John Ford in a still from Directed by John Ford, directed by Peter Bogdanovich
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Born in the 19th century, his career forged in the silent era, John Ford helped to invent the genre of the Western and still holds the record for the most Best Director Oscar wins of all time. Though he made films in all genres, and sometimes even tackled the same historical territory from different angles in different films, Ford had by the 1960s become synonymous with depictions of American history that honored maverick white men, while often villainizing, distorting or erasing Native Americans. In this episode, we will talk about the influence of Ford’s last masterpiece, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and will look at Ford’s last two films, which to some extent feel like “mea culpas” for the offenses of his earlier career: the revisionist Western Cheyenne Autumn, and the female-centric adventure film 7 Women.
Still from Cheyenne Autumn, 1964, Warner Bros.
“Sidekicks and Savages,” nativeamericanroots.net, June 21, 2008
“John Ford’s Mythic West,” Victor A. Walsh, American History, February 2016
“When the Navajos Fooled John Ford,” Guillermo Altares, El Pais, February 20, 2024
“Screen: John Ford Mounts Huge Frontier Western,” Bosley Crowther, New York Times, December 24, 1964
“Cheyenne Autumn,” Mark Ayala, New Beverly program notes, May 14, 2017
“John Ford Rides Again,” A.H. Weiler, New York Times, April 23, 1972
“John Ford 1895-1973,” Roger Greenspun, New York Times, September 9, 1973
“Wild Eastern,” TIME, May 13, 1966
“Facts About Ford,” Jenn Thornton, JohnWayne.com
“John Ford: The Last Frontiersman,” Ron Chernow, Ramparts, April 1974
“John Ford’s Trojan Horse-Opry,” Richard Oulahan, Life, November 27, 1964
“The Old Wrangler Rides Again,” Bill Libby, Cosmopolitan, March 1964
“John Ford: Hollywood’s Living Legend,” Dan Scannell, Westward, August-September 1961
“Greatest Films of All Time,” Sight & Sound Magazine, 2022
“John Ford in Monument Valley,” Todd McCarthy, American Film, May 1978
“The Current Cinema: John Ford,” Penelope Gilliatt, New Yorker, September 8, 1975
“Joan Didion: Staking Out California,” Michiko Kakutani, New York Times, June 10, 1979
“John Wayne: A Love Song,” Joan Didion, Slouching Towards Bethlehem
“John Wayne and the Six Security Men,” Farran Smith Nehme, Self-Styled Siren, August 19, 2022
“John Wayne: Playboy Interview,” Playboy, May 1971
“Films,” Andrew Sarris, Village Voice, May 26, 1966
“The Case of John Ford Advances at MOMA,” Andrew Sarris, Village Voice, September 15, 1975
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Still from 7 Women, 1965, MGM
Music:
The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.
Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode:
"Base Camp” - K2
"Calisson” - Confectionery
"Respite” - Desert Kalimba
"Two Dollar Token” - Warmbody
“Coquelicot” - Magenta
“Slimheart” - Bitters
“Stretch of Lonely” - Truckstop
“Four Count” - Reflections
“Cinema Pathetic” - Banana Cream
“Ewa Valley” - Cloud Harbor
“Suzy Textile” - Cloud Harbor
“Asian Relax (New Age)” - Musique Libre de Droit Club
“Pukae” - Cloud Harbor
This episode was written, narrated, edited and produced by Karina Longworth.
Our editor this season is Evan Viola.
Research, production, and social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.
Logo design: Teddy Blanks.
Right to left: Dennis Hopper, John Ford, and John Huston in 1971. Photo by Victor Strebneski