There’s a hilarious story from the set of Hatari! (1962) involving John Wayne and Elsa Martinelli, who played the Italian photographer Dallas.
One of the most memorable scenes in the movie is when Martinelli’s character gets an unexpected bath from a group of baby elephants. The scene looks fun and spontaneous on screen—but behind the scenes, it didn’t go quite as smoothly as expected!
Director Howard Hawks wanted it to be a one-take moment, so they set it up carefully. Martinelli was supposed to sit calmly while the baby elephants, trained to play with her, sprayed her with water. Wayne, always the jokester, knew how unpredictable animals could be and stood off to the side, watching with amusement.
When the cameras rolled, the baby elephants didn’t just spray Martinelli—they completely mobbed her! One grabbed at her dress with its trunk, another knocked her over into the water, and suddenly she was shrieking and flailing, completely soaked. The crew was dying laughing, but Martinelli was not amused.
As she stormed off, drenched and fuming, Wayne—who was chuckling the whole time—called out,
“Well, sweetheart, at least now you know how to take a shower African-style!”
Even Martinelli had to laugh after that, and the scene ended up being so great they kept it in the movie. Classic Duke moment!
