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.
This is the continuing story of Home For The Seabees, a film made for the US Navy in 1977 that featured John Wayne. I am writing this part of the story for myself, and anyone who wants to know something about the Duke that they did not know or ever seen before can read on.
I had been to Bayshore twice before, but this next visit was to be a one on one with JW dealing with the script. I had good and bad news to bring him. The good news was that the script had arrived from Washington. The bad news was that the script had arrived from Washington.
The script, it was apparent on first reading, had been written before Wayne had agreed to be in it. As it was written, it had ‘the talent’ standing outside a bowling alley, golf course, and a PX surrounded by a large group of customers. To put it bluntly, this would not do. Not for John Wayne…one of Hollywood’s superstars.
I would have to change it, and his eyebrows raised when I said I did not know if I could fix it. We skipped away from the script, and talked mostly about his old movies. Always a fan, as a writer I became a bigger fan. Wayne had said, “It’s impossible to be too close to your writers”, an attitude far different than almost every other actor in town.
He had three great writers that worked on his films; Dudley Nichols (Stagecoach), Borden Chase (Red River), and his close friend James Edward Grant, who wrote 11 of them. There might have been more, but these are the ones I know of. Red River was a favorite of mine, and his. I heard an interesting story about this picture from a writer friend of mine, William Bowers.
Bill was close to Borden Chase, and before Red River came out, Borden had invited Bill to a private screening. It had John Wayne, playing Tom Dunston, a much older man than Wayne himself, when still in his thirties. Wayne later became ever more famous for playing old menin future films like True Grit and many others.
The photos are of True Grit, when he finally won the Big O (He could/should have won at least 2 more), and a prize of mine, a sterling silver cigarette case that was a feature in the living room at both his Encino and Newport homes.
Red River was an An Academy Award performance I think. Anyway, after the screening, Bill was effusive in his praise. Borden said, “But did you see it Bill? “Did you see what I did there?” Bill didn’t. He continued, “Don’t you remember that I told you years ago that Mutiny On The Bounty would make a great Western?” Well it was a great western, proving that little or nothing is new under the Hollywood sun.
Except for Red River’s Hollywood happy ending, it was the same movie. We will get back to the script problems on ‘Home’ in the next chapter in 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. 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.
