Hi, Mr. Nollen! I am so glad you are visiting today and we hope you will visit us again in future. Thank you SO MUCH for writing your book about these three 'bad' men.
I have read almost nothing about Ward Bond EXCEPT those quips by the guys he worked with - calling him a jerk who thought himself a great womanizer and the like. Did you find out anything about Bond, or about the other two men for that matter, that really surprised you?
Bond probably worked with Ford more than any other single actor. Why did Ford keep him on board if he was such a blowhard? What caused them to become friends in the first place?
Can you tell me anything about Bond that would lead you to think differently about him - maybe his politics were conservative but his friendships were liberal for instance (I'm just guessing here, that could be way off the beam)? Just wondering if he exhibited a warmth or kind-heartedness that was not so conservative? Or was he really not very nice in real life? Did any of Ford's liberalism rub off on Bond?
I've read a few of John Wayne's letters, thanks to some auctions that took place a year or so ago of Wayne memorabilia. The character of the man that emerged from reading those letters completely floored me. He seemed terribly thoughtful about politics, and humorously set friends with liberal beliefs at ease, chatting in such a good-natured way about serious issues. I have thought Wayne was underestimated as an actor for about 8 years now, but after reading those letters, I think people have seriously misunderstood his conservative values. Did you find this to be the case in re-evaluating Wayne's politics?
I am a huge John Ford fan. His movies are very complex, like the man, and sometimes it takes multiple viewings to understand underlying tones and meaning in his work. Did you find anything about Ford that showed that he purposely layered his films in such a way, making an artistic statement rather than just doing 'a job of work'? He would eviscerate me for even asking you this question I know, but I find him the deepest thinking of all the directors. I'd love to know that he, on some level, knew he was making art.
Wendy/Jack Favell