First off I have always been a fan of John Ford. The first movie I saw of his was The Grapes Of Wrath I saw how brilliantly he brought the pain and suffering of those people who drove across America in search for work and money. As a huge fan of Westerns I then saw the amazing John Wayne in Rio Grande, and Stagecoach. I have been a huge fan of those movies and John Ford the film director behind them. This is why when I found that John Ford had a monument in Portland Maine I had to go and pay my respects.
In Portland Maine where Pleasant, Fore, and Center Street there is a statue of Ford seated in a directors chair. Looking out on the intersection legs crossed pipe in hand enjoying the scenery. 6 stone slabs on which are written several of his film credits from his documentary December 7th to his award winning adaptation of Grapes of Wrath surround him. As you follow down the statue to the very base of the statue near the side walk are many different inscriptions such as his marriage to Mary McBryde smith on 7/3/1920 or his graduating class of 1914 from Portland High School. 
John Ford, originally John Martin Feeney, was born in Cape Elizabeth Maine on February 1, 1894. He is a Mainer who went to California to begin work as an actor/director. This statue is dedicated to his memory by his relatives.
This statue is fun. Not only do you get to see the man and learn about him through the different stones on his work in film and facts on the lower stones. John Ford was a great director, directing some of the best films and influencing some of the great film directors of my day. Like George Lucas and Martin Scorsese. I encourage everyone to go see and pay respects to the man. Look for him on near the intersection of Fore St, Pleasant St, and Center St in Portland Maine.
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