The Horse Soldiers

A long-time alcoholic, John Ford was ordered by his doctor to abstain from drinking or he would surely die from its effects. Even though he was notorious for his stubbornness, Ford obeyed the physician's orders. Still, the absence of drink caused him to treat his cast and crew rougher than usual. The one who usually got the worst treatment, drink or no drink, was John Wayne, and he got it good on set. Ford demanded that Wayne also abstain from drink, even though he had no such orders from his physician. Wayne begged producer Martin Rackin to get him away from Ford's omnipresent gaze, if only for a brief moment. Rackin obliged and lied to Ford, telling him that Wayne's teeth were beginning to show up yellow on film and that he needed to take both Wayne and William Holden to New Orleans to have their teeth cleaned. So the drunken trio spent a roaring night in the Crescent City, returning to a furious Ford, who knew through his spies exactly how many bars they had visited.

In the shot right after Hank Worden throws the torch onto the cotton bales, look at the upper left of the screen. You will see an airplane flying from right to left.

Featured in Directed by John Ford (1971)