Hi JWAngel
Its easy to share your thoughts. I think it was freely acknowledged that Ford was a monster but in those times - and possibly still - most of the directors were like that.
Ford used every device to humiliate an actor in order to bring he best performance out of them. Duke Wayne was humiliated on the set of Stagecoach, They Were Expendable, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. he was hired for the Horse Soldiers at a meeting Ford had with the poducers when he just said and I'll throw in Duke Wayne as well.
Victor McLaglen, and Tyrone Power were caught by Ford's tecnique. Before the actors were to shoot important scenes for The Informer and The Long Grey Line he called both actors and told them they would not be requred the next morning. Both men went out and got very drunk, only to be woken up at five the next morning by Ford telling them he had changed his mind and needed them on the set. McLaglen won a Best Actor Academy Award for the Informer.
Ford was very astute, and vindictive it has to be said his treatment of Ben Johnson was absymal, andwho but Ford would recognise for example that James Stewart beloved by everyone had a problem with coloured actors, and by that I don't wish to imply that he was a racist, but that he was uncomfortable being around colured actors, and if you study The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance this becomes apparent.
Despite the bullying and vindictiveness, he must have had a certain charm, and on his day he could be charming, because people recognised his talent and worked for him time and time again. Other directors sought his opinion and a couple of days before his death Howard Hawks spent some ime at Fords' house saying his last goodbyes. he turn out at the funeral says a lot about the measure of the man.
But Ford wasn't alone Edward Dymtrick was a bully, and on the set of Back to Bataan tried every trick he knew to put Wayne through as much hardship as possible because Duke supported the HUAC.
Josef von Sternberg was a monster on his films shouting at his actors, John Farrow of Hondo and the Sea Chase was a womanzer always pursueing his actresses. Otto Preminger madeTom Tyrons life hell on the set of In Harms Way, but despite reducing he actor to a quivering mass of jelly, he used him later in the starring role in The Cardinal.
Even Cecil Be DeMlle was reckoned to be occasionally a sarcastic nasty peice of work. But they all made good films and the same actors and actresses turn up time and time again working for the same directors.
I suppse it comes down to if you are dealing with egotistical, delicate people you have to know your business, you have to know when to flatter, to cajole or if the worst comes to the worst be a downright bully to achieve the required effect, and that imo is why they were able to make the films that they did.
Regards
Arthur