John Wayne starred in many iconic Western movies over the course of his career, but he never got over losing out on the lead role in The Gunfighter. Released in 1950, The Gunfighter is the story of Jimmy Ringo, a real-life gunfighter of the Old West who appeared as one of the real-life figures in Tombstone, as played by Michael Biehn. While that movie shows him as a villain, The Gunfighter takes a fictional look at an older Ringo, tired of the constant danger his life has put him in, and looking to confront certain aspects of his past.
The Gunfighter was met with strong reviews and decent box office when it was released, but its reputation has grown considerably since then, now considered one of the greatest Westerns of the 1950s. The Gunfighter is also often recognized as one of Gregory Peck’s best roles, as the actor eventually was cast as Ringo. However, while critics and audiences hailed Peck’s performance, John Wayne was quite vocal about his disappointment in not getting the part.
Why John Wayne Was Mad About Not Starring In The Gunfighter
The Gunfighter Was Written With John Wayne In Mind
While Gregory Peck was cast as Jimmy Ringo in the final movie, The Gunfighter was originally written with John Wayne in mind. Screenwriter William Bowers came up with the idea after talking to a former boxing champion who lamented that his reputation led to people constantly picking fights with him. Bowers saw the dilemma as fitting into the stories of quick-draw gunfighters of the Old West and wrote the script, then titled The Big Gun, about famed outlaw Jimmy Ringo seeking redemption while being pursued by various people looking for glory or revenge.
Bowers wrote the movie with Western legend John Wayne in mind, looking to his performance in Red River as evidence that he was the perfect actor for the job. The match seemed to be ideal as Wayne read the script and was reportedly thrilled with it. However, the deal would quickly fall apart when Wayne only offered Bowers $10,000 for the script. Bowers felt it was worth far more, as he explained (via TCM):
“And I said, ‘Oh, come on!’ He said, ‘Well, you said you wrote it for me, don’t you have any artistic integrity?’ I said, ‘No.'”
Bowers’ confidence in his script was well-placed as he took it to Twentieth Century-Fox, who purchased it for $70,000. While Bowers was happy with the deal he struck, Wayne bitterly held onto the grudge for his entire career, arguing that the script was sold out from under him. He also criticized the finished movie and insulted the idea of Peck as a cowboy. Bowers claims he had numerous encounters with Wayne in which the old grudge was brought up (via TCM):
Wayne was irritated with Bowers for the rest of his life for having “sold that goddamn story out from under me,” and he let him know it whenever their paths crossed. Bowers would reply, “Well, you didn’t offer me any money.” And Wayne would respond, “Well, you said you wrote it for me! And then you go over there and let that skinny schmuck do it!” — meaning Peck.
John Wayne Would Have Been A Perfect Fit For Jimmy Ringo
Wayne Would Have Effortlessly Brought The Feeling Of A Man Who Is Infamous In The Wild West
While William Bowers made the choice not to make The Gunfighter with John Wayne, even after the movie came out, he still admits that Wayne would have been very good in the role. Speaking about writing the part for Wayne in the first place, Bowers felt that the Western star brought an essential quality to the role that no other actor could really pull off (via TCM):
“Duke Wayne was so marvelous [in Red River, 1948] as that big, tough, tired guy, when I did The Gunfighter, I thought here I’ve got a story about the toughest guy in the west, only you never see him do anything tough. And I’m absolutely screwed if I don’t have a guy that you would just naturally believe. So Duke is that guy.”
It is hard to argue with Bowers’ assessment of Wayne in the role. Gregory Peck is outstanding as Ringo in The Gunfighter and brought certain elements to the movie that Wayne may not have been able to pull off. Peck is known for warmer heroic roles, like To Kill a Mockingbird, with that persona working for a man who is tired of his life as a gunfighter and wants to embrace the family he left behind.
However, Ringo also has to seem like the kind of person who has been the most feared man in the West for years, and Wayne would have walked onscreen with that feeling intact. His persona in Western movies was already established, and he could have given Ringo that edge that makes him seem like a deadly and intimidating man, even if he doesn’t do much shooting in the actual movie.
For proof of just how effective he would have been in The Gunfighter, you need look no further than Wayne’s final Western movie, The Shootist. A very similar story to The Gunfighter, Wayne played an old gunfighter who seeks to find a way to die in peace and with dignity. It is a role that similarly suggests a life filled with gunfights and duels, and one that proves how effective Wayne’s legacy is for such a character.