The man who killed Liberty Valance, The Prisoner of the Desert, The Fantastic Ride, The Fort Apache Massacre, The Cheyennes, The son of the desert … There are many unforgettable westerns directed by John Ford. This Sunday, November 3, 2024 at 9 p.m., Arte is certainly broadcasting one of its most iconic: The Infernal Pursuit (during which major tensions arose on the set), served – among others – by the charismatic Henry Fonda, to whom the Franco-German channel devotes a portrait in the second part of the evening, after this film, entitled Henry Fonda, justice as his motto.
The Infernal Pursuit : a film based on a true story
Released in 1946, The Infernal Pursuit tells the legend of the Earp brothers. Wyatt, Virgil, Morgan and James are simple cowboys who bring their herd to the West. One night, the three brothers discover the assassination of the youngest, James Earp, in the camp near Tombstone, Arizona. Wyatt Earp, played by Henry Fonda, then decides to avenge the death of his youngest brother by becoming sheriff. Through this story, John Ford delivers a freely adapted version of the OK Corral shooting occurred on October 26, 1881, a famous historical event in the American West. Moreover, John Ford, born in 1894, knew Wyatt Earp before his death in 1929. At the beginning of the 20th century, Wyatt Earp took up residence in Los Angeles and became a consultant for the first silent westerns. It was at this moment that he crossed paths with young Ford. This meeting would then have helped the filmmaker to stage this famous legendary confrontation, also taken up 10 years later in Settling scores at OK Corral by John Sturges with the duo Burt Lancaster/Kirk Douglas.
The tragic fate of Linda Darnell
In The Infernal PursuitHenry Fonda notably shares the poster with Linda Darnell, an American actress who had her hour of glory in the 1940s and 1950s, being the recurring supporting role in numerous Hollywood productions such as The Sign of Zorro and of course The Infernal Pursuit. However, the actress's career ran out of steam very quickly. In question, she would never have given in to the advances of Darryl F. Zanuck, the boss of Twentieth Century Fox, as indicated in the biography of the actress written by Ronald L Davis: Hollywood Beauty, Linda Darnell and the American Dream. Mistreated by Hollywood, Linda Darnell, consumed by alcohol and in debt, gradually falls into oblivion when she is only 40 years old. On April 10, 1965, she burned to death following a fire while trying to save the daughter of Mrs. Curtis, her former secretary. She was 41 years old.
