ward-bond

[ward-bond]

Linda Darnell-Ward Bond “Incidente en Dakota” (Dakota incident) 1956, de Lewis R. Foster.

[ward-bond]

Henry Fonda, John Wayne, George O’Brien and Ward Bond in “Fort Apache”

[ward-bond]

Ward Bond, Lee Van Cleef, Frances Dee, and Larry Keating in Gypsy Colt (1954)

[ward-bond]

Ward Bond, Johnny Mack Brown, James Bush, Al Hill, George Meeker, and Bradley Page in Against the Law (1934)

[ward-bond]

National Best Friends Day

[ward-bond]

Ward, Robert Ryan and Ida Lupino, On Dangerous Ground (1951)

[ward-bond]

Remembering John Wayne on his birthday {May 26, 1907  ~  June 11, 1979}.

[ward-bond]

On April 9, 1903, Wardell E. Bond was born in Benkelman, Nebraska.

He grew up in Denver

then went to the University of Southern California, where a football teammate and his future best friend, John Wayne, helped him get into movies, beginning with John Ford’s Salute (1929).

Over the course of his career, Ward Bond appeared in 26 movies (and one episode of Wagon Train) directed by his friend John Ford. He even played John Ford (renamed John Dodge) in Wings of Eagles (1957).

He appeared with John Wayne 27 times.

On the way to serve as best man at Wayne’s wedding in 1946, Ward was hit by a car, but served as best man anyway, on crutches. The accident caused quite a bit of damage to his leg.

Bond appears in the most films (seven) of the American Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest American Movies: It Happened One Night (1934), Bringing Up Baby (1938), Gone with the Wind (1939), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), The Maltese Falcon (1941), It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and The Searchers (1956). [imdb]

He appeared in three Best Picture Academy Award winners: It Happened One Night (1934), You Can't Take It with You (1938) and Gone with the Wind (1939). [imdb]

He appeared in 11 films that were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, more than anyone other than Bess Flowers: Arrowsmith (1931), Lady for a Day (1933), It Happened One Night (1934), You Can't Take It with You (1938), Gone with the Wind (1939), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), The Maltese Falcon (1941), Sergeant York (1941), It's a Wonderful Life (1946), The Quiet Man (1952) and Mister Roberts (1955). [imdb]

Essentially blacklisted for years for his conservative politics, except for work in friends’ movies, he made a huge comeback in 1957, starring as Major Seth Adams in Wagon Train.

Ward Bond died of a heart attack on November 5, 1960, at the Town House Motor Hotel in Dallas.

His friend John Wayne delivered the eulogy at his funeral.

He was awarded a star on Hollywood Boulevard for television

but his 200+ movie credits could easily earn him another star for that. He was one of the most prolific of Hollywood's actors over a period of 30 years. He regularly appeared in 10 to 20 films per year, with the record year for him being 1935, when he acted in 30 movies. [imdb]

He always seemed to have fun, whether on screen or off

and left a wonderful body of work.

[ward-bond]

Ward Bond in Legion of Terror (1936)

[ward-bond]

James Cagney, William Powell, Henry Fonda, Ward Bond e Jack Lemmon sul set - “La nave matta di Mister Roberts” (Mister Roberts), 1955

[ward-bond]

Ward Bond, James Burke, Billy Halop, and Sylvia Sidney in Dead End (1937)

[ward-bond]

Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Ward Bond, Curt Bois, Bert Hanlon, Allen Jenkins, Maxie Rosenbloom, and Claire Trevor in The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (1938)

[ward-bond]

Ward in The Falcon Takes Over (1942).

[ward-bond]

From Wagon Train, “The St. Nicholas Story.”

[ward-bond]

From Wagon Train, “The St. Nicholas Story.”

[ward-bond]

You’re welcome! Ha! Yes, we must include Ward--I love his character in it, too :)

Ward and Robert Montgomery in They Were Expendable.

@atributetotheclassicmovies ☺

[ward-bond]

Ward and Robert Montgomery in They Were Expendable.

@atributetotheclassicmovies ☺