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*** Ford tried to intimidate [[James Cagney]] during the beginning of making ''[[Mister Roberts]]'', but Cagney refused to cower and even threatened full-out fisticuffs. Cagney, mind you, was [[Real Life]] [[Memetic Badass]]. Ford didn't attempt to intimidate Cagney for the remainder of his time on the production.
* [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]]: Ford worked with documentary crews in the Pacific theater during [[World War II]]. He won an Oscar for the documentary ''[[The Battle Of Midway]]'' parts of which ''he actually filmed during the battle'' (he was on the island waiting for transit elsewhere when the attack came). Combat scenes he filmed would be edited into the big epic ''[[Midway]]''.
** [[Orson Welles]] watched ''[[Stagecoach]]'' repeatedly for inspiration before coming to Hollywood to direct ''his'' first feature film: ''[[Citizen Kane (Film)|Citizen Kane]]''. You might have heard of it.
** Perhaps Ford's greatest moment came during the [[Red Scare]]. During a meeting at the Directors Guild of America, [[Cecil B. De MilleDeMille]] was attacking other directors whom he considered to be Communist sympathizers. Ford held his tongue til DeMille started calling [[William Wyler]] "Villiam Vyler" and attacked Joseph Mankiewicz. He stood up, and declared, "My name is John Ford. I make Westerns. I don't think there is anyone who knows more about what the American public wants than Cecil B. DeMille - and he certainly knows how to give it to them. In that respect I admire him. But I don't like you, C.B. I don't like what you stand for and I don't like what you've been saying here tonight. Joe has been villified and I think he needs an apology." When DeMille remained silent for thirty seconds, Ford added, "Then I believe there is only one alternative, and I hereby so move: that Mr. DeMille and the entire board of directors resign, and that we give Joe a vote of confidence - and then let's all go home and get some sleep. We've got some pictures to make in the morning." And that's ''exactly'' what happened: DeMille and the board of directors resigned, Mankiewicz received a vote of confidence, and everyone got some sleep so they could make pictures in the morning.
* [[Irony]]: John Ford won four Oscars for Best Director, more than any other. ''None of them'' were for what he is best known for making: Westerns. ''[[Stagecoach]]'' was his only Western nomination. That Ford wasn't even nominated for ''[[She Wore a Yellow Ribbon]]'' and ''[[The Searchers]]'' remain [[Award Snub|glaring omissions]] to this day.
** The movies that did win him Best Director:
*** ''[[The Informer]]'': a political thriller about an Irishman who betrays a friend.
*** ''[[The Grapes of Wrath (Literature)|The Grapes of Wrath]]'': a social commentary on the horrors of [[The Great Depression]].
*** ''[[How Green Was My Valley]]'': A [[Coming of Age]] tale set in a Welsh mining community. (Fans of ''[[Citizen Kane (Film)|Citizen Kane]]'' aren't too thrilled about this one.)
*** ''[[The Quiet Man]]'': a romantic comedy about an American trying to find happiness in an Irish community.
* [[Oireland]]: Ford loved his Irish-American heritage, and it showed in nearly every film he made.
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