John Wayne's Explosive Confrontation Over Secret Script Deception
A Hollywood producer's risky gamble with dual scripts backfired spectacularly when the legendary actor discovered the deception, leading to a physical altercation that ended their working relationship forever.
John Wayne stood as one of Hollywood's most intimidating figures, both on and off camera. His commanding presence, distinctive voice, and uncompromising personality made him a force to be reckoned with in Tinseltown. However, this larger-than-life persona sometimes created serious problems behind the scenes.
The Risky Gamble
During production of the 1966 war drama Cast a Giant Shadow, director and writer Melville Shavelson found himself in a difficult position. Wayne had rejected Shavelson's original screenplay and insisted that his regular writing partner, James Grant, rework the entire script. Rather than completely abandon his vision, Shavelson devised a risky strategy.
The film featured an impressive ensemble cast including Kirk Douglas as American military officer David 'Mickey' Marcus, along with Frank Sinatra, Angie Dickinson, and Yul Brynner. Wayne appeared as a U.S. Army General in this story about the formation of Israel's military forces.
The Deceptive Strategy
Shavelson secretly operated with two completely different scripts during filming. Wayne performed his scenes using Grant's revised version, believing the entire production had been rewritten according to his demands. Meanwhile, the rest of the cast worked from Shavelson's original screenplay for all other scenes.
This elaborate deception worked smoothly for weeks, with Wayne completely unaware that his fellow actors were following an entirely different story structure. The director managed to keep both versions running simultaneously without detection.
The Explosive Discovery
The scheme collapsed when Wayne unexpectedly arrived on set during a day he wasn't scheduled to work. He immediately realized the crew was using Shavelson's original script rather than Grant's revision. Wayne's reaction was swift and terrifying.
"One day he turned up when he wasn't supposed to and found we were using the original script," Shavelson later recalled. "He was furious and grabbed me, and to be grabbed by a guy who stands over six feet and is running the goddamn picture was pretty terrifying. After that we used Grant's script. But for a long time after that Wayne and I never spoke."
This confrontation marked the permanent end of any professional relationship between the two men. Wayne's explosive temper and physical intimidation tactics had once again burned a bridge in Hollywood, demonstrating how his off-screen personality could be just as volatile as his on-screen characters.