The movie that couldn’t start shooting until John Wayne took a dump: “He usually shits earlier than this”
Just like the book says, everybody poops. Some people can’t function in the morning until they’ve had their morning constitutional, and as it turns out, John Wayne was one of those people, after he held up the production on one of his films because he wouldn’t shoot a thing until he’d taken a dump.
There are Hollywood power moves, and then there’s whatever this was. Actors are an egotistical, vain bunch, known for making outlandish demands and throwing a strop at the most inconsequential thing, but one of the biggest stars in the business refusing to step in front of the camera until he’d laid down a log is one of the strangest that you’re ever likely to hear.
What made things even worse was that the film was shot over the course of 130 days, meaning there were over a century’s worth of shits that ‘The Duke’ needed to take before any work could be done. Emboldened by his desire to make a topical war story, Wayne signed on to headline the cast of director Edward Dmytryk’s Back to Bataan, which threw the schedule out of whack.
The basic thrust of the story saw Wayne’s colonel seek to recruit Filipino guerrillas to aid his American troops in their attack on the Japanese. It sounds fairly straightforward, all things considered, but because the picture was being filmed in what would turn out to be the final months of World War II, the partially fictionalised script was in a constant state of revision to ensure it wasn’t inaccurate or outdated by the time it reached cinemas.
Then, there was the star’s pooping schedule to contend with. During one particularly difficult day, the clock had passed 10.30 am without sight or sound of ‘The Duke’. Producer Sidney Rogell, visiting the set with filmmaker Richard Fleischer, toured Back to Bataan‘s California location doubling for the Philippines, wondering why nobody was doing anything.
“Nothing was happening,” Fleischer recalled. “The crew, and it was a large one, was lounging. Small groups were sitting around, talking in subdued tones, and playing cards.” There was no sign that a major motion picture was in any rush to kick off the day’s festivities, until an assistant director ran over to Rogell and relayed the situation.
“John Wayne hasn’t shit yet,” he was informed. Naturally, Rogell was taken aback. “What is that supposed to mean?” Handily, the AD had an explanation. “Well, you see, ‘The Duke’ can’t work until he has a bowel movement. Looks like he’s constipated today. He usually shits much earlier than this. As soon as he comes out of his dressing room, we’ll go to work.”
With that, Rogell and Fleischer were forced to stand around and twiddle their thumbs until Wayne had heaved ho, and when he finally stepped out of his trailer, the enthusiasm was palpable. “He’s shit! He’s shit!” came the cries from the gathered throng, with everyone overjoyed that, at last, the face of the ‘Golden Age’ western had hunkered down and let rip.
It wasn’t the most professional behaviour, keeping an entire crew waiting around while he curled one out, but, in a weird way, Rogell was impressed. “What I had witnessed was a display of unadulterated, raw power,” he remarked. “Who else could halt production for hours, at great cost to the studio, by peristalsis alone? It was too awesome to think about. This was not someone you wanted to offend.”
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