Written by: Bruce Bisenz
I hope you’ll believe me when i say this story’s so good I didn’t have to embellish-even a little bit. Subscribed and sworn to this day… I wasn’t a film student and growing up, I took no notice to film credits and such. After seven freelance years with the usual suspects I became an overflow regular for my friends at Wolper Productions and first call with a special coterie of film makers at Group One Productions.
Heady times working with the latest, portable equipment. With the self blimped Eclair 16mm NPR, George Quellet’s Stellavox Sp-7 (Sync/Stereo before the Nagra 4S existed) and the VHF Vega, two or three men could do the work of a whole film crew! Group One was so adept with 16mm reversal the network accepted 16mm for 35mm. Their protocol was eschew Inter Positives, and instead, A&B roll prime elements (16mm interviews, 35mm film clips and always, 35mm sound) to hi-band videotape. So for this show and especially the musicals, I was on the hook to establish sync for cue tracks that would become full music scores (through many generations) uniquely joined just before broadcast. Group One’s DP, Bob Collins and their editor won Emmys for Peggy Fleming at Sun Valley.
David Vowell, a writer I had worked with, wanted professional gear to interview a bedridden, old man (cassette tape and tiny lavs hadn’t been invented yet). I was all for mixing this background interview, but he was very nervous and didn’t want anyone else near his famous invalid. For those of you as ignorant now as I was then, if you had to make anybody’s list of the all time five greatest film directors, John Ford would be on the list with a record four Oscars for film direction. Hard drinking and tough as nails, he sustained serious injuries making WWII combat documentaries. Just before his death in 1973, John Ford was promoted to Admiral (4 stars) and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Richard Nixon.
The idea was to film this amazing wreck of a man (still nobody’s fool-scant months from his passing) introducing footage from his legendary Westerns. This would become a network TV special sponsored by one of primetime’s biggest advertisers, Timex. The American West of John Ford (Amazon $9.99) was to be his last project. Group One would film interviews of several hallowed actors who so treasured their memories of Ford. They became instantly available for our tiny crew.
So, 30 years later, I was startled to review an air check tape of Henry Fonda, Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne. I heard myself calling (a 1971, off-stage) “speed” for three tough guys, atypically maudlin, recalling their “Pappy.” I remember Ford recounting his own “face-to-face” interview with the legendary gunfighter Wyatt Earp. Ford literally got the story of the OK Corral gunplay from the horse’s mouth for his classic My Darling Clementine.
As a new kid to LA in 1951, I didn’t associate memories of She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and other famous Westerns to Ford. Of course, I wasn’t much in awe of anyone in 1971. I had been working with a lot of famous people and was so very “green.” A very sick John Ford was to appear in front of now world famous Monument Valley. Set at the abutment of three states “Three Corners” is deep inside an Indian (Native American now) Reservation. There was only one lodge for miles-booked a year in advance. No problem to clear everyone out for “Pappy’s” last visit.
Our first shot found Bob and his camera assistant, the editor/director Dennis Sanders, me and “The Duke” (I called him Mr. Wayne). Wayne didn’t seem to take a shine to me (after all I was a “Long Hair”) but then the hyphenate-director wasn’t exactly Howard Hawks or John Ford either. So there we were utter, desolate, beauty everywhere you looked. Flat-footed under a blazing sun. Wayne stared into the desert Ford first used to make him a Star immersed in his own thoughts. Wayne’s own health was failing. He had a cancerous lung removed by then.
Of course, Wayne had set his big hat to shade his eyes so soon the heat was off this long hair. When Dennis said, “Duke could you tip your hat back a bit for the camera?” I, and a whole lot of wildlife, clearly heard Mr. Wayne rumble, “The hat stays right where it is!”
I knew that after a hard day (we had no lights for exteriors) there wouldn’t be any fun in town. Hours deep into the vast Navajo Nation so I brought a deck of cards… Right after the day’s work I, sashayed (the Old West after all) into the Lodge’s dayroom, pulled out my deck and attracted a few bored players.
After a while a 240lb, 6’4” icon, moved by his unique gait, stood over our table and said, to nobody in particular, “Is this a private game or can anybody play?” …a hush came over the room. As a Western fan, I knew the punch line to this straight line. I took a moment to catch his eye way up from my chair, shot him a thin smile and said, “Your money’s as good as anyone’s.” And the Duke sat down!
Now for some reason, everyone in the room wanted to play poker at “my” table. So we drew cards for suckers to play the “B” table. But I only worried for a bit that I wouldn’t make the cut since the cards were mine and the moon was full. Soon I found myself with five cronies in Duke’s “home game” while girlfriends and crew wives peeked thru the windows (women didn’t play poker then). “Gosh, look, Bruce is playing poker with John Wayne!”
“What’ul we play Duke?” “Oh, Dealer’s choice” (5/7 card Stud and 5 card NOTHING wild). “What about the stakes Duke?” “Um, table stakes?” “Sure, sure Duke.” Ok for moi (whatever table stakes meant?) I was (double)”green” with a wad of 100’s in my jeans ($3000-was a lot of money then). Cutthroat, No Limit Poker with John Wayne and three millionaires (a million was a lot then)! His cronies kept on “oh goshing” the Duke as he pulled on the neck of the bottle at his right hand. “Awe I can’t drink the way I used to” (on one lung). But I noticed the liquor level go steady down past half.
I started out lucky. I grinned, bet and won-lots. Some pots were running $500-$700, which was three or four days pay back then. Finally, I had the best “up cards” for 7 card stud. But, for once, my first-to-bet up-cards weren’t getting any better. I was surely behind, but I kept up my silly grin and the betting as one by one, they dropped out. Heads up with John Wayne! I put him on two solid pair. I was drawing to a two-outer and dead to trips. The last down card was a “brick” so I made a “value bet” of $50 (and the dumb grin too). His cronies kept calling out, “He’s bluffing, Call’em Duke, call’em, You got’ah. Call’em.” That’s w hen I realized, if they caught me bluffing they wouldn’t kill me, but I sure would wish I was dead! Well, Wayne thought for quite some time before he said, “Nah, he’s been getting some good cards lately,” and threw in his hand. Desperately grateful this was the kind of a game no one would think to upend my down cards, I said to myself “remember this one (dummy) you just bought one from The Duke!”
That wasn’t the end of the game, but it’s the end of this story. After almost four decades of mixing, I don’t have an Emmy or Academy Award (or even a nomination) while I know many who do. But then, I don’t know anyone else that has a frame clipped from StageCoach with John Ford’s personal endorsement.
Maybe “Pappy” heard about that poker game?