Category: John Wayne
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How ‘The Train Robbers’ Foreshadowed The End Of John Wayne’S Western Era
“The Train Robbers,” a Burt Kennedy film from 1973, is from a time when the Western genre, at least as a dominant form in the pop consciousness, was most assuredly on the outs. “The Train Robbers” starred a 69-year-old John Wayne as an aging rogue who volunteers to retrieve a store of gold once stolen…
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Cinematic Coincidences: The Drunk, The Duke, and the Confusion Between ‘Rio Bravo’ and ‘El Dorado’
It’s important not to mix up the 1959 John Wayne film “Rio Bravo” with the 1966 John Wayne film “El Dorado.” As cinephile Chilli Palmer (John Travolta) points out in the 1995 film “Get Shorty,” Dean Martin played the drunk in “Rio Bravo,” while Robert Mitchum played the drunk in “El Dorado.” Basically the same…
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Candid Confessions of a Hollywood Icon: John Wayne’s Love-Hate Relationship with His Own Films
John Wayne told Walters from his Newport Beach home: “I know I’m a good actor…I’ve been at it for 50 years, I must have learned something.” The interviewer, who died last month, asked the star who’s real was Marion Morrison: “Are you ‘John Wayne’? Rough, tough and a hard drinker? Soft with women and hard…
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Preventing A Fistfight Between John Wayne And James Caan – ‘Robert Mitchem Had To Stop Me Punching Duke’
John Wayne went out of his way to “intimidate” James Caan, who he had violent arguments with on the El Dorado set. One incident even saw Duke fill the young actor’s dressing room entirely with garbage. James Caan was just 27 years old when he had a big break being cast as knife-throwing gambler Mississippi…
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How Rio Bravo’s Success Pushed John Wayne And Howard Hawks To Plagiarize Themselves?
No filmmaker loved ripping off their own work more than Howard Hawks. And if your oeuvre is riddled with all-timers like “Bringing Up Baby,” “Only Angels Have Wings,” “His Girl Friday” and “Ball of Fire,” you might copy yourself, too. Hawks’ most egregious act of self-theft has its roots in “Rio Bravo,” which is widely…
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Unveiling the Authenticity of Survival: What 1948 John Wayne Western ‘3 Godfathers’ Gets Right
3 Godfathers depicts one desert survival trick very accurately, much to the excitement of survival expert Les Stroud. Released in 1948, the Western film stars John Wayne, Pedro Armendáriz, and Harry Carey Jr., who become godfathers to a newborn baby they find stranded in the desert. The film, which was directed by the legendary John…
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John Wayne’s Unforgettable Western Classics – Which Ones Are You Most Eager to Watch Again?
John Wayne has become a classic name within the western genre with his heroic characters, but which of his best movies are the most rewatchable? The Alamo (1960) Directed by Wayne himself and written by James Edward Grant, The Alamo was a project that Wayne decided to direct and star in way back in 1945.…
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John Wayne and Gene Hackman: The Ultimate Oscars Showdown – Who Emerged Victorious?
John Wayne and Gene Hackman are both legendary actors. Wayne established himself as a tough guy on the screen while being a behind-the-scenes prankster. Meanwhile, Hackman emulated his acting hero James Cagney in his career and left his mark on American cinema in the process. Together, they combined for nearly 300 acting credits (per IMDb)…
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Sparks Fly as John Wayne Engages in a “Violent Confrontation” with a Co-Star – The Story Behind the Feud!
Among those praising Baby Face was Ty Burr, of the Boston Globe, who hailed it a “fascinatingly conflicted artefact of Depression-era do-me feminism. Lily Powers is one of the screen’s great hard girls, and Baby Face can’t decide whether to celebrate her or string her along”. Fellow critic, Mick La Salle, wrote in the San…
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How Frank Sinatra and Kirk Douglas Extended Their Support to John Wayne in His Last Days!
John Wayne was honoured by Hollywood stars Frank Sinatra, Kirk Douglas and US Presidents in an incredibly touching way during his final days when he was dying from cancer. John Wayne suffered years of ill health during his final couple of decades. The heavy-drinking and smoking star had a lung and some ribs removed in…