In short
Ron Howard recalls meeting and working with John Wayne on Don Siegel’s The Shootist, focusing on Wayne’s rehearsal habits, on-set presence, and mutual respect that led to later interest in collaborating again.
Guest backgrounds
Ron Howard is the episode’s guest; he’s an actor/director who has worked with major stars including Henry Fonda, Glenn Ford, Shirley Jones, and briefly Jimmy Stewart, and directed Betty Davis.
Key claims
Wayne was intimidating mainly because others gave him space; he wasn’t disruptive, but he fought dialogue lines and loved running lines in his trailer. Wayne bought a TV Guide featuring Ron Howard and Henry Winkler in Happy Days costumes, then teased him as a “big shot.”
Notable examples
Wayne’s handshake dwarfed Howard’s; their “run lines” ritual; six months after filming, Wayne sought Howard for a movie adaptation of a book at an AFI dinner honoring Henry Fonda.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOMeeting John Wayne: First Impressions
0:16 to 3:10
Ron Howard shares his first encounter with John Wayne on set.
“Somebody else that loved it quite a lot was John Wayne.”
Building a Rapport with the Duke
3:10 to 4:22
Howard discusses his unique relationship with Wayne during filming.
“We crossed paths at AFI dinner honoring Henry Fonda.”
John Wayne's Aspirations as a Director
4:22 to 4:47
Howard reflects on Wayne's desire to direct, influencing his own career.
“How much did John Wayne's wish that he had directed more stick with you?”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Hey guys, Graham here. It's Friday, which means we get to share with you another one of our most popular clips from a past interview. This week, Ron Howard. What you're about to listen to is trending this week on our Facebook page. Hope you enjoy. So I know you love rehearsing. Somebody else that loved it quite a lot was John Wayne. Well, yeah, the very first time that I met him, I arrived in Carson City, Nevada. I was met by the director, Don Siegel, in the hotel. And Siegel says, let's take you up and meet Duke. And, you know, this was his last movie, The Shootist. But, you know, it was epic in every way.
0:44So we're heading toward the elevator through the hotel lobby. We walk by sort of the gift and sundry shop. And there is the magazine stand. and right there is is a tv guide and that week henry winkler and i happened to be posing in our happy days costumes on the cover and he said oh this is great i'm gonna buy this and and and show duke and i was like well i don't know are you sure you want to show the happy days thing i you know i i don't know he said oh no he'll love it he'll love it so he bought it we got in the elevator we went up opened the door meet john wayne he's giant he doesn't have his hairpiece on those he's a giant bald man and reaches out his hand good to meet you and it just dwarfs my hand i mean just uh i don't know how tall he was six six six seven but his hands were like a seven footer i mean he was just huge and it's like i've shook hands with Shaq O 'Neal.
1:47It's kind of like that. And so then Don Siegel says, hey, look, Duke, look at this. And he hands him the hands him the TV guide. John Wayne sort of squints at it, looks at me, looks back down and looks at me. He says, ah, big shot, huh? I thought, oh, man, I'm screwed now. But had a fine meeting. And as we started shooting, you know, I realized we had a lot of dialogue together. I just could see that he was fighting the lines. And I was a little nervous about it, too. And I said, you want to run lines? And he said, yeah. We went to his trailer and started running the lines. And he loved it. So that became our ritual.
2:32And people were otherwise kind of on edge or terrified of him. And people were really careful around him. And, you know, it's not that he was throwing fits and kicking over C-stands and, you know, throwing boxes around or anything. But, you know, they gave him space. He was the Duke. And I just realized that other people weren't engaging with him. But he was an actor and, you know, and wanted to make sure he had the scene under control. And we developed a great rapport, you know. And six months after filming wrapped, he was interested in working with you again. We crossed paths at AFI dinner honoring Henry Fonda.
3:16I had done a TV show with Henry Fonda, so I was invited. And I saw him and he said, I found a book. I want to make it into a movie and it's you or me or it's nobody. And by this time, we also kind of knew he was ill and declining. And so it was really poignant to first to see that he still had that drive, but also to know that he, you know, he wanted to work together again, which meant a lot to me. You know, I worked with John Wayne. I worked with Glenn Ford, Shirley Jones, Henry Fonda, briefly with Jimmy Stewart. I directed Betty Davis.
3:58there was something that I was learning early in my career from all of these people very different personalities and so I was working with people who were you know fully established superstars had won all the Oscars they were going to win and yet still wanting to work and when they showed up it was it was winning time it was time to be good it was time to try to be great. How much did John Wayne's wish that he had directed more stick with you? Well, it certainly impressed me. And, you know, and he was such a big star. And, and also at a time when actors just didn't really do that. But, you know, this really fueled my dream and my ambition.
4:46One quick thing before you leave, please consider giving the podcast a rating and review. those go a really long way in helping us reach new listeners
From the publisher
Childhood actor turned award-winning director Ron Howard looks back on the first time he met John Wayne, as they were cast together for the 1976 film “The Shootist.” Howard heralds Wayne as a giant in the industry and in stature, and how an abnormal offer forged a quick bond with The Duke.
