Brannigan: John Wayne’s heart problems and Laurence Olivier’s ‘cameo’ | Films | Entertainment

Interestingly, Christopher Trumbo, the son of blacklisted Communist screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, was one of the film’s scribes. Even though Duke had been an enforcer of the Hollywood Black List and House Un-American Activities Committee, he wasn’t bothered to be working with the Western star.

Even so, during the July 1974 shoot, the actor continued to support President Richard Nixon through the Watergate scandal. At one point, a TV crew came to Manor House where Wayne was staying to tape a short film of him to be used at Republican Party rallies, with the actor praising the president who would soon resign.

During his time in London, Duke also met Katharine Hepburn for the first time, since she was in town to film 1975’s Love Among the Ruins with Sir Laurence Olivier. Despite their political differences, she greatly admired him and they ended up making True Grit sequel Rooster Cogburn together. Talking of Olivier, the theatrical legend ended up having something of a small cameo in Brannigan.

READ MORE: John Wayne’s Rooster Cogburn set fury – Duke struggled to breathe