Trivia / She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

• Completely Different Title:
  • In France, the film was released as "The Heroic Charge".
  • In Germany, it became Der Teufelshauptmann ("The Devil of a Captain").
• Creator's Favorite Episode: John Wayne regarded this as one of his favourite performances.
• Real-Life Relative: John Ford's older brother Francis appears in only one scene as Connolly, the barman. Ford kept Francis on wages "for eight weeks even through Francis could have completed his scenes in less than a week." Ford's other brother Edward O'Fearna was an assistant director.
• Recycled: The Series: A 1958 unsuccessful television pilot written by James Warner Bellah titled Command starred Everett Sloane as Captain Brittles and Ben Cooper as Lt Cohill.
• Serendipity Writes the Plot: One of the most iconic scenes from the film was created during a dispute. As a line of cavalry rode through the desert, a real thunderstorm grew on the horizon. Hoch began to pack up the cameras as the weather worsened only for John Ford to order him to keep shooting. Hoch argued that there was not enough natural light for the scene and, more importantly, the cameras could become potential lightning rods if the storm swept over them. Ford ignored cinematographer Winton Hoch's complaints; completing the scene as the thunderstorm rolled in, soaking the cast and crew. Hoch later had filed a letter of complaint against Ford with the American Society of Cinematographers over the filming of this scene.
  • The story of Hoch's refusal to shoot in this thunderstorm has often been repeated, but actor Harry Carey, Jr., who was on the set, contests it. He says Ford had finished shooting for the day, but when the picturesque storm brewed he asked Hoch if they could shoot in the declining light. Hoch answered, "It's awfully dark, Jack. I'll shoot it. I just can't promise anything." Ford then instructed, "Winnie, open her up [the camera lens] and let's go for it. If it doesn't turn out, I'll take the rap." Winnie complied, saying, "Fair enough, Jack."
• Throw It In!: When Sgt. Quincannon is addressing the troops and warning them to "watch them words", he asks who owns a dog, without receiving an answer, and concludes, "Nice dog! Irish setter!" The scene was improvised on the spot by John Ford. The dog was an unnamed Navajo pet that had fallen asleep during the set up. Multiple takes were required because McLaglen kept blowing the line, calling the dog a "cocker spaniel".
• Underage Casting: John Wayne was 41 playing a man pushing 60.
• What Could Have Been: Before he decided to cast John Wayne as Captain Brittles, John Ford had considered casting Henry Fonda.

---