Check out the scene, just before the bic battle. There are some officers and soldiers in a room planning the battle. The commander tells the group to synchronize their watches. Then the next scene shows two men synchronizing their watches. The one on the left of the screen looks an awful lot like John Wayne to me. Comments?
shareJohn was 34 at the time of this movie, while the guy there looks younger than that. He was also a major star by then, so slipping in would have been difficult. That being said, there is a striking resemblance between the two actors.
shareWe probably will never know who the actor was but I am glad you agree that there is a striking resemblance to John Wayne. Thank you for your comment. Now I know I'm not crazy!
shareOne of the Germans up at a machine gun position
looks a lot like Richard Basehart. He yells out
in German (with the usual American accent) just
before Gary Cooper shoots him dead.
The battle scene is really terrific, and the crew
did a good job making it look like a battlefield.
Although it's actually more of the California
countryside in the 1940 summertime than the
Argonne Forest region of Belgium and France in
the cold rainy autumn of October 1918.
They say that York's conversation with the one
German officer is realistic. The German lived in
Chicago before the war and spoke good enough
dialectical English to communicate with Americans.
The movie didn't fully bring out how the German
Army of 1918 was so demoralized and ready to quit.
The troops were just young boys by then. Millions
of Germans had been killed or badly wounded. And
there was mass starvation throughout Germany after
four years of terrible war.
They had beaten the Russians, the British, and the
French. But now they had to face the Americans. It
was just too much for them. Little wonder that
Germany quit completely a month later on
November 11, 1918.
On the internet, I found a picture of Gregory Peck lighting John Wayne's cigarette. John Wayne is wearing a World War I uniform and appears to be an officer (like the person in the scene). The collar insignias appear to be similar and there is a dark spot both right wrists. I can't remember any movies of John Wayne where he played a WWI army infantry officer.
Also, there is another scene later on, where York is telling a General what happened in the battle. There are several officers in the scene and the one on the far right is tall and kind of looks like John Wayne from the side.
Also, John Wayne and Howard Hawks had several colaborations over their careers and were good friends.
that photo is on ebay right now, and it had this bit about the photo
This stunning backstage photograph of Gregory Peck lighting a cigarette for John Wayne has an interesting story behind it: In 1949, director John Ford decided to revive Maxwell Anderson and Laurence Stallings theatrical production What Price Glory? to benefit the Military Order of the Purple Heart. For his cast, Ford hired John Wayne, Gregory Peck, Maureen O'Hara, Pat O'Brien, Oliver Hardy, Ward Bond, Harry Carey, Jr., Forrest Tucker, Ed Begley, Wallace Ford, Robert Armstrong, Larry Blake, Charles Kemper, Jimmy Lydon, Jim Davis and Luis Alberni. Ford reportedly conceived the idea for the benefit revival (the original play was produced in 1924 on Broadway) the year before while staging a series of variety shows for returning WW II veterans. The final dress rehearsal was held Feb. 21, 1949, at the Masquers Club in Hollywood. Among the attendees were veterans and Secretary of the Navy John Sullivan. Before the show started, actor and decorated veteran James Stewart addressed the audience indicating how the proceeds from the production would benefit veterans. The play opened the following night in Long Beach, Ca., beginning a six-city tour of one-night stands throughout the state, culminating in the final performance at Grauman's Chinese theatre on March 2. None of the actors were paid for their roles, plus the sets were designed and built for free. What's more, the costumes were donated by the giant firm Western Costume. On a final note, Ford would later direct a film version of the play in 1952 starring James Cagney and Dan Dailey.
here is the link to the ebay sale: http://cgi.ebay.com/WHAT-PRICE-GLORY-JOHN-WAYNE-GREGORY-PECK-PHOTO-173378_W0QQitemZ7610266698QQcategoryZ18826QQcmdZViewItem
So I guess that the photo has nothing to do with my "cameo" theory/question. Thanks for setting the record straight. Cool photo Anyway!
shareFor the record, Wayne and Peck never appeared in a feature film together, except for sharing billing in "How the West Was Won." (They appeared in different scenes in that movie, never together.) Nor did either actor ever play a WWI Army officer (although Wayne wore a c.1918 naval uniform in "Wings of Eagles").
Wayne was under contract to Republic Pictures during the 1940-41 period when "Sergeant York" was shot. It's highly unlikely that Herbert C. Yates would let his major star moonlight in a tiny role for a rival studio.
Good story about Ford's staging of "What Price Glory," though. I'm curious as to who played whom in that great cast -- Pat O'Brien as Flagg and Robert Armstrong (or Ward Bond) as Quirt? Imagine having Wayne and Peck, huge stars at that time, playing relatively minor roles in that classic play!