Category: John Wayne
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Spaghetti Western Revolution: Clint Eastwood’s Gritty Transformation Under John Wayne’s Watch
Movie star John Wayne was no stranger to Westerns. He starred in some of the greatest films ever to grace the genre, but he also starred in his share of war and drama movies. Wayne talked about the importance of Westerns to moviegoing audiences when the genre was at its peak. Fans of all ages…
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Chisum Chronicles: Unmasking John Wayne’s Heartfelt Moment in the 1970s
Chisum was John Wayne’s first movie of the 1970s, which would be the Western legend’s final decade. The film was based on the Lincoln County War of 1878 with John Wayne starring as John Simpson Chisum, a wealthy cattle baron of the American West. The 62-year-old actor was playing a 54-year-old man, so had to…
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From Stardom to Scrubs: John Wayne’s Clash with Jones and the Fallout That Followed
Film executives were still trying to figure out how to mould the young star when they threw him into a musical. John Wayne, the iconic Hollywood star whose films like How the West Was Won and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon can be streamed on BBC iPlayer, was once left so embarrassed by one of…
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Reconciling with the Duke: The Heartbreaking Attempt to Mend Fences in John Wayne’s Final Days
John Wayne’s Rio Bravo remake El Dorado had him co-starring opposite Robert Mitchum, with whom Duke became firm friends on the 1966 movie. When the director of both films Howard Hawks wanted to make the film about a sheriff defending his office from outlaws for the third time, he hoped he could convince his starring…
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Professionalism Amidst Complications: Kirk Douglas Opens Up About Working with John Wayne
One of John Wayne’s forgotten roles airs this weekend, as the iconic Hollywood juggernaut appears in the 1928 silent movie Noah’s Ark, from 3pm on TCM on April 1. The film — which saw Wayne earn work as an extra — helped the ‘Duke’ make his way to Tinsel Town. By the time of his…
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Aging Against the Odds: John Wayne’s Cinematic Brilliance Beyond Accolades and Oscar Snubs
A trophy cabinet stuffed to bursting point with accolades isn’t a prerequisite to going down in the history books as one of the most iconic movie stars in Hollywood history, with few underlining that feeling better than John Wayne. The actor left behind a towering legacy throughout a career that spanned decades. It saw him…
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The Untold Story of John Wayne’s Hollywood Rumble: When Patience Wore Thin
The 1933 drama, which starred Wayne alongside the likes of Barbara Stanwyck and Donald Cook, followed the tale of a strumpet who uses men as stepping stones to success, as she attempts to lay bare a “rags-to-riches” formula. At the time of its release, reviews were critical of the flick, but modern reviews of the…
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John Wayne’s Bold Stand Against Dirty Harry and Clint Eastwood’s Violent Wave in Cinema
John Wayne famously turned down Dirty Harry before Clint Eastwood took the role, which is ultimately for the best, as Wayne’s two 1970s cop thrillers show he was a bad fit for the part. The waning popularity of Westerns throughout the ’60s and ’70s in Hollywood did little to slow down Wayne’s output in the…
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Scandal in Celluloid: John Wayne’s Battle with Columbia Pictures’ Chief and Forbidden Romance
Although he may have his detractors, for the most part, the American screen icon John Wayne is considered to be one of the most celebrated stars of 20th-century Hollywood. Thriving in the western genre alongside the likes of Clint Eastwood and James Stewart, Wayne finished his career in 1976 with one Oscar under his belt,…
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The Oscar That Slipped Away: John Wayne’s Rejected Role and the ‘Adultery’ Controversy
It would be some years before John Wayne would gain the Oscar he so deeply felt he was owed. Appearing in 150 movies in his career, the noted western icon would have to wait until the latter stages of his time in Hollywood before he walked away with the golden statue he so richly desired.…