woody strode interview

Jungle Man-Eaters (1954) As the two actors filmed an exterior shot on a horse-drawn cart, Wayne was close to losing control of the horses. Aka: The Last Warrior Excellent points Dennis, thanks for commenting! And he said loudly, We have an actor here who objects to the costume on Woody Strode. He then proceeded to suggest that Stewart was prejudiced Strode, who also has since died, was African-American and added that he just wanted to share Stewarts objection to Strodes costume with the whole cast. His wrestling career lasted until 1960, but by 1952, Strode had started getting movie parts. Hi Cheryl, thanks for reading! Besides marking Calgarys first Grey Cup championship, the 1948 game proved to be a turning point in Grey Cup lore as well. RELATED:Psych: Ranking The Main Characters By Intelligence. As a 70 year old black man who grew up watching and loving Jimmy Stewart i can only hope he wasnt a racist like so many Americans of his era ! Woody's whispered warning - "Don't pick up" - is easily one of the series' best line deliveries. Actors Woody Strode and Lee Marvin, who also collaborated four years earlier in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," are seen chatting in Death Valley while filming director Richard Brooks . A small donation would help us keep this available to all. Once Upon A Time in the West (1968) As James Stewart explained it, Woody Strode, the actor who was playing Wayne's character's best friend, was part of the scene. But then, towards the end of filming, the director asked the Ranse star what he made of Strodes costume for the beginning and the end of the film when their characters were portrayed as 25 years older. According to Kanter, Jim was chagrined by his mixup. 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Con Jock Mahoney, Woody Strode, Tsu Kobayashi, Earl Cameron. Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954) It's also one that finds Woody being pulled into the action - albeit not as willingly or successfully as before. Winterhawk (1975) I wanted to set the record straight, for Jim and all of us who admire his remarkable work and life. Storyville (1992) Speaking of Woody not being the most socially aware person in the world, look no further than his lack of understanding when it comes to chat speak as yet another example of that fact. Im delighted to put the rumors about him to rest. If she's not ranting about characters who deserved better or typing away at one of her many fan fiction epics, she's probably asleep. Jaguar Lives! Unfortunately, anger at Jimmy Stewart is also the takeaway of less engaged readers of Michael Munns book. 7 Women (1966) from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much. For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions Another reliable source for Woody Strodes feelings towards Jimmy Stewart is a 1994 interview with Lee Marvin biographer, Dwayne Epstein. Scream (1985) Shawn and Gus have been the best of friends ever since they were children, and maybe even since they were infants. They broke the NFLs modern colour barrier the year before, suiting up for the Los Angeles Rams. The Cotton Club Encore (2019) Odie Henderson. Afterwards, Lee Marvin remembered seeing both John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart lunge for the offending actor. link] that first sparked rumors about the beloved stars beliefs. Whether that labels him a racist or not is irrelevant. Hi Pete, thanks for your comment. Interesting to see that there are actually people out there who are hell-bent on believing that Jimmy was racist. Katerina is a List Writer here at Screen Rant with a background in literary criticism and creative writing. Additionally, the. Find on Wikipedia. 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? Bride of the Gorilla (1951) Donald Deweys 1997 biography of Jimmy Stewart, journalist James Bawden between 1971 and 1983, Thanks to the passionate insistence of director Otto Preminger. Strode gave the Hollywood establishment what they demanded and appeared in some of the best and the worst of what they offered him. It changed my outlook on many other things and renewed my faith in mankind, thank you. He was always magnificent with a no-nonsense style and quiet intellect that no athlete-turned actor has ever surpassed. La collina degli stivali (1969) > Sporting Connection Jimmys words and actions prove that he was not racist. Regarding your claim that Jimmy made racist remarks about people in Vietnam: in my extensive research, Ive never found any evidence to support this. At the time Ford yelled: Dont hit him Woody! A recently posed question casts a shadow on the otherwise pristine legacy of. No Time for Love (1943) A decorated football player at UCLA before joining teammate Kenny Washington in breaking the NFL's color barrier in 1946, Strode eventually drew the attention of . For nearly two decades he remained a pioneer against racism in the film and television industry. 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. 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. Watch the video below to hear what Jim and the other stars had to say about brotherhood: Freedom, brotherhood, and equality were issues Jimmy Stewart clearly felt strongly about, for he returned to headline American Brotherhood Week the following year. Jim was boiling mad as he grabbed the actor by the shirt and threatened to beat him to an unrecognizable pulp if he ever used the word around Jim again. May he forever RIP. 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. The Revengers (1972) Its such a demoralizing rumor. But its possible the interview never occurred. When Strode tried to help him, Duke knocked his co-star away. Strode appeared in several subsequent Ford films, though never in a starring capacity. His own words and actions, and the words of those who knew him, prove that Jimmy Stewart was not racist. But one anecdote Kanter shared has since been used as evidence that Jimmy Stewart was racist. "I know Gus well." "Shawn." "Him too. 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. The Harder They Fall, the Black Western in theaters now and on Netflix on Nov. 3, owes a tip of the Stetson to Woody Strode, one of the NFLs first Black players (he signed briefly with the Los Angeles Rams in 1946), who later found a niche playing strong, silent types in Westerns. Well researched! > WrestleMania, Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, Hockey injury led to wrestling for Karl Von Stroheim. In this, the last interview Strode ever gave, he expresses only respect for Jimmy Stewart, calling Jim one of the screens greatest actors.. Bit of a game changer." Though Woody usually means well, he's not always the . There's no easier way to put it: Woody is weird. 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. 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. Thankfully, the show never subjected Woody - or viewers - to that possibility. Not many sports historians report, No one is more deserving than Frank Manchel, Emeritus Professor of English and Film at the University of Vermont, to be recognized by Film & History as a pioneer in film studies. He lives in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, with his wife and son. His recollection of several details that are easily checked is inaccurate. WOODY STRODE TRIBUTE SPANISH FILMS 11K views James Caan on John Wayne filmSCHOOLarchive 2.4M views Jimmy Stewart is Delightfully Funny, FULL Interview on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show 1989. Mar 5: AEW Revolution Apr 2: WWE WrestleMania Thanks for reading Brice! And when we lost, we cried like babies.. According to Peter Fonda, the sheer fact that Jimmy Stewart was best friends with Peters father, Henry Fonda, proves that Jim was not racist. So thank you for this I really really appreciate it. Jimmy Stewart worked with several black actors and entertainers throughout his career, including Hal Williams, Woody Strode, Lillian Randolph, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington. Im so happy you came across my article. Strode was born in Los Angeles on July 25, 1914, the son . Woody Strode, Black Representation and John Ford's SERGEANT RUTLEDGE - YouTube John Ford wasn't afraid to explore bigotry in his films, but Sergeant Rutledge is a standout and the first. Thanks again for reading, and thanks so much for commenting! Thank you for reading! Apr 1: WWE WrestleMania 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.