The Big Picture John Wayne managed to monopolize the western genre due to his consistent inventiveness. While Wayne starred in countless westerns, he was able to keep the genre interesting by keeping audiences on their toes. When Wayne disapproved of the way that western characters were interpreted in High Noon, he created Rio Bravo in response; when he sensed that the genre was dying, he appeared in John Ford’s subversive classic The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
Wayne’s daughter Gretchen said that Hondo’s production was “a challenge when they were making it, because the cameras weren't perfected like they are now.” The 3D cameras used for Hondo were the size of a truck, which made shooting in the sweltering desert of Chihuahua a challenge for the entire crew. The weather created numerous obstacles and damaged some of the finely crafted sets that were created to resemble Apache villages.
Warner Brothers Refused to Release ‘Hondo’ in 3D Close Although the 3D trend was very popular when Hondo first went into production, interest in the format was beginning to decline as the film reached its tentative release date. Warner Brothers noted that the successful 3D films at the time, such as House of Wax and Dial M for Murder, were using a broader scope of vision, and did not rely on gimmicks.