EDITOR'S NOTE: AI says this article comes off too strong. Good. That's the way John Ford would like it.
Tough as nails.
In his lifetime, Ford was was accused of embellishing his accomplishments. As if he needed to…
They said he forced facts – but it was more like he forced life.
Most people spend time getting out of things. Director John Ford got into things.
Like many great myths, his beginning is lost to time. His first movie directed – Gone. Can’t be found. It’s missing. But you’re never remembered for how you start. It’s where you go that matters. Ford became the very stories he told.
Creating John Wayne
John Wayne likened Ford to a patriarchal figure:
“He was like a father to me, but a mean father.”
“The Duke” was America’s tough guy. But he wasn’t always on top… until John Ford.
For all intents and purposes, Ford created John Wayne. He gave him his first taste of real success.
The year was 1939. The Stagecoach. Ford wanted John Wayne to star in the film he was planning. The movie studio had concerns. Uncertain people always do. Ford didn’t care. Everyone’s unproven until they’re not.
“The Duke” would earn his spurs on screen in a memorable scene: Cocking a rifle with Monument Valley scenery flying by as horses galloped in the desert dust. Big scenery. Big stagecoach. Big music. Big.
It was a hit. No so much for storytelling, but for memorability. The scenes ran deep.
Creating Legends
Facts should never get in the way of a good story.
Ford believed what he never said. People care about characters more than plot. So he gave audiences what they wanted.
The 1946 film My Darling Clementine told the legends of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday. Henry Fonda in the lead. A romance movie where romance didn’t exist except in Ford’s imagination.
Fictional characters made it memorable. Scenes of dancing in church and ideals of community, loyalty, and a strong quiet confidence that America was known for. Unsurprisingly, it was a hit too.
Critics praised it. Americans identified with it.
Is myth really myth when it becomes real?
Creating Legends Out Of Legends
If you’re going to kill a legend – make a legend about that too.
Ford pulled no punches. He called John Wayne to star in another picture. This time Jimmy Stewart would join “The Duke” in a performance of the century. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
Where John Wayne loses the girl.
Simple plot. Jimmy Stewart’s character kills the bad guy, takes credit, gets the girl. Only problem? John Wayne was the actual hero the whole time.
Wayne’s character killed the bad guy and let Jimmy Stewart’s character look like a hero.
By the time Stewart learns the truth in the film, Wayne already faded away after years of obscurity. Stewart got the lady. Wrongly. He’s in politics because of a fake myth. His life is a lie. But it’s too late.
Legends are built on quiet men. Funny enough, “Quiet Man” would be the title of John Ford’s other movie in 1952. Also starring John Wayne.
The point? Legends are based on lies to feel good. Usually good men behind them. Being intentional.
John Ford knew from experience. He made every bit count.
Creating A Legend Out of Himself
Duty called. John Ford was assigned by the United States Office of Strategic Services to record an anticipated Japanese attack.
It was June 4th, 1942. Location? Midway Atoll, a part of Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
Ford tested his fate on a roof of Eastern Island powerhouse. 16 millimeter camera in hand. No need to yell action this time.
Small pops. Then bangs. Fighter planes appeared overhead. Bombs. Gunshots. Explosions.
You strike when the iron’s hot. Ford had camera in hand. This footage was real-life. No more fiction.
Things eventually went black. Ford found himself bleeding from shrapnel in the arm. He got back up. Back to the camera.
Japanese planes, burning hangars, and American defensive efforts amidst bullets and bombs. The crews watched him as he stood there recording.
Ford wore his dark sunglasses as bullets whizzed by. He’s the star of this movie now. Where fiction meets reality. When Hollywood meant patriotism.
Needless to say, he lived. But it’s the way he lived that counts.
Recording video footage isn’t a brave act. It’s the way you do it. The way you carry yourself. Like John Wayne out of movie. That’s what counts. Always has.
