s men posing as a Royal Canadian Mountie, Rod and Wabi are tied up with the real Mountie in LaRoque’s hideout. Rod breaks free and, after several canoe and horse chases with the Mounties, the gang is apprehended and LaRoque is shot and killed. Pardoned by the Mountie, Rod and Felice say goodbye to a heartbroken Wabi and return together to Ball’s ranch. NOTES: The first film in the second set of eight Lone Star Westerns, The Trail Beyond

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The Trail Beyond (Monogram, ¡934). Verna Hillie, Artie Ortego, Noah Beery, Jr., Wayne, unknown

was shot in just under two weeks ( July ¡934), on a budget of $¡5,800, at locations in General Grant National Park in Central California, June Lake, 30 miles northwest of Bishop, and the railroad depot in Chatsworth. Wayne was paid $¡250. The working titles of the Western were Wolf Hunters and Beyond the Trail. The movie was based on the ¡908 James Oliver Curwood novel The Wolf Hunters: A Tale of Adventure in the Wilderness. This film was a remake of the ¡926 Wolf Hunters (Ben Wilson Productions), and was remade again in ¡949 by Monogram and director Budd Boetticher; Lindsley Parsons produced and Kirby Grant starred in that low-budget entry. Yakima Canutt and Eddie Parker again performed stunts for many of the actors. This film marked the second pairing of the father and son Beerys. They had previously worked together

in the ¡933 Mascot serial Fighting with Kit Carson. New York City–born Noah Beery, Jr. (¡9¡3–94), first appeared in films at the age of six in the United Artists production The Mark of Zorro (¡920). Nine years would elapse before he would appear in another movie, Father and Son (Columbia, ¡929). Beery was then cast in the serials Heroes of the West (Universal, ¡932), The Jungle Mystery (Universal, ¡932), Rustler’s Roundup (Universal, ¡933), The Three Musketeers (¡933 with Wayne), Fighting with Kit Carson (Mascot, ¡933) and several ¡935 Tailspin Tommy serials for Universal. The actor’s varied motion picture career would encompass almost ¡00 films in 55 years. Despite the impressive film résumé, his greatest popularity was achieved by playing the role of James Garner’s father in The Rockford Files (NBC, ¡974– 80). A veteran of almost ¡00 films, James Mar-

The Train Robbers cus (¡867–¡937) started in the industry in ¡9¡4. Besides minor roles in the Wayne Westerns The Lonely Trail and King of the Pecos, he also appeared in In Old Arizona (¡929), The Texan (¡930), Billy the Kid (¡930), Strawberry Roan (¡933) and The Prisoner of Shark Island (¡936). Character actress Iris Lancaster (¡9¡5– ) was far less busy in films than Marcus. Between ¡933 and ¡942 she was credited with only three screen appearances, and over that span of time appeared in less than a dozen films. Her disappearance from films remains a mystery. Composer Lee Zaher (¡893–¡947), a New York City native, was hired to create musical scores,

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at minimal cost, for low-budget Westerns, serials and mysteries of the ¡930s and ¡940s. Before his untimely death at the age of 50, Zahler worked on over 225 motion pictures including the early sound serials The Vanishing Legion (¡93¡, with Harry Carey), The Galloping Ghost (¡93¡, starring football legend Red Grange), all three Wayne-Mascot serials, the Columbia Ellery Queen mystery series (with Ralph Bellamy in the title role) and the screen adaptations of the comic strips Batman (¡943) and The Phantom (¡943). Although uncredited, he assisted in the music composition for Wayne’s The Man from Utah. Re-released in ¡949.

The Train Robbers January ¡7, ¡973. 92 minutes. John Wayne, Ann-Margret, Rod Taylor, Ben Johnson, Christopher George, Bobby Vinton, Jerry Gatlin, Ricardo Montalban, Chuck Roberson, Chuck Hayward, Jim Burk, Eddy Donno. Warner Bros. A Batjac Production. Producer Michael Wayne; Director and Writer Burt Kennedy; Photography William H. Clothier; Editor Frank Santillo; Music Dominic Frontiere; Art Director Ray Moyer; Set Decorator Alfred Sweeney; Assistant Director Fred Simpson; Special E›ects Howard Jensen; Stunt Coordinator Cli› Lyons; Script Supervisor Marshall Wolins; Property Master Jerry Graham; Production Manager Nate H. Edwards; Special Photographic E›ects Albert Whitlock; Transportation Coordinator George Coleman; Wardrobe Luster Bayless; Main Titles Wayne Fitzgerald; Stills Dave Sutton; Makeup Dave Grayson, Joe DiBella; Ann-Margret’s Hairstyling and Makeup George Masters; Wrangler Chema Hernandez REVIEWS: “If time and attitude were enough to sustain a movie, then Burt Kennedy’s The Train Robbers … would rank among the best-sustained movies in recent months.” The New York Times (Roger Greenspun, February 8, ¡973); “[An] above-average John Wayne actioner … with suspense, comedy and humanism not usually found in the formula….

Instead of the cardboard superman … he is given the added dimension of a man who, despite his years, actually could fall for a woman.” Variety ( January 3¡, ¡973); “[T]he film is one long drawn-out ride, punctuated by a few shootouts and a little conversation on the side.” The New York Daily News (Ann Guarino, February 8, ¡973); “[T]here’s a certain mindless pleasure in the spectacle of Ann-Margret as a desert rose doing her vamp act for the benefit of Rod Taylor, Ben Johnson, Ricardo Montalban, and Bobby Vinton. Just one man in the bunch, of course, knows how to handle so spirited a filly: the Duke himself. ‘Hellfire,’ he declares, ‘I’ve got a saddle that’s older’n you are.’ “Playboy Magazine ( January ¡973); “Duke still retains his solid public image an indomitable screen presence, spouting a code of old West ethics which he damn well lives up to, no matter what the cost within the storyline.” Films in Review (Robert Parrish, January ¡973) SYNOPSIS: Gold: The lure of it brings a number of people to the railroad watering stop of Liberty, Texas. First to arrive is a trio of aging Union army veterans: Lane ( John Wayne), Jesse (Ben Johnson) and Grady (Rod Taylor). Together with drifters Ben (Bobby Vinton), Sam ( Jerry Gatlin) and Calhoun (Christopher George), they plan to accompany Mrs. Lowe (Ann-Margret), a train robber’s

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widow, to the site where her husband has hidden a gold shipment. Lane surmises that his band of adventurers will be hotly pursued by the deceased robber’s ex-partners together with “every two-bit gunman in the territory.” As the company rides into Mexico just ahead of a band of pursuers, a lone, well-dressed, cigarsmoking stranger keeps a careful eye on both groups. On the journey, Mrs. Lowe learns more about her companions. Lane is Jesse and Grady’s former commanding o‡cer in the Civil War; the three were their company’s sole survivors of a bloody charge up a hill at Vicksburg. “We’ve been going up hills together ever since,” muses Grady. As they get closer to their destination, Lane begins to act out of character. Plying the widow with liquor to learn the exact location of the gold, he avoids any fight with their pursuers and begins to have second thoughts about the journey. Confronted by his friends, he renews his determination to find the gold. In the boiler of the abandoned locomotive of a derelict train, the gold is found. Besieged by the pursuing gunmen, the group takes cover among the rotting cars half-buried in the desert sand. Lane and his companions turn back the attack, running o› the enemy’s horses after nightfall. The adventurers ride back across the border to Liberty, but are ambushed by the remainder of the gunmen. The shootout is climaxed by dynamiting the buildings holding the attackers. Lane is triumphant. The next morning, the group informs the widow that it is giving her its share of the reward money for the stolen gold to help raise her young son. As her train begins to pull away, the mysterious, cigar-smoking stranger announces himself as a Pinkerton man tracking the prostitute who has been posing as the wife of the unmarried train robber. “Better luck next time,” he tells the perplexed cowboys. Lane rushes to his horse to pursue the disappearing train. “Where are you going?” his friends ask. “Where do you suppose?” he roars back. “To rob a train!”—TAL NOTES: In production in Durango, Mexico, from March 23 to mid–June ¡972. Cost of the production: $3,500,000. The film earned less than $2,000,000 in domestic rentals in the North American market. Swedish born AnnMargret (¡94¡– ) was discovered by comedian

George Burns while singing in a cabaret. Earning $500 a week, she made her screen debut in ¡96¡’s Pocketful of Miracles. This soon led to other screen appearances: State Fair (¡962), Bye Bye Birdie (¡963) and Viva Las Vegas (¡964), with Elvis Presley. The sexy and talented redhead resurrected the role of Dallas in the ¡966 remake of Stagecoach and would over a span of 40 years appear in over 50 films. For her portrayals in Carnal Knowledge (¡97¡) and Tommy (¡975), she was nominated for Oscars. The Polish Prince, Bobby Vinton, was one of the most successful and popular singers of the early rock era. During the first decade of rock he had more #¡ hits than any other male vocalist including Elvis. His dozen gold records and albums, which included the hit singles Mr. Lonely, Roses Are Red, I Love How You Love Me and Please Love Me Forever, have sold over 75,000,000 copies. Mexico City–born Ricardo Montalban (¡920– ) first appeared before the cameras in ¡944 in the film Nosotros. Near the end of the decade, the actor was signed to a contract by MGM and featured in several bigbudget films including Battleground (¡949), Neptune’s Daughter (¡949) and Two Weeks with Love (¡950). Montalban also appeared opposite Clark Gable in the Western Across the Wide Missouri (¡95¡) and in the Marlon Brando romantic comedy Sayonara (¡957). Before starring as Mr. Roarke in the television series Fantasy Island (ABC, ¡977–84), Montalban also appeared in John Ford’s misfire Cheyenne Autumn (¡964), The Money Trap (¡966), the Lana Turner tearjerker Madame X (¡966), Sweet Charity (¡969), Escape from the Planet of the Apes (¡97¡) and Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (¡972). The names of the characters played by Wayne and Ann-Margret, Lane and Lowe, were the same monikers for Wayne and Geraldine Page in Hondo. London-born special e›ects wizard Albert Whitlock (¡9¡5–99) started in British films as a teenager. He began by writing signs and title lettering, then advanced to scenic painting and finally learned all about the art of matte painting. In the mid–’50s he came to the United States and worked exclusively for the Disney Company. His first American feature was 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. In the early ’60s he moved to Universal, heading their matte department,

Trouble Along the Way and worked on over ¡40 releases. Whitlock won back-to-back Academy Awards for his work on Earthquake and The Hindenberg. At Universal he worked closely with Alfred Hitchcock on his later films including The Birds, Marnie, Torn Curtain and Topaz. Some of his other more notable e›orts included The Sting, Greystoke, Dune and Bound for Glory. Network television premiere on February 22,

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¡975 (NBC). To publicize the film, Wayne appeared as a guest on a Bob Hope television special and Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show. During the first half of ¡973, the majors also released the following Westerns: Clint Eastwood’s High Plains Drifter (Universal), Kid Blue (Fox) with Dennis Hopper, and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (MGM) with James Coburn and Kris Kristo›erson.

Trouble Along the Way April 4, ¡953. ¡¡0 minutes. John Wayne, Donna Reed, Charles Coburn, Tom Tully, Marie Windsor, Sherry Jackson, Tom Helmore, Dabbs Greer, Leif Erickson, Douglas Spencer, Chuck Connors, Lester Matthews, Bill Radovich, Richard Garrick, Murray Alper, James Flavin, Ned Glass, Phil Chambers, Frank Ferguson, Howard Petrie, Renata Vanni, Fred Graham, Robert Keyes, Olan Soule, Frank Marlowe, Tom Hennesy, Larry Merrill, Harry Hines, Charles Watts, Ray Kyle, Keith Clarke, Sydney Mason, Beatrice Bernadine, Vici Raaf, Anitra Stevens, Jack Pepper, Angi Poulos, Howard Petrie, Ted Eckelberry, Doris Cole, Gayne Whitman, Bill O’Brien, Tom Hernandez, Ralph Volkie, Jack Gargan, Jerry Weil, Dolly Cooper, Joan Freeman, Melly Merrill, Melody O’Connor, Henry Fladweb, Martin Dean, Billy Perna, Pat Mitchell, James Dean. Warner Bros. Producer Melville Shavelson; Director Michael Curtiz; Screenplay Melville Shavelson, Jack Rose; Story Douglas Morrow, Robert Hardy Andrews; Photography Archie J. Stout; Editor Owen Marks; Art Director Leo K. Kuter; Music Max Steiner; Second Unit Director David C. Gardner; Assistant Director Russ Saunders; Sound C.A. Riggs; Wardrobe Moss Mabry; Set Decorator William Wallace; Orchestrations Murray Cutter; Dialogue Director Norman Stuart; Makeup Gordon Bau; Technical Advisor Father Louis V. Pick REVIEWS: “Shrewdly contrived, Trouble Along the Way goes all the way in trying to squeeze the last tear and laugh from its material. Nonetheless, it is high-toned hokum.”

Time Magazine (April 20, ¡953); “[I]t gracefully displays such virtues as delightful dialogue, astute and swiftly paced direction and a cast that appears to like what it is doing…. John Wayne makes a thoroughly believable coach….” The New York Times (May 7, ¡953); “Chuckles and laughs are rampant… Wayne, best known for hard, rugged action, is completely at home in a role that, while actionful in most phases, leans towards a humorous lightness, and he delivers it that way.” Variety (March ¡8, ¡953); “Cross Going My Way with the yearly football epic, add a generous dash of humor, and you have this a›able John Wayne movie…. Wayne’s an agreeably, tough hero.” Photoplay Magazine ( June ¡953); “Wayne acquits himself with ease….” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, Grosset & Dunlap, ¡976); “The picture is a simple tale, but so cleverly conceived and ably executed as to rank as one of the more stimulating cinema experiences of the year. It has many factors that guarantee it a healthy reception at the box o‡ce.” Motion Picture Herald (Mandel Herbstman, March 2¡, ¡953) SYNOPSIS : “The beloved grew fat and kicked.” Fortified with this verse from Deuteronomy, Father Burke (Charles Coburn) decides that football can save his penniless St. Anthony’s College from closing its doors. The kindly old rector needs to raise $¡70,000 within six months and the answer to his prayers seems to be ex–college coach Steve Williams ( John Wayne), who lately has been supporting himself and his ¡¡ year old, Carole (Sherry Jack-

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Trouble Along the Way (Warner Bros., ¡953). Dabs Greer, Tom Tully, Charles Coburn, Sherry Jackson, Wayne

son), by betting and bookmaking. A visit from caseworker Alice Singleton (Donna Reed) convinces Steve that his lifestyle may result in a negative court ruling on his suitability as a parent. The ex-coach reluctantly accepts Father Burke’s o›er to work the miracle of making St. Anthony’s team a contender against the likes of Santa Carla and Notre Dame. With a starting lineup which couldn’t defeat a high school debating team, Steve devises a way to do the impossible. Helped by two former associates, he recruits young men unable to attend college due to poor grades, lack of diplomas and finances. He makes them shareholders of a team where the money is divided equally, giving new meaning to the notion of working one’s way through college. Steve doctors transcripts, resorts to blackmail of old cronies for financial support, and comes up with a new schedule of which any college would be proud. Using the inactive summer months to mold his

new freshmen into a powerful team, St. Anthony scores an impressive upset over Santa Carla at the sold-out Polo Grounds. Steve’s unorthodox tactics are known to all but the naive rector. Father Burke’s eyes, however, are opened by the coach’s vindictive ex-wife, Anne (Marie Windsor). Hoping to prove Steve an unfit parent and win custody of Carole at an upcoming hearing, she tells the rector how the team was formed. Sadly Father Burke fires his coach and cancels the rest of the season. Things go from bad to worse for the unlucky Steve. After too much to drink, he wrongly accuses Alice of being the informant. He also punches Anne’s new husband through a pane of glass. By this time, the court hearing seems a mere formality before Steve loses his daughter. Testimony from Alice, however, convinces the court that Anne is no suitable parent. Carole is temporarily assigned to a children’s home. Father Burke, whose college has received nec-

True Grit essary financial backing from the diocese, realizes that he has acted too harshly in firing Steve for accomplishing, in the best way he could, the impossible. His renewal of the coach’s contract makes the speedy reunion of father and daughter a good possibility.—TAL NOTES: Filmed under the working title Alma Mater from August 28 to December ¡952 on the Warners lot in Burbank with some New York City stock footage. Negative cost of the production was $¡,647,000. The studio reported domestic rentals of $¡,977,000 and $53¡,000 from foreign sources. Wayne again received a salary of $¡75,000 and a percentage of the film’s profits. Third-billed Coburn was paid $65,000. Durango, Colorado–born character actor Tom Tully (¡908–92) appeared in more than 50 films. He started with bit roles in Mission to Moscow (¡943), Northern Pursuit (¡943) and Destination Tokyo (¡943), and worked up to more substantial parts in Blood on the Moon (¡948), Ruby Gentry, The Jazz Singer (¡952), The Moon Is Blue (¡953) and The Caine Mutiny (¡954). Tully ended his career in ¡973 with a minor role in the Walter Matthau

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film Charley Varrick. A stuntman and former USC football player (¡943-¡944), six-foot-five Tom Hennesy went on to play the Creature from the Black Lagoon in the sequel Revenge of the Creature (¡955). He also appeared with Wayne in The High and the Mighty, Blood Alley, The Horse Soldiers, North to Alaska, The Comancheros, Donovan’s Reef, McLintock, The War Wagon and Big Jake. In the late ¡950s Hennesy and Wayne were business partners in land development in the Malibu area. Between ¡935 and ¡937, Bill Radovich (¡9¡5–2002), who portrayed Moose McCall, lettered in football at USC. The five-foot-eight, 220-lb. Radovich played in the NFL before and after World War II and was a two-time all-star (¡939 and ¡945). In ¡949, after learning he had been blacklisted, Radovich sued the NFL. After six long years of struggle, the United States Supreme Court ruled in his favor, stating that, with the exception of baseball, all sports were subject to antitrust laws. Radovich was awarded $42,500. Veda Ann Borg had been signed for a role in the film but dropped out before shooting commenced.

True Grit June ¡2, ¡969. ¡28 minutes. John Wayne, Glen Campbell, Kim Darby, Jeremy Slate, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper, Alfred Ryder, Strother Martin, Je› Corey, Ron Soble, John Fiedler, James Westerfield, John Doucette, Donald Woods, Edith Atwater, Carlos Rivas, Isabel Boniface, H.W. Gim, John Pickard, Elizabeth Harrower, Ken Renard, Jay Ripley, Kenneth Becker, Myron Healey, Hank Worden, Guy Wilkerson, Boyd “Red” Morgan, Robin Morse, Jim Burke, Polly Burson, Gary Combs, Louie Elias, Fred Gerber, Chuck Hayward, Jay Silverheels, Dean Smith, Neil Summers. Paramount. Producer Hal B. Wallis; Director Henry Hathaway; Associate Producer Paul Nathan; Screenplay Marguerite Roberts; From the novel by Charles Portis; Photography Lucien Ballard; Supervising Editor Warren Low; Production Designer Walter Tyler; Assistant Direc-

tor William W. Gray; Music Elmer Bernstein; Title Song Lyric Don Black; Song Sung by Glen Campbell; Set Decorators Ray Moyer, John Burton; Production Manager Frank Beetson; Sound Roy Meadows, Elden Ruberg; Makeup Supervisor Jack Wilson; Hair Stylist Carol Meikle; Costumes Dorothy Jeakins REVIEWS: “[A] role which sits like a crown atop his forty years of playing John Wayne…. Until you’ve seen John Wayne with the reins in his teeth, you haven’t seen it all.” Los Angeles Times (Charles Champlin, June ¡2, ¡969); “By growing old disgracefully as the fat, swaggering Rooster Cogburn, Wayne proves he can act—and solves his own senior citizen problem in one master stroke.” Time Magazine ( July 4, ¡969); “As Rooster, Wayne gives a bravura performance unlike anything he had ever done before.” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour,

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Pyramid, ¡974); “[Wayne’s] finest performance….” Newsday ( Joseph Gelmis, July 4, ¡969); “Wayne and Hathaway triumphantly leap all fences to make sure True Grit is one of the year’s delights.” Saturday Review (Arthur Knight, June 2¡, ¡969); “John Wayne … has the best role of his career…. The last scene in the movie … will probably become Wayne’s cinematic epitaph…. This is only July, but I suspect that True Grit will stand as one of the major entertainments of the year.” The New York Times ( July 4, ¡969); “Wayne’s style change brings out e›ective characterization as a whiskey-drinkin’, mean-tempered, one-eyed U.S. Marshall… Wayne, with a broad sense of humor, interprets role of Rooster Cogburn consistently and energetically.” Variety (May ¡6, ¡969); “Give John Wayne a pungent, fastmoving script spiked with equal parts of rugged individualism and raunchy humor and he can transform a mere movie into something like a national monument.” Playboy Magazine ( July ¡969); “[Wayne] has discovered what’s funny about the character he has always played, and now he gives us a rich double vision of it. He is himself and he is himself playing himself—an exuberant put-on that seems to delight him as much as it does us.” Life Magazine (Richard Schickel, June 20, ¡969); “[Wayne] is now like a stoic grandfather in the saddle. But the same fierce self-reliance is there: and he has stood so long in the dwindling forest of American screen heroes that his seasoned eminence is undeniably splendid.” Stardom (Alexander Walker, Stein and Day, ¡970); “[A]fter about forty years in the movies, [Wayne] now seems on the threshold of a splendid new career—acting. In True Grit he isn’t the predictable John Wayne of old. In True Grit he is Rooster Cogburn, a murderer, a liar, a thief, a sadist, a drunk, a cheat, a scoundrel and withal, a thoroughly admirable man. Greater actors would have boggled it. Wayne conveys all this with ease.” The Cleveland Plain Dealer (Emerson Batdor›, July ¡969) SYNOPSIS: When her father is murdered by hired hand Tom Chaney ( Je› Corey), ¡4year-old Mattie Ross (Kim Darby) of near Dardenelle in Yell County travels to Fort Smith to see that justice is served. “I won’t rest

until Tom Chaney is barking in hell,” she vows. Since Chaney has fled to the Indian territory, the spunky Mattie hires a hard-bitten, whiskey-soaked U.S. marshal named Rooster Cogburn ( John Wayne). A young Texas Ranger, La Boeuf (Glen Campbell), arrives in town also looking for Chaney, who carries a considerable price on his head for the earlier murder of a senator. Mattie, intent on seeing Chaney hanged in Arkansas for her father’s murder, dislikes the cocky Texan, who persuades Rooster that the reward will be greater if the lawmen throw in together. An outraged Mattie refuses to be left behind and resolutely follows them into the territory. Rooster admires her spunk and allows her to join the hunt. Chaney has been reported in the company of Rooster’s old nemesis, Lucky Ned Pepper (Robert Duvall), so the marshal begins to search some of the outlaw’s haunts. In a raid on an abandoned shelter, the trio captures two of Ned’s men, Quincy and Moon ( Jeremy Slate and Dennis Hopper). When the wounded Moon confesses that they are awaiting their boss’s arrival, he is killed by his partner who is in turn shot by Rooster. The lawmen and Mattie climb the hills overlooking the cabin and wait for Ned. The shoot-out occurs at daybreak. Though two more gang members are killed, Ned escapes and Chaney is not spotted. The trio continues to track the gang. A tired and inebriated Cogburn chooses a campsite which is closer to the pursued than he thinks. When Mattie seeks a stream for a morning wash-up, she stumbles into the hands of Chaney and Ned. The outlaws hold Rooster and LaBoeuf at bay, threatening to kill their hostage unless they are granted safe passage. The lawmen withdraw. LaBoeuf doubles back to find Mattie being guarded by an unstable Chaney and rescues her. Meanwhile, Rooster has ridden his horse to the opposite end of the meadow which Ned and three gang members must cross. When the marshal hails them, announcing his intention to bring them to justice, Ned laughs. “I call that bold talk for a one-eyed fat man.” “Fill your hands, you son of a bitch!” roars the marshal before taking his horse’s reins in his own teeth to fire both his Winchester and revolver as he gallops towards the outlaws. This show of grit, with the help

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True Grit (Paramount, ¡969). Glen Campbell, Kim Darby, Henry Hathaway, Wayne, Hal Wallis

of a timely shot from LaBoeuf on the heights above, is enough to bring Ned to his end. As the fight ends, Chaney smashes LaBoeuf ’s head with a rock. Mattie fires a shot at her father’s killer, but the blast sends her tumbling into a rattlesnake pit where she is bitten seconds before Rooster can kill Chaney and rescue her. The heavy lawman rides her poor pony to death in a determined e›ort to save the poisoned girl’s life. He is successful and Mattie recovers, promising the lawman a place in her family’s plot. Touched by her concern, the marshal bids her adios, jumping his horse over a rail fence to suggest that he is not quite ready for the grave just yet.—TAL NOTES: In production from September 5 to mid–December ¡968 at locations in Montrose, Colorado, and Mammoth Lake, California. Cost of the production was $4,500,000. From a domestic box o‡ce gross of $35,000,000

the film earned rentals of $¡4,250,000. Wayne’s salary for the film was $750,000 for ten weeks work, $¡500 a week for living expenses on location, and 35 percent of the profits from theatrical and television release. Hathaway as director earned $200,000 and 5 percent of the profits. Glen Campbell and Kim Darby were each paid $6250 a week. Other cast member salaries: Jeremy Slate $5000/wk; Robert Duvall $4500/wk; Strother Martin $3000/wk; Je› Corey $2500/wk; John Doucette $2000/wk; Dennis Hopper $¡500/wk; Jay Silverheels $850/wk; Myron Healey $850/wk; Hank Worden $750/wk; Chuck Hayward $750/wk; Hom Wing Gim $600/wk; Dean Smith $500/wk; Boyd Morgan $500/wk; Gary Combs (stuntman) $500/wk; Polly Burson (stuntwoman) $500/wk; Louie Elias (stuntman) $500/wk; Jim Burke (stuntman, doubled Wayne) $500/ wk; Fred Gerber (double) $392/wk. Twenty-

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year-old Kim Darby (¡948– ) was selected over dozens of hopefuls for the role of Mattie Ross. Her previous work consisted of bit roles in Bye, Bye Birdie (¡963), several minor films and episodes of series television including the Richard Chamberlain shows Mr. Novak and Dr. Kildare. During filming, the pregnant Darby did not get along with Wayne or other members of the crew and earned a reputation for “being di‡cult.” The role that made her a star would become a dead end. She would have a challenging part in Generations (¡969), reteam with Glen Campbell in Norwood (¡970) and find work in several other films including The Strawberry Statement (¡970), but none of the films were box o‡ce hits and did little to advance her career. In the ¡970s through the ¡990s the actress would be relegated to cameo roles in episodes of The Love Boat and Murder, She Wrote. Arkansas-born Glen Campbell (¡936– ), one of ¡4 children, left home at the age of ¡4 to perform music at whatever venues would have him. Never flagging in ambition, his first million-selling record was “Gentle on My Mind.” Discovering an image that would sell across a wide swath of America, Campbell, over the next two decades, would continue to churn out hits including “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston” and “Rhinestone Cowboy.” Signing a movie contract with producer Hal Wallis, he was never comfortable on the big-screen; he made the transition to television in the late ¡960s and had a successful variety show that lasted for four years. Robert Duvall (¡93¡– ), who played “Lucky” Ned Pepper, made his motion picture debut as “Boo” Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird (¡962). After his work in True Grit, he gave outstanding performances in M*A*S*H* (¡970), Lawman (¡97¡), The Godfather (¡972), Joe Kidd (¡972), Apocalypse Now (¡979), The Great Santini (¡979), Geronimo: An American Legend (¡993), Open Range (2003) and (as General Robert E. Lee) Gods and Generals (2003). The actor who was nominated for an Oscar four times (and won for Tender Mercies in ¡983) also received a great deal of critical acclaim for the television mini-series Lonesome Dove (¡989). Glen Campbell’s rendition of the True Grit song was nominated for an Academy Award and sold 700,000 singles in

just five weeks. With sales of over 500,000 copies, the album went gold. Gary Combs doubled for Campbell. After a stint on the rodeo circuit, Oregon native Polly Burson, who performed the stunts for a pregnant Kim Darby, entered the motion picture industry in ¡945. She signed with Republic to appear in the serial The Purple Monster Strikes, then worked as a double and stuntwoman in several Roy Rogers and Gene Autry Westerns. In ¡947 Paramount hired Burson to double Betty Hutton for The Perils of Pauline. Nebraska-born writer Marguerite Roberts (¡905–89) received a prestigious Writers Guild of America nomination for True Grit. At the age of 2¡, in ¡926, she moved to Hollywood, working as a secretary to Fox production chief Winfield Sheehan. Working her way through the story department, Roberts received her first screenplay credit for Sailor’s Luck, a ¡933 film directed by Raoul Walsh. She spent several years at Paramount, then moved to MGM where, as a $2500 a week contract writer, she penned Honky Tonk, Dragon Seed, Ziegfeld Girl, Escape, Somewhere I’ll Find You, Undercurrent, Sea of Grass and Desire Me. In ¡95¡, after pleading the First and Fifth Amendment and being declared a Communist during HUAC hearings, Roberts was blacklisted. She resumed her career in ¡960 with a writing assignment on Columbia’s Diamond Head. Other films soon followed, including Love Has Many Faces, 5 Card Stud, Norwood, Red Sky at Morning and Shootout. Character actor Ron Soble (¡928–2002) was a Screen Actors Guild union activist and an o‡cer in the organization. The Army veteran also appeared in Chisum, The Cincinnati Kid, Papillon, Joe Kidd and Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo. He was a guest on many television shows including Gunsmoke, The Virginian and The Monroes. True Grit played at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, the largest theater in the nation, and broke all previous opening week box o‡ce records. Actress Elizabeth Harrower (¡9¡8–2003), who played the role of Kim Darby’s mother, made her screen debut in Becky Sharp (¡935, the first feature-length color film). In ¡969 she also had a bit role in the comedy The Sterile Cuckoo. During the ¡950s while appearing on dozens of television dramas, she also could be seen in Clark Gable’s

Two-Fisted Law Teacher’s Pet (¡954) and Rod Steiger’s Al Capone (¡959). Turning to writing in the ¡970s, she worked on several television soap operas

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including The Young and the Restless and Days of Our Lives.

Two-Fisted Law August 30, ¡932. 64 minutes. Tim McCoy, Alice Day, Wheeler Oakman, Tully Marshall, Wallace MacDonald, John Wayne, Walter Brennan, Richard Alexander, Merrill McCormick, Bud Osborne, Art Mix. Columbia. Director D. Ross Lederman; Writer William Colt MacDonald; Screenplay Kurt Kempler; Photography Benjamin Kline; Editor Otto Meyer; Assistant Director Wilbur McGaugh; Sound Glenn Rominger; Original Music Mischa Bakaleiniko›, Sam Perry; Producer Irving Briskin REVIEWS: “Routine western far below the recent average of these Columbia-McCoy subjects. This is the veriest factory output, lacking in all e›ort at plot freshness….There isn’t a twist or an angle that departs from the stencil.” Variety (September ¡932); “Fast-action western keeps moving in high every minute and has the stu› they want. Here is a bang-up western that features gun play, plenty of excitement and hard riding all the way to the finish.” Film Daily (August 30, ¡932); “A good western. There is plentiful action, fast horse riding, and it is not demoralizing, for the hero’s good acts and intentions stand uppermost in the minds of those who see it.” Harrison’s Reports ( July ¡6, ¡932); “[An] overly talky B … young John Wayne and Wallace MacDonald have very little to do….” The Best (and Worst) of the West! (Boyd Magers) SYNOPSIS: The town of Eagle Pass is in the grasp of a conniving villain named Russell (Wheeler Oakman). He openly lends money to struggling ranchers and secretly makes sure that they cannot make their payments by stealing their cattle. The latest in a series of foreclosures is Tim Clark’s (Tim McCoy) Bar-X Ranch. With the imminent arrival of the town sheri› to serve papers on his home, Tim packs up his few possessions. Leaving a young colt

and his two faithful ranch hands, Artie and Duke (Wallace MacDoanld and John Wayne), in the care of Betty Owen (Alice Day) of the Bridle Bit Ranch, the sad cowman bids adios, vowing to return from silver mining with enough money to buy back the Bar-X. Russell, who also holds the mortgage on the Bridle Bit Ranch, wants to make sure he has no future trouble from Tim and sends henchmen Jiggs Tyler (Bud Osborne) to follow him into the wild country with instructions to murder the cowboy if he should discover silver. Over the next two years, Betty faithfully sends letters to Tim but they are undeliverable. She and Artie and Duke fear that their friend has disappeared. When the day approaches for payment of a $¡0,000 loan, a leering Russell rides out to the Bridle-Bit o›ering an extension in return for Betty’s hand in marriage. “Your money isn’t everything,” the plucky rancher insists. She is saved from the villain’s unwelcome advances when Tim arrives and throws Russell o› her place before collapsing from a bullet wound. Tim informs his friends that he has shot Jiggs Tyler and that he has found no silver. The penniless cowboy receives some good luck when Betty presents him with Pal, the fine colt which she has raised and trained for him. Tim rides o›, vowing to return with the money for her loan. That night the Express O‡ce in town is robbed and an agent murdered. With trumped-up accusations from crooked Deputy Bendix (Walter Brennan) and gunslinger Zink Yokum (Richard Alexander), Russell forces the sheri› to question Tim. When the ex-rancher is unwilling to discuss his whereabouts, the sheri› tries to arrest him, but Tim escapes insisting, “I have important business elsewhere!” He returns the next day, paying the $¡0,000 note on the Bridle-Bit and prompting Russell to point out that this is the same amount stolen

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in the robbery. Tim is unwilling to reveal the source of the money and the sheri› is again forced to bring charges. Betty puts up the ranch as bond to back Tim’s word that he will return to face charges as soon as he finishes important business in Gold City. He warns Russell that the Jiggs Tyler a›air will soon bring the villain to trial. When Tim helps the sheri› find proof that Zink Yocum took part in the robbery, Tim is forced to shoot the henchman. As implications tighten the legal noose around Russell, the outlaw plots with Bendix to kill the meddlesome cowboy once and for all. He has the deputy arrest Tim on the main street. Demanding Tim’s gun, Bendix and Russell plan to shoot the cowman for resisting arrest, but the outlaw’s bullet mistakenly hits the deputy. Tim’s shot finds its mark, ending Russell’s reign of crime. When a dying Bendix confesses how Russell stole the cattle from the ranchers, Tim is restored to the BarX. Luck has changed for the rancher, now a wealthy man from the gold he discovered while mining. With the claim now safely registered in Gold City, he is ready to romance the lovely owner of the Bridle-Bit.—TAL NOTES: Filmed in one week, during the late summer of ¡93¡, at a negative cost of $20,000, this modest Western ended up on the tail-end of double-bills in many theaters. Original working title was Bar X Maverick. Tim McCoy was paid $800 for his starring role while Wayne received $350. Location work at the Andy Jauregui Ranch and the Walker Ranch in Newhall, California. David Ross Lederman’s (¡895–¡972) directing career began in ¡929 at Warners with the film The Million Dollar Collar. He had begun working in films in ¡9¡3 as an extra in Mack Sennett comedies, then (moving behind the cameras) advanced to prop man and assistant director. Two-Fisted Law was one of three Westerns he directed in ¡932. Although he worked continuously through the ’30s and ’40s (with over 50 films to his credit), Lederman, respected for his ability to get films completed on budget, failed to advance his vocation beyond the B-Western and occasional horror film. He closed out his career back at Columbia in the ’50s doing another series of low-budget Westerns. New York City–born producer Irving Briskin (¡903–8¡)

was responsible for the production of over 40 films, including this Wayne entry and Range Feud. B-movies were his forte, but at the age of 40, after producing several comedy-musicals with Ann Miller and Joan Davis, he left the industry for other pursuits. Colorado Springs native Alice Day (¡905–95) had, by her own choosing, a film career that lasted only nine years (¡924–32), yet included roles in 5¡ shorts and features. The actress, while still a teenager, was much in demand as she worked consistently at Fox, First National and little Mack Sennett Studios, where she was assigned a multitude of roles in comedy shorts. As the ’30s began, Day accepted film o›ers from Columbia, Chesterfield, Ti›any and Warners. After finishing her co-starring role in the Jack Hoxie B-Western Gold (¡932) she left Hollywood. Tully Marshall (born William Phillips, ¡864–¡943) graduated from college in the Bay area of Northern California with the intent of becoming a lawyer. By ¡887 he was performing on Broadway; he stayed on the theater circuit for nearly a quarter of a century. In ¡9¡4, like so many others before him, he succumbed to the lure of Hollywood. By ¡9¡6 he had become a featured player in such major productions as Intolerance and Oliver Twist, where he had the role of Fagin. During the silent era he could also be seen in the classics The Squaw Man (¡9¡8), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (¡923) and The Cat and the Canary (¡927). The beginnings of sound were no barrier to the talented actor. With roles in MGM’s all-star opus Grand Hotel (¡932), Souls at Sea (¡937) and Go West (¡940), Marshall alternated between bigbudget motion pictures and lean productions at the independents. By the time of his death, his total film count, including Wayne’s California Straight Ahead for Universal, approached 200. The last two entries in his illustrious career were Hitler’s Madman and Behind Prison Walls. Between ¡920 and ¡953, Denver-born character actor Merrill McCormick (¡892– ¡953), using eight aliases, appeared in over 200 films. He also supported Wayne in Winds of the Wasteland, Stagecoach, Lady for a Night, In Old California and They Were Expendable. Other films which opened in September ¡932 included Blonde Venus (Paramount) starring Marlene Dietrich; Mr. Robinson Crusoe (United

Tycoon Artists) with Douglas Fairbanks; Tiger Shark (First National–Warners) starring Edward G. Robinson; Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (Fox)

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with Marion Nixon and Ralph Bellamy; and the B-Western Broadway to Cheyenne (Monogram) with Rex Bell.

Tycoon December 3, ¡947. ¡30 minutes. John Wayne, Laraine Day, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Judith Anderson, James Gleason, Anthony Quinn, Grant Withers, Paul Fix, Fernando Alvarado, Harry Woods, Michael Harvey, Charles Trowbridge, Martin Garralaga, Sam Luf kin, Wayne McCoy, Frank Leyva, Joe Dominguez, Tom Co›ey, John Eberts, Sheila Raven, Dianne Stewart, Clarise Murphy, Fred Aldrich, Brick Sullivan, Rudolph Medina, Jane Adrian, Al Murphy, Trevor Bardette, Argentina Brunetti, Max Wagner, Blanca Vischer, Ann Codee, Eliso Gamboa, Nina Campana, Eduardo Noreiga, Carmen D’Antonio, Frank Nordstrom, Julian Rivero, Jose Portugal, Maria San Marco, Connie Montoya, Phyllis Gra›eo, Carmen Gonzales, Don Avalier, Albert Morin, Jose Alvarado, Ernest Dominguez, Paul Fierro, Harry Vejar, Nacho Galindo. RKO–Radio. Producer Stephen Ames; Director Richard Wallace; Screenplay Borden Chase, John Twist; Adapted from the novel by C.E. Scoggins; Photography Harry J. Wild, W. Howard Greene; Technicolor Color Director Natalie Kalmus; Associate Color Director Morgan Padelford; Editor Frank Doyle; Art Directors Albert S. D’Agostino, Carroll Clark; Music Leigh Harline; Musical Director C. Bakaleiniko›; Special E›ects Vernon L. Walker; Sound John L. Cass, Clem Portman; Assistant Director Grayson Rogers; Orchestrations Gil Grau; Set Decorators Darrell Silvera, Harley Miller; Dialogue Director Anthony Jowitt; Unit Manager Sam Ruman; Production Assistant Edward Killey; Men’s Wardrobe Dwight Franklin; Gowns Michael Woulfe; Makeup Gordon Bau; Hair Styles Hazel Rogers R EVIEWS: “Despite the fact it has the sturdy elements of an exciting entertainment … [it misses] the mark by a good country mile [and] emerges as a halting wordy familiar es-

capist item. Wayne makes an acceptably tough hombre….” The New York Times (A.W., December 26, ¡947); “The film may have suspense for Latin Americans….” Time Magazine ( January ¡9, ¡948); “Wayne is excellent as the determined engineer…. Big cash outlay is apparent at all times in the lavish Stephen Ames production…” Variety (December 3, ¡947); “It is easily the best thing John Wayne has done in a long while and for this credit should go to the writers, who tailored the script to a perfect fit for him and who, by demonstrating they know how to write for him, should continue to do so….” Hollywood Reporter (December 3, ¡947); “Everyone is entitled to at least one disaster in a decade of work… Never was Wayne in a more pretentious more posturing film…. It was over two hours of lavish bad taste…” John Wayne (Alan G. Barbour, Pyramid, ¡974) SYNOPSIS: Johnny Munroe ( John Wayne), the best engineer in South America, and his partner, Pop Matthews ( James Gleason) work tirelessly to build a tunnel through the Andes to bring the railroad to the tin mines of their wealthy employer, Frederick Alexander (Sir Cedric Hardwicke). Though the crew burrows deep into the mountains, the tunnel is not stable. Pop negotiates with Alexander for a concrete lining to support the roof, but the businessman is unwilling to incur the added expense. The engineers spend a weekend carousing in town. While nursing a hangover on a hotel balcony, Johnny spies a beautiful young woman whom he impulsively follows to Sunday Mass. He spends the morning trying to make the acquaintance of the lovely apparition, finally discovering that she is Maura Alexander (Laraine Day), daughter of his aristocratic employer. The over-protective parent forbids his child from having anything to do with “a drunken, brawling lout.” In spite of the

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warnings of Pop and of Maura’s cousin, Ricky (Anthony Quinn), Johnny continues to pursue the raven-haired beauty. When a roof cave-in almost kills a couple of men, the angry engineer confronts the tycoon, insisting that the concrete liner is not a matter of contract, but of common decency. Alexander not only denies the request, he withholds needed supplies, dooming Johnny’s project to failure. He also removes Maura to their country villa, announcing his intention to take her with him to Europe. The lovers manage to meet, however, and when Johnny’s Jeep runs out of gas in the jungle, they spend some romantic hours sheltered in some old ruins. When a search party finds them in one another’s arms, the outraged parent demands they be married. “From now on you’re mine, forever,” pledges Johnny, but their married life is strained by the demands of construction camp life. Alexander holds back track, timber and pipe but it only makes the strong-willed engineer obsessed with succeeding. When a tunnel collapse kills his friend Curly (Michael Harvey), Johnny dynamites the project and begins to construct a bridge across the river. Abrasive to his friends, neglectful of his wife, unconcerned with safety, Johnny’s only interest is in finishing the bridge. Disillusioned, Maura returns home; Johnny’s crew leaves in disgust. The bridge, complete now except for the center span, faces the ultimate test when a flash flood threatens to destroy it. Alone and exhausted, a defeated Johnny is unable to place the center span until Maura and the crew return. Johnny bravely drives a train onto the structure, and the added weight helps the bridge to survive the ¡5-foothigh wave of destruction. The experience restores some lost values to both Alexander and Munroe. The businessman blesses the union of Maura and Johnny and is confident that their honeymoon will delay the bridge’s final completion for only a short while.—TAL NOTES: In production from January 6 to April 26, ¡947, under the working title In the Darkness of the Sun. Filmed at the RKO Studios in Hollywood and on location at the Arboretum in Arcadia and in Lone Pine, California. The original budget of the motion picture was set at $¡,863,536.07. Including overhead, the film ended production at a cost

of $3,209,000, the most expensive RKO production to date. The original budget was based on the assumption that the entire production would be filmed in Mexico. Wayne’s salary for the venture came to $¡0¡,000. The film earned domestic rentals of $3,775,000 resulting in a loss to RKO of $¡,075,000. The original novel, Tycoon (published in ¡934), was penned by C.E. Scoggins (¡888–¡955), who also wrote The Proud Old Name (¡925), The Red Gods Call (¡926), White Fox (¡928) and John Quixote (¡929). For several days, scenes had to be shot around Laraine Day when she collapsed on location at Lone Pine and required medical attention. At the time of the making of this film, Day (¡9¡7– ) was married to baseball great Leo Durocher. The Utah-born actress’ first screen role was in Stella Dallas. It was quickly followed by small parts in several RKO George O’Brien Westerns. Signed by MGM in ¡939, she was inserted (in the role of a nurse) into the popular Dr. Kildare series. Throughout the ’40s the popular actress would appear in a number of hits including Foreign Correspondent (¡940), Mr. Lucky (¡943), The Story of Dr. Wassell (¡944) and The Locket (¡946). Born of a Mexican mother and Irish father in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, Anthony Quinn (Anthony Rudolph Oaxaca Quinn, ¡9¡5–200¡) did not reach his stride as an actor until the ¡950s. Quinn, known for playing all types of characters including Eskimo, Mexican, Greek, Italian, Arab, Hawaiian, Chinese, American Indian and Japanese, received his first acting break by appearing on the Los Angeles stage opposite Mae West in the play Clean Beds (¡936). In the very same year he made his talking debut (less than one minute in length) as a convict in Parole. In his next film, he played the role of an Indian warrior opposite Gary Cooper in Cecil B. Demille’s The Plainsman. On the set of that Western, Quinn met the director’s daughter, Katherine. The two were married a year later. Over his 66 years (¡936– 2002) of filmmaking, the actor appeared in over ¡50 films including The Ox-Bow Incident (¡943); Wayne’s stirring war film Back to Bataan (¡945); Viva Zapata! (¡952), for which he received an Oscar nomination; the Italian classic La Strada (¡954); Lust for Life (¡956), wherein he played artist Paul Gauguin and re-

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Tycoon (RKO, ¡947). John Wayne, Martin Garralaga

ceived his second Oscar nomination; Last Train from Gun Hill (¡959), The Guns of Navarone (¡96¡), Barabbas (¡962), Requiem for a Heavyweight (¡962), Lawrence of Arabia (¡962) and his signature film which gained him a nomination for the Best Actor Oscar, Zorba, the Greek (¡964). Cinematographer Harry J. Wild (¡900–6¡) spent most of his career working on RKO productions. Between ¡936 and ¡956 he photographed over 65 films ranging from A-productions to cheap Westerns and innocuous series entries. His motion pictures in-

cluded Army Girl (¡938), Painted Desert (¡938), The Magnificent Ambersons (¡942), Tarzan Triumphs (¡943), Tarzan’s Desert Mystery (¡943), The Falcon Out West (¡944), Murder My Sweet (¡945), The Las Vegas Story (¡952) and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (¡953). Wild also participated in the filming of Wayne’s The Conqueror (¡956). Barcelona-born Martin Garralaga (born Norman Garralaag, ¡894–¡98¡) appeared in over ¡70 films. Between ¡945 and ¡949, the ethnic character actor could be seen in an average of ten motion pictures a year.

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The Undefeated

The Undefeated October 4, ¡969. ¡¡8 minutes. John Wayne, Rock Hudson, Tony Aguilar, Roman Gabriel, Marian McCargo, Lee Meriwether, Merlin Olsen, Melissa Newman, Bruce Cabot, ( Jan) Michael Vincent, Ben Johnson, Edward Faulkner, Harry Carey, Jr., Paul Fix, Royal Dano, Richard Mulligan, Carlos Rivas, Guy Raymond, Don Collier, Big John Hamilton, Dub Taylor, Henry Beckman, Victor Junco, Robert Donner, Pedro Armendariz, Jr., Rudy Diaz, James Dobson, Richard Angarola, James McEachin, Gregg Palmer, Juan Garcia, Kiel Martin, Bob Gravage, Chuck Roberson, Jerry Gatlin, Hal Needham, Jim Burk, Roydon Clark, John “Bear” Hudkins, Stan Barrett, Bill Burton, Tap Canutt, Bill Couch, Alan Gibbs, Mickey Gilbert, Ken Hayes, Fred Krone, Gary McLarty, Paul Nuckles, Bob Orrison, Jimmy N. Roberts, George Robotham, Wally Rose, Fred Waugh, Walter Wyatt, Dick Ziker, Danny Sands. Fox. A Robert L. Jacks Production. Director Andrew V. McLaglen; Screenplay James Lee Barrett; Based on a story by Stanley L. Hough; Photography William Clothier; Editor Robert Simpson; Sound Richard Overton, David Dockendorf; Art Director Carl Anderson; Set Decorators Walter M. Scott, Chester L. Bayhi; Special Photographic E›ects L.B. Abbott, Art Cruickshank; Costumes Bill Thomas; Stunt Coordinator Hal Needham; Music Hugo Montenegro; Orchestrator Herbert Spencer; Assistant Director Jack Cunningham; Unit Production Manager Clarence Eurist; Makeup Supervisor Dan Striepeke; Makeup Artist Leo Lotito; Hairstylist Edith Lindon REVIEWS: “[A] sprawling, leathery and laconic drama … that is easy to take and even easier to forget….” The New York Times (Howard Thompson, February 5, ¡970); “The film is a compendium of clichés, both situational and humorous, but done with a kind of old-boyish exuberance that excuses a lot.” Life Magazine (October ¡969); “Wayne’s least interesting film of the Sixties.” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, Grosset & Dunlap, ¡976); “The least interesting of both Wayne’s later Westerns and the many Western scripts

by Barrett….” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Phil Hardy, Overlook Press, ¡983); “The Italian westerns shot in Spain have a more nitty gritty Mexican feel to them than this…. Neither Wayne nor Hudson seems to know whether they are in a light comedy or a serious drama.” Variety (September 30, ¡969); “[O]ne of Duke’s weakest films, post Stagecoach … plot is much too simple and makes for a routine actioneer at best.” Wildest Westerns Magazine (Ed G. Lousararian, Issue #¡) SYNOPSIS : Col. John Henry Thomas ( John Wayne) leads a cavalry attack upon a small but defiant band of rebels. It is only after the skirmish that he learns of Lee’s surrender three days earlier. Thomas, who has seen the 75 volunteers he led to war from the Oklahoma territory dwindle to ten, takes leave of the Union army. He plans to take his men to Arizona and New Mexico. The army is in need of horses, and Thomas plans to round up some of the wild herds for sale. Meanwhile, another group of veterans is planning to head West. Col. James Langdon, C.S.A. (Rock Hudson), is forming a wagon train composed of family, friends and survivors of the war. As greedy carpetbaggers descend upon their land, the proud Rebels turn their backs on America to begin the arduous trek to the heart of Mexico where Emperor Maximilian has promised them a new beginning. Thomas, joined by tribesmen of his adopted Indian son Blue Boy (Roman Gabriel), rounds up a magnificent herd of 3,000 horses. When government purchasers refuse to o›er John Henry a fair deal, the former Yankee o‡cer accepts the more generous terms of Maximilian’s representative. Driving his herd into Mexico, Thomas and his men come across Langdon’s wagon train. Scouting ahead, Blue Boy has discovered the presence of Mexican bandits. The battle-hardened Confederates circle their wagons and, with the assistance of their former Yankee foes, repulse the bandit attacks. In gratitude for their assistance, the rebels invite the Yankees to a Fourth of July celebration. This not only gives the men a chance for a relaxing bout of fisticu›s, it pro-

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The Undefeated (Fox, ¡969). Rock Hudson, John Wayne

vides Blue Boy with the opportunity to become acquainted with Langdon’s comely daughter Charlotte (Melissa Newman). Langdon’s sister-in-law Anne (Marian McCargo) takes an interest in Thomas. “Whatever your faults are,” she determines, “you do have a quaint kind of honesty.” Later, Blue Boy dis-

covers that the escort party of Maximilian has been killed by Juarista rebels. Determined to reach Durango, Langdon presses on to the town at about the same time that John Henry delivers his herd to Maximilian’s agents. In Durango, the Confederates are given a banquet in their honor; it proves to be a trap

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sprung by their Juarista captors. This warring faction needs horses, too, and holds the rebels for ransom. An embarrassed and distraught Langdon is sent to Thomas to announce that the hostages will be killed if the horses are not delivered to Durango by noon of the next day. The Union veterans decide to help their Confederate friends. Driving the herd through the French cavalry, Langdon and Thomas deliver the horses to the Juarista commandante. “You win one, you lose one,” Thomas comments on the fortunes of war. Realizing that their chances are no better in this new land, the rebels, in spirit undefeated, return home with their Yankee friends.—TAL NOTES: In production from February 4 to mid–May ¡969 on locations in Durango, Mexico, and Louisiana, including the ¡600 Acre Plantation. Cost of the film was $7,¡¡5,000. The Western earned domestic film rentals of $4,000,000 from a box o‡ce gross of $9,600,000. It went on the books as a $2,400,000 loss to Fox. By contrast, the studio’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid had a production cost of $6,825,000 and returned domestic rentals of $44,000,000. The big-budgeted musical Hello Dolly lost $¡3,700,000 for Fox and the war film Tora, Tora, Tora represented another $¡3,000,000 loss for the studio. Wayne received a salary of $¡,000,000 and was scheduled to receive 35 percent of any profits after the costs had been recouped. At the time of the making of this film, both Roman Gabriel and Merlin Olsen were members of the Los Angeles Rams football team. Olsen, part of the defense known as the “fearsome foursome,” was a member of the Rams from ¡962 to ¡976. After his retirement from football he became a successful actor starring in several highly-rated television series including Little House on the Prairie (¡977–8¡) and its spino› Father Murphy (¡98¡-82). The short character actor with the high-pitched voice and grating personality, Dub Taylor (¡907–94), started in films in Jimmy Stewart’s You Can’t Take It with You (¡938). He quickly made his reputation in B-Westerns often as the sidekick to the star. Starting with Taming of the West, Taylor supported popular Western star Wild Bill Elliott in ¡3 action-packed films. He then became the sidekick to Lucky Hayden in nine Westerns and, from ¡943 to ¡946,

worked with Charles Starrett in ¡2 films. In a Jimmy Wakely series of ¡5 low-budget musical-comedy Westerns, Taylor created the character of Cannonball for Monogram Studios. Taylor worked in several major motion pictures including Bonnie and Clyde, Bandolero and Support Your Local Gunfighter. On television he appeared in the short-lived Casey Jones and the comedy Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (¡965-66). Taylor’s career résumé consisted of over ¡50 films. His son Buck was a regular on Gunsmoke. Former Miss America Lee Meriwether worked for eight years (¡973–8¡) as Betty Jones the daughter of Buddy Ebsen on the popular CBS detective series Barnaby Jones. She was a regular in two earlier television series which were less successful, the sci-fi entry The Time Tunnel (¡966-¡967, ABC) and The New Andy Gri‡th Show (¡97¡, CBS). The Undefeated would be young Jan-Michael Vincent’s (¡944– ) second film. The slim, blond-haired actor made his film debut in the James Caan starrer Journey to Shiloh (Universal). His popularity grew by appearing in Charles Bronson’s The Mechanic (¡972), Gene Hackman’s Bite the Bullet (¡975) and Burt Reynolds’ Hooper (¡978). Joined by Ernest Borgnine, Vincent, who would have frequent brushes with the law, also starred in the hit television series Air Wolf (CBS). New York City–born Royal Dano’s (¡922–94) first motion picture was Undercover Girl in ¡950. In a career that spanned over 30 years, he was featured in 65 films including The Red Badge of Courage (¡95¡), Jimmy Stewart’s Bend of the River (¡952) and The Far Country (¡955), Tribute to a Bad Man (¡956), Cimarron (¡960), Welcome to Hard Times (¡967) and Clint Eastwood’s The Outlaw Josey Wales (¡976). Rubberfaced Richard Mulligan (¡932–2000) appeared in plays, movies and on television where he achieved his greatest fame. His other film credits included Love with the Proper Stranger (¡963), The Group (¡966), Little Big Man (¡970), S.O.B. (¡98¡) and Trail of the Pink Panther (¡982). On television he was a regular on The Hero (¡966-67, NBC) before winning an Emmy for his work as the long-su›ering Burt Campbell in the comedy Soap (¡977–8¡, ABC). He won his second Emmy for the hit comedy Empty Nest (NBC). Stanley L. Hough, who wrote the story of The Undefeated as well as

Voice of Hollywood; Wake of the Red Witch another big-budgeted Fox Western, Bandolero (¡968) starring James Stewart and Dean Martin, was a senior executive (production chief ) at Fox and the son of Lefty Hough, who helped Wayne at Fox during the actor’s early days in the industry in the ¡920s. In the late ¡970s Hough joined CBS as supervising producer of the Gunsmoke reunion telepics Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge and Gunsmoke: The Last Apache. The screenplay for The Undefeated may have been suggested by an earlier film entitled The Glory Trail that was released in ¡936 and featured the same basic plotline. The man responsible for the film’s music, Hugo Montenegro (¡925–8¡), composed the scores for only ten films. He is most famous for the theme to

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the Clint Eastwood film The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (¡968), which reached the number #2 position on the Billboard chart in the United States. Montenegro also wrote the music for several Dean Martin-Matt Helm entries, Preminger’s Hurry Sundown (¡967) and Viva Max! (¡969). Mexican Character actor Carlos Rivas (¡928–2003) appeared in over 50 films, of which less than 20 were made in the United States. In True Grit, as Mexican Bob he was one of the outlaws belonging to Ned Pepper’s gang. Rivas’ other American features included The King and I, The Unforgiven (¡960), Hitchcock’s Topaz, and Tarzan and the Valley of Gold (¡966).

Voice of Hollywood January ¡7, ¡932. ¡2 minutes. Farina, John Wayne, Thelma Todd, George Bancroft, El Brendel, Jackie Cooper, Lupe Velez, Gary Cooper. Eddie Quillan, Jack Dempsey, Estelle Taylor. Ti›any Company. Director Mack D’Agostino REVIEWS: “One of the most preposterous short-subject series of all time…” The Great Movie Shorts (Leonard Maltin, Bonanza Books, ¡972); “There is a bit of by-play concerning some stolen jewels that adds interest to the continuity. An excellent subject of its kind.” Film Daily (April ¡7, ¡932) NOTES: One in a series of 26 shorts produced between ¡930 and ¡932. This was the

thirteenth episode in the second series. John Wayne appeared as the radio announcer of the episode entitled Station S-T-A-R. Guest hosts on other episodes included, Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey, Franklin Pangborn and Lloyd “Ham” Hamilton. Director D’Agostino spent much of his time in Hollywood as a unit manager at Republic, in charge of their serial output. Some of the chapterplays he worked on included The Lone Ranger (¡938), Drums of Fu Manchu (¡940), Dick Tracy vs. Crime Inc., Adventures of Captain Marvel (¡94¡), Spy Smasher, Perils of Nyoka (¡942), The Tiger Woman and Captain America (¡944).

Wake of the Red Witch December 3¡, ¡948. ¡06 minutes. John Wayne, Gail Russell, Gig Young, Adele Mara, Luther Adler, Eduard Franz, Grant Withers, Henry Daniell, Paul Fix, Dennis Hoey, Je› Corey, Erskine Sanford, Duke Kahanamoku, Henry Brandon, John Wengraf, Myron

Healey, Fred Libby, Harlan Warde, Fernando Alvarado, Jose Alvarado, Carl Thompson, Mickey Simpson, Grant Means, Jim Nolan, Harry Vejar, David Clarke, Fred Fox, Al Kikume, Leo C. Richmond, Harold Lishman, Robert Wood, Fred Graham, Rory Mallinson,

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Norman Rainey, Wallace Scott, Kuka Tuitama, George Piltz, Chuck Roberson, Jock Mahoney, Paul Stader, Victor Grover, Maidla Kalil, Roydon Clark, Roy Barcroft. Republic. Associate Producer Edmund Grainger; Director Edward Ludwig; Screenplay Harry Brown, Kenneth Gamet; Based on the novel by Garland Roark; Photography Reggie Lanning; Art Director James Sullivan; Music Nathan Scott; Orchestrator Stanley Wilson; Sound T.A. Carman, Howard Wilson; Costumes Adele Palmer; Film Editor Richard L. Van Enger; Assistant Editor Bill Lewis; Special E›ects Howard Lydecker, Theodore Lydecker; Set Decorators John McCarthy, Jr., George Milo; Makeup Supervisor Bob Mark; Hair Stylist Peggy Gray REVIEWS: “[E]verything in it … bespeaks a magnificent indi›erence to the demands of illusion or good sense… John Wayne is lusty and swaggering…” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, January ¡0, ¡949); “It is Wayne who carries the unusual film role of a sadistic hero. It’s pretty strong stu›, and he makes it very convincing. It is his most impressive role for some time, and he does right by it.” Los Angeles Examiner (Earl H. Donovan, February 4, ¡949); “Wayne proves a good choice as a sadistic master whose physical attributes include a rare aquatic prowess. His performance not only is versatile but generally believable…. Gail Russell appears miscast among the South Pacific flora and fauna.” Variety ( January 5, ¡949) SYNOPSIS : Rake-Hell Sea Capt. Ralls ( John Wayne) deliberately sinks his ship, the Red Witch, a sailing vessel owned by Batjak, Ltd., Dutch East Indies Trading Company. The Maritime Commission investigation which ensues is halted abruptly by Mayrant Ruysdaal Sidneye (Luther Adler), wealthy and powerful head of Batjak. Ralls, his partner Sam Rosen (Gig Young) and mate Ripper (Paul Fix) set out in an aged schooner, sailing in all sorts of weather—watching, waiting. They finally come to a South Seas island lagoon, ostensibly to hunt for pearls. Actually, a far richer treasure has drawn them to this part of the world. When they are welcomed by Sidneye, Sam soon becomes aware of the undercurrents of greed and passion which motivate the lives of Ralls and the trader. Sam falls in love with

beautiful Teleia Van Schreeven (Adele Mara), who warns him of danger. Then Sidney invites him to dinner and tells Sam a strange story…. Seven years before, the crew of Sidneye’s schooner, the Red Witch, rescued Ralls from the shark-infested waters around the Gilbert Islands. From the first meeting, the two were destined for a rivalry of titanic proportions. Sidneye had heard of the trader’s ruthlessness and greed in propagating his fortune. They agreed to join forces in taking from the natives of a Polynesian island their fabulous fortune in pearls. Arriving at Tahuata, both Ralls and Sidneye fall passionately in love with Angelique Desaix (Gail Russell), beautiful niece of the local French Commissar (Henry Daniell). Ralls accomplished a sensational coup in persuading the natives of his divine right to take the pearls away to far corners of the earth after he wrested the coveted casket from the octopus which guarded its hiding place in a cave under the sea. Horrified at Ralls’ accidental killing of her uncle, Angelique agreed to marry Sidneye, though her heart was really with Ralls. Thus began the bitter poisonous enmity between Ralls and Sidneye, each awaiting his chance to destroy the other. Both men eventually lost Angelique when she died of an incurable tropical disease which left Sidneye crippled… With the end of Sidneye’s tale, Sam is forced to realize why they have all converged on this spot. They are in the wake of the Red Witch, sunk with a cargo of millions in gold bullion. Ralls alone knows where she sank. Goaded by his desperate greed, Sidneye agrees to go 50-50 if Ralls will salvage the gold; he also agrees to allow Sam to take Teleia away. Ralls loses his life while diving to bring up the sunken bullion when the Red Witch plunges from the ocean-bed shelf which she is perched into bottomless reaches, beyond mortal man. As Sidneye sits, broken in mind and body, staring down into the depths in which Ralls has vanished forever, Ralls’ spirit, reunited with Angelique, sails away into the next world on the ghostly Red Witch. NOTES: Filmed between July ¡4 and August 2¡, ¡948, at Republic Studios, and on location at the Arboretum in Arcadia, California. Additional studio sequences were filmed in late October and early November. Budgeted at

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Wake of the Red Witch (Republic, ¡948). Gig Young, unknown, Wayne, Luther Adler, Eduard Franz, Erskine Sanford, Adele Mara

$¡,200,343, the film was completed at a negative cost of $¡,397,445. It earned domestic rentals of $2,836,¡74 in its first year of release. With his guarantee of ¡0 percent of the domestic rentals, Wayne received $283,6¡7. Gail Russell was paid $35,000 and Luther Adler received $¡0,000 for his role as the villain. MGM originally owned the rights to the novel with the intention of bringing it to the screen as a Clark Gable vehicle. Six men were required to act as puppeteers to control the movements of the 24-foot octopus during one of the film’s exciting sequences. Actor Gig Young (¡9¡3–78) won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor of ¡969 for his performance opposite Jane Fonda in They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Born Byron Elsworth Barr in Minnesota, Young was discovered by Warner executives at the Pasadena Playhouse. Before seeing service with the Coast Guard during World War II,

the actor appeared in bit roles in half a dozen films, including Dive Bomber, Sergeant York (¡94¡) and Air Force (¡943). A veteran of over 55 films, he was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Come Fill the Cup (¡95¡) and Teacher’s Pet (¡958). Young was married five times, including once to actress Elizabeth Montgomery of television’s Bewitched fame. After filming Game of Death in ¡978, the actor shot and killed his wife of three weeks, then committed suicide with the same weapon. Blonde, wholesome Adele Mara (born Adelaide Delgado ¡923– ) was one of Republic’s busiest actresses. Between ¡944 and ¡95¡ she appeared in 44 of their productions, including four supporting Wayne. Some of the more memorable films of this former member of the Xavier Cugat Orchestra were Navy Blues (¡94¡), You Were Never Lovelier (¡942), Atlantic City (¡944), The Tiger Woman (¡945), The Cat-

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man of Paris (¡946) and The Big Circus (¡959). Mara was married to producer-screenwriter Roy Huggins, the man responsible for the television series 77 Sunset Strip, Maverick, The Fugitive and Run for Your Life. Mary Ford, wife of famed director John Ford, discovered Mickey Simpson (¡9¡3–85), a sailor assigned to the Hollywood Canteen during World War II, and brought the six-foot-five giant to the attention of her husband. After the war, Ford gave Simpson a role as one of the menacing Clanton Boys in My Darling Clementine. The former heavyweight boxing champion of New York City was at one time the chau›eur to Claudette Colbert. Simpson also appeared in the following Wayne films: Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Fighting Kentuckian and The Greatest Story Ever Told. The actor also was a guest star in many episodes of Western television shows including The Lone Ranger, Cheyenne, The Virginian, Hopalong Cassidy, Annie Oakley and Bonanza. Je› Corey

(¡9¡4–2002), a veteran of over ¡00 films, was perhaps best known for being one of the most sought-after acting teachers in Hollywood. His list of students included James Dean, Jack Nicholson, Robin Williams and Jane Fonda. Arriving in Hollywood in ¡939, he quickly moved from extra to bit parts and substantial character roles. In ¡948 alone, he appeared on the screen in ten films. Called upon to appear before the HUAC committee in Los Angeles in ¡95¡, he refused to “name names” and was blacklisted for ¡2 years. Resuming his film career while continuing to teach acting, Corey appeared in over 70 films and directed episodes of numerous television series including Rod Serling’s Night Gallery (¡970), Alias Smith and Jones (¡97¡), The Bob Newhart Show (¡972) and Hawkins (¡973). In ¡969 he played a villain in True Grit, and also had a role in the year’s other big Western, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

The War Wagon May 23, ¡967. ¡00 minutes. John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Howard Keel, Robert Walker, Jr., Keenan Wynn, Bruce Cabot, Valora Noland, Gene Evans, Joanna Barnes, Terry Wilson, Don Collier, Bruce Dern, Sheb Wooley, Ann McCrea, Emilio Fernandez, Frank McGrath, Chuck Roberson, Boyd “Red” Morgan, Hal Needham, Marco Antonio, Perla Walter, Miko Mayama, Midori, Margarita Luna, Jose Trinidad Villa, Jerry Gatlin, Tom Hennesy, Ralph Volkie, Jack Williams, Jim Burk, Chuck Hayward, Gary McLarty, Dean Smith, Adriana Welter, Cli› Lyons. Universal. A Batjac–Marvin Schwartz Presentation. Producer Marvin Schwartz; Director Burt Kennedy; Screenplay Clair Hu›aker; Based on the book Badman by Clair Hu›aker; Assistant Directors Al Jennings, H.A. Silverman; Music Dimitri Tiomkin; Photography William H. Clothier; Editor Harry Gerstad; Title Song Lyrics Ned Washington; Second Unit Director

Cli› Lyons; Unit Production Manager Joe Behm; Art Director Alfred Sweeney; Sound Waldon O. Watson; Wardrobe Robert Chiniquy, Donald Wolz; Makeup Bud Westmore; Hair Stylist Larry Germain; Title Tune Sung by Ed Ames REVIEWS: “[A]n entertaining, exciting western drama of revenge, laced with action and humor. Strong scripting, performances and direction are evident….The right amount of good-natured grousing, and two-fisted action, all building to a strong climax and switcheroo fadeout.” Variety (May ¡967); “[P]retty flabby prairie stu› … looks like something that the two saddle-sore stars cooked up to kill time and make a little money… It’s not a bad picture, just obvious.” The New York Times (Howard Thompson, August 3, ¡967); “Wayne at sixty and Douglas at fifty can still invest any screenplay with style and gusto. This time they flesh out a standard western with too much

The War Wagon gristle and cartilage—but, happily, without an ounce of fat.” Time Magazine ( June ¡6, ¡967); “[F]or those who like their good old Westerns old, to say the most.” The Today Show ( Judith Crist, NBC); “[A] Western of old, with action all the way….Neither Wayne nor Douglas is quite as springy as he used to be, but they still make it clear that the old West, the West of those early Westerns, was a lively place to be.” Saturday Review (Arthur Knight, July ¡5, ¡967) SYNOPSIS: Frank Pierce’s (Bruce Cabot) corrupt power is symbolized by his latest possession—the lumbering, armor-plated War Wagon. Accompanied by 33 armed guards, this fortress on wheels carries gold dust from his mine in Emmett to the railhead at El Paso. Taw Jackson ( John Wayne), owner of the ranch and its gold before being framed for murder by Pierce, is out on parole and eager to reclaim what is his. “We’re gonna take that wagon!” vows Taw, who has just learned that a half-million in gold dust will be shipped in four days. For this plan he gathers four men. Taw first enlists Lomax (Kirk Douglas), a flashy gunfighter skilled in firearms and safecracking. Lomax has been o›ered $¡0,000 by Pierce to kill Taw, but the promise of a $¡00,000 cut in the robbery holds his interest. The second accomplice is Wes Fletcher (Keenan Wynn), a disgruntled employee of Pierce who will help hide the gold in one of his employer’s own supply wagons. Then there is Billy Hyatt (Robert Walker, Jr.), a broken drunkard with a talent for working with explosives. Taw’s fourth man is Levi Walking Bear (Howard Keel), a renegade Kiowa Indian who will get his fellow tribesmen involved in the plan. Since Pierce has reduced the once proud tribe to poverty, it will not be hard to rally Wild Horse (Marco Antonio) and his warriors. Lomax has doubts about his confederates. When a drunken Billy almost spills the plan in a local bar, the gunfighter considers Pierce’s o›er. “One’s a gamble,” grins the cocky gunfighter referring to Taw’s plan, “the other’s a sure thing!” “Lomax, nothing’s a sure thing!” warns Taw. A sober Billy intends to use nitroglycerin to blow the bridge at Stony Flats where the robbery is to take place. Since Pierce has some among his supplies, Taw makes a

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night visit to his old spread on the pretext of picking up some old clothes, but giving time to Lomax and Billy to steal the nitro. The morning of the shipment arrives. As the Kiowa women and children leave their lands on foot, Wild Horse’s braves prepare to meet the wagon. The nitro is rigged with trip wires on the bridge, the telegraph wire is cut and all is ready. As the War Wagon, newly equipped with a Gatling gun, roars into view, the Indians pursue and draw o› the outriders. The wagon, separated from its armed escort, crosses the bridge, setting o› an explosion which leaves an uncrossable chasm between Pierce and his riders. From the rocks above, Taw and Lomax leap aboard, relieving the wagon of its drivers and team and sending the iron-plated contraption crashing into a ravine. The War Wagon, now a co‡n for its greedy owner, is quickly relieved of its gold. As the dust is poured into flour barrels on Wes’ supply wagon, the Kiowas arrive to claim more for their troubles. A fight breaks out, Wes is killed and the driverless supply wagon is pulled o› by frightened horses. Taw pursues on horseback, helplessly watching the flour barrels bounce from the wagon, spilling their contents at the feet of the surprised Indian women. As the flour is eagerly gathered up by the impoverished Indians, Taw is able to save one bag of gold which he intends to split up in six months. “What am I supposed to do in the meantime?” snaps an angry Lomax. “For one thing,” answers the departing Taw, “you better make damn sure I stay alive!”—TAL NOTES: Filmed in Durango and Mexico City, Mexico, from September ¡5 to December ¡966. Budgeted at $4,200,000. Production was halted for several days in October to allow Wayne to film several commercials endorsing Ronald Reagan’s campaign for Governor of California. Wayne was paid $¡,000,000 and Batjac received up to 35 percent of the film’s net profits. This was to be the first of a twopicture deal with Universal. The second film was to have been The Green Berets. Producer Marvin Schwartz also brought Blindfold (¡965) and ¡00 Rifles (¡969) to the big screen and Tribes to the small screen. The Western earned domestic rentals of $6,000,000 from a box o‡ce gross of close to $¡5,000,000. Hal Need-

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The War Wagon (Universal, ¡967). Robert Walker, Jr., John Wayne

ham doubled for Kirk Douglas, but Chuck Hayward drove the war wagon for the acrobatic star. To publicize the film, Wayne appeared on the November 2¡, ¡966, episode of The Lucy Show (CBS), Merv Gri‡n’s nightly talk show and Joanna Barnes’ daytime gossip program (ABC). Utah-born, Princeton- and Columbia-educated Clair Hu›aker (¡927–90) was a novelist and screenwriter whose ¡958 novel Badman was the basis of The War Wagon. His first novel was Rider from Thunder Mountain (¡957). In ¡958 he wrote several episodes of the Lawman Western series, and followed that with writing assignments on The Rifleman, Riverboat, Destry, Daniel Boone and The Virginian. His other film credits included Seven Ways from Sundown (¡960, Audie Murphy), Flaming Star (Don Siegel directing Elvis Presley), Rio Conchos, Posse from Hell, ¡00 Rifles, Tarzan and the Valley of Gold and Chino. In ¡973 he wrote The Cowboy and the Cossack which at one time was considered as a vehicle

for Wayne. Character actor Gene Evans (¡923–98) was best known for his roles in several Samuel Fuller war films. In The Steel Helmet (¡95¡), the World War II former sergeant starred in one of the most acclaimed hits of the year. A veteran of over 30 motion pictures, mostly cast as a soldier, lawman or heavy, he was born Eugene Barton Evans in Holbrook, Arizona. In ¡956 he starred in the television series My Friend Flicka (¡956–58 on CBS and later NBC), and returned to the medium in the starring role of the less successful series Spencer’s Pilots (¡976, CBS). Robert Walker, Jr. (¡940– ), son of performers Jennifer Jones and Robert Walker, received his greatest reviews for portraying the title character in the comedy Ensign Pulver (¡964). Valora Noland started out making guest appearances on television shows in the early ¡960s. Prior to The War Wagon, she had small roles in Muscle Beach Party (¡964), Sex and the College Girl (¡964) and The Passionate Strangers (¡965). Actress Ann

West of the Divide McCrea (¡93¡– ) played the regular role of Midge Kelsey on The Donna Reed Show (ABC). Some of her earlier films included the Robert Mitchum–Marilyn Monroe vehicle River of No Return (¡954), the comedy Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter (¡957), the Wayneproduced China Doll (¡958) and the Western Welcome to Hard Times. In ¡967, The War Wagon was one of four films that Bruce Dern (¡936– ) had a role in. The actor first appeared on the big screen in ¡960, in Elia Kazan’s Wild River. After brutally killing Wayne in The Cowboys (¡972), he was nominated for an Oscar for Best

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Supporting Actor of ¡978 in Coming Home. His daughter is actress Laura Dern. Stuntmen Frank McGrath (¡903–67) and Terry Wilson (¡923–99) were reunited in this film by Wayne. They had spent eight years together working on television’s Wagon Train with Ward Bond (the first five years), and were favorites of John Ford, who used them in The Searchers. The film was first telecast on October 3¡, ¡97¡, over NBC. With a 53 percent share of the audience, it was the highest rated program of the week, and one of the highest rated movies ever shown on network television.

West of the Divide February ¡5, ¡934. 52–55 minutes. John Wayne, Virginia Brown Faire, Lloyd Whitlock, George Hayes, Yakima Canutt, Billy O’Brien, Lafe McKee, John “Blackie” Whiteford, Earl Dwire, Dick Dickinson, Tex Palmer, Artie Ortega, Horace B. Carpenter, Hal Price, Archie Ricks. Monogram. A Lone Star Western. Producer Paul Malvern; Director Robert N. Bradbury; Photography Archie J. Stout; Story & Screenplay Robert N. Bradbury; Editor Carl Pierson; Recording Engineer John A. Stransky, Jr., Dave Stoner; Technical Director E.R. Hickson REVIEWS: “Typical of Wayne’s early– ¡930s programmers, this fossil has the usual Bob Steele plot wrapped up in a tight little actioner with amusing incidents….” Western Films: A Complete Guide (Brian Garfield, Rawson Wade Publishers, ¡982); “It is revealing to find in Wayne’s performance moments of the same intensity of feeling as he brought to later work.” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, Grosset & Dunlap, ¡976); “[It’s] amongst the best of Wayne’s Lone Star Western series.” The Overlook Film Encyclopedia (Phil Hardy, Overlook Press, ¡983); “Lots of saddle stu› against repeating scenery and for an unwittingly jolly moment allows a flash of a radio tower to be seen backgrounded against supposedly sparsely inhabited mountain region. Frank, simple and unboastful in its mechanical progress.” Variety

(May 22, ¡934); “Just the kind of western our Saturday crowd likes. Possibly not enough cowboy singing, but [Wayne] does talk plain and doesn’t stall around.” Motion Picture Herald (Strand Theater, Paris Arkansas comment, June 30, ¡934); “There’s more plot and less action to this than most of Wayne’s Lone Star B’s—but still enough excitement to satisfy.” The Best (and Worst) of the West! (Boyd Magers) SYNOPSIS: “I’ll never forget that night, Dusty, the flash of guns, the shouts of murdering men and the courage of my dad shielding me and fighting a hopeless fight.” These are the recollections of Ted Hayden ( John Wayne) to his friend Dusty Rhodes (George Hayes) as the two return to the scene of the crime which ¡2 years before had cost the life of Ted’s father, the disappearance of his infant brother and the loss of the Hayden ranch to a man named Gentry (Lloyd Whitlock). The two friends find a dying outlaw, Gat Ganns, the victim of a poison water hole. A letter found on the corpse indicates that Ganns was on his way to do some professional murder for Gentry. Ted decides to assume the outlaw’s identity and he and Dusty are hired by Gentry. This avaricious land grabber is planning to take over a ranch belonging to an old man named Winters (Lafe McKee) who, together with his daughter Fay, has been holding out against Gentry’s pressure. Ted and Dusty man-

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age to save the old man’s daughter and money from Gentry’s gang and warn him of the plans to murder him. In the meantime, Ted learns that a young boy named Spud (Billy O’Brien) whom he has befriended at the Gentry place is really the brother from whom he has been separated for ¡2 years. Convinced that it was indeed Gentry who killed his father, Ted battles with him in a rough fight that ends when the villain is accidentally shot by his own men. Dusty, Winters and the sheri› ride upon the scene and the outlaws in Gentry’s employ are brought to justice. Ted winds up with a kid brother, a lost ranch and a sweetheart.—TAL NOTES: Wayne’s fourth Lone Star Western for Monogram. Budgeted at $¡2,000, with the actor receiving $¡250. A remake of Monogram’s Partners of the Trail (¡93¡). Other sources contend the film is a remake of Reckless Rider (¡932) which was partially written by Oliver Drake, who contributed to the screenplay of this Wayne Western. Yakima Canutt was featured prominently and also served as stuntmen to the star and Whitlock. Leading lady Virginia Brown Faire (¡904–80) made her screen debut in ¡92¡ and was soon appearing in such major silent productions as Monte Cristo, Peter Pan and Temptress. In ¡927 she served as Rin Tin Tin’s leading lady in the Warners hit, Tracked by the Police. By the end of the decade the actress had been relegated to working on “Poverty Row” at not only Monogram but Resolute, Reliable and Big 4 Studios. Before retiring from motion pictures in ¡938, she had co-starred in over 50 films, providing ample support for not only Wayne but also Wally Wales, Rex Lease, Ken Maynard and Tom Tyler. Between ¡93¡ and ¡979, Dick Dickinson appeared in over 60 films. He began his career with six low-budget Westerns in ¡93¡: Ridin’ Fool, Phantom of the West, The Vanishing Legion, The Galloping Ghost, Fighting Marshal and The Lightning Warrior and ended it with two high-profile productions in ¡979, The

Frisco Kid starring Harrison Ford and Gene Wilder and The Villain with Kirk Douglas and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The actor also appeared in Wayne’s Texas Cyclone and Desert Trail. Little Billy O’Brien’s film career would encompass less than ten films. Bit player and extra, John “Blackie” Whiteford (¡889–¡962) appeared in over 200 films and rarely received billing on the screen. His career started in the late ¡920s where he had one-day roles in such diverse fare as the Laurel & Hardy comedy Hoose-Gow (¡929) and the Hoot Gibson Western Courtin’ Wildcat (¡929). By the ¡930s he was working in more than ten films a year, populating the screen with the likes of Bob Steele, Bob Custer, Bill Cody, Rex Bell, Tom Tyler, Johnny Mack Brown and Charles Starrett, at Gower Gulch studios Monogram, Raytone, Big 4, Syndicate, Ti›any, Supreme, Beaumont and Reliable. Despite this whirlwind of activity, he still found the time to be a bit player in several big-budgeted productions or A-Westerns including King Kong (¡933), Captain Blood (¡935), The Lone Ranger (¡938), Union Pacific (¡939) and Destry Rides Again (¡939). Working continuously through the ’40s and ’50s, the actor was in Wayne’s A Man Betrayed, In Old California and The Fighting Kentuckian. His last role was in John Ford’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (¡962). Booked for a two-day run at New York’s Stanley Theater, on a double-bill, beginning May ¡0, ¡934. At the same time, Broadway theaters were advertising Little Miss Marker (Paramount) starring Adolphe Menjou and Shirley Temple; the horror film from Universal, The Black Cat starring the twin masters of terror, Boris Karlo› and Bela Lugosi; comedian Joe E. Brown’s tepid comedy Very Honorable Guy (Warners); the gangster film He Was Her Man (Warners) with Joan Blondell and James Cagney; and Joan Crawford in MGM’s Sadie McKee. Reissued on December ¡0, ¡939.

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Westward Ho August ¡9, ¡935. 63 minutes. John Wayne, Sheila Mannors, Frank McGlynn, Jr., Jack Curtis, Yakima Canutt, Mary MacLaren, Dickie Jones, Hank Bell, James Farley, Bradley Metcalfe, Roy Cline, Glenn Strange, Henry Hall, Ray Henderson, Charles Brinley, Edward Hearn, Al Taylor, Herman Hack, Silver Tip Baker, Lloyd Ingraham, Frank Ellis, Earl Dwire, Fred Burns, Bob Burns, Tex Palmer, Fred Parker, Jack Kirk, Eddie Parker, The Singing Riders (Kirk, Baldra, Sargent, Strange, Jones), Cactus Mack, Hal Price, Frank LaRue, Ed Coxen, Jack Ingram, Chuck Baldra, Charles Sargent, Jack Jones, Sherry Tansey, Clyde McClary, Jack Montgomery. Republic. Producer Paul Malvern; Vice President in Charge of Production Trem Carr; Director R.N. Bradbury; Story & Screenplay Robert Emmett, Lindsley Parsons; Continuity Harry Friedman; Photography Archie Stout; Editor Carl Pierson; Recording Dave Stoner; Technical Director E.R. Hickson; Songs: “Westward Ho,” “Ridin’ Down That Rocky Road to Town,” “The Vigilantes” and “The Girl I Loved Long Ago” Music & Lyrics by Vernon (Tim) Spencer, Glenn Strange, Robert N. Bradbury; Original music by Heinz Roemheld, Cli›ord Vaughn REVIEWS: “[A] high quality B-Western.” Shooting Star (Maurice Zolotow, Simon & Schuster, ¡974); “[It’s] unique in potential entertainment and showmanship story content… Republic is endowing the feature with better than ordinary production values, with John Wayne ranking as one of the foremost western stars, his name looms as the outstanding commercial feature…” Motion Picture Herald ( June ¡, ¡935); “Lively action western will provide satisfaction for the thrill fans. Plenty of action, an intriguing story, an able cast and special attention to scenic backgrounds makes this red meat for action fans.” Film Daily ( July 30, ¡935); “Westward Ho has all the production value of a picture made by a major studio, and proves once more that well made western pictures have a definite place in the a›ections of the public. But the producers should remember to be careful about those love scenes.” Hol-

lywood Citizen News (Elizabeth Yeaman, August ¡, ¡935); “Western addicts would not be disappointed in this one. It’s got everything in big doses, hard riding, pistol popping and rough-and-tumble fisticu›s. Wayne cuts an attractive figure as leader of the vigilante band, giving a crack account of himself….” Variety (February ¡9, ¡936); “A compelling story and some spectacular stuntwork make this really worthwhile.” The Best (and Worst) of the West! (Boyd Magers Reviews) SYNOPSIS : In the late ¡840s, as Mark (Hank Bell) and Hannah, “Ma” Wyatt (Mary MacLaren), and their young sons John (Bradley Metcalf ) and Jim (Dickie Jones) drive cattle across the California desert, they are attacked by Walt Ballard’s ( Jack Curtis) gang. Jim is forced to join the gang as the family’s wagons are burned. John falls o› the wagon during the battle, but survives and years later forms a vigilante group to help fight the many groups of lawless men who wander the territory. When the Black Bart gang attacks a town, the vigilantes capture them. John learns that the Gordon herd is being driven through his area and joins Lafe Gordon ( James Farley) as trail guide without revealing his true identity. John and Lafe’s daughter Mary (Sheila Mannors) yell at each other, but nonetheless she likes him. Ballard sends Jim, who is also grown but does not know the gang killed his parents, to spy on Lafe. Jim stumbles towards John and the Gordons and pretends to have been robbed. John is suspicious, and later Jim convinces Lafe that John is a fraud. The next day, finding Jim gone, John searches for him. Meanwhile, Jim returns to Lafe and convinces Lafe to proceed into Ballard’s trap that evening. John and the vigilantes spoil Ballard’s plan and save Mary’s runaway wagon. Ballard and his men regroup, as John begins a search for the gang. Jim tricks Mary into being taken prisoner while John gathers the vigilantes. Mary overhears Ballard’s head henchman, Red (Yakima Canutt), mention that John and Jim are brothers. John receives a note that instructs him to ride to Blind Canyon to save Mary.

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Westward Ho (Republic, ¡935). John Wayne, Sheila Mannors

While Ballard and his men rob the bank, Jim realizes he has been abandoned by his confederates, releases Mary, and then learns the truth about John. Jim saves John from an ambush and explains what Mary has told him. As Mary summons the vigilantes, John and Jim begin an attack on Ballard, who is killed as his wagon goes over a cli›. Jim, however, is also killed in the battle, and Mary agrees to return to California with John. NOTES: In production from May ¡9 to June 3, ¡935. Filmed simultaneously at Lone Pine, California, with Lawless Range. The planned cost of this first film was to have been $22,000 whereas the subsequent seven films were budgeted at $¡5,000 each. The actual negative cost came to $24,¡98. The first John Wayne Western to be produced under the Republic banner. Wayne was the first star signed by the newly formed Republic Pictures.

Within a month, Gene Autry would also sign with the fledgling studio. The contract Wayne signed with Republic on May ¡¡, ¡935 called for him to star in eight Westerns over a period of 80 days in one year, and be paid a salary of $¡750 for each starring role. A children’s novel based on the movie was issued by Engel–Van Wiseman Company of New York and sold in Woolworths Department Stores for a dime. Movie Magazine (October ¡935) also published a serialized version of the story. Frank McGlynn, Jr., followed in the footsteps of his father’s (Frank McGlynn, ¡867–¡95¡) as a Western sidekick. He supported William Boyd in several of the early Hopalong Cassidy adventures and was Buck Jones’ sidekick in the serial The Roaring West (¡935) for Universal. Herman Hack (¡899–¡967) was another of the faceless extras who populated the backgrounds of the B-Westerns. Rarely having any dialogue,

Winds of the Wasteland Hack is credited with appearances in over 350 features (of which 336 were Westerns) and ¡6 serials. Working at Monogram, Columbia, Republic and lower level studios in the ’30s and ’40s, he often was an extra in up to 20 films a year, and worked on at least ¡3 of Wayne’s Westerns for Monogram and Republic. He retired from the screen after appearing in The Bounty Killer (¡965). Arkansas-born James Farley (¡882–¡947) was comfortable as a bit player in both B-films for minor studios and big-budget extravaganzas at the majors. In a career that lasted over 30 years (¡9¡5–47), he worked on ¡85 motion pictures. Working through the silent era, he had roles in two of the biggest films of that period. In the Buster Keaton comedy classic The General (¡927), Farley played Gen. Thatcher, while in the Biblical epic King of Kings (¡927), he had a bit part as an executioner. Besides the numerous lowbudget Westerns, the actor was also in the early talkie Western In Old Arizona (¡929), Irene Dunne’s Back Street (¡932), The Petrified Forest with Bogart (¡936), San Francisco (¡936),

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Captain January starring Shirley Temple (¡936), Angels with Dirty Faces (¡938), the super–Western Dodge City with Errol Flynn (¡939), DeMille’s Union Pacific (¡939), Virginia City (¡940), Santa Fe Trail (¡940), Abbott and Costello’s In the Navy (¡94¡), Hail the Conquering Hero (¡944), The Postman Always Rings Twice (¡946) and Abbott and Costello’s Buck Privates Come Home (¡947). Bradley Metcalfe, another bit player, had a far shorter career in Hollywood. It consisted of less than 20 films over a five-year period. He also worked in the earlier Wayne Western King of the Pecos. Monogram released a version of this Western, written by the same Robert Emmett Tansey, in ¡939 with the title Across the Plains, starring Jack Randall and Dennis Moore. Also in ¡939, Roy Rogers and Don Barry starred as brothers in the Republic version Saga of Death Valley. The title Westward Ho was also used as the title of a Monogram Mesquiteer film in the ’40s starring Bob Steele and Tom Tyler. The plot contrivances were based on the Zane Grey novel Arizona Ames.

Winds of the Wasteland July 6, ¡936. 57 minutes. John Wayne, Phyllis Fraser, Lew Kelly, Douglas Cosgrove, Lane Chandler, Sam Flint, Robert Kortman, Ed Cassidy, Jon Hall, W.M. McCormick, Chris Franke, Jack Rockwell, Arthur Millett, Tracy Layne, Yakima Canutt, Joe Yrigoyen, Jack Ingram, Bud McClure, Art Mix (George Kesterson), Lloyd Ingraham, Horace B. Carpenter, Bob Burns, Clyde McClary, Herman Hack, George Morrell, Pascale Perry, Bud Pope, Henry Hall, Francis Walker. Republic. Producer Nat Levine; Supervising Producer Paul Malvern; Director Mack V. Wright; Screenplay & Original Story Joseph Poland; Photography William Nobles; Film Editor Robert Jahns; Supervising Film Editor Murray Seldeen; Musical Supervisor Harry Grey; Original Music Arthur Kay, Heinz Roemheld, Paul Van Loan; Sound Engineer Terry Kellum R EVIEWS: “A pleasant outing….” The

Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Phil Hardy, The Overlook Press, ¡983); “[It] majors in thrilling situations, uniquely occurring, which are being counted upon to provide adventure entertainment that will be appealing to that segment of theater patrons who like their screen fare served to them in lusty, vigorous style.” Motion Picture Herald (May 23, ¡936); “Roaring tale of stagecoach days crammed with suspense and exciting action … a fresh and lively yarn, crammed with colorful incidents, and done in a fast tempo that keeps jumping from one interesting phase to another.” Film Daily ( July ¡¡, ¡936); “Increased production values from Republic, in business just over a year, are evident throughout as one watches process photography, unique camera angles, and a final thrill-packed race among stagecoaches accompanied by rapid background music scoring.” Under Western Skies

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(Richard B. Smith, III, “B” Westerns in Perspective #40, ¡99¡); “In the late thirties, Republic Pictures began to earn its reputation for turning out the best over-all action films in Hollywood. This little gem from that studio helped to consolidate that reputation as well as advance the career of John Wayne….” The Great Western Pictures ( James Robert Parrish and Michael R. Pitts, Scarecrow Press, ¡976) SYNOPSIS: With the coming of the telegraph, the Pony Express is declared obsolete. The drivers are now forced to find new jobs. After John Blair ( John Wayne) makes his last Pony Express ride, he heads for Buchanan City with his friend Larry Adams (Lane Chandler), hoping to start a stagecoach line. “Cal” Drake (Douglas Cosgrove), who runs a stage line in Buchanan City, sells John a stagecoach franchise that makes a 70-mile round trip from Crescent City into Buchanan twice a week. When John and Adams arrive, however, they

find Crescent City deserted, except for an old man named “Rocky” (Lew Kelly), who introduces himself as mayor, sheri› and postmaster, and Doc William Forsythe (Sam Flint). Rocky warns the pair against Drake, who used to be Doc’s partner before he refused to accept Drake’s dirty dealing and was forced out. Rocky advises John and Adams to fix up the dilapidated Crescent City stagecoach, which is now home to a skunk, and enter a contest for a mail contract that involves a stagecoach race from Buchanan to Sacramento. The coach that arrives first will receive a $25,000 government mail subsidy. When Doc’s daughter Barbara (Phyllis Fraser), a schoolteacher, arrives from the East expecting to find a big city, John convinces her to stay and help her father, who built the town. John then asks a telegraph work crew to run wires through Crescent City instead of Buchanan. The crew hires 50 men from Buchanan to help them, and the city begins to

Winds of the Wasteland (Republic, ¡936). Lane Chandler, Wayne, Lew Kelly

Winds of the Wasteland grow. Drake then o›ers John a job driving a shipment to Sacramento in Drake’s stagecoach with an armed escort of Drake’s men, who plan to hold up the coach and steal the gold. John outsmarts them, however, and safely delivers the gold. Meanwhile, Larry is shot near his spine by Drake’s henchman Cherokee (Robert Kortman) while driving the Crescent City stage, but Doc performs a delicate operation and he survives. John returns and on the eve of the race, Cherokee starts a fire in the stable where John keeps his coach. John saves the building and the horses just in time. When John spies the culprits nearby, he shoots at them, and Drake has him arrested. With five minutes remaining before the race, John is in jail. Rocky starts out without him, and John posts bail and catches up with him. Drake wins the stretch from Buchanan to Crescent, but then John switches the coach horses to his Pony Express horses and, taking over for Rocky, catches up with Drake while Rocky rides in the coach with the skunk. Although Drake dynamites John’s path, shoots at him and lassos one of his horses, John pulls him from his own coach and eventually wins the race. Soon Crescent City has a population of 4¡0. John and Barbara embrace, and Rocky announces that he has made a pet of the skunk. NOTES: The last of Wayne’s first batch of Republic Westerns was filmed in ¡¡ days, from May 5 to May ¡6, ¡936, at locations in the Sierras and the Sacramento Valley in Central California. Budget: $¡5,000. Final negative cost: $¡6,700. Wayne was paid $¡750. Director Mack V. Wright had last worked with the actor in ¡932 while filming the Ken Maynard remakes at Warners. He was a last-minute replacement for “Breezy” Eason. Female lead Phyllis Fraser (¡9¡¡– ) appeared in films for just ten years. From ¡932 to ¡94¡ she had roles in ¡6 low-budget productions that were made at Fox, Syndicate, Universal, Monogram and RKO. Her films included Thirteen Women (¡932), Father Knows Best (¡935), Fighting Youth (¡935), Tough to Handle (¡937), and For Beauty Sake (¡94¡). Bob Kortman (¡887–¡967) appeared in films from ¡9¡0 to the early ¡950s.

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His naturally menacing features made him ideal for villainous roles in over 200 motion pictures. Kortman started out confronting Broncho Billy Anderson during the early days of the silent era and alternated between appearances in Westerns and action films. He had a meaty role in the epic Cimarron (¡93¡), then proved to be a worthy nemesis opposite Buck Jones, Tim McCoy, Ken Maynard, Harry Carey, Hoot Gibson and George O’Brien in dozens of B-Westerns of the ’30s and ’40s. During that period, Kortman appeared opposite Wayne in Lawless Range, The Lonely Trail, Lady from Louisiana and Shepherd of the Hills, and was featured in several serials including Mystery Mountain (¡934) with Ken Maynard, The Miracle Rider (¡935) starring Tom Mix and Adventures of Red Ryder (¡940) with Don “Red” Barry in the title role. Cast member Jon Hall (born Charles Hall Loeher, ¡9¡3–79) began in films in ¡935 in the low-budget but entertaining Charlie Chan in Shanghai. In ¡937, he reached stardom appearing opposite Dorothy Lamour in John Ford’s The Hurricane. Although he had significant roles in Kit Carson (¡940), Eagle Squadron (¡942) and Invisible Agent (¡942), it was as the star of Universal sex-sand-and-sandals films that the public enjoyed him the most. Married to entertainers Frances Langford (¡938–55) and Raquel Torres (¡959–79), he was a favorite of a generation of children in the ’50s as television’s Ramar of the Jungle (¡952–54). Character actor Arthur Millet (¡874–¡952), who was the postmaster in Winds of the Wasteland, played his share of sheri›s and o‡cers in the almost ¡00 films he made between ¡9¡6 and ¡938. In ¡936 his other features were The Prisoner of Shark Island, The Fugitive Sheri› and The Lion’s Den. Tracy Layne (¡890–¡98¡) had an abbreviated screen acting career of only three years. Relegated to serials, melodramas and B-Westerns, he had assignments in eight ¡936 releases: Wayne’s The Lonely Trail, Robinson Crusoe on Clipper Island, Undersea Kingdom, The Vigilantes Are Coming, Guns and Guitars and the Gene Autry Westerns Singing Cowboy and Comin’ Round the Mountain.

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The Wings of Eagles January 3¡, ¡957. ¡¡0 minutes. John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Dan Dailey, Ward Bond, Ken Curtis, Edmund Lowe, Kenneth Tobey, James Todd, Barry Kelley, Sig Ruman, Henry O’Neill, Willis Bouchey, Dorothy Jordan, Peter Ortiz, Louis Jean Heydt, Tige Andrews, Dan Borzage, William Tracy, Harlan Warde, Jack Pennick, Bill Henry, Mimi Gibson, Evelyn Rudie, Mae Marsh, Albert Morin, Charles Trowbridge, Janet Lake, Fred Graham, Stuart Holmes, Olive Carey, Major Sam Harris, May McEvoy, William Paul Lowery, Chuck Roberson, Cli› Lyons, Veda Ann Borg, Christopher James, James Flavin, Jack Williams, Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez, Bob Morgan, Chuck Hayward, Terry Wilson, Frank McGrath, John Hudkins, Paul Stader, Ronnie Rondell. MGM. Director John Ford; Producer Charles Schnee; Associate Producer James E. Newcom; Screenplay Frank Fenton, William Wister Haines; Based upon the life and writings of Commander Frank W. Wead, U.S.N.; Photography Paul C. Vogel; Editor Gene Ruggiero; Art Directors William A. Horning, Malcolm Brown; Special E›ects Arnold Gillespie, Warren Newcombe; Assistant Director Wingate Smith; Music Score Je› Alexander; Set Decorators Edwin B. Willis, Keogh Gleason; Costumes Walter Plunkett; Aerial Stunts Paul Mantz; Makeup William Tuttle; Technical Advisor John Dale Price; Color Consultant Charles Hageman; Recording Supervisor Dr. Wesley C. Miller; Production Manager Thomas J. Andre REVIEWS: “Like many a›ectionate tributes, this one comes more from the heart than from the head…. John Wayne, Mr. Ford’s favorite stalwart, does well in the role of Wead….” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, February ¡, ¡957); “[A]n entertaining show, with the thrills, action, heart and comedy that trademark nearly all of Ford’s pictures… Wayne is particularly good as the vital man of action with a lust for life, turning in one of his better performances.” Variety ( January 30, ¡957); “[A]brupt switches from comedy to tragedy … give it such an extraordinary feeling of truth.” John Ford (Peter Bogdanovich, University of

California, ¡968); “Along with his Ethan Edwards in The Searchers, John Wayne’s Spig Wead is the actor’s most di‡cult, subtle, complex and fully realized role. Wayne gives the character exuberance, a firm belief in his country’s cause, and profound sense of failure and loss while still remaining within the confines of the military man.” The Non-Western Films of John Ford ( J. A. Place, Citadel Press ¡979); “Although Ford was paying personal homage to his friend, the film fails to elicit much compassion for a man who experienced the height of success as a flier and writer as well as the depth of despair as a cripple forced to use a wheelchair and later crutches.” Sailing on the Silver Screen (Lawrence Suid, Naval Institute Press, ¡996); “The Ford touches are in evidence throughout, in the roughhouse sequences, in the scenes that touch the heart, in the portions that move and cheer viewers. There is drama, romance, action and plenty of comedy…John Wayne is good as the lead…” Motion Picture Exhibitor (February 6, ¡957); “[T]he film is about 50 per cent rambunctious slapstick comedy, 25 per cent heroic drama and 25 per cent pure sentimentality. Under less skillful direction these sometimes conflicting elements would cancel one another out. Ford, however, has seen to it that they combine to make a generally lusty piece of entertainment.” The Motion Picture Herald (Vincent Canby, February 2, ¡957) SYNOPSIS: They are still talking about the day that Annapolis graduate Frank “Spig” Wead ( John Wayne) crashed the admiral’s tea party by landing a training plane in a swimming pool, making the Navy’s first, but unauthorized, solo flight. “How else are we going to get aviation for the U.S. Navy?” asks a frustrated Spig before the disciplinary board. As he and his friend Lt. John Price (Ken Curtis) push to bring flight to the Navy, Spig’s relationship with his wife, Min (Maureen O’Hara), su›ers. The couple cope with the death of their infant son while Spig becomes a hotshot pilot with a couple of more kids. The family makes a succession of moves from Pensacola to Coro-

The Wings of Eagles

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The Wings of Eagles (MGM, ¡957). John Wayne, John Ford, Ward Bond

nado. Tired of seeing Army pilots grabbing all the flight headlines, the Navy sends Spig to Washington. Min refuses to uproot their daughters again and remains behind. In quick succession, Spig and his team win the Schneider Cup seaplane race and set new endurance and distance records. When he receives his commission as skipper of a fighter squadron, Spig returns home to reconcile with Min. “Let’s grow up before our kids do,” he begs. The couple’s reconciliation is shattered when a fall down the stairs of his home leaves Spig with a broken neck. Given up as a hopeless paraplegic, Spig forces Min and the girls out of his life and begins a di‡cult road back to health supervised by his old Navy mechanic, Jughead Carson (Dan Dailey). As he attempts to begin a second career as a writer, his old friend John Price, a squadron leader aboard the new carrier Saratoga, teams him up with a Hollywood director to write a screenplay about a

carrier. Spig enjoys a series of successes as a screenwriter, author and playwright. Encouraged by Carson, he attempts another reconciliation with Min, now a successful businesswoman in San Francisco. But Pearl Harbor sinks this attempt and Spig volunteers his services. He is sent to the Pacific to put into e›ect his new idea for Jeep carriers to follow the big carriers to replace lost planes and keep the big ships in the fight. He sees his plan successfully unfold in the capture of Kwajalein, but the arduous toll on the crippled man’s health forces a quiet retirement. While an honor guard of his friends lines the deck to pay him tribute, the frail Wead is hoisted via breeches buoy to a destroyer for the trip home.—TAL NOTES: Filmed in 47 shooting days, from July to October ¡956, at Pensacola, Florida, and at the MGM Studios. Script development began in early ¡954. It was budgeted at $2,750,000. Ford completed the film at a neg-

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The Wings of Eagles

ative cost of $2,644,000. The motion picture earned domestic rentals of $2,300,000 and an additional $¡,350,000 from overseas markets. It grossed slightly under $8,400,000, which translated into an $804,000 loss for MGM. New York–born Dan Dailey (¡9¡3–78) came from a family of entertainers. He first appeared on stage as a juvenile and worked in vaudeville and burlesque before moving to plays and Broadway. In ¡937 he was one of the cast members of Babes in Arms on the “Great White Way.” MGM signed him to a contract in ¡940 and quickly inserted the strapping six-footfour performer into six forgettable films. In one of them, The Mortal Storm, he played the part of a Nazi youth leader. In Ziegfeld Girl (¡94¡), his talents as a song and dance man were amply on display. After completing his role opposite Donna Reed and Robert Blake in Mokey (¡942), Dailey enlisted in the Army. He returned to Hollywood in ¡946 and signed with Fox, who teamed him with the number one box o‡ce actress of the ’40s, Betty Grable, in Mother Wore Tights (¡947). The success of the film led the studio to reteam the duo in When My Baby Smiles at Me (¡948), for which Dailey received an Oscar nomination, My Blue Heaven (¡950) and Call Me Mister (¡95¡). In ¡950, John Ford placed Dailey into the starring role of his ill-conceived comedy When Willie Comes Marching Home. Fox’s ¡954 musical smash There’s No Business Like Show Business featured the actor in a starring role opposite Ethel Merman, Donald O’Connor and Marilyn Monroe. He continued to appear in musicals and some dramas throughout the ’50s and early ’60s, as he ventured into television with roles in two comedy series. Character actor Sig Ruman (Siegfried Rumann, ¡884–¡967) is credited with having appeared in well over ¡00 films. Born in Germany, he came to the United States in the early ¡920s and started appearing in features in ¡929. With exaggerated mannerisms and a marked accent, Ruman left his mark in The Farmer Takes a Wife (¡935), A Night at the Opera (¡935), Heidi (¡937), Nothing Sacred (¡937), Only Angels Have Wings (¡939), Ninotchka (¡939), Four Sons (¡940), To Be or Not to Be (¡942), Tarzan Triumphs (¡943),

House of Frankenstein (¡944), The Emperor Waltz (¡948), Houdini (¡953), White Christmas (¡954) and the Jack Lemmon–Walter Matthau comedy The Fortune Cookie (¡966). For 20 years the scowling and intimidating Atlanta-born Barry Kelley (¡908–9¡) was employed as an actor in over 40 films including Boomerang (¡947), Force of Evil (¡948), The Undercover Man (¡949), The Asphalt Jungle (¡950), The Great Missouri Raid (¡95¡), New York Confidential (¡955), The Buccaneer (¡958), Elmer Gantry (¡960), The Manchurian Candidate (¡962) and Disney’s The Love Bug (¡968). Red-haired Kenneth Tobey (¡9¡7–2002) attended acting school in New York alongside Gregory Peck and Tony Randall. His first featured screen role was in a Hopalong Cassidy Western. In a career that extended from ¡943 through ¡995, Tobey appeared in almost ¡00 motion pictures and dozens of television shows. His most productive year was ¡949 when he was seen in eight films including Gregory Peck’s Twelve O’Clock High and the Cary Grant comedy I Was a Male War Bride. In the early ¡950s, the actor starred in Howard Hawks’ science-fiction classic The Thing from Another World as well as the low-budget sci-fi adventures The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (¡953) and It Came from Beneath the Sea (¡955). He had an unbilled part in Jet Pilot and bigger roles in the Batjac production Ring of Fear and Paramount’s Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (¡957). The finale was filmed on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Philippine Sea. Opened at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall on January 3¡, ¡957. The film had to contend with competition from the enchanting comedy-drama The Happy Road with Gene Kelly; the Alan Ladd–Virginia Mayo Western The Big Land; and the dreary Errol Flynn– Pedro Armendariz mystery The Big Boodle (United Artists). At the same time, Wayne’s old studio Republic was still releasing lowbudget programmers with Vera Ralston in the lead. Accused of Murder was a depressing and monotonous crime thriller with David Brian, Lee Van Cleef and Hank Worden supporting Ms. Ralston. Joe Kane produced and directed the film, which was released in Republic’s Naturama and Trucolor processes.

Without Reservations

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Without Reservations May ¡3, ¡946. ¡07 minutes. Claudette Colbert, John Wayne, Don DeFore, Anne Triola, Phil Brown, Frank Puglia, Thurston Hall, Dona Drake, Fernando Alvarado, Charles Arnt, Louella Parsons, Charles Evans, Harry Hayden, Lela Bliss, Houseley Stevenson, Junius Matthews, Gri› Barnett, Will Wright, Thelma Gyrath, J. Louis Johnson, Frank Dae, Ian Wolfe, Grace Hampton, Minerva Urecal, Esther Howard, Robert Espinosa, Henry Mirelez, Rosemary Lopez, Michael Economides, George Economides, Jose Alvarado, Miguel Tapia, Dick Dickerson, Joel Fluellen, Jack Parker, Oscar O’Shea, Ruth Roman, William Challee, Sam McDaniel, Henry Hastings, Tay Dunn, Harold Davis, Ralphe Hubbard, John Gilbreath, Tom Hubbard, John Crawford, Brook Hunt, Russ Whiteman, Lee Bennett, Bill Udell, Henry Vroom, Bill O’Leary, Chef Milani, Ernest Anderson, Harry Evans, Paul Gustine, Charles Faber, Reid Kilpatrick, Vincent Grae›, Bruce Brewster, Kernan Cripps, Charles Williams, Erskine Sanford, Bob Wallace, Sid Davies, Charles Elmergreen, Fleet White, Bill Shannon, Roger Creed, Jane Wiley, John Bleifer, Joe Hawarth, Charles Hall, Peter Michael, Art Miles, Dudley Dickerson, Warren Smith, Al Kunde, George Russell, Bill Sunholm, Frank Pharr, Henry Holman, June Glory, Lisa Golm, Blanca Vischer, Barbara Smith, Wallace Scott, Bob Pepper, John Kellogg, Robin Short, Nanette Vallon, Jean Wong, Louis Austin, Eric Alden, Leona Maricle, Jean Koehler, Marvin Miller, Harry Strang, Cy Kendall, William Benedict, Loren Baker, Tom Chatterton, Charlie Moore, Jesse Graves, Al Rosen, George Magrill, Marilyn Buford, Raymond Burr, Fred Coby, Verne Richards. Cameos: Cary Grant, Jack Benny, Dolores Moran. RKO. A Jesse Lasky Production. Producers Jesse L. Lasky, Walter MacEwen; Director Mervyn LeRoy; Screenplay Andrew Solt; Based on the Novel Thanks God! I’ll Take It from Here by Jane Allen; Photography Milton Krasner; Second Unit Camera Harry Davis; Special E›ects Vernon L. Walker, Russell A. Cully, Harold Stine; Editor Jack Rug-

giero; Music Roy Webb; Musical Director C. Bakaleiniko›; Assistant Director Lloyd Richards; Sound Clem Portman, Francis M. Sarver; Set Decorators Darrell Silvera, James Altwies; Montage Harold Palmer; Matte Paintings Al Simpson; Transparency Shots Lin Dunn; Music Mixer Earl B. Mounce; Costumes Adrian; Publicity William Herbert; Art Directors Albert S. D’Agostino, Ralph Berger; Production Assistant William H. Cannon REVIEWS: “[I]n spite of its repetitive nature and some painfully contrived sequences, there is a great deal … that is glib and engaging fun… Credit Miss Colbert and Mr. Wayne with pleasant performances.” The New York Times (Bosley Crowther, June ¡8, ¡946); “Wayne and DeFore do a convincing job… Script at times is overcrowded with gags, almost to the point of confusion, but Mervyn LeRoy’s direction manages to keep the story moving at farce pace despite the heavy load of incidents.” Variety (May 8, ¡946); “[T]he performance delivered by John Wayne as the Marine captain is the easiest of his career.” Hollywood Reporter (May 8, ¡946); “This adopts the It Happened One Night technique, and while it doesn’t approach the high quality of that it will do very well on its own for it is a good-humored, neatly played picture, with many excellent touches that help o›set a lengthiness that isn’t necessary.” Motion Picture Exhibitor (May ¡946); “[T]he film lacks both warmth and wit … the script is too linear and laborious….” John Wayne and the Movies (Allen Eyles, Grosset & Dunlap, ¡976) SYNOPSIS: The filming of the best-selling romance Here Is Tomorrow is in jeopardy when Cary Grant declines the role of the book’s hero, Mark Winston. The book’s author, Kit (pen name Christopher) Madden (Claudette Colbert), rushes to the train station to journey cross-country to Hollywood to help in the biggest search for talent since the casting of Scarlett O’Hara. To Kit’s astonishment, she is seated across from a dark-haired, deep-voiced Marine flyer who is the mirror image of her book’s hero. The incarnation of her imagina-

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Without Reservations

tion is Rusty Thomas ( John Wayne), who with his friend Dink Watson (Don DeFore), is reporting to an assignment on the West Coast. The Marines take an immediate liking to their travel companion, who asks Rusty his opinion of Here Is Tomorrow. Not much for symbolism and progressive thinking when it comes to women, Rusty describes the book as silly, prompting Kit to assume the surname Klotch lest she be recognized as the author. She wires Baldwin (Thurston Hall), her producer, that she has found the perfect Mark Winston. “Don’t let him get away!” he enthusiastically wires back. Her plans are almost derailed in Chicago where she loses the boys at a rest stop between trains. She finds them in a liquor store stocking up on Scotch for the train ride to San Diego. With neither baggage nor a ticket, Kit follows the boys on their train and is almost thrown o› by the conductor. Later, after a few too many drinks with Rusty and Dink, the trio disrupts the club car with an impromptu tabletop flying lesson. Kit is put o› the train in La Junta for conduct unbecoming to a lady. The three adventurers continue on foot until they purchase a car for $300. That evening, Dink works on the car while Rusty works his charms on Kit. Although she is falling in love with the Marine, she is confused about how the relationship relates to the philosophy of Here Is Tomorrow. “I wish I’d have met you before you read that book,” mutters Rusty, leaving Kit wondering how she will reveal that she is the author and how she would like him to star in the film. In Albuquerque, Kit, with no identification, tries to cash a check as Christopher Madden. Since premature news reports place her in Hollywood already, Kit is arrested as a forger. The boys sell the car to make bail, Baldwin arrives from Hollywood assuring Rusty that he will look wonderful in Technicolor, and the secret is out. Rusty, in love with the helpless Miss Klotch, not the successful Miss Madden, is embarrassed and upset. Kit goes on to Hollywood to work on her film project; Rusty reports to his flying assignment to sulk. Dink remains the link between the two, gradually wearing down Rusty’s stubborn pride. Finally the unhappy flier wires Kit that he is arriving at her place without reservations. As the car pulls up to her house, Kit raises her

eyes to Heaven. “Thanks, God, I’ll take it from here.”—TAL NOTES: In production from October 8, ¡945, to January ¡4, ¡946, with additional sequences filmed in mid–February. Although much of the motion picture was shot at RKO, background footage was shot in New York and Chicago and several outdoor sequences were filmed in Chatsworth, California. Original budget was $¡,500,000. The final negative cost came in at $¡,683,000. The comedy earned domestic rentals of $3,450,000 which represented a profit of $360,000 for RKO and a like amount to the producers. Claudette Colbert received a salary of $¡50,000 while Wayne was paid $88,750. His base salary was $75,000 (for ¡2 weeks work), which was increased by $6,666.67 for each additional week of required filming. This was the first Jesse L. Lasky Production in collaboration with RKO. Don DeFore was under contract to Hal B. Wallis’ company when he got the call to replace Fred MacMurray. Thurston Hall (¡882–¡958) always preferred the stage to the screen. As a teenager he toured with stage companies throughout New England. In his twenties he journeyed to London and organized a stage troupe which worked in Great Britain, then traveled to South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In ¡9¡5, after returning to America, he co-starred as Marc Anthony in a version of Cleopatra (¡9¡7) opposite Theda Bara. He then tried his hand at films, appearing in 20 features before leaving Hollywood and returning to his true love—the stage. By ¡935 Hall had succumbed to the allure and money that Hollywood o›ered, but, at the age of 53, lead roles were no longer a reality. Between ¡935 and ¡957 Hall would appear in over ¡20 films including Crime and Punishment (¡935), The Amazing Doctor Clitterhouse (¡938), You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man (¡939), Each Dawn I Die (¡939), This Land Is Mine (¡943), The Farmer’s Daughter (¡947) and A›air in Reno (¡957). Mexican-born Dona Drake (born Rita Novella, ¡9¡4–89) started as a vocalist under the name Rio Rita in support of her own all-girl band and several big bands of the era. Although she had small roles in films going back to ¡935, it was in ¡940 that Paramount signed her to a contract and placed her in supporting

Without Reservations

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Without Reservations (RKO, ¡946). Don DeFore, John Wayne, Claudette Colbert

roles in six films including Louisiana Purchase (¡94¡), and the Bing Crosby– Bob Hope comedy Road to Morocco. Made in ¡954, Princess of the Nile would be the last of her 35 features. From the very early ¡920s to ¡965, Sicilianborn character actor Frank Puglia (¡892–¡975) appeared in all facets of the entertainment industry from films to the stage and television. Specializing in character roles calling for foreign accents, he came to the United States in ¡907 and worked in over ¡50 motion pictures including D.W. Gri‡th’s epic of the French Revolution, Orphans of the Storm (¡922), Viva Villa! with Wallace Beery in the title role (¡934), Men in White (¡934), Dietrich’s The Garden of Allah (¡936), Bulldog Drummond ’s Revenge (¡937), Spawn of the North (¡938), The Mark of Zorro with Tyrone Power (¡940), Billy the Kid (¡94¡), The Jungle Book (¡942) and, in ¡943, Casablanca, Action in the North Pacific, Mission to Moscow, Phantom of the Opera and

For Whom the Bell Tolls. Bit players Raymond Burr and Ruth Roman would go on to greater fame during the decade of the ’50s. The Canadian-born, Stanford-educated Burr (¡9¡7–93) played the villain in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic Rear Window (¡954) and the reporter in Godzilla (¡956) then signed to star as attorney Perry Mason. On television he played the role of the astute barrister for nine seasons (¡957– 66, CBS), then became a wheelchair-bound detective in Ironside (¡967–75, NBC). Ruth Roman (¡924–99) would, by the late ¡940s, become a leading lady in dozens of films like Good Sam (¡948), Belle Starr’s Daughter (¡948), Champion (¡949), Dallas (¡950) and The Far Country (¡955). She would continue to act, in character roles, throughout the ¡960s. Claudette Colbert, joined by Robert Cummings, reprised her role from the film in an August 26, ¡946, episode of the Lux Radio Theater. MGM re-released the comedy in August ¡953.

412

Words and Music

Words and Music September ¡5, ¡929. 65 minutes. Lois Moran, David Percy, Helen Twelvetrees, William Orlamond, Elizabeth Patterson, John Wayne, Frank Albertson, Tom Patricola, Bubbles Crowell, the Biltmore Quartet (Eddie Bush, Paul Gibbons, Bill Seckler, Ches Kirkpatrick), Ward Bond, Richard Keene, Dorothy Ward, the Collier Sisters, Muriel Gardner, Dorothy Jordan, Helen Parrish, Jack Wade, Vina Gale, Arthur Springer, Harriet Gri‡th, John Gri‡th, Helen Hunt, Charles Hu›, Sugar Adair, Iris Ashton, Lita Chevret, Marie Cooper, Blanche Fisher, Katherine Irving, Lucille Jacques, Jean Lorraine, Marion Mills, Sue Rainey, Betty Becklaw, Harry Albers, Sayre Dearing, John Sylvester, M. Troubetsky, Darline Addison, Maurice Salvage, Julie Blake, Raymonda Brown, Adele Cutler, Diana Dare, Dot Darling, Lucille Day, June Glory, Charlotte Hagaler, Kathryne Hankin, Billy Kittridge, Paula Langlen, Mildred Laube, Mildred Livingston, Helen Louise, Mae Madison, Peggy Malloy, Mavis May, Emily Renard, Bobby Renee, Thelma Roberts, Bernice Snell, Darleen Ver Jean, Marion Waldon, Wilma Wray, Frances Dee. Fox. Executive Producer Chandler Sprague; Director James Tinling; Story Frederick Hazlitt Brennan, Jack McEdwards; Photography Charles G. Clarke, Don Anderson; Musical Director Arthur Kay; Lyrics and Music Dave Stamper, Harlan Thompson, Con Conrad, Sidney D. Mitchell, Archie Gottler, William Kernell; Editor Ralph Dixon; Dialogue Andrew Bennison; Staged by Frank Merlin; Ensemble Director Edward Royce; Sound Donald Flick, Joseph Aiken; Assistant Director William Tinling; Costumes Sophie Wachner; Songs “Too Wonderful for Words,” “Stepping Along,” “Shadows” REVIEWS: “[E]laborate singing and dancing review framed in the collegiate atmosphere…. Story which backgrounds the show is trivial to the last degree and is a hindrance rather than help. Of comedy the picture has practically none, and its romantic note doesn’t register.” Variety (October 2, ¡929); “This musical comedy was not given a first-run show-

ing in this city; it was shown first at the New York Theater, a Loew’s ‘dump,’ but it deserves a Broadway showing much more than Four Devils, The River, and Christina, for it is far better entertainment.” Harrison’s Reports (September 28, ¡929) SYNOPSIS: Excitement runs high on the campus of Darnell University. Fraternity brothers Phil Denning and Pete Donahue (David Percy and John Wayne) are competing to have campus sweetheart Mary Brown (Lois Moran) lead their musical numbers in the college’s annual review. There is a nice monetary award for the dance routine combining the best written words and music. The talented Phil, along with his friend Skeet (Frank Albertson), puts his songwriting skills to work, developing a routine in which Mary would play the leading female part and he would be the leading man. A good sport with an a›ection for both young men, Mary complies with both requests to be the lead. All seems idyllic on campus, but in this academic musical Garden of Eden there is a serpent. The temptress is Dorothy Blake (Helen Twelvetrees), who has her own designs on Phil. When Mary gets involved in a practical joke directed towards the straight-laced dean of woman, Dean Crockett (Elizabeth Patterson), Dorothy sets as the price of her silence the leading part in Phil’s number. To keep his love out of trouble, the dejected songwriter hands over his song “Too Wonderful for Words” to the conniving coed and accepts her as his lead. Mary has been kept in the dark about Phil’s actions and is more determined than ever to make Pete’s skit a success. On the night of the review, Pete’s composition “The Presentation” results in a standing ovation for Mary’s performance. Phil is having a lousy time as the review unfolds, but Mary learns of Dorothy’s deviltry. She boldly confesses to Dean Crockett that she is responsible for the practical joke. Hurrying on to the dressing room, she confronts Dorothy, removes her from her costume and sets out for the stage. A shocked Phil watches the curtain go up for his number, which now has Mary leading the

Wyoming Outlaw singing and dancing. Her talented performance wins the contest for him.—TAL NOTES: Billed as Duke Morrison, Wayne received his first screen credit here. Director Tinling (¡889–¡967), a graduate of the University of Washington, came into the film industry in the early ¡920s as a prop boy and part-time stuntman. Learning the art of direction from Howard Hawks, Tinling completed his apprenticeship, leading in ¡927 to his first directorial e›ort, Very Confidential. He continued helming films, mostly of the B-type, until ¡95¡ when he joined the rush to television. Frank Albertson’s (¡909–64) acting career extended from ¡928 to the early ¡960s. The Minnesota native played a variety of roles from leading man in comedies and musicals to character actors in dramas. The most famous features he worked in were Wake Island (¡942), It’s a Wonderful Life (¡946), The Hucksters (¡947), The Enemy Below (¡957), The Last Hurrah (¡958), Psycho (¡960) and Bye Bye Birdie (¡963). The leading lady of Hollywood silents and early talkies, Lois Moran (¡908–90) was born Lois Darlington Dowling in Pittsburgh. Returning to America after a short stint in French films, Moran starred in Samuel Goldwyn’s Stella Dallas (¡925). Words and Music was one of six films she appeared in during ¡929. The actress left the screen in ¡93¡, briefly appearing on stage for several years until her retirement in the mid–¡930s. In the early ¡950s

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she returned to the entertainment world appearing in the television series Waterfront (¡953–56). Cinematographer Charles Galloway Clarke (¡899–¡983) entered the industry as an actor. After service in World War I, he switched to the technical end by working at D.W. Gri‡th Productions. In the ¡920s he became an assistant cameraman at Universal, often shooting up to five films a year. Not satisfied with the sophistication of the equipment, inquisitive by nature, Clarke invented battery-run motors for the motion picture cameras and improved many matte photo techniques. Some of his more famous films included Son of Tarzan (¡5 chapter serial, ¡920), The Light That Failed (¡923), Whispering Smith (¡926), Guadalcanal Diary (¡943), Miracle on 34th Street (¡947), The Bridges at Toko-Ri, The Virgin Queen (¡955), The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (¡955), Flaming Star (¡960) and Return to Peyton Place (¡96¡). Clarke was nominated for the Academy Award on four occasions: Moontide (¡942), Hello, Frisco, Hello (¡943), Green Grass of Wyoming (¡948) and Sand (¡949). Working in the industry for the first time (as an extra) was future Wayne leading lady Frances Dee. The film’s run in New York City, at the Loew’s New York, was one day long (September 22, ¡929). The motion picture was shown in an edited 60-minute version.

Wyoming Outlaw June 27, ¡939. 56–62 minutes. John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, Raymond Hatton, Donald Barry, Adele Pearce, LeRoy Mason, Charles Middleton, Katherine Kenworthy, Elmo Lincoln, Jack Ingram, David Sharpe, Jack Kenney, Yakima Canutt, Curley Dresden, Tommy Coats, Alan Cavan, Bud Buster, David O’Brien, Bud McTaggart, Ralph Peters, Art Dillard, Jack Kirk, Al Taylor, Frankie Marvin, Ed Payson, George DeNormand, Dick Cramer, John Beach, Kermit Maynard, Jack Rockwell, Bob Burns, George Montgomery, Frank

O’Connor, William Nestell, Forrest Dillon. Republic. Director George Sherman; Assistant Director Harry Knight; Associate Producer William Berke; Writers Betty Burbridge, Jack Natteford; Photography Reggie Lanning; Editor Tony Martinelli; Supervising Editor Murray Seldeen; Musical Score William Lava; Production Manager Al Wilson REVIEWS: “[O]ne of the most austere of the Mesquiteer series.” The Great Western Pictures ( James Robert Parish and Michael R. Pitts, Scarecrow Press, ¡976); “Tiptop oats

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Wyoming Outlaw

opera, brimming with action, should more than please the average western fan. John Wayne scores in some hard-punching melees…. Sherman’s direction is crisp….” Variety ( July ¡2, ¡939); “Inspired by recent headlines, the Three Mesquiteers headed by John Wayne are given a vehicle which a›ords them plenty of opportunity to keep things moving at a rapid pace. Loads of action and some particularly fine photography characterize the proceedings.” Boxo‡ce ( July ¡5, ¡939); “Wyoming Outlaw, the least costly film turned out by Republic during the past season, made more money at the box o‡ce than any other Hollywood western. [T]his is the second consecutive year that [producer William Berke] has made the top western money-maker for Republic.” Hollywood Citizen News (October 3, ¡939); “The most socially relevant film the 3 Mesquiteers made…. Dominated by Don Barry’s meaty performance.” The Best (and Worst) of the West! (Boyd Magers Reviews) SYNOPSIS: A violent dust storm interrupts the cattle drive of Mesquiteers Stony Brooke, Tucson Smith and Rusty Joslin ( John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, Raymond Hatton). Taking shelter in an abandoned cabin, Stony reflects upon the hard times onto which many of the ranchers have fallen since the drop in the price of wheat and the ruin that this crop has brought to the grazing land. Later, the theft of one of their stock leads the Mesquiteers to meet one of these hard luck families, the Parkers (Charles Middleton, Donald Barry, Adele Pearce, Katherine Kenworthy). The brawny and quick-tempered Will steals meat to feed his family; his sister Irene resorts to petty thievery at times; and their parents helplessly try to find a job, something the elder Parker lost when he stood up to the crooked political tyrant Joe Balsinger (LeRoy Mason). The family’s plight wins the sympathy of the Mesquiteers, who gamely try their best to help. Will is o›ered a job on the cattle drive and Stony’s fists come to the defense of Irene’s virtue when the evil intents of Balsinger threaten. When Mrs. Parker pays extortion money in the hope her husband may be given a job, the Mesquiteers intervene and forcibly retrieve her money, causing Balsinger to swear out a warrant for their arrest. While driving

the 3M herd through the National Park lands, Will is refused passage there because of his reputation as a game stealer. The youth hastily reacts by killing a deer and is caught and jailed. Meanwhile, Stony has ridden to the capitol to plead for a Senate investigation into Balsinger’s reign of corruption. The elder Parker intends to testify against the villain but is savagely beaten. When Will learns of this, he decides that violence is the only answer. Escaping from jail, he kills two of Balsinger’s henchmen and leads the posse on a territory-wide manhunt. The Mesquiteers desperately try to intercede for Will, but things seem headed for a showdown. Eluding the posse, Will returns to town and captures Balsinger. Both fugitive and tyrant die in the gun battle which erupts. The tragic story of the Wyoming Outlaw is the final straw that forces the Senate committee to end the grip of the racketeers in the area. The Mesquiteers ride on, leaving the saddened Parkers with a ray of hope for their future.— TAL NOTES: Filmed from May ¡¡ to May 20, ¡939, under the working title Oklahoma Outlaws in the foothills area of Lancaster, California. Budgeted at $35,000. While Wayne received $3,000, his co-star Hatton was paid $600 and Red Barry earned $¡50 a week. This was Adele Pearce’s (¡9¡8– ) third film. In ¡94¡, after more than 20 film appearances, the actress changed her screen name to Pamela Blake. When she retired in ¡952 after co-starring with Bill Elliott in the B-Western Waco, her career output consisted of over 50 motion pictures. Elmo Lincoln (¡889–¡952), born Otto Elmo Linkenhelter, who played the role of U.S. Marshal Drake, had featured roles in Gri‡th’s Birth of a Nation (¡9¡5) and Intolerance (¡9¡8), but it was as the screen’s first Tarzan in ¡9¡8 that he will forever be remembered. Lincoln repeated his Ape Man role in two more silent films, and also had minor roles in the later Ape Man entries Tarzan’s New York Adventure (¡942) and Tarzan’s Magic Fountain (¡949). Texas-born Dave “Tex” O’Brien (¡9¡2– 69) made his motion picture debut in Paramount’s Sylvia Sidney starrer Jennie Gerhart (¡933). For the next three years he played bit parts in features, B-Westerns and serials before being signed for one of the lead roles in the

Wyoming Outlaw forgettable serial Black Coin (¡936). Working at the Grand National Studio from ¡937 to ¡940, O’Brien first played a villain, then supporting roles in eight of the Renfrew of the Royal Mounted Police series. In ¡939 the prolific actor worked on eight B-Westerns at three studios (Grand National, Monogram and Republic), then, in ¡942 he was signed by PRC to star in 22 episodes of the low-budget Texas Rangers series. When the series had run its course in ¡945, MGM signed the actor, who headlined over 70 of their Pete Smith specialty short subjects. By the late ’50s, the actor had turned to writing, becoming one of Red Skelton’s chief sources of material for his weekly television show. A great stuntman who learned the tricks of the trade from Yakima Canutt, David Sharpe (¡9¡¡–80) made his motion picture debut in Douglas Fairbanks’ silent classic, The Thief of Bagdad. After graduating from high school, he returned to Hollywood and found work as an extra, double and stuntman. Work-

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ing in B-Westerns, he met Canutt and, over a period of a productive decade, learned the finer points of the stunting profession. After a stint with the Army Air Corps during World War II, in which he was discharged as a captain, Sharpe returned to Monogram Pictures and continued to appear in B-Westerns. Replacing Ray Corrigan, Sharpe was one of the leads in the Range Busters series. In the ’50s, the actor was busier than ever, performing stunts in many of the early Western television shows including The Cisco Kid, The Lone Ranger, Wild Bill Hickok and Zorro. At the same time that Wyoming Outlaw hit the theaters, Republic also released Gene Autry’s Mountain Rhythm and Roy Rogers’ In Old Caliente, while RKO came out with another chapter in the Saint series, The Saint in London with George Sanders in the starring role. Of the 82 B-Westerns released during the ¡938-39 season, Wyoming Outlaw was the highest grosser at the box o‡ce.

APPENDIX A: THE FILMS IN ORDER OF RELEASE Unnumbered titles represent films of less than feature length

#

FILM Brown of Harvard Bardelays the Magnificent Great K&A Train Robbery Annie Laurie Drop Kick Mother Machree Four Sons Hangman’s House Noah’s Ark Strongboy Speakeasy Black Watch Salute Words and Music Forward Pass Lone Star Ranger Men Without Women Born Reckless Cheer Up & Smile Rough Romance The Big Trail Girls Demand Excitement Three Girls Lost Men Are Like That Range Feud The Deceiver Maker of Men Voice of Hollywood 28 Shadow of the Eagle 29 Hurricane Express 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

30 Texas Cyclone 31 Lady and the Gent 32 Ride Him, Cowboy Hollywood Handicap 33 Two-Fisted Law 34 The Big Stampede 35 That’s My Boy 36 Haunted Gold 37 Telegraph Trail 38 Central Airport 39 Three Musketeers 40 Somewhere In Sonora 41 His Private Secretary 42 Life of Jimmy Dolan 43 Baby Face 44 Man from Monterrey 45 Riders of Destiny 46 College Coach 47 Sweetheart of Sigma Chi 48 Sagebrush Trail 49 Lucky Texan 50 West of Divide 51 Blue Steel 52 Man From Utah 53 Randy Rides Alone 54 Star Packer 55 Trail Beyond 56 Lawless Frontier 57 Neath Arizona Skies 58 Texas Terror 59 Rainbow Valley

Date of Release April 1926 September 1926 October 1926 May 1927 September 1927 January 1928 February 1928 May 1928 November 1928 March 1929 May 1929 May 1929 September 1929 September 1929 November 1929 January 1930 January 1930 May 1930 June 1930 June 1930 October 1930 February 1931 April 1931 August 1931 November 1931 November 1931 December 1931 January 1932 February 1932 July 1932

417

July 1932 July 1932 August 1932 August 1932 August 1932 October 1932 November 1932 December 1932 March 1933 March 1933 April 1933 June 1933 June 1933 June 1933 June 1933 August 1933 October 1933 November 1933 November 1933 December 1933 January 1934 February 1934 May 1934 May 1934 June 1934 July 1934 October 1934 November 1934 December 1934 February 1935 March 1935

418 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116

Appendix A: The Films in Order of Release Desert Trail Dawn Rider Paradise Canyon Westward Ho The New Frontier Lawless Range Oregon Trail Lawless Nineties King of the Pecos Lonely Trail Winds of the Wasteland Sea Spoilers Conflict California Straight Ahead I Cover the War Idol of the Crowds Adventure’s End Born to the West Pals of the Saddle Overland Stage Raiders Santa Fe Stampede Red River Range Stagecoach Night Rider Three Texas Steers Wyoming Outlaw New Frontier Allegheny Uprising Dark Command Three Faces West Long Voyage Home Seven Sinners A Man Betrayed Lady from Louisiana Shepherd of the Hills Lady for a Night Reap the Wild Wind The Spoilers In Old California Flying Tigers Pittsburgh Reunion in France A Lady Takes a Chance In Old Oklahoma The Fighting Seabees Tall In the Saddle Flame of Barbary Coast Back to Bataan They Were Expendable Dakota Without Reservation Angel and the Badman Tycoon Fort Apache Red River Three Godfathers Wake of the Red Witch

April 1935 June 1935 July 1935 August 1935 October 1935 November 1935 January 1936 February 1936 March 1936 May 1936 July 1936 September 1936 November 1936 April 1937 June 1937 September 1937 December 1937 December 1937 August 1938 September 1938 November 1938 December 1938 February 1939 April 1939 May 1939 June 1939 August 1939 November 1939 April 1940 July 1940 October 1940 October 1940 February 1941 April 1941 June 1941 January 1942 March 1942 April 1942 May 1942 October 1942 November 1942 December 1942 August 1943 December 1943 March 1944 September 1944 May 1945 May 1945 November 1945 November 1945 May 1946 February 1947 December 1947 March 1948 September 1948 December 1948 December 1948

117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon July 1949 The Fighting Kentuckian September 1949 Sands of Iwo Jima December 1949 Rio Grande November 1950 Operation Pacific January 1951 Flying Leathernecks July 1951 The Quiet Man August 1952 Big Jim McLain August 1952 Trouble Along the Way April 1953 Island in the Sky September 1953 Hondo November 1953 The High and the Mighty July 1954 The Sea Chase May 1955 Blood Alley October 1955 The Conqueror February 1956 The Searchers May 1956 The Wings of Eagles January 1957 Jet Pilot September 1957 Legend of the Lost December 1957 I Married a Woman May 1958 The Barbarian and the Geisha September 1958 Rio Bravo February 1959 The Horse Soldiers June 1959 The Alamo October 1960 North to Alaska November 1960 The Comancheros October 1961 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance April 1962 Hatari May 1962 The Longest Day October 1962 How the West Was Won November 1962 Donovan’s Reef July 1963 McLintock November 1963 Circus World June 1964 The Greatest Story Ever Told February 1965 In Harm’s Way March 1965 The Sons of Katie Elder July 1965 Cast a Giant Shadow March 1966 The War Wagon May 1967 El Dorado June 1967 The Green Berets June 1968 Hellfighters February 1969 True Grit June 1969 The Undefeated October 1969 Chisum June 1970 Rio Lobo December 1970 Big Jake May 1971 The Cowboys January 1972 Train Robbers January 1973 Cahill U.S. Marshal June 1973 McQ January 1974 Brannigan March 1975 Rooster Cogburn October 1975 The Shootist July 1976

APPENDIX B: UNREALIZED FILMS WITH JOHN WAYNE AS STAR 1940—Ceiling Zero. Warners; aka International Squadron; made with Robert Stack 1941—The Big Bonanza. Republic; large-scale Western budgeted at $500,000 1941—The Vigilantes. Columbia; A-Western 1941—True To Form. RKO; action-drama 1941—Cheyenne. UA; Walter Wanger Western; made in ¡947 with Dennis Morgan 1942—Down Mandalay Way. Republic; Western 1942—The Sky Dragon. Republic; proposed sequel to Flying Tigers 1943—Dakar. Republic; World War II story 1943—Merchant Marine. Republic; service film set against the backdrop of WWII 1944—The Life of Riley. Columbia; with Martha Scott; biography of James Whitcomb Riley 1944—The Tom Mix Story. Fox; Producer: Harry Sherman; biography of the Western star 1944—Rickenbacker. Fox; biography of WWI flying ace; released in ¡945 with Fred MacMurray in the lead 1945—He Walks Tall. RKO; sequel to Tall in the Saddle 1945—In Old Sacramento. Republic; Western to star and be produced by Wayne 1945—That Man Malone. RKO; action feature written by Borden Chase

1930—No Favors Asked. Fox; post–World War I tale written by James Warner Bellah 1931—Wyoming Wonder. Fox; outdoor adventure 1931—The Sky Line. Fox; adventure story with Spencer Tracy 1935—Custer’s Last Ride. Republic; Western 1936—The Plainsman. Paramount; Cecil B. DeMille; Wayne auditioned but did not get role 1937—Alcazar. Screenplay by Paul Fix; mystery story 1938—Sailor on Horseback. Biography of Jack London 1939—North West Mounted Police. Paramount; DeMille film; Wayne refused to audition 1939—Colorado. Republic; Western 1939—High Road to Oregon. Republic; $500,000 western with Gene Autry and Roy Rogers 1940—Captain Caution. Hal Roach Production; set during the war of ¡8¡2 1940—Life of John Fremont. Walter Wanger Production for United Artists; biography 1940—Wagons Westward. Republic; Western; Made with Chester Morris and Buck Jones 1940—Knute Rockne, All-American. Warners; lost out to Ronald Reagan to play “the Gipper” 1940—Santa Fe Trail. Warners; Errol Flynn Western; lost role of Custer to Reagan

419

420

Appendix B: Unrealized Films

1945—The Man Who Couldn’t Lose. RKO; drama based on original story 1945—Duel in the Sun. RKO; Wayne was to have starred with Hedy Lamarr. When production delays continued, he was forced to commit elsewhere; made in ¡946 with Gregory Peck and Jennifer Jones 1947—Saga of Tom Horn. Western; made in ¡980 with Steve McQueen 1947—The Last Outlaw. UA; Western with $800,000 budget; John Ford–Merian C. Cooper 1948—Outcasts of Poker Flats. Universal; John Ford; remake of ¡937 release; with Wayne, Henry Fonda, Victor McLaglen 1948—The Family. John Ford project; white Russians in exile in China; with Ethel Barrymore 1948—Rawhide. RKO; big-budget Western; made in ¡95¡ by Fox with Tyrone Power and Susan Hayward 1949—Ghost Mountain. Warners; Civil War tale; Wayne to be paid $200,000; made in ¡950 as Rocky Mountain with Errol Flynn 1949—The Gunfighter. Columbia; Gregory Peck would star 1949—All the King’s Men. Columbia; Broderick Crawford would star and win Academy Award 1949—The Breaking Point. Warners; based on Hemingway’s novel To Have and Have Not. Wayne as ill-tempered boat skipper. Director: Michael Curtiz 1949—White Native. RKO; jungle film; to co-star Johnny Weissmuller 1950—Black Canyon. RKO; Western 1950—The Long Rider. Independent budgeted at $¡,600,000; Wayne to be paid $200,000 and 50 percent of profits 1951—Traveler. Warners; romantic comedy with Eleanor Powell 1951—The Way West. Pulitzer Prize novel; Gary Cooper secured rights; made into a film in ¡967 starring Kirk Douglas, Robert Mitchum, Richard Widmark 1951—Man Enough for Millie. Warners; comedy 1951—Horse Opera. Fox; Sol Siegel, producer 1951—No Place Called Home. RKO; Western 1951—Smiler With a Gun. RKO; to co-star Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell 1951—High Noon. UA; was o›ered role for which Gary Cooper won Oscar 1951—Fair Wind to Java. Republic; adventure tale; made with Fred MacMurray in the lead 1952—The Senator. RKO; political intrigue with Jane Russell as co-star 1952—Left Hand of God. made in ¡955 with Bogart 1952—African Intrigue. RKO; romantic adventure 1952—Road To Anzio. RKO; war film; made in ¡968 with Robert Mitchum

1952—Man’s Story. RKO 1952—Pagoda. RKO; story of the Burma airlift during World War II 1952—High Iron. MGM; Western railroad saga of empire building 1952—American Eagle. Republic; story of the Coast Guard 1953—Garden of Evil. Fox; $2,500,000 budget; Wayne and Gary Cooper; made with Cooper and Richard Widmark 1954—The Tall Men. Fox; $3,000,000 budget; Wayne and Gable could not agree on who would get top billing. made with Gable, Robert Ryan and Jane Russell 1954—The Silver Horde. RKO; sequel to The Spoilers 1955—Joseph and His Brethren. MGM; Biblical epic for Louis B. Mayer and Merian C. Cooper 1955—The Long Wire. RKO; Dick Powell and Borden Chase; the story of the telegraph in the West 1955—The Burning Hills. Warners; Western; Irving Wallace story; made with Tab Hunter and Natalie Wood 1955—Man of the West. Warners; Western; made in ¡958 starring Gary Cooper 1955—Hurrican Reef. Warners; adventure story 1956—Unchained. Fox; life on prison farm in Chino, California 1956—The Sun Also Rises. Fox; based on Hemingway novel; made with Tyrone Power 1956—Adam and Eve. Fox; Leo McCarey comedy to star Wayne and Ingrid Bergman 1956—Tigrero. Fox; director Samuel Fuller; adventure in South America 1956—Around the World in 80 Days. cameo role was played by Tim McCoy 1956—The Judge and the Hangman. Columbia; John Ford drama set in Germany and the Alps 1956—The Enemy Below. Fox; World War II story; made in ¡957 with Robert Mitchum 1957—China Gate. Batjac; adventure; made with Gene Barry and Angie Dickinson 1957—Stopover Tokyo. Fox; adventure to be filmed on location in Japan 1957—Sgt. Pike of the Texas Rangers. Batjac; Western biography 1957—Pakistan. RKO; adventure tale; screenplay by Sterling Silliphant 1957—Galveston. RKO; Western set in Texas 1957—Heaven Knows Mr. Allison. Fox; made with Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr 1958—The Big Red One. Samuel Fuller war story; made in ¡979 with Lee Marvin 1958—Ten North Frederick. Drama made with Gary Cooper in London 1958—Yellowstone Kelly. Warners; teaming of Wayne and Ford; written by Burt Kennedy; made in ¡959 with Clint Walker

Appendix B: Unrealized Films 1959—Bon Voyage. 7 Arts; modern drama with Jane Wyman 1959—Sundown at Crazy Horse. 7 Arts; comedy– Western 1959—The Fifty-Niners. Batjac; Midwest farmers move to Alaska 1960—The White Company. Producer: Samuel Bronston; Director: John Ford; Knights of the round table; written by Arthur Conan Doyle; co-stars Laurence Olivier and Alec Guinness 1960—Sammy Goes South. Batjac; comedy–Western set in Mexico 1961—The Yukon Trail. Paramount; cattle drive to Alaska with Dean Martin 1961—Big River, Big Man. Fox; Aaron Rosenberg, producer; $5,500,000 budget; epic set over several decades in the life of an industrialist 1962—Mr. Moses. UA; African tale with elephants; made with Robert Mitchum; Producer: Sy Weintraub 1962—Nightrunners of Bengal. Paramount; adventure tale on Indian subcontinent of ¡85¡; producer: Samuel Bronston; Wayne would have been Rodney Savage, a captain in the Royal Bengal Infantry 1964—Mr. Gus. Paramount; oil well fighters; Howard Hawks; to co-star Steve McQueen 1965—Annie Get Your Gun. Remake of earlier Western-musical; Doris Day and Wayne 1965—The Dirty Dozen. MGM; World War II adventure; made with Lee Marvin in the lead 1965—April Morning. Revolutionary War story; Director: John Ford; made as a television movie in ¡988 with Tommy Lee Jones 1966—The Unvanquished. Paramount; Civil War story of the Battle of Shiloh; with Nick Adams 1966—Battleship. Paramount; Naval saga during World War II with co-stars Burt Lancaster and Kim Novak 1967—Good Guys and Bad Guys. Comedy Western; made in ¡97¡ with Robert Mitchum & George Kennedy

421

1967—O.S.S.. John Ford project; biography of William Donovan during World War II 1967—Yours, Mine and Ours. Lucille Ball comedy; Henry Fonda took over for Wayne 1968—Patton. Biography of the general; made in 1970 with George C. Scott 1971—Dirty Harry. police drama in San Francisco; starred Clint Eastwood 1972—Leahy. Story of famed Notre Dame football coach 1973—Candy’s Man. Western; with Maureen O’Hara; horse race and kidnapping in the Middle East at the dawn of the twentieth century 1975—Midway. World War II Naval drama; Wayne to appear in cameo as Admiral Bull Halsey; role played by Robert Mitchum in ¡976 1976—Someday. Universal; sequel to Rooster Cogburn; with Katharine Hepburn 1976—Streets of Laredo. Western; Teaming of Wayne with Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda for Peter Bogdanovich; made in ¡995 as TV mini-series 1977—MacArthur. story of famous five-star general; Gregory Peck played the role 1978—The Betsy. Harold Robbins novel about auto industry; Wayne role went to Laurence Olivier 1978—Trinity. Based on the Leon Uris novel of Ireland; Wayne to play the patriarch of a large family 1978—¡94¡. World War II comedy; cameo role of General was played by Robert Stack; director: Steven Spielberg 1979—Cattle Annie and Little Britches. Western; made in ¡980 with Burt Lancaster 1979—Heaven’s Gate. Western; Wayne was sought for role played by Kris Kristo›erson 1979—Beau John. Story of Southern family in early ¡900s with Ron Howard; Wayne’s company purchased the screen rights to the book

APPENDIX C: THE BIGGEST BOX OFFICE HITS Film How the West was Won The Longest Day True Grit The Green Berets Rooster Cogburn The Alamo Big Jake Hatari The Cowboys The Greatest Story Ever Told The High and the Mighty The Sea Chase The Sons of Katie Elder The War Wagon El Dorado Chisum The Shootist Rio Bravo Sands of Iwo Jima North to Alaska The Searchers McLintock Red River The Conqueror Fort Apache

North American Rentals

North American Gross

$20,932,883 $17,600,000 $14,250,000 $9,750,000 $8,022,000 $7,910,000 $7,500,000 $7,500,000 $7,400,000 $6,930,000 6,100,000 6,000,000 6,000,000 6,000,000 6,000,000 6,000,000 5,987,000 5,750,000 5,000,000 5,000,000 4,900,000 4,525,000 4,506,825 4,500,000 4,275,000

$45,000,000 $100,000,000+ (worldwide) 35,000,000 24,000,000 18,400,000 28,000,000 (worldwide) 23,500,000 (worldwide) 19,000,000 16,500,000 14,800,000 15,500,000 15,000,000 16,000,000 14,900,000 16,000,000 14,500,000 13,000,000 30,000,000 (worldwide) 12,000,000 12,500,000 10,200,000 11,200,000 11,000,000 (worldwide) 11,000,000 9,800,000

n/a–not available Rentals are the amount paid to the movie distributors by the theaters. Gross is the money paid by filmgoers to see the movies.

423

424

Appendix C: The Biggest Box O‡ce Hits

(Film) In Harm’s Way Rio Lobo Hondo McQ Cahill, U.S. Marshal Reap the Wild Wind Hellfighters The Undefeated The Horse Soldiers The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance The Quiet Man Tycoon The Comancheros Circus World Cast a Giant Shadow Without Reservations Donovan’s Reef They Were Expendable

(North American Rentals)

(North American Gross)

$4,250,000 4,250,000 4,100,000 4,100,000 4,100,000 4,000,000 4,000,000 4,000,000 3,980,000 3,940,000 3,800,000 3,775,000 3,500,000 3,500,000 3,500,000 3,450,000 3,300,000 3,109,000

$11,000,000 19,000,000 (worldwide) 15,000,000 (worldwide) 9,500,000 9,500,000 12,000,000 9,200,000 9,600,000 10,200,000 9,000,000 12,500,000 n/a 8,600,000 8,000,000 n/a n/a 9,000,000 9,400,000

APPENDIX D: THE FILMS MOST POPULAR ON TELEVISION Film Title True Grit McLintock The War Wagon The Green Berets In Harm’s Way (part two) The Cowboys The Sons of Katie Elder McLintock In Harm’s Way (part one) How the West Was Won Chisum The Longest Day The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance The Sons of Katie Elder The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance McLintock Hatari (part two) El Dorado True Grit Hatari (part one) El Dorado Chisum Hellfighters Hatari

Network Date of Telecast ABC CBS NBC NBC ABC ABC ABC NBC ABC ABC NBC ABC CBS ABC CBS CBS CBS ABC ABC CBS ABC CBS NBC ABC

11/12/1972 11/3/1967 10/31/1970 11/18/1972 1/25/1971 11/13/1973 11/17/1968 2/27/1971 1/24/1971 10/24/1971 10/27/1973 11/14/1971 9/22/1967 3/1/1970 2/8/1968 3/15/1968 2/13/1970 9/19/1971 1/13/1974 2/12/1970 4/26/1976 3/30/1977 1/23/1971 n/a

n/a not available

425

Rating

Audience Share (percentage)

38.9 31.2 30 28.9 28.6 27.8 27.7 27.1 27.1 26 25.9 25.9 25.7 25.4 24.6 24.5 24.3 24.1 24.1 24 23.8 23.2 23 23

63 54 53 45 42 42 46 44 41 46 43 42 46 42 40 43 41 40 36 38 38 40 37 n/a

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INDEX

Abel, Walter ¡73 Acu›, Roy ¡04 Adams, Ernie S. 323 Adams, Julie 226 Adams, Ted 254 Adventure’s End 7, 8, 9 The Alamo 9, ¡0, ¡¡, ¡2, ¡3 Alberni, Luis 36 Albert, Eddie 205, 223 Albertson, Frank 4¡3 Alden, Mary 55 Allbritton, Louise 258 Allegheny Uprising ¡3–¡5 Allen, Elizabeth 95 Allen, Harry 58 Allman, Sheldon 336 Alt, Al ¡45 Ames, Preston 298 Andre, Thomas ¡28 Angel and the Badman ¡6–¡9 Annie Laurie ¡9–2¡ Ansara, Michael 74 Anthiel, George ¡04 Archer, John (Ralph Bowman) 25¡ Ardrey, Robert ¡88 Arness, James 3¡, ¡46, ¡7¡, 308 Arnold, Newt ¡3¡ Arthur, Robert ¡40 Astor, Gertrude 27¡ Ates, Roscoe 374 Attenborough, Richard 5¡ Auer, John 2¡3 Auer, Mischa 320 August, Joseph 4¡ Baby Face 2¡–23 Back to Bataan 23–26 Baclanova, Olga 64 Bacon, Irving ¡7¡ Bailey, Sherwood 36

Baker, Floyd “Silver Tip” 93 Bakewell, William 320 Balkan, Adele ¡28 Ball, Frank 93 Bancroft, George ¡79 Barbarian and the Geisha 27–29 Barclay, Don ¡58 Barcroft, Roy ¡7¡ Bardelys the Magnificent 29–3¡ Bardette, Trevor 364 Barnes, Rayford ¡48 Barrat, Robert 362 Barrett, Edith ¡82 Barthelmess, Richard 97 Barton, Gregg ¡¡6 Barton, James 328 Bassermann, Albert 280 Batanides, Arthur 53 Beavers, Louise 27¡ Beery, Noah 36 Beery, Noah, Jr. 376 Bell, Hank 45 Bell, Rex 303 Belmore, Lionel 3¡ Bennett, Belle 23¡ Bennison, Andrew 46 Beresford, Harry 72 Berger, Senta 6¡ Berke, William 254 Best, Marjorie O. 289 Bettger, Lyle 309 Bevans, Clem ¡62 Biberman, Abner 26 Bickford, Charles 27¡ Big Jake 3¡–33 Big Jim McLain 33–35 The Big Stampede 35–37 The Big Trail 37–40 Biroc, Joseph 56 Bishop, Julie 306 Black Watch 40–4¡

435

Blackmer, Sidney ¡7¡ Blake, Bobby 85 Blangsted, Folmar ¡40 Blood Alley 4¡–44 Blue, Monte 49 Blue Steel 44–46 Boatman, Bob ¡3¡ Bond, Ward 37, 46, 75, 82, 86, ¡¡6, ¡46, 202, 2¡2, 246, 259, 286, 30¡, 3¡3, 328, 348, 359, 366, 367, 406, 4¡2 Bonomo, Joe 242 Boone, Richard ¡2 Born Reckless 46–47 Born to the West 48–50 Bosworth, Hobart 2¡ Bouchey, Willis 220 Brandon, Henry 3¡7 Brannigan 50–53 Brent, George 23 Brian, Mary 54 Bridge, Al ¡9¡ Brisking, Irving 386 Brissac, Virginia ¡62 Britton, Barbara 27¡ Brix, Herman 63 Bromberg, Edward 28¡ Bromley, Sheila ¡62 Brooks, Louise 25¡ Brown, Johnny Mack 49 Brown, Tom 63 Brown of Harvard 53–55 Browne, Lucile 263 Brynner, Yul 6¡ Bupp, Sonny 365 Burnett, W.R. 88 Burns, Bob ¡93 Burns, Fred ¡93 Burns, Marion 90 Burr, Raymond 4¡¡ Burson, Polly 384

436

Index

Bushman, Francis X. 54 Buttolph, David ¡82 Buttons, Red ¡36 Butts, Dale R. ¡09 Byron, Arthur 72 Byron, Marion ¡20 Cabot, Bruce ¡8 Cactus Jack (Cactus Mack) 235 Cahill, U.S. Marshall 55–56 California Straight Ahead 57–59 Campbell, Glen 384 Campillo, Anita 2¡6 Carey, Olive 3¡7 Carol, Sue ¡99 Carpenter, Horace 256 Carr, Trem 3¡3 Carroll, John ¡¡5 Carter, Ben 9 Cast a Giant Shadow 59–6¡ Catlett, Walter 2¡¡ Cavan, Allan 235 Central Airport 6¡–63 Chandler, Eddy 93 Chandler, George ¡73 Chandler, Helen 299 Chandler, Lane 30¡ Chaney, Lon, Jr. 372 Chang, Yankee ¡65 Charters, Spencer 365 Chautard, Emile 372 Cheer Up and Smile 63–64 Cherrill, Virginia ¡24 Chesebro, George ¡9¡ Chief John Big Tree 326 Chief Thundercloud ¡07 Chisum 65–68 Circus World 68–70 Citron, Milton 44 Clark, Daniel 299 Clark, Royden 79 Clarke, Charles Galloway 4¡3 Clarke, Mae ¡¡5 Clayton, Ethel 232 Clemens, William 282 Cli›ord, Ruth 3¡7 Clift, Montgomery 272–276 Cline, Eddie ¡20 Clyde, June 228 Coats, Tommy ¡90 Coburn, Charles 364 Cody, Lew 367 Colbert, Claudette 409–4¡¡ College Coach 70–72 Collyer, June ¡33 Comancheros 72–75 Compton, Joyce 303 Conflict 75–77 Conklin, Chester ¡68 Connors, Mike ¡73 The Conqueror 77–80 Coogan, Jackie 56 Cook, Clyde 346 Cook, Donald 23 Cook, Glenn ¡62

Corbett, Glen 32 Corey, Je› 396 Corrado, Gino 249 Cortez, Stanley ¡58 Costello, Dolores 242 Costello, Lou 30 Courtney, Chuck 294 The Cowboys 80–82 Crabbe, Larry “Buster” 347 Crane, Phyllis ¡20 Craven, Frank 258 Crawford, Broderick 320 Crawford, Joan 278–28¡ Creach, Everett 32 Cunningham, Sarah 82 Curtis, Jack ¡93

Edwards, Blake 363 Eilers, Sally 63 Ekberg, Anita 43 Elam, Jack 74, 292 Eldorado 98–¡0¡ Elliot, William “Wild Bill” 98 Emmett, Fern 249 Enright, Ray 340 Epper, John ¡¡9 Erickson, Adolph 299 Erwin, Stuart 229 Estabrook, Howard 85 Estrabeau, Carmen 96 Evans, Dale ¡7¡ Evans, Gene 398 Evans, Murial 235

D’Agostino, Mack 393 Dailey, Dan 408 Dakota 82–85 Daniels, William 3¡ Dano, Royal 392 Darby, Kim 383 D’Arcy, Roy 30 Dark Command 86–88 Darrow, John 64 Dawn Rider 89–90 Day, Alice 386 Day, Laraine 388 Day, Marceline 352 DeCarlo, Yvonne 22¡ The Deceiver 90–92 Dee, Francis 2¡3 DeFore, Don 4¡0 De Grasse, Robert 35¡ Dekker, Albert ¡70 DeMain, Gordon ¡89 Dern, Bruce 80, 399 Desert Trail 92–93 Desmond, William 372 Devine, Andy ¡7¡, 2¡7, 240, 343 Dickinson, Angie 59, ¡59, 286 Dickinson, Dick 400 Dietrich, Marlene 256, 3¡8, 338 Dillard, Art 333 Dillard, Bert 263 Donald, James 6¡ Donovan’s Reef 93–96 Doran, Ann ¡43 D’Orsay, Fifi ¡98 Doucette, John 335 Douglas, Kirk 59, ¡63, 396 Drake, Dona 4¡0 Dresden, Albert “Curley” 254 Drop Kick 96–98 Dru, Joanne 275, 323 Du›y, Jack 357 Duncan, Kenne ¡¡0 Dunn, Peter 330 Duvall, Robert 384 Dwire, Earl 209

Faire, Virginia Brown 400 Farley, James 403 Farnsworth, Richard ¡¡9 Farnum, William 307 Faye, Joey 245 Faylen, Frank 245 Felix, Seymour ¡24 Ferguson, Al ¡55 Ferrer, Mel 53 Field, Betty 327 Field, Mary ¡88 Fighting Kentuckian ¡0¡–¡04 Fighting Seabees ¡04–¡07 FitzSimons, Charles 262 Fix, Paul 23, 4¡, 55, 82, 98, ¡0¡, ¡04, ¡07, ¡40, ¡46, ¡68, 2¡2, 256, 272, 308, 323, 332, 333, 348, 387, 390 Flame of Barbary Coast ¡07–¡¡0 Fleming, Rhonda ¡70 Fleming, Susan 267 Flint, Sam 20¡ Flippen, Jay C. ¡40 Flowers, A.D. 295 Flying Leathernecks ¡¡0–¡¡3 Flying Tigers ¡¡3–¡¡6 Fonda, Henry ¡¡6, ¡52, ¡62 Foran, Dick ¡¡8 Forbstein, Leo 353 Ford, Francis 325 Ford, John 40–4¡, 46–47, 93–96, ¡¡6–¡¡9, ¡2¡–¡22, ¡3¡–¡33, ¡49–¡5¡, ¡52–¡54, 202–205, 2¡7–220, 228–230, 230–232, 259–262, 289–292, 30¡–303, 3¡3–3¡7, 323–326, 340–344, 346–347, 359–363, 367–370, 406–408 Ford, Wallace 2¡4 Forrest, William ¡¡9 Fort Apache ¡¡6–¡¡9 Forward Pass ¡¡9–¡2¡ Four Sons ¡2¡–¡22 Foy, Bryan ¡46 Francis, Alec ¡45 Francis, Noel 299 Francis, Olin 254 Franey, Billy 345

Eddy, Helen Jerome ¡24 Edeson, Arthur 39 Edouart, Alexander 27¡

Index Franz, Edward ¡36 Fraser, Harry 265 Fraser, Phyllis 405 Frawley, William ¡04, ¡07 Freeman, Kathleen 246 French, Victor 294 Frenke, Eugene 28 Friedhofer, Hugo 28 Fulton, John 9 Garmes, Lee ¡04 Garnett, Tay 3¡9 Garralaga, Martin 389 Gaze, Gwen ¡58 Geeson, Judy 5¡ George, Christopher 67 Gerstad, Harry 32 Gibson, Diana 9 Gibson, Edmund “Hoot” ¡5¡ Gibson, Wynne ¡79 Gilmore, Stuart 28 Gim, H.W. 26, 220 Giraud, Octavio 250 Girls Demand Excitement ¡23–¡24 Gish, Lillian 2¡ Gittens, Wyndham ¡56 Glendon, Frank ¡77 Glover, Brian 52 Gobel, George ¡60 Gomez, Thomas 258 Goodall, Grace 59 Gordon, Leo 223 Gordon, Mary 355 Gover, Mildred 88 Granger, Stewart 244 Grant, Kirby 278 Gray, Coleen 275 Gray, Lorna 277 The Great K&A Train Robbery ¡24–¡26 The Greatest Story Ever Told ¡26–¡28 Green, Alfred 23 Green Berets ¡29–¡3¡ Gregory, James 336 Grey, Nan 3¡2 Grey, Shirley ¡55 Grey, Virginia ¡09 Grey, Zane ¡99 Gribbon, Eddie 47 Gri‡th, Julia ¡93 Gulager, Clu 226 Gulliver, Dorothy 322 Hack, Herman 402 Hairston, Jester ¡2 Hale, Alan, Jr. 309 Hall, Henry ¡93 Hall, James ¡22 Hall, Porter 88 Hall, Ruth 282 Hall, Thurston 4¡0 Hangman’s House ¡3¡–¡33 Hardy, Oliver ¡03 Hare, Lumsden 4¡

Haren, Christian ¡65 Harris, Major Sam ¡58 Harvey, Laurence ¡2 Hatari ¡33–¡36 Hathaway, Henry ¡52–¡54, ¡93– ¡95, 223, 242–246, 38¡–385 Hatton, Raymond 372 Haunted Gold ¡37–¡38 Havens, James C. 363 Hawks, Howard 98–¡0¡, ¡33–¡36, 272–276, 286–289, 292–295 Hayes, George “Gabby” 285 Hayward, Susan 77, ¡04, 268 Hayworth, Rita 68–70 Head, Edith 2¡9 Hearn, Edward ¡77 Hecht, Ben 68, ¡95 Hellfighters ¡39–¡40 Hennesy, Tom 38¡ Heydt, Louis Jean 363 Hickox, Douglas 52 Hicks, Russell 3¡2 Hickson, E.R. ¡90 The High and the Mighty ¡40–¡43 Hildyard, Jack 70 Hillie, Verna 345 Hinds, Samuel S. 327 His Private Secretary ¡43–¡45 Hodgins, Earle 256 Holden, William ¡49–¡5¡ Hollywood Handicap ¡45–¡46 Holt, Jack 2¡¡ Hondo ¡46–¡48 Hopper, Hedda 97 Horse Soldiers ¡49–¡5¡ Hough, Stanley 392 How the West Was Won ¡52–¡54 Howard, Ron 33¡ Howard, Shemp 259 Howes, Reed 90 Howlin, Olin ¡8 Hudson, Rock 390 Hu›aker, Clair 398 Hughes, Lloyd 92 Hunnicutt, Arthur ¡00 Hunter, Ian 204 Hurricane Express ¡54–¡56 Hurst, Paul ¡8 Hyer, William 264 Hymer, Warren 337 I Cover the War ¡57–¡59 I Married a Woman ¡59–¡60 Idol of the Crowds ¡6¡–¡62 In Harm’s Way ¡62–¡65 In Old California ¡65–¡68 In Old Oklahoma ¡68–¡7¡ Ince, John 356 Ingraham, Lloyd 77 Irene 320 Island in the Sky ¡7¡–¡73 Isley, Phyllis 238 Jason, Leigh ¡82 Je›reys, Anne ¡¡5

437

Jenks, Si 286 Jennings, Dale 82 Jennings, Gordon 27¡ Jennings, Talbot 335 Jet Pilot ¡73–¡76 Jones, Gordon ¡¡5, 220 Jones, Jack 90 Jones, Stan 3¡7 Jordan, Dorothy 358 Joy, Leatrice 346 Kantor, Hal ¡60 Kaper, Bronislaw ¡76 Katz, Lee 37 Kei›er, Philip 233 Keith, Ian 92 Kelley, Barry 408 Kendall, Cy 20¡ Kent, Barbara 97 Kerry, Norman 20 Kibbee, Guy ¡97 King, Brett ¡¡2 King, Charles ¡55 King, Louis 9¡ King of the Pecos ¡76–¡77 Kirk, Jack ¡93 Kline, Ben 355 Knapp, Evelyn ¡45 Knight Fuzzy 3¡2 Knowles, Patric 67 Kornman, Mary 93 Kortman, Bob 405 Krasner, Milton 340 Kroeger, Berry 44 Kruschen, Jack 223 Lady and Gent ¡78–¡80 Lady for a Night ¡80–¡83 Lady from Louisiana ¡83–¡85 A Lady Takes a Chance ¡85–¡88 Laidlaw, Ethan 239 Lake, Arthur 63 Lamont, Charles ¡45 Lancaster, Iris 377 Landis, Carole 374 Landis, Jessie Royce ¡60 Landres, Paul 259 Lane, Allan “Rocky” ¡20 Lane, Lola 337 Lanfield, Sidney 367 LaPlante, Laura 228 LaRoux, Carmen 93 LaRue, Jack 85 LaShelle, Joseph ¡54 Latimer, Louise 58 Lava, William 308 The Lawless Frontier ¡88–¡90 The Lawless Nineties ¡90–¡9¡ Lawless Range ¡92–¡93 Lawrence, Marc 327 Lawson, Wilfrid 204 Layne, Tracy 405 Lease, Rex ¡9 Lederman, D. Ross 386 Lee, Dixie 64

438

Index

Legend of the Lost ¡93–¡95 Leigh, Janet ¡75 Leopold, Archduke ¡22 Lewis, Cullen ¡45 Lewis, Ralph 333 The Life of Jimmy Dolan ¡96–¡98 Lincoln, Elmo 4¡4 Lindsay, Margaret 23 Lingham, Tom 345 Loe·er, Louis 75 London, Tom 307 The Lone Star Ranger ¡98–¡99 The Lonely Trail ¡9¡–20¡ Long, Audrey 35¡ Long, Lotus 3¡3 Long Voyage Home 202–205 The Longest Day 205–207 Loo, Richard 26 Lorch, Theodore “Ted” 45 Lord Killanin 262 Loren, Sophia ¡93–¡95 Love, Montague 8 Lowe, Edmund 46 Loy, Myrna 242 The Lucky Texan 207–209 Lynn, Sharon 337 Lyons, Collette 375 MacDonald, Wallace 267 MacKellar, Helen 88 MacKenna, Kenneth 229 MacLaren, Mary ¡77 MacQuarrie, Murdock 265, 32¡ Madison, Mae 36 Maker of Men 209–2¡¡ Malvern, Paul 30¡ A Man Betrayed 2¡2–2¡4 The Man from Monterey 2¡4–2¡5 The Man from Utah 2¡5–2¡6 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 2¡7–220 Mankiewicz, Joseph 279 Mann, Margaret ¡22 Mapes, Ted 374 Mara, Adele 395 Marcus, James 377 Margret, Ann 378 Marin, Edwin 35¡ Marquard, Yvonne 95 Marsh, Joan 367 Marsh, Mae 359 Marshall, Tully 386 Marta, Jack 240 Martel, June 307 Martin, Chris-Pin 2¡5 Martin, Dean 286–289, 333–336 Mason, LeRoy 357 Mason, Lesley 2¡5 Massey, Raymond 27¡ Mate, Rudolph 32¡ Mattox, Martha ¡38 Maynard, Kermit 239 Mayo, Archie ¡97 Mazurki, Mike 43 McClory, Sean ¡73

McConville, Bernard ¡77 McCord, Ted 282 McCormack, Merrill 386 McCrea, Ann 399 McGann, William ¡67 McGlynn, Frank 402 McGowan, John 343 McGrail, Walter ¡99 McHugh, Frank 353 McKay, Doreen 240 McKee, Lafe 20¡ McKim, Sammy 238 McLintock 220–223 McNamara, Ted 232 McQ 223–226 McWade, Robert 58 Meadows, Denny 90 Meehan, Lew 93 Meek, Donald 72 Meeker, Ralph 52 Men Are Like That 226–228 Men Without Women 228–230 Menjou, Adolphe ¡60 Merivale, Philip ¡82 Meriwether, Lee 392 Metcalfe, Bradley 403 Meyer, Abe 265 Michener, James 95 Millard, Oscar 79 Miller, Tony 245 Millet, Arthur 405 Mirisch Brothers ¡5¡ Mitchell, Cameron 362 Mitchell, Grant 62 Mitchum, John 67 Mitchum, Robert 43–44, 98–¡0¡, 205–207 Mix, Tom ¡26 Mockridge, Cyril ¡60 Montalban, Ricardo 378 Montenegro, Hugo 393 Montgomery, Robert 362 Moran, Lois 4¡3 Moran, Polly 278 Morgan, Boyd “Red” 79 Morgan, Harry 33¡ Mother Machree 230–232 Muldaur, Diana 225 Mulligan, Richard 392 Murray, Ken 2¡9 Musuraca, Nick ¡38 Nash, George 45 Nathan, Paul 298 Natwick, Mildred 204 Neal, Tom ¡¡5 Neath the Arizona Skies 232–233 Nelson, Ricky 286–289 The New Frontier 233–238 The Night Riders 238–240 Noah’s Ark 240–242 Nolan, Jeanette 2¡9 Noland, Valora 398 North to Alaska 242–246 Novak, Eva ¡¡9

Oakman, Wheeler 354 O’Brien, Billie 400 O’Brien, Dave “Tex” 4¡4 O’Brien, George 302 O’Brien, Hugh 330 O’Brien, Pat 72 O’Connor, Carroll ¡65 O’Hara, Maureen 3¡–33, 220– 223, 259–262, 289–292, 389, 406–408 O’Keefe, Dennis ¡06 Olsen, Merlin 392 Olsen, Moroni 8 Operation Pacific 246–248 Oregon Trail 248–250 Ornitz, Samuel 364 Ortego, Artie 209 Osborne, Lennie “Bud” 323 Otho, Henry 37 O’Toole, Ollie 245 Overland Stage Raiders 250– 25¡ Overman, Lynne 270 Owens, Catherine Dale 47 Padden, Sarah 35 Page, Geraldine ¡48 Palmer, Shirley 333 Pals of the Saddle 252–254 Panghorn, Franklin 64 Paradise Canyon 254–256 Parker, Cecilia 285 Parker, Eddie 235 Parker, Fess ¡73 Parker, Fred 93 Parrish, Helen ¡67 Parrish, Robert 23¡ Parry, Ivan 275 Parsons, Lindsley 30¡ Pasternak, Joe 320 Pearce, Adele 4¡4 Peil, Edward 2¡6 Perso›, Nehemiah 74 Peterson, Gus 9 Picerni, Paul 248 Pickens, Slim 82 Pickford, Jack 54 Pierson, Carl 45 Pittsburgh 256–259 Plimpton, George 295 Pond, Stephanie 220 Powell, Dick 72 Power, Tyrone 39 Powers, Stephanie 223 Preminger, Otto ¡64 Presnell, Robert ¡95 Previn, Charles 58 Price, Hal 238 Pryor, Richard ¡40 Puglia, Frank 4¡¡ Purcell, Dick ¡68 Pyle, Denver ¡2 Qualen, John 204 Quartaro, Nena 2¡5

Index The Quiet Man 259–262 Quinn, Anthony 388 Radovich, Bill 38¡ Rainbow Valley 262–264 Raines, Ella 35¡ Rambeau, Marjorie ¡70 Randy Rides Alone 264–265 Range Feud 266–268 Ray, Aldo ¡3¡ Reap the Wild Wind 268–272 Red River 272–276 Red River Range 276–278 Reed, Donald 2¡5 Reed, Marshall ¡8 Reed, Walter ¡43 Renaldo, Duncan ¡07 Reunion in France 278–28¡ Revier, Dorothy 97 Rice, Frank 333 Rich, Irene ¡8 Richards, Addison ¡¡5 Richmond, Warner 229 Rickards, Joseph 28 Rickert, Shirley Jean 233 Ride Him, Cowboy 28¡–283 Riders of Destiny 284–286 Rio Bravo 286–289 Rio Grande 289–292 Rio Lobo 292–295 Riskin, Robert 228 Rivas, Carlos 393 Roach, Egbert 367 Roarke, Adam ¡0¡ Robbins, James 28 Roberts, Marguerite 384 Roberts, Stephen ¡80 Robertson, John 2¡ Robinson, Dewey 365 Rockwell, Jack ¡89 Rocquemore, Henry 264 Roemheld, Heinz 235 Rogell, Sid 353 Rogers, Jean 77 Rollins, David 4¡ Roman, Lawrence 226 Roman, Ruth 4¡¡ Romero, Cesar 96 Rooney, Mickey ¡97 Rooster Cogburn 295–298 Ross, Frank ¡88 Ross, Katharine ¡40 Rosson, Harold ¡00 Rough Romance 298–299 Rozsa, Miklos ¡3¡ Ruman, Sig 408 Russell, Bing ¡5¡ Russell, Gail ¡6, 393 Russell, John 289 Rutherford, Ann 249 Rydell, Mark 8¡ Saftig, Ernest 363 Sagebrush Trail 300–30¡ St. John, Al “Fuzzy” ¡45

St. Joseph, Ellis 28 Salute 30¡–303 Sanders, George ¡4 Sands, Danny ¡0¡ Sands of Iwo Jima 303–306 Santa Fe Stampede 306–308 Sawyer, Joe 2¡¡ Saylor, Sid 49 Schafer, Natalie 28¡ Scharf, Walter 85 Schildkraut, Joseph ¡09 Scott, Martha ¡70 Scott, Morton ¡09 Scott, Sydna 70 The Sea Chase 308–3¡0 The Sea Spoilers 3¡0–3¡3 The Searchers 3¡3–3¡7 Sebastian, Dorothy 92 Sedgewick, Edward 2¡¡ Seiler, Lewis ¡26 Seitz, George 227 Seldeen, Murray 308 Sellon, Charles 282 Seven Sinners 3¡8–32¡ Shadow of the Eagle 32¡–323 Shamroy, Leon 246 Sharpe, David 4¡5 Shaughnessy, Mickey 245 She Wore a Yellow Ribbon 323– 326 Sheldon, Barbara 209 The Shepherd of the Hills 326–328 Sheridan, Frank 77 Sherman, George 253 Sherwood, George 25¡ The Shootist 328–332 Shumway, Lee ¡99 Siegel, Don 330 Siegel, Sol 88 Silvers, Phil ¡88 Simpson, Mickey 396 Simpson, Russell 2¡ Smith, Bernard ¡54 Smith, Jack 64 Smith, John 70 Soble, Ron 384 Sokolo›, Vladimir 26 Somerset, Pat 47 Somewhere in Sonora 332–333 The Sons of Katie Elder 333–336 Soo, Jack ¡3¡ Speakeasy 336–337 Spellman, Martin 307 The Spoilers 338–340 Stack, Robert ¡42 Sta›ord, Tim 96 Stagecoach 340–344 Stanwyck, Barbara 22 The Star Packer 344–345 Starrett, Charles ¡80 Stewart, Anita ¡45 Stewart, Jimmy ¡52, 2¡7–220, 328–332 Stewart, Roy 299 Stirling, Linda 85

439

Stolo›, Benjamin 337 Stone, Milburn 27¡ Stossel, Ludwig 259 Stout, Archie 286 Strange, Glenn 275 Strayer, Frank 3¡2 Striker, Joseph 2¡ Strode, Woody 2¡9 Strong Boy 346–347 Stuart, Barbara ¡40 Sturges, John 226 Summerville, Slim 346 Surtees, Bruce 82 Surtees, Robert 33¡ The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi 347– 348 Swenson, Karl 245 Swink, Robert 298 Tall in the Saddle 348–35¡ Talmadge, Richard 245 Tansey, Emma ¡9¡ Tansey, Robert Emmett 256 Taylor, Don ¡¡2 Taylor, Dub 392 Taylor, Forrest 286 The Telegraph Trail 352–353 Terhune, Bob ¡28 Terhune, Max 25¡ Terry Sheila ¡38 Tetzla›, Ted 228 Texas Cyclone 354–355 Texas Terror 356–357 That’s My Boy 358–359 They Were Expendable 359–363 Thompson, Marshall 362 Thomson, Norman 28 Three Faces West 363–365 Three Girls Lost 366–367 Three Godfathers 367–370 The Three Musketeers 370–372 Three Texas Steers 373–375 Tibbs, Casey 82 Tiernay, Lawrence 26 Tinling, James 4¡3 Tobey, Kenneth 408 Todd, Arthur ¡20 Toland, Gregg 204 Toones, Fred “Snowflake” 278 Topol, Haym 6¡ Tracy, Lee 303 The Trail Beyond 375–377 The Train Robbers 377–379 Trevor, Claire ¡3, 86, ¡40, 340 Tro›ey, Alexander 303 Trouble Along the Way 379–38¡ True Grit 38¡–385 Tryon, Tom ¡65 Tucker, Forrest 65, 305 Tucker, Richard 2¡¡ Tugend, Harry 320 Tully, Tom 38¡ Turich, Rosa ¡48 Turner, Lana 308–3¡0 Two-Fisted Law 385–387

440

Index

Tycoon 387–389 Tyler, Tom 239, 340 The Undefeated 390–393 Van Dyke, Jerry 223 Van Enger, Richard ¡07 Varno, Roland 365 Vaughn, Alberta 265 Vernon, John 53 Vidor, King 30 Vincent, Jan-Michael 392 Vinton, Bobby 3¡, 378 Voice of Hollywood 393 von Eltz, Theodore 59 von Sternberg, Josef ¡75 Vorhaus, Bernard 364 The Wake of the Red Witch 393– 396 Walburn, Raymond 88 Wales, Wally 30¡ Walker, Francis ¡93

Walker, Robert 398 Walker, Vernon 35¡ Wallace, Morgan ¡80 Waller, Eddie 85 Walsh, Raoul 39, 86 Walthall, Henry 282 The War Wagon 396–399 Warden, Jack 96 Washburn, Bryant 77 Waxman, Franz 280 Webb, Millard 97 Weissmuller, Pete 289 West of the Divide 399–400 Westward Ho 40¡–403 Whitaker, Charles “Slim” 25¡ White, Dan 326 Whiteford, John “Blackie” 400 Whitehead, O.Z. 2¡9 Whitlock, Albert 378 Whitlock, Lloyd ¡90 Whitman, Gayne 35 Whitman, Philip ¡45 Wild, Harry 389

Wills, Henry 50 Wilsey, Jay 233 Winds of the Wasteland 403–405 The Wings of Eagles 406–408 Winniger, Charles ¡88 Winters, Roland ¡76 Without Reservations 409–4¡¡ Wolfe, Ian ¡5 Wood, Lana 3¡7 Woods, Harry 266 Words and Music 4¡2–4¡3 Wright Mack V. 265 Wyoming Outlaw 4¡3–4¡5 Young, Gig 395 Young, Polly Ann 2¡6 Young, Rida Johnson 23¡ Young, Victor 306 Yurka, Blanche ¡82 Zahler, Lee 377 Zobel, Victor 372