American Masters

John Ford and Francis Morrison. Oh, wait, I mean John Wayne. Yea that is it. These two American masters had a much more complicated relationship than anyone ever imagined. Once upon a time John Ford was a successful director who just happened upon a young UCLA grad working a summer job as an assistant property man on the Fox lot. And, the rest, is as they say: history.

The Duke stalls, Ford roars ahead. The Duke picks it up and they both ride to fame and glory. Ford falls, and the Duke picks him up.

Underneath it all is a complex relationship with questions of politics, responsibility, perspective, and the dynamics of personality all brewing beneath the surface.

PBS and American Masters looks at John Ford/John Wayne this Wednesday, May 10th, 2006.