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By 1952,John Wayne had established himself as the top Western actor in America. But those weren't the only roles he was winning at. While Wayne's Western persona is well-known, his reputation for playing a hardened but righteous man is even more prevalent. That persona shone through in his iconic performance in The Quiet Man.
Rather than saddling a horse for a showdown in some dust-bowl town, Wayne played Sean Thornton, an Irish-American ex-boxer who, in an effort to escape his dark past, returns to his ancestral homeland in Innisfree, Ireland. Wayne's character hopes to live a peaceful life in the town, but circumstances force him to settle his dilemmas through his fists. The role pushed beyond Wayne's stereotypical portrayal of a macho man, drawing out a more tender, serious, and hilarious side of the revered actor.
A Tumultuous Movie Set
While the movie challenged Wayne's standard persona, the behind-the-scenes drama was brimming with testosterone. The film culminated in a famous nine-minute fight scene between Wayne's character and the brother of his love interest (played by Maureen O'Hara), portrayed by Victor McLaglen. The two take their brawl across the entire town, with comedic relief shots of them stopping for a pint before continuing the fight.
However, director John Ford used unusual methods to bring out the best in his cast. The day before the fight scene was shot, he baited McLaglen by berating him in front of his son, ensuring he was properly enraged when the cameras rolled. He tried to provoke O'Hara similarly, but she didn't back down and often put Ford in his place, according to Express.
While the fight scene was very "real" in the sense that there was genuine anger on set—and both actors performed their own stunts, resulting in heavy bruising—the actual "hospitalization" came from an earlier, smaller moment.
O'Hara's character attempts to slap Wayne for kissing her, but when Wayne blocks her strike, she ends up suffering a hairline fracture in her hand.
Related: 1976 Classic John Wayne Western, Which Was His Final Film, Had an ‘Intense’ Feud on Set
“Now let me tell you about that slap,” wrote O’Hara, according toJohn Wayne's official website. “That day on the set, I was mad as hell at Duke and Mr. Ford for something they had done earlier in the day. My plan was to sock Duke in the jaw and really let him have it.”
“Duke came over and said, ‘Let me see that hand. You nearly broke my jaw,’” she continued.
Though she went to the hospital to have it looked at, the film was being shot in chronological order, so O'Hara had to go without a cast so her hand could reset naturally while filming continued.
Despite the drama on set, the film remains one of Wayne's most beloved classics.
