> Obituary Archive By 1960, he was starting to garner more attention from Hollywood producers, and after roles inPork Chop Hill (1959), The Last Voyage (1960), andSpartacus(1960), Hollywood deemed he was no longer an extra and deserved more attention. Con Jock Mahoney, Woody Strode, Tsu Kobayashi, Earl Cameron. Michael Munns 2005 biography, Jimmy Stewart: The Truth Behind the Legend[aff. Excellent points Dennis, thanks for commenting! But I must say I got a little smug about it. Woody Strode's extraordinary career led him from football field to wrestling ring to Hollywood. Thanks again for reading, and thanks so much for commenting! It would be interesting to hear Janes thoughts. I do believe he love life and all Gods creations. The Buccaneer (1958) Thanks for reading Brian! It took skill to do that fight scene without actually hurting myself or hurting Douglas., Kirk Douglas faces off with Woody Strode in Spartacus, He left for Italy in 1969, frustrated with the lack of meaty roles as an African-American. Also in the Munn interview, Strode relates an incident in which. Woody Strode and Jimmy Stewart in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). It was the dark side of the American dream.. Strode is perhaps best remembered as the stoic slave gladiator in Spartacus (1960) who tells Kirk Douglas: I dont want to be your friend. For nearly two decades he remained a pioneer against racism in the film and television industry. A Los Angeles native, he excelled in athletics at UCLA in the late 1930s, where he was explosive as a decathlete as well as part of the college football team that also included Jackie Robinson he, Robinson, and future NFL starKenny Washington made up three of the four backfields and were dubbed the Gold Dust Gang by the press. For nearly two decades he remained a pio- neer against racism in the film and television industry. He was interred with military honors at Riverside National Cemetery, east of his hometown.. Stewart was never rude to mehe was never rude to anyone. I encourage you to read my full article for further insights into the character of Jimmy Stewart. The two became friends, and Ford later gave Wayne his breakthrough role in Stagecoach, the film that launched Wayne to Hollywood stardom. But I could tell he preferred to be around Lee Marvin or [John] Wayne than me., Also in the Munn interview, Strode relates an incident in whichLiberty Valance director, John Ford, asked Jim what he thought of Woodys costume, which consisted of old overalls an equally old hat. Jul 1: Money in the Bank Stay tuned to theLast Word on Pro Wrestlingfor more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. End of story. In a gold-yielding town under a gang's reign of terror, an unusual alliance is forming -- between the townspeople, gunmen, and circus performers.1969 Spaghet. According to Jimmy Stewart, Los Angeles in 1934 was: Magical! Woody Strode was a Black Indian (his grandmother was Black Cherokee and his grandfather was Black Muscogee) and an outstanding athlete. Subscribe to our newsletter for new stories, tips & events. An athlete turned actor, Strode was a top-notch decathlete and a football star at UCLA. > Video Your email address will not be published. Semantic Scholar is a free, AI-powered research tool for scientific literature, based at the Allen Institute for AI. Key West (TV) (1973) Besides Ford, Strode also worked with storied directors Cecil B. Her brother Peter said that Jimmy Stewart was not racist. They broke the NFLs modern colour barrier the year before, suiting up for the Los Angeles Rams. Reviews. My grandparents were not especially anti-Semitic, but admitted they would not support Jewish political candidates. Stewart was of the same opinion. Sundown (1941). He was a good man deserving of the love and admiration that so many of us have for him. Sergeant Rutledge (1960) link], repeats The Jimmy Stewart Show casting misunderstanding, citing it as evidence of, in Munns own words, Jims racist spirit. Munn also claims that a 1976 interview he conducted with black actor Woody Strode, Jims co-star in 1962s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, further proves that Jimmy Stewart was a racist. debut in 1941 in Henry Hathaway' s Sundown. His last film was The Quick and the Dead, which starred Sharon Stone. As Kanter recalled, Jim didnt like the idea of a black police officer lecturing him on television, and threatened to use his casting approval to get Hal Williams out of the show. I just started to do it full-time in 1951.. In fact, Woody was already calling someone on his cell phone: Shawn. Born July 28, 1914, in Los Angeles, California, Woody Strode (Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode) was first of the star football athletes to become a successful film actor. Sharing hotel, meals, and a piano jam session on and off film with Duke Ellington. The picture was about, oh, more than halfway finished. And I looked at Duke Wayne, and he was beaming like a cat that had just eaten the mouse And Duke came over, and said, Well, welcome to the club. We both gotta be professionals. In 1941, he began working as a professional wrestler, and in 1946, he and Washington became the first two African-American football players to play in the NFL, when they signed with the Los Angeles Rams. > Movies & TV Jungle Gents (1954) Or taken out of the script altogether. The Last Rebel (1971) Yet it was this famous athleteturned-actor who, with the great running back Kenny Washington, overcame the segregation hurdle in professional football when they signed with the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League in 1946. For his book, Dewey interviewed the producer of Jimmys 1971 television show, writer Hal Kanter. Pete Thodos would score shortly thereafter to seal a 12-7 Calgary win. He was not racist, and your essay more than demonstrates this. best of friends ever since they were children, Psych 2: Lassie Come Home: 10 Easter Eggs You Totally Missed. Thanks for commenting Rich! A recently posed question casts a shadow on the otherwise pristine legacy of Jimmy Stewart. It needed to be done. I might have to kill you. He appeared in any number of other films, among them The Ten Commandments (1956). Pompey actor Woody Strode remembered that Ford kept needling Duke about his failure to make it as afootballplayer, comparing him to Strode who was a former NFL player. John Ford wasnt afraid to explore bigotry in his films, but Sergeant Rutledge is a standout and the first big-budget Western to feature a black man as the hero played by Woody Strode. And, as my article highlights, Hal Williams was not fired from The Jimmy Stewart Show. If Jim had an issue with casting a black actor, why was Williams not fired? Of course, Robinson would go on to break major league baseballs colour barrier in 1947. Racism comes in different shapes and forms, as does the label racist. Your article doesnt refute Kanters supposed claim that Stewarts character, even though he may have confused roles, was nonetheless uncomfortable about being lectured by a black character. Aka: Black Jesus According to Kanter, Jim was chagrined by his mixup. DON'T MISSJohn Wayne: The Searchers set revelation that saw John Ford speechless[THE SEARCHERS]How the West Was Won: Idiot drunk producer, near-death and more[HOW THE WEST WAS WON]John Wayne: Why Elvis turned down Dukes offer to co-star in Western[ELVIS]. At many times throughout the stressful saga, Woody is also fearing for his life, even pleading desperately with his captor and the episode's villain. Thank you for bringing the evidence together. Your email address will not be published. But i am so glad to find out it was not true. Every old Hollywood fan should read this. And when we lost, we cried like babies.. Aka: Boot Hill as a Black American, years ago, I read that Jimmy was racist. Released in 1960, when the U.S. was in the early stages of the Civil Rights Movement, the film confronted racial injustice head on. Apr 2: WWE WrestleMania Thanks for setting me straight. Despite his romance with Dinah Shore in the 1940s Stewart was also known to express some mildly anti-Semitic views during the counterculture movement. How many games did . from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much. In the interview, Marvin relates an incident where Jimmy Stewart actively opposed the racist behavior of another actor on set. Woody Strode was born in Los Angeles, CA. That doesnt sound like a racist! To promote Brotherhood Week, Jimmy Stewart opened and closed a 3 minute trailer that played before feature films at theaters across the United States. 'The Harder They Fall' owes a tip of the hat to the pro footballer turned actor, who played the title role in one of the first mainstream films to plainly address racism. He's a baffling combination of crass and innocent, and all of his interactions with every member of the series' primary cast are always guaranteed to bring a laugh. This article looks at Woody Strode, an early African-American and Native American star who left pro wrestling in the early 1960s to become an actor in Hollywood for decades. But I gradually learned L.A. was heavily segregated. He became part of Hollywood lore after meeting director John Ford and becoming a part of the Ford "family," appearing in four Ford motion pictures. 20072023 Blackpast.org. Colpo in canna (1975) In response, Ford said: Whats wrong with Uncle Remus? The director then called the crews attention and shouted: One of ourplayersdoesn't like Woody's costume. Mar 5: AEW Revolution She has a passion for character-driven stories with dynamic but flawed leads, and a special weakness for all things 1980s. Also Stewart even stayed up late much to director Premingers chagrin during Anatomy Of A Murder to play with Duke Ellington. If the interview did in fact occur, Munn quotes Strode as saying that, on the set of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Jimmy Stewart was too decent a person to be a hard-case racist, but that Strode believed Jim was uncomfortable around him. Strode appeared in at least 90 films, from Sunrise in 1941 to his last, The Quick and the Dead, released in 1995. And I agree, it would be illogical to assume that Jimmy Stewart was racist based on his support of Nixon, Reagan, and US troops in Vietnam. Woody Strode was born in California on July 25, 1914. Strodes riveting presence among a trio of hired gunslingers waiting at the train station in the spaghetti western, Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), is unforgettable. Well researched! Required fields are marked *. He was a decathlete and football star who was one of the first Black American players in the National Football League in the postwar era. Thanks for reading Tracy! Woody has appeared in key roles in bothPsych the Movie andPsych 2: Lassie Come Home, but it's one particular moment in the first film that ranks at the top of the list when it comes to his best quotes. According to Strode, John Ford then called the whole cast and crew over, and twisted the comment into something Jimmy Stewart never said. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone. Warner Bros. wanted Sidney Poitier, but Ford pushed back, saying he wasnt tough enough to play Rutledge. Strode played college football for the UCLA Bruins, the most integrated collegiate team in the nation in 1939, which included future NFL running back Kenny Washington and future Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Jackie Robinson. I really cried for days because hes one of my favorite actors and I am African-American. Aug 5: WWE SummerSlam, > Archives Stewart said: It looks a bit Uncle Remussy to me. This was a reference to the controversial fictional narrator of 19th century African-American folktales, who was later the main character in Disneys 1946 movie Song of the South a film that Disney does not make available today due to its racist stereotyping. Strode as a member of the Calgary Stampeders. Thank you for reading! The same year he broke into pro wrestling, he also got his start in Hollywood, making his debut in the 1941 filmSundown. Stewart said that he didnt like it. His words, actions, and moral code prove the fallacy of any rumor to the contrary. Every day, someone was at the bottom of the list in the barrel, as you say, Stewart said of Fords tendency to take his frustrations out on his underlings. Required fields are marked *. 10 Witty Buddy Comedies To Watch If You Love 'Psych', Psych: Ranking The Main Characters By Intelligence. Actually, I had been rassling in the off-season anyhow, Strode told the late, great Canadian newspaper columnist Jim Proudfoot. Strode also played the powerful gladiator who does battle with Kirk Douglas in Spartacus (1960)." In the interview, Marvin relates an incident where Jimmy Stewart actively opposed the racist behavior of another actor on set. Hi Yolanda, it is such a disturbing rumor. Thanks for reading Brice! Strode died in his sleep at his home in Glendora, California of lung cancer on December 31, 1994. debut in 1941 in Henry Hathaway' s Sundown. link]. you have laid my thoughts about him to rest, and that he truly was a good, good man. Jimmy Stewart was a remarkable man who loved all his fellowman. Is Woody Strode in the Hall of Fame? Cowboysan (1977) Ford was so impressed with Strode, he gave him the starring role in 1960's Sergeant Rutledge, a Technicolor Western about a U.S. Cavalry sergeant falsely accused of raping a white woman and . Thanks for reading David! Hal Kanter is our only primary source to say that Jimmy had an issue with the casting of Hal Williams. Strode served in the Air Force from 1942 to 1946, including time in Guam and the Marianas where he unloaded bombs. Hi James, thanks for commenting. Additionally, the director kept mocking Wayne for not enlisting in World War II, which made the star feel guilty in his later years. Jimmys words and actions prove that he was not racist. Otherwise, we would have been inMonument ValleyorBrackettvilleand we would have had colour stock. See SERGEANT RUTLEDGE (60) on 7/31 at 10:45pm ET as we continue our spotlight Directed by John Ford.Look for this films on Watch TCM at http://tcm.com/watch.Connect with Turner Classic Movies:Visit TCM WEBSITE: http://myt.cm/TCMwebsiteFollow TCM on INSTAGRAM: http://myt.cm/TCMinstagramLike TCM on FACEBOOK: http://myt.cm/TCMfacebookFollow TCM on TWITTER: http://myt.cm/TCMtwitterSubscribe now to watch more classic film content from TCM http://spr.ly/6017cTBT The official source for NFL news, video highlights, fantasy football, game-day coverage, schedules, stats, scores and more. Jaguar Lives! Freedom, brotherhood, and equality were issues Jimmy Stewart clearly felt strongly about, for he returned to headline American Brotherhood Week the following year. This unnamed actor used the n word to refer to Woody Strode. Among other dubious claims, Munn insists that at age 17, he and Ava Gardner became lovers, not long after George Raft ran Munn over with his Rolls Royce, at which point they became close. Tha Gatling Gun (1973) Angkor: Cambodia Express (1982) The Ravagers, The Professionals) Fall victim to a spider attack, entomologist Diane Ashley (Tiffany Bolling, Wild Party) arrives and tries to help Rack deal with the crisis.

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