The Movie That Never Was

John Wayne and Sammy Davis, Jr. were unlikely friends who’d hoped one day to share the silver screen.

Terry Alexander

OFF-SCREEN PALS JOHN WAYNE AND SAMMY DAVIS, JR., POSING TOGETHER WHEN THE DUKE LOANED SAMMY THE WELL-WORN COWBOY HAT HE’D WORN THROUGH ALL THREE OF JOHN FORD’S FAMED CAVALRY TRILOGY FILMS.

EVERYONE HAS HEARD OF John Wayne. To most people in my age group he was always the big man on the horse. Wayne made between 142 and 175 movies during his career (the number varies depending on which website you get the information from). He shared the screen with some of the most famous actors and actresses of his time. Maureen Ohara, Katherine Hepburn, Lauren Bacall, and Angie Dickinson were some of his leading and James Stewart, Dean Martin, Rock Hudson, Kirk Douglas, Richard Boone, Robert Mitchum, Henry Fonda, Ricky Nelson, Ward Bond, Ben Johnson and many others shared screen time with the Duke.

Sammy Davis Jr. loved cowboy movies. He was known in Hollywood as the second fastest draw. He appeared in several western tv shows during the early 60’s, among them Lawman in 1961 in the episode Blue Boss and Willie Shay. The show featured John Russell, Peter Brown and Peggy Castle, Richard Jaeckel also had a co-starring role. He appeared in Frontier Circus in the episode Coals of Fire on 1-4-1962, with Chill Wills, John Derek, and Richard Jaeckel. He also appeared in two episodes of The Rifleman in 1962, with Chuck Connors, Paul fix and Johnny Crawford. Two Ounces of Tin on 2-19-62 and The Most Amazing Man on 11- 27-62. He also appeared in The Wild, Wild West in the episode The Night of The Returning Dead on 10- 14-66, with Robert Conrad, Ross Martin, and Peter Lawford also had a co-starring role in the episode.

He made three western films during his career. Sergeants 3, which co-starred Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop in 1962. John Wayne loaned Sammy the hat he wore in this film, one he wore in the Calvary Trilogy directed by John Ford. Even filled with padding, the hat fit loosely on Sammy’s head. In 1971 he starred in the tv movie The Trackers with Ernest Borgnine, Julie Adams, Jim Davis, Arthur Hunnicutt, Leo Gordon and Norman Alden and Gone with the West in 1975, which starred James Caan and Stefanie Powers. Originally, the movie had the alternate title of Little Moon and Jud McGraw.

John Wayne and Sammy planned on making a western movie together. They talked about it and discussed it many times. After his death, letters found in Wayne’s files verified the two stars wanted to work together. The project was supposed to be The Trackers. John Wayne was supposed to play the Ernest Borgnine part of Sam Paxton with Burt Kennedy directing the film for a big screen release.

SAMMY DAVIS JR. IN A TV EPISODE OF THE RIFLEMANWITH CHUCK CONNORS.

Unfortunately, Wayne couldn’t fit the film into his busy schedule and had to pass on the film. The script was rewritten, Ernest Borgnine was cast in the roll of Sam Paxton, and Earl Bellamy was hired to direct. It was released as an ABC Movie of the Week in 1971.

In the television version, Sam and Dora Paxton return home to find their son murdered and their daughter missing. Paxton immediately informs the authorities. The local sheriff can’t seem to find the kidnappers nor the missing girl. Paxton informs a friend, a US Marshal. He can’t come and instead sends his deputy, Ezekiel Smith (Davis). The movie explores racism in a critical way. Paxton doesn’t trust Smith because he’s black. He slowly mellows toward Smith only after he witnesses the treatment the marshal receives from other white people on their trek to find the kidnapped girl. At the end of the movie, the girl is reunited with her mother, and Paxton and Smith share a grudging respect for each other and the beginning of a friendship.

I’ve watched The Trackers. It’s a good film, especially considering it’s an Aaron Spelling production and a made for tv movie. It’s good but not great. With Wayne and Davis in the movie, it had the potential to be a real standout hit. This also proved to be the last western movie made by Julie Adams.

On a side note. John Wayne and Sammy Davis Jr. were truly good friends. After Duke’s appearance at the 1979 Academy Awards, Sammy met him backstage and gave him a hug. He worried later that he might have hurt Duke in his fragile condition. He was later told that the Duke wouldn’t have missed that hug for anything.

—Terry Alexander is a western, science fiction and horror writer with a vast number of publishing credits to his name. He’s also a connoisseur of all things related to the Hollywood Western. He and his wife, Phyllis, live on a small farm near Porum, Oklahoma.