John Wayne Waited 1 Year to Fully Plan This Elaborate Prank on John Ford
Actor John Wayne always looked up to filmmaker John Ford as both a mentor and the man who helped blow up his career. However, that didn’t mean that their relationship didn’t have its fair share of bumps. They didn’t always get along, but their younger years were certainly full of practical jokes. Wayne once waited an entire year to finish planning an elaborate prank on Ford, which only continued their long-running joke exchange.
John Wayne and John Ford made 14 movies together
Wayne and Ford made both Western and non-Western movies over the course of their collaborations. However, their working relationship extends far back before the actor had speaking lines, as he worked as a crew member on some earlier pictures, such as 1928’s Four Sons.
The pair created some of the most memorable movies of their time, including 1939’s Stagecoach, 1956’s The Searchers, and 1949’s She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. The list goes on with other impressive titles, such as 1952’s The Quiet Man and 1962’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Raoul Walsh started Wayne’s acting career with 1930’s The Big Trail, but Ford is who ultimately grew him into the star that he became.
John Wayne had to wait 1 year to fully plan a prank on John Ford involving his home
Pilar Wayne and Alex Thorleifson’s book titled John Wayne: My Life With the Duke explored the actor’s relationship with Ford. When the pair weren’t working together, they would still spend much of their free time together. However, this included “rough humor” and “outlandish practical jokes” that would occasionally go a bit too far. Nevertheless, it created laughter for Wayne and Ford.
Pilar explained that Wayne waited an entire year to pull off one of the pranks that he had in mind for Ford. He had to hold back until it was obvious that the filmmaker was comfortable and happy in his home.
“Then Duke borrowed a replica of a city truck from Warner Brothers, hired a couple of actors to impersonate a survey crew, and sent them to Ford’s new house to announce that Ford would have to move because a freeway was going to run right through his living room. From their reports, Ford was apoplectic.”
The actor and filmmaker played many rowdy pranks on each other
Wayne and Ford continued their practical jokes back and forth in a tit-for-tat manner. Ford would follow up with the next practical joke through a public magazine interview, where he told a reporter that Henry Fonda was his favorite actor in the industry. As a result, the gossip columns ran with it that there must be a feud between Wayne and Ford.
Nevertheless, the actor didn’t fall for the joke and didn’t provide any response until Ford called him to offer him a role. Wayne responded, “Why don’t you get your favorite actor?” before hanging up on him and refusing all of his calls.
Ward Bond was the third member of the group who would also participate in the jokes, but Wayne’s third wife, Pilar, was happy that these wild antics calmed down by the time she entered the picture.
