John Wayne was as ferocious and brilliant off-screen as he was, fiercely and loudly leading Hollywood’s indictment against suspected communists and anyone he felt was tainting the sacred spirit of “all-American” values. He famously turned down films from Steven Spielberg to Clint Eastwood because he didn’t agree with their tone or message. He has hated two films ever for one of his fellow titans of the silver screen. The Duke’s rage from the classic Western High Noon is well known, but he was even angrier than a later war movie.
Gary Cooper was one of the rare stars who made the spectacular transition from silent films to “Talkies” and ranked in the top 10 of Hollywood’s biggest stars for 23 consecutive years. He would also end up lining up against Wayne and his supporters in the raging battle that divided the entire industry and ended careers.
Of course, Hollywood is an industry, so in 1953 Wayne found himself on stage accepting a Best Actor Oscar on behalf of Cooper (who was filming overseas at the time) for a movie everyone in the auditorium and the industry knew he absolutely abhorred.
Wayne had turned in the lead role of Will Kane in Noon. He believed that the story of an ex-marshal forced to stand alone against vicious outlaws after being abandoned by cowardly townspeople was a thinly veiled attack on Hollywood for their failure to stand behind the many who were accused of communist ties and blacklisted.
Wayne was an outspoken supporter of blacklists and took some credit for later noon writer (and former Communist Party member) accused Carl Foreman and emigrated to Britain in 1952 after making the film.
The Duke called High Noon “the most un-American thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” but showed grace by agreeing to accept his Oscar Cooper with a pointed but charming speech.
In 1959’s They Came to Cordura, Cooper plays a disgraced Army major accused of cowardice who must accompany a group of soldiers who are to be honored with the Congressional Medal of Honor for extreme bravery. The film, however, questions their honor and entitlement and Wayne was horrified.
Wayne fumed: “How did they get Gary Cooper to do that! To me, at least, it simply degrades the Medal of Honor. The whole story makes a mockery of America’s highest award for valor. The whole premise of the story was wrong, inconsequential, because they don’t get to pick the kind of men he picks.” The film won the award, and this can be proven by the history of the award.”
Of course, Cooper’s own company actually produced the movie. However, there was no time for true interstellar feud, because Cooper’s life was about to come to an abrupt and tragic end.
On May 13, 1961, the star passed away at the age of 60. Wayne joined the biggest names in Hollywood including James Stewart, Marlene Dietrich, Frank Sinatra, Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire when he attended the actor’s funeral. So beloved was the star that when news first broke of his battle with cancer, Queen Elizabeth II sent a personal telegram.
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