Audie L. Murphy Memorial Website Message Boards

Does anyone know if Audie ever made a western, or any other movie with John Wayne in it

They did not, and forgive me, Wayne fans, for being grateful.

Some people were offended that Murphy wasn't asked to play a role in the Alamo. Wayne apparently replied that there was no role suitable for an actor of his stature. I think he meant fame, not height. but it seems to be that if Alan Ladd could play Jim Bowie (The Iron Maiden?), then Murphy certainly could have.

Ann

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"He endured the shame of being sent home a living trophy to the blood and death of too many friends"
A Myth in Action: The Heroic Life of Audie Murphy
http://www.annjoiner.com

I know what you're saying Ann. Although I did like some of John Wayne's movies and I'm not trying to put him down "as an actor", I have never understood why Audie wouldn't have been suited for one of the major parts in the 1960 Alamo.

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WWAD?

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Betty

When asked about John Wayne's directing abilities Audie once
said something like John Wayne couldn't direct his way out of
traffic.....I do not think this was a close friendship as very little
seems to have been written about them together. John Ford use to
threaten John Wayne into perfoming better by telling Wayne
"Audie Murphy begged me for this part." All in good fun, I guess.

You have such interesting and fun information. I really enjoy reading your comments.

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Betty

According to Don Graham's book and assorted John Ford biographies, it seems to have been Harry Carey Jr who John Ford threatened with the words: "Audie Murphy begged me for this part." Murphy had been considered for the "Kid" role in 3 Godfathers, but it ultimately went to Harry Carey Jr., who was the son of (obviously) Harry Carey, a man Ford used to work with, but resented for marrying a woman that he-Ford had courted at one time. Ford picked on the younger Carey pretty badly during the filming, partly because that was what Ford did to people, and partly because of the hangups he had with the young man's parents' marriage. The Murphy references were just part of the general persecution.

Carey Jr didn't hold it against Murphy: there's an interview in one of the newsletters on this site, where he is quite admiring of Murphy's professionalism in shooting the tv episode "The Man," which is the one time they worked together as actors. In the Graham book, he has some things to say about the horsey side of Murphy, because the Careys bred horses too, and that seems to have been their main social contact. Carey speaks well of the Murphy horses, speculates that part of the attraction of the racetrack for Murphy was that people didn't seem to know or care who he was there, and seems pretty non-judgmental when remarking that Murphy only felt safe when armed or when he had "someone who was some kind of security" with him. Or, less judgmental about it than some other interviewees in the same book.

Murphy's only published comments on Wayne (made around the time Wayne was filming Green Berets) are not complimentary, but are comparatively mild, all things considering. "The Duke couldn't direct traffic" was pretty much what the rest of Hollywood was saying about him too, and the sarcasm of "Haven't you heard? John Wayne won the war in the Pacific all by himself" is downright innocuous compared to what people who don't like Wayne normally say about his "reel" military career. The two would never have been close friends, I think, because Wayne was a boisterous, hard-drinking and rather pushy extrovert and Murphy was introverted, thin-skinned and tended to retreat into his shell when faced with the pushy type. But the idea of them actively feuding seems a bit overblown.

Hi Folks,
When Ruxy and I visited the Cowboy Hall of Fame in OK. City in 2008 we asked a museum guide why
Audie was not included in the Western Movie hall or even T.V. Western Gallery or for that matter in
the Western Singers Hall area. All we had seen was a little 4 in by 4 inch plaque with Audie's name
on it in the area of Rodeo Hall of famer's area. The museum guide said at one time Audie memorabilia was included in a display in the western movie hero's area, but that was several year's
ago, and that the display was probably in storage area or could have possibly been sent back to the
original museum that had lent it to them. (Greenville or Farmersville?) (My parenthesis), Anyway her
next comment I thought at the time was unusual, But as you know, John Wayne was on our Board of
Directors, and after his demise, his son Pat Wayne filled his fathers post. At the time she made this
comment, I wondered, what has that got to do with anything. It wasn't until after our trip in 2008
that when I got home and purchased some more books on Audie and read about their comments
about one another, and the flack John Wayne received from Texan's everywhere concerning his
non inclusion of Audie in the movie of Alamo, that I finally understood what the museum guide
was eluding to. So apparently the Wayne family had enough influence on the museum's activities
and what was and was not in their galleries, that Audie's stuff was relegated to the storage area
or sent back to the original donors... Which is solely my speculation. Who knows, it could have
been for a multitude of reasons. However, I will always wonder why the museum guide made the
comment about John Wayne when she did. And Ruxy was standing right next to me when the lady
made this comment so she is also witness to it. Just My Thoughts... Shirley Jean.