The “perfect” 1966 movie John Wayne called “the most American story I ever heard”
Not to state the obvious, but John Wayne loved America, so it was only natural that when he called the story for a movie the most American thing he’d ever heard, he instantly volunteered his services.
How much did John Wayne love America? Beyond wearing his patriotism on his sleeve, becoming the onscreen embodiment of Americana, and defending his country’s honour and reputation at every turn, he loved America so much that he recorded a Grammy-nominated album about how much he loved it.
‘The Duke’ also turned down or publicly criticised several films that he deemed to be rotten to their un-American core, which covered everything from the seminal High Noon and the Academy Award-bothering All the King’s Men to Steven Spielberg’s ill-judged 1941, all of which got under his skin.
Movie stars didn’t come much more American than Wayne, which makes it more than a little surprising that his red, white, and blue juices were both shaken and stirred by a fictionalised account of the real-life events that led to the formation of Israel, which was shot on location and in Rome, nowhere near the United States.
Writer and director Melville Shavelson had been unsuccessfully pitching Cast a Giant Shadow around Hollywood, which he believed would be a resounding rendition of Army colonel Mickey Marcus’ role in the 1948 Arab-Israel war, which saw him become the country’s first military general.
“No studio wanted to back it, “Shavelson explained. “I told Duke I was having problems, and he wanted to know what the problem was. So I told him the story, and he said, ‘An American army officer helps a little country fight for its independence’. He said, ‘That’s the most American story I ever heard’, and he asked why I couldn’t get financing.”
According to Shavelson, “nobody wanted to see a movie about a Jewish general,” but once Wayne became involved, the industry suddenly changed its tune. Not only did he play a supporting role as Mike Randolph, but he was an uncredited executive producer on Cast a Giant Shadow, and he was the one who personally went out and recruited Kirk Douglas to lead the cast as Marcus.
“The reason I made Cast a Giant Shadow was because Wayne called me and said, ‘Listen, I’ve got this script which I think is perfect for you,'” Douglas recalled. “‘If you play it, I’ll play the small part of the general’. And he did. Wayne is an amazing institution. They don’t make that kind anymore.”
‘The Duke’ felt the same way, describing the part as “just perfect for Kirk,” and with two big names on board, the ensemble added even more star power through Yul Brynner and Frank Sinatra. Obviously, through a modern lens, the optics are questionable, but back in 1966, Wayne saw Cast a Giant Shadow as the perfect opportunity to remind American audiences everywhere “who we are and what we’ve done.”
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