Picture on left is of me at "John Fords Points" in Monument Valley.
Click on the title above for a link to the Internet Movie Data Base (IMDB) pages on Director John Ford. Leonard Maltin has a mini biography of John Ford. In addition to being a movie director he sailed and traveled for months and months to the South Pacific in the 1920/30's. He loved to spend time on his sailboat (yacht) the Araner. (You can see it in Donovan's Reef) He and his friends would sail out to Catalina Island and down to Mexico. They would drink and play cards. It was his way to get away from the world and to relax. During the war he organized a photo unit for the Navy and OSS the forerunner for the CIA. He happened to be at Midway Island just in time for the major WWII naval battle and filmed part of it and made an Academy Award winning documentary. He was also at the Normandy Landings on D-Day with a PT Boat Unit. After the war he set up a recreational headquarters home/park for members of his naval unit so they could get together after the war for parties and reunions . The man led an incredible fascinating life. He was an alcoholic and had a mean streak but was also a sentimentalist. The "Ford Stock Company" was made up of actors and film crew that made movie after movie together. He started in the silent era and made movies into the 1970's. He was in love with Katherine Hepburn but would not leave his wife due to his Catholicism. Hepburn then moved on to another man who wouldn't marry her Spencer Tracy.
When on location making westerns Ford would have campfire parties at night for his crew and there were many rituals such as the paying of music and card games.
Harry Carey, Jr has written of this in his book "Company of Heroes..... My Life As An Actor In The John Ford Stock company"
Ford's parents came from Ireland and he never forgot his Irish roots. ( The Quiet Man) However his body of work celebrates America. He loved American history and was a Civil War buff.
I grew up on his movies and at least partly learned my love of America and it's history from him.
