The Director Who Turned Down John Wayne’s Film Offer
A rare moment in Hollywood: a director declined to helm a John Wayne project, leading to an uncomfortable exchange years later. Discover what happened when creative differences clashed with star power.
There’s a subtle distinction when it comes to the films associated with John Wayne. On one hand, there were those productions where he simply accepted a role, and on the other, those that came to fruition because he personally championed them. If a director or producer fancied having ‘The Duke’ on board, they’d extend an invitation. He’d either agree or politely decline, with John Ford being perhaps the only director he’d never consider refusing. The second category, however, was a product of Wayne’s considerable influence; if a script caught his eye, he’d take it to the studios, who would almost always greenlight the project, given his status as a box office draw. He’d have the final say on the script, the cast, and the director—every significant decision would pass through him.
When Creative Control Meets Resistance
The 1960 adventure film North to Alaska fell squarely into the latter group. It was the first in a trio of pictures Wayne had agreed to make with 20th Century Fox. His long-time associate, Henry Hathaway, was initially chosen to direct, but when scheduling conflicts intervened, the studio’s attention shifted to Richard Fleischer. Before Fleischer had even made up his mind, he was told that Wayne had already given his approval. A producer informed him,
“Well, Duke phoned early this morning from the yacht, and I thought I’d save us all some time and trouble, so I told him all about you, and he said OK.”
Fleischer was less than thrilled by this arrangement, responding,
“No, it isn’t great,” I replied, steam beginning to rise from my collar. “It’s terrible. What if I don’t like the story? What if I don’t want to do it?”
As it happened, Fleischer wasn’t taken with the script at all. The producer, however, was unmoved, warning him,
“You’re committed now. You have to do it.”
Fleischer stood his ground, refusing to direct North to Alaska unless the script met his standards. Since it didn’t, he declined the offer outright:
“Next time you speak to him, you can tell him that I’m not doing the picture.”
The producer tried a bit of pressure, suggesting,
“If he hears you don’t want to do it, he’ll become suspicious that there’s something wrong with it and will want to see the script.”
But Fleischer wouldn’t be swayed, and in the end, Hathaway returned to direct the film.
An Awkward Encounter Years Later
Years down the line, Fleischer found himself face to face with Wayne, and the atmosphere quickly became rather tense. Wayne asked,
“So, you’re the fella who didn’t want to make a movie with me?”
Fleischer admitted,
“I froze. Those bastards in Hollywood had really done it to me. They had given Wayne precisely the impression I didn’t want him to have; that I didn’t want to do the picture because of him.”
He quickly clarified his position, insisting he was actually
“the fellow who didn’t want to make a bad John Wayne movie.”
Fortunately, the tension dissipated almost immediately when Wayne conceded,
“You were right. I shouldn’t have made that picture, either.”