It's been 43 years since Western legend John Wayne died of cancer, but his legacy lives
on despite being recently tarnished by controversy.
As you may recall, a couple of years ago, shortly after anti-racist protests sprang
up across the United States following the murder of George Floyd, a 1971 Playboy Interview
resurfaced that quoted Wayne as saying that he believed in white supremacy, felt no remorse
for the plight of Native Americans who lost their ancestral lands to European colonialism,
and several other inflammatory opinions
When media outlets and social media users caught wind of these statements, calls were
made for The John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, to be renamed.
On top of that, it seemed that social justice warriors had suddenly made it their mission
to effectively cancel the late film star entirely.
In response to these criticisms, Wayne's children thereupon came forward to defend their father's
honor.
Not only did The Duke's kids paint a very different picture of their dad, but many of
those that had previously worked with Wayne on the set of his films have also shared fond
memories of him that seem to contradict the narrative that he was some kind of bigoted,
right-wing bully.
Granted, Wayne's words in that 1971 interview speak for themselves – and they are pretty
difficult to read given modern sensibilities and values.
Likewise, not everyone who had the pleasure – or perhaps displeasure – of working
alongside John Wayne had glowing things to say about the guy.
Join Facts Verse as we detail what John Wayne's former co-stars revealed about what he was
really like on set.
John's Wayne's Private And Political Views
Wayne was a lifelong conservative and member of the Republican party.
He was especially opposed to the spread of far-left ideologies and communism.
While he typically voted for right-wing candidates, Wayne did vote for the Democrat Franklin D.
Roosevelt in the 1936 election and expressed support for Roosevelt's immediate successor
in office, Democrat Harry S. Truman.
Wayne would later support Richard Nixon in the 1960 presidential election, but when JFK
won the electoral vote, he patriotically expressed that even though he didn't vote for, he wished
him well in his presidency and that he was still his president.
In that controversial 1971 Playboy interview, Wayne voiced spirited support for the Vietnam
War in addition to making those polarizing and offensive statements on race relations.
He said that he quote– believed in white supremacy until 'the blacks' are educated
to a point of responsibility end quote.
Wayne went on to elaborate on this point by sharing that he didn't believe in giving authority
and positions of leadership to what he labeled as 'irresponsible people'.
He later expanded upon these views by saying that he did not believe America did anything
wrong by taking the lands of the Native Americans.
Ron Howard Took Wayne's Advice
In 1976, Wayne and Howard appeared alongside each other in The Duke's final film, The Shootist.
The film was released just three years prior to John's death in 1976.
Reflecting on his experience working alongside Wayne, Ron Howard said that his most powerful
bit of acting advice came from him.
Wayne's words of wisdom for the young up-and-coming actor and filmmaker were fairly straightforward.
He told Howard to 'talk low, talk slow' and not say too much.
John Wayne Intimidated Dennis Hopper With A Gun
Dennis joined John on the set of True Grit, the only movie to ever earn The Duke an Oscar.
Hopper hailed from a very different generation of Tinsel Town stars.
The same year that True Grit hit theaters, he made his mark with his appearance in Easy
Rider.
Looking back at his time working with the iconic film star, Hopper recalled that the
day that he showed up to the set of True Grit, Wayne was asking crew members where quote
– that Pinko Hopper was hiding.
While searching for his co-star, Wayne reportedly was walking around the set with a gun on his
hip, but Hopper didn't think that he was actually out to off him, rather he believes that Wayne
simply wanted to have a political discussion with him.
Fortunately, nothing ever came of that incident, and Hopper went on to live another day unscathed.
Kirk Douglas Didn't Think John Wayne Was A Particularly Great Actor
This film legend lived a long and prolific life, dying at the age of 103 in 2020.
Throughout his film career, he was fortunate enough to have worked with Wayne on several
films, including Harm's Way, Cast A Giant Shadow, and The War Wagon.
Although the two film stars had excellent on-screen chemistry, they often clashed over
political matters seeing as Douglas held very liberal views and was a Democrat.
But despite their difference, Douglas still held his colleague in high regard and fully
understood what made him the star he was.
Douglas said that the thing that made John Wayne such a distinguished star was that he
always played himself.
Kirk didn't think that Wayne was a particularly great actor, but he had charisma, was likable,
and had undeniable star power.
Douglas was quoted as saying that 'it wasn't Wayne who served the roles'.
Rather, it was 'the roles that served' him.
Ann-Margret Refused To Call Wayne The Duke
If you're a fan of Classic Hollywood, then you are probably pretty familiar with Swedish-American
actress, singer, and dancer Ann-Margret.
Throughout the 60s and into the 70s, Ann-Margret appeared in some of the most iconic films
of that era.
Only once, however, did she ever share the screen with fellow cinema icon John Wayne.
The film in question was the 1973 Western The Train Robbers, which despite its star
power, failed to become a commercial hit.
Even though it didn't manage to become a Blockbuster smash, the movie has garnered somewhat of
a cult following since its initial release.
John Wayne's nickname, as we've already mentioned a few times, was The Duke.
It was a moniker that he went by since childhood – and one that almost everybody in his orbit
used endearingly.
Ann-Margret, however, couldn't bring herself to utter it.
In 2014, Ann-Margret spoke to Interview Magazine.
During that discussion, she finally revealed why she refused to call Wayne by that title.
The 'Viva Las Vegas' star told the outlet that it was her upbringing that kept her from
using the nickname.
When she first arrived in the states after her family relocated from Sweden, Ann-Margret
and her mother didn't speak a lick of English.
When learning American formalities, she was taught that when you made someone's acquaintance,
you were expected to refer to them as either Mr, Miss, Or Mrs, then stand up and curtsy.
So, simply put, she couldn't bring herself to call Wayne 'The Duke' merely because of
ingrained social norms.
Wayne's Feud With Katharine Hepburn
Paul Kaslo, John Wayne's co-star in the 1975 film Rooster Coghorn recently revealed a few
juicy details about The Duke's storied and often strained relationship with legendary
actress Katherine Hepburn.
Speaking to the outlet A Word On Westerns, Koslo said that the two icons of the silver
screen were frequently at odds with each other.
He went on to reveal that one of the key reasons for their disagreements was their conflicting
political beliefs.
Hepburn was a Democrat while as you already know, Wayne was a die-hard Republican.
Beyond that, Hepburn especially clashed with Wayne over his unwavering support for the
House-Un-American Activities Committee's role in what has been called by some as an anti-leftist
witch hunt.
HUAC's main mission was to weed out communists and communist sympathizers in the USA.
In the process of outing alleged communists, a great many Hollywood actors and filmmakers
were 'blacklisted' essentially having their careers obliterated.
At one point, Katharine Hepburn grew so tired of Wayne's perspective that she refused to
work with him.
She would later change her mind about this, appearing opposite John Wayne in 1975's Rooster
Cogburn, but even years later, Hepburn would still present Wayne in a pretty dismal light.
During the filming of Rooster Cogburn, Hepburn recalled that Wayne would often get into heated
arguments with the film's cast and crew.
At one point, he even screamed at director Stuart Miller for having him repeat a shot
more times than he felt necessary.
After the movie was finished filming, Katharine approached Wayne at the wrap party and told
him off by saying that she was glad she didn't know him when he still had two lungs, because
he must have been quote – a real bastard - back then.
Koslo spoke further on his memories of Wayne when he shared a story about the time that
he first met the El Dorado star while on the set of the sequel to True Grit.
He said that his first impression of Wayne was less than flattering.
When introducing himself, Koslo said that he was playing the character 'Luke the Duke'.
With a sour look on his face, Wayne snapped back by saying 'No, You're not....You're playing
Luke The Puke' because there could only one 'Duke around here'.
Needless to say, the two actors didn't become very close friends.
That being said, they still managed to set their differences aside long enough to finish
the film together.
Maureen O'Hara Had Nothing But Glowing Things To Say About Wayne
O'Hara and Wayne appeared alongside each other in some of The Duke's most beloved films,
including Rio Grande, Mclintock!, and The Quiet Man.
When later asked what her thoughts were on her former co-star, O'Hara said that she wished
that all actors could be more like Wayne.
She went on to express her wish that more people could be as honest and genuine as he
was.
She wrapped up her glowing assessment of Wayne by stating that he was a 'real man'.
Charlton Heston Didn't Think Wayne Was Right For Period Roles
Film buffs know that Wayne and Heston appeared together in the 1965 Biblical epic, The Greatest
Story Ever Told.
In that film, Heston portrayed John The Baptist while Wayne was only given a comparatively
minor cameo.
Heston was once quoted as saying that while 'there are actors who excel in period roles,
others can't pull it off'.
He went on to put Wayne in the category of those that couldn't perform well in such roles
saying that 'God Knows [He] couldn't play a first-century Roman!'.
So, with that, we're just about out of time, but we'd love to hear from you.
What are your thoughts on John Wayne?
Do you think he was as great of an actor as he's cracked up to be, or do you think that
he was a bit overrated?
And as far as his controversial statements in that 1971 Playboy issue, do you believe
that The Duke really was a racist bigot?
Share your thoughts in the comments down below.
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