„It’s The Only Thing He’s Smart Enough to Do.” According to John Wayne, This Actor Was Too Stupid To Do Anything but Act
John Wayne became involved in a conflict he had nothing to do with, which led him to spare no unpleasant words for the Mogambo star.
John Wayne needs no introduction to anyone. Although the actor is a cinema legend, he was also a difficult collaborator, whose disputes on the sets with other actors are no secret. However, it is possible that no other actor has heard as many bad things from Wayne as Clark Gable.
Their dispute is rooted in the conflict between Gable and John Ford, with whom Wayne collaborated many times and with whom he shared views. Not surprisingly, the actor sided with him in the dispute that arose during work on Mogambo. Ford reportedly commented many times on the set about Gable's appearance and age, while also being equally unkind to Ava Gardner, who also worked on the film. The director's behavior led to Gable, who didn’t like his approach to actors, leaving the set several times.
But what does John Wayne, who had nothing to do with Mogambo, have to do with this case? As the artist's daughter, Aissa Wayne, explained in John Wayne: My Father, her father was very loyal to his friends, so when someone had a problem with them, Wayne automatically sided with his friends.
In my father’s way of thinking, disloyalty to allies, support in any fashion for their enemies, was expressly forbidden. If Clark Gable took on John Ford, my father’s code demanded that John Wayne stand by his old pal.
Although John Wayne himself had nothing against Clark Gable, he said some unpleasant words about him, which were quoted by his daughter in the same book about the actor.
[He’s] extremely handsome in person. That’s one guy that doesn’t need Hollywood to make him look good. But Gable’s an idiot. Do you know why Gable’s an actor? It’s the only thing he’s smart enough to do.
As you can see, the Western legend didn't have the best opinion of the Mogambo star. Wayne described him as “stupid,” apparently getting very involved in Gable's dispute with Ford.
