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 two of a seven part series.
If you missed Part 1 of this series, “I”ll Do It For Ya!” click here!
As I said in the beginning, Home For The Seabees was now a go. But there were script and other issues yet to be dealt with. That will come in next next chapter of this series.
Home For The Seabees was now a go and John Wayne was aboard. My Naval Reserve Unit, Combat Camera Group Pacific would handle the location shooting at Port Hueneme, California the West coast home of the Seabees. My boss, Commander Harry Flynn and I went back to Bayshore to meet with Wayne to discuss the project. Tough duty.
It was a bit early, as none of us had seen a script yet, but setting a date for shooting, and various other production matters had to be addressed. This was in early June, 1977. He met us at the door himself, and showed us around his place. Wayne’s “50 Years Of Hard Work Wall”, contained trophies and other memories of his long and successful career and was a true highlight.
We saw the Wild Goose, a former Navy mine sweeper, moored out back. Up front, he told us that he and the Goose would being going for the annual Summer trip to the Pacific Northwest. That would mean production on the picture could not begin til early September. I was glad to hear it, as there was much to be done. I really wanted to talk to him about his career, but it was not the time. Duke (I never called him that), had another agenda.
He wanted to talk about a book. He and a noted writer, Wayne Warga, had been discussing doing an authorized biography, and he had a problem with that. “I’m 70 now, and I’m supposed to….remember all that happened? I never kept a journal. You guys, you’re young, and you…should start to keep a journal to help you remember stuff.” When John Wayne says something like that to you, you better listen.
I began a journal that day. He then began to discuss the books that had been written about him. It sounded like he did not like any of them. This was going to be a problem to me. I had brought two copies of a Wayne biography called Shooting Star that I liked very much. “That SOB was no friend of mine…. He insulted my mother!” I shoved the books as far away from his sight as possible.
Duke could from hot to cold in a heart beat. “I did like that one book….the one the Polish guys did.” That book was the The Complete Films Of John Wayne. I bought a copy later that day. Then he brought up The Fighting Seabees. He had some colorful observations on that too.
“Why, that newspaper dame (Susan Hayward) was beatin’ me to every island.” He had offered many suggestions to the director on improving the film. His suggestions had been ignored. “I didn’t have the power then”, pounding his fist into a calloused palm. It sounded like a .45 had gone off. “I didn’t have the power.” Flynn and I exchanged glances. It was apparent here that we were dealing with A Force Of Nature. This is going to be fun, I thought, this is going to be a blast. And it was.
I owe John Wayne a lot. The journal that Wayne suggessted I write, led to quotes which led to stories, which eventually became my book Starcatcher. Though Duke was in my book, it is not, nor will it ever be, a biography or autobiography of John Wayne. My book is about the Hollywood elite, and John Wayne was a part of that crowd.
The Warga book never happened, and though on this day Duke Wayne looked and acted as healthy as you or I. It was, as Pat Stacy wrote, “The last good Summer.” He was to die about a year an a half later. I still believe, if I had met John Wayne a few years sooner, I may have had a hand in seeing his personal biography get done. He liked my work. “That movie that you wrote,” he said as we left his house that day, “That was a damn good one.”
As I said in the beginning, Home For The Seabees was now a go. But there were script and other issues yet to be dealt with. That will come in next next chapter of this series.
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 and found a great publisher who was willing to print my book and make it available to all of you! Robert Reed Publishers has the book on sale now and you can get some great info and highlights on their website.
