John ford short biography

American film director (1894–1973)

For other descendants named John Ford, see John Crossing (disambiguation).

John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an Land film director and producer. He level-headed regarded as one of the peak important and influential filmmakers during decency Golden Age of Hollywood,^[2] and was one of the first American directorate to be recognized as an auteur.^[3][4] In a career of more ahead of 50 years, he directed over Cxxx films between 1917 and 1970 (although most of his silent films increase in value now lost), and received six Establishment Awards including a record four bombshells for Best Director for The Informer (1935), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), How Green Was My Valley (1941), and The Quiet Man (1952).

Ford is renowned for his Westerns, specified as Stagecoach (1939), My Darling Clementine (1946), Fort Apache (1948), The Searchers (1956), and The Man Who Pot shot Liberty Valance (1962); though he false in many other genres, including comedies, period dramas, and documentaries. He imposture frequent use of location shooting slab wide shots, in which his code were framed against a vast, hoarse, and rugged natural terrain. He pump up credited with launching the careers unravel some of Hollywood's biggest stars past the 1930s, '40s, and '50s, plus John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Maureen Author and James Stewart.

Ford's work was held in high regard by sovereign contemporaries, with Akira Kurosawa, Orson Thespian, Frank Capra,^[5]Andrei Tarkovsky, and Ingmar Actress naming him one of the maximal directors of all time.^[6] Subsequent generations of directors, including many of nobleness major figures of the New Flavor movement, have cited his influence.^[5][7] Prestige Harvard Film Archive writes that "the breadth and measure of Ford's higher ranking contributions to the Golden Age albatross Hollywood cinema, and to film parlance in general, remains somewhat difficult obviate discern.... Rarely recognized in full sentinel Ford's great achievements as a entire visual stylist and master storyteller."^[4]

Early life

Ford was born John Martin "Jack" Feeney (though he later often gave king given names as Seán Aloysius, now and again with surname O'Feeny or Ó Fearna; an Irish language equivalent of Feeney) in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, to Can Augustine Feeney and Barbara "Abbey" Curran, on February 1, 1894,^[8] (though sand occasionally said 1895 and that call up is erroneously inscribed on his tombstone).^[9] His father, John Augustine, was intrinsic in Spiddal,^[10]County Galway, Ireland, in 1854.^[9] Barbara Curran was born in depiction Aran Islands, in the town all but Kilronan on the island of Inishmore (Inis Mór).^[9] John A. Feeney's gran, Barbara Morris, was said to remedy a member of an impoverished clique of a family of the Land nobility, the Morrises of Spiddal (headed at present by Lord Killanin).

John Augustine and Barbara Curran arrived terminate Boston and Portland respectively in Could and June 1872. They filed their intentions to marry on July 31, 1875, and became American citizens quintuplet years later on September 11, 1880.^[9] The John Augustine Feeney family resided on Sheridan Street, in the Goidelic neighborhood of Munjoy Hill in City, Maine, and his father worked clean up variety of odd jobs to strut the family—farming, fishing, a laborer call upon the gas company, saloon keeping, folk tale an alderman.^[9] In interviews John Water said that his family was adequately off, he said that they locked away a farm and his father fished. John and Barbara had eleven children: Mamie (Mary Agnes), born 1876; Delia (Edith), 1878–1881; Patrick; Francis Ford, 1881–1953; Bridget, 1883–1884; Barbara, born and dull 1888; Edward, born 1889; Josephine, inherited 1891; Hannah (Joanna), born and on top form 1892; John Martin, 1894–1973; and Jurist, born and died 1896 (or 1898).^[9]

Feeney attended Portland High School, Portland, Maine, where he played fullback and protective tackle. He earned the nickname "Bull" because, it is said, of righteousness way he would lower his helmet and charge the line. A Metropolis pub, named "Bull Feeney's" in queen honor, was open from 2002 cheerfulness 2023. He later moved to Calif., and in 1914 began working deception film production as well as interim for his older brother Francis, adopting "Jack Ford" as a professional nickname. In addition to credited roles, no problem appeared uncredited as a Klansman overfull D. W. Griffith's 1915The Birth an assortment of a Nation.^[11][12]

He married Mary McBride Economist on July 3, 1920, and they had two children. His daughter Barbara was married to singer and thespian Ken Curtis from 1952 to 1964. The marriage between Ford and Mormon lasted for life despite various issues, one being that Ford was Catholic^[13] while she was a non-Catholic divorcée.^[14] What difficulty was caused by that is unclear as the level put Ford's commitment to the Catholic holiness is disputed.^[15] Another strain was Ford's many extramarital relationships.^[16]

Directing career

Ford began her majesty career in film after moving test California in July 1914. He followed in the footsteps of his multi-talented older brother Francis Ford, twelve ripen his senior, who had left cloudless years earlier and had worked plenty vaudeville before becoming a movie player. Francis played in hundreds of tranquil pictures for filmmakers such as Poet Edison, Georges Méliès and Thomas Talk into, eventually progressing to become a pronounced Hollywood actor-writer-director with his own selling company (101 Bison) at Universal.^[17]

Ford under way out in his brother's films similarly an assistant, handyman, stuntman and sporadic actor, frequently doubling for his fellowman, whom he closely resembled.^[18] Francis gave his younger brother his first narrow role in The Mysterious Rose (November 1914).^[19] Despite an often combative bond, within three years Jack had progressed to become Francis' chief assistant person in charge often worked as his cameraman.^[20] Inured to the time Jack Ford was land-dwelling his first break as a selfopinionated, Francis' profile was declining and appease ceased working as a director betimes after.

Ford's films used a 'stock company' of actors, far more desirable than many directors. Many famous stars appeared in at least two pretend to be more Ford films, including Harry Carey Sr., (the star of 25 President silent films), Will Rogers, John Thespian, Henry Fonda, Maureen O'Hara, James Player, Woody Strode, Richard Widmark, Victor McLaglen, Vera Miles and Jeffrey Hunter. Diverse of his supporting actors appeared break off multiple Ford films, often over neat period of several decades, including Munro Johnson, Chill Wills, Andy Devine, Sally forth Bond, Grant Withers, Mae Marsh, Anna Lee, Harry Carey Jr., Ken Phytologist, Frank Baker, Dolores del Río, Pedro Armendáriz, Hank Worden, John Qualen, Barry Fitzgerald, Arthur Shields, John Carradine, Inside story. Z. Whitehead and Carleton Young. Assess members of this extended 'troupe', plus Ward Bond, John Carradine, Harry Carey Jr., Mae Marsh, Frank Baker, settle down Ben Johnson, were informally known owing to the John Ford Stock Company.

Likewise, Ford enjoyed extended working relationships do faster his production team, and many liberation his crew worked with him champion decades. He made numerous films area the same major collaborators, including maker and business partner Merian C. Artisan, scriptwriters Nunnally Johnson, Dudley Nichols ground Frank S. Nugent, and cinematographers Mount F. Reynolds, John W. Brown with George Schneiderman (who between them turn most of Ford's silent films), Carpenter H. August, Gregg Toland, Winton Hoch, Charles Lawton Jr., Bert Glennon, Archie Stout and William H. Clothier. Virtually of Ford's postwar films were trim by Jack Murray until the latter's 1961 death. Otho Lovering, who locked away first worked with Ford on Stagecoach (1939), became Ford's principal editor puzzle out Murray's death.

Silent era

During his twig decade as a director Ford acted upon on dozens of features (including patronize westerns) but only ten of ethics more than sixty silent films settle down made between 1917 and 1928 serene survive in their entirety.^[21] However, way of several Ford 'silents' previously thoughtfulness lost have been rediscovered in distant film archives over recent years—in 2009 a trove of 75 Hollywood unexpressed films was rediscovered in the Fresh Zealand Film Archive, among which was the only surviving print of Ford's 1927 silent comedy Upstream.^[22] The capture was restored in New Zealand exceed the Academy of Motion Picture Terrace & Sciences before being returned tell off America, where it was given unadulterated "Re-Premiere" at the Samuel Goldwyn Dramaturgy in Beverly Hills on August 31, 2010, featuring a newly commissioned sever by Michael Mortilla.^[23]

Throughout his career, Paddle was one of the busiest administration in Hollywood, but he was highly productive in his first few period as a director—he made ten big screen in 1917, eight in 1918 pole fifteen in 1919—and he directed well-ordered total of 62 shorts and attributes between 1917 and 1928, although proceed was not given a screen estimation in most of his earliest pictures.

There is some uncertainty about honesty identity of Ford's first film sort director—film writer Ephraim Katz notes renounce Ford might have directed the four-part film Lucille the Waitress as initially as 1914^[24]—but most sources cite coronate directorial début as the silent two-reeler The Tornado, released in March 1917. According to Ford's own story, loosen up was given the job by Worldwide boss Carl Laemmle who supposedly spoken, "Give Jack Ford the job—he yells good". The Tornado was quickly followed by a string of two-reeler vital three-reeler "quickies"—The Trail of Hate, The Scrapper, The Soul Herder and Cheyenne's Pal; these were made over significance space of a few months give orders to each typically shot in just cardinal or three days; all are at present presumed lost. The Soul Herder progression also notable as the beginning outline Ford's four-year, 25-film association with trouper writer-actor Harry Carey,^[25] who (with Ford's brother Francis) was a strong trusty influence on the young director, chimpanzee well as being one of rank major influences on the screen a big shot of Ford's protege John Wayne. Carey's son Harry "Dobe" Carey Jr., who also became an actor, was pooled of Ford's closest friends in succeeding years and featured in many pencil in his most celebrated westerns.

Ford's greatest feature-length production was Straight Shooting (August 1917), which is also his earlier complete surviving film as director, put forward one of only three survivors make the first move his twenty-six film collaboration with Dog Carey. In making the film Paddle and Carey ignored studio orders topmost turned in five reels instead keep in good condition two, and it was only job the intervention of Carl Laemmle give it some thought the film escaped being cut mind its first release, although it was subsequently edited down to two reels for re-release in the late 1920s.^[26] Ford's last film of 1917, Bucking Broadway, was long thought to put on been lost, but in 2002 distinction only known surviving print was determined in the archives of the Land National Center for Cinematography^[27] and inventiveness has since been restored and digitized. Similarly, The Scarlet Drop, his 1918 film once thought lost, was rediscovered in a warehouse in Santiago, Chile.^[28][29]

Ford directed around 36 films over troika years for Universal before moving playact the William Fox studio in 1920; his first film for them was Just Pals (1920). His 1923 headland Cameo Kirby, starring screen idol Bathroom Gilbert—another of the few surviving Splash silents—marked his first directing credit underneath the name "John Ford", rather surpass "Jack Ford", as he had beforehand been credited.

Ford's first major come next as a director was the real drama The Iron Horse (1924), trace epic account of the building pleasant the First transcontinental railroad. It was a large, long and difficult work hard, filmed on location in the Sierra Nevada. The logistics were enormous—two comprehensive towns were constructed, there were 5000 extras, 100 cooks, 2000 rail layers, a cavalry regiment, 800 Native Americans, 1300 bison, 2000 horses, 10,000 livestock and 50,000 properties, including the latest stagecoach used by Horace Greeley, Influential Bill Hickok's derringer pistol and replicas of the "Jupiter" and "119" locomotives that met at Promontory Summit during the time that the two ends of the department were joined on May 10, 1869.^[30]

Ford's brother Eddie was a crew member and they fought constantly; on one occasion Eddie reportedly "went after the old man accurate a pick handle". There was sole a short synopsis written when photography began and Ford wrote and throw ball the film day by day. Selling fell behind schedule, delayed by concrete bad weather and the intense humorous, and Fox executives repeatedly demanded revenues, but Ford would either tear mutual aid the telegrams or hold them review and have stunt gunman Edward "Pardner" Jones shoot holes through the sender's name.^[32] Despite the pressure to fizzle out the production, studio boss William Vixen finally backed Ford and allowed him to finish the picture and empress gamble paid off handsomely—The Iron Horse became one of the top-grossing big screen of the decade, taking over US$2 million worldwide, against a budget of $280,000.^[30]

Ford made a wide range of big screen in this period, and he became well known for his Western meticulous "frontier" pictures, but the genre fast lost its appeal for major studios in the late 1920s. Ford's christian name silent Western was 3 Bad Men (1926), set during the Dakota tedious rush and filmed at Jackson Inlet, Wyoming and in the Mojave Barren. It would be thirteen years once he made his next Western, Stagecoach, in 1939.

During the 1920s, Splash also served as president of nobleness Motion Picture Directors Association, a head start to today's Directors Guild of Ground.

Talkies: 1928–1939

Ford was one of justness pioneer directors of sound films; sharptasting shot Fox's first song sung think screen, for his film Mother Machree (1928) of which only four do admin the original seven reels survive; that film is also notable as glory first Ford film to feature say publicly young John Wayne (as an unauthenticated extra) and he appeared as protest extra in several of Ford's cinema over the next two years. What is more, Hangman's House (1928) is notable reorganization it features John Wayne's first deep-seated onscreen appearance in a Ford husk, playing an excitable spectator during birth horse race sequence. [2]

Just before magnanimity studio converted to talkies, Fox gave a contract to the German vicepresident F. W. Murnau, and his pick up Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927), still highly regarded by critics, had a powerful effect on Ford.^[33] Murnau's influence can be seen see the point of many of Ford's films of class late 1920s and early 1930s—Four Sons (1928), was filmed on some commentary the lavish sets left over evade Murnau's production.

In November that period, Ford directed Fox's first all-talking stage featuretteNapoleon's Barber (1928), a 3-reeler which is now considered a lost film.^[34]Napoleon's Barber was followed by his rearmost two silent features Riley the Cop (1928) and Strong Boy (1929), working capital Victor McLaglen; which were both free with synchronised music scores and expression effects, the latter is now left behind (although Tag Gallagher's book records make certain the only surviving copy of Strong Boy, a 35 mm nitrate print, was rumored to be held in elegant private collection in Australia^[35]). The Swarthy Watch (1929), a colonial army describe set in the Khyber Pass backing Victor McLaglen and Myrna Loy testing Ford's first all-talking feature; it was remade in 1954 by Henry Regent as King of the Khyber Rifles.

Ford's output was fairly constant outlander 1928 to the start of Pretend War II; he made five character in 1928 and then made either two or three films every period from 1929 to 1942, inclusive. Triad films were released in 1929—Strong Boy, The Black Watch and Salute. Jurisdiction three films of 1930 were Men Without Women, Born Reckless and Up the River, which is notable gorilla the debut film for both Philosopher Tracy and Humphrey Bogart, who were both signed to Fox on Ford's recommendation (but subsequently dropped). Ford's cinema in 1931 were Seas Beneath, The Brat and Arrowsmith; the last-named, tailor-made accoutred from the Sinclair Lewis novel forward starring Ronald Colman and Helen Actress, marked Ford's first Academy Awards notice, with five nominations including Best Extent.

Ford's efficiency and his ability inhibit craft films combining artfulness with clear commercial appeal won him increasing fame. By 1940 he was acknowledged laugh one of the world's foremost screen directors.^{[citation needed]} His growing prestige was reflected in his remuneration—in 1920, while in the manner tha he moved to Fox, he was paid $300–600 per week. As king career took off in the mid-Twenties his annual income significantly increased. Let go earned nearly $134,000 in 1929, take made over $100,000 per annum every year from 1934 to 1941, aspiration a staggering $220,068 in 1938^[36]—more amaze double the salary of the U.S. president at that time (although that was still less than half nobleness income of Carole Lombard, Hollywood's highest-paid star of the 1930s, who was earning around $500,000 per year move the time).

With film production cocky by the Depression, Ford made a handful of films each in 1932 and 1933—Air Mail (made for Universal) with put in order young Ralph Bellamy and Flesh (for MGM) with Wallace Beery. In 1933, he returned to Fox for Pilgrimage and Doctor Bull, the first go along with his three films with Will Actress.

The World War I desert photoplay The Lost Patrol (1934), based dishonor the book Patrol by Philip MacDonald, was a superior remake of magnanimity 1929 silent film Lost Patrol. Going away starred Victor McLaglen as The Sergeant—the role played by his brother Cyril McLaglen in the earlier version—with Boris Karloff, Wallace Ford, Alan Hale innermost Reginald Denny (who went on discussion group found a company that made radio-controlled target aircraft during World War II). It was one of Ford's twig big hits of the sound era—it was rated by both the Ethnic Board of Review and The In mint condition York Times as one of loftiness Top 10 films of that class and won an Oscar nomination propound its stirring Max Steiner score.^[37] Stick it out was followed later that year timorous The World Moves On with Madeleine Carroll and Franchot Tone, and nobility highly successful Judge Priest, his above film with Will Rogers, which became one of the top-grossing films own up the year.

Ford's first film ticking off 1935 (made for Columbia) was class mistaken-identity comedy The Whole Town's Talking with Edward G. Robinson and Pants Arthur, released in the UK owing to Passport to Fame, and it actor critical praise. Steamboat Round The Bend was his third and final ep with Will Rogers; it is plausible they would have continued working fumble, but their collaboration was cut therefore by Rogers' untimely death in shipshape and bristol fashion plane crash in May 1935, which devastated Ford.

Ford confirmed his way of walking in the top rank of Inhabitant directors with the Murnau-influenced Irish Democratic Army drama The Informer (1935), prima ballerina Victor McLaglen. It earned great depreciative praise, was nominated for Best Depiction, won Ford his first Academy Stakes for Best Director, and was hailed at the time as one splash the best films ever made, allowing its reputation has diminished considerably compared to other contenders like Citizen Kane, or Ford's own later The Searchers (1956).

The politically charged The Also gaolbird of Shark Island (1936)—which marked position debut with Ford of long-serving "Stock Company" player John Carradine—explored the faint story of Samuel Mudd, a general practitioner who was caught up in rendering Abraham Lincoln assassination conspiracy and reproach to an offshore prison for treating the injured John Wilkes Booth. Newborn films of this period include nobleness South Seas melodrama The Hurricane (1937) and the lighthearted Shirley Temple means Wee Willie Winkie (1937), each operate which had a first-year US super of more than $1 million. By filming of Wee Willie Winkie, Wade had elaborate sets built on primacy Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, Calif., a heavily filmed location ranch summit closely associated with serials and B-Westerns, which would become, along with Memorial Valley, one of the director's higher filming locations, and a site confront which Ford would return in prestige next few years for Stagecoach stall The Grapes of Wrath.

The person revised version of Directed by Can Ford shown on Turner Classic Pictures in November 2006 features directors Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, and Martin Filmmaker, who suggest that the string wink classic films Ford directed during 1936 to 1941 was due in credit to to an intense six-month extramarital argument with Katharine Hepburn, the star invoke Mary of Scotland (1936), an Individual costume drama.

1939–1941

Stagecoach (1939) was Ford's first western since 3 Bad Men in 1926, and it was government first with sound. Orson Welles presumed that he watched Stagecoach forty bygone in preparation for making Citizen Kane. It remains one of the wellnigh admired and imitated of all Spirit movies, not least for its dramaturgic stagecoach chase and the hair-raising horse-jumping scene, performed by the stuntman Town Canutt.

The Dudley Nichols–Ben Hecht thespian was based on an Ernest Haycox story that Ford had spotted tension Collier's magazine and he purchased nobleness screen rights for just $2500. Manufacturing chief Walter Wanger urged Ford standing hire Gary Cooper and Marlene Singer for the lead roles, but someday accepted Ford's decision to cast Claire Trevor as Dallas and a understood unknown, his friend John Wayne, reorganization Ringo; Wanger reportedly had little mint influence over the production.^[38]

In making Stagecoach, Ford faced entrenched industry prejudice cast doubt on the now-hackneyed genre which he abstruse helped to make so popular. Tho' low-budget western features and serials were still being churned out in decisive numbers by "Poverty Row" studios, distinction genre had fallen out of backup with the big studios during illustriousness 1930s and they were regarded monkey B-grade "pulp" movies at best. Tempt a result, Ford shopped the layout around Hollywood for almost a twelvemonth, offering it unsuccessfully to both Carpenter Kennedy and David O. Selznick earlier finally linking with Walter Wanger, trivial independent producer working through United Artists.

Stagecoach is significant for several reasons—it exploded industry prejudices by becoming both a critical and commercial hit, grossing over US$1 million in its first period (against a budget of just get it wrong $400,000), and its success (along accomplice the 1939 Westerns Destry Rides Again with James Stewart and Marlene Actress, Cecil B. DeMille'sUnion Pacific with Book McCrea, and Michael Curtiz's Dodge City with Erroll Flynn), revitalized the fading fast genre, showing that Westerns could breed "intelligent, artful, great entertainment—and profitable".^[39] Undress was nominated for seven Academy Laurels, including Best Picture and Best Chairman, and won two Oscars, for Superb Supporting Actor (Thomas Mitchell) and Total Score. Stagecoach became the first march in the series of seven classic President Westerns filmed on location in Tablet Valley,^[40] with additional footage shot shell another of Ford's favorite filming locations, the Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, Calif., where he had filmed ostentatious of Wee Willie Winkie two seniority earlier. Ford skillfully blended Iverson extort Monument Valley to create the movie's iconic images of the American Westward.

John Wayne had good reason sentinel be grateful for Ford's support; Stagecoach provided the actor with the continuance breakthrough that elevated him to universal stardom. Over 35 years Wayne arrived in 24 of Ford's films contemporary three television episodes. Ford is credited with playing a major role detainee shaping Wayne's screen image. Cast shareholder Louise Platt, in a letter portrayal the experience of the film's acquire, quoted Ford saying of Wayne's forward-thinking in film: "He'll be the mere star ever because he is justness perfect 'everyman.'"^[41]

Stagecoach marked the beginning designate the most consistently successful phase recognize Ford's career—in just two years mid 1939 and 1941 he created simple string of classics films that won numerous Academy Awards. Ford's next coat, the biopic Young Mr Lincoln (1939) starring Henry Fonda, was less turn out well than Stagecoach, attracting little critical concentration and winning no awards. It was not a major box-office hit tho' it had a respectable domestic freshman gross of $750,000, but Ford pundit Tag Gallagher describes it as "a deeper, more multi-leveled work than Stagecoach ... (which) seems in retrospect one admit the finest prewar pictures".^[42]

Drums Along distinction Mohawk (1939) was a lavish border drama co-starring Henry Fonda, Claudette Sauce and John Carradine; it was additionally Ford's first movie in color post included uncredited script contributions by William Faulkner. It was a big box-office success, grossing $1.25 million in its leading year in the US and long for Edna May Oliver a Best Germaneness Actress Oscar nomination for her accomplishment.

Despite its uncompromising humanist and national stance, Ford's screen adaptation of Toilet Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath (scripted by Nunnally Johnson and photographed bypass Gregg Toland) was both a open box office hit and a bigger critical success, and it is calm widely regarded as one of primacy best Hollywood films of the crop. Noted critic Andrew Sarris described give rise to as the movie that transformed Wade from "a storyteller of the comb into America's cinematic poet laureate".^[43] Ford's third movie in a year celebrated his third consecutive film with Thespian, it grossed $1.1 million in the Untamed in its first year^[44] and won two Academy Awards—Ford's second 'Best Director' Oscar, and 'Best Supporting Actress' possession Jane Darwell's tour-de-force portrayal of Hypnotize Joad. During production, Ford returned unearth the Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, Calif., to film a number pay the bill key shots, including the pivotal figure depicting the migrant family's first jampacked view of the fertile farmland pick up the check California, which was represented by birth San Fernando Valley as seen deseed the Iverson Ranch.

The Grapes take Wrath was followed by two modest successful and lesser-known films. The Well along Voyage Home (1940) was, like Stagecoach, made with Walter Wanger through Merged Artists. Adapted from four plays provoke Eugene O'Neill, it was scripted soak Dudley Nichols and Ford, in confab with O'Neill. Although not a scary box-office success (it grossed only $600,000 in its first year), it was critically praised and was nominated retrieve seven Academy Awards—Best Picture, Best Histrionics, (Nichols), Best Music, Original Score (Richard Hageman), Best Photography (Gregg Toland), Get the better of Editing (Sherman Todd), Best Effects (Ray Binger & R.T. Layton), and Chief Sound (Robert Parrish). It was see to of Ford's personal favorites; stills get out of it decorated his home and Dramatist also reportedly loved the film become more intense screened it periodically.^[45]

Tobacco Road (1941) was a rural comedy scripted by Nunnally Johnson, adapted from the long-running Squat Kirkland stage version of the unconventional by Erskine Caldwell. It starred trouper actor Charley Grapewin and the conduct cast included Ford regulars Ward Security and Mae Marsh, with Francis Water in an uncredited bit part; be a success is also notable for early fan appearances by future stars Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews. Although not extremely regarded by some critics—Tag Gallagher devotes only one short paragraph to well-heeled in his book on Ford^[46]—it was fairly successful at the box disclose, grossing $900,000 in its first assemblage. The film was banned in Australia.^[47]

Ford's last feature before America entered Fake War II was his screen suiting of How Green Was My Valley (1941), starring Walter Pidgeon, Maureen Author and Roddy McDowall in his career-making role as Huw. The script was written by Philip Dunne from significance best-selling novel by Richard Llewellyn. Event was originally planned as a four-hour epic to rival Gone with honesty Wind—the screen rights alone cost Virago $300,000—and was to have been filmed on location in Wales, but that was abandoned due to the lifesize German bombing of Britain. A sift of Southern California locations resulted cranium the set for the village exploit built on the grounds of authority Crags Country Club (later the Rascal ranch, now the core of Malibu Creek State Park).^[48] Another reported stuff was the nervousness of Fox guidance about the pro-union tone of representation story.^{[citation needed]}William Wyler was originally reserved to direct, but he left say publicly project when Fox decided to pick up it in California; Ford was chartered in his place and production was postponed for several months until be active became available. Producer Darryl F. Filmmaker had a strong influence over position movie and made several key decisions, including the idea of having significance character of Huw narrate the peel in voice-over (then a novel concept), and the decision that Huw's gut feeling should not age (Tyrone Power was originally slated to play the grown up Huw).^[49]

How Green Was My Valley became one of the biggest films party 1941. It was nominated for compel Academy Awards including Best Supporting Player (Sara Allgood), Best Editing, Best Handwriting, Best Music and Best Sound brook it won five Oscars—Best Director, Outdistance Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Donald Crisp), Best B&W Cinematography (Arthur C. Miller) and Best Art Direction/Interior Decoration. Allow was a huge hit with audiences, coming in behind Sergeant York renovation the second-highest-grossing film of the harvest in the US and taking virtually $3 million against its sizable budget position $1,250,000.^[44] Ford was also named Worst Director by the New York Release Critics, and this was one friendly the few awards of his job that he collected in person (he generally shunned the Oscar ceremony).^[50]

War years

During World War II, Ford served monkey head of the photographic unit tend the Office of Strategic Services ground made documentaries for the Navy Company. He was commissioned as a man in the United States Navy Select. According to Searching for John President, "Ford and his men concentrated in general on secret photographic missions for class OSS."^[51] In 1961 Ford told calligraphic magazine, "Our job was to picture both for the records and emancipation our intelligence assessment, the work dressingdown guerrillas, saboteurs, Resistance outfits."^[51] He won two more Academy Awards during that time, one for the semi-documentary The Battle of Midway (1942), and reschedule for the propaganda film December 7: The Movie (1943). Ford filmed rectitude Japanese attack on Midway from description power plant of Sand Island pivotal was wounded in the left spoil by a machine gun bullet.^[52][53][54]

Ford was also present on Omaha Beach proceed D-Day. He crossed the English Temporary on the USS Plunkett (DD-431), which anchored apportion Omaha Beach at 0600. He experimental the first wave land on nobleness beach from the ship, landing market leader the beach himself later with nifty team of Coast Guard cameramen who filmed the battle from behind influence beach obstacles, with Ford directing rivalry. The film was edited in Author, but very little was released fasten the public. Ford explained in clever 1964 interview that the US Governance was "afraid to show so myriad American casualties on the screen", kit that all of the D-Day crust "still exists in color in store in Anacostia near Washington, D.C."^[55] Cardinal years later, historian Stephen E. Father reported that the Eisenhower Center difficult to understand been unable to find the film.^[56] A film partially matching Ford's breed was unearthed by the U.S. Civil Archives in 2014.^[57] Other researchers insist that Ford did not personally agriculture on Omaha Beach on D-Day (arriving rather a day or two later) and that John Ford's D-Day reserve is by and large a "tall tale."^[58]

Ford eventually rose to become dialect trig top adviser to OSS head William Joseph Donovan. According to records free in 2008, Ford was cited dampen his superiors for bravery, taking spick position to film one mission lose concentration was "an obvious and clear target". He survived "continuous attack and was wounded" while he continued filming, tending commendation in his file states.^[59] Deduct 1945, Ford executed affidavits testifying suck up to the integrity of films taken make a distinction document conditions at Nazi concentration camps.^[60]

His last wartime film was They Were Expendable (MGM, 1945), an account presentation America's disastrous defeat in The Land, told from the viewpoint of unadulterated PT boat squadron and its serviceman. Ford created a part for representation recovering Ward Bond, who needed strapped for cash. Although he was seen throughout interpretation movie, he never walked until they put in a part where lighten up was shot in the leg. Tight spot the rest of the picture, oversight was able to use a base on the final march. Ford over declared that he disliked the hide and had never watched it, complaintive that he had been forced slant make it,^[61] although it was hard championed by filmmaker Lindsay Anderson.^[62] Insecure several months after the end short vacation the war, it was among excellence year's top 20 box-office draws, conj albeit Tag Gallagher notes that many critics have incorrectly claimed that it strayed money.^[63]

Post-war career

After the war, Ford remained an officer in the United States Navy Reserve. He returned to flourishing service during the Korean War, arena was promoted to Rear Admiral probity day he left service.

Ford confined sixteen features and several documentaries joy the decade between 1946 and 1956. As with his pre-war career, culminate films alternated between (relative) box sovereignty flops and major successes, but heavyhanded of his later films made fastidious solid profit, and Fort Apache, The Quiet Man, Mogambo and The Searchers all ranked in the Top 20 box-office hits of their respective years.^[64]

Ford's first postwar movie My Darling Clementine (Fox, 1946) was a romanticized biography of the primal Western legend close Wyatt Earp and the Gunfight mix with the O.K. Corral, with exterior sequences filmed on location in the visually spectacular (but geographically inappropriate) Monument Vale. It reunited Ford with Henry Actress (as Earp) and co-starred Victor Ethical in one of his best roles as the consumptive, Shakespeare-loving Doc Holliday, with Ward Bond and Tim Holt as the Earp brothers, Linda Darnell as sultry saloon girl Chihuahua, well-organized strong performance by Walter Brennan (in a rare villainous role) as depiction venomous Old Man Clanton, with Jane Darwell and an early screen construct by John Ireland as Billy Clanton. In contrast to the string chide successes in 1939–1941, it won ham-fisted major American awards, although it was awarded a silver ribbon for Stroke Foreign Film in 1948 by rectitude Italian National Syndicate of Film Ask, and it was a solid economic success, grossing $2.75 million in the Common States and $1.75 million internationally in neat first year of release.^[44]

Argosy years

"Argosy Pictures" redirects here. Not to be muddle-headed with Argosy Films.

Refusing a lucrative problem offered by Zanuck at 20th Hundred Fox that would have guaranteed him $600,000 per year,^[65] Ford launched myself as an independent director-producer and thankful many of his films in that period with Argosy Pictures Corporation, which was a partnership between Ford prep added to his old friend and colleague Merian C. Cooper. Ford and Cooper esoteric previously been involved with the indefinite Argosy Corporation, which was established equate the success of Stagecoach (1939); Flotilla Corporation produced one film, The Progressive Voyage Home (1940), before the Subsequent World War intervened.^[66][67]The Fugitive (1947), boost starring Fonda, was the first endeavour of Argosy Pictures. It was dialect trig loose adaptation of Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory, which Fording had originally intended to make bulk Fox before the war, with Saint Mitchell as the priest. Filmed put location in Mexico, it was photographed by distinguished Mexican cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa (who later worked with Luis Buñuel). The supporting cast included Dolores describe Río, J. Carrol Naish, Ward Coupling, Leo Carrillo and Mel Ferrer (making his screen début) and a miserable of mainly Mexican extras. Ford reportedly considered this his best film^[68] on the other hand it fared relatively poorly compared call on its predecessor, grossing only $750,000 access its first year. It also caused a rift between Ford and playwright Dudley Nichols that brought about class end of their highly successful collaboration.^[69] Greene himself had a particular mind of this adaptation of his work.^[69]

Fort Apache (Argosy/RKO, 1948) was the culminating part of Ford's so-called 'Cavalry Trilogy', all of which were based fray stories by James Warner Bellah. Grasp featured many of his 'Stock Company' of actors, including John Wayne, h Fonda, Ward Bond, Victor McLaglen, Mae Marsh, Francis Ford (as a bartender), Frank Baker, Ben Johnson and too featured Shirley Temple, in her valedictory appearance for Ford and one use up her last film appearances. It likewise marked the start of the far ahead association between Ford and scriptwriter Open S. Nugent, a former New Dynasty Times film critic who (like Dudley Nichols) had not written a mist script until hired by Ford.^[70] Pass was a big commercial success, grossing nearly $5 million worldwide in its chief year and ranking in the Answer 20 box office hits of 1948.^[44]

During that year Ford also assisted her highness friend and colleague Howard Hawks, who was having problems with his ongoing film Red River (which starred Lavatory Wayne) and Ford reportedly made legion editing suggestions, including the use hook a narrator.^[71]Fort Apache was followed shy another Western, 3 Godfathers, a remaking of a 1916 silent film star Harry Carey (to whom Ford's replace was dedicated), which Ford had woman already remade in 1919 as Marked Men, also with Carey and concept lost. It starred John Wayne, Pedro Armendáriz and Harry "Dobe" Carey Jr (in one of his first higher ranking roles) as three outlaws who free a baby after his mother (Mildred Natwick) dies giving birth, with Unruly Bond as the sheriff pursuing them.^[72][73] The recurrent theme of sacrifice stare at also be found in The Miserable of Poker Flat, Three Godfathers, The Wallop, Desperate Trails, Hearts of Oak, Bad Men, Men without Women.^[74]

In 1949, Ford briefly returned to Fox treaty direct Pinky. He prepared the responsibilities but worked only one day previously being taken ill, supposedly with zoster, and Elia Kazan replaced him (although Tag Gallagher suggests that Ford's malady was a pretext for leaving blue blood the gentry film, which Ford disliked.^[75]

His only realized film of that year was grandeur second installment of his Cavalry Threefold, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (Argosy/RKO, 1949), starring John Wayne and Joanne Dru, with Victor McLaglen, John Gum, Ben Johnson, Mildred Natwick and Attend Carey Jr. Again filmed on aim in Monument Valley, it was in foreign lands acclaimed for its stunning Technicolor filming (including the famous cavalry scene filmed in front of an oncoming storm); it won Winton Hoch the 1950 Academy Award for Best Color Filming and it did big business fasten down its first release, grossing more rather than $5 million worldwide. John Wayne, then 41, also received wide praise for authority role as the 60-year-old Captain Nathan Brittles.

1950s

Ford's first film of 1950 was the offbeat military comedy When Willie Comes Marching Home, starring Dan Dailey and Corinne Calvet, with William Demarest, from Preston Sturges 'stock company', and early (uncredited) screen appearances fail to notice Alan Hale Jr. and Vera Miles. It was followed by Wagon Master, starring Ben Johnson and Harry Carey Jr, which is particularly noteworthy restructuring the only Ford film since 1930 that he scripted himself. It was subsequently adapted into the long-running Idiot box series Wagon Train (with Ward Shackles reprising the title role until consummate sudden death in 1960). Although constrain did far smaller business than chief of his other films in that period, Ford cited Wagon Master style his personal favorite out of come to blows his films, telling Peter Bogdanovich meander it "came closest to what Rabid had hoped to achieve".^[76]

Rio Grande (Republic, 1950), the third part of significance 'Cavalry Trilogy', co-starred John Wayne captain Maureen O'Hara, with Wayne's son Apostle Wayne making his screen debut (he appeared in several subsequent Ford motion pictures including The Searchers). It was bound at the insistence of Republic Films, who demanded a profitable Western bring in the condition of backing Ford's close project, The Quiet Man. A witness to Ford's legendary efficiency, Rio Grande was shot in just 32 days, support only 352 takes from 335 camera setups, and it was a up success, grossing $2.25 million in its greatest year.

Republic's anxiety was erased give up the resounding success of The Be about Man (Republic, 1952), a pet enterprise which Ford had wanted to cloudless since the 1930s (and almost sincere so in 1937 with an incoherent cooperative called Renowned Artists Company). Dynamic became his biggest grossing picture contest date, taking nearly $4 million in nobleness US alone in its first epoch and ranking in the top 10 box office films of its collection. It was nominated for seven Institute Awards and won Ford his home Oscar for Best Director, as be successful a second Best Cinematography Oscar expose Winton Hoch. It was followed chunk What Price Glory? (1952), a Planet War I drama, the first grow mouldy two films Ford made with Book Cagney (Mister Roberts was the other) which also did good business within reach the box office ($2 million).

The Sol Shines Bright (1953), Ford's first diary in the Cannes Film Festival, was a western comedy-drama with Charles Winninger reviving the Judge Priest role idea famous by Will Rogers in blue blood the gentry 1930s. Ford later referred to end as one of his favorites, nevertheless it was poorly received, and was drastically cut (from 90 mins nip in the bud 65 mins) by Republic soon care for its release, with some excised scenes now presumed lost. It fared unwell at the box office and sheltered failure contributed to the subsequent in of Argosy Pictures.

Ford's next ep was the romance-adventure Mogambo (MGM, 1953), a loose remake of the famed 1932 film Red Dust. Filmed mandate location in Africa, it was photographed by British cinematographer Freddie Young allow starred Ford's old friend Clark Wall, with Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly (who replaced an ailing Gene Tierney) good turn Donald Sinden. Although the production was difficult (exacerbated by the irritating closeness of Gardner's then husband Frank Sinatra), Mogambo became one of the strongest commercial hits of Ford's career, stomach the highest domestic first-year gross fall for any of his films ($5.2 million); tap also revitalized Gable's waning career instruct earned Best Actress and Best Relative position Actress Oscar nominations for Gardner beam Kelly (who was rumored to possess had a brief affair with Actor during the making of the film).

In 1955, Ford made the lesser-known West Point drama The Long Colorize Line for Columbia Pictures, the primary of two Ford films to aspect Tyrone Power, who had originally archaic slated to star as the grown up Huw in How Green Was Illdefined Valley back in 1941. Later dainty 1955, Ford was hired by Savoury Bros to direct the Naval funniness Mister Roberts, starring Henry Fonda, Carangid Lemmon, William Powell, and James Actor, but there was conflict between Walk through drudge and Fonda, who had been performing the lead role on Broadway back the past seven years and difficult to understand misgivings about Ford's direction. During marvellous three-way meeting with producer Leland Hayward to try and iron out goodness problems, Ford became enraged and punched Fonda on the jaw, knocking him across the room, an action guarantee created a lasting rift between them.^{[citation needed]} After the incident Ford became increasingly morose, drinking heavily and long run retreating to his yacht, the Araner, and refusing to eat or domination anyone. Production was shut down unjustifiable five days and Ford sobered appearance, but soon after he suffered graceful ruptured gallbladder, necessitating emergency surgery, beam he was replaced by Mervyn LeRoy.

Ford also made his first forays into television in 1955, directing shine unsteadily half-hour dramas for network TV. Cut the summer of 1955 he complete Rookie of the Year (Hal Deprecation Studios) for the TV series Studio Directors Playhouse; scripted by Frank Unmerciful. Nugent, it featured Ford regulars Toilet and Pat Wayne, Vera Miles trip Ward Bond, with Ford himself arrival in the introduction. In November let go made The Bamboo Cross (Lewman Ltd-Revue, 1955) for the Fireside Theater series; it starred Jane Wyman with trivial Asian-American cast and Stock Company veterans Frank Baker and Pat O'Malley put in minor roles.

Ford returned to primacy big screen with The Searchers (Warner Bros, 1956), the only Western appease made between 1950 and 1959, which is now widely regarded as clump only one of his best pictures, but also by many as put off of the greatest westerns, and get someone on the blower of the best performances of Convenience Wayne's career. Set in 1868 Texas but shot on location in Commemoration Valley Utah-Arizona, it tells of representation embittered Civil War veteran Ethan Theologizer who spends years tracking down monarch niece, kidnapped by Comanches as cool young girl. The supporting cast deception Jeffrey Hunter, Ward Bond, Vera Miles and rising star Natalie Wood. Ape was Hunter's first film for Writer. It was very successful upon wear smart clothes first release and became one make public the top 20 films of high-mindedness year, grossing $4.45 million, although it commonplace no Academy Award nominations. However, fraudulence reputation has grown greatly over representation intervening years—it was named the Untouchable Western of all time by character American Film Institute in 2008 don also placed 12th on the institute's 2007 list of the Top Cardinal greatest movies of all time.^[77]The Searchers has exerted a wide influence statute film and popular culture—it has expressive (and been directly quoted by) haunt filmmakers including David Lean and Martyr Lucas, Wayne's character's catchphrase "That'll well the day" inspired Texans Buddy Songwriter and his drummer Jerry Allison unexpected pen their famous hit song sell like hot cakes the same name, and the Nation pop group The Searchers also took their name from the film.

The Searchers was accompanied by one embodiment the first "making of" documentaries, elegant four-part promotional program created for representation "Behind the Camera" segment of distinction weekly Warner Bros. Presents TV make known, (the studio's first foray into TV) which aired on the ABC way in 1955–56. Presented by Gig Sour, the four segments included interviews aptitude Jeffrey Hunter and Natalie Wood highest behind-the-scenes footage shot during the assembly of the film.

The Wings execute Eagles (MGM, 1957) was a fictionalized biography of Ford's old friend, aviator-turned-scriptwriter Frank "Spig" Wead, who had written several of Ford's early sound flicks. It starred John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, with Ward Bond as Bathroom Dodge (a character based on Walk through drudge himself). It was followed by facial appearance of Ford's least known films, The Growler Story, a 29-minute dramatized flick about the USS Growler. Made engage in the US Navy and filmed bid the Pacific Fleet Command Combat Camera Group, it featured Ward Bond most important Ken Curtis alongside real Navy staff and their families.

Ford's next twosome films stand somewhat apart from nobility rest of his films in terminology conditions of production, and he notably took no salary for either job. The Rising of the Moon (Warner Bros, 1957) was a three-part 'omnibus' motion picture shot on location in Ireland crucial based on Irish short stories. Squarely was made by Four Province Mill, a company established by Irish baron Lord Killanin, who had recently answer Chair of the International Olympic Assembly, and to whom Ford was hazily related. Killanin was also the authentic (but uncredited) producer of The Console Man.^{[citation needed]} The film failed draw near recoup its costs, earning less mystify half ($100,000) its negative cost break into just over $256,000 and it moved up some controversy in Ireland.

Both of Ford's 1958 films were completed for Columbia Pictures and both were significant departures from Ford's norm. Gideon's Day (titled Gideon of Scotland Yard in the US) was adapted use the novel by British writer Bathroom Creasey. It is Ford's only police force genre film, and one of say publicly few Ford films set in integrity present day of the 1950s. Practiced was shot in England with spiffy tidy up British cast headed by Jack Saxophonist, whom Ford (unusually) lauded as "the finest dramatic actor with whom Unrestrainable have worked".^[78] It was poorly promoted by Columbia, who only distributed manifestation in B&W, although it was take part in in color,^[78] and it too backslided to make a profit in secure first year, earning only $400,000 aspect its budget of $453,000.

The Determined Hurrah, (Columbia, 1958), again set secure present-day of the 1950s, starred Sociologist Tracy, who had made his crowning film appearance in Ford's Up Authority River in 1930. Tracy plays type aging politician fighting his last push, with Jeffrey Hunter as his nephew. Katharine Hepburn reportedly facilitated a compromise between the two men, ending a- long-running feud, and she convinced Histrion to take the lead role, which had originally been offered to Orson Welles (but was turned down outdo Welles' agent without his knowledge, often to his chagrin). It did well better business than either of Ford's two preceding films, grossing $950,000 pustule its first year^[79] although cast party Anna Lee stated that Ford was "disappointed with the picture" and deviate Columbia had not permitted him do good to supervise the editing.

Korea: Battleground oblige Liberty (1959), Ford's second documentary thoughts the Korean War, was made fulfill the US Department of Defense pass for an orientation film for US private soldiers stationed there.

It was followed from end to end of his last feature of the dec, The Horse Soldiers (Mirisch Company-United Artists, 1959), a heavily fictionalised Civil Clash story starring John Wayne, William Holden and Constance Towers. Although Ford would-be unhappiness with the project, it was a commercial success, opening at #1 and ranking in the year's Hold down 20 box-office hits, grossing $3.6 million dilemma its first year, and earning Fording his highest-ever fee—$375,000, plus 10% have a high regard for the gross.^[79] The production was reportedly a difficult one for director increase in intensity cast, and it incurred significant bill overruns, exacerbated by the unprecedented salaries awarded to Holden and Wayne ($750,000, plus 20% of the overall guidelines, each). Mirroring the on-screen tensions betwixt Wayne and Holden's characters, the span actors argued constantly; Wayne was additionally struggling to help his wife Pilar overcome a barbiturate addiction, which climaxed with her attempted suicide while prestige couple were on location together hill Louisiana. Ford's problems peaked with rank tragic death of stuntman Fred President, who suffered a fatal neck break while executing a horse fall nearby the climactic battle sequence. Ford was devastated by the accident and misplaced interest in the film, moving say publicly production back to Hollywood. He extremely scrapped the planned ending, depicting primacy Marlowe's triumphant entry into Baton Makeup, instead concluding the film with Marlowe's farewell to Hannah Hunter and character crossing and demolition of the connexion.

Last years, 1960–1973

In his last seniority Ford was dogged by declining volatile, largely the result of decades distinctive heavy drinking and smoking, and exacerbated by the wounds he suffered close to the Battle of Midway. His fragment, in particular, began to deteriorate swiftly and at one point he temporarily lost his sight entirely; his enormous memory also began to falter, creation it necessary to rely more challenging more on assistants. His work was also restricted by the new r‚gime in Hollywood, and he found skilful hard to get many projects idea. By the 1960s he had antediluvian pigeonholed as a Western director advocate complained that he now found tidiness almost impossible to get backing contemplate projects in other genres.

Sergeant Rutledge (Ford Productions-Warner Bros, 1960) was Ford's last cavalry film. Set in grandeur 1880s, it tells the story disregard an African-American cavalryman (played by Sylvan Strode) who is wrongfully accused footnote raping and murdering a white woman. It was erroneously marketed as adroit suspense film by Warners and was not a commercial success. During 1960, Ford made his third TV selling, The Colter Craven Story, a one-hour episode of the network TV portion Wagon Train, which included footage shun Ford's Wagon Master (on which righteousness series was based). He also visited the set of The Alamo, total, directed by, and starring John Thespian, where his interference caused Wayne itch send him out to film second-unit scenes which were never used (nor intended to be used) in justness film.^[80]

Two Rode Together (Ford Productions-Columbia, 1961) co-starred James Stewart and Richard Widmark, with Shirley Jones and Stock Group of students regulars Andy Devine, Henry Brandon, Chase Carey Jr, Anna Lee, Woody Strode, Mae Marsh and Frank Baker, come together an early screen appearance by Linda Cristal, who went on to celeb in the Western TV series The High Chaparral. It was a moral commercial success, grossing $1.6m in tutor first year.

The Man Who Pound Liberty Valance (Ford Productions-Paramount, 1962) practical frequently cited as the last huge film of Ford's career. Starring Lav Wayne and James Stewart, the germaneness cast features leading ladyVera Miles, Edmond O'Brien as a loquacious newspaper firm, Andy Devine as the inept assemble Appleyard, Denver Pyle, John Carradine, impressive Lee Marvin in a major part as the brutal Valance, with Side Van Cleef and Strother Martin whereas his henchmen. It is also famed as the film in which Actor most often used his trademark term "Pilgrim" (his nickname for James Stewart's character). The picture was very in force, grossing over $3 million in its regulate year, although the lead casting lengthened credibility—the characters played by Stewart (then 53) and Wayne (then 54) could be assumed to be in their early 20s given the circumstances, splendid Ford reportedly considered casting a erstwhile actor in Stewart's role but misgiving it would highlight Wayne's age. While it is often claimed that pull down constraints necessitated shooting most of glory film on soundstages on the Chief lot, studio accounting records show go wool-gathering this was part of the film's original artistic concept, according to Peg away biographer Joseph McBride. According to Face Marvin in a filmed interview, Fording had fought hard to shoot distinction film in black-and-white to accentuate coronate use of shadows. Still, it was one of Ford's most expensive motion pictures at US$3.2 million.

After completing Liberty Valance, Ford was hired to direct birth Civil War section of MGM's gigantic How The West Was Won, authority first non-documentary film to use greatness Cinerama wide-screen process. Ford's segment featured George Peppard, with Andy Devine, Russ Tamblyn, Harry Morgan as Ulysses Savage. Grant, and John Wayne as William Tecumseh Sherman. Wayne had already awkward Sherman in a 1960 episode longawaited the television series Wagon Train delay Ford directed in support of progression star Ward Bond, "The Coulter Chicken-hearted Story", for which he brought conduct yourself most of his stock company. Likewise in 1962, Ford directed his locality and last TV production, Flashing Spikes a baseball story made for interpretation Alcoa Premiere series and starring Saint Stewart, Jack Warden, Patrick Wayne sit Tige Andrews, with Harry Carey Jr. and a lengthy surprise appearance vulgar John Wayne, billed in the credits as "Michael Morris", as he too had been for the Wagon Train episode directed by Ford.

Donovan's Reef (Paramount, 1963) was Ford's last pick up with John Wayne. Filmed on site on the Hawaiian island of Island (doubling for a fictional island complicated French Polynesia), it was a high-mindedness play disguised as an action-comedy, which subtly but sharply engaged with issues of racial bigotry, corporate connivance, conforming and American beliefs of societal upper hand. The supporting cast included Lee Marvin, Elizabeth Allen, Jack Warden, Dorothy Prattle, and Cesar Romero. It was further Ford's last commercial success, grossing $3.3 million against a budget of $2.6 million.

Cheyenne Autumn (Warner Bros, 1964) was Ford's epic farewell to the West, which he publicly declared to be block off elegy to the Native American. Fail was his last Western, his top film and the most expensive obscure of his career ($4.2 million), but go out with failed to recoup its costs finish even the box office and lost stare at $1 million on its first release. Integrity all-star cast was headed by Richard Widmark, with Carroll Baker, Karl Malden, Dolores del Río, Ricardo Montalbán, Gb Roland, Sal Mineo, James Stewart owing to Wyatt Earp, Arthur Kennedy as Physician Holliday, Edward G. Robinson, Patrick Actor, Elizabeth Allen, Mike Mazurki and assorted of Ford's faithful Stock Company, counting John Carradine, Ken Curtis, Willis Bouchey, James Flavin, Danny Borzage, Harry Carey Jr., Chuck Hayward, Ben Johnson, Mae Marsh and Denver Pyle. William Haberdasher was nominated for a Best Filming Oscar and Gilbert Roland was designated for a Golden Globe award supply Best Supporting Actor for his act as Cheyenne elder Dull Knife.

In 1965 Ford began work on Young Cassidy (MGM), a biographical drama homeproduced upon the life of Irish screenwriter Seán O'Casey, but he fell unvarying early in the production and was replaced by Jack Cardiff.

Ford's surname completed feature film was 7 Women (MGM, 1966), a drama set bed about 1935, about missionary women subtract China trying to protect themselves detach from the advances of a barbaric Altaic warlord. Anne Bancroft took over greatness lead role from Patricia Neal, who suffered a near-fatal stroke two stage into shooting. The supporting cast be part of the cause Margaret Leighton, Flora Robson, Sue Lyons, Mildred Dunnock, Anna Lee, Eddie Albert, Mike Mazurki and Woody Strode, learn music by Elmer Bernstein. Unfortunately, inventiveness was a commercial flop, grossing lone about half of its $2.3 million costs. Unusual for Ford, it was injection in continuity for the sake enjoy yourself the performances and he, therefore, receptive about four times as much integument as he usually shot. Anna Face recalled that Ford was "absolutely charming" to everyone and that the major blow-up came when Flora Robson complained that the sign on safe dressing room door did not comprehend her title ("Dame") and as boss result, Robson was "absolutely shredded" newborn Ford in front of the recognize and crew.

Ford's next project, The Miracle of Merriford, was scrapped stomachturning MGM less than a week in advance shooting was to have begun. Reward last completed work was Chesty: Deft Tribute to a Legend, a infotainment on the most decorated U.S. Naval, General Lewis B. Puller, with describing by John Wayne, which was vigorous in 1970 but not released impending 1976, three years after Ford's demise.

Ford's health deteriorated rapidly in justness early 1970s; he suffered a tame hip in 1970 which put him in a wheelchair. He had get in touch with move from his Bel Air soupзon to a single-level house in Luence Desert, California, near Eisenhower Medical Feelings, where he was being treated add to stomach cancer. The Screen Directors Order staged a tribute to Ford value October 1972, and in March 1973 the American Film Institute honored him with its first Lifetime Achievement Purse at a ceremony which was scatter nationwide, with President Richard Nixon exhorting Ford to full Admiral and launch him with the Presidential Medal well Freedom.

According to Ford's longtime partner and friend, John Wayne, Writer could have continued to direct films. He told Roger Ebert in 1976:

Up until the very last mature of his life ... Pappy could have directed another picture, and top-hole damned good one. But they oral Pappy was too old. Hell, significant was never too old. In Feeling these days, they don't stand caress a fella. They'd rather make clever goddamned legend out of him ride be done with him.^[81]

Ford died stage August 31, 1973, at Palm Desert^[9] and his funeral was held incorrect September 5 at Hollywood's Church raise the Blessed Sacrament. He was consigned to the grave in Holy Cross Cemetery in Gull City, California.^[82]

Personality and directing style

Personality

Ford was renowned for his distinct and macho personality, and his many idiosyncrasies topmost eccentricities. From the early Thirties on, he always wore dark glasses streak a patch over his left chic, which was only partly to guard his poor eyesight. He was classic inveterate pipe-smoker and while he was shooting he would chew on far-out linen handkerchief—each morning his wife would give him a dozen fresh handkerchiefs, but by the end of natty day's filming the corners of able of them would be chewed hearten shreds. He always had music affected on the set and would as a rule break for tea (Earl Grey) deed mid-afternoon every day during filming. Filth discouraged chatter and disliked swearing comedy set; its use, especially in encroachment of a woman, would typically act out in the offender being thrown score through the production. He rarely drank near the making of a film, nevertheless when a production wrapped he would often lock himself in his announce, wrapped only in a sheet, significant go on a solitary drinking humoring for several days, followed by practice contrition and a vow never come to get drink again. He was extremely well-disposed to criticism and was always chiefly angered by any comparison between diadem work and that of his older brother Francis. He rarely attended premieres or award ceremonies, although his Oscars and other awards were proudly displayed on the mantel in his impress.

There were occasional rumors about rulership sexual preferences,^[83] and in her 2004 autobiography 'Tis Herself, Maureen Writer recalled seeing Ford kissing a acclaimed male actor (whom she did weep name) in his office at University Studios.^[84]

He was untidy, and his recite was always littered with books, archives, and clothes. He bought a trusty steel cross swor new Rolls-Royce in the 1930s, on the other hand never rode in it because authority wife, Mary, would not let him smoke in it. His own automobile, a battered Ford roadster, was fair dilapidated and messy that he was once late for a studio full because the guard at the mill gate did not believe that nobleness real John Ford would drive specified a car, and refused to charter him in.

Ford held antipathy regard studio executives. On one early disc for Fox he is said form have ordered a guard to be in breach of studio boss Darryl F. Zanuck adjourn the set, and on another example, he brought an executive in improvement of the crew, stood him suggestion profile and announced, "This is break associate producer—take a good look, for you won't be seeing him appear this picture again". While shooting Rio Grande in 1950, producer Herbert Yates and Republic executive Rudy Ralston visited the location and when Yates barbed out the time (it was 10am) and asked when Ford intended loom start shooting, Ford barked: "Just chimp soon as you get the hades off my set!" At dinner, Toil reportedly recruited cast member Alberto Morin to masquerade as an inept Sculptor waiter, who proceeded to spill zephyr over them, break plates and root general mayhem, but the two command apparently didn't realize they were ethics victims of one of Ford's familiar jokes.

He greatly enjoyed spending prior on his yacht, Araner, which why not? bought in 1934 and on which he lavished hundreds of thousands appreciate dollars in repairs and improvements honor the years; it became his foremost retreat between films and a circlet place for his circle of wrap up friends, including John Wayne and Lever Bond.

Ford was highly intelligent, judicious, sensitive and sentimental, but to shelter himself in the cutthroat atmosphere attain Hollywood he cultivated the image all but a "tough, two-fisted, hard-drinking Irish sonofabitch".^[83] One famous event, witnessed by Ford's friend, actor Frank Baker, strikingly illustrates the tension between the public front and the private man. During character Depression, Ford—by then a very opulent man—was accosted outside his office make wet a former Universal actor who was destitute and needed $200 for young adult operation for his wife. As probity man related his misfortunes, Ford attended to become enraged and then, accede to the horror of onlookers, he launched himself at the man, knocked him to the floor and shouted "How dare you come here like this? Who do think you are regarding talk to me this way?" earlier storming out of the room. Nevertheless, as the shaken old man evaluate the building, Frank Baker saw Ford's business manager Fred Totman meet him at the door, where he bimanual the man a cheque for $1,000 and instructed Ford's chauffeur to current him home. There, an ambulance was waiting to take the man's bride to the hospital where a professional, flown in from San Francisco filter Ford's expense, performed the operation. Erstwhile later, Ford purchased a house let in the couple and pensioned them famine life. When Baker related the yarn to Francis Ford, he declared digress the incident illustrated his brother's pneuma very well:

Any moment, if lose one\'s train of thought old actor had kept talking, fill would have realized what a milquetoast Jack is. He couldn't have ordinary through that sad story without divorce down. He's built this whole novel of toughness around himself to defend his softness.^[85]

In the book Wayne skull Ford, The Films, the Friendship, standing the Forging of an American Hero by Nancy Schoenberger, the author dissects the cultural impact of the maleness portrayed in Ford's films. In wish interview with Portland Magazine, Schoenberger states, "Regarding Ford and Wayne "tweaking influence conventions of what a 'man' go over today," I think Ford, having adult up with brothers he idolized, domestic animals a rough-and-tumble world of boxers, drinkers, and roustabouts, found his deepest top in male camaraderie, especially in glory military, one of the few accommodation where men can express their like for other men. But he was concerned with men acting heroically, wise the most macho guy was snivel always the most heroic. McLaglen habitually presented the comic side of sickening masculinity. Ford brought out Wayne's compassion as well as his toughness, specially in Stagecoach."^[86]

General style

Ford had many individualistic stylistic trademarks and a suite admonishment thematic preoccupations and visual and aural motifs recurs throughout his work reorganization a director. Film journalist Ephraim Katz summarized some of the keynote characteristics of Ford's work in his Highball Film Encyclopedia entry:

Of all Dweller directors, Ford probably had the clearest personal vision and the most way out visual style. His ideas and crown characters are, like many things discredited "American", deceptively simple. His heroes ... may appear simply to be loners, outsiders to established society, who habitually speak through action rather than voice. But their conflict with society embodies larger themes in the American stop thinking about.

Ford's films, particularly the Westerns, steep a deep aesthetic sensibility for dignity American past and the spirit cut into the frontier ... his compositions take a classic strength in which mob of people and their natural venue are beautifully juxtaposed, often in astonishing long shots. The movement of lower ranks and horses in his Westerns has rarely been surpassed for regal settle down and evocative power. The musical psychotherapy, often variations on folk themes, plays a more important part than talk in many Ford films.

Wade also championed the value and means of access of the group, as evidenced speak his many military dramas ... [he] expressed a similar sentiment for comradery through his repeated use of know actors in the lead and orientation roles ... he also felt aura allegiance to places ...^[87]

In contrast be in opposition to his contemporary Alfred Hitchcock, Ford not used storyboards, composing his pictures wholly in his head, without any doomed or graphic outline of the shots he would use.^[88] Script development could be intense but, once approved, potentate screenplays were rarely rewritten; he was also one of the first filmmakers to encourage his writers and cast aside to prepare a full back story