John Wayne Said to ‘Never Trust a Man That Doesn’t Drink,’ He Was Wrong

Movie star John Wayne was never one to shy away from having a drink. Whether he was on a movie set or enjoying life on his houseboat, he frequently enjoyed including alcohol in his plans. According to the official Wayne Facebook page, he claimed, “I never trust a man who doesn’t drink.” However, this revealed a lot about his character.

John Wayne found comradery in sharing a drink

It’s important to acknowledge why Wayne held such importance in an alcoholic drink, to begin with. He greatly valued the comradery that came with sharing alcohol with a friend or a colleague. The movie star viewed it as an opportunity to be genuine with one another, and to share laughs and stories.

Some of Wayne’s closest friends included actor Ward Bond and director John Ford. The trio often pulled pranks on one another that became increasingly more elaborate, including a time when the actor set Bond’s chest on fire.

Wayne also had a drink with Gunsmoke actor James Arness. The Western film star initially had the up-and-comer under his contract, but they became good friends and connected on a deeper level beyond the black-and-white paper. Wayne allowed him out of his contract and encouraged him to take on the lead role as U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon, which launched him into stardom.

Masculinity and drinking

Wayne held another type of meaning in having a drink with another person. He associated it with masculinity, which defined his character’s image both on and off the silver screen. In a time with more traditional gender roles, men worked, while women remained at home. His way of unwinding at the end of a long day included alcohol.

There was only one woman in Wayne’s life that he held to the same standard as his male friends – Maureen O’Hara. They co-starred in classic movies such as McLintock!, The Quiet Man, and Rio Grande, all of which further solidified them both as major stars. Wayne called O’Hara his only female friend, pulling her into his social circle. He wanted her to drink along with them, but that scene didn’t entice her quite as much.

Wayne didn’t trust a man who didn’t drink, but it was also closely tied to masculinity. If they didn’t indulge, then they didn’t meet his definition of a “real man.” He wasn’t the only member of Hollywood to dip into booze, as it was closely tied to the culture.

However, there are plenty of folks in the Hollywood system and outside of it who either stopped drinking or don’t drink at all for various reasons. Conversely, this statement could be flipped on its head to read, “Never trust a person that drinks too much.”

John Wayne had difficulty maintaining trust

Wayne used a drink of liquor as his litmus test to weed out people that he didn’t want to trust. However, the movie star had some trust issues of his own. He married three times over the course of his lifetime, and alcohol and affairs had parts to play in that.

His first wife, Josephine, grew tired of his affairs, while his second wife, Esperanza Baur, also known as Chata, had explosive arguments that alcohol didn’t necessarily help. It grew to a boiling point one night after a movie premiere that nearly led to him getting shot by Chata.

Wayne had an undeniable charm that drew many women to him, but he had difficulty maintaining that trust later into their relationship.