John Wayne's Leading Ladies

[Art]

John Wayne had a consistent list of male actors he worked with but multiple appearances by women were rare in his films. There are a few exceptions though. His two favorites seem to have been Maureen O'Hara and Vera Miles.

Some of the very few women who made more than one movie with "The Duke."

Maureen O'Hara - 5

Vera Miles - 3 (It would have been four but her scenes as Wayne's wife in "The Green Berets" were deleted.)

Lauren Bacall, Susan Hayward and Angie Dickinson, two each.

[Art]

Natalie Wood

One of the multitude of women who made one movie with Wayne, others with one Wayne movie credit are Janet Leigh, Capucine, Stephanie Powers, Anne Margaret, Paula Prentiss, Yvonne De Carlo, Jennifer O'Neill, Katherine Hepburn and Constance Tower. As I said, women who made multiple films with Wayne were pretty rare. There were guys like Bruce Cabot and Ward Bond each of whom probably made as many movies with Wayne as all of the women in the OP combined. Quite a few "A" list actors like Kirk Douglass, Henry Fonda and Lee Marvin made 2 or more movies with Wayne. Part of it is probably just the kind of movies John Wayne usually made. It's just an interesting bit of trivia.

[JohnF]

How can youse guys forget Marie Magdalene "Marlene" Dietrich, she made three films with the "Duke".

[PKelly]

Part of it is probably just the kind of movies John Wayne usually made. It's just an interesting bit of trivia.

More likely is the fact that all of those repeat performers were all part of the John Ford stock company. In the old studio system actors didn't have the control over their careers actors do now. The studio to whom they were contracted assigned them to projects. Ford had his regulars he liked working with: John Wayne, Harry Carrey, Ward Bond, Maureen O'hara (one of the most beautiful women to ever have walked the earth), etc.

[dryheat]

The Duke got stuck with some clunkers as well. Can you say, Glen Cambell?

[Art]

More likely is the fact that all of those repeat performers were all part of the John Ford stock company. In the old studio system actors didn't have the control over their careers actors do now. The studio to whom they were contracted assigned them to projects. Ford had his regulars he liked working with: John Wayne, Harry Carrey, Ward Bond, Maureen O'hara (one of the most beautiful women to ever have walked the earth), etc.

That's true of what were usually referred to as "The John Ford Players" but a lot of "A" list male performers made multiple movies with Wayne, like the above mentioned Kirk Douglas, who I don't think ever made a John Ford movie with "the Duke." Some of his favorite performers continued to work with him when his movies were produced by Howard Hawks and Wayne's own production company Batjac. Maureen O'Hara made movies with John Wayne with just about every production outfit he worked with. Speaking of Maureen O'Hara, she's still banging along at 92, apparently doing well and apparently still looking pretty good .

[dave]

The Duke got stuck with some clunkers as well. Can you say, Glen Cambell?

And that boy singer? Nelson? One of the best that played with him allot was 'Ole Mose', in the Searchers (Waynes personnel favorite movie) and the Horse Soldiers. Can't remember name of the prositute who played with him in Stagecoach, she was well known at the time.. And then there was Ben Johnson, Victor McCloglin (sp?) (the ex-prize fighter).

[Art]

,,,,,,,Can't remember name of the prositute who played with him in Stagecoach, she was well known at the time........

Claire Trevor

[John Sukey]

Still one of my favorites is "The Quiet Man"

[Griff Murphey]

I always liked the "mature" Romance between Captain Rockwell Torrey and Navy nurse Lt. Maggie Haynes. - Pat Neal - in IN HARM'S WAY.

He was already suffering from lung cancer when they shot that one.