The One Director Who Turned Down a John Wayne Film
John Wayne’s influence in Hollywood was legendary, but even he faced rejection. When a director refused to helm a Wayne project over script concerns, it led to a tense—and surprising—face-off years later.
There’s a subtle but important difference between movies John Wayne chose to act in and those that came to life simply because he wanted them made. When a filmmaker or producer had a new project in mind and hoped to bring Wayne on board, they’d reach out with an offer. He’d either accept or decline, and that was that—except for John Ford, the rare director Wayne would never say no to. But Wayne’s real clout showed when he found a script he liked. He’d shop it around to studios, and thanks to his star power, they’d usually greenlight the project. He’d have the final say on the script, the cast, and the director—every major decision ran through him.
When a Director Said No to the Duke
In 1960, the adventure film North to Alaska was set to be the first in a three-picture deal Wayne had with 20th Century Fox. Wayne wanted his longtime friend Henry Hathaway to direct, but when Hathaway’s schedule got in the way, the studio turned to Richard Fleischer. Before Fleischer even agreed, a producer told him, “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.” That 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?’
Fleischer wasn’t happy with the script, but the producer didn’t care. “You’re committed now. You have to do it,” he was told. Fleischer stood his ground, refusing to direct North to Alaska unless he got a script he believed in. When that didn’t happen, he walked away. “Next time you speak to him, you can tell him that I’m not doing the picture,” he insisted. The producer tried to pressure him, warning that Wayne would get suspicious and want to see the script if he heard Fleischer was out. But Fleischer wouldn’t budge, and eventually Hathaway returned to direct the film.
An Uncomfortable Reunion
Years later, Fleischer ran into Wayne, and the meeting quickly turned tense. Wayne asked, “So, you’re the fella who didn’t want to make a movie with me?” Fleischer admitted, “I froze. 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.”
Trying to clear the air, Fleischer explained he was actually “the fellow who didn’t want to make a bad John Wayne movie.” The tension broke when Wayne responded, “You were right. I shouldn’t have made that picture, either.”