A John Ford film has been unearthed.
It’s not often that a 100-year-old silent movie makes headlines.
Or that a director has a profile to match that of some of the big Hollywood stars.
But John Ford is in rarefied company.
Previous versions of The Scarlet Drop were incomplete, now the whole film is available again.
His pioneering westerns - making the most of the awe-inspiring landscapes of the south-west - played a huge role in creating an image of America in the American (and the world’s) mind.
The Scarlet Drop, the newly discovered 1918-made, 50-minute film probably won’t become a hit, but Ford’s Cavalry Trilogy will be on TV screens somewhere in the world right now.
That’s why Ford is a collectible figure in his own right.
Here are amazing facts about one of Hollywood’s greatest directors:
Ford in 1946, dark glasses and sometimes a patch were to protect poor vision, a result of, in part, his impatient refusal to recover properly from cataract surgery.
1 - His real name and birth date are unsure
Ford came from an Irish background and sometimes used Irish language versions of his names, alternating between John Feeney and Seán Aloysius O'Feeny or Ó Fearna.
Records say he was born (in Maine) in 1894, but he insisted on 1895 to the extent that that’s the birth year on his tombstone.
2 - Ford was a Rear Admiral in the US Navy Reserve
Ford continued to work as a filmmaker and photographer during World War II. He made documentaries and propaganda work, but also oversaw intelligence photography and filming. He was (probably) a first-hand witness at D-Day and helped record and authenticate records of Nazi crimes against humanity.
His work earned him a commission as a commander, he remained a reserve officer after WWII, served again during the Korean War and got a promotion to Rear Admiral as he left the Navy Reserve.
3 - One of Ford’s greatest masterpieces was heavily edited by the studio
My Darling Clementine, a 1946 retelling of the story of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corrall, is universally acknowledged as one of Ford’s greatest works. But when he handed it in to the studio his boss, Darryl F Zanuck thought it flabby and employed journeyman director Lloyd Bacon to shoot more footage and make cuts. The released version trimmed off around 30 minutes from Ford’s original work, which has never been found.
Henry Fonda preparing to clean up the town as Wyatt Earp in My Darling Clementine.
4 - The final work of Ford’s Cavalry Trilogy was a rush-job to meet contract demands
Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and Rio Grande, all based on short stories by James Warner Bellah have been grouped into a Cavalry Trilogy in Ford’s legend.
But, to describe that as an intentional artistic choice might be going too far. Rio Grande was made in just 32 days when Republic Pictures refused to finance his passion project, The Quiet Man, without an accompanying western that they knew would bring in cash.
5 - Ford chewed through 12 handkerchiefs a day
A man of somewhat eccentric character, Ford never went anywhere without a burning pipe. And he also chewed on handkerchiefs while filming.
Reportedly his wife would give him 12 fresh linen squares each morning, receiving a chewed dozen back at the end of the day.
6 - Ford pretended to be a tough guy he probably wasn’t
A famous Ford story recounts him assaulting an unemployed actor who asked him for money, when in fact the director gave the man considerable help, including supplying specialist doctors to treat his unwell wife.
He feared letting Hollywood colleagues - and potential rivals - know he had a softer side according to actor Frank Kirby.
Henry Fonda in Oscar-winner the Grapes of Wrath. Ford knew how to compose an image.
7. He won four and collected one Best Director Oscar
John Ford’s four Best Director Oscars are still a record.
He won them for The Informer (1935), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), How Green Was My Valley (1941) and The Quiet Man (1952).
He attended just one ceremony though, greatly polishing his rebel, devil-may-care reputation by excusing himself as variously drunk, fishing, or serving in the military.
8. Have you heard of Jack Pennick, maybe Ford’s favourite actor?
Ford was so loyal to the actors he liked that he’s credited with having a Stock Company.
Most favoured was Jack Pennick. Really a bit part player, Pennick’s background (his father was a gold miner) was perfect for Ford’s oeuvre, and he appeared in at least 41 films, often uncredited.
He also served under Ford during WWII.
9. John Ford was a son of a bitch
Ford made tough films about tough men, and was tough while doing it.
“The only man who could make John Wayne cry,” is how one colleague described his shooting style.
He punched Henry Ford on set and would humiliate anyone he felt like humiliating - most often visiting film executives checking up on him - with practical jokes that are often described as “sadistic”.
Ford went out on a limb to make Wayne a star, and united him with the other great Western actor James Stewart in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. You can see a letter between the pair by clicking on the image.
10. John Ford built a complete replica of a Welsh mining village for How Green was My Valley
How Green Was My Valley is one of a number of films Ford made with British themes.
Unfortunately, its production in 1941 meant setting up a major production in wartime Wales was out of the question.
Undaunted, Ford took his cast (with just one Welsh actor) into the Santa Monica Mountains above Malibu, where an 80-acre replica of a Welsh mining village was built.
Ford capturing the action in Rhondda, California, the village set was a great example of Hollywood's dedication to illusion.
It should have resembled Gilfach Goch, where author Richard Llewellyn (whose own claims to authentic Welsh experience were somewhat mixed) probably spent time with his grandfather.
The same village played the role of a Norwegian town in an anti-Nazi piece, The Moon is Down, made a couple of years later, and it’s now the site of a ritzy country club.
11. John Ford is a Belgian knight
Among John Ford’s impressive collection of military ribbons is The Order of Leopold, the highest award of the Belgian state.
It may relate to his war time propaganda and intelligence work, but it’s also the case that at least one Ford film was used as post-war anti-communist propaganda by American diplomats in Belgium.
Whatever the reason, it’s an exclusive club, and very few foreigners get this substantial award.
12. Ford’s left his mark on maps of America
Ford’s westerns were so groundbreaking because of their extensive location shooting.
The view from John Ford's Point, an image of American landscapes Ford's films sent around the world. By OliBac commons.wikimedia.org
He shot nine films in Monument Valley, on the border of Utah and Arizona, and used the extraordinary rock formations there to make some of the most famous images in movie history.
The whole area is sometimes called John Ford Country as a result, and a raised vantage he used in several movies is now officially known as John Ford’s Point.
Buy John Ford memorabilia today
A plain-speaking man, John Ford gets straight to the point as he writes to John Wayne. Click to buy the original letter now.
John Ford’s most famous association is with John Wayne. Without Ford there’s no Wayne. The pair worked and played together, and this letter is a fascinating look at their relationship and more.
And we have several other Wayne letters - everyone loves our Lauren Bacall letter.
