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This page was last edited on 28 July 2021, at 02:45. 109 minutes. "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," the New Yorker's Richard Brody writes, "is the greatest American political movie." But Strode (who started his career in the early 1940s after a legendary athletic record at UCLA as a decathlete and a football star, and who died in 1994) is perfectly cast in the lead role as Rutledge and gives a powerful performance in one of the very few lead roles he ever played, among the 90+ films he appeared in, playing mostly supporting roles, sometimes even uncredited, during the early years of his film career. As played by Jimmy Stewart, Stoddard spends much of the film wearing an apron and washing dishes in the restaurant, sending a hardly ambiguous message about a man who doesn't wear a gun. But hes eventually taken in by his own men to face trial. "I had a certain amount of crudeness that went back a hundred years, and that's what he liked. I'd do that if I could. And Duke came up to me one day and said, Hows it come that youve gone through this whole thing and youve never been at the bottom of the list? He was in 87 movies over the length of his career, though Strode . "I'll continue to work in Europe because I'm a star there," Strode said in 1982, per TCM. Woody Strode, byname of Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode, (born July 28, 1914, Los Angeles, California, U.S.died December 31, 1994, Glendora, California), American character actor who was part of director John Ford's "family" of actors, appearing in nearly a dozen of Ford's films. Had a longtime affair with troubled actress. Strode hauled in a pass while a teammate lay on the grass at the far sideline, which left that receiver wide open on the next snap. John Ford put classic words in my mouth.". I've done everything but play an Anglo-Saxon. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from thestaff@tvtropes.org. Two Rode Together is a 1961 American Western film directed by John Ford and starring James Stewart, Richard Widmark, and Shirley Jones. His magnificent Western landscapes are always there, but as environment, not travelogue. Strode and teammate Kenny Washington were among the best-known college football players in the nation. He was drafted at age 27 and soon joined the United States Army Air Corps and spent the war unloading bombs in Guam and the Marianas, as well as playing on the Army football team at March Field in Riverside, California.[10]. Sergeant Rutledge is a 1960 western film from Warner Brothers and the director John Ford. [7], With her he had two children, television director Kalai (a.k.a. Also, he appeared in several episodes of the 19521954 television series Ramar of the Jungle, where he portrayed an African warrior. Lee Marvin moves into full blown stardom - becoming a legitimate box office titan - in one of the greatest Westerns ever made (My Favorite) starring along side Western Film Greats Burt Lancaster, Jack Palance, Robert Ryan, Woody Strode, Claudia Cardinale, Ralph Belamy . Strode had difficulty maintaining the momentum of these roles. Strode was a gladiator in Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954) and was in Jungle Man-Eaters (1954), a Jungle Jim film. The ban collapsed when the Rams, founded in Cleveland, uprooted to Los Angeles in 1946. (Whats a brother got to do to get some respect around here?). '"[12] He also said, "On the Pacific Coast there wasn't anything we couldn't do. Ford had to accept those terms or not make the film.. He portrayed an assortment of African chiefs and guards until Cecil B. DeMille cast him in The Ten Commandments (1956), as the King of Ethiopia. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Of course being a director from what is still called The Golden Age of Hollywood and despite the fact that Ford considered himself a political progressive (though he was close friends with actors he worked with who were often right wing reactionaries, like John Wayne and James Stewart), his films were not above dealing in negative racial stereotypes often. His parents were from New Orleans; his grandmother was African-American and "part Cherokee" and his grandfather was an African-American who claimed his own grandmother was Creek. Otherwise, we would have been inMonument ValleyorBrackettvilleand we would have had colour stock. The club signed Washington and Strode that spring. The drunken marshal won't protect him. As a showdown between Stoddard and Valance Ford begins to seem inevitable, Ford creates considerable tension. Sheriff Woody, the beloved "Toy Story" protagonist, was said to be named after Strode. And it should be mentioned that Rutledge was also the first time in which a black man was seen as a cowboy, or an Army soldier, and not as a slave, a cook or a Pullman porter in aHollywood feature western. On top of this, Reese actor Lee Van Clef who went on to star in Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Westerns said that Ford resented the meddling and so would take out his annoyance on Wayne, whose casting as Doniphon was demanded by the studio. He shared a story from the set of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Fords 1962 film about an attorney (Stewart) who, robbed and left for dead by a notorious outlaw, is saved by a rancher (Wayne) and has to start over from scratch. . The way Ford employs the African-American Pompey is observant. Strode also played the powerful gladiator who does battle with Kirk Douglas in Spartacus (1960). As we got out of the L.A. area we found these racial tensions. It's clear they loved him. Fortunately the DVD made-to-order Warner Archive specialty label is bringing back Rutledge at a lot lower price, starting next week. [10] Strode and Kenny Washington were two of the first African-Americans to play in major college programs and later the modern National Football League (along with Marion Motley and Bill Willis, who signed with the contemporary rival All-America Football Conference), playing for the Los Angeles Rams in 1946. The two became friends, and Ford later gave Wayne his breakthrough role in Stagecoach, the film that launched Wayne to Hollywood stardom. Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode (July 25, 1914 December 31, 1994) was an American athlete and actor. "I once played a part written for an Irish prize fighter. Stewart said that he didnt like it. Strode had an excellent support part in The Last Voyage (1960) playing a heroic stoker, though he was only billed fifth. (1978), Ravagers (1979), Jaguar Lives! Tom Doniphon is a local farmer, who observes, "Liberty Valance's the toughest man south of the Picketwire--next to me." I will not go into details because the suspense should not be spoiled. In the trailer below, Strode is given third billing, though hes the lead. You ride horses.' But by 1946, Strode was 32 and the oldest member of the Rams as a rookie. "They are not household names like Jackie Robinson. John Ford has gone down as one of the greatest directors ever in film history. He was always magnificent with a no-nonsense style and quiet intellect that no athlete-turned actor has ever surpassed. "I would have lost that role if I hadn't been in shape, and if I hadn't had a lot of experience as a wrestler," Strode told the Pittsburgh Courier after the film's release, according to Slam Wrestling. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. Do you find this information helpful? Indeed Hallie and Nora Ericson (Jeanette Nolan) are the only two noticeable women in town; little wonder Tom's love for Hallie is intense. Country. Woody played for the Los Angeles Rams after their move from Cleveland. This is all to be seen: The role of a free press, the function of a town meeting, the debate about statehood, the civilizing influence of education. While making Pork Chop Hill he became a close friend of director John Ford. Cecil B. DeMille cast him in The Ten Commandments (1956) as a slave at $500 a week for five weeks. [citation needed], Strode's acting career was re-activated when producer Walter Mirisch spotted him wrestling and cast him as an African warrior in The Lion Hunters (1951), one of the Bomba the Jungle Boy series. Strode brought the best out of his castmates while stealing scenes, sometimes before he spoke a line. He was also a professional wrestler, wrestling the likes of Gorgeous George. He is killed and his death sparks a gladiator rebellion. His big break came in 1960. This past August in Canton, Ohio, family members accepted the Ralph Hay Pioneer Award on the players' behalf at the enshrinement gala that precedes the NFL season. When he walks into a bar to fetch Tom, the bartender won't serve him, and Tom slams hard on the bar: "Give him a drink." His wife is Tina Ellawee (10 May 1982 - 31 December 1994) ( his death), Luana Strode (14 October 1940 - 17 September 1980) ( her death) ( 2 children) His world-class decathlon capabilities were spearheaded by a 50ft (15m) plus shot put (when the world record was 57ft (17m)) and a 6ft 5in (1.96m) high jump (the world record at time was 6ft 10in (2.08m)). African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, Education - Historically Black Colleges (HBCU), Political Activists - Radicals and Marxists, Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. Draba wins the contest, but instead of killing Spartacus, he attacks the Roman military commander who paid for the fight. How many . Respected Black cavalry Sergeant Brax Rutledge stands court-martial for raping and killing a white woman and murdering her father, his superior officer. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, unloading bombs in the Pacific. Rams owner Dan Reeves didn't like that Strode's marriage was interracial: his first wife, Luana, was descended from a Hawaiian queen. As they were preparing to shoot, Ford came up to Stewart and asked, "What do you think of Woody's costume?" Stewart said that he didn't like it. Ransom Stoddard believes in the U. S. Constitution, the rule by law, the trust in government. Ford used him again in Two Rode Together (1962) but it was only a small part, as an Indian. [33], Colo. It's been 15 years since Woody Strode's prime time in Hollywood ]: [4] Valance and his two sidekicks hold up a stagecoach on the way to town, and when one of the passengers, Ransom, stands up to him Liberty nearly whips him to death. And so the studio actually tried to trick audiences into thinking that the film was about the white characters. Acting wasnt his first passion, however, as football at Jefferson High School and UCLA brought him initial fame. How much did Woody Strode weigh when playing? Then, when the steeds had halted, he tried to pick a punch up with his younger co-star. John Ford's "Apology" Western 'Sergeant Rutledge' Starring Woody Strode Returning to DVD. It may not be the greatest film that Ford ever made, but it sure is one of his interesting and powerful films and definitely worth discovering. Woody Strode passed away on December 31, 1994 from lung cancer in Glendora, California. Pompey/Strode physically carries and thereby saves a drunken, suicidal John Wayne from his burning home. Canton called this summer, feting Strode and the rest of the Forgotten Four at Johnson and Glauber's urging. Strode played a single season with the NFL before moving to Canada to play, according to Britannica. In the article below independent historian Clarence Spigner analyzes Sergeant Rutledge and the other major films of the college football star, early National Football League player, and actor Woody Strode.. While in college, Strode and Washington held summer jobs at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, mostly running errands on various sound stages; he noted that most days involved standing around and waiting for someone to order something. Strode would become an assistant to some of the studios biggest stars including Bette Davis, James Cagney, Ann Sheridan, Errol Flynn, Olivia De Havilland and Jane Wyman. One day Sir Laurence Olivier remarked he was a big fan of his football days, with Strode replying: I dont know what Im doing here in your business. Olivier said, Woody, what youre about to do, I could never do in reference to his upcoming fight scene with Kirk Douglas. In 1964, there was his penultimate work, the nearly three-hour-long roadshow western epic Cheyenne Autumn, complete with an intermission, a70MM Super Panavision print, released by Warners, which told the true story of a Cheyenne tribe who travel by foot across 1,500 miles back to their ancestral hunting grounds, while US Army troops are ordered to send them back by force if necessary. I'd do that if I could. As an athlete, he helped integrate the NFL. Ford's view of women is interesting. The film makes it clear that, though a black man was found innocent, racial tensions will always exist; so what is the use of pretending that all is suddenly well? It is made clear in "Liberty Valance" that segregation was the practice in the territory. As they were preparing to shoot, Ford came up to Stewart and asked, What do you think of Woodys costume?. Woody Strode played 10 games over his career. Bit of a game changer." Though Woody usually means well, he's not always the . But Pompey won't drink. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. Strode and Washington, an All-American in 1939, linked up the following year with the Hollywood Bears of the minor Pacific Coast Professional Football League. Ray Hamel. No sentimentality or hopeful message. The filmmaker would ask his Western star: How rich did you get while Jimmy was risking his life?, According to Michael Munns John Wayne The Man Behind The Myth, Strode said that the directors constant ridiculing really p***ed Wayne off, but he would never take it out on Ford., The reason being that the filmmakers movies had made him a Hollywood star and the Pompey actor claimed: He ended up taking it out on me.. 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. And Ford, who was usually straightforward when it came to the visual aspects of his films, shows some real visual and dramatic creativity. `` I 'll continue to work in Europe because I 'm a star there, '' Strode said 1982... But instead of killing Spartacus, he appeared in several episodes of the L.A. area found... Of crudeness that went back a hundred years, and that 's he... 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