| NOVEMBER 2005 JOHN WAYNE |
| REVIEWS Stagecoach - 1939 Flying Tigers - 1942 The Quiet Man - 1952 The Searchers - 1956 Rio Bravo - 1959 North to Alaska - 1960 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - 1962 Hatari! - 1962 The Longest Day - 1962 Donovan's Reef - 1963 The Sons of Katie Elder - 1965 El Dorado - 1966 True Grit - 1969 The Shootist - 1976 |
John Wayne. The Duke. In American cinema and in world cinema, few names are as universally
well-known. For the better part of 50 years, Wayne defined masculine bravado on the silver screen,
and to this day no one has matched his unique cool. Would you believe his real name was Marion
Morrison? Yes sir, the manliest man to ever wear chaps was born Marion, the son of a pharmacist in
Winterset, Iowa. His famous nickname, Duke, was actually his dog's name when he was a kid. Yeah,
let that one sink in too and prepare to relearn everything you thought you knew about John Wayne.
Wayne was the all-American kid. Due to an illness, Wayne's father moved the family to California.
Wayne played football in high school and worked as a prop man in Hollywood. He soon drew the
attention of director John Ford, who hired him in bit roles in his early Westerns. Soon, Wayne was a
regular bit player. He made scores of low budget features.
In 1939, Wayne broke out of the grind, thanks to Ford, in the destined-to-be-classic Western,
"Stagecoach," as The Ringo Kid. Wayne was off to a rollicking start as a movie star, playing a
devil-may-care gunfighter who, though happenstance, hooks up with a stagecoach and ends up
protecting the wagon from all manner of epic perils including Indians in one of the best action Westerns
of all time. It was only the end of the beginning in an acting career that would span 172 features.
Very quickly after "Stagecoach," Wayne became the preeminent Western movie star, but he was also
given chances at war films as well. The joke soon became that John Wayne fought in every major war
in American history, and some others too! Even late in his career, Wayne went from World War II to
Vietnam with the film, "The Green Berets."
One of his earliest war films in 1942 was "Flying Tigers," in which he played the squadron leader of the
famed American Volunteer Group in China in 1941, known as the Flying Tigers. In the film, Wayne was
able to showcase his competence as a dramatic character out of a saloon, but interestingly his
character resembles a cowboy in the sky, saddling a P-40 Kittyhawk instead of a horse.
From then on, Wayne was trading roles between Westerns and war films. "A Lady Takes a Chance"
and "The Fighting Seabees" were within a year of one another. Wayne was big box office, and in his
element he was a force to be reckoned with, but variety in his roles was almost nonexistent. Still, no
one cared then and no one cares today because he was so darned good at playing the hero.
Fortunately in the 1950s, a wider variety of roles started to come his way.
well-known. For the better part of 50 years, Wayne defined masculine bravado on the silver screen,
and to this day no one has matched his unique cool. Would you believe his real name was Marion
Morrison? Yes sir, the manliest man to ever wear chaps was born Marion, the son of a pharmacist in
Winterset, Iowa. His famous nickname, Duke, was actually his dog's name when he was a kid. Yeah,
let that one sink in too and prepare to relearn everything you thought you knew about John Wayne.
Wayne was the all-American kid. Due to an illness, Wayne's father moved the family to California.
Wayne played football in high school and worked as a prop man in Hollywood. He soon drew the
attention of director John Ford, who hired him in bit roles in his early Westerns. Soon, Wayne was a
regular bit player. He made scores of low budget features.
In 1939, Wayne broke out of the grind, thanks to Ford, in the destined-to-be-classic Western,
"Stagecoach," as The Ringo Kid. Wayne was off to a rollicking start as a movie star, playing a
devil-may-care gunfighter who, though happenstance, hooks up with a stagecoach and ends up
protecting the wagon from all manner of epic perils including Indians in one of the best action Westerns
of all time. It was only the end of the beginning in an acting career that would span 172 features.
Very quickly after "Stagecoach," Wayne became the preeminent Western movie star, but he was also
given chances at war films as well. The joke soon became that John Wayne fought in every major war
in American history, and some others too! Even late in his career, Wayne went from World War II to
Vietnam with the film, "The Green Berets."
One of his earliest war films in 1942 was "Flying Tigers," in which he played the squadron leader of the
famed American Volunteer Group in China in 1941, known as the Flying Tigers. In the film, Wayne was
able to showcase his competence as a dramatic character out of a saloon, but interestingly his
character resembles a cowboy in the sky, saddling a P-40 Kittyhawk instead of a horse.
From then on, Wayne was trading roles between Westerns and war films. "A Lady Takes a Chance"
and "The Fighting Seabees" were within a year of one another. Wayne was big box office, and in his
element he was a force to be reckoned with, but variety in his roles was almost nonexistent. Still, no
one cared then and no one cares today because he was so darned good at playing the hero.
Fortunately in the 1950s, a wider variety of roles started to come his way.
| ABOVE: John Wayne's legendary introduction in John Ford's "Stagecoach." BELOW: John Wayne in "Flying Tigers." |
In 1952, Wayne teamed yet again with John Ford for a very different kind of film, a comedy about Ireland
called, "The Quiet Man." The studio didn't expect it to do well and forced Wayne, Ford and costar
Maureen O'Hara to film a Western first. They made "Rio Grande," which was a hit and so the studio
allowed them to go ahead with "The Quiet Man," which became one of the highest grossing films of 1952.
Wayne was an avid womanizer, but O'Hara said he treated her like one of the guys, with great respect.
As a result the film's success, Wayne's career in the 1950s forayed into other characters in other genres.
In "Big Jim McLain" he played an agent trying to root out Communism in Cold War-era America. Wayne
was a political conservative in real life and a staunch Republican.
In 1953, Wayne played a man trying to regain custody of his daughter in "Trouble Along the Way," and in
that same year, he played a cargo plane pilot stranded in the tundras of Labrador in "Island In the Sky."
In 1956 he embarked on the strangest role in his career and one that has gone down in history as the
strangest casting choice of all time when he played the Mongolian Genghis Khan in "The Conqueror."
1956 was also the year of Wayne and director Ford's arguably greatest Western, "The Searchers," in
which Wayne plays a Confederate soldier just returned from war only to find his niece has been
kidnapped by Comanche Indians and he sets out on an endless quest to find her.
called, "The Quiet Man." The studio didn't expect it to do well and forced Wayne, Ford and costar
Maureen O'Hara to film a Western first. They made "Rio Grande," which was a hit and so the studio
allowed them to go ahead with "The Quiet Man," which became one of the highest grossing films of 1952.
Wayne was an avid womanizer, but O'Hara said he treated her like one of the guys, with great respect.
As a result the film's success, Wayne's career in the 1950s forayed into other characters in other genres.
In "Big Jim McLain" he played an agent trying to root out Communism in Cold War-era America. Wayne
was a political conservative in real life and a staunch Republican.
In 1953, Wayne played a man trying to regain custody of his daughter in "Trouble Along the Way," and in
that same year, he played a cargo plane pilot stranded in the tundras of Labrador in "Island In the Sky."
In 1956 he embarked on the strangest role in his career and one that has gone down in history as the
strangest casting choice of all time when he played the Mongolian Genghis Khan in "The Conqueror."
1956 was also the year of Wayne and director Ford's arguably greatest Western, "The Searchers," in
which Wayne plays a Confederate soldier just returned from war only to find his niece has been
kidnapped by Comanche Indians and he sets out on an endless quest to find her.
| ABOVE: John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in John Ford's classic comedy, "The Quiet Man." |
This Western, out of the many that Wayne did, stands virtually alone as his most
morally complicated and emotionally complex film. Wayne is not the spotless hero
nor the glib but lovable tough guy. He's a hardened man with questionable morals,
a streak of overt bigotry and a penchant for violence over tolerance. It was a bold
mark in both Wayne and Ford's careers and remains a definitive statement today.
Wayne dived back into aviation films with "The Wings of Eagles" and "Jet Pilot,"
reflecting the atomic age of the 1950s before hitting another stride with a series of
hit Westerns. In 1959, Wayne teamed with director Howard Hawks for the Western
comedy hit, "Rio Bravo." The next year, he took on the epic film adaptation of "The
Alamo," a film so important to Wayne that he financially invested in the picture while
playing Davy Crockett to boot.
In the early 1960s, Wayne was on a roll with popular films such as "North to Alaska"
and "The Comancheros." In 1962, he would make another of his most important
Westerns with James Stewart, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance."
The story of two men, a gunfighter and a journalist, who cross paths in a town in
transition from lawlessness to order. Wayne believes that the only way to tame the
savage is to shoot first while Stewart believes in diplomacy and rules. Both are right
and both are wrong, and destiny isn't big enough for the two of them.
That same year, Daryl F. Zanuck directed his epic, "The Longest Day," a film that
was so big it needed more than Wayne, and so Robert Mitchum and Henry Fonda
were along for the ride as well. Although Wayne never served in World War II, he
fought in nearly every battle on screen in both theatres, though it has been said that
when Wayne visited wounded troops during the war, he was booed by the soldiers
as a phony, whereas other stars like James Stewart, Gary Cooper and even the
41-year-old Clark Gable took up arms in the fight against fascism. Nevertheless,
"The Longest Day" is the D-Day film that still hasn't been beaten.
morally complicated and emotionally complex film. Wayne is not the spotless hero
nor the glib but lovable tough guy. He's a hardened man with questionable morals,
a streak of overt bigotry and a penchant for violence over tolerance. It was a bold
mark in both Wayne and Ford's careers and remains a definitive statement today.
Wayne dived back into aviation films with "The Wings of Eagles" and "Jet Pilot,"
reflecting the atomic age of the 1950s before hitting another stride with a series of
hit Westerns. In 1959, Wayne teamed with director Howard Hawks for the Western
comedy hit, "Rio Bravo." The next year, he took on the epic film adaptation of "The
Alamo," a film so important to Wayne that he financially invested in the picture while
playing Davy Crockett to boot.
In the early 1960s, Wayne was on a roll with popular films such as "North to Alaska"
and "The Comancheros." In 1962, he would make another of his most important
Westerns with James Stewart, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance."
The story of two men, a gunfighter and a journalist, who cross paths in a town in
transition from lawlessness to order. Wayne believes that the only way to tame the
savage is to shoot first while Stewart believes in diplomacy and rules. Both are right
and both are wrong, and destiny isn't big enough for the two of them.
That same year, Daryl F. Zanuck directed his epic, "The Longest Day," a film that
was so big it needed more than Wayne, and so Robert Mitchum and Henry Fonda
were along for the ride as well. Although Wayne never served in World War II, he
fought in nearly every battle on screen in both theatres, though it has been said that
when Wayne visited wounded troops during the war, he was booed by the soldiers
as a phony, whereas other stars like James Stewart, Gary Cooper and even the
41-year-old Clark Gable took up arms in the fight against fascism. Nevertheless,
"The Longest Day" is the D-Day film that still hasn't been beaten.
| ABOVE: John Wayne as Ethan in Jon Ford's "The Searchers." BELOW: Wayne looks on in horror at his dead soldiers in "The Longest Day." |
Around this same period, Wayne was taking creative sojourns into other genres. He
starred with Red Buttons in the safari comedy, "Hatari!" and even his Westerns
became almost farcical affairs with "The Sons of Katie Elder" and "El Dorado." In
"Circus World," Wayne played, well, a circus owner. Wayne even showed up in the
famous Jesus Christ biopic, "The Greatest Story Ever Told." Arguably his most
famous non-Western from this period was "Donovan's Reef," a strange comedy in
the tropics in which Wayne pretends to have children so his absent boss' daughter
won't suspect her father is immoral. Wayne spends most of the film getting into fist
fights with the irascible Lee Marvin.
By the late 1960s, Wayne was branching out in a big way, appearing in the
firefighter flick, "Helldivers," and making what might have been the only pro-Vietnam
movie ever made, "The Green Berets," in which he plays, you guessed it, a green
beret. In 1969, Wayne finally won an Oscar for his performance as U.S. Marshal and
bounty hunter Rooster Cogburn in "True Grit." Wayne would virtually remake this
movie with Katharine Hepburn in 1975 with the sequel, "Rooster Cogburn."
After starring in a few contemporary cop films, riding the "Dirty Harry" wave with
"Brannigan" and "McQ," Wayne ended his career with an interesting swan song. In
"The Shootist," Wayne plays an old gunfighter dying of cancer and watching the
world move into the 20th century, a world he doesn't fit into anymore. Wayne was a
combination of all his movie roles in that one film, and at the time, he too was dying
of cancer and the movie world was going away from Westerns into genres he didn't
completely fit into anymore. In an eerie parallel, and with costars Lauren Bacall and
James Stewart at his side, Wayne said goodbye to Hollywood. Wayne, a chain
smoker his whole life, died of lung cancer three years after "The Shootist" was
released.
The career of John Wayne is too big to be summed up in one article or even a whole
series of books. Wayne managed to become bigger than himself on the silver
screen and achieved an immortality that cannot be explained, only marvelled at.
starred with Red Buttons in the safari comedy, "Hatari!" and even his Westerns
became almost farcical affairs with "The Sons of Katie Elder" and "El Dorado." In
"Circus World," Wayne played, well, a circus owner. Wayne even showed up in the
famous Jesus Christ biopic, "The Greatest Story Ever Told." Arguably his most
famous non-Western from this period was "Donovan's Reef," a strange comedy in
the tropics in which Wayne pretends to have children so his absent boss' daughter
won't suspect her father is immoral. Wayne spends most of the film getting into fist
fights with the irascible Lee Marvin.
By the late 1960s, Wayne was branching out in a big way, appearing in the
firefighter flick, "Helldivers," and making what might have been the only pro-Vietnam
movie ever made, "The Green Berets," in which he plays, you guessed it, a green
beret. In 1969, Wayne finally won an Oscar for his performance as U.S. Marshal and
bounty hunter Rooster Cogburn in "True Grit." Wayne would virtually remake this
movie with Katharine Hepburn in 1975 with the sequel, "Rooster Cogburn."
After starring in a few contemporary cop films, riding the "Dirty Harry" wave with
"Brannigan" and "McQ," Wayne ended his career with an interesting swan song. In
"The Shootist," Wayne plays an old gunfighter dying of cancer and watching the
world move into the 20th century, a world he doesn't fit into anymore. Wayne was a
combination of all his movie roles in that one film, and at the time, he too was dying
of cancer and the movie world was going away from Westerns into genres he didn't
completely fit into anymore. In an eerie parallel, and with costars Lauren Bacall and
James Stewart at his side, Wayne said goodbye to Hollywood. Wayne, a chain
smoker his whole life, died of lung cancer three years after "The Shootist" was
released.
The career of John Wayne is too big to be summed up in one article or even a whole
series of books. Wayne managed to become bigger than himself on the silver
screen and achieved an immortality that cannot be explained, only marvelled at.
| ABOVE: John Wayne and Lee Marvin in "Donovan's Reef." BELOW: Wayne passes on his skills to Ron Howard in his final film, "The Shootist." |
| FOR MORE VISIT: http://www.jwcf.org/ |
