Question: How did John Wayne feel about Rock Hudson?
Considering that Hudson was a major star from the early 1950s and that Wayne could have appeared with him in any number of films at any time but did not, it can be presumed that their relationship was professional, but lukewarm.
According to Marc Christian, who was Hudson’s lover of many years, Wayne apparently was bullying Hudson on set until Hudson started to push back. Then they settled things down and apparently became cordial, playing a lot of chess and bridge together. Unfortunately for both men, The Undefeated, did poorly at the box office and began Hudson’s move toward television and Wayne’s tepid career in film throughout the 1970s until his death in 1979.
Hudson’s being gay was essentially an open secret in Hollywood at the time. and although Wayne was not known for his tolerance of alternate lifestyles, he apparently didn’t have too many issues with Hudson. However Hudson was closeted at the time and it’s a virtual certainty that if any of his lovers were with him during filming, they remained away from the set.
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