John Wayne and John Ford were the most iconic actor-director duo in the history of Western movies, but the pair famously clashed on the set of She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
Having taken a role in the first of John Ford’s Cavalry trilogy with 1948’s Fort Apache, John Wayne was back in the saddle for the director’s next installment, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, just one year on. The movie cost a pricey $1.6 million tab, making it among the most expensive movies of its era.
Taking its title from a well-known military tune, the film reunited the two Johns amidst the stunning backdrop of Monument Valley on the Arizona-Utah border. In She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Wayne stepped into the boots of Cavalry Captain Nathan Brittles, facing his final mission before hanging up his spurs.
Set against the aftermath of Custer’s Last Stand, or the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876, Brittles’ task was to defuse tensions between the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes while also escorting his superior’s wife and niece out of harm’s way. Complications arise, leading him to seek a parley with a Native American chief to avert war.
Notably, Brittles ranked as Wayne’s most cherished character, despite Ford’s initial reluctance to cast him until his performance in Red River changed his mind. At the end of shooting, Ford acknowledged Wayne’s talent with a cake inscribed with “You’re an actor now.”
Aficionados of Western cinema will recall one of the film’s iconic scenes unfolding during an actual thunderstorm, allegedly the result of a spat between Ford and his cinematographer, Winton Hoch, reports the Express.
Hoch, who drew inspiration from Frederic Remington’s cowboy paintings and sculptures for She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, bagged the Best Cinematography Oscar in 1950. However, this achievement came with its share of challenges when the weather took a turn for the worse during filming in Monument Valley.
Ford and Hoch had been at odds throughout the production, but tensions peaked while shooting what would ironically become the film’s most memorable scene. They were capturing a sequence of cavalry riding through the desert when an actual thunderstorm loomed in the distance.
As per the tale, Hoch began to pack up his cameras to shield them from the rain, but Ford insisted he continue filming. Hoch was not pleased, citing insufficient natural light and the risk of their equipment acting as lightning rods that could endanger the crew.
Despite these concerns, Ford demanded they carry on filming amidst the storm, drenching the cast and crew. Hoch later lodged a complaint against Ford with the American Society of Cinematographers over the incident, although an eyewitness disputes the intensity of their disagreement that day.
Harry Carey Jr, who portrayed Lieutenant Flint Cohill in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, recalls the day differently. He said that after wrapping up the day’s shoot, Ford spotted the approaching storm and asked Hoch if they could seize the unique opportunity to film.
The cinematographer reportedly expressed his concerns to the director, saying: “It’s awfully dark, Jack. I’ll shoot it. I just can’t promise anything.”
Ford responded: “Winnie, open her up [the camera lens] and let’s go for it. If it doesn’t turn out, I’ll take the rap.”
The DP concurred, replying: “Fair enough, Jack.”