debut in 1941 in Henry Hathaway' s Sundown. Im so glad that you decided to do your own research, and that you came across my article. In 1939 he played for one of UCLA's greatest football teams ever, alongside future baseball legend Jackie Robinson. Buruuba (1955) Woodrow Wilson Woolwine "Woody" Strode (July 25, 1914 - December 31, 1994) born in Los Angeles, was a football and track star at UCLA, playing alongside Jackie Robinson on the Bruins squad. Thanks for your kind words, and for reading! I refer you back to the section in my article about The Jimmy Stewart Show for the facts behind the casting of Hal Williams on the show. He's a baffling combination of crass and innocent, and all of his interactions with every member of the series' primary cast are always guaranteed to bring a laugh. Son of Sinbad (1955) But only Woody could think up this "footwear mullet," and that's what makes it great. Strode was a gladiator in Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954) and was in Jungle Man-Eaters (1954), a Jungle . (1979) The Lion Hunters (1951) Aug 5: WWE SummerSlam, > Archives It's also one that finds Woody being pulled into the action - albeit not as willingly or successfully as before. Just ask fans of the Calgary Stampeders. Stewart said: It looks a bit Uncle Remussy to me. This was a reference to the controversial fictional narrator of 19th century African-American folktales, who was later the main character in Disneys 1946 movie Song of the South a film that Disney does not make available today due to its racist stereotyping. He majored in history and education. We dont know why Jimmy turned down Mockingbird. Im delighted to put the rumors about him to rest. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone. African Treasure (1952) Besides marking Calgarys first Grey Cup championship, the 1948 game proved to be a turning point in Grey Cup lore as well. No freeways. He would retire from pro football after that first season. Cutting Her Down to Size? Shawn and Gus have been the best of friends ever since they were children, and maybe even since they were infants. Ford was so impressed with Strode, he gave him the starring role in 1960s Sergeant Rutledge, a Technicolor Western about a U.S. Cavalry sergeant falsely accused of raping a white woman and killing her father. Released two years before To Kill a Mockingbird, Rutledge is one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to address racism frankly. Thanks for reading, Luke. There's no easier way to put it: Woody is weird. That never happens in a more hilarious manner than during a conversation with Henry Spencer about his sonwho Woody believes is Gus. Thank you for reading! It would be interesting to hear Janes thoughts. Strode was a black cavalry officer on trial for rape and murder, and during the court-martial his story is recounted in flashback. Now, I don't know if Mr Stewart has a prejudice against Negroes, but I just wanted you all to know about it., Stewart later said he wanted to crawl into a mouse hole after that and Wayne told him: Well, welcome to the club. Jim and Duke upset distributors of the film for a scene in which the two are seated next to each other on a piano bench, jamming at the piano of a bar filled with dancers. best of friends ever since they were children, Psych 2: Lassie Come Home: 10 Easter Eggs You Totally Missed. Jimmys words and actions prove that he was not racist. In 1939 Woody, Jackie Robinson and Kenny Washington led UCLA to its first undefeated football season. Munn says Frank Sinatra made him an honorary member of the Rat Pack after the two sang duets together for a laugh. Munn says he regrets turning down a marriage proposal from the beautiful Lynne Frederick, the tortured widow of Peter Sellers, and that Steve McQueen opened up to him on a secret four day motorcycle off-roading excursion. "I was lucky enough this time to have John Ford as my director. Otherwise, we would have been inMonument ValleyorBrackettvilleand we would have had colour stock. Aka: Scipio the African The Alleged Woody Strode Interview Michael Munn's dangerous habit of mixing truth with exaggeration and fallacy calls his alleged interview with Woody Strode into question. Is Woody Strode in the Hall of Fame? Your email address will not be published. Jan. 3, 1995 12 AM PT. After handing over ME duties to Alex Richards, he remains a frequent contributor to the site. Washington and Strode? In the interview, Marvin relates an incident where Jimmy Stewart actively opposed the racist behavior of another actor on set. Part African American and part Native American, Strodes first big break was in 1960s Spartacus, as the Ethiopian gladiator whose death sparks a rebellion. I have watched his films since I was a teenager and hoped that this rumor was untrue. Shalako (1968) He had not a problem with a white guy playing the police officer giving Jimmys character a tongue-lashing. I was too young at the time to realize Ford was using me to get at Stewart. Frye admits as much at the end of the quote. Thank you for bringing the evidence together. I am so glad that I can watch his movies again! Strodes family came from New Orleans and he was Black Indian many Southern Native American tribes had welcomed slaves and free folk into their communities in the 1800s. Jimmy Stewart has deserved an article like this for a long time. He was interred with military honors at Riverside National Cemetery, east of his hometown.. La mala ordina (1972) By the late 1960s, he moved to Europe and became a regular in the Italian (Spaghetti) Western genre. And, as my article highlights, Hal Williams was not fired from The Jimmy Stewart Show. If Jim had an issue with casting a black actor, why was Williams not fired? See SERGEANT RUTLEDGE (60) on 7/31 at 10:45pm ET as we continue our spotlight Directed by John Ford.Look for this films on Watch TCM at http://tcm.com/watch.Connect with Turner Classic Movies:Visit TCM WEBSITE: http://myt.cm/TCMwebsiteFollow TCM on INSTAGRAM: http://myt.cm/TCMinstagramLike TCM on FACEBOOK: http://myt.cm/TCMfacebookFollow TCM on TWITTER: http://myt.cm/TCMtwitterSubscribe now to watch more classic film content from TCM http://spr.ly/6017cTBT He's also written for Pro Wrestling Illustrated, WrestleZone, The Windsor Star, and other publications. He made more than sixty movies including his last film, The Quick and The Dead [1995]. > Canadian Hall of Fame He and Kenny Washington integrated the National Football League (NFL), and Strode played for the Los Angeles Rams in 1946 before moving to the Canadian Football League in 1948. Regarding your claim that the FBI agent character was written out of The Jimmy Stewart Show after Stewart objected to NBC: in my extensive research on the subject, Ive never found any evidence to support this. It was his enduring appeal in Western films that lead to him being immortalized in tribute by Pixar films the Tom Hanks voiced cowboy toy Woody in theToy Storyseries was named Woody after Woody Strode. For nearly two decades he remained a pioneer against racism in the film and television industry. Which is sort of remarkable, because they love each other. 7 Women (1966) It was Ford who cast Strode in the lead role in Sergeant Rutledge. He majored in history and education. Ford discovered Wayne, then Marion Morrison, when the latter was a University of Southern California student with a summer job on a studio lot. She's been living in a galaxy far, far away since she was 11 years old, though she makes the occasional stop in Themyscira, Hawkins, and Westeros - and she wouldn't have it any other way. Jimmy Stewart worked with several black actors and entertainers throughout his career, including Hal Williams, Woody Strode, Lillian Randolph, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington. Your email address will not be published. Spartacus (1960) Stewart was never rude to mehe was never rude to anyone. Stewart was a political conservative and product of his time and had issues with racial advancement and equality. He would find several extras roles over the decade, before turning to pro wrestling on a more full-time basis in 1949. I find a lot of this evidence unconvincing. Unlike Robinson, however, neither played much. For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions A recently posed question casts a shadow on the otherwise pristine legacy of. If we are to take Michael Munns 1976 interview with Woody Strode as fact, then Munns alleged interview with Lee Marvin, another Liberty Valance star, should also be considered. Woody Strode, the football player turned actor who had supporting roles in John Wayne films and costume period epics such as "Spartacus" and "The Ten Commandments," has died at age 80. Actually, I had been rassling in the off-season anyhow, Strode told the late, great Canadian newspaper columnist Jim Proudfoot. During the episode, the main group of guys find themselves unable to remember what they did the night before, only to find themselves involved in a murder investigation. Woody Strode 22 languages View history Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode (July 25, 1914 - December 31, 1994) was an American athlete and actor. Western icon John Wayne had a legendary collaboration with director John Ford that lasted five decades and transformed both mens careers. (See The American Creed video in my article above.). Aka: Black Jesus To answer your question: Hal Kanter is the only primary source to say that Jimmy had issue with the casting of Hal Williams. Youd never see them in the big department stores. Tarzan and the Perils of Charity Jones (1967) For Jims take on working with John Ford and the Uncle Remus incident, listen to his 1969 account below. But i am so glad to find out it was not true. Jimmy Stewart voiced his support for this goal in a 16 second radio campaign that played the week of February 16-23, 1947. Strode would play two more seasons in Calgary before an injury ended his football life. And late Hollywood legend James Stewart got to watch their dynamic up close. Hal Kanter is our only primary source on the alleged conversation. Though he was a conservative unlike his friend Henry Fonda who was a liberal and despised racism, I doubt if their life long friendship wouldve lasted if Fonda discovered he had racist views. Bill Fryes exact words to biographer Marc Elliot about Jim turning down Mockingbird were: He turned down To Kill a Mockingbird because he felt the racial thing was too controversialtoo liberal really, but he would never say it that way.. And really, that says everything someone needs to know about Woody. The Buccaneer (1958) RELATED:10 Witty Buddy Comedies To Watch If You Love 'Psych'. For nearly two decades he remained a pio- neer against racism in the film and television industry. Lust in the Dust (1985) RELATED:Psych: Ranking The Main Characters By Intelligence. However, while on a trip to London, he caught her in bed with a wealthy night club owner named Siegi Sessler and again the relationship almost foundered. According to Strode: Stewart was never rude to mehe was never rude to anyone. At MGM there was a separate entrance and lunchroom for the black laborers and maids. Aka: The Devils Backbone He and Kenny Washington integrated the National Football League (NFL), and Strode played for the Los Angeles Rams in 1946 before moving to the Canadian Football League in 1948. Strode was born in Los Angeles on July 25, 1914, the son . By 1960, he was starting to garner more attention from Hollywood producers, and after roles inPork Chop Hill (1959), The Last Voyage (1960), andSpartacus(1960), Hollywood deemed he was no longer an extra and deserved more attention. Even Munns publisher, Jeromy Robson of JR Books, admits to having seen only a few of Munns interview reference materials, and that for the most part, he must trust Munns good memory for dialogue as the only proof that any of these alleged interviews occurred. Michael Munns books are unreliable. The fame he had built through football and movies helped open up wrestling as well, and Strode wrestled white grapplers in Texas in the early 50s. Strode continued acting for decades his final film was as Charlie Moonlight in the 1995 film,The Quick and the Deadthat also featured Leonardo Di Caprio, Sharon Stone, and Gene Hackman sadly, Strode passed away from lung cancer in late 1994 before the film was released and the film was dedicated to him upon release. We need him!, In the end, Wayne told Strode: We gotta work together. In the trailer, Jim, Van Johnson, Shirley Temple, Eddie Cantor, Jennifer Jones, Ingrid Bergman, Walter Pidgeon, Katharine Hepburn, and Edward G. Robinson encouraged Americans to stand together in support of freedom for all, a message particularly relevant in the wake of World War II. In its pages African American studies intellectuals, community activists, and national and international political leaders come to grips with basic issues confronting black America and Africa. Ford had to accept those terms or not make the film.. Strode praised Ford in a 1960 interview. The Cotton Club Encore (2019) Odie Henderson. Smith Goes to Washington, did not escape Fords sadism unscathed. ), Wrestling was next on his resume. Lets go behind the origin of the rumor that Jimmy Stewart was racist, and the evidence that refutes it. As James Stewart explained it, Woody Strode, the actor who was playing Wayne's character's best friend, was part of the scene. Thank you for reading! Cowboysan (1977) You can unsubscribe at any time. But its possible the interview never occurred. Stewart said that he didnt like it. Producer Julian Blaustein, who produced Jims 1950 film, Jim spoke of his Hollywood career in a series of interviews with. This article looks at Woody Strode, an early African-American and Native American star who left pro wrestling in the early 1960s to become an actor in Hollywood for decades. According to Strode, John Ford then called the whole cast and crew over, and twisted the comment into something Jimmy Stewart never said. Another reliable source for Woody Strodes feelings towards Jimmy Stewart is a, If we are to take Michael Munns 1976 interview with Woody Strode as fact, then Munns alleged interview with. Michael Munns dangerous habit of mixing truth with exaggeration and fallacy calls his alleged interview with Woody Strode into question. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. Woody Strode and Jimmy Stewart in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). What is it whats the idea? And I said, I dont know!, And I didnt know, Stewart added. I really cried for days because hes one of my favorite actors and I am African-American. Born July 28, 1914, in Los Angeles, California, Woody Strode (Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode) was first of the star football athletes to become a successful film actor. 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. Here's why. May he forever RIP. Id do that if I could. While his pro wrestling career lasted two decades from the 1940s to 1960s, his impact not only on the NFL and in Hollywood was a groundbreaker, making him a pioneer in many genres outside of the squared ring. The FBI agent character was written out of The Jimmy Stewart Show after Stewart objected to NBC. But Kanter says that Jimmy mixed up the roles: he explained to Jim that Hal Williams had not been cast as a police officer, but as an FBI agent in a different episode. He died the following year at age 80. Never had so much fun as I did in Canada. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. In addition to the testaments of people who knew him, Jimmy Stewarts own words and actions prove he was not racist. How much did Woody Strode weigh when playing? Warner Bros. wanted Sidney Poitier, but Ford pushed back, saying he wasnt tough enough to play Rutledge. De Mille (The Ten Commandments as the King of Ethiopia); Stanley Kubrick (Spartacus); and Sergio Leone (Once Upon a Time in the West). It is such a terrible rumor. 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In the absence of evidence to support your various claims about Jimmy Stewart, they cannot be taken as fact. Aka: We Are No Angels Michael Munns dangerous habit of mixing truth with exaggeration and fallacy calls his alleged interview with. Where was Woody Strode born? Strode also played the powerful gladiator who does battle with Kirk Douglas in Spartacus (1960)." Click here to subscribe. I can find no evidence to suggest that Jimmys support of Barry Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election was based on Goldwaters civil rights voting record. In 1962, he retired from pro wrestling to concentrate on his film career, which exploded after his role in John Fords Sergeant Rutledge, and then his first starring role in the Western The Professionalsthat starred Lee Marvin and Burt Lancaster in 1966. ", NEXT:Psych 2: Lassie Come Home: 10 Easter Eggs You Totally Missed. Born July 28, 1914, in Los Angeles, California, Woody Strode (Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode) was first of the star football athletes to become a successful film actor. You could smell the orange blossoms. Strode appeared in at least 90 films, from Sunrise in 1941 to his last, The Quick and the Dead, released in 1995. I am a black American who was heartbroken when I heard this aweful rumor. Mar 5: AEW Revolution Much in the same vein as Phil Dunphy ofModern Family failing to understand what "WTF" stands for, Woody apparently believes "TMI" means "Tell More Information." As Kanter recalled, Jim didnt like the idea of a black police officer lecturing him on television, and threatened to use his casting approval to get Hal Williams out of the show. He was the African antagonist in Tarzan Fights for Life (1958) and an Apache chief who took on Sean Connery in the western, Shalako (1968). As a black man I should know better by now, and am glad that I decided to look further into the matter. Munn insists that he was the confidant of nearly every great Classic Hollywood Star, a declaration he made only after all of these stars passed. It was the dark side of the American dream.. Thank you thank you thank you dear for this story, I am so so grateful for this. Also in the Munn interview, Strode relates an incident in which. When we won, we all got drunk. I am so glad that I read this article. I refer you back to my section on The Jimmy Stewart Show for the facts behind the casting of Hal Williams. Your email address will not be published. Angkor: Cambodia Express (1982) Jamie Greer joined LWOPW in 2015 and was the site's Managing Editor from 2016 through 2020. Over the past several decades, more and more pro wrestlers are capitalizing on their work in pro wrestling to work in Hollywood as bonafide stars in the movie industry. The Ten Commandments (1956) It was Donald Deweys 1997 biography of Jimmy Stewart [aff. ", Strode blamed Ford for almost all the tension on The Man From Liberty Valances set. For Jims take on working with John Ford and the Uncle Remus incident, listen to his 1969 account below. Even in his later films, like Vigilante (1982) and Jungle Warriors (1984), the 70 year-old Strode looks > Books Interesting to see that there are actually people out there who are hell-bent on believing that Jimmy was racist. Semantic Scholar is a free, AI-powered research tool for scientific literature, based at the Allen Institute for AI. Jim replied that he thought the costume made Strode look a bit too much like Uncle Remus.. Strode played as an End with the Rams in 1946, playing in 10 games that season. An Interview with Woody Strode INTRODUCTION by Frank Manchei interview is with Woody Strode, called by JET magazine, "the Jackie Robinson of cinema." Strode made his film debut in 1941 in Henry Hathaway' s Sundown. Thats my take. After Gus and Shawn are implicated in yet another murder scene, they scramble to cover up the evidence which Woody is already all too keenly aware of. Terrible rumors about Jimmy Stewarts beliefs have sprung from an interview that possibly never occurred. Thanks again for reading Brice, and for your kind comment! The Professionals (1966) Jungle Gents (1954) Genghis Khan (1965) American actor Woody Strode on the set of Sergeant Rutledge, directed by John Ford. Whether that labels him a racist or not is irrelevant. Required fields are marked *. Wrestling: Shocking Stories from the Squared Circle; Benoit: Wrestling with the Horror That Destroyed a Family and Crippled a Sport (with Steven Johnson, Heath McCoy and Irv Muchnick); He can be emailed at goliver845@gmail.com, you can follow him on Twitter @gregmep, and visit www.oliverbooks.ca. Vigilante (1983) Woody eventually becomes a major player in the world ofPsych, but he's also clearly not part of the main friendship group for most of the series' run. To promote Brotherhood Week, Jimmy Stewart opened and closed a 3 minute trailer that played before feature films at theaters across the United States. Weve dissected the fallacies behind the rumor that Jimmy Stewart was a racist. 20072023 Blackpast.org. Michael Munns integrity as a biographer has been questioned. His words, actions, and moral code prove the fallacy of any rumor to the contrary. According to Woody, he's even less in control of himself, and all of his faculties, when tickling is involved.