John Wayne's incredible kindness was turned down twice by Oliver Hardy

This week, we're celebrating the 75th anniversary of the classic John Wayne Western, The Fighting Kentuckian. In this iconic film, Wayne portrays a Kentucky militiaman returning home from the War of 1812, with Oliver Hardy playing his comic sidekick Willie Paine.

This was one of only five instances where Hardy worked without his usual partner, Stan Laurel.

After performing on stage with Wayne in a charity production of John Ford's What Price Glory?, Hardy was offered the role of Willie. Despite initially declining the offer due to concerns that fans would think Laurel and Hardy had split up, he eventually accepted after discussing it with Laurel, who was battling diabetes at the time.

Laurel encouraged Hardy to take the role, stating that just because he couldn't work didn't mean they both couldn't. Hardy took the role and impressed Wayne with his performance, reports the Express .

So much so, that Wayne offered Hardy the chance to become his "permanent comic sidekick" in future films.

However, by the time The Fighting Kentuckian was released, Laurel had recovered, leading Hardy to decline Wayne's offer. The duo resumed their partnership as Laurel and Hardy, but touring would eventually take a toll on their health.