Posts Tagged ‘Pensacola Naval Air Station’
Maureen O’Hara and Dan Dailey Arriving in Pensacola Florida …
Dan Dailey and Maureen O’Hara are shown arriving at the Pensacola Airport. They were here in Pensacola to film a movie with John Wayne, Wings of Eagles , in 1956. I had posted this image on the other blog site that I had of my father’s images five or six years ago and had hoped that some locals who were around when they were in town making the movie would have made a comment, but no one ever did. Maybe this time around it might jar someone’s memory and I will get a few comments. I have often wondered who the guy is that looks like he is directing everyone … maybe he is someone that the airport hired and dressed up to give a more “Hollywood” / “Los Angles” appeal to the movie stars. Also, the look on the little lady’s face watching all of this is priceless … you wonder what is running through her mind as she is watching this production.
The lady who runs Maureen O’Hara’s blog, Ms June Beck, saw my first post and graciously sent me a photo that some Navy photographer had made of John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara and members of the movie out on the Pensacola Naval Air Station. Here is the photo along with Ms Beck’s notation of the crew members and their relationship to the actors …
“On the running board is stuntman “Good” Chuck Hayward (that was his nickname) and, of course Maureen and Duke…then just to our right of Duke’s cap is “Bad” Chuck Roberson (John Wayne’s stunt double for over 30 years and a good actor himself). Roberson has a great book he published in the 1980’s called “The Fall Guy” that is absolutely great if you can find it – all about the stuntman’s colorful life. To our left of Duke’s cap is Ken Curtis, who was in many of Ford’s movies. He was an excellent singer and musician as well. Don’t know the name of the guy in the uniform – but he’s a redhead I’ve also seen in a lot of Ford’s films as an extra, etc.” … June Beck
That was very nice of Ms Beck to send the photo to me and to take the time to write the copy identifying all of the individuals in the photo. The guy in uniform in the back is very familiar, but I could not put a name to him. I went on the IMDb site, but could not match a name to the face. For some unknown reason, I picture him playing a German in some of the old WW II movies. The man that Ms Beck mentioned named Ken Curtis played Festus in Gunsmoke – now I know that everyone knows Festus. If anyone has any memories of these actors or of Ms O’Hara being in Pensacola, please feel free to share them with us. Thanks for looking and please check back … Frank
Several more things …. If the people out at the Pensacola International Airport decide to dress someone up a tux / dinner jacket as a greeter to all of the incoming flights at the airport, please give me credit for the idea and not to anyone down at City Hall. I can use all of the free publicity that I can get. Also, I went back and added a link to IMDb for Ken Curtis ” Festus ” after I read his bio. I am trying to give the readers some more information that what little I know or have on these photos in future posts. I do not know if it will get me any more viewers or readers, but at least you will be ready with some new trivia when Jeopardy comes on the tube, I mean TV. Thanks again for looking …
John Connally and Bob Sikes In Pensacola Florida …
In this photo that my father made back in the 1950’s, is Secretary of the Navy John Connally shaking hands with United States House of Representative Bob Sikes at Mustin Beach Officers Club aboard Pensacola Naval Air Station home of the Blue Angles. The men in the photo from the left is my father’s good friend Charlie Fredrickson, Dave Johnson president of Fisher-Brown Insurance, Secretary Connally, Representative Sikes and prominent local attorney Richard Merritt. I do not know exactly what the event was but I am sure that it had something to do with the Secretary of the Navy being in Pensacola. Here is a link to Secretary Connally’s Wikipedia page since he was involved with one of the most famous events in United States history … the assassination of President John Kennedy. Connally, Governor of Texas at the time, and his wife were riding in the limousine in Dallas with JFK and Jacquelin Kennedy when Kennedy was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald. One of the bullets passed through Kennedy and struck Connally wounding him. If anyone remembers this event out at the Mustin Officer’s Club, please share any information that you have with us. It might have been something like a Pensacola Chamber of Commerce Banquet or something to that effect. Thanks for looking and please share anything that you might remember about this photo … Frank
UPDATE: After I published this post, I went and read the whole Wikipedia page on John Connally. I know, I know … I should have done that before I started writing the post. He was not Secretary of the Navy until Kennedy became President in 1961 and he did not become come Governor of Texas until later. So, I do not know what his position that he held when this photo was taken. I will have to go and find the print and see if there is a date on the back and will report back to you. I want you to remember that I am not a historian, but a photographer and this site is about photography. But, I do want it to be somewhat factual and I do want the time-line for these photos to be correct ( to a certain point anyway ). I will post another update when I find out something. And I apologize for not just re-doing the entire post, but that would be a lot more effort that I feel like spending on this photo and besides, I am going next door to photograph some more things to post on Ebay … I go by ” garconpoint ” so if you are interested in what I am trying to get rid of, please go and check it out.
John ” Duke ” Wayne in Pensacola Florida …
Here is a photo of John Wayne that my father made back in 1955 or 56, I am not sure exactly of the year. Duke was here in Pensacola making the movie, The Wings of Eagles , a John Ford film about a Navy aviator. He was staying at the Town House Motor Lodge and Mrs. Head, the owner, asked him if she had a photographer come over would he mind having his photo made for her ” celebrity ” wall. Fine with him, he told her. So my father went over and met Mrs. Head and Duke outside of his room. Mrs. Head introduced my father and Duke said that he remembered him from the airport taking photos when he got off of the plane. Mrs. Head then said that he was there to take his photo for her wall. To which Duke replied, ” I told you that I would send you a real nice photo when I got back to Hollywood. ” He then looked at my dad, put his arm around him and said, ” You know, that sounds as if I do not think that you can take a good photograph? ” . My dad said he just stood there, not knowing how to respond to the number one movie star in America at the time. Duke then said, ” Well, come on in my room and Frank you can take anything you like … just tell me where to sit and what you want me to do. ” My dad said that he could not have been nicer and said that he would send him a couple of photos and autugraph any photo that my father made. I have scanned the photos that he sent and I will post them next … I cannot remember if I posted the autographed photo that he made, along with the one of hime getting off the plane, so I will go back and check.
If anyone has any stories to share of John Wayne when he was here making The Wings of Eagles , please let us hear from you … or for that matter, any John Wayne story that you might have. Thanks for looking and I appreciate all comments. I hope all of you father’s have a Happy Father’s Day …
John Wayne and Friend …
This is John Wayne and an unknown ” friend ” photographed at The Townhouse Motor Lodge when he was in Pensacola filming a movie. Never could find out who the lady is … anyone that has any idea, please let me hear from you. I have no back ground information on this other than what I have mentioned. The name of the movie that John Wayne was making at the time was called, ” Wings of Eagles ” . The part that showed Pensacola was only the first ten minutes or so of the movie and it was filmed out at the Pensacola Naval Air Station. Thanks for looking ….
Frank Hardy Made My Photographs Two 
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