John Wayne - Hatari

[Dinosaur]

I found this article in an old magazine, hopefully it's readable, as I don't have a scanner.

Enjoy

Rob

 

[Major Khan]

I found this article in an old magazine, hopefully it's readable, as I don't have a scanner.

Enjoy

Rob

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My childhood hero . I have personally watched every last film of his , except " The Shootist " . My favorite John Wayne film of all time shall always be " True Grit " .
No doubt , the " Remington .458 " mentioned here ... is a Remington Model 700 bolt rifle , which was chambered in .458 Winchester magnum calibre .

 

[Dinosaur]

I admire any man who will strap himself on to the front of a truck whilst chasing wildlife full speed across the Savannah, even if it is open ground! At the speeds that they were doing in the movie I don't reckon you will even see the ant bear holes in time. Bravo to him for doing his own stunts.

Rob

 

[AZDAVE]

He was hero and loved this country.
We have Hatari on DVD and enjoy watching it.

 

[Rob404]

Always been a fan of the Duke, I like all his movies but Red River is my favorite western

 

[Kouprey]

Hello Rob!
Very cool stuff! The "Duke" was the real deal, it seems...
Actually, i found a picture where Wayne is shooting the elephant he is mentioning in your article above!
Regards: Kouprey

 

[Brent in Az]

One of my many favorite John Wayne movies.

 

[cpr0312]

Thanks for sharing! I still hope to catch that movie when its on sometime! I believe this is one of the few Wayne films I have never seen. Absolutely love all the old westerns he was in!

 

[Red Leg]

I've mentioned on this forum before that I had an opportunity, shortly before he passed away, to sit down at lunch with Jan Oelofse who supervised much of the animal handling for the movie and was responsible for managing the scenes with Sonja the cheetah (there were several Sonja's by the way). One of the funniest stories was about shooting of the scene where the cheetah walks into the bathroom while Elsa Martinelli was bathing. Hawks attempted about half a dozen takes, the cat wasn't cooperating, and Elsa's bubbles were fast disappearing. Finally, Jan had to lie down behind the tub in order to get Sonja to go where they needed her. He allowed that staying focused on the cheetah was not entirely easy. They were apparently a rowdy crew who got along well and played hard when not shooting. He also confirmed that virtually none of the capture shots were done with stunt doubles, and during them that Wayne could curse solidly for minutes at a time without repeating himself (you'll notice when watching the movie that Wayne's voice is dubbed into those scenes). It is a great movie.

 

[Brent in Az]

Unfortunately, the cast of Hatari have all passed on. Hardy Kruger is the only one still living. The French girl that played Brandy, committed suicide 45 years ago.

 

[Kouprey]

Hatari is a classic! I love those rhino scenes!
And Hardy Kruger was so impressed, that he settled there - i think he bought the Momella farm...

Did John Wayne hunt in Africa after filming "Hatari" or was this his only african safari? I found a picture of him with a Lesser Kudu in an old Weatherby Guide. Seems that he loved those rifles. I also add a photo of John with impressive tusks, but i have no idea if they are from the elephant he shot (i don't think so).

 

[Ryan]

Interesting article, thank you. Always like the movie.

His choice of rifle calibers is interesting to me. While the Weatherby isn't as common, yet another vote for a 30 caliber for plains game.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

I've mentioned on this forum before that I had an opportunity, shortly before he passed away, to sit down at lunch with Jan Oelofse who supervised much of the animal handling for the movie and was responsible for managing the scenes with Sonja the cheetah (there were several Sonja's by the way). One of the funniest stories was about shooting of the scene where the cheetah walks into the bathroom while Elsa Martinelli was bathing. Hawks attempted about half a dozen takes, the cat wasn't cooperating, and Elsa's bubbles were fast disappearing. Finally, Jan had to lie down behind the tub in order to get Sonja to go where they needed her. He allowed that staying focused on the cheetah was not entirely easy. They were apparently a rowdy crew who got along well and played hard when not shooting. He also confirmed that virtually none of the capture shots were done with stunt doubles, and during them that Wayne could curse solidly for minutes at a time without repeating himself (you'll notice when watching the movie that Wayne's voice is dubbed into those scenes). It is a great movie.

I went to SCI for the first time in 2011, was in Reno still then. I had the good fortune to find an open chair next to Jan who was holding court with his great stories. A highlight for me to be certain.

 

[postoak]

This was the opening scene. The first movie I had scene where they rolled the credits later in the film. As a 14 y/o I thought it very dramatic!

 

[Hank2211]

Thanks very much for posting. I'd never seen or heard of this article before, and it's amazing to be brought back to those days in this way. Really a joy to read.

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

Great article.

 

[sestoppelman]

Odd they talk about his using a Model 94 Winchester so much in the movies, even his first big movie which was Stagecoach. He most often used a model 92 carbine, not a 94, though no doubt he used both.
In HATARI his big rifle is a pre 64 Winchester model 70 that he uses in the scene at the waterhole to good effect. No way to tell what rifle he is actually using to shoot the elephant in that picture, could have been a Remington but I sort of doubt it.

If you have ever seen the movie McQ with Wayne, that was filmed in and around Seattle when I was still there. The boat he is living on in the movie is at my uncles marina in the Fremont district on Lake Union where I grew up. My mom and dad met him, and my uncle and his then wife are shown briefly sitting at a table in the restaurant scene where McQ goes into the mens room to cuff the movie's gangster around a bit.
One of his later boats, small ship really was an ex wooden mine sweeper conversion. Once when coming thru the Ballard Locks, Duke was bringing it thru. My uncle and my brother were aboard one of my uncles tugboats. They looked up at the Duke on the bridge of his boat, Wild Goose, and he looked down at them, they said hello Mr Wayne or some such. Duke replied simply, "gentlemen", and went about his business. This was before the filming of McQ.
One of his first boats is actually tied up just a stones throw from my house here in WA. Its been a tourist attraction here for a couple of years. I know the caretaker pretty well. Wayne probably enjoyed boats and boating as well as anything else he did. Heck of a guy.
My favorite Wayne movie would have to be HATARI!, probably followed by The Quiet Man, filmed in Ireland.

 

[Tanks]

...
My favorite Wayne movie would have to be HATARI!, probably followed by The Quiet Man, filmed in Ireland.

That probably wouldn't fly in the #MeToo era.

 

[sestoppelman]

And to that I could only say, WHO CARES?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Maureen O'Hara loved Wayne till the day he died, she adored him.

 

[fourfive8]

Thanks everyone for posting all the information. As a young teen I distinctly remember the promotion for the film but never got to see it until much later. I've since watched it many times. At first I didn't much care for it. But have grown to really enjoy it and now would rate it as a John Wayne classic. I get the feeling the crew really had a great time making it- must have been a grand time on location!