You never know where your research will take you.
Here are parts of letters Ronald Reagan wrote to Nancy while he was away from home on location for Cattle Queen Of Montana (1954) — printed in I Love You, Ronnie: The Letters Of Ronald Reagan To Nancy Reagan.
July 13
“The first day of shooting and like all first days I can’t tell you good bad or indifferent. Everything is hectic and upset what with the truck caravan arriving from L.A. in the dark last night. Most of the morning was spent getting the trucks unloaded and the equipment straightened out. Ben B. (producer Benedict Bogeaus) is on hand so things can really get buggered up. I think Alan D. (director Allan Dwan) is trying to get some of the story holes plugged and this morning changed one scene ‘a la’ a suggestion from ‘guess who.’ However our opposition is B.B. himself so I only whisper in an off-ear and let them fight it out. So far ‘Lady S.’ (Barbara Stanwyck) is no help — taking the attitude of ‘who cares in these kinds of pictures.”
July 17
“I don’t know how the picture is going. We started in confusion and have managed to develop that characteristic to an unusual degree. B.B. is still defending his script, I’m still feeding suggestions to A.D. and those two then huddle and argue. Right now I’m waiting to go to work and the scheduled scene is one of those that needs changing the most… B.S. (Stanwyck again) just continues to go her merry way in the exclusive company of two hairdressers and her maid. I wonder what picture she’s making.
This, incidentally, is my first crack at picture making since the big switch to TV film work in Hollywood and it bears out everything we’ve ever said. First of all — getting a crew was a case of rounding up who you could find. The industry, as we have so often said, literally forced our technicians to seek work in TV and now we reap the harvest. Ben said there was a scramble to get enough guys for this crew — with no thought whatsoever of picking and choosing.”
I read somewhere that Reagans part was originally
offered to Robert Mitchum who took one look at the script
and decided to go fishing instead.Had Mitch took the part
the film would have been very different indeed.
Yes,it was wise for mitchum to pass and fish on this one.He fished his way through the way west except for the day he took one stare and one step toward kirk douglas.That shut kirk’s mouth up.Mitchum must have had the same shrug of the shoulders mindset of missy stanwyck concerning westerns.He regarded the chance to be in the wild bunch as just another western.I think he did the good guys and the bad guys instead.With most crew and most actors missy would have been more beloved than davis or crawford.Spawn seed of satan or revered saint depends on there mood,who you are in connection with them,how solvent they are,how there love life is going.The script can effect mood and whether you stand in there way with most actors.Ronnie was fading fast to television.He rode a palomino instead of his black tar baby in this.Whether he enjoyed the experience or not,the former president would have branched out his acting chops had he not made it for gov.with his last acting gig,the killers being the clue of things to come.Missy was middle aged when she did this.She had recently broke up with bob taylor and may have kept robert wagner hid on location from time to time.Joel mccrea got along well with her.In fact since joel originally helped start four star productions,and the big valley was four star,I’m surprised that he never guested on the big valley.At least ronny was fighting to improve the script.Mitchum refused patton because he didn’t care to fight for the integrity of the script and suggested george c. scott.Times have truly changed.Our only big western next year will be cowboys and indians fighting aliens from outer space.I liked the old days better.
I found Reagan’s letters a fascinating look at making this movie. And since I have such a love of the Dwan/Bogeaus pictures, it was strange to find out there was so much friction on the set.
Can’t tell if Ronnie is telling us that Bogeaus had something to do with the writing, or if he was just resisting the changes Dwan wanted.
I did not post the section talking about the horses they used. Maybe another day.