John Wayne – She Wore a Yellow Ribbon ‘set feud led to film’s most iconic scene’

Having starred within the first outing of John Ford’s Cavalry trilogy in 1948’s Fort Apache, John Wayne returned to steer the director’s follow-up in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon a 12 months later.

Given a price range of $1.6 million made the film one of the crucial costly Westerns at that time in Hollywood historical past.

Named after the US navy tune of the identical title, as soon as once more the Johns shot the film within the iconic Monument Valley alongside the Arizona-Utah state line.

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, which was launched 74 years in the past this week, had Wayne painting Cavalry Captain Nathan Brittles on his final job earlier than retirement.

Interestingly this was Duke’s favorite character of all his roles and one which initially Ford didn’t need him for earlier than seeing him star in Red River.

After filming was accomplished, Ford offered Wayne with a cake with the message, “You’re an actor now”.

In the film, the mission of the previous soldier Wayne performed was to assuage tensions between the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians following Custer’s Last Stand aka the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. Meanwhile, Brittles needed to transport the spouse and niece of his commanding officer to security. But when each these goals stalled, he pursued a gathering with a Native American chief to forestall the outbreak of warfare.

Western followers will know one of many film’s most memorable moments came about throughout a real-life thunderstorm, a scene that happened after an alleged battle between Ford and his cinematographer Winton Hoch.

Hoch, who primarily based a lot of She Wore a Yellow Ribbon’s imagery on the cowboy work and sculptures of Frederic Remington, received the Best Cinematography Oscar for the film in 1950. But this got here at a value when the climate turned for the more severe whereas capturing in Monument Valley. Ford and the DP had already been feuding all through manufacturing, however allegedly none extra so when sarcastically capturing the film’s greatest scene. They had been filming a line of cavalry using by the desert when an actual thunderstorm appeared upon the horizon.

The story goes that Hoch began packing away his cameras to guard them from the rain, however Ford ordered the cinematographer to maintain capturing. The DP wasn’t glad about this, pointing on the market wasn’t sufficient pure gentle for filming, however of rather more concern was the truth that the cameras might doubtlessly find yourself as lightning rods that might fry the crew. The director ignored all this and insisted filming proceed with the thunderstorm raging within the heavens above, as rain soaked each the forged and crew.

Hoch would later file a letter of criticism towards Ford with the American Society of Cinematographers over the incident, though an eyewitness disputes the severity of their feud that day.

Harry Carey Jr, who performed Lieutenant Flint Cohill in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, remembers that day on set otherwise. The actor stated that after Ford had accomplished filming for the day when he observed the on-coming storm and requested Hoch if they may shoot through the distinctive alternative.

The cinematographer allegedly advised his director: “It’s awfully dark, Jack. I’ll shoot it. I just can’t promise anything.” To which Ford replied: “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 agreed and said: “Fair enough, Jack.”