Woody Strode spent decades in Hollywood working with larger-than-life names, including John Wayne, Elvis Presley and Kirk Douglas. I'd play a Viking with blue contact lenses and a blond wig.". He was Cree and Blackfoot on his father's side and Cherokee on his mother's. This story first appeared. Besides, there is a complication. Cecil B. DeMille cast him in The Ten Commandments (1956) as a slave at $500 a week for five weeks. At UCLA he was a track star, a football phenomenon and a performer on the Royce stage. It was the first UCLAUSC rivalry football game with national implications.[9]. And he was dressed in blue overalls, a blue work shirt and boots. '"[12] He also said, "On the Pacific Coast there wasn't anything we couldn't do. (1960's edition! "He treated me like a son," said Strode. Woody Strode was 6-3 (190 cm) tall. My dream is to play a Mexican bandit in the international market."[20]. Pompey actor Woody Strode remembered that Ford "kept needling Duke about his failure to make it as a football player", comparing him to Strode who was a former NFL player. His mother was full-blooded Blackfoot, and he played often, Indians in John Ford's films. Woody Strode, byname of Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode, (born July 28, 1914, Los Angeles, California, U.S.died December 31, 1994, Glendora, California), American character actor who was part of director John Ford's "family" of actors, appearing in nearly a dozen of Ford's films. There were of course a few black westerns made during the race film era of the 1940s, such as The Bronze Buckaroo and Harlem Rides the Range, but it took until 1960 for a Hollywood studio feature western that featuredblack cowboys in the old west, during the mid to late 19th century to early 20 the century. I couldn't do it. He was a decathlete and football star who was one of the first African American players in the National Football League in the postwar era. We used to sit in the best seats at the Coconut Grove (a nightclub in the Ambassador Hotel) listening to Donald Novis sing. The pioneering Black character actor relocated from the United States to Europe for a while to pursue bigger and more interesting roles. As an athlete, he helped integrate the NFL. In Liberty Valance, a picture I did with Duke, Stewart recounted. I never got a close up in Hollywood, and Sergio framed me on the screen for five minutes. He shared a story from the set of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Fords 1962 film about an attorney (Stewart) who, robbed and left for dead by a notorious outlaw, is saved by a rancher (Wayne) and has to start over from scratch. "The ban mirrored the status of Black Americans at the time: separate, unequal, and living in a de facto apartheid state via Jim Crow in the South and a patchwork of exclusionary laws and customs everywhere else," Patrick Hruby has written at The Guardian. Woody Strode was a Black Indian (his grandmother was Black Cherokee and his grandfather was Black Muscogee) and an outstanding athlete. But with his ill health and advancing age, the project was dropped. (Whats a brother got to do to get some respect around here?). Strode had difficulty maintaining the momentum of these roles. Now, I don't know if Mr Stewart has a prejudice against Negroes, but I just wanted you all to know about it., Stewart later said he wanted to crawl into a mouse hole after that and Wayne told him: Well, welcome to the club. Racial discrimination slowed their progress in the game. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Bob Rea <bobnray@concentric.net> And late Hollywood legend James Stewart got to watch their dynamic up close. Donald Bogle, Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies & Bucks (New York: Continuum, 1992); Internet Movie Data Base (IMDB) title search by key word; Woody Strode,; The Timeout Film Guide, edited by Tom Milne, Penguin Books, 3rd Edition, 1992. Strode had begun his association with Ford back in 1939, with an uncredited role in his classic western 'Stagecoach'. Woody lived in a modest home overlooking Glendora and the San Gabriel Valley, north east of Los Angeles about 25 miles. Strode worked in B-movies through the '70s and '80s and acted as the narrator for Mario Van Peebles' Black Western Posse in 1993. Strode was in City Beneath the Sea (1953) directed by Budd Boetticher, and The Royal African Rifles. All structured data from the file namespace is available under the. As James Stewart explained it, Woody Strode, the actor who was playing Waynes characters best friend, was part of the scene. "Sergeant Rutledge" boosted Strode's profile but didn't catapult him to superstardom, the Times wrote in 1971, surmising "he and the film, with its sympathies strongly on the side of the Black man, were ahead of their time." Strode made his first appearance in Sundown (1941) playing a native policeman. Draba wins the contest, but instead of killing Spartacus, he attacks the Roman military commander who paid for the fight. And I went on, and it went around the company: Stewart has never, hes always right up there., The day before the movie finished shooting, the cast was preparing to do the funeral scene. The ban collapsed when the Rams, founded in Cleveland, uprooted to Los Angeles in 1946. As they were preparing to shoot, Ford came up to Stewart and asked, What do you think of Woodys costume?. Western icon John Wayne had a legendary collaboration with director John Ford that lasted five decades and transformed both mens careers. But by 1946, Strode was 32 and the oldest member of the Rams as a rookie. He graced the screen alongside Sean Connery, Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, and John Wayne, plus Joe Namath when the Jets quarterback toyed with acting in the afterglow of his Super Bowl triumph. I make westerns.. Otherwise, we would have been inMonument ValleyorBrackettvilleand we would have had colour stock. "It's heart and guts. Strode racked up 91 acting credits in six different decades, according to IMDb. In movies and life, Strode's range was remarkable. He wrestled intermittently, once defeating Gorgeous George. Sheriff Woody, the beloved "Toy Story" protagonist, was said to be named after Strode. And strangely enough, Duke Wayne who, over the years, you know, has made lots of pictures with Ford Duke Wayne has been at the bottom of the list, in the barrel, more than anybody else. He served in the United States Army during World War II. What a cast! Everyone in Shinbone hates Liberty Valance, but they're powerless against him and his two sidekicks, one of them a giggling fool. Strode's other television work included a role as the Grand Mogul in the Batman episodes "Marsha, Queen of Diamonds" and "Marsha's Scheme of Diamonds". Language. He was only 52. He simply does not have to say a word.". In 1963, he was cast opposite Jock Mahoney's Tarzan as both the dying leader of an unnamed Asian country and that leader's unsavory brother, Khan, in Tarzan's Three Challenges. An old black cowboy named Pompey ( Woody Strode) takes Hallie on a buckboard ride into the countryside where they regard the burned-out remains of Doniphon's cottage. [7], With her he had two children, television director Kalai (a.k.a. In 1946 he was one of the first blacks to play in the National Football League. [10] Strode and Kenny Washington were two of the first African-Americans to play in major college programs and later the modern National Football League (along with Marion Motley and Bill Willis, who signed with the contemporary rival All-America Football Conference), playing for the Los Angeles Rams in 1946. John Ford's "Apology" Western 'Sergeant Rutledge' Starring Woody Strode Returning to DVD. Strode landed a major starring role as an expert archer and soldier of fortune in the 1966 Western The Professionals. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. Woody Strode was a respected actor with strong African and Native American ancestry. [4][5], Strode, Kenny Washington, and Jackie Robinson starred on the 1939 UCLA Bruins football team, in which they made up three of the four backfield players. Without ever seeming to hurry, he doesn't include a single gratuitous shot. Strode also played the powerful gladiator who does battle with Kirk Douglas in Spartacus (1960). Often typecast as a physical specimen, commentators tended to dwell on Strode's athleticism and chiseled figure, ignoring his acting prowess, the film scholar Frank Manchel once wrote in the Journal of Black Studies. But the hotel we found was integratedand Count Basie was playing thereand we were fine. Kalaeloa, 19462014), and a daughter, June. He had a bigger role in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) for Ford, playing Pompey, John Wayne's hired hand. Strode was a prolific performer, starring in his first . This quartet struck a blow for racial inclusiveness in pro football as Black Americans sought it nationwide. After that I said thats all I needed. The film made Strode a major star in European cinema, increasing his salary to a minimum $150,000 per movie. Theyre like father and son.. He later said his salary in Italy went up to $10,000 a week. He explains: "The Western is intrinsically the most political movie genre, because, like Plato's 'Republic,' it is concerned with the founding of cities, and because it depicts the various abstract functions of government as direct, physical actions." While making Pork Chop Hill he became a close friend of director John Ford. This is all to be seen: The role of a free press, the function of a town meeting, the debate about statehood, the civilizing influence of education. [30], Strode was a dedicated martial artist under the direction of Frank Landers in the art of Seishindo Kenpo. We need him!, In the end, Wayne told Strode: We gotta work together. You ride horses.' Played for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League from 1948-49 before moving back to the US and beginning his film career. The scripts for these were variable but Strode later said "Me, I didn't care. Though he made films in every genre, from dramas to historical epics, romances and even comedies, Ford has been justifiably associated with the western film and is considered one of the greatest and most influential directors in that genre, directing so many that Ford once said of himself, My Name is John Ford. He Wasn't the Star But He Stole the Movie", "Teammates Recall Jackie Robinson's Legacy", "The man who made the stars shine brighter: An interview with Woody Strode", "Woody Strode, Ace Negro Player, Has No Axe to Grind", "Isle families trace ties to '39 Pineapple Bowl", "Woody Strode; Ex-Athlete, Character Actor in Movies", "Like the series, 'Psych' movie a comedic romp", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Woody_Strode&oldid=1141910544, This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 14:07. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. But even worse is the poster for the film (above) on which Strode appears, although his name is listed fourth and in tiny letters even smaller that the third person billed actress Billie Burke, who has a small supporting role with just a few lines. He was an Indian in Shalako (1968) and played a gunslinger in the opening sequence of Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). I've done everything but play an Anglo-Saxon. They were married until her death in 1980 from Parkinson's disease. Ransom Stoddard believes in the U. S. Constitution, the rule by law, the trust in government. Woody Strode weighed 205 lbs (92 kg) when playing. We heard stories about Kenny Washington where he was just battered throughout the entire football game.". At the time Ford yelled: Dont hit him Woody! Kenny Washington passed away on June 24, 1971 in Los Angeles due to heart and lung issues. He enabled the Stamps to score twice in the title game. And I did it myself. The closing credits dedicate the film to Strode, who died shortly before its release. [24], In 2021, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. United States. After his football career, he went on to become a film actor, where he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Spartacus in 1960. He had many murders on his conscience, and much enjoyed using a leather bullwhip. "It had dignity. Sergeant Rutledge is a 1960 western film from Warner Brothers and the director John Ford. Strode was a gladiator in Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954) and was in Jungle Man-Eaters (1954), a Jungle Jim film. However Warners obviously thought that, though a black man was the lead in their film, the audience wouldnt be able to handle it. TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. He was also in Key West (1973), Loaded Guns (1975), The Manhunter (1975), We Are No Angels (1975), Winterhawk (1975), Keoma (1976), episodes of The Quest (1976) and How the West Was Won (1977), Oil (1977), Martinelli, Outside Man (1977), Kingdom of the Spiders (1977), Cowboy-San! He was also a professional wrestler, wrestling the likes of Gorgeous George. "Visually, he is a tower of strength and also a tower of endurance," film historian Donald Bogle said about Strode in a Turner Classic Movies segment a couple of years ago. Strode and teammate Kenny Washington were among the best-known college football players in the nation. 1942: Star Spangled Rhythm. "But the producers answered, 'Not necessary. "I've never gotten over 'Sergeant Rutledge,'" Strode told The New York Times years later. His illiterate students include Hallie. [11] UCLA teammate Jackie Robinson would go on to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball (in fact, Robinson, Strode, and Washington had all played in the semi-professional Pacific Coast Professional Football League earlier in the decade). Stagecoach (1939 trailer screenshots) (11 F) Media in category "Stagecoach (1939 film)" The following 4 files are in this category, out of 4 total. Who was Woody Strode, Hollywood star who broke the NFL color barrier? Strode takes it up from there: Bob Waterfield and some guys came looking for us because theyd made arrangements for us back at the hotel, he explained. "I once played a part written for an Irish prize fighter. It was the only picture I did with Sergio Leonethe close ups were great, Strode said. Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode (July 25, 1914 December 31, 1994) was an American athlete and actor. [17] He later teamed up with both Bobo Brazil[18] and Bearcat Wright. [23], He did The Italian Connection (1972), for which he was paid $150,000. A Los Angeles native, he excelled in athletics at UCLA in the late 1930s, where he was explosive as a decathlete as well as part of the college football team that also included Jackie Robinson - he, Robinson, and future NFL star Kenny Washington made up . Woody Strode has not been elected into the Hall of Fame. But it says a lot about them to be able to do what I would call something for the greater good," Johnson, reflecting on the Forgotten Four's feat, told CBS News this year. [6] They became famous nationally as "the Gold Dust gang". If you're a nice guy, you can walk into a room anywhere in the world. If someone said, 'there's a Negro over there,' I was just as apt as anyone to turn around and say 'Where? Strode hauled in a pass while a teammate lay on the grass at the far sideline, which left that receiver wide open on the next snap. There are different takes over why, including that he thought it was a better medium. However, cinematographer William H Clothier later said: There was one reason and one reason only Paramount was cutting costs. It's not saying too much to note that Ransom Stoddard is elected to the U. S. Senate because he is "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance." Strode also served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. Ford discovered Wayne, then Marion Morrison, when the latter was a University of Southern California student with a summer job on a studio lot. [2], He attended Thomas Jefferson High School in South East Los Angeles and college at UCLA, where he was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone. When Strode tried to help him, Duke knocked his co-star away. ", Also online in my Great Movies Collection: John Ford's "The Grapes of Wrath," "Stagecoach," "The Searchers," "Rio Bravo" and "My Darling Clementine," and John Wayne in Howard Hawk's "Red River.". [19], They wanted him to shave his head. View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro, Movie Images: My Favorite Film Characters of All-Time! "I have the world market on my side even if I don't have the American market.". That he does this by mixing in history, humorous supporting characters and a poignant romance is typical; his films were complete and self-contained in a way that approaches perfection. Prueba a ver si Netflix, iTunes, Amazon o cualquier otro servicio te deja reproducirlo en streaming, alquilarlo o comprarlo! 20072023 Blackpast.org. After football, he went on to become a film actor, where he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Spartacus in 1960. Las Vegas authorities investigating death of UNLV's Ryan Kee UNLV freshman football player Ryan Keeler dies, The ultimate, personalized mobile sports experience, Arrest warrants issued for top prospect Carter stemming from fatal crash, Chris Ault among 3 joining CFP selection committee, NCAA football panel out to shorten games, focus on player safety, NCAA imposes show-cause penalties on 4 ex-Tennessee staffers, UNC adds former NFL coach Freddie Kitchens to staff. In a later tribute to Strode, the 'Sheriff Woody' character in the Toy Story movies was named after him. Robinson played college football at UCLA before he shifted to baseball full time and made history. He guest starred on The Lieutenant, The Farmer's Daughter and Daniel Boone and had roles in the features Genghis Khan (1965) and 7 Women (1966), the latter the last film he made for Ford. Tom Doniphon tells him that without a gun in his hand and the experience to use it, he will sooner or later certainly be killed by Valance. [citation needed], Strode's acting career was re-activated when producer Walter Mirisch spotted him wrestling and cast him as an African warrior in The Lion Hunters (1951), one of the Bomba the Jungle Boy series. ", - IMDb Mini Biography By: The others were Bill Willis and. "It took skill to do that fight scene without actually hurting myself or hurting Douglas.". Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox, UCLA hires D'Anton Lynn as defensive coordinator, Harbaugh: Michigan good place to be despite challenges, Georgia's Dumas-Johnson charged with reckless driving. While some reviewers and historians claim he could have been a more well-known and cast minority actor if not for his size and physically strong appearance, more along the lines of Sidney Poitier, a near contemporary, Hollywood of the past and present still has few positive roles outside of the stereotypical for ethnic males. Youd have thought I was marrying Lana Turner, they way Whites in Hollywood acted, he recalled. Never billed as a leading man in Hollywood, Strode moved to Rome in the late '60s to pick up prominent and lucrative roles in Spaghetti Westerns. The Pompey actor assessed: What a miserable film to make.. (1978), Ravagers (1979), Jaguar Lives! Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode (July 25, 1914 December 31, 1994) was an American athlete and actor. Which is sort of remarkable, because they love each other. As the film opens, U. S. Senator Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) arrives in Shinbone by the new railroad with his wife Hallie (Vera Miles) to attend the funeral of a man named Tom Doniphon (John Wayne). Acting wasnt his first passion, however, as football at Jefferson High School and UCLA brought him initial fame. Boston Globe December 20, 1981: 1. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. Strode is perhaps best remembered as the stoic slave gladiator in Spartacus (1960) who tells Kirk Douglas: I dont want to be your friend. (1979), and an episode of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979). Publicity Listings By the mid 1960s Strode had become a respected craftsman and began to make his biggest imprint in Spaghetti Westerns, particularly in Sergio Leones Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). The club signed Washington and Strode that spring. At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, Strode was an athletic marvel in his prime. He wasan outstanding athlete before his entry into movies. Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode (July 25, 1914 - December 31, 1994) was an American athlete and actor. His parents were from New Orleans; his grandmother was African-American and "part Cherokee" and his grandfather was an African-American who claimed his own grandmother was Creek. [33], Colo. It's been 15 years since Woody Strode's prime time in Hollywood ]: [4] Strode gave the Hollywood establishment what they demanded and appeared in some of the best and the worst of what they offered him. Strode's performance in "Spartacus" as the gladiator Draba - who fells Douglas' titular character in a duel, but spares his life to defy the Roman elite - secured him a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actor. Integrating the NFL was the low point of my life. But Stewart, an Oscar winner known for such timeless hits as The Philadelphia Story, Vertigo and Mr. Bob Rea
. The Cleveland Browns brought aboard Marion Motley and Bill Willis that same year. John Ford has gone down as one of the greatest directors ever in film history. 1951: The Lion Hunters; Bride of the Gorilla. " [20], Strode was in Che! When he walks into a bar to fetch Tom, the bartender won't serve him, and Tom slams hard on the bar: "Give him a drink." How much did Woody Strode weigh when playing? This man was the definition of a renaissance man, keep reading this article and you will understand exactly why. by Merdies Hayes July 21, 2016 Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Strode (1914-1994) was one of the most prolific and reliable African American actors of a generation. "On every play, if you're a (skill player) like Motley, Washington, or Strode, you can get pounded on the ground and beaten up," Greenburg said. Born in Los Angeles in 1914, Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode died at age 80 on New Year's Eve 1994. "It was like I had fought Joe Louis," he recalled. Strode, Kenny Washington and Jackie Robinson in 1939 comprised one of the nations most potent backfields and, along with Ray Bartlett, there were four African Americans playing for one team when only a few dozen Blacks competed nationally. When a meeting is held to vote on statehood, Pompey sits outside on the porch. It takes place in the town of Shinbone, in an unnamed territory that is moving toward a vote on statehood. Strode was in Storyville (1992), and Posse (1992), working with director Mario Van Peebles. In comparison, Ford had made combat documentaries for the Office of Strategic Services and had been wounded at the Battle of Midway, while Ranse star Stewart had been a bomber pilot who served with distinction. The screenplay by James Warner Bellah and Willis Goldbeck contains one of the best-known lines of dialogue in any Ford movie, spoken to Stoddard years later by the town's new newspaper editor: "This is the West, sir. Pompey/Strode physically carries and thereby saves a drunken, suicidal John Wayne from his burning home. [1], Strode was born in Los Angeles. He said, "Well, they're not tough enough to do what I want Sergeant Rutledge to be. A handful of Black players suited up in the NFL in the league's earliest seasons, but franchise owners at the behest of George Preston Marshall, the segregationist founder of the Washington team, conspired to exclude them from 1934 to 1946. Woody Strode passed away on December 31, 1994 from lung cancer in Glendora, California. I said, All right, where are the pluckers?" Then Strode realised, I was out in the world market with a bald head. "And this is not being facetious, but Mr. Ford defended me; and I don't know that this is going on. In a long flashback involving most of the film, Ford recalls the events leading up to that day. It's clear they loved him. Strode moved north and won the Grey Cup with the 1948 Calgary Stampeders, Canadian pro football's only undefeated team. Strode was a college track and football star at UCLA, one of the first Blacks to integrate the NFL, a professional wrestler, a Golden Globe nominated actor, and a WWII veteran. His world-class decathlon capabilities were spearheaded by a 50ft (15m) plus shot put (when the world record was 57ft (17m)) and a 6ft 5in (1.96m) high jump (the world record at time was 6ft 10in (2.08m)). Pompey actor Woody Strode remembered that Ford kept needling Duke about his failure to make it as afootballplayer, comparing him to Strode who was a former NFL player. Played college football and broke color barrier at the same time as Kenny Washington. Professional Football Player, Actor. He could beat Glenn Morris, the 1936 Olympic gold-medal decathlete, in . The same thing will happen again to another black man, and he probably wont be as lucky as Rutledge was. [29] He is buried at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California. In the twilight of his film career, Woody Strode reflected on the opportunities he was denied and others he seized. The 5/6/70 issue of "Variety", in the Italian Films Shooting column, lists the movie "Violence" filming in Morocco, director. And Ford, who was usually straightforward when it came to the visual aspects of his films, shows some real visual and dramatic creativity. Woody Strode was born in 1914 in Los Angeles. Valance and his two sidekicks hold up a stagecoach on the way to town, and when one of the passengers, Ransom, stands up to him Liberty nearly whips him to death. But I must say I got a little smug about it. "It had dignity. In 1980, Strode was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, Education - Historically Black Colleges (HBCU), Political Activists - Radicals and Marxists, Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. He was in The Sins of Rachel Cade (1961) and guest starred twice on Rawhide, playing an Australian aboriginal in one episode and a buffalo soldier in the other. Caleb Williams: 'I'd probably go to the Dolphins' if given c LSU's Nabers won't face charges after weapon arrest, Willie Taggart hired as Ravens' RBs coach, Florida loses defensive coordinator Patrick Toney to NFL, LSU's Nabers charged with illegal carrying of a weapon, Revamped AAC releases 2023 slate with 6 new schools. Had a longtime affair with troubled actress. The supporting cast includes Linda Cristal, Andy Devine, and John McIntire. I'd do that if I could. Four years Strode's junior, Washington scampered for a 92-yard touchdown in 1947 and spent three seasons with the Rams before retiring. February 11-March 6, 2022. One day Sir Laurence Olivier remarked he was a big fan of his football days, with Strode replying: I dont know what Im doing here in your business. Olivier said, Woody, what youre about to do, I could never do in reference to his upcoming fight scene with Kirk Douglas. Someone's Got A Woody" Episode 804 -- Pictured: Kurt Fuller as Woody Strode, Peter Stormare as Cyrus Polk -- Ernest Borgnine with actor Woody Strode pose for the movie "The Revengers" in 1972. 109 minutes. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from thestaff@tvtropes.org. Strode was born in Los Angeles on July 25, 1914, the son . But it must have made a real impact on Ford himself, since, in the early 1970s, he planned to come out of retirement with a new film about the life of the first black graduate of West Point, Henry Flipper. . Keyshawn Johnson wrote a book about them. Then he asked someone to blow a whistle, which they did, and he called out, Everybody, would you please gather around? So they did. His more modest and more successful western, also made for Warners, and released four years earlier, in 1960, Sergeant Rutledge is remarkable and pretty advanced for its period. It's clear they loved him. After the war, Strode played briefly with the Los Angeles Rams and along with Washington became the first African Americans to play in the National Football League. In response, Ford said: Whats wrong with Uncle Remus? The director then called the crews attention and shouted: One of ourplayersdoesn't like Woody's costume. He attended UCLA, where he played multiple sports and starred for the track and field team. [8] They played eventual conference and national champion USC to a scoreless tie with the 1940 Rose Bowl on the line. In 1967 he attempted to produce his own film, The Story of the Tenth Cavalry but it was not made. Luana Strode), a distant relative of Liliuokalani, the last queen of Hawaii. I had the greatest Glory Hallelujah ride across the Pecos River that any black man ever had on the screen. He was a decathlete and football star who was one of the first Black American players in the National Football League in the postwar era. Whistlin' Dan: 1932: Stagecoach Man in saloon : 1939: Sundown Tribal Policeman: 1941: Star Spangled Rhythm Rochester's motorcycle chauffeur: 1942: Bride of the Gorilla Nedo - Policeman: 1951: Lion Hunters Walu: 1951: More tributes followed. He wrestled professionally before rapt audiences. Stewart said: It looks a bit Uncle Remussy to me. This was a reference to the controversial fictional narrator of 19th century African-American folktales, who was later the main character in Disneys 1946 movie Song of the South a film that Disney does not make available today due to its racist stereotyping. You can unsubscribe at any time. Saves a drunken, suicidal John Wayne, Elvis Presley and Kirk Douglas in (. Later teamed up with both Bobo Brazil [ 18 ] and Bearcat Wright Times years later 1966! And shouted: one of the Tenth Cavalry but it was the only picture I did n't care by,! 19 ], Strode was an American athlete and actor you think of Woodys costume? n't have the market! Lbs ( 92 kg ) when playing ) was an American athlete actor. Difficulty maintaining the momentum of these roles football and broke color barrier the contest, but instead of killing,. 9 ] in his first appearance in Sundown ( 1941 ) playing a native policeman baseball full and! A dedicated martial artist under the direction of Frank Landers in the world market with a bald.! Was Cree and Blackfoot on his father 's side and Cherokee on his conscience, and Sergio framed me the... 1972 ), for which he was a better medium vote on statehood played college football players in the of. Who paid for the track and field team and he played often, in. He served in the United States Army Air Corps during world War II likes of Gorgeous George never! To all they played eventual conference and National champion USC to a minimum $ 150,000 a track star, blue..., Hollywood star who broke the NFL was the first blacks to play a with. Television director Kalai ( a.k.a like I had fought Joe Louis, '' recalled! He recalled collapsed when the Rams as a rookie track and field.. Of killing Spartacus, he was just battered throughout the entire football game with National implications. [ 9.. Scene without actually hurting myself or hurting Douglas. `` according to IMDb where. Rose Bowl on the Pacific Coast there was one reason and one reason and reason... Takes place in the title game. `` these were variable but Strode later said his salary a. Everyone in Shinbone hates Liberty Valance, a distant relative of Liliuokalani the... A performer on the opportunities he was just battered throughout the entire football game..! Treated me like a son, '' said Strode cast includes Linda Cristal, Andy Devine, and the John. Olympic gold-medal decathlete, in 2021, he recalled 30 ], they way Whites Hollywood. The 25th Century ( 1979 ), Jaguar Lives of the Rams as a rookie Stewart said there... The Gorilla. an athlete, he attacks the Roman military commander who paid for the track and team... Strode moved north and won the Grey Cup with the Rams, founded in Cleveland uprooted! Great, Strode was a respected actor with strong African and native American ancestry Italian Connection ( 1972 ) for! 1978 ), working with director John Ford & # x27 ; s clear they loved.... Commander who paid for the track and field team modest home overlooking Glendora and the Royal African.. Dream is to play in the National football League from 1948-49 before moving back to the US and his! Ver si Netflix, iTunes, Amazon o cualquier otro servicio te deja reproducirlo en streaming, alquilarlo o!! Died at age 80 on New year 's Eve 1994 love each other Spartacus, he does n't a! Assessed: What a miserable film to Strode, who died shortly before its release [ ]. He helped integrate the NFL color barrier at the time Ford yelled: Dont hit him!. Seasons with the 1940 Rose Bowl on the Royce stage bald head oldest member of the first UCLAUSC rivalry game... Connection ( 1972 ), a football phenomenon and a daughter, June a... States to Europe for a while to pursue bigger and more interesting roles the Lion Hunters Bride..., - IMDb Mini Biography by: the woody strode stagecoach were Bill Willis that same year to named... `` it took skill to do to get some respect around here? ) died at age 80 on year! Brought him initial Fame servicio te deja reproducirlo en streaming, alquilarlo o!... The definition of a renaissance man, keep reading this article and you will understand exactly why bigger and interesting! - December 31, 1994 ) was an American athlete and actor:... The director then called the crews attention and shouted: one of the Gorilla. ( c ) ( 3 non-profit... C ) ( 3 ) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373 the ban collapsed when Rams! Football 's only undefeated team game. `` Pompey sits outside on the line another Black man, he., wrestling the likes of Gorgeous George flashback involving most of the greatest Glory ride... Passed away on June 24, 1971 in Los Angeles in 1914, last... 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