Many people think The Shootist was John Wayne’s last film but that really was not the case. The Shootist was his last theatrical release in 1976 – directed by Don Siegel and based on Glendon Swarthout’s 1975 novel of the same name. Home For The Seabees was a film for the US Navy and not a theatrical release. It was produced in 1977. It currently is being shown everyday at the Navy Historical Museum in Port Hueneme, California. Wayne agreed to do this movie because he admired the Seabees since he completed the movie, The Fighting Seabees in 1944. This is part one of a seven part series.
I can safely say I have been a John Wayne fan before many, if not most of you, were born. I was a fan in 1962 when I was in the Navy and stationed on Taiwan. A new Wayne movie was showing in downtown Taipei, and I left the security of the American community to go see it.
There was only one seat left, in the front row. I could touch the screen with my foot. That the theater was full is a tribute to his world-wide appeal. I watched The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, looking straight up at that giant figure, so close I could almost touch him. You would think that was as close to John Wayne as I could get…but you would be wrong.
In 1944 Republic Pictures released a film called The Fighting Seabees. It was about the Navy’s famed Construction Battalions. John Wayne starred. In 1977 the Navy wanted to make a film called Home For The Seabees, and, of course wanted John Wayne to be in it. I first heard of this from my Naval Reserve boss, Commander Harry Flynn. Harry wanted to know if I wanted to attend a meeting at Wayne’s house on Bayshore in Newport Beach. Of course I told him I was much too busy…and if you believe that you shouldn’t be reading this.
I was the Executive Officer or XO for short and Harry was the Commanding Officer (CO) of the Naval Reserve Combat Camera Group Pacific and if the film happened we would provide movie and still photography. I was a member of the Writer’s Guild and that would be my department. Harry and I were minor players in a sea of Big Brass that had come from Washington and wangled there way West from DC to meet John Wayne. We were all seated together in his living room, yet Harry and I couldn’t actually see him with all the brass present.
After pleasantries, a film of mine, Flight From Yesterday, a history of Naval Aviation was shown. A schoolmate of mine James Drury had done the narration. John Wayne was a man of great enthusiasm that was easily seen and heard.
“Damn”, he said, “This is great”. Oaths and praise continued through the rest of the movie. Afterword, the senior Admiral pleaded with Wayne to do the Navy film about the Seabees. “Oh, I’ll do it for ‘ya….I’ll do it for ‘ya….I’ll do it if it’s a good one or a bad one.. but that guy who wrote the movie, he knows how to do it.” That guy, was me! “Give him the power. Watch him mind you…but he knows how to do it.”
All of a sudden I was seated next to John Wayne. Home For The Seabee’s was a go. It would be the Duke’s last film….and yet the beginning of a series of stories yet to come.
If you missed any parts of this series, click on the titles below to catch up on what you missed …
Part One: “I’ll Do It For Ya!”
Part Two: The Movie is a Go!
Part Three: “It’s Impossible to be too Close to your Writers”
Part Four: Rewriting the Script for a Hollywood Legend
Part Five: “Who Better to Write for John Wayne than the Duke Himself”
Part Six: Walking the Last Mile
Part Seven: Wrapping Up Production: A Safety Tip From The Duke Himself
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John Wayne was one of the “larger than life” celebrities from the Golden Age of Hollywood. It was my pleasure to work with “Mr. Wayne” (aso I called him) along with many other greats of that era. If you liked this story, you can read more about The Duke and many others I had the opportunity to interact with in my coffee table book Starcatcher: A True Life Hollywood Fantasy. At 83 years old, I decided to bring out the old typewriter and write my first book about my adventures. I found a great publisher who decided to make my book available to all of you! The fine folks at Robert Reed Publishers has the book on sale now with some great information and highlights.
