It was a big box-office success, grossing $1.25million in its first year in the US and earning Edna May Oliver a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her performance. His ideas and his characters are, like many things branded "American", deceptively simple. It starred John Wayne, Pedro Armendriz and Harry "Dobe" Carey Jr (in one of his first major roles) as three outlaws who rescue a baby after his mother (Mildred Natwick) dies giving birth, with Ward Bond as the sheriff pursuing them. The film was edited in London, but very little was released to the public. Filmed on location in Mexico, it was photographed by distinguished Mexican cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa (who later worked with Luis Buuel). Switch off all the lights. Ford's next two films stand somewhat apart from the rest of his films in terms of production, and he notably took no salary for either job. In November that year, Ford directed Fox's first all-talking dramatic featurette Napoleon's Barber (1928), a 3-reeler which is now considered a lost film. [28] Napoleon's Barber was followed by his final two silent features Riley the Cop (1928) and Strong Boy (1929), starring Victor McLaglen; which were both released with synchronised music scores and sound effects, the latter is now lost (although Tag Gallagher's book records that the only surviving copy of Strong Boy, a 35mm nitrate print, was rumored to be held in a private collection in Australia[29]). Many of his supporting actors appeared in multiple Ford films, often over a period of several decades, including Ben Johnson, Chill Wills, Andy Devine, Ward Bond, Grant Withers, Mae Marsh, Anna Lee, Harry Carey Jr., Ken Curtis, Frank Baker, Dolores del Ro, Pedro Armendriz, Hank Worden, John Qualen, Barry Fitzgerald, Arthur Shields, John Carradine, O. You'll be sure to find something that will make the process easier. Ford's last completed feature film was 7 Women (MGM, 1966), a drama set in about 1935, about missionary women in China trying to protect themselves from the advances of a barbaric Mongolian warlord. Creative Editorial John Ford Director John Ford holding cigar and wearing the eye patch he needed late in life, on set of Civil War scene, the Battle of Shiloh, fr. [38], During that year Ford also assisted his friend and colleague Howard Hawks, who was having problems with his current film Red River (which starred John Wayne) and Ford reportedly made numerous editing suggestions, including the use of a narrator. In addition to credited roles, he appeared uncredited as a Klansman in D. W. Griffith's 1915 The Birth of a Nation. In an interview with Portland Magazine, Schoenberger states, "Regarding Ford and Wayne "tweaking the conventions of what a 'man' is today," I think Ford, having grown up with brothers he idolized, in a rough-and-tumble world of boxers, drinkers, and roustabouts, found his deepest theme in male camaraderie, especially in the military, one of the few places where men can express their love for other men. [38], Refusing a lucrative contract offered by Zanuck at 20th Century Fox that would have guaranteed him $600,000 per year,[57] Ford launched himself as an independent director-producer and made many of his films in this period with Argosy Pictures Corporation, which was a partnership between Ford and his old friend and colleague Merian C. Cooper. He earned nearly $134,000 in 1929, and made over $100,000 per annum every year from 1934 to 1941, earning a staggering $220,068 in 1938[30]more than double the salary of the U.S. president at that time (although this was still less than half the income of Carole Lombard, Hollywood's highest-paid star of the 1930s, who was earning around $500,000 per year at the time). Many of his sound films include renditions or quotations of his favorite hymn, "Shall We Gather at the River? So John Wayne rolled in the saddle as his nag ran at a gallop in the snow toward the chest-high fence. An eyepatch that John Wayne wore when he played Rooster Cogburn in the classic western True Grit is expected to fetch more than 20,000 at auction. The Dudley NicholsBen Hecht screenplay was based on an Ernest Haycox story that Ford had spotted in Collier's magazine and he purchased the screen rights for just $2500. At this point, Ford rose to speak. An eyepatch indicates the wearer has been in the wars or had his eye pecked out by a hawk like axe-hurling Kirk Douglas in The Vikings Advertisement US edition Click here to request Getty Images Premium Access through IBM Creative Design Services. By keeping a patch over one eye, it meant that . [12], Ford began his career in film after moving to California in July 1914. McLaglen, Mitchell, Darwell, Crisp and Lemmon won an Oscar for one of their roles in one of Ford's movies. Ford usually gave his actors little explicit direction, although on occasion he would casually walk through a scene himself, and actors were expected to note every subtle action or mannerism; if they did not, Ford would make them repeat the scene until they got it right, and he would often berate and belittle those who failed to achieve his desired performance. [24], Although Ford was to become one of the most honored of Hollywood directors (by film-makers as well as critics) his reputation in 1928 was modest at best. Similar to modern tattoos and piercings, beauty patches were intentionally eye-catching. Stagecoach became the first in the series of seven classic Ford Westerns filmed on location in Monument Valley,[34] with additional footage shot at another of Ford's favorite filming locations, the Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, Calif., where he had filmed much of Wee Willie Winkie two years earlier. Ford is credited with playing a major role in shaping Wayne's screen image. De Mille in condemning McCarthyism. It was a fair commercial success, grossing $1.6m in its first year. It also marked the start of the long association between Ford and scriptwriter Frank S. Nugent, a former New York Times film critic who (like Dudley Nichols) had not written a movie script until hired by Ford. [58][59] The Fugitive (1947), again starring Fonda, was the first project of Argosy Pictures. His only completed film of that year was the second installment of his Cavalry Trilogy, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (Argosy/RKO, 1949), starring John Wayne and Joanne Dru, with Victor McLaglen, John Agar, Ben Johnson, Mildred Natwick and Harry Carey Jr. Again filmed on location in Monument Valley, it was widely acclaimed for its stunning Technicolor cinematography (including the famous cavalry scene filmed in front of an oncoming storm); it won Winton Hoch the 1950 Academy Award for Best Color Cinematography and it did big business on its first release, grossing more than $5million worldwide. Ford's first major success as a director was the historical drama The Iron Horse (1924), an epic account of the building of the First transcontinental railroad. His Westerns had a great influence on me, as I think they had on everybody. During a three-way meeting with producer Leland Hayward to try and iron out the problems, Ford became enraged and punched Fonda on the jaw, knocking him across the room, an action that created a lasting rift between them. Ford's segment featured George Peppard, with Andy Devine, Russ Tamblyn, Harry Morgan as Ulysses S. Grant, and John Wayne as William Tecumseh Sherman. [99] But despite these leanings, many thought[100][101] he was a Republican because of his long association with actors John Wayne, James Stewart, Maureen O'Hara, and Ward Bond. Ford created a part for the recovering Ward Bond, who needed money. According to Ford's own story, he was given the job by Universal boss Carl Laemmle who supposedly said, "Give Jack Ford the jobhe yells good". Throughout his life, Mr. Ford suffered poor eyesight and had to wear thick, shaded prescription glasses. [92] In the opinion of Joseph McBride,[93] Ford's technique of cutting in the camera enabled him to retain creative control in a period where directors often had little say on the final editing of their films. He answers, "A cannonball." Then his companion asks how he lost his hand. As a result, Ford shopped the project around Hollywood for almost a year, offering it unsuccessfully to both Joseph Kennedy and David O. Selznick before finally linking with Walter Wanger, an independent producer working through United Artists. A treasure chest of vision benefits While some believe that eyepatches were worn to cover up an injured or missing eye, it's likelier that pirates had healthy eyes under their patches. The Irish Academy stated that through John Ford Ireland, they hope to lay the foundations for honoring, examining and learning from the work and legacy of John Ford, who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. "[88] Dobe Carey stated that "He had a quality that made everyone almost kill themselves to please him. It isn't just cosmetic. Has won more directing Oscars than any other director: four, for The Informer (1935), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), How Green Was My Valley (1941), and The Quiet Man (1952). Ford was one of the pioneer directors of sound films; he shot Fox's first song sung on screen, for his film Mother Machree (1928) of which only four of the original seven reels survive; this film is also notable as the first Ford film to feature the young John Wayne (as an uncredited extra) and he appeared as an extra in several of Ford's films over the next two years. an eye patch confers far greater vision under deck. He was interred in Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.[74]. The Last Hurrah, (Columbia, 1958), again set in present-day of the 1950s, starred Spencer Tracy, who had made his first film appearance in Ford's Up The River in 1930. Gideon's Day (titled Gideon of Scotland Yard in the US) was adapted from the novel by British writer John Creasey. Although the production was difficult (exacerbated by the irritating presence of Gardner's then husband Frank Sinatra), Mogambo became one of the biggest commercial hits of Ford's career, with the highest domestic first-year gross of any of his films ($5.2million); it also revitalized Gable's waning career and earned Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominations for Gardner and Kelly (who was rumored to have had a brief affair with Gable during the making of the film). "Just keep drinking the . It was his last Western, his longest film and the most expensive movie of his career ($4.2million), but it failed to recoup its costs at the box office and lost about $1million on its first release. Henry Brandon (who played Chief Scar from The Searchers) once referred to Ford as "the only man who could make John Wayne cry". Yeah, like a mohawk or a tattoo was too rad, so let's sacrifice binocular vision. Unfortunately, it was a commercial flop, grossing only about half of its $2.3million budget. The result of that rash action was that Ford suffered a total loss of sight in one eye, which is how he came to wear his famous eyepatch. He then later offered his own resignation as part of the entire board to ensure that the guild did not break and allowed DeMille to go without losing face. His three films of 1930 were Men Without Women, Born Reckless and Up the River, which is notable as the debut film for both Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart, who were both signed to Fox on Ford's recommendation (but subsequently dropped). Shot on location in Monument Valley, it tells of the embittered Civil War veteran Ethan Edwards who spends years tracking down his niece, kidnapped by Comanches as a young girl. Film journalist Ephraim Katz summarized some of the keynote features of Ford's work in his Collins Film Encyclopedia entry: Of all American directors, Ford probably had the clearest personal vision and the most consistent visual style. Wendy (Red Velvet) During promotions for "Power Up", Red Velvet 's Wendy unfortunately suffered a small eye injury which led to her wearing an eyepatch between performances. [22] Ford's last film of 1917, Bucking Broadway, was long thought to have been lost, but in 2002 the only known surviving print was discovered in the archives of the French National Center for Cinematography[23] and it has since been restored and digitized. Steve "Patch" Johnson On Days of Our Lives, the mercenary's eye was gouged out by the brother of Kayla, his lover until his death in 1990. The statue made by New York sculptor George M. Kelly, cast at Modern Art Foundry, Astoria, NY, and commissioned by Louisiana philanthropist Linda Noe Laine was unveiled on 12 July 1998 at Gorham's Corner in Portland, Maine, United States, as part of a celebration of Ford that was later to include renaming the auditorium of Portland High School the John Ford Auditorium.
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