Farran Nehme is a film critic and historian who goes by “Self-Styled Siren” on Substack. She is also the author of the novel “Missing Reels.” In a 2022 blog post “John Wayne and the Six Security Men,” Nehme reported on the 1973 Oscars controversy when Native American activist Sacheen Littlefeather accepted the Best Actor Award on Marlon Brando’s behalf, because of what Brando deemed Hollywood’s poor treatment of Native Americans.
Years after the event, Littlefeather accused actor John Wayne of trying to rush the stage to pull her off, but being restrained by six security officers. Nehme tells The Treatment her reporting revealed that the real story is far less black and white. She says Wayne’s poor health at the time would have made it next to impossible for him to need six people to restrain him. And she talks about how generational attitudes toward the Academy Awards have changed.