John Ford, Junior Laemmle ... and the Monkey?!

Today, I have a hilarious story to share with you. It involves a legendary director, a child prodigy, and a mischievous pet. So, grab your popcorn, and let’s get to it.

Junior and Carl Laemmle.

‌Our story begins at Universal Studios, where young Junior Laemmle, the son of my Uncle Carl Laemmle, is being primed to take over the studio. Though he’s only 11 years old, he has already spent practically 11 years on movie sets, and he’s soaking everything up like a sponge. On this particular day, his father would take him on an adventure that would be unforgettable. Well, for us, unforgettable. For him, it was probably just another day in the life.

Junior and his dad were headed to the projection room to review a film by none other than the iconic director, John Ford. You know, I’m sure that this was a day not soon forgotten by John Ford. Because not only did Junior join his dad on this mission, but also an extra special guest: his pet monkey.

Now, if you know anything about John Ford, you know he was a no-nonsense guy and this monkey to him, was nonsense. He was absolutely not about to screen his movie for a monkey, and he demanded that somebody take it outside.

So, they did, and he screened his movie and at the end the lights came up. He says “what did you think?” and Junior, with no hesitation, said “I hated it”. And how did John Ford respond?

He said, “Next time, lose the kid. Bring back the monkey.”

There you have it, an extraordinary encounter from two legends. Stories like this that make me wish I could have been a fly on the wall every day on the Universal City back lot.