Pilar Wayne was concerned her husband’s “triple responsibilities” on the set of The Alamo would leave his under “stress”, though she admitted she “worried needlessly”
John Wayne remains one of Hollywood’s biggest and most profitable stars, with a career spanning from the silent film era of the Twenties through the golden age of cinema into the Seventies. Despite his immense success, his beloved wife Pilar had concerns about the strain his flourishing career placed on him at times. Throughout his illustrious career, Wayne starred in over 170 films and TV productions, achieving his greatest success in 1970 when he won the Oscar for Best Actor in “True Grit.”
Pilar Wayne was particularly worried about the stress John faced while working on “The Alamo” in 1960, where he took on the triple responsibilities of actor, producer, and director. Hollywood studios were not enthusiastic about the film’s potential, leaving Wayne to shoulder much of the burden alone. However, Pilar noted in her 1987 book, “John Wayne: My Life With the Duke,” co-written with Alex Thorleifson, that she “fell in love with Duke all over again during the filming of The Alamo.”
Pilar added, “I’d been concerned how he’d react to the stress of his triple responsibilities as a producer, director, and star. But I worried needlessly. Duke clearly felt at the peak of his career.”
Wayne’s lengthy career fostered unique and strong bonds with several acclaimed directors, most notably John Ford. Remarkably, Wayne and Ford collaborated on 14 feature films, including classics like “Stagecoach,” “The Searchers,” and “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.”
Pilar, who married Wayne in 1954, detailed how he exuded the patience other directors had with him when working with his own actors. She noticed just how much he enjoyed leading a cast on set. She added, “Although there were days when he used as many as 26 or 27 different camera setups, nothing escaped his watchful eye. He seemed to be everywhere at once, correcting the way an extra sat on his horse or carried his gun, rearranging props, working with the actors, and praising his crew.”
Ford, born in 1894, directed the 1962 film “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” featuring Wayne as the hero, Tom Doniphon. Ford remains the only director to have won four Best Director Oscars.
According to a 2022 report in Closer News Weekly, Scott Eyman, a biographer of both Wayne and Ford, described how the filming of “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” took a toll on Ford due to his declining health. After production wrapped, Wayne was set to receive an award and wanted Ford to present it to him.
Eyman recounted the event, saying, “Ford was announced to introduce Wayne and as he came up the steps to the dais, he stumbled but quickly recovered and introduced Wayne.” Following Ford’s stumble, Wayne, in a gesture of solidarity, purposely tripped over the same step, sliding back down.
Eyman explained, “The audience laughed, thinking it was a setup between the two men. Wayne had done it to make it look like a setup so it wouldn’t appear that Ford, his mentor and father figure, looked bad in front of the audience.”
