WhileJohn Waynehad been open about his frustration with having to play the same kinds of characters, his moral compass led him to turn down a different role in a classic war movie.John Wayne moviesare a genre of their own, and he was such an immensely popular actor during the “Golden Age of Westerns” that he rarely played anyone other than the straight-shooting and heroic protagonist. Some ofJohn Wayne’s personal best rolesare in the Western genre, where he got his career break, but he also appeared in some critically acclaimed war movies.
John Wayne’s best war moviesoften reflected the wars around the time of filming, and just as in his Westerns, Wayne usually played the hero.Wayne tended to play patriotic characters in positions of authority in his war movies,likeFlying TigersandThe Longest Day,as he was extremely patriotic himself.The Dirty Dozenseemed to be a movie that Wayne would be interested in, as the lead role was a war hero in charge of an important mission. However, Wayne firmly turned the part down, going on to star in a different war movie.
Why John Wayne Turned Down The Dirty Dozen
Major Reisman Could Have Been A Chance To Prevent Wayne’s Career Rut
The Dirty Dozen’s Major John Reisman is the movie’s main protagonist, who has won multiple awards for his service to his country. However, the character was written as an adulterer who is having an affair with the English wife of a soldier. The biography,John Wayne: American, explained thatto Wayne, the idea of betraying another soldier in this way was “repulsive,” especially as he felt that Reisman had no remorse for his actions. That said, Wayne liked the character and had a discussion withThe Dirty Dozenproducer, Ken Hyman, about changing the offending scenes.
John Wayne’s 10 Most Underrated Movies That Never Got Enough Credit
John Wayne’s most underrated Westerns, like The Sons of Katie Elder and Rooster Cogburn, reveal the depth and complexity of his iconic roles.
Wayne appeared in one ofthe best D-Day movies ever made, and his name alone drew audiences. However, he grew dissatisfied with his career, feeling that his characters were all the same. Wayne famously described his role inTrue Gritas “his first good part in 20 years” (viarogerebert.com).Playing a less moral character like Major Reisman could have proven to casting directors that Wayne was capable of playing different rolesfrom his usual heroes. Ultimately, taking on a challenge in the form of a character with values so different from his own could have prevented his later career rut.
John Wayne’s War Movie Choice Led To One Of His Worst-Reviewed Movies
The Dirty Dozen Could Have Been A Very Different Movie With John Wayne (But Not Necessarily Better)
Despite changes toThe Dirty Dozenscript and removing Major Reisman’s affair, Wayne still turned the part downas he wanted to make a Vietnam War movie. Though Wayne likely had the best of intentions, it was a controversial choice as the Vietnam War was still underway.The Green Beretswas the critically panned result, in which Wayne plays an active colonel at a much older age than most soldiers. The movie was derided as a transparent piece of propaganda that ignored the subtleties of the war, andRoger Ebert gaveThe Green Beretszero starsout of five.
1967
$5.4 million
$45.3 million
82%
90%
1968
$7 million
$32 million
23%
61%
On the other hand,The Dirty Dozenhad an all-star cast, and most of the characters were antiheroes rather than Wayne’s more morally upright roles. Reisman was played by Lee Marvin, best known for playing more villainous characters. If Wayne had played his version of Reisman, the movie could have become another “John Wayne movie” with fewer surprises.John Wayne’s most rewatchable moviesin the war genre embrace his patriotic tendencies while having a strong ensemble cast to avoid centering on him over the war. However,The Dirty Dozenmay not have avoided this pitfall, being a better movie withoutJohn Wayne.
