John Wayne’s respect was earned by Rock Hudson on The Undefeated set where Duke seriously injured himself but powered on through to complete the picture.
Back in 1968 having shot his Oscar-winning performance as Rooster Cogburn in True Grit, John Wayne made another Western with Rock Hudson.
The Undefeated followed the French Imperial intervention in Mexico during the 1860s and was loosely based on a Confederate General’s real escape south of the US border after the American Civil War.
According to the closeted co-star’s lover Marc Christian, who wasn’t allowed on the three-month location shoot, Duke would pick on Hudson during filming before the pair became friends.
According to Mark Griffin’s biography of Hudson, All that Heaven Allows, Wayne would “direct” his co-star, constantly telling him what he should do on camera.
In response, Hudson would do the same back, to which Duke responded with a pointed finger: “I like you”.
As a result, Wayne and Hudson became friends and would frequently play chess and bridge together.
According to Duke’s estate, The Undefeated premiered 54 years ago this week in New Orleans, Louisiana.
In the social media post, they shared how the Western star seriously injured himself on the set but worked out how to complete the movie so as not to disappoint his fans.
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A caption on the post reads: “During filming, John Wayne fell from his horse and fractured three ribs. He couldn’t work for almost two weeks.
“Then he tore a ligament in his shoulder and couldn’t use one arm at all. Director Andrew V McLaglen could only film him from an angle for the rest of the picture.
“Duke’s only concern, throughout, was not to disappoint his fans, despite being in terrible pain.”