The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - Production

Production

The film was shot in black-and-white on Paramount sound stages, which was quite a contrast with Ford's other films of the period such as The Searchers which included vast western exteriors and color photography. Some maintain that Paramount needed to cut costs and insisted on a lower budgeted film. Paramount executive A.C. Lyles maintains that Ford wanted to make the picture but Paramount had not the budget available. Ford then offered to make it for whatever budget they had (a puzzling scenario since Ford had two of the industry's biggest box-office attractions, both at the heights of their careers, James Stewart and John Wayne, lined up to work together for the first time). Lee Marvin stated at length in a filmed interview that Ford realized that the film would not be as effective shot in color because the atmosphere and use of shadows would be adversely impacted and fought to make it in black-and-white.

Although greatly admired as a filmmaker, Ford was well known for making life difficult for his long-suffering casts, sometimes using a kind of psychological warfare on his actors to extract the most powerful performances possible. However, about halfway through the making of this movie, Duke asked Jimmy why he was never "in the barrel" as Ford would put most of his actors at one time or another. This eventually circulated through the crew and set, and Jimmy began to feel a bit complacent about it all, (this is told by Jimmy in a commentary on Pappy Ford). A few days before the end of filming, Pappy pulled Jimmy aside and asked him what he thought of Woody's costume. Jimmy thought and then said, "it looks a bit Uncle Remussy to me." Ford then called for the crew's attention and announced that "one of our actors doesn't like Woody's costume. Now, I don't know if Mr. Stewart has a prejudice against Negroes, but I just wanted you all to know about it." Quote is an appoximation but can be found along with Jimmy's remarks on the commentary of Ford. Jimmy said he wanted to crawl into a mouse hole. But Duke told him, "Well, Jimmy, ya finally made it....ya really did. And I'd glad for ya". Strode himself claimed that Stewart was "one of the nicest men you'll ever meet anywhere in the world".

But Ford's famed needling sometimes was more painful. Wayne made many films with Ford, with whom he was close. However, Wayne was a frequent target of the director's venomous remarks. Strode claims that Ford "kept needling Duke about his failure to make it as a football player" while Strode was "a real football player". (Wayne's potential career in football had been put off by an injury.)

Ford also admonished Wayne for failing to serve in World War II while Stewart was regarded as a war hero: "How rich did you get while Jimmy was risking his life?" Wayne's failure to serve in the conflict was a source of great guilt for him.

Ford's behavior caused Wayne to take his frustrations out on Strode, who believed that they could otherwise have been friends. While filming an exterior shot on a horse-drawn cart, Wayne almost lost control of the horses and knocked Strode away when he tried to help. When the horses did stop, Wayne almost started a fight with Strode, who was much fitter. Ford gave them time to calm down, and Wayne later told Strode that they had to "work together. We both gotta be professionals." Strode blamed Ford's treatment of Wayne for the trouble, adding, "What a miserable film to make".