John Wayne’s Blink-and-You’ll-Miss-It TV Cameo in Wagon Train

These days, it’s hard to find a big-name film star who hasn’t popped up on telly, with the so-called ‘Golden Age’ of television drawing in heaps of Hollywood heavyweights. They’re all keen to talk up the top-notch writing and storytelling, but things were a bit different back when John Wayne was the bloke everyone wanted to see at the pictures. Back then, the rise of the household TV set had studio bosses sweating over empty cinema seats, and plenty of actors wouldn’t be caught dead on the small screen. The thinking was simple: if punters were willing to pay to see you at the flicks, why give it away for free every week on TV?

For many, landing a regular spot on a TV series was seen as a sign your days as a film star were numbered. Wayne, though, wasn’t quite as allergic to television as some of his peers. Jack Nicholson, for example, famously steered clear of TV, only making rare appearances for big anniversaries. But Wayne never wanted to be a regular fixture on the box. He did take the lead in a 1955 episode of Screen Directors Playhouse, directed by his mate John Ford, and played a sergeant in a 1962 episode of Alcoa Premiere, also under Ford’s direction. Both were one-offs, not ongoing gigs.

Wayne’s Lone Foray into Ongoing TV

There was just one occasion when Wayne appeared in a recurring TV series. It happened in 1960, and he didn’t even use his real or stage name. Unsurprisingly, John Ford was behind the camera again. As Wayne put it,

“It wasn’t completely unconditional. Because it was as a favour to Pappy and Ward Bond. Ward was the star of the western TV series, Wagon Train, and Jack Ford was directing an episode, so he asked me to make a fleeting appearance as General Sherman. I was billed as Michael Morris, and I was on and off so fast people were left wondering if that had been John Wayne they’d seen.”

Wagon Train was a long-running western, clocking up over 280 episodes across eight seasons from 1957 to 1965. Wayne’s appearance came in ‘The Colter Craven Story’, the ninth episode of the fourth season. It’s no coincidence that this was the only episode Ford directed, and the only one Wayne showed up in. Both were close mates with Ward Bond, the show’s lead.

A Brief, Uncredited Appearance

Wayne’s role as General Sherman was so quick, many viewers weren’t sure if they’d actually seen him. He was credited as Michael Morris, keeping things low-key. The cameo was done as a favour for his friends, not for the spotlight. The timing turned out to be bittersweet, as Bond passed away from a heart attack less than three weeks before the episode aired. It gave Wayne one last chance to work alongside the mate he called his best friend.

Despite his massive fame, Wayne’s only real brush with ongoing television drama was this blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment. For a bloke who defined the big screen, his brief TV stint remains a rare bit of trivia for fans and film buffs alike.