Thanks to a storied career in Hollywood, John Wayne’s movies have seen the Duke face down all manners of threats, from ruly cowboys to German soldiers to a giant squid. True to his larger-than-life image, John Wayne usually comes out on top, though that wouldn’t have been the case if a specific encounter he had on the set of Hatari! had turned out poorly.
Released in 1962, Hatari! was an unusual movie for John Wayne, in that it took Wayne out of familiar territory, which were Westerns and war films, and plunged him into a safari setting. Directed by Howard Hawks, the romantic comedy paired him with Elsa Martinelli and sent him on an adventure in Africa.
In the movie, John Wayne played Sean Mercer, the leader of a group of game catchers who work in the jungles of Africa. Due to the nature of the story, Wayne found himself coming into close contact with a variety of animals native to Africa, including a rhino.
John Wayne Filmed A Scene With A Rhino That Turned Dangerous
John Wayne Hid In A Truck After The Rhino Got Loose
The rhino in question appeared in a scene early in Hatari!, where Sean and his team have to capture the animal. Sometime later, Wayne discussed the incident with director Peter Bogdanovich, who recounted the conversation in his book, Who the Hell’s In It: My Conversations With Hollywood’s Legendary Actors.
After mentioning the filming experience on Hatari!, John Wayne noted that it “wasn’t dangerous,” prompting Bogdanovich to point out, “Well, the rhino almost got you at point.” Apparently, the rhino they were using to shoot the scene was supposed to be restrained and broke free, and to John Wayne’s surprise, those who were holding him down didn’t shout out a warning.
“The f****** kids let the rope burn out of their hands and didn’t scream “look out!” or anything. I just looked up and this son of a b**** is loose and they’re just standing there.
John Wayne wasn’t aware of how long he had been free, but upon noticing, he immediately climbed into a truck and shut the door. The rhino attacked the vehicle, and “stuck that horn right through the metal like it was paper.” Wayne, co-star Red ʙuттons, and Martinelli got out on the other side of the car and “teased” the rhino away.
Yeah it’s a pain in the ᴀss when it’s you. His head is right there and I’m riding his ᴀss. Here I am trying to throw a line clear around his legs and I look up and he’s loose. Now the Mexican doesn’t see this and I say, “he’s loose.” S***. The truck was right over here and I went “hssh” and I was in the truck. He says “what?” and I said, “he’s loose!” And the f****** thing turned around and looked at the side of the cab and stuck that horn right through the metal like it was paper. And then he stood there a minute and started to turn his head and god**** he torn that cab all to hell and then he started charging both cars.
The Whole Point Of Hatari! Was Putting John Wayne In A Movie With Dangerous Animals
John Wayne Filmed Scenes With A Leopard, A Buffalo, A Giraffe, And Several Other African Animals
What happened with the rhino was a product of the whole underlying concept of the film. Hatari! director Howard Hawks conceived Hatari! as a movie that would showcase dangerous African animals, including leopards and rhinos. At the time, it felt like a novel idea, and something that moviegoers weren’t accustomed to seeing on the same screen as Hollywood stars like John Wayne.
Further underscoring the purpose of the movie was its тιтle, as “hatari” means “danger” in the Swahili language. But in John Wayne’s estimation, Hatari! fell short in that regard, as he told Bogdonavich that there wasn’t enough action, and what was there was too repeтιтive.
He explained that they should have used “a variety of approaches” to provide excitement in the animal-catching scenes. But while Hatari! may have lacked a bit in that area on the whole, it’s safe to say that the rhino certainly did its part when it comes to the “danger” element.
