Donald Bogle, Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies & Bucks (New York: Continuum, 1992); Internet Movie Data Base (IMDB) title search by key word; Woody Strode,; The Timeout Film Guide, edited by Tom Milne, Penguin Books, 3rd Edition, 1992. Never thought of them as brothers though. The same thing will happen again to another black man, and he probably wont be as lucky as Rutledge was. And so the studio actually tried to trick audiences into thinking that the film was about the white characters. [7], Along with Ray Bartlett, there were four Black Americans playing for the Bruins, when only a few dozen at all played on other college football teams. Robinson debuted in the majors with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, breaking the color barrier in that sport several months after his Bruins teammates reached the NFL. He later said his salary in Italy went up to $10,000 a week. My dream is to play a Mexican bandit in the international market."[20]. Strode was a prolific performer, starring in his first . United States. In 1946 he was one of the first blacks to play in the National Football League. "You'd have thought I was marrying Lana Turner, the way the whites in Hollywood acted," he later said. TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. His big break came in 1960. He served in the United States Army during World War II. How much did Woody Strode weigh when playing? And strangely enough, Duke Wayne who, over the years, you know, has made lots of pictures with Ford Duke Wayne has been at the bottom of the list, in the barrel, more than anybody else. Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode (July 25, 1914 - December 31, 1994) was an American athlete and actor. Kenny Washington passed away on June 24, 1971 in Los Angeles due to heart and lung issues. [26][27][28] In 1982 at the age of 68, he wed 35-year-old Tina Tompson,[28] and they remained married until his death of lung cancer on December 31, 1994, in Glendora, California, aged 80. "I would have lost that role if I hadn't been in shape, and if I hadn't had a lot of experience as a wrestler," Strode told the Pittsburgh Courier after the film's release, according to Slam Wrestling. An old black cowboy named Pompey ( Woody Strode) takes Hallie on a buckboard ride into the countryside where they regard the burned-out remains of Doniphon's cottage. It was the only picture I did with Sergio Leonethe close ups were great, Strode said. John Ford and John Wayne together created much of the mythology of the Old West we carry in our minds. Three men stand at the center of the story: Stoddard, Doniphon, and Valance. When World War II broke out, Strode was playing for the Hollywood Bears in the Pacific Coast Professional Football League. When out on the road with the team, Strode had his first experience with racism, something he wasn't aware of growing up in Los Angeles. African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, Education - Historically Black Colleges (HBCU), Political Activists - Radicals and Marxists, Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. Then came Lewis Milestones war film Pork Chop Hill (1959) and steady work would follow. As they were preparing to shoot, Ford came up to Stewart and asked, What do you think of Woodys costume?. Even the final scene has an unexpected dramatic impact when, after Rutledge has been cleared of the crime, barely thanks his defense lawyer and goes straight back to leading his Buffalo Soldiers out for another tour of duty. But he also was described once as a tough, two-fisted, hard-drinking Irish sonofabitch who was known to treat actors on his films horribly, by bullying, yelling and even mocking them. Has appeared in four films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: The character Woody from the "Toy Story" films is named after Strode, who had appeared in a number of classic Western films. But I must say I got a little smug about it. [citation needed], Strode's acting career was re-activated when producer Walter Mirisch spotted him wrestling and cast him as an African warrior in The Lion Hunters (1951), one of the Bomba the Jungle Boy series. They were married until her death in 1980 from Parkinson's disease. Wednesday, 1st March 2023See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive. Supplied by UCLA, Corbis Historical / Sunset Boulevard / Getty Images. I'd play a Viking with blue contact lenses and a blond wig.". Strode was a college track and football star at UCLA, one of the first Blacks to integrate the NFL, a professional wrestler, a Golden Globe nominated actor, and a WWII veteran. As for Sergeant Rutledge, it was at one time, a few years ago, available on DVD on Warner Home Video; but it has been out circulation for years, although you could buy an used copy of it for $35 or more on Amazon or Ebay if you wanted it. Woody Strode passed away on December 31, 1994 from lung cancer in Glendora, California. He could beat Glenn Morris, the 1936 Olympic gold-medal decathlete, in all of his events except sprints. Though the film is an ambitious attempt to deal with one aspect of how this country has historically handled Native Americans (and there are several impressive scenes in the film), Cheyenne Autumn is seriously undercut by Fords ponderous direction, a wobbly, meandering script, his stilted wooden Indian characters who, a lot of the time, are standing like stoic statues, with the major speaking parts played by either Latino or Italian-American actors, and too many boring side stories involving white characters. Farmers want statehood. [4][5], Strode, Kenny Washington, and Jackie Robinson starred on the 1939 UCLA Bruins football team, in which they made up three of the four backfield players. You can unsubscribe at any time. In 1967 he attempted to produce his own film, The Story of the Tenth Cavalry but it was not made. Which is sort of remarkable, because they love each other. Indeed Hallie and Nora Ericson (Jeanette Nolan) are the only two noticeable women in town; little wonder Tom's love for Hallie is intense. Subscribe to our newsletter for new stories, tips & events. The 6-foot, 4-inch Strode was a world-class decathlete with a body so toned that he posed nude for an exhibition of athletic portraits shown at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. After his football career, he went on to become a film actor, where he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Spartacus in 1960. He is a member of famous Actor with the age 80 years old group. They were unable to find anyone to play the Ethiopian king so Strode was given that role too. Is Woody Strode in the Hall of Fame? He was drafted at age 27 and soon joined the United States Army Air Corps and spent the war unloading bombs in Guam and the Marianas, as well as playing on the Army football team at March Field in Riverside, California.[10]. And late Hollywood legend James Stewart got to watch their dynamic up close. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. [2], He attended Thomas Jefferson High School in South East Los Angeles and college at UCLA, where he was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. 1941:Sundown. The tall, confident Woody Strode appeared in five Ford pictures, all the way from "Stagecoach" to Ford's final film, "7 Women" (1966). Professional Football Player, Actor. But Stewart, an Oscar winner known for such timeless hits as The Philadelphia Story, Vertigo and Mr. He graced the screen alongside Sean Connery, Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, and John Wayne, plus Joe Namath when the Jets quarterback toyed with acting in the afterglow of his Super Bowl triumph. This story first appeared. Look instead at a debate that continues between the lawyer and the farmer about guns. Western icon John Wayne had a legendary collaboration with director John Ford that lasted five decades and transformed both mens careers. He appeared once on Johnny Weissmuller's 19551956 syndicated television series Jungle Jim and was in an episode of Private Secretary. But Pompey won't drink. I wanted to crawl into a mouse hole, Stewart recalled. It deals with a black U.S. Calvary sergeant of a regiment of black troops played by Woody Strode (who appeared in several later Ford films, including his last film Seven Woman playing a Chinese warlord) who is court-marshaled for raping and killing a white woman and her father as well. (1978), Ravagers (1979), Jaguar Lives! Theyre like father and son.. "I once played a part written for an Irish prize fighter. And Ford, who was usually straightforward when it came to the visual aspects of his films, shows some real visual and dramatic creativity. Born in Los Angeles in 1914, Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode died at age 80 on New Year's Eve 1994. I carried the whole black race across that river."[3]. Calgary beat the Ottawa Rough Riders 12-7 in Toronto. Ford passed away in 1974. "I've never gotten over 'Sergeant Rutledge,'" Strode told The New York Times years later. When a meeting is held to vote on statehood, Pompey sits outside on the porch. The character was named after Woody Strode, the legendary Spartacus actor who starred in numerous Westerns throughout the 1960s and 1970s. You ride horses.' In a few characters and a gripping story, Ford dramatizes the debate about guns that still continues in many Western states. - IMDb Mini Biography By: But no pro team would draft African Americans. He was 80 years old. Bert Glennon-John Ford in Stagecoach.jpg 806 620; 276 KB Monument Valley, Arizona, US - panoramio (4).jpg 5,184 3,456; 4.48 MB Stagecoach (1939 poster).jpg 1,970 2,937; 2.32 MB On top of that, in the early 1930s, Ford also made several films with long-lambasted black character actor Stephin Fetchit, likeJudge Priest and Steamboat Around the Bend, in which he played degrading and embarrassing supporting roles, often as a slow-witted, lazy buffoon. But when it came to shooting 1962s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance with Duke and Jimmy Stewart on the Paramount lot, the director opted for black and white instead. "I know Gus well." "Shawn." "Him too. Inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992. [25], His first wife was Princess Luukialuana Kalaeloa (a.k.a. All structured data from the file namespace is available under the. As a showdown between Stoddard and Valance Ford begins to seem inevitable, Ford creates considerable tension. The retired NFL wideout, in tandem with his co-author Bob Glauber, persuaded the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022 to recognize the so-called Forgotten Four as pathfinders. After the war, he worked at serving subpoenas and escorting prisoners for the L.A. County District Attorney's Office. Strode hauled in a pass while a teammate lay on the grass at the far sideline, which left that receiver wide open on the next snap. The film takes place at that turning point in the West when the rule of force gave way to the rule of law, and when literacy began to gain a foothold. He was a decathlete and football star who was one of the first African American players in the National Football League in the postwar era. In 1959 he portrayed the conflicted, some would say cowardly, Private Franklin in Pork Chop Hill, which brought him critical acclaim. At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, Strode was an athletic marvel in his prime. In an interview given before he died, Stewart once described the toll that Fords meanness took on Wayne. He could beat Glenn Morris, the 1936 Olympic gold-medal decathlete, in . Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore. Draba wins the contest, but instead of killing Spartacus, he attacks the Roman military commander who paid for the fight. "He treated me like a son," said Strode. Berlinale 2023 Highlights, Part Two: Reality, Manodrome, The Adults, Inside, Golda, Angela Bassett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Brendan Fraser, Cate Blanchett, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson Feted at SBIFF 2023, Revisiting Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Tragically Common: Jamie Dack, Lily McInerny and Jonathan Tucker on Palm Trees and Power Lines. View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro, Movie Images: My Favorite Film Characters of All-Time! [23], He did The Italian Connection (1972), for which he was paid $150,000. Country. I never got a close up in Hollywood, and Sergio framed me on the screen for five minutes. Though he made films in every genre, from dramas to historical epics, romances and even comedies, Ford has been justifiably associated with the western film and is considered one of the greatest and most influential directors in that genre, directing so many that Ford once said of himself, My Name is John Ford. Played for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League from 1948-49 before moving back to the US and beginning his film career. Cuenta con una puntuacin bastante buena en IMDb: 7.8 estrellas de 10. He went on to depict myriad gunslingers at home and abroad. If you're a nice guy, you can walk into a room anywhere in the world. Stoddard believes so firmly in the law that he is willing to lose his life for his principles. Strode's later appearances included Cuba Crossing (1980),The Dukes of Hazzard (1980), Scream (1981), Fantasy Island (1981), Vigilante (1982), Invaders of the Lost Gold (1982), Angkor: Cambodia Express (1983), The Black Stallion Returns (1983), The Violent Breed (1984), Jungle Warriors (1984), The Cotton Club (1984), The Final Executioner (1984), Lust in the Dust (1985), On Fire (1987), and A Gathering of Old Men (1987). 1952: African. [30], Strode was a dedicated martial artist under the direction of Frank Landers in the art of Seishindo Kenpo. ", - IMDb Mini Biography By: At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, Strode was an athletic marvel in his prime. How many games did Woody Strode play? Smith Goes to Washington, did not escape Fords sadism unscathed. Woody lived in a modest home overlooking Glendora and the San Gabriel Valley, north east of Los Angeles about 25 miles. He stayed in Europe to make another Western The Unholy Four (1970) and went back to Hollywood to do a TV movie Breakout (1970) and two Westerns The Deserter (also known as "The Devil's Backbone") (1971), and The Gatling Gun (1971). I've done everything but play an Anglo-Saxon. Yes, but there's more to it than that, and in John Ford's mind, gun ownership is very much an open question. Played college football and broke color barrier at the same time as Kenny Washington. "The big studios wanted an actor like Sidney [Poitier] or [Harry] Belafonte," recalled Strode. What is it whats the idea? And I said, I dont know!, And I didnt know, Stewart added. [29] He is buried at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California. [3], In 1941, Strode had dabbled for several months in professional wrestling. I've done everything but play an Anglo-Saxon. "You can't tell the story of the National Football League without telling the story of these four men," he added. Doubling as a defender, Strode scooped an errant lateral at midfield and returned the fumble to the opposing red zone, teeing up a TD rush. And Duke came up to me one day and said, Hows it come that youve gone through this whole thing and youve never been at the bottom of the list? Strode had difficulty maintaining the momentum of these roles. His composition is classical. He was always magnificent with a no-nonsense style and quiet intellect that no athlete-turned actor has ever surpassed. This page was last edited on 28 July 2021, at 02:45. After football, he went on to become a film actor, where he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Spartacus in 1960. Inducted into the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum and Hall of Fame in 2012-13. lcula de 1939 dirigida per John Ford; Film von John Ford (1939); filme de 1939 dirigido por John Ford; film; ; film t 1939 fan John Ford; film din 1939 regizat de John Ford; , 1939; film de John Ford; cinta de 1939 dirichita por John Ford; 1939; 1939 film by John Ford; 1939; film uit 1939; 1939 ; filme de 1939 dirigit per John Ford; pelcula de John Ford; vuoden 1939 elokuva; filme de 1939 dirixido por John Ford; 1939 ; 1939 ; film frn 1939 regisserad av John Ford; Stagecoach; Hllenfahrt nach Santa F; ; Stagecoach; Stagecoach; Chevauche fantastique; ; De fantastische Rit, Monument Valley, Arizona, US - panoramio (4).jpg, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:Stagecoach_(1939_film)&oldid=577190049, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. He was in 87 movies over the length of his career, though Strode . "It took skill to do that fight scene without actually hurting myself or hurting Douglas.". There are different takes over why, including that he thought it was a better medium. The Pompey actor assessed: What a miserable film to make.. I said, All right, where are the pluckers?" Then Strode realised, I was out in the world market with a bald head. Actor William Holden and Ernest Borgnine and Woody Strode pose for the movie "The Revengers" in 1972. It asks the question: Does a man need to carry a gun in order to disagree or state an opinion? However, by the early 1960s, when Ford was in his late 60s and nearing the end of his long career, the director seemed to have mellowed with age, discovering and exploring a more humanist side to himself. He served in the United States Army during World War II. He was an Indian in Shalako (1968) and played a gunslinger in the opening sequence of Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). While some reviewers and historians claim he could have been a more well-known and cast minority actor if not for his size and physically strong appearance, more along the lines of Sidney Poitier, a near contemporary, Hollywood of the past and present still has few positive roles outside of the stereotypical for ethnic males. Strode last appeared on screen posthumously in 1995. Woody played for the Los Angeles Rams after their move from Cleveland. He was both successful and a popular draw, but he gave up wrestling due to his popularity in motion pictures. I'd do that if I could. Woody Strode, byname of Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode, (born July 28, 1914, Los Angeles, California, U.S.died December 31, 1994, Glendora, California), American character actor who was part of director John Ford's "family" of actors, appearing in nearly a dozen of Ford's films. 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