The Director Who Rejected John Wayne Faced a Tense Showdown
In classic Hollywood, John Wayne's star power was immense. When he wanted a movie made, it got made. But one director dared to turn down a project based on a bad script, leading to a nerve-wracking encounter with The Duke years later that could have ended his career. What happened when they finally met?
John Wayne's filmography can be split into two distinct categories. First, there were the pictures he simply agreed to appear in. A producer would send an offer, and he'd accept or decline—with the legendary John Ford being perhaps the only filmmaker he'd never turn down. But the second category showcased his true clout. These were the movies that existed solely because The Duke wanted them to. He'd find a script he loved, take it to a studio, and his name alone was enough to get it funded. On these projects, he called the shots, approving everything from the final screenplay to his co-stars and the person in the director's chair.
An Offer He Could Refuse
The 1960 adventure film North to Alaska was one such project, the first in a three-picture deal Wayne had with 20th Century Fox. His go-to collaborator, Henry Hathaway, was initially tapped to direct, but scheduling issues took him out of the running. The job then fell to Richard Fleischer, who was informed of his new gig in a rather unusual way.
A producer casually told him that Wayne had already given his approval. “Well, Duke phoned early this morning from the yacht, and I thought I’d save us all some time and trouble, so I told him all about you, and he said OK,” the producer explained. This approach didn't sit well with Fleischer. “‘No, it isn’t great’, I replied, steam beginning to rise from my collar. ‘It’s terrible. What if I don’t like the story? What if I don’t want to do it?’”
Standing His Ground
As it happened, Fleischer read the script and hated it. The producer, however, saw this as a minor inconvenience. “You’re committed now. You have to do it,” he insisted. But Fleischer wouldn't be bullied into helming a picture with a screenplay he felt was subpar. He stood firm, refusing to move forward without significant changes.
When it became clear no new script was coming, he officially walked away. “Next time you speak to him, you can tell him that I’m not doing the picture.” The producer resorted to a final, desperate threat, suggesting Wayne would get suspicious if he backed out. “If he hears you don’t want to do it, he’ll become suspicious that there’s something wrong with it and will want to see the script.” Fleischer remained unmoved, and eventually, Henry Hathaway’s schedule cleared, allowing him to direct the movie as originally planned.
The Awkward Encounter
Years passed, but the incident wasn't forgotten. When Fleischer finally ran into The Duke in person, the situation became uncomfortable almost immediately. Wayne loomed over him and asked ominously “So, you’re the fella who didn’t want to make a movie with me?” Fleischer admitted, “I froze.” He instantly realized what had happened. “Those bastards in Hollywood had really done it to me. They had given Wayne precisely the impression I didn’t want him to have; that I didn’t want to do the picture because of him.”
Thinking fast, Fleischer mounted his defense, clarifying that he was actually “the fellow who didn’t want to make a bad John Wayne movie.” The tension in the room vanished in an instant. A wave of relief washed over Fleischer as the movie star conceded the point with a simple admission: “You were right,” Wayne said. “I shouldn’t have made that picture, either.”