Actor John Wayne didn’t at all times have stardom on the mind, especially when he was in high school. He had a number of passions, involving himself in several areas, involving journalism, debate, and sports activities. However, Wayne was undeniably a prankster who discovered a method to embarrass an actor in a way that caused the viewers to erupt into a sea of laughter.
John Wayne labored with props in high school
John Wayne | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Before Wayne developed his ardour as an actor, he discovered enjoyment working within the Stage Society as a prop boy. There, he built units and helped with manufacturing design and the rest required to tug off the school’s newest productions. According to Carolyn McGivern’s book, John Wayne: A Giant Shadow, he thought the school productions have been “a source of unending amusement.”
The movie star developed a robust understanding of units earlier than heading right into a career in performing. However, Wayne was no stranger to humiliation, which frequent collaborator and filmmaker John Ford regularly subjected him to. It grew to become a part of his world, as he discovered to each dish it and take it.
John Wayne pranked an actor with a ‘forgotten’ telephone
Wayne teased an actor for his own amusement in a prank that received him into hassle, which led him to acknowledge that maybe he took it a bit too far. However, this wasn’t a single incident, as he frequently performed practical jokes throughout his high school profession and beyond. McGivern wrote concerning the prank on the unsuspecting actor and what turned of him after he got caught.
He was supposed to ring a bell to give the impression that the actor was getting a telephone name on the stage. But, Wayne deliberately “forgot” to place a cellphone on the stage, making the performer unable to answer the telephone in a convincing method. As a outcome, the viewers burst into laughter, as the actor stood there in embarrassment.
The Duke “convulsed with laughter” at the prank, but a instructor caught him and tore him apart for it. As a result, Wayne admitted that the prank was mistaken and tried his finest to behave around that trainer sooner or later. Nevertheless, he still performed sensible jokes during high school, finding joy in not taking life too seriously.
John Ford took John Wayne from props to an actor
Wayne continued working in props before making the transfer to becoming an actor. Ford met the Duke at Fox, where he caught the director’s eye for his look. However, their collaborations didn’t come till Wayne was already working as an actor in different films. Raoul Walsh gave him his first substantial alternative to star in a number one role in 1930’s The Big Trail. After that didn’t work out, Ford refused to acknowledge Wayne for years.
Nevertheless, not considered one of the B-movies that followed blossomed the actor into an actual star. Ford transformed the Duke into an actual American star with 1939’s Stagecoach. The movie was an ensemble piece that highlighted multiple characters, however Wayne proved why he turned the star that he became. They finally collaborated on 14 films over the course of their careers.
