Today's picture is of Marguerite Roberts, screenwriter for the original movie. I learned from watching a short feature on the DVD that Ms Roberts specialized in writing "tough guy" westerns for Hollywood before she was blacklisted in the 1950s. Like so many good people in Hollywood, Ms Roberts refused to "name names" in front of HUAC.
She never thought, when she submitted the script, that John Wayne would even read something with her name on it, considering how "right wing" his politics were. Nevertheless, he did, and liked the script so much that he couldn't wait to do the film.
Another tidbit I picked up from the short feature is that Wayne was really perplexed by Kim Darby, who had read Portis' book and fallen in love with both Mattie and Portis' language. According to some other folks who worked on the movie, Wayne didn't quite get it, saw the movie as a standard shoot-em-up, and wondered why Darby was so intense about the part and the language and about staying true to the book.
At any rate, it's an interesting short feature. I still haven't watched the film, though. This weekend for sure.
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