James Caan got his big break when he was 27 years old starring opposite the iconic John Wayne in El Dorado. Over the years, James talked about working with John and how John would pull pranks on him.
By then, John was a seasoned actor and he liked to have a little fun with young James. During breaks on set, James and John would sometimes play chess. One time, James accused the Duke of cheating and they got into such a big fight that their co-star Robert Mitchum had to calm things down.
John Wayne liked to prank James Caan on the set of ‘El Dorado’
James said, “If he could intimidate you, he’d stay on you forever until you just crumbled. He’d try you. So this one night I remember I was between he and Robert Mitchum and Howard Hawks was about 72 at the time and we’re outside in this big old Western town.” He added that John would tell him to do something and the director would say something different.
He continued, “He knew what he was doing, he was having a good time at my expense!” This broke into yet another fight that Robert had to break up. Even so, they became good friends over the years.
John’s estate responded to the news of James’ death. They wrote, “We are saddened to hear about the passing of James Caan. John Wayne and James starred in ‘El Dorado’ alongside Robert Mitchum in 1966. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.”
