John Huston (1906-1987)

John Huston (1906-1987)

Summary

  • Born as John Marcellus Huston, August 5, 1906, in Nevada, Missouri, USA.
  • Died August 28, 1987, in Middletown Rhode Island, USA.
  • Renounced his USA citizenship in 1964 and became an Irish citizen.
  • Married five times: Dorothy Harvey, Lesley Black, Evelyn Keyes, Enrica Soma and Celeste Shane.
  • Five children: Pablo, Anjelica, Tony, Danny, and Allegra.

Introduction

If we journey through movie history, John Huston’s work is listed as a mandatory stop.

He started off an avalanche that built the history of film making, from being responsible for the first starring role of Marilyn Monroe, creating a new movie-style “Film Noir” and being the catalyst of a tourist boom to the city of Puerto Vallarta, giving it a chic and jet-set reputation, among other important contributions.

Walter Huston in John Huston's movie Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

Walter Huston in John Huston’s movie “Treasure of the Sierra Madre” (1948)

His family was very much linked to the movie and theater industry, building up what was to be called, by some, the Huston Dynasty. He was part of three generations of Oscar winners, his father, Walter Huston, who was his first teacher, himself and his daughter, Anjelica Huston.

Anjelica Huston and Danny Huston

Anjelica Huston and Danny Huston

During his 57-year career, he boasts 15 Oscar nominations (won twice) and developed outstanding works, now considered classics: The Maltese Falcon (1941), The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), The Concrete Jungle (1950), the African Queen (1951), Moulin Rouge (1952), the Misfits (1961), The man who wanted to be king (1975), The Night of the Iguana (1964), the latter represented the awakening of the still undiscovered town of Puerto Vallarta, where this Hollywood baptism brought along a series of changes, including tourism at a scale it had never experienced before.

John Huston observes the Cuale River (1963)

John Huston observes the Cuale River, Puerto Vallarta (1963)

In his own life, he participated in many professions and interests: boxer, singer, horseman, hunter, painter and writer, scriptwriter, director, and producer. His work was full of diverse experiences, from one corner of the world to the other, experiences such as his wandering through Europe, his incursion into the bohemian Paris of the time, his stay in Hollywood, voyages into Africa, his participation in the Mexican Army and his role as manager of a film unit of the US army during World War II; an experience that resulted in two very important productions: The Battle of San Pietro (1944) and Let there be light (1946).

Title screen from The Battle of San Pietro (1944)

Title screen from “The Battle of San Pietro” (1944)

He was a wanderer, enchanted by what each land could offer him, however, it was Puerto Vallarta that was to witness his last years, the place he chose to heal his old wounds, to follow the old Irish piece of advice about living near the sea, with what could be called a boomerang effect, where the city the famous director exposed to the world was the one to say goodbye to him, closing a cycle that began even before 1963 with the arrival of John Huston to Puerto Vallarta.

John Huston and Puerto Vallarta

John Huston during the filming of The Night of the Iguana (1963)

John Huston during the filming of “The Night of the Iguana” (1963)

Few cities have as much international history as Puerto Vallarta, it is a script they shared, including John Huston, his cast, the locals who all became part of the experience of filming and moviemaking, and the spectators who came to enjoy the end product of this mixture concocted by the US-Irish filmmaker. He said in an interview with Vogue magazine: “This area is close to my whole life.”

Mismaloya Beach 1963 from the movie "The Night of the Iguana"

Mismaloya Beach 1963 from the movie “The Night of the Iguana”

The presence of John Huston injected life and substance city, he was the booster of tourism and interest in the area, thanks to the shooting of the film “The Night of the Iguana”, that took place around Mismaloya’s Beach south of Puerto Vallarta; a film adaptation of the homonymous work by Tennessee Williams.
This work remained in the memory of many fans at the time because the main cast was immersed in a complex cobweb of relationships, such as the romance experienced by Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, the most persecuted couple by the media at the time. There was no going back to what was once a remote village in western Mexico.

Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in Puerto Vallarta (1963)

Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in Puerto Vallarta (1963)

By the time John reached the shores of Mismaloya, it was basically a small fishing community with a single cab and a few small hotels, one called ‘Paraíso’ (Paradise).

Nowadays it is a tourist stop where you can enjoy various activities like snorkelling, boating, diving, fishing trips, whale sighting, and get to know nearby beaches such as Las Animas, Yelapa, Majahuitas, and Quimixto.

We must add Las Caletas beach to the ones above, an area owned by the Chacala tribe, however, in the 1970s, it was the shelter of this big-screen legend, where he got away from it all, concentrated on preparing new projects and working with Bill (William) Reed on his autobiography.

Las Caletas in the 1970s when John Huston lived there

Las Caletas in the late 1970s when John Huston lived there

The move to Las Caletas came to be after John Huston and Celeste Shane (Cici) started their di­vorce in 1975 and sold the St. Clerans manor in Irland, and he went to live in primitive surroundings at Las Caletas, near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, with his ex-wife’s housemaid.

He arrived in Puerto Vallarta in 1975, lived in various houses around town, including Quinta Laura and Casa Los Arcos. He wanted to enjoy Las Caletas as soon as possible but would ultimately move there in 1978 when Freddy Romero had finished the buildings, including the walk-in freezer… this delay was due to a heart attack John Huston suffered the last week of September of 1977 which was treated at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Los Angeles.

John Huston, Richard Burton and his wife Susan Hunt (March 13, 1978)

John Huston, Richard Burton and his wife Susan Hunt are honored in Puerto Vallarta (March 13, 1978)

On March 13, 1978, John Huston was awarded the title of a distinguished friend of Jalisco (“Amigos distinguidos de Jalisco”), along with Richard Burton in a picturesque Mexican celebrity party held on Puerto Vallarta’s Main Square. The town wanted to honor these internationally renowned men whose passage through the city had forever marked it.

John Huston sculpture Isla Río Cuale, Puerto Vallarta

John Huston sculpture Isla Río Cuale, Puerto Vallarta

John Huston also was honored with a small square by the Cuale River Island’s Cultural Center, where he was immortalized with a statue of himself sitting in a typical film director’s chair.

Waldemar Verdugo-Fuentes, Maricela Hernández (a maid) and John Huston at Las Caletas 1982

Waldemar Verdugo-Fuentes, Maricela Hernández (the maid) and John Huston at Las Caletas (1982)

John Huston, like the poet he was, always described his home located in Las Caletas, as a refuge, more than a normal house. He also said during the interview with Waldemar Verdugo for Vogue:

“I have no idea how I got to this point in my life, but I am happy to have arrived precisely here”.

He stayed in Las Caletas for many years, but in 1985, his lung affliction forced him to move to the USA, for treatment, despite his promise of never setting foot there, while the bad actor, Ronald Reagan was president. He had a terrible opinion of him as you can read in this quote:

“God, he’s a bore. And a bad actor. Besides, he has a low order of intelligence. With a certain cunning. And not animal cunning. Human cunning. Animal cunning is too fine an expression for him. He’s inflated, he’s egotistical. He’s one of those people who thinks he’s right. And he’s not right. He’s not right about anything.” John Huston

John Huston and his parrot

John Huston and his parrot

His work made this land known worldwide, it was no longer a traditional fishing village, but the dreamland of a famous Hollywood director and the most famous actors and actresses, and this attracted so many visitors, the city and its surroundings were transformed.

Puerto Vallarta is nowadays a tourism metropolis, and much of this is thanks to the influence of John Huston’s work and the love he gave this land.

More interesting information

Last Updated on 23/02/2022 by Puerto Vallarta Net