Batjac Productions is an independent film production company co-founded by John Wayne in 1952 as a vehicle for Wayne to both produce and star in movies. The first Batjac production was Big Jim McLain Warner Bros. in 1952, and its final film was McQ Michael Wayne owned and managed the company until his own death in 2003, when his wife Gretchen assumed ownership.
Batjac Productions Industry Entertainment Founded 1952; 72 years ago (1952 ) (as Wayne/Fellows Productions); 68 years ago (1956 ) (as Batjac Productions) Founder John Wayne Robert Fellows Key people
John Wayne Products Motion pictures, television programs
Wayne and producer Robert Fellows founded Batjac in 1952 as Wayne/Fellows Productions . When Fellows left the company several years later, Wayne renamed the corporation after a fictitious trading company mentioned in the film Wake of the Red Witch Wake of the Red Witch was spelled Batjak, but Wayne's secretary misspelled it as Batjac on the corporation papers, and Wayne let it stand. Having his own company was intended to give Wayne artistic control over the films he made.
The best known of all Batjac's films is Wayne's version of The Alamo battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution of 1836. A labor of love for Wayne, The Alamo cost Wayne much of his personal fortune. Among Batjac's other productions are Hondo Cahill U.S. Marshal Big Jake McLintock! The Green Berets Seven Men from Now McQ .
edit
Because of a production/distribution deal with Warner Bros. and United Artists , Batjac was allowed to retain all rights to four Wayne films — The High and the Mighty Hondo , Island in the Sky McLintock! Seven Men from Now Man in the Vault Ring of Fear Plunder of the Sun Track of the Cat China Doll Escort West Gun the Man Down
After Wayne's death in 1979, his son Michael Wayne gained full ownership and managed the company until he died in 2003. He meticulously managed the release pattern of his father's films and restored Hondo and McLintock! in the early 1990s for release on VHS and television. His passion was to restore the other two films, but water damage to the original elements made it impossible during his lifetime. Taking advantage of the new digital restoration processes, Michael's widow Gretchen restored these films in 2004 and released them through a distribution deal with Paramount Pictures in 2005. Although now released by Paramount, the Batjac films originally distributed by Warner Bros. still retained their original "WB Shield" logos, as part of a cross-licensing deal between the two companies- which also permitted the use of the original Paramount Pictures logos on the Warner-owned Fleischer /Famous Studios Popeye the Sailor
List of Batjac productions
edit
Year
Title
Distributor
Producer
Director
Star(s)
Academy Awards
Notes
Wins
Nominations
1952
Big Jim McLain Warner Bros.
Robert Fellows
Edward Ludwig
John Wayne & Nancy Olson
Produced as Wayne/Fellows Productions
1953
Plunder of the Sun Warner Bros.
Robert Fellows
John Farrow
Glenn Ford & Diana Lynn
Produced as Wayne/Fellows Productions
1953
Island in the Sky Warner Bros.
Robert Fellows
William A. Wellman
John Wayne
Produced as Wayne/Fellows Productions
1953
Hondo Warner Bros.
Robert Fellows & John Wayne
John Farrow
John Wayne & Geraldine Page
Best Supporting Actress (Geraldine Page ); Best Story (Louis L'Amour ) (later withdrawn)
Produced as Wayne/Fellows Productions ; Filmed in 3D
1954
The High and the Mighty Warner Bros.
Robert Fellows
William A. Wellman
John Wayne & Claire Trevor
Best Original Score (Dimitri Tiomkin )
Best Supporting Actress (Jan Sterling ); Best Supporting Actress (Claire Trevor ); Best Director (William A. Wellman ); Best Film Editing ; Best Original Song (Dimitri Tiomkin & Ned Washington )
Produced as Wayne/Fellows Productions ; Filmed in CinemaScope ; Won Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress (Jan Sterling ); Nominated for DGA Award for Outstanding Directing in Motion Pictures (William A. Wellman )
1954
Ring of Fear Warner Bros.
Robert Fellows
James Edward Grant & William A. Wellman (uncredited)
Pat O'Brien
Produced as Wayne/Fellows Productions ; Filmed in CinemaScope
1954
Track of the Cat Warner Bros.
Robert Fellows & John Wayne
William A. Wellman
Robert Mitchum & Teresa Wright
Produced as Wayne/Fellows Productions ; Filmed in CinemaScope
1955
Blood Alley Warner Bros.
John Wayne
William A. Wellman
John Wayne & Lauren Bacall
Filmed in CinemaScope
1956
Good-bye, My Lady Warner Bros.
John Wayne
William A. Wellman
Walter Brennan & Brandon deWilde
1956
Seven Men from Now Warner Bros.
Andrew V. McLaglen & Robert E. Morrison
Budd Boetticher
Randolph Scott & Gail Russell
1956
Gun the Man Down United Artists
Robert E. Morrison & John Wayne
Andrew V. McLaglen
James Arness & Angie Dickinson
1956
Man in the Vault RKO
Robert E. Morrison
Andrew V. McLaglen
William Campbell , Karen Sharpe , & Anita Ekberg
1957
Legend of the Lost United Artists
Henry Hathaway
Henry Hathaway
John Wayne & Sophia Loren
Filmed in Technirama
1958
China Doll United Artists
Frank Borzage & Robert E. Morrison
Frank Borzage
Victor Mature
Batjac co-produced with Victor Mature 's Romina Productions.
1958
Escort West United Artists
Nate H. Edwards & Robert E. Morrison
Francis D. Lyon
Victor Mature
Batjac co-produced with Victor Mature 's Romina Productions.
1960
The Alamo United Artists
John Wayne
John Wayne
John Wayne , Richard Widmark & Laurence Harvey
Best Sound
Best Picture ; Best Supporting Actor (Chill Wills ); Best Color Cinematography (William H. Clothier ); Best Film Editing ; Best Original Song (Dimitri Tiomkin & Paul Francis Webster ); Best Original Score (Dimitri Tiomkin )
Filmed in Todd-AO ; Won Golden Globe for Best Original Score (Dimitri Tiomkin )
1963
McLintock! United Artists
Michael Wayne
Andrew V. McLaglen
John Wayne & Maureen O'Hara
1966
Cast a Giant Shadow United Artists
Melville Shavelson & Michael Wayne
Melville Shavelson
Kirk Douglas & Senta Berger
Batjac co-produced with Melville Shavelson 's production company, Llenroc ('Cornell' spelt backwards), and The Mirisch Corporation
1967
The War Wagon Universal
Marvin Schwartz
Burt Kennedy
John Wayne & Kirk Douglas
1967
Hondo and the Apaches MGM Television
Andrew J. Fenady
Lee H. Katzin
Ralph Taeger
Two episodes from the TV series of the same name, edited together and released as a feature.
1967
Hondo ABC
Andrew J. Fenady
Lee H. Katzin (and others)
Ralph Taeger
17 episodes
1968
The Green Berets Warner Bros.
Michael Wayne
John Wayne , Ray Kellogg & Mervyn LeRoy (uncredited)
John Wayne
1970
Chisum Warner Bros.
Michael Wayne
Andrew V. McLaglen
John Wayne
1970
Swing Out, Sweet Land NBC
William O. Harbach (and others)
Stan Harris
John Wayne
Won Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction of a Variety, Musical or Dramatic Program (Dominic Frontiere ) at the 23rd Primetime Emmy Awards
1970
Rio Lobo National General
Howard Hawks
Howard Hawks
John Wayne
1971
Big Jake National General
Michael Wayne
George Sherman
John Wayne & Richard Boone
1973
The Train Robbers Warner Bros.
Michael Wayne
Burt Kennedy
John Wayne & Ann-Margret
1973
Cahill U.S. Marshal Warner Bros.
Michael Wayne
Andrew V. McLaglen
John Wayne
1974
McQ Warner Bros.
Michael Wayne
John Sturges
John Wayne
Co-produced with Levy-Gardner-Laven
List of John Wayne productions at Republic Pictures
edit
John Wayne served as Producer for Republic Pictures on the following films, prior to the founding of Wayne-Fellows/Batjac Productions in 1952.
