“Terribly embarrassing”: the skill John Wayne hated not having
The fearsome and inimitable John Wayne was likely not a man that you wanted to get on the wrong side of. Known for his staunch political views and barbarous tongue, Wayne established himself as an actor who believed steadfastly in his own ideals. However, he was not without his vulnerabilities.
Known for his stunning efforts in the likes of Stagecoach, The Big Trail, True Grit and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Wayne cut a figure in the plains of western cinema as a genuine icon with a series of performances that captured the American spirit.
However, long before Wayne became a star actor and a monolithic figure in cinema, he had to cut his teeth in whatever kind of movies he could. In 1933, Wayne featured as Singin’ Sandy Saunders in Robert N. Bradbury’s musical film Riders of Destiny, which saw the actor become the second-ever singing cowboy.
Wayne, later known for his masculine bravado and courageous performances, absolutely hated his role as Saunders. Biographer Michael Munn once wrote, “It was something that would haunt Wayne for the rest of his life as the subject of his singing would often be brought up”.
In fact, Wayne had said that he was “so fucking embarrassed by it all”. The problem for Wayne, really, though, was that he couldn’t actually play the guitar that had been placed in Saunders’ hands, nor could he sing, with a mime singer being brought in to provide the vocals for the sons. In the end, Wayne was left to feel like a “fucking pansy”.
In an interview, Wayne spoke of his embarrassment at his lack of skill beyond actual acting and how he was made to feel foolish every time he was asked to sing or play the guitar. “The fact that I couldn’t sing—or play the guitar—became terribly embarrassing to me, especially on personal appearances,” he said.
According to The Duke, each time he appeared in public after the release of Riders of Destiny, he was asked by children if he could sing a song for them. But, of course, Wayne couldn’t, and he didn’t want to embarrass himself or damage his reputation before his career even got off the ground. “I couldn’t take along the fella who played the guitar out on one side of the camera and the fella who sang on the other side of the camera,” the actor explained.
The only thing left to do for Wayne was to abandon the role. “So finally, I went to the head of the studio and said. ‘Screw this, I can’t handle it.’ And I quit doing those kind of pictures,” The Duke noted. With Wayne ought the picture, the studio brought in “the best hillbilly recording artist in the country to Hollywood” to take his place.
The man was Gene Autry, who became one of the pivotal figures in country music. Wayne was then free to go on and make a name for himself as what he thought was a proper actor, and in 1939, he appeared in John Ford’s classic Western movie Stagecoach, announcing him to the world as a major star. But still, perhaps Wayne would always look back on Riders of Destiny and think that he might have at least been able to strum a few chords.
