John Wayne evaded ‘smug little b***ard’ co-star on Western set

Back in 1946, John Wayne shot the primary of his 5 films with director Howard Hawks.

Red River, a fictional story of the primary cattle drive from Texas to Kansas, adopted a rising feud between Duke’s Texas rancher Thomas and his adopted grownup son Matt performed by Montgomery Clift in his movie debut. And it seems that in actual life the 2 Hollywood stars didn’t get on both.

Burt Lancaster had initially been thought of for the function of Matt in Red River. However, Clift ended up being provided $60,000 for the movie, however needed to be talked into doing it as he was involved a couple of climactic struggle between the larger and taller Wayne.

There was additionally concern that the 2 stars would feud on set as they have been each outspoken politically from reverse viewpoints.

It’s rumoured they each agreed to not speak about such issues in order that the shoot would go easily.

Regardless, Duke and co-star Walter Brennan didn’t get on with “arrogant little bastard” Clift and so stored away when not capturing collectively. The younger actor would later flip down Dean Martin’s function in Howard Hawks’ Rio Bravo over a decade later to keep away from the 2 actors. He additionally didn’t actually get on with the director, who he remembered having nightly poker video games with Wayne.

The 26-year-old later stated of the 2 political conservatives: “They laughed and drank and told dirty jokes and slapped each other on the back. They tried to draw me into their circle but I couldn’t go along with them. The machismo thing repelled me because it seemed so forced and unnecessary.”

When filming started, Wayne had critical considerations over Clift being manly sufficient to play a rugged cowboy character who might stand as much as him.

The younger actor, who was thought of one in every of Hollywood’s unique technique actors alongside Marlon Brando and James Dean, burned himself on the thigh with a clean cartridge whereas practising fast attracts on the primary day.

He was additionally nervous about standing as much as Wayne, however was spurred on by Hawks, who inspired him to see his scenes with Duke as David and Goliath. The director instructed Clift to underplay his scenes with Wayne earlier than their first on-screen confrontation.

In reality, Clift ended up impressing Wayne who, though he didn’t personally like his co-star, thought he was very efficient in Red River ultimately. However, the Matt actor was dissatisfied with the top end result when he noticed a rough-cut screening of the image earlier than its delayed launch in 1948.

The rising star thought the ending was ludicrous “because Joanne Dru settles it and it makes the showdown between me and John Wayne a farce.”

Despite discovering his personal efficiency within the movie mediocre he later stated: “I watched myself in Red River and knew I was going to be famous, so I decided I would get drunk anonymously one last time.”