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Mon 20 Jul 2026 17:15, UK
Not to state the obvious, but John Wayne loved America, so it was only natural that when he called the story for the film the most American thing he had ever heard, he immediately offered his services.
How much did John Wayne love America? In addition to wearing his patriotism on his sleeve, becoming the on-screen embodiment of America and defending the honor and reputation of his country at every turn, he loved America so much that he recorded a Grammy-nominated album about how much he loved it.
“The Duke” also rejected or publicly criticized several films that he felt were rotten to their anti-American core and covered everything from their underlying ideas. Exactly at noon and the disturbing Oscars All the King’s Men to Steven Spielberg’s thoughtless statement 1941it all got under his skin.
No movie star was more American than Wayne, so it’s more than a little surprising that his red, white and blue juices were both shocked and stirred by a fictional account of the real events that led to the formation of Israel, which was filmed on location and in Rome, just outside the United States.
Writer and director Melville Shavelson unsuccessfully promoted Cast a giant shadow around Hollywood for what he believes will be a powerful performance as Army Colonel Mickey Marcus in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, in which he became the country’s first military general.
“No studio wanted to support him,” Shavelson explained. “I told Duke I had a problem, and he wanted to know what the problem was. So I told him the story, and he said, ‘An American Army officer is helping a small country fight for its independence.’ He said, ‘That’s the most American story I’ve ever heard,’ and asked why I couldn’t get funding.”
According to Shavelson, “nobody wanted to see a movie about a Jewish general,” but once Wayne got involved, the industry suddenly changed tone. Not only did he play the supporting role of Mike Randolph, but he was also an uncredited executive producer on the series. Cast a giant shadowand it was he who personally hired Kirk Douglas to play Marcus.
Additional information: Floor in the cutting room
‘Cause I did Cast a giant shadow happened because Wayne called me and said, ‘Look, I have a script that I think would be perfect for you,'” Douglas recalls. – “If you play him, I’ll play a small role as a general.” And he did it. Wayne is an amazing institution. They don’t do that anymore.”
“The Duke” felt the same way, calling the role “just perfect for Kirk,” and with two big names in the cast, the ensemble added even more star power thanks to Yul Brynner and Frank Sinatra. Obviously, through a modern lens the optics are questionable, but back in 1966 Wayne saw Cast a giant shadow as a perfect opportunity to remind American audiences everywhere “who we are and what we’ve done.”
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