Untold Movie Secrets & Stories! John Wayne-John Ford Cavalry Trilogy! Pat Wayne & Michael F. Blake!

FORT APACHE, SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON and RIO GRANDE are considered director John Ford’s “three cavalry masterpieces.” All starred John Wayne and were released in three consecutive years. The films were based on a series of short stories published in the “Saturday Evening Post” that were written by James Warner Bellah and illustrated by Harold Von Schmidt.
First was FORT APACHE with Wayne, Henry Fonda and Shirley Temple in 1948. Next was SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON in 1949, the only film in the trilogy shot in Technicolor, winning an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. And RIO GRANDE in 1950, the final film in the trilogy and the first to pair Duke with the beautiful Maureen O’Hara.
Award winning makeup artist and author Michael F. Blake’s book, called “The Cavalry Trilogy,” delves into the making of these three classic films, digging deep to unveil behind-the-scenes secrets about the hurdles, hardships and the deserved acclaim that these unforgettable films have obtained.
Blake discussed his book with producer Rob Word and Patrick Wayne for a special episode of A WORD ON WESTERNS which was edited by Associate Producer Mike Clark. The event took place at the Lone Pine Film Festival in October 2024 where the trio unlocked movie secrets and lore to a packed house of western and film fans. Patrick had made his film debut in RIO GRANDE and shared memories of working with his father and his godfather, director Ford. Their conversation reveals so much about the films that you will want to pick up a copy of Blake’s book and then screen all three of them again.
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