Pappy: The Life Of John Ford

by Dan Ford

Although he is best remembered for his classic westerns like Stagecoach, My Darling Clementine, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Irish-American director John Ford (1895–1973) made 136 diverse films during his 51-year career, winning Oscars for The Informer, The Grapes of Wrath, The Battle of Midway, and The Quiet Man. A master of psychological manipulation, Ford had a knack for goading brilliant performances out of his actors, albeit often through intimidation and verbal abuse. In Pappy, Dan Ford, John's grandson, draws on the director's personal archives and on intimate reminiscences from his family and friends—including John Wayne, whose acting career Ford had launched, Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, and George O'Brien—to produce the most complete and honest portrait ever written of the man and his astonishing output. Pappy was often cantankerous, irascible, and drunk and rarely made time for his family, but few who worked with him could resist his appealing energy. This revealing biography brings John Ford to life while painting a vivid panoramic picture of Hollywood as well as of the American landscapes that he so dramatically evoked in his films.

Genres: Biography

372 pages, Paperback

Published August 22, 1998

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It's no use talking to me about art - I make pictures to pay the rent." -- director John Ford

For a man proud of his Irish ancestry / heritage (he sometimes claimed his birth name was 'Sean O'Feeney,' dubiously given as fact in this biography), the above-listed quote is a wee bit 'o blarney.

John Ford (1894-1973) may not have set out to be an 'artist,' but somewhere along the way a funny thing happened: he managed to win an astonishing and record six Oscars for his directing - four for feature films and two for WWII documentaries - within a seventeen-year period. So yeah, he can call it just a day job, but he ended up making a respectable number of movies that are now considered classics. Though often now remembered mainly for his westerns (gloriously shot on location in the expansive southwestern deserts, instead of in studios), especially those with John Wayne or Henry Fonda in the lead, he also excelled at dramas, war films, and occasionally flirted with comedies.

Perhaps most surprisingly, this biography - written by Ford's grandson - is not a soft-pedaled puff piece. The author doesn't attempt to present him as especially likable, and documents the (likely but undiagnosed) alcoholism, a few extramarital affairs, and an often belligerent-seeming treatment of performers. (Although Ford's rough handling of a young John Wayne during his first starring role in a major film was a shrewd, if not warped, bit of reverse psychology that ultimately generated a good performance and set the actor on the road to stardom.) However, Ford also undeniably had a distinct talent in bringing out the best in folks in the collaborative effort that is film-making, and I've been an admirer ever since first viewing Stagecoach and, later, The Grapes of Wrath while in high school.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before reading this biography, I didn't like John Ford. Oh, I had enjoyed watching quite a few of his movies, but as for the man - nope, everything I'd read about him made him seem like a misogynistic asshole. And after reading this biography.....I still think he's a misogynistic asshole. But he's a misogynistic asshole that I understand. That can really make a difference in your perception of a person, even if you continue not to like them.

When I saw this on the library shelf I figured I'd better go ahead and read it in order to shed new light on Ford's jerky behavior. I have read a surprisingly large amount of memoirs of actors who have worked with Ford. Henry Ford, Maureen O'Hara, Shirley Temple, Natalie Wood, Katherine Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Ava Gardner, William Powell, David Niven, Karl Malden, William Holden - and the consensus is that Ford was a pain in the ass to work for. Not with, for. He was in no way what would be considered an actor's director. Actors wanted to work with him because he had a great track record of directing excellent movies. Not because Ford's set was so wonderful.

It wasn't until I started reading the biography that I realized it was written by John Ford's grandson. Uh-oh. I started worrying the book would be a puff piece that wouldn't be very revealing. I have to commend Dan Ford for managing to write a fairly well-balanced book about his grandfather's career. Career, not life. This biography is very much a biography of Ford's work life, not his life life. Although it turns out that Ford's work life overwhelmed his private life to such a degree that Ford's life is, in a sense, just his work. Pretty sad, huh? In terms of the decision to not delve into Ford's private life, I understand. Who wants to write a tell-all piece about their grandparents' sex life? Not me.

Dan Ford writes just enough about his family history to give the reader a sense of where Ford was coming from. Irish immigrant parents who came to the states as teens. The poverty, the sense of closeness within the Irish community in the 19th century, the options for work & school etc. John Ford would probably have remained on the east coast, working a factory job or at his Dad's saloon if it hadn't been for his big brother. Ford's big brother ran away from home as a teen. No one in his family knew where he was, whether he was even alive, until one day, many years after his departure, Ford's mother when to go see an early silent film and there on the screen was - boom! - her lost lost son. Can you imagine how wild that must have been? Did she start yelling"That's my son!" or perhaps start sobbing with relief, knowing her son was ok? Who knows. I wish Dan Ford had go into more detail about that. So the prodigal son returns home after his mom tracks him down via the movie studio. He greatly impresses his younger brother and ends up taking him back to Hollywood.

This is the part of the book I find the most fascinating. John Ford started at almost the beginning of the movie industry. I enjoyed reading about those early days and how movies were created. The rest of the book is basically one long detailed resume of Ford's work. There are bits of personal info scattered about, but not much. The farther into the book the reader gets, the less personal information is discussed. Dan Ford doesn't go easy on his grandfather when discussing Ford's work. One of Ford's favorite things to do to an actor was to browbeat and belittle and rage at the actor until the actor was completely shattered. Then, Ford felt, the actor could do a credible job acting the negative emotion he was supposed to. Twice - twice! - Ford tricked an actor by telling him he had the next day off so why not go out and live a little. Ford would make sure the actor would go out partying and get blind drunk. Then, at 6am, the actor would be contacted and told to get his ass on set, they are filming after all. So the poor actor, feeling sick and hung over, would go into work. UGH. What's wrong with the actor, you know, acting the emotion? I understand maybe having to do this in 1917 but in the 1950s or 60s I don't think it was necessary. That one example (done to two different unsuspecting actors) of how Ford treated actors is telling. He did not see the actor as a collaborator but a pawn on a chessboard. Even the actors who say they loved Ford also have stories like this. Ford sucker punched Henry Ford in the face for daring to critique a scene Ford had just shot.

As well a being a jerk to actors, Ford was a jerk to his two kids and a huge, enormous, massive jerk to his wife. It's not clear why they stayed married - I think because of religion. Dan Ford doesn't go into it. Other than a few paragraphs about Ford's affair with Katherine Hepburn, there is absolutely no other mention of Ford's sex life. I honestly don't think he really had one. He was a terrible alcoholic. That was his true love. Also, all his military, Old West fascinations seemed so homoerotic to me. Ford was really into male bonding. Maybe he was actually gay? Who knows? Maybe his stifled sexual longings caused his massive crabbiness?

I gave the book 3 stars based on the details given about all the movies Ford made. Dan Ford managed to interview most of Ford's friends who were still alive when the book was written in the 1970s. The book also gave me greater insight into John Ford. It didn't make me like him better. Actually, now that I think about it, I dislike him even more than I did prior to reading this book. All in all, the book is worth the read if you are interested in the movie industry.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent volume written by John Ford's grandson, of more interest on a personal level more than for any cinematic analysis. But the personal information is incredibly enlightening, from personal stories to interviews with some of Ford's closest collaborators. Dan's perspective on the films tends toward appreciating the popular films and paying less attention to those less popular. But for its personal insights it is definitely a worthy read.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super biography of the great director John Ford is written by his grandson Dan. Dan takes a very unbiased look at his grandfather and the picture he draws shows him warts and all. And believe me, Grandpa had more "warts" than anything else.
His life is shown from his birth and youth in Portland, Maine, to his career in Hollywoood and finally to his death. During this time Ford directed well over a hundred movies and won 6 Oscars, four for direction of major motion pictures and two for direction of documentaries produced during World War II when he worked for the OSS under Bill Donovan. None of the best picture Oscars were for a western, his favorite type of picture but one Oscar was awarded for the Quiet Man which starred his two favorite actors, John Wayne and Maureen OHara who also stared in several of his Westerns
Ford was a complex man, prone to bouts of heavy drinking, and could be extremely petty and cruel to those who worked for him. But his talent was never a question. His skills started to slack off in his later years but he still produced several great films during that time
He was named the greatest director of the 20th Century and received the first Motion Picture of Arts and Sciences Life Time Achievement Award.

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Far from being an academic biography, Pappy is instead more a personal testimony from John Ford's grandson. As such it makes for a less critical but still insightful look at just who might be America's greatest filmmaker, John Ford. That is why the stories related in this volume work so well. You can put them in the context of more thoroughly hard edged reviews, such as Tag Gallagher's John Ford: The Man and His Films or even Lindsay Anderson's sometimes harsh but more often tribute filled About John Ford. As such, then, this volume becomes a wonderful introductory work on the life of Ford. Not to mention that reader will finally find out what a Flying W is, and probably be outraged when you he finds out.

[Monty Orrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Other than the eye patch and his friendship with John Wayne, I knew nothing about John Ford’s life outside of his movies.
I read this book in a hurry. It was interesting as hell. There were so many deep, personal stories, large and small, it is clear the author’s family connection (Dan is John’s grandson from his son, Patrick) gave him special insight and inside information. He said he went through his grandfather’s personal files and made several dozen binders from it which informed this book. I think that access makes this biography so good: lots of intimate details and inside scoop.

The author went out of his way to interview lots of famous actors who knew Pappy i.e. The Duke, Henry Fonda, Kate Hepburn and many others. There was a lot of insight here too. The author was not afraid to share accounts that put his grandfather in a negative light either. From the Prologue on, he says Pappy was not a good family man, but dedicated to his work. His drinking binges are well documented, as well as his several affairs out of marriage. John Ford was brilliant, complicated and incredibly unprofessional at times. He badgered actors to get a better performance and it usually worked. Yet most of these actors had positive things to say about the director for the book. A few absolutely loved the guy, like Duke and Ward Bond. So what does that tell ya? He wasn’t all bad.

Writing a complete biography of John Ford is impossible, like trying to put Hemingway’s life and work in one volume. You need at least one book for each aspect. So it’s unfair to criticize the this book too much, but that’s where i thought it lacked a little. A lot of good movies—that I enjoy anyway—got left out. But with 130 movies and counting, well, that’s a whole other book. John Ford directed so many good movies that the great Shirley Temple/Victor McLaglen movie, Wee Willie Winkie, gets no mention whatsoever. In fairness, all his major films get a pretty good going over; The Searchers, The Informer, Stagecoach get the full treatment.

One other interesting aspect of Ford’s career that this book describes is Ford’s collaboration with writers on scripts. According to the book, the director would spend weeks revising and writing before arriving at a script that satisfied them. Interestingly, in most cases Ford does not take a writer’s credit. I don’t think you’d see that today in this era of auteurs and writer-directors. If a director these days spends weeks working on a screenplay, he or she is going to take a writer’s credit. Ford, it seems, was more interested in making a good movie than getting credit. Of course, he won four Academy Awards (two for movies and two for war documentaries) so that’s sufficient credit for anybody.

One other lasting impression the book leaves about Ford’s life is that it was incredibly full: his work, his war experience (he was a Rear Admiral and shot in the arm during the Battle of Midway), his many friendships with interesting people—most of whom were devoted to him. Even how he died is pretty interesting, but I don’t want to spoil that. Anyone who enjoys a John Ford western or Hollywood’s Golden Age should give this bio a try. John Ford was not a perfect person, but his life was fascinating. I thought it was one of the best biographies I’ve ever read related to the film industry.

-Monty Orrick

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by his grandson, Dan, this is a beautiful biography of John Ford, the greatest American film director of the 1930s and 1940s. This is the tale of a stubborn genius who wielde his talents and temper to produce movie stars and classic films. Ford had a vision and a technique to film-making and he handled his actors in a less than delicate manner. Along the way we learn of how he formed his acting troupe, his starined relationship with his family and John Wayne. This was a lot of fun to read.