[4][5], Strode, Kenny Washington, and Jackie Robinson starred on the 1939 UCLA Bruins football team, in which they made up three of the four backfield players. Strode had begun his association with Ford back in 1939, with an uncredited role in his classic western 'Stagecoach'. He guest starred on The Lieutenant, The Farmer's Daughter and Daniel Boone and had roles in the features Genghis Khan (1965) and 7 Women (1966), the latter the last film he made for Ford. Strode's Associated Press obituary praised his work in Westerns and period dramas, but didn't mention the trail he blazed on the gridiron. When Ford cast Strode in Sergeant Rutledge (1960), the actor remembers the legendary director telling him: You know, Woody, its pretty rough to make a star out of you, but Im going to make you a character actor and youll make some money.. But it must have made a real impact on Ford himself, since, in the early 1970s, he planned to come out of retirement with a new film about the life of the first black graduate of West Point, Henry Flipper. Waterfield laughs and says: You sons of bitches, youre living good., Strode by then was in his early 30s and his football days were numbered. [3], "I got a cultural educationmajored in history and education," he said in a 1971 interview. Strode racked up 91 acting credits in six different decades, according to IMDb. Not surprisingly, the film is considered one of Fords most overlooked and underrated films, and given the subject matter as well as the era in which it was made and released, it was not a box office success either. He signed with the Los Angeles Rams in 1946 alongside Kenny Washington, an electrifying rusher and college teammate at UCLA. However, by the early 1960s, when Ford was in his late 60s and nearing the end of his long career, the director seemed to have mellowed with age, discovering and exploring a more humanist side to himself. After his football career, he went on to become a film actor, where he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Spartacus in 1960. Youd have thought I was marrying Lana Turner, they way Whites in Hollywood acted, he recalled. Ford discovered Wayne, then Marion Morrison, when the latter was a University of Southern California student with a summer job on a studio lot. Had a longtime affair with troubled actress. He was reluctant until they offered him $500 a week. Robinson debuted in the majors with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, breaking the color barrier in that sport several months after his Bruins teammates reached the NFL. Who Is Woody Strode's Wife? The supporting cast includes Linda Cristal, Andy Devine, and John McIntire. " [20], Strode was in Che! [3] He called it "the first dramatic thing that I had done."[7]. "Visually, he is a tower of strength and also a tower of endurance," film historian Donald Bogle said about Strode in a Turner Classic Movies segment a couple of years ago. The narrative structure is told mainly in a series of flashbacks in which information is revealedin bits, leaving us guessing as to what really happened. It is made clear in "Liberty Valance" that segregation was the practice in the territory. Every day, someone was at the bottom of the list in the barrel, as you say, Stewart said of Fords tendency to take his frustrations out on his underlings. [2] Following the end of his football career in 1949, he returned to wrestling part-time between acting jobs until 1962, wrestling the likes of Gorgeous George. "It had dignity. On top of that, in the early 1930s, Ford also made several films with long-lambasted black character actor Stephin Fetchit, likeJudge Priest and Steamboat Around the Bend, in which he played degrading and embarrassing supporting roles, often as a slow-witted, lazy buffoon. Racial discrimination slowed their progress in the game. | The role set his Hollywood career in motion. He served in the United States Army during World War II. John Ford's "Apology" Western 'Sergeant Rutledge' Starring Woody Strode Returning to DVD. Strode landed a major starring role as an expert archer and soldier of fortune in the 1966 Western The Professionals. Woody Strode (1914-1994) 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. I don't know if they ever will be. Strode was a college track and football star at UCLA, one of the first Blacks to integrate the NFL, a professional wrestler, a Golden Globe nominated actor, and a WWII veteran. The Legend of Woody Strode. Tom Doniphon is a local farmer, who observes, "Liberty Valance's the toughest man south of the Picketwire--next to me." Strode appeared in at least 90 films, from Sunrise in 1941 to his last, The Quick and the Dead, released in 1995. Opponents from the Deep South resented having to share the field with Black men, the producer of a documentary film about the Forgotten Four, Ross Greenburg, told the UCLA newsroom in 2014. The scripts for these were variable but Strode later said "Me, I didn't care. He was interred with military honors at Riverside National Cemetery, east of his hometown. [21], He had a support role in Tarzan's Fight for Life (1958) and a small part in The Buccaneer (1958). He portrayed an assortment of African chiefs and guards until Cecil B. DeMille cast him in The Ten Commandments (1956), as the King of Ethiopia. In 1946, Woody Strode was one of the first four Black men to play in the NFL. He simply does not have to say a word.". Strode was a prolific performer, starring in his first . How many games did Woody Strode play? His 1968 starring role as a thinly-disguised Patrice Lumumba in Seduto alla sua destra (released in the U.S. as Black Jesus) garnered Strode a great deal of press at the time, but the film is largely forgotten now. Yes, but there's more to it than that, and in John Ford's mind, gun ownership is very much an open question. Woody Strode passed away on December 31, 1994 from lung cancer in Glendora, California. Acting wasn't his first passion, however, as football at Jefferson High School and UCLA brought him initial fame. This man was the definition of a renaissance man, keep reading this article and you will understand exactly why. Integrating the NFL was the low point of my life. They were married until her death in 1980 from Parkinson's disease. "You'd have thought I was marrying Lana Turner, the way the whites in Hollywood acted," he later said. Stagecoach (1939 trailer screenshots) (11 F) Media in category "Stagecoach (1939 film)" The following 4 files are in this category, out of 4 total. He was an Indian in Shalako (1968) and played a gunslinger in the opening sequence of Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). He went on to depict myriad gunslingers at home and abroad. Someone's Got A Woody" Episode 804 -- Pictured: Kurt Fuller as Woody Strode, Peter Stormare as Cyrus Polk -- Ernest Borgnine with actor Woody Strode pose for the movie "The Revengers" in 1972. February 11-March 6, 2022. Filmography - 1939: Stagecoach. Producers approached him in 1950 to portray a Maasai warrior in a "Bomba, the Jungle Boy" adventure flick. - IMDb Mini Biography By: "[7], "That was a classic," he later said. If you're a nice guy, you can walk into a room anywhere in the world. [7], Along with Ray Bartlett, there were four Black Americans playing for the Bruins, when only a few dozen at all played on other college football teams. (1969) and supported Terence Hill and Bud Spencer in Boot Hill (1969) shot in Italy. The screenplay by James Warner Bellah and Willis Goldbeck contains one of the best-known lines of dialogue in any Ford movie, spoken to Stoddard years later by the town's new newspaper editor: "This is the West, sir. And late Hollywood legend James Stewart got to watch their dynamic up close. Then he asked someone to blow a whistle, which they did, and he called out, Everybody, would you please gather around? So they did. Official Sites, Impeccable musculature and towering height, Often played quiet, dignified men of action, Was one of the first four blacks who integrated professional football in 1946. by Merdies Hayes July 21, 2016 Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Strode (1914-1994) was one of the most prolific and reliable African American actors of a generation. "Stagecoach" and his cavalry trilogy, "Rio Grande" "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon" and "Fort Apache" - were as bloodthirsty savages. They reunited 20 years later when he played the title role in Ford's rather neglected 1960 western . Bert Glennon-John Ford in Stagecoach.jpg 806 620; 276 KB Monument Valley, Arizona, US - panoramio (4).jpg 5,184 3,456; 4.48 MB Stagecoach (1939 poster).jpg 1,970 2,937; 2.32 MB Woody Strode spent decades in Hollywood working with larger-than-life names, including John Wayne, Elvis Presley and Kirk Douglas. While making Pork Chop Hill he became a close friend of director John Ford. As the film opens, U. S. Senator Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) arrives in Shinbone by the new railroad with his wife Hallie (Vera Miles) to attend the funeral of a man named Tom Doniphon (John Wayne). Fortunately the DVD made-to-order Warner Archive specialty label is bringing back Rutledge at a lot lower price, starting next week. Strode was a gladiator in Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954) and was in Jungle Man-Eaters (1954), a Jungle Jim film. My dream is to play a Mexican bandit in the international market."[20]. He broke two ribs and a shoulder. It was the first UCLAUSC rivalry football game with national implications.[9]. But no pro team would draft African Americans. Inducted into the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum and Hall of Fame in 2012-13. But by 1946, Strode was 32 and the oldest member of the Rams as a rookie. At UCLA he was a track star, a football phenomenon and a performer on the Royce stage. According to Disneyland Vice President Tony Baxter, "In 1954. Not until 1946 did the two suit up for the . The drunken marshal won't protect him. Strode made his first appearance in Sundown (1941) playing a native policeman. German director Leni Riefenstahl called Strode the greatest physique of any athlete I have ever seen.. Prior to 1946, he played semi-pro football. He stayed in Europe to make another Western The Unholy Four (1970) and went back to Hollywood to do a TV movie Breakout (1970) and two Westerns The Deserter (also known as "The Devil's Backbone") (1971), and The Gatling Gun (1971). [19], They wanted him to shave his head. Ransom Stoddard believes in the U. S. Constitution, the rule by law, the trust in government. [7], With her he had two children, television director Kalai (a.k.a. He was also a professional wrestler, wrestling the likes of Gorgeous George. "To me, it's truly the beginning of more awareness of who they were, what they did, and why they were so important," Glauber told The New York Times ahead of the Canton ceremony in August. Strode last appeared on screen posthumously in 1995. He also did professional wrestling and reportedly tussled with the renowned Gorgeous George. Has appeared in four films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: The character Woody from the "Toy Story" films is named after Strode, who had appeared in a number of classic Western films. His more modest and more successful western, also made for Warners, and released four years earlier, in 1960, Sergeant Rutledge is remarkable and pretty advanced for its period. He shared a story from the set of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Fords 1962 film about an attorney (Stewart) who, robbed and left for dead by a notorious outlaw, is saved by a rancher (Wayne) and has to start over from scratch. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Bob Rea <bobnray@concentric.net> When a meeting is held to vote on statehood, Pompey sits outside on the porch. Strode worked in B-movies through the '70s and '80s and acted as the narrator for Mario Van Peebles' Black Western Posse in 1993. His last film was The Quick and the Dead (1995), which starred Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Russell Crowe. [17] He later teamed up with both Bobo Brazil[18] and Bearcat Wright. Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox, UCLA hires D'Anton Lynn as defensive coordinator, Harbaugh: Michigan good place to be despite challenges, Georgia's Dumas-Johnson charged with reckless driving. There is a purity to the John Ford style. ", Strode blamed Ford for almost all the tension on The Man From Liberty Valances set. Stoddard has come to town with a satchel full of law books, and hangs out his shingle at the newspaper office. In comparison, Ford had made combat documentaries for the Office of Strategic Services and had been wounded at the Battle of Midway, while Ranse star Stewart had been a bomber pilot who served with distinction. It's not saying too much to note that Ransom Stoddard is elected to the U. S. Senate because he is "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance." Born in Los Angeles in 1914, Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode died at age 80 on New Year's Eve 1994. This quartet struck a blow for racial inclusiveness in pro football as Black Americans sought it nationwide. Woody Strode played 10 games over his career. There are different takes over why, including that he thought it was a better medium. I make westerns.. "He treated me like a son," said Strode. One day Sir Laurence Olivier remarked he was a big fan of his football days, with Strode replying: I dont know what Im doing here in your business. Olivier said, Woody, what youre about to do, I could never do in reference to his upcoming fight scene with Kirk Douglas. But they should be.". | Strode's other television work included a role as the Grand Mogul in the Batman episodes "Marsha, Queen of Diamonds" and "Marsha's Scheme of Diamonds". I wanted to crawl into a mouse hole, Stewart recalled. Ford isn't making an anachronistic statement on racism, but he's being sure we notice it. Strode is perhaps best remembered as the stoic slave gladiator in Spartacus (1960) who tells Kirk Douglas: I dont want to be your friend. As played by Jimmy Stewart, Stoddard spends much of the film wearing an apron and washing dishes in the restaurant, sending a hardly ambiguous message about a man who doesn't wear a gun. After football, he went on to become a film actor, where he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Spartacus in 1960. How tall was Woody Strode? [11] UCLA teammate Jackie Robinson would go on to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball (in fact, Robinson, Strode, and Washington had all played in the semi-professional Pacific Coast Professional Football League earlier in the decade). In response, Ford said: Whats wrong with Uncle Remus? The director then called the crews attention and shouted: One of ourplayersdoesn't like Woody's costume. Despite the lack of opportunities for actors of color in his era, Woody Strode left a legacy worth revisiting. Never thought of them as brothers though. But even worse is the poster for the film (above) on which Strode appears, although his name is listed fourth and in tiny letters even smaller that the third person billed actress Billie Burke, who has a small supporting role with just a few lines. All three spend much of their time hanging out in the restaurant kitchen. Reveling in the win postgame, Strode rode a horse into the lobby of the team hotel. How many . He films mostly on sets, but we're not particularly aware. Sheriff Woody, the beloved "Toy Story" protagonist, was said to be named after Strode. M, Last edited on 27 February 2023, at 14:07, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, Pacific Coast Professional Football League, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, "Woody Strode (19141994) Find A Grave Memorial", "Woody Strode? He served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II and later went on to have a successful career as an actor. He did 1,000 push-ups, sit-ups, and knee bends daily. But Strode (who started his career in the early 1940s after a legendary athletic record at UCLA as a decathlete and a football star, and who died in 1994) is perfectly cast in the lead role as Rutledge and gives a powerful performance in one of the very few lead roles he ever played, among the 90+ films he appeared in, playing mostly supporting roles, sometimes even uncredited, during the early years of his film career. We also meet Link Appleyard (Andy Devine), the drunken town marshal; Doc Willoughby (Ken Murray), the drunken town doctor, and Dutton Peabody (Edmond O'Brien), the editor of the paper. In a few characters and a gripping story, Ford dramatizes the debate about guns that still continues in many Western states. He was a decathlete and football star who was one of the first African American players in the National Football League in the postwar era. [20], He based himself in Europe from 1968 to 1971.[7]. On a road game in Chicago, hotel management gave he and Washington $100 each to find another hotel in the Black section of town. Supplied by UCLA, Corbis Historical / Sunset Boulevard / Getty Images. "And this is not being facetious, but Mr. Ford defended me; and I don't know that this is going on. "But the producers answered, 'Not necessary. Race is not a factor in the world market," Strode said. He was a decathlete and football star who was one of the first African American players in the National Football League in the postwar era. He once said his interracial marriage (to an Hawaiian princess)and integrating the NFLwere the few times that racism caused him concern. He guest starred on The Man from Blackhawk (1960). Blackhawk ( 1960 ) a factor in the U. S. Constitution, the Jungle Boy adventure!. [ 7 ] at the newspaper office decades, according to.. Wrestling and reportedly tussled with the Los Angeles Rams in 1946 alongside Kenny,... 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