You, of course, will be given full recognition--at least as much as you desire.
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John Wayne and John Ford by Andy "Sourdough" Moore |
When I was ten my family moved to Scottsdale, Arizona. Many movies were made there at that time. There were three studios in the area, and a lot of location shooting going on.
While I was in high school a friend of mine's father worked for Motorola, and somehow knew many people in the picture business. He arranged for my friend and I to work after (and as it tuned out, during) school as go-fers and extras for various films being shot in Arizona. When we worked on The Searchers (1956) we acted as go-fers (runners, as we were called then) on the set and as second unit riders in sequences shot for cut-aways and distant shots of Indians and Cavalry Troops. We were told to keep our distance from the actors and principle crew, but after a while things relaxed and we were allowed to get pretty close to the stars. I met Ward Bond, Jeffrey Hunter, Natalie Wood, Henry Brandon, and Harry Carey, Jr. I say "met" because we would ask them questions and make small talk.
But two people we never approached directly because of sheer awe were John Wayne and
John "Pappy" Ford. Hell, most of the people on the set found out that "Donšt speak 'til you're spoken to" was the best policy when it came to Pappy. When shooting the sequence when Jeff Hunter was afraid Duke would shoot Natalie Wood, Duke didn't much like the straw sombrero-type hat he was wearing and told everyone on location that Pappy was the only person in the world who could make him wear a hat that looked so "confounded idiotic."
The one thing I remember about the Duke was his size. Now, I was just a kid, but he was BIG! His favorite Peacemaker revolver (with the red grips) looked like a Derringer in his hands. And a Winchester looked like a kid's .22. He always had a special Winchester that the company modified with an extra large lever opening to accommodate his hand.
Pappy Ford wasn't long on small talk on the set. Most of the actors had done many, many Ford pictures and knew the drill pretty well. He would call action, watch unenthusiastically with his good eye, and then ask the camera man how it was for him. If he got an okay, he would usually print the first take. Usually. Sometimes it seemed that he was crazy, because he would call for take-after-take without telling anyone what was wrong!
When we acted as background riders we were away form the main set most of the time with the second unit. The shot in silhouette where Jeffrey Hunter dropped off the cliff into the camp at night was shot by the second unit.
A few years later I worked on The War Wagon (1967) in Durango, Mexico with Duke Wayne. He was ill at the time.
I was born in Pittsburgh in 1949 with a cowboy hat on my head. As far back as I remember someone has always called me WILD BILL. A few years ago I was working on a film in Mesa, AZ. As it finished I found a man I was working with was best friends with Ben Johnson's nephew. He told me if I ever came to town again he would introduce me to him. Unfortunately Ben died a few weeks later.
When I told this story to a friend she told me how to contact Mr. Harry Carey Jr. His recent book IN THE COMPANY OF HEROES tells about his experiences in the movie industry. His wife is the daughter of western star PAUL FIX. I watched WAGONMASTER that evening. When I contacted Mr. Carey he was very cordial and he invited me to stop in if I ever was passing by.
A few months later I was on my way to LA and I stopped in the town he lives in and gave him a call. When I got to his place he met me at the door and invited me in. I work around actors all the time and it does not bother me, however I felt like a kid at the North pole seeing Santa and his toy shop. We sat down and over a cup of coffee began to talk. We talked about locations, movies and other actors. He mentioned a scene in FORT APACHE and a stuntman named Frank McGrath . I replied that he was the man that played the cook on WAGON TRAIN the TV show. Mr. Carey was surprised that I knew Mr. McGrath as a stunt man. Frank McGrath is the man John Wayne shoots off the high rock in HONDO. This led to a conversation about old stuntmen. It made me feel good being able to talk about a subject rather than just be "a fan".
Seeing Mr. Carey so much over the years I felt like we were friends and from that conversation on it was like talking to an old friend. He than took me into a room that was a picture museum of the old west Mr. Cary with JOHN WAYNE, WARD BOND, SAM ELLIOT, TOM SELLECK, JOHN FORD, BEN JOHNSON, and of course HARRY CAREY SR. He also had photos of his and his father's stars on Hollywood Blvd. An interesting fact is that when the stars for actors were first presented they were to honor the person and were free. These days the honor costs the actor $5000.00. I guess its to cover the costs involved.
Westerns I have worked on include GERONIMO (TNT), AVENGING ANGELS, RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE, and BUFFALO SOLDIERS.
When I was a youngster, Eddie Dean "The Singing Cowboy" was my favorite on the old black & white T.V. In October of 1977 while I was a hunting guide on Santa Cruz Island (CA.), I had the pleasure of being guide to Eddie Dean and his son Eddie Jr. They flew over to the island for a three day hunt and we had us a time! Each night after dinner I'd talk Eddie into singing with his guitar for us. What a nice man and a damn good shot for being in his seventies. At the end of the hunt, I drove 'em up to the dirt airstrip.
While waiting for the plane to land. Eddie asked me if I would be his guest at the Lamplighter in Hollywood where he was singing. Being the character I am, I told him I wern't rightly sure.....he asked how come? I told him I reckon I could make it, if he would sing my favorite western song..."Strawberry Roan" Eddie said he hadn't sung it in years and didn't know if he could remember all the words. About that time the plane landed and was pulling up to us. After shaking hands, Eddie picked up his guitar out of the jeep and started walking toward the plane. He got 'bout halfway there, stopped, turned around and started playing his guitar and singing.... "I was just hanging 'round town not earning a dime, when a feller steps up and say's I suppose, yer a cowboy, by the looks of yer clothes." I told Eddie I'd be there!
Eddie embarressed the hell out of me at his show. After singing his first song, he stopped and told the audience about what a great wild boar and sheep hunt he'd just had on Santa Cruz Island. He then went on to tell 'em about how his guide wouldn't show up if he didn't sing "Strawberry Roan" for him. Eddie sang an honest five minute version of Strawberry Roan! It had more verses in it than Marty Robbins ever heard of! It was the old original "Cowboy" version Eddie had picked up from different cowboys over the years...and he rolled 'em all into one! It was great, what a night we had!
I still have the autographed 33 LP that Eddie gave me that night and it says, "To Dave on the 'Big Hunt' please don't make me open sooo many gates, next time!" Eddie Dean The Album has all his songs and is covered with his early movie photos. I really treasure it!
In 1947 I was in the Air Force at Hamilton just north of San Francisco, Calif. I had no assignment so I was sent to New Mexico by train. Upon arrival in L. A., our train was held up for two hours because they were adding more cars to the train. So I went back to the club car and had a beer.
I was there for about ten minutes when the door opened and three giant men walked in. It was two extras and John Wayne. He told the bartender to lock the door and he would buy drinks for everybody there the rest of the night. I talked to him till about 1:30 a.m. We talked about the Military, the Old West, and Movies. I asked him if there was any type of Western that he liked to do the best? He said no.
The next morning we had breakfast, and he asked me where I was going, and I said New Mexico but that I had no assignment. He then said he was on his way to Flagstaff, Arizona to make a movie and if I would like to be in it he would call my base commander and arrange it. I was afraid I would get into trouble, so I said I could not do it because I might get into a lot of trouble.
That my friend was the worst mistake I ever made. I have regretted it ever since.
The movie was one Red River (1948).
Jimmy Wakely's daughter Lindalee has kindly allowed me to quote her e-mails in which she discusses her dad's horses:
"I don't know if you're aware, but Daddy used two horses in his movies. The first horse he used in his earlier movies was a paint named Lucky. FYI, Lucky was his "stage" name because I guess the producers didn't think his real name was sophisticated enough for the movies. The moviegoers knew the paint as Lucky, but at home, he was plain ole' Tex. We loved Tex.
Another FYI: When Loretta Young needed a particularly gentle and smart horse for
Along Came Jones (1945) all the wranglers in town knew the one for her was our Tex/Lucky. So, Daddy loaned him to her for the film.
Do you know what happened to Lucky after his movie career ended? I don't want to go into a long story, but I think it's really interesting -- so I will -- f.y.i.
Daddy gave Lucky (man, it's so hard not to type Tex!) to the Queen on Jack Bailey's radio show, "Queen For A Day"... She was a fan, wanted a horse, etc. Anyway, years after -- and I don't know why -- but Lucky was placed at Pick Wick Stables in Burbank. He was not there as a rental horse... just boarding there, we believe. Anyway, there was a terrible fire and most of the horses were destroyed. But Lucky hadn't been brought in from a back pasture and he was one of the "lucky" ones... He was alive and well. He was lucky! And he lived out his natural life in leisure.
In Daddy's later movies, he used another horse. He was a golden red color and his name was Sonny. Sonny was friendly like a favorite pet, almost playful, sort of like an overgrown dog in personality . He'd often get out of his stall and head for the front house where he'd stick his head through the open window to see what was cooking... He played with our dogs and was just a wonderful pet.
I just looked through my notes that Daddy kept and found this (it's also in my book): 'I liked Lucky, but his replacement, Sonny, was special too. He was a sorrel pony with four white socks, face and mane, a beautiful horse. He had a calm disposition like a friendly hound dog and the kids loved him. I rode him until I quit pictures.' Sonny used to turn on the rainbird in the back pasture and "run through the sprinklers" on hot summer nights. We thought it was funny! But Daddy wasn't crazy about getting up in the middle of the night and walking to the back pasture in the dark to turn off the sprinklers and return Sonny to his stall... but he always laughed about it.
When we finally sold the ranch to move back to Toluca Lake for the last time, Daddy gave Sonny to the man he bought him from: horse trainer Fat Jones. We all missed Sonny but knew he was in good hands."
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