Popular Western Films: "Wagon Master" (1950), "Rio Grande" (1950), "The Searchers" (1956) & "The Horse Soldiers" (1959).
Interesting Fact: By this time in his career, he had won more Oscars than any other director, to date, with a total of six. Two of them were awarded for his filming on WWII.
Western Awards: "The Searchers" (1956) & "The Horse Soldiers" (1959) both won him an award from the Directors Guild of America.
"My Name is John Ford and I make westerns."
The beginning of the fifties would be a little rough for Ford. The Red scare was on the war path and the people of Hollywood were picking sides. For a man who had served his country only a few years before, he remained silently neutral for the most part. Once, in a very tense moment, he had successfully fought off the request of a loyalty oath among directors.
At this same time, Ford would finish off his Calvary trilogy with his final installment, "Rio Grande" (1950). This film would bring some new life to Ford's stock company. Patrick Wayne, son of John Wayne, was to debut in this film and would also star in some of Ford's other pictures. It would also introduce Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne as a pair to the screen. Their chemistry was so fresh and original that they became an instant success. Hollywood had never seen a couple of such nature and they would later star in four other pictures.
Suddenly, Wayne has risen to greater heights than Ford, and the two friends would switch places in a small way. In the late 1930's, Ford pulled Wayne out of poverty row and into the leading men spotlight. Wayne would now return the favor by aiding Ford during a time of need. One of the first things that Wayne did was talk Republic Pictures into allowing Ford to finally direct a film he had been waiting on for a long time, "The Quiet Man" (1952).
Though not a western, "The Quiet Man" would once again reunite the Ford's famous crew under "Pappy's" direction. Wayne brought along his family and the picture became a who's who of Ford's friends. Another addition to the cast would be Ford's older brother, Frank, who was responsible for bringing John to Hollywood and also showed him the ropes until he could move on. Though this was not his last film, Frank would pass away one year later at the age of seventy-two. In all, "The Quiet Man" was a fulfilment of John Ford's dream and gave him a chance to finally return to his Irish heritage. The film was also an astounding success and won him his last Oscar.
Following this triumph, Ford returned to Monument Valley and made his darkest western ever, "The Searchers" (1956). The story is about a man returning to civilization after a Civil War, only to be thrust into a violent search for his missing niece. It has been said that this picture was a reflection of the lost innocence America was experiencing during this time. The character of Ethan Edwards resembled everything hopeless, yet everything great about America. His last film, of the fifties, would be "The Horse Soldiers" (1959). The picture would star Wayne and William Holden and would be another success for Ford.
Ford's drinking began to catch up with him in his mid-sixties, and his health began to decline. He had also become slightly forgotten, though the effects of his films would carry on and inspire new talent in generations to come. He had finally been allowed to direct his favorite picture, and had a new kind of character in Ethan Edwards. Even with his failing health and drooping popularity, he would go on to make even more monumental films in the decade to come.
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