Editing John Huston (section)

== Career ==
=== 1930–1939: Early career and directorial debut ===
During his stay in Mexico, Huston wrote a play called ''Frankie and Johnny'', based on the ballad of the same title. After selling it easily, he decided that writing would be a viable career, and he focused on it. His self-esteem was enhanced when [[H. L. Mencken]], editor of the popular magazine ''[[American Mercury]],'' bought two of his stories, "Fool" and "Figures of Fighting Men." During subsequent years, Huston's stories and feature articles were published in ''[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]],'' ''[[Theatre Arts]],'' and ''[[The New York Times]].'' He also worked for a period on the ''New York Graphic.'' In 1931, when he was 25, he moved back to Los Angeles in hopes of writing for the blossoming film industry. The [[silent film]]s had given way to "talkies", and writers were in demand.<ref name=Morsberger/> His father had earlier moved there and already gained success in a number of films.

Huston received a script editing contract with [[Samuel Goldwyn Productions]] but, after six months of receiving no assignments, quit to work for [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]], where his father was a star. At Universal, he got a job in the script department, and began by writing dialogue for a number of films in 1932, including ''[[Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932 film)|Murders in the Rue Morgue]]'', ''[[A House Divided (1931 film)|A House Divided]]'', and ''[[Law and Order (1932 film)|Law and Order]]''. The last two also starred his father, [[Walter Huston]]. ''A House Divided'' was directed by [[William Wyler]], who gave Huston his first real "inside view" of the filmmaking process during all stages of production. Wyler and Huston became close friends and collaborators on a number of leading films.<ref name=Morsberger/>

Huston gained a reputation as a "lusty, hard-drinking libertine" during his first years as a writer in Hollywood.<ref name=NYTobit/> Huston described those years as a "series of misadventures and disappointments". In 1933 he was in a romantic relationship with actress [[Zita Johann]]. While driving drunk, with Johann as passenger, he hit a parked car sending Johann through the glass windshield. She suffered head trauma and Huston was charged with driving while intoxicated. His brief career as a Hollywood writer ended suddenly when he struck and killed actress Tosca Roulien, wife of actor [[Raul Roulien]], while driving. There is a rumor that actor [[Clark Gable]] was responsible for the accident, but that MGM general manager [[Eddie Mannix]] paid Huston to take the blame. Gable was on location filming a movie, however, proving that rumor untrue.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/hollywood-scandals-eddie-mannix_uk_577fa12ae4b0935d4b4aaf73|title=How One Man Covered Up Hollywood's Biggest Scandals|date=July 8, 2016|website=HuffPost UK}}</ref> A coroner's jury absolved Huston of blame, but the incident left him "traumatized". He moved to [[London]] and [[Paris]], living as a "drifter."<ref name=NYTobit/>

By 1937, the 31-year-old Huston returned to Hollywood intent on being a "serious writer." He married again, to Lesley Black. His first job was as scriptwriter with [[Warner Brothers Studio]], and he formed his personal longterm goal to direct his own scripts. For the next four years, he co-wrote scripts for major films such as ''[[Jezebel (1938 film)|Jezebel]], [[The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse]]'', ''[[Juarez (1939 film)|Juarez]]'', ''[[Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet]],'' and ''[[Sergeant York (film)|Sergeant York]]'' (1941).<ref name=NYTobit/> He was nominated for [[Academy Award]]s for his screenplays for both ''Ehrlich'' and ''Sergeant York.'' Huston wrote that ''Sergeant York'', which was directed by [[Howard Hawks]], has "gone down as one of Howard's best pictures, and [[Gary Cooper]] had a triumph playing the young mountaineer."<ref name=Huston>Huston, John. ''An Open Book'', New York. Alfred A. Knopf (1980).</ref>{{rp|77}}

Huston was recognized and respected as a screenwriter. He persuaded the Warners to give him a chance to direct, under the condition that his next script also became a hit.

Huston wrote:
<blockquote>They indulged me rather. They liked my work as a writer and they wanted to keep me on. If I wanted to direct, why, they'd give me a shot at it, and if it didn't come off all that well, they wouldn't be too disappointed as it was to be a very small picture.<ref name=Wakeman/></blockquote>

His next script was ''[[High Sierra (film)|High Sierra]]'' (1941), to be directed by [[Raoul Walsh]]. The film became the hit Huston wanted. It also made [[Humphrey Bogart]] a star with his first major role, as a gunman on the run. Warners kept their end of the bargain and gave Huston his choice of subject.<ref name=Wakeman/> For his first directing assignment, Huston chose [[Dashiell Hammett]]'s detective thriller, ''[[The Maltese Falcon (1941 film)|The Maltese Falcon]]'', a film which failed at the box office in two earlier versions by Warners. However, studio head [[Jack L. Warner]] approved of Huston's treatment of Hammett's 1930 novel, and he stood by his word to let Huston choose his first subject.<ref name=Wakeman/>

Huston kept the screenplay close to the novel, keeping much of Hammett's dialogue, and directing it in an uncluttered style, much like the book's narrative. He did unusual preparation for his first directing job by sketching out each shot beforehand, including camera positions, lighting, and compositional scale, for such elements as closeups.<ref name=Morsberger/>

He especially benefited by selecting a superior cast, giving [[Humphrey Bogart]] the lead role. Bogart was happy to take the role, as he liked working with Huston. The supporting cast included other noted actors: [[Mary Astor]], [[Peter Lorre]], [[Sydney Greenstreet]] (his first film role), and his own father, [[Walter Huston]]. The film was given only a small B-movie budget, and received minimal publicity by Warners, as they had low expectations.<ref name=Wakeman/> The entire film was made in eight weeks for only $300,000.<ref name=NYTobit/>

Warners was surprised by the immediate enthusiastic response by the public and critics, who hailed the film as a "classic", with many ranking it as the "best detective melodrama ever made."<ref name=Wakeman/> ''Herald Tribune'' critic Howard Barnes called it a "triumph."<ref name=Wakeman/> Huston received an Academy Award nomination for the screenplay. After this film, Huston directed all of his screenplays, except for one, ''Three Strangers'' (1946).<ref name=Morsberger/>
In 1942, he directed two more hits, ''[[In This Our Life]]'' (1942), starring [[Bette Davis]], and ''[[Across the Pacific]]'', another thriller starring Humphrey Bogart.

===1942–1946: Army years during World War II===
[[File:John-Huston-uniform-cropped.jpg|thumb|Huston in U.S. Army uniform]]
[[File:The Battle of San Pietro (1945).webm|thumb|thumbtime=2:00|''The Battle of San Pietro'' (1945)]]
In 1942 Huston served in the [[United States Army]] during [[World War II]], making films for the [[Army Signal Corps]]. While in uniform with the rank of captain, he directed and produced three films that some critics rank as "among the finest made about World War II: ''[[Report from the Aleutians]]'' (1943), about soldiers preparing for combat; ''[[The Battle of San Pietro]]'' (1945), the story (censored by the Army) of a failure by America's intelligence agencies that resulted in many deaths, and ''[[Let There Be Light (1946 film)|Let There Be Light]]'' (1946), about psychologically damaged veterans. It was censored and suppressed for 35 years, until 1981.<ref name=NYTobit/>

Huston was promoted to the rank of major and received the [[Legion of Merit]] award for "courageous work under battle conditions."<ref name=NYTobit/> All of his films made for the Army were "controversial", and were either not released, were censored, or banned outright, as they were considered "demoralizing" to soldiers and the public.<ref name=Morsberger/> ''[[Let There Be Light (1946 film)|Let There Be Light]]'' was the most controversial as the Army banned the film from public viewing due to the ethics of filming the soldiers' recovery and the lack of written permission supplied by Huston.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lowe |first=Bryce |date=2012 |title=film essay for "Let There Be Light" |url=https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/let_light.pdf |access-date=April 18, 2023 |website=Library of Congress}}</ref> Years later, after Huston moved to Ireland, his daughter, actress [[Anjelica Huston]], recalled that the "main movies we watched were the war documentaries."<ref name=Tracy>Tracy, Tony; Flynn, Roddy. ''John Huston: Essays on a Restless Director'', McFarland (2010).</ref>{{rp|10}}

Huston performed an uncredited rewrite of [[Anthony Veiller]]'s screenplay for ''[[The Stranger (1946 film)|The Stranger]]'' (1946), a film he was to have directed. When Huston became unavailable, the film's star, [[Orson Welles]], directed instead; Welles had the lead role of a high-ranking Nazi fugitive who settles in New England under an assumed name.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=24989 |title=The Stranger |website=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]] |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |access-date=May 10, 2015}}</ref>

=== 1947–1951: Breakthrough and acclaim ===
''' ''The Treasure of the Sierra Madre'' (1948)'''
{{main|The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (film)}}
Huston's next picture, which he wrote, directed, and briefly appeared in as an American asked to "help out a fellow American, down on his luck", was ''[[The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (film)|The Treasure of the Sierra Madre]]'' (1948). It would become one of the films that established his reputation as a leading filmmaker. The film, also starring Humphrey Bogart, was the story of three drifters who band together to prospect for gold. Huston gave a supporting role to his father, Walter Huston.

[[Warner Brothers Studio|Warners]] studio was initially uncertain what to make of the film. They had allowed Huston to film on location in Mexico, which was a "radical move" for a studio at the time. They also knew that Huston was gaining a reputation as "one of the wild men of Hollywood." In any case, studio boss [[Jack L. Warner]] initially "detested it." But whatever doubts Warners had were soon removed, as the film achieved widespread public and critical acclaim. Hollywood writer [[James Agee]] called it "one of the most beautiful and visually alive movies I have ever seen."<ref name=Wakeman/> ''Time'' magazine described it as "one of the best things Hollywood has done since it learned to talk."<ref name=Wakeman/> Huston won Oscars for [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]] and [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]]; his father won for [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]]. The film also won other awards in the U.S. and overseas.

Decades later, ''[[Film Comment]]'' magazine devoted four pages to the film in its May–June 1980 edition, with author Richard T. Jameson offering his impressions:

<blockquote>This film has impressed itself on the heart and mind and soul of anyone who has seen it, to the extent that filmmakers of great originality and distinctiveness like [[Robert Altman]] and [[Sam Peckinpah]] can be said to have remade it again and again&nbsp;... without compromising its uniqueness.<ref name=Wakeman/></blockquote>

''' ''Key Largo'' (1948)'''
{{main|Key Largo (film)}}
Also in 1948, Huston directed ''[[Key Largo (film)|Key Largo]]'', again starring Humphrey Bogart. It was the story about a disillusioned veteran who clashes with gangsters on a remote Florida key. It co-starred [[Lauren Bacall]], [[Claire Trevor]], [[Edward G. Robinson]], and [[Lionel Barrymore]]. The film was an adaptation of the stage play by [[Maxwell Anderson]]. Some viewers complained that it was still overly stage-bound. But the "outstanding performances" by all the actors saved the film, and [[Claire Trevor]] won an Oscar for best supporting actress.<ref name=Wakeman/> Huston was annoyed that the studio cut several scenes from the final release without his agreement. That, along with some earlier disputes, angered Huston enough that he left the studio when his contract expired.<ref name=Wakeman/>

''' ''The Asphalt Jungle'' (1950)'''
{{main|The Asphalt Jungle}}
In 1950 he wrote and directed ''[[The Asphalt Jungle]]'', a film which broke new ground by depicting criminals as somewhat sympathetic characters, simply doing their professional work, "an occupation like any other".<ref name=Morsberger/> Huston described their work as "a left-handed form of human endeavor."<ref name=Huston/>{{rp|177}} Huston achieved that effect by giving "deep attention" to the plot, involving a large jewelry theft, by examining the minute, step-by-step details and difficulties each of the characters had of carrying it out. Some critics felt that, by this technique, Huston had achieved an almost "documentary" style.<ref name=Morsberger/>

His assistant director [[Albert Band]] explains further:
{{blockquote|I'll never forget it. We got on that set and he composed a shot in which ten elements were working all at the same time. Took half a day to do it, but it was fantastic. He knew ''exactly'' how to shoot a picture. His shots were all painted on the spot ... He had a great eye and he never lost his sense of composition.<ref name=Grobel2/>{{rp|335}}}}

Film critic [[Andrew Sarris]] considered it to be "Huston's best film", and the film that made [[Marilyn Monroe]] a recognized actress. Sarris also notes the similar themes in many of Huston's films, as exemplified by this one: "His protagonists almost invariably fail at what they set out to do."<ref name=Sarris>Sarris, Andrew. ''The American Cinema: Directors and Directions, 1929–1968'' Dutton (1968), pp. 156–158.</ref> This theme was also expressed in ''Treasure of the Sierra Madre'', where the group foundered on their own greed.

It starred [[Sterling Hayden]] and [[Sam Jaffe]], a personal friend of Huston. Marilyn Monroe had her first serious role in this film. Huston said, "it was, of course, where Marilyn Monroe got her start."<ref name=Huston/>{{rp|177}} Monroe said Huston was the first genius she had ever met; and he made her feel that she finally had a chance of becoming a professional actress:<ref name=Grobel2/>{{rp|336}}
{{blockquote|Even though my part was a minor one, I felt as if I were the most important performer in the picture{{mdash}}when I was before the camera. This was because everything I did was important to the director.<ref name=Grobel2/>{{rp|336}}}}

The film succeeded at the box office, and Huston was again nominated for an Oscar for best screenplay and best director, along with winning the [[Screen Directors Guild]] Award.<ref name=Wakeman/> This became a model for many similar movies by other filmmakers.

''' ''The Red Badge of Courage'' (1951)'''
{{main|The Red Badge of Courage (1951 film)}}
Huston's next film, ''[[The Red Badge of Courage (1951 film)|The Red Badge of Courage]]'' (1951), was of a completely different subject: war and its effect on soldiers. While in the army during World War II, he became interested in [[Stephen Crane]]'s classic [[American Civil War]] novel of the same title. For the starring role, Huston chose World War II hero [[Audie Murphy]] to play the young Union soldier who deserts his company out of fear, but later returns to fight alongside them. [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] was concerned that the movie seemed too antiwar for the postwar period. Without Huston's input, they cut down the running time of the film from eighty-eight minutes to sixty-nine, added narration, and deleted what Huston felt was a crucial scene.<ref name=Morsberger/>

The movie did poorly at the box office. Huston suggests that it was possibly because it "brought war very close to home."<ref name=Stevens>Stevens, George Jr. ''Conversations with the Great Moviemakers of Hollywood's Golden Age'', New York. Alfred A. Knopf (2006), pp. 335–355.</ref> Huston recalls that at the preview showing, before the film was halfway through, "damn near a third of the audience got up and walked out of the theater."<ref name=Stevens/> Despite the "butchering" and weak public response, film historian Michael Barson describes the movie as "a minor masterpiece."<ref name=Barson>Barson, Michael. ''The Illustrated Who's Who of Hollywood Directors, Vol 1: The Sound Era'' Noonday Press (1995), pp. 208–215.</ref>

At the same time, the film was also the cause of a growing feud between MGM founder [[Louis B. Mayer]] and Producer [[Dore Schary]] to the point where Huston felt like stepping down to avoid growing the conflict. However, Mayer encouraged Huston to stay on telling him to fight for the picture regardless of what he thought of it.

''' ''The African Queen'' (1951)'''
{{main|The African Queen (film)}}
[[File:The African Queen, Bogart.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|Humphrey Bogart in ''The African Queen'' (1951)]]
Before ''The Red Badge of Courage'' opened in theaters, Huston was already in Africa shooting ''[[The African Queen (film)|The African Queen]]'' (1951), a story based on [[C. S. Forester]]'s popular novel. It starred [[Humphrey Bogart]] and [[Katharine Hepburn]] in a combination of romance, comedy and adventure. Barson calls it "one of the most popular Hollywood movies of all time."<ref name=Barson/> The film's producer, [[Sam Spiegel]], urged Huston to change the ending to allow the protagonists to survive, instead of dying. Huston agreed, and the ending was rewritten. It became Huston's most successful film financially, and "it remains one of his finest works."<ref name=Morsberger/> Huston was nominated for two Academy Awards—[[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]] and [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]]. Bogart, meanwhile, won his only Oscar for [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] for his role as Charlie Allnut.

Hepburn wrote about her experiences shooting the film in her memoir, ''The Making of the African Queen: Or How I went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall, and Huston and almost lost my mind''.<ref>Hepburn, Katharine. ''The Making of The African Queen, Or, How I Went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall, and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind.'' 1st ed, Knopf, distributed by Random House, 1987.</ref> Clint Eastwood directed and starred in the film ''[[White Hunter, Black Heart]]'', based on [[Peter Viertel]]'s novel of the same name, which tells a fictional version of the making of the film.<ref>Hoberman, Jim (July 13, 2010). "Voice Choices: White Hunter, Black Heart". ''The Village Voice.'' Retrieved January 4, 2015.</ref>

=== 1952–1966: HUAC period ===
In 1952 Huston moved to Ireland as a result of his "disgust" at the "witch-hunt" and the "moral rot" he felt was created by investigation and hearings by the [[House Committee on Un-American Activities]] (HCUA), which had affected many of his friends in the movie industry. Huston had, with friends including director [[William Wyler]] and screenwriter [[Philip Dunne (writer)|Philip Dunne]], established the "[[Committee for the First Amendment]]", as a response to the ongoing government investigations into communists within the film industry. The HCUA was calling numerous filmmakers, screenwriters, and actors to testify about any past affiliations.<ref name=Barson/>

He later described, in general, the types of people who were alleged communists:
{{blockquote|The people who did get caught up in it were, for the most part, well-intentioned boobs from a poor background. A number of them had come from the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and out in Hollywood, they sort of felt guilty for living the good life. Their social conscience was more acute than the next fellow's.<ref name=Playboy>Grobel, Lawrence. "Playboy Interview with John Huston", ''Playboy'' magazine, September 1985.</ref>}}

Huston took producing, writing, and directing credits for his next two films: ''[[Moulin Rouge (1952 film)|Moulin Rouge]]'' (1952); and ''[[Beat the Devil (film)|Beat the Devil]]'' (1953). ''[[Moby Dick (1956 film)|Moby Dick]]'' (1956), however, was written by [[Ray Bradbury]], although Huston had his name added to the screenplay credit after the completion of the project. Although Huston had personally hired Bradbury to adapt [[Herman Melville]]'s novel into a screenplay, Bradbury and Huston did not get along during pre-production. Bradbury later dramatized their relationship in the short story "[[Banshee (short story)|Banshee]]". When this was adapted as an episode of ''[[The Ray Bradbury Theater]],'' [[Peter O'Toole]] played the role based on John Huston.<ref>''Ray Bradbury: An American Icon.''</ref> Bradbury wrote more poems, essays, and stories on his time in Ireland, but was reluctant to write a book because he did not want to gossip about Huston. It was not until after he read Katharine Hepburn's memoir, ''The Making of the African Queen,'' that he decided that he could write "a book which is fair, which presents the Huston that I loved along with the one that I began to fear on occasion." He published ''[[Green Shadows, White Whale]]'', a novel about his time in Ireland with Huston, almost 40 years after he wrote the screenplay for ''Moby Dick''.<ref>Bradbury, Ray. ''Green Shadows, White Whale.'' Harper Perennial, 2002.</ref>

Huston had been planning to film [[Herman Melville]]'s ''[[Moby-Dick]]'' for the previous ten years, and originally thought the starring role of [[Captain Ahab]] would be an excellent part for his father, [[Walter Huston]]. After his father died in 1950, Huston chose [[Gregory Peck]] to play the role. The movie was filmed over a three-year period on location in Ireland, where Huston was living. The fishing village of [[New Bedford, Massachusetts]], was recreated along the waterfront; the sailing ship in the film was fully constructed to be seaworthy; and three 100-foot whales were built out of steel, wood, and plastic. In the film, Huston's voice was dubbed for the voice of actor [[Joseph Tomelty]] and a Pequod lookout. But the film failed at the box office. Critics such as [[David Robinson (film critic)|David Robinson]] suggested that the movie lacked the "mysticism of the book" and thereby "loses its significance."<ref name=Wakeman/>

[[File:Marilyn Monroe Misfits.jpg|thumb|Marilyn Monroe (center), Clark Gable (right), filming in 1961 for ''The Misfits'']]
Of Huston's next five films, only ''[[The Misfits (1961 film)|The Misfits]]'' (1961), gained critical approval.<ref name=Freer>Freer, Ian. ''Moviemakers'' Quercus (2009), pp. 70–71.</ref> Critics have since noted the "retrospective atmosphere of doom" associated with the film. [[Clark Gable]], the star, died of a heart attack a few weeks after the filming was completed; [[Marilyn Monroe]] never finished another film, and died a year later after being suspended during the filming of ''[[Something's Got to Give]]''; and costars [[Montgomery Clift]] (1966) and [[Thelma Ritter]] (1969) also died over the next decade. But two of the ''Misfits'' stars, [[Eli Wallach]] and [[Kevin McCarthy (actor)|Kevin McCarthy]], lived another 50 years. During the filming, Monroe was sometimes taking prescribed drugs, which led to her arriving late on the set. Monroe also sometimes forgot her lines. Monroe's personal problems eventually led to the breakup of her marriage to playwright [[Arthur Miller]], the scriptwriter, "virtually on set."<ref name=Wakeman/> Miller dramatized the making of ''The Misfits'' in his final play, ''[[Finishing the Picture]]'', where Huston is represented as the director.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/11/theater/reviews/some-like-it-hot-some-like-it-painted-in-words.html | first=Ben | last=Brantley | title=Theater Review: Some Like It Hot, Some Like It Painted in Words | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=October 11, 2004}}</ref> Huston later commented about this period in Monroe's career: "Marilyn was on her way out. Not only of the picture, but of life."<ref name=Stevens/>

He followed ''The Misfits'' with ''[[Freud: The Secret Passion]]'', a film quite different from most of his others. Besides directing, he also narrates portions of the story. Film historian [[Stuart M. Kaminsky]] notes that Huston presents [[Sigmund Freud]], played by [[Montgomery Clift]], "as a kind of savior and messiah", with an "almost Biblical detachment." As the film begins, Huston describes Freud as a "kind of hero or God on a quest for mankind":<ref name=Kaminsky>Kaminsky, Stuart M. ''International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers: Directors'' 3rd ed., St. James Press (1997), pp. 459–463.</ref>

<blockquote>This is the story of Freud's descent into a region as black as hell, man's unconscious, and how he let in the light.</blockquote>

Huston explains how he became interested in psychotherapy, the subject of the film:

{{blockquote|I first got into that through an experience in a hospital during the war, where I made a documentary about patients suffering from battle neuroses. I was in the army and made the picture ''Let There Be Light''. That experience started my interest in psychotherapy, and to this day Freud looms as the single huge figure in that field.<ref name=Stevens/>}}

[[File:El-set-mismaloya.jpg|thumb|Huston's ''Night of the Iguana'' set on Mismaloya Beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico]]

For his next film, Huston again traveled to [[Puerto Vallarta]], Mexico, after meeting an architect, Guillermo Wulff, who owned property and businesses in the town. The filming of ''[[The Night of the Iguana (film)|The Night of the Iguana]]'' took place in a beach cove called [[Mismaloya]], about thirty minutes south of town. Huston adapted [[The Night of the Iguana|the stage play]] by [[Tennessee Williams]]. The film stars [[Richard Burton]] and [[Ava Gardner]], and was nominated for several Academy Awards. The production attracted intense worldwide media attention, due to Burton bringing his celebrity mistress, actress [[Elizabeth Taylor]] (who was still married to singer [[Eddie Fisher]] at the time) to Puerto Vallarta. Huston liked the town where filming took place so much that he bought a house near there, as did Burton and Taylor. Guillermo Wulff and Huston became friends and always spent time together while Huston was in town, more frequently at Wulff's El Dorado Restaurant on Los Muertos Beach.

Producer [[Dino De Laurentis]] traveled to Ireland to ask Huston to direct ''[[The Bible: In the Beginning]]''. Although De Laurentis had ambitions for a broader story, he realized that the subject could not be adequately covered and limited the story to less than the first half of the [[Book of Genesis]]. Huston enjoyed directing the film, as it gave him a chance to indulge his love of animals. Besides directing he also played the role of [[Noah]] and the voice of God. ''The Bible'' earned rentals of $15 million in North America,<ref>{{cite book |last=Finler |first=Joel Waldo |year=2003 |title=The Hollywood Story |publisher=Wallflower Press |isbn=978-1-903364-66-6 |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=rvVhEJmbfrsC&pg=PA358#v=twopage 358–359]}}</ref> making it [[1966 in film|the second highest-grossing film of 1966]]. However, because of its bloated budget of $18 million (which made it the most expensive movie of Huston's career<ref name=Wakeman/>), [[20th Century Fox]] ended up losing $1.5 million.<ref>Hall, S. and Neale, S. ''Epics, spectacles, and blockbusters: a Hollywood history'' (p. 179). [[Wayne State University Press]], [[Detroit, Michigan]]; 2010. {{ISBN|978-0-8143-3008-1}}. Retrieved March 25, 2011.</ref><ref>{{cite book|page=[https://archive.org/details/foxthatgotawayt00silv/page/325 325]|title=The Fox that got away : the last days of the Zanuck dynasty at Twentieth Century-Fox|url=https://archive.org/details/foxthatgotawayt00silv|url-access=registration|last=Silverman|first=Stephen M|year=1988|publisher=L. Stuart|isbn=9780818404856}}</ref>

Huston enjoyed describing details about the filming:
<blockquote>Every morning before beginning work, I visited the animals. One of the elephants, Candy, loved to be scratched on the belly behind her foreleg. I'd scratch her and she would lean farther and farther toward me until there was some danger of her toppling over on me. One time I started to walk away from her, and she reached out and took my wrist with her trunk and pulled me back to her side. It was a command: "Don't stop!" I used it in the picture. Noah scratches the elephant's belly and walks away, and the elephant pulls him back to her time after time.<ref name=Huston/>{{rp|317}}</blockquote>

=== 1967–1969: Involvement with the Irish film industry===
{{blockquote|I think the politicians who supported building the studio can take consolation in the fact that it's brought a lot of money to Ireland. We're spending more than a million dollars in Ireland and we wouldn't be here if it weren't for Ardmore.
|author = John Huston
|source = in an interview on RTÉ<ref name= Eireannach>John Huston: An t-Éireannach. Directed by Brian Reddin, interviews with Anjelica Huston, Louis Marcus, and Ann Fahys, TG4, 1996.</ref> }}

While working on ''[[Casino Royale (1967 film)|Casino Royale]]'' (1967), Huston took interest in the Irish film industry, which had historically struggled to attain domestic or international success. There were rumours that he would buy Ireland's premiere film location, [[Ardmore Studios]] in Bray, County Wicklow. In 1967, Huston gave [[Taoiseach]] [[Jack Lynch]] a tour of Ardmore and asked to form a committee to help foster a productive Irish film industry. Huston served on the resulting committee with Irish filmmakers and journalists.<ref name=Eireannach />

Lynch also ultimately agreed to offer tax breaks to foreign production companies if they shot on location in Ireland, and signed the Film Act of 1970.<ref>{{cite news | title=Irish Film: The Force is with us | work=[[Irish Independent]] | first=Joe | last=O'Shea | date=August 3, 2014 | url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/movies/movie-news/irish-film-the-force-is-with-us-30478303.html | access-date=February 7, 2017}}</ref>

Huston was interviewed in Irish journalist [[Peter Lennon]]'s ''[[Rocky Road to Dublin (film)|Rocky Road to Dublin]]'' (1967), where he argued that it was more important for Irish filmmakers to make films in Ireland than for foreign production companies to make international films.<ref>Lennon, Peter. ''Rocky Road to Dublin''. Cinematography by Raoul Coutard, May 17, 1968.</ref>

In 1969, he shot ''[[Sinful Davey]]'' in Ireland using a mixed Irish and British cast.

=== 1972–1987: Later career and final films ===
After several films that were not well received, Huston returned to critical acclaim with ''[[Fat City (film)|Fat City]]''. Based on [[Leonard Gardner]]'s [[Fat City (novel)|1969 novel of the same name]], it was about an aging, washed-up alcoholic boxer in [[Stockton, California]], trying to get his name back on the map, while having a new relationship with a world-weary alcoholic. It also featured an [[Amateur boxing|amateur boxer]] trying to find success in boxing. The film was nominated for several awards. It starred [[Stacy Keach]], a young [[Jeff Bridges]], and [[Susan Tyrrell]]; she was nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress]]. [[Roger Ebert]] stated ''Fat City'' was one of Huston's best films, giving it four out of four stars.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/fat-city-1972 | title= Fat City :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews | date= January 1, 1972}}</ref>

Perhaps Huston's most highly regarded film of the 1970s, ''[[The Man Who Would Be King (film)|The Man Who Would Be King]]'' was both a critical and commercial success. Huston had been planning to make this film since the '50s, originally with his friends Humphrey Bogart and Clark Gable.{{fact|date=October 2024}} Eventually, the lead roles went to [[Sean Connery]] and [[Michael Caine]]. The movie was partly filmed on location in [[Morocco]] and the [[French Alps]].<ref>Simon, John (12 January 1976). "Over the Mountains, Across the Oceans, Beyond the Pale". New York. p. 58.</ref> The film was praised for its use of old-fashioned escapism and entertainment. [[Steven Spielberg]] has cited the film as one of the inspirations for his film ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]''.

After filming ''The Man Who Would Be King'', Huston took his longest break between directing films. He returned with an offbeat and somewhat controversial film based on the novel ''[[Wise Blood (film)|Wise Blood]]''. Here, Huston showed his skills as a storyteller, and boldness when it came to difficult subjects such as religion. ''[[Under the Volcano (1984 film)|Under the Volcano]]'', Huston's last film set in Mexico, stars [[Albert Finney]] as an alcoholic ambassador during the beginnings of World War II. Adapted from the 1947 novel by [[Malcolm Lowry]], the film was highly praised by critics, most notably for Finney's portrayal of a desperate and depressed alcoholic. The film was a success on the independent circuit.

John Huston's final film, 1987's [[The Dead (1987 film)|''The Dead'']], is an adaptation of the classic short story by [[James Joyce]]. This may have been one of Huston's most personal films, due to his citizenship in Ireland and his passion for classic literature. Huston directed most of the film from a wheelchair, as he needed an oxygen tank to breathe during the last few months of his life. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards and was praised by critics. [[Roger Ebert]] eventually placed it in his Great Movies list; a section of movies he claimed to be some of the best ever made.{{fact|date=October 2024}} Huston died nearly four months before the film's release date. In the 1996 [[RTÉ]] documentary ''John Huston: An t-Éireannach'', [[Anjelica Huston]] said that
"it was very important for my father to make that film." She contends that Huston did not think that it was going to be his last film, but that it was his love letter to Ireland and the Irish.<ref name= Eireannach />