"Ford was disgusted by John Wayne's refusal to enlist in 1941. When Ford filmed They Were Expendable (1945) after World War II he included every actor's former military rank and branch (Ford himself was a Navy officer and combat photographer). Of course, there were no credentials behind Wayne's name, which the actor took as a real slap."
This is a well known bit of Hollywood history. Ford, btw, was 13 years older than Wayne and he went to war with a camera in his hand. And, Robert Montegomery, the star of the film, left a better Hollywood career than Wayne's and went to war where he skippered a PT Boat for real.
Wayne was nothing but an actor, putting him (or any celebrity) on a pedestal invites ridicule.
I guess my point, such as it was, is what role did Ford’s ridicule of Wayne play into Wayne’s persona. Did the guy make the movies he made in order to win Ford’s favor?
Ford was a great director, but had a very cruel streak in him and Wayne saw him as a father figure.
Hey now! Paris Hilton happens to be a national treasure, and you're just jealous! ;-)
Comment:
Have you tried taking a large dose of purgative to clean up your crappy outlook on Wayne.
It is well known that Ford was a horses ass.
Which goes to my point that whether or not a person served in military service does not invalidate their ability to have true patriotism for the country.
Because his friends and colleagues John Wayne, James Stewart and Ward Bond were conservative Republicans, many assumed that Ford was as well. According to his friends, family, and workers, nothing could be further from the truth, as he was an activist liberal Democrat. His favorite Presidents were Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. Ford once went up to the right-wing Victor McLaglen and Wayne on a film set and said, "You know, all of you guys should stop complaining. You made your money under Roosevelt." Wayne, who hated Roosevelt, said nothing and changed the subject. His respect for Ford meant that politics were rarely discussed.