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. 21184_ch01.qxd 12/18/03 1:42 PM Page 737Dietrich and DeMilleAt last Ford cast Wayne in one of his films, The Long Voyage Home,produced by Walter Wanger in 1940 and based on a one-act play byEugene O Neill.Wayne played an innocent and naïve Swedishmember of a gang of merchant seamen whose ship, the Glencairn,leaves Baltimore for London carrying a cargo of dynamite.Ford hired Danish actress Osa Massen, under contract to Wanger,to coach Wayne with his Swedish accent.Wayne recalled, Thenight before I went to work for the first day on The Long VoyageHome, I had worked until midnight finishing Dark Command atRepublic.That was quite a switch, playing a gentle Swede when thenight before I d been knocking the hell out of someone and jumpingon a horse. Why Ford chose a Dane to coach Wayne only Ford knows, butthey spent weeks going over lines.Wayne lists the role as beingamong his favorite and yet when you watch the film closely yourealize that, although his performance is outstanding, he somehowgives the illusion of being better than he was, probably because hemanaged a moderately good accent.Robert Parish, who often edited for Ford, asked Ford how he gotsuch a good performance from Wayne.Ford answered, Count the73 21184_ch01.qxd 12/18/03 1:42 PM Page 7474 JOHN WAYNEtimes Wayne talks.That s the answer.Don t let him talk unless youhave something that needs to be said. Wanger feared the film would prove to be too highbrow foraudiences, but to his surprise and delight the preview in October1940 went very well.The film opened in New York to goodbusiness, and good reviews.Bosley Crowther thought it one of themost honest pictures ever placed upon the screen. It was generallyregarded as one of the best films released in 1940 and was nominatedfor five Oscars, including Best Picture.Unfortunately, it won none,but it has somehow continued to maintain a high regard amongcritics.Years later influential critic Pauline Kael called it one of thefinest of all movies to deal with life at sea. After The Long Voyage Home it would be another five yearsbefore Ford would use Wayne again.It seems Ford had a newfavorite actor, Henry Fonda, who worked with Ford in Young Mr.Lincoln, Drums Along the Mohawk (both 1939), and The Grapes ofWrath (1940).Henry Fonda told me, Duke Wayne loved Ford, and I m sure thatfrom time to time, Ford loved Duke.But Ford was just so jealouswhen Raoul Walsh beefed up Duke s career after Stagecoach [withDark Command].It was just unforgivable, and I know that Fordmade him pay for it by letting him stew in films that really kept Dukeout of the so-called A-list of stars for a long time.Duke was still partof the Ford clan and we all went on fishing trips together. John Wayne was just popular enough in 1940 for Universal to invitehim over and offer him a role opposite Marlene Dietrich in SevenSinners.He would be second-billed to Dietrich, a far bigger star,although her career was in a decline, and Universal felt that theincreasing popularity of Wayne would help her career as much herpopularity would help his.He would play a naval officer on a SouthSeas island where, in the Seven Sinners Café, he would meet and fallfor a honky-tonk singer, played by Dietrich.The first time Dietrich saw Wayne was in the Universal com-missary one noon.She was immediately attracted to him and sentword that she wanted a meeting with him in her dressing room.She locked the door and said, I wonder what time it is? Before 21184_ch01.qxd 12/18/03 1:42 PM Page 75DIETRICH AND DEMILLE 75Wayne could check his watch, she raised her skirt and revealed awatch attached to her black garter. It s very early, darling, shetold him. We have plenty of time. They spent that time makinglove.Henry Hathaway recollected, Duke s affair with Dietrich was theworst-kept secret in Hollywood.They would appear in publictogether at Hollywood nightspots, and she even went with him tofootball games and prizefights.And she took a great interest in hiscareer and later took much of the credit for making him the star hebecame. Dietrich introduced Wayne to her business manager, Bo Roos,and persuaded Duke to hire Roos to manage his finances.Dukedidn t know it then, but it was one of the worst decisions of his life.She then got Roos to urge Charles Feldman, Wayne s agent, torenegotiate his contract with Republic.The result was that Yatesagreed to give Wayne 10 percent of the gross takings from his films.Dietrich also taught Wayne that the only way to get on in thebusiness was to be totally single-minded about his career.Years later, Dietrich virtually dismissed Wayne as an actor and alover, calling him an ungifted amateur in her memoirs.She said, Unknown, penniless, he begged me to help him.I can t really sayhe was my partner, since his performance was kept within verystrict bounds he spoke his lines and that was all.I helped as best Icould. Production on Seven Sinners ran over budget, and was aweek behind schedule, but it proved a big success when released inthe autumn of 1940.Wayne finished Seven Sinners late one Saturday night, tookSunday off to be with Josephine and his family, and started work atParamount on Monday for The Shepherd of the Hills, directed byHenry Hathaway and costarring Wayne s boyhood screen hero,Harry Carey
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