According to Bruce Dern, who talked about the movie on The Projection Booth podcast in 2016, there were suppose to be 2500 extras in the film for the pageant scenes. Since it was really important that the same faces show up in the audience in every scene for consistency, the filmmakers came up with an idea to give away five Cadillacs each day of the three-day pageant shoot to five lucky extras. Each extra would get a ticket in the morning and by the end of the day they'd get to enter the Cadillac lottery. This not only made sure that the same people would return each day, but 7000 additional people showed up to play extras and try to win the cars. Since they didn't need that many extras, the filmmakers decided to charge the extras 25 dollars to let them be in the movie and play the Cadillac lottery. Dern concludes the anecdote by amusingly stating that this was the only time in his career that he saw a movie making money directly off the people who worked for the movie.
True Grit - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts
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The meadow in the final shootout is known locally as Debbie Reynolds Meadow. It was a filming location for The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964). Other locations common to both films include Yankee Boy Basin and Mount Sneffels, above Ouray, CO.
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While John Wayne and Henry Hathaway didn't think much of Kim Darby's acting abilities, she had nothing but praise for Wayne: "He was wonderful to work with." However, she told producer Hal B. Wallis that she never wanted to work with Hathaway again.
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The film's distributor, Paramount Pictures, would later become sister company to Simon & Schuster, publishers of the novel, when the former's then-parent company, Gulf and Western, purchased the latter in 1975. Both are now units of ViacomCBS.
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John Wayne later reprised the role in Rooster Cogburn (1975). Strother Martin also returned but played a different character.
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Film debut (uncredited) of Wilford Brimley.
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During filming, Kim Darby was in the process of divorcing James Stacy.
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John Wayne did not get along with Robert Duvall during filming, and at one point threatened to punch the young "Method" actor if he argued with the director again.
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The 1892 Winchester Saddle Ring Carbine fires a pistol cartridge, not a rifle cartridge.
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"La Boeuf" means "the beef" in French. Interestingly the "La" makes his name feminine. In French, "Boeuf" is masculine ("Le").
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The Walker Colt revolver was considered to be the most powerful handgun in the world until the .44 Magnum, which came out in 1956.
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Elvis Presley was considered for the role of La Boeuf, the Texas Ranger. However, "Colonel" Tom Parker, his manager, insisted that Presley should receive top billing. The part was given to Glen Campbell instead.
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One of John Wayne's most critically acclaimed performances.
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Glen Campbell later said, "I'd never acted in a movie before, and every time I see 'True Grit', I think my record's still clean!"
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John Wayne's Best Actor Oscar win was widely seen as a sentimental choice, more in recognition of his 40-year career. His performance in this movie was dismissed by many critics as over-the-top and hammy.
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The legendary Jay Silverheels of Lone Ranger and Tonto fame has an uncredited part as one of the condemned men at the hanging.
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The film's release date of Wednesday, June 11, 1969, was ten years to the day before John Wayne died, Monday, June 11, 1979.
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The gang's cave hideout (beds partially intact), snake pit, and various prop rocks can still be seen on private property outside Ouray, CO.
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Final film (uncredited) of Stuart Randall.
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Stunt double Jim Burk performed the entire scene where Rooster Cogburn charged Ned Pepper's gang on horseback. John Wayne was only seen briefly in close-up, and he was riding on a trailer, not a horse.
True Grit - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts
True Grit - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts
True Grit - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts
True Grit - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts
True Grit - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts
True Grit - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts
True Grit - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts
True Grit - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts
True Grit - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts
True Grit - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts
True Grit - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts
True Grit - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts
True Grit - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts
True Grit - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts
True Grit - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts
True Grit - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts
True Grit - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts
True Grit - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts
True Grit - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts
True Grit - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts
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