When you have more than 150 credits in your filmography, it’s hard to feel passionate about each and every entry on that list in the same way. That was the case with John Wayne, one of the most prolific actors of his generation who made several unforgettable gems with the likes of John Ford while also featuring in a number of duds that have been all but erased from the public consciousness.
Films like Red River and The Searchers are always brought up when discussing the Hollywood icon’s body of work, but there were some projects that he would have preferred to forget. During an interview with Roger Ebert, the Stagecoach star was asked about his experiences of working on Henry Hathaway productions, with whom he had collaborated on multiple occasions.
Commenting on the way Hathaway handled his actors, Wayne opened up about their 1965 western The Sons of Katie Elder, where he had starred alongside Dean Martin. According to the Hollywood star, he never really felt a personal connection with the project, and his experiences on set were complicated by the demands Hathaway set for him.
At the time, Wayne had just been diagnosed with lung cancer, which had forced him to undergo a procedure where his left lung and two of his ribs had to be removed. It was a physically exhausting medical ordeal, and the production of The Sons of Katie Elder provided no respite for the recovering actor who was thrown into the action.
“That would be The Sons of Katie Elder,” he recalled. “I don’t care for it much, myself. I had just got over that cancer operation, and I thought I could hear myself breathing all the time. Everybody said it was my imagination. Well, old Henry was very thoughtful of me, of course, since I was recuperating and all. He took me up to 8,500 feet to shoot the damned thing, and the fourth day of shooting, he had me jumping into ice water. Very considerate.”
On the other hand, Wayne only had fond memories of his work with Hathaway on True Grit, where his portrayal of a grizzled US Marshal won him the coveted ‘Best Actor’ accolade at the Academy Awards. According to Wayne, Hathaway was always a better director when he was working on someone else’s material instead of his own.
Wayne added, “All the same, give Hathaway a good story, and that’s what True Grit is, and he’s great. He’s not so good on his own stories; I found that out. He can’t quite get objective about them. But I love this story. I tried to buy the rights, and then I found out Hal Wallis was bidding on it. Between us, we pushed the price clear to the sky, and then Wallis got it and cast me anyway.”
True Grit might be more beloved than The Sons of Katie Elder, but the latter remains an interesting project within the context of Wayne’s personal struggles. It also provided Joan Didion with enough insights for her famous tribute to Wayne, which eventually made its way into Slouching Towards Bethlehem.