Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Did John Wayne Say Native Americans ‘Selfishly’ Tried to Keep Their Land?
In 1971 John Wayne, the iconic movie star who had “charged the beaches at Iwo Jima, beaten back the Indians at Fort Apache, and often bloodied his fists in the name of frontier justice” was at the height of his popularity: Having appeared in over 200 films to date, he’d been listed among Hollywood’s top…
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Fort Apache: The Movie That Breathed New Life into John Wayne’s Waning Stardom
John Wayne might’ve been full of macho swagger on the big screen, but off-screen he was given to fretting. A large portion of the blame for this could be placed at John Ford’s doorstep. The A-list Hollywood filmmaker was nearly instrumental in making Wayne a full-fledged movie star, but he’d made the actor earn it…
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John Wayne’s Hidden Shame: The 3 Western Movies That Left Him Red-Faced
John Wayne was a towering figure of Hollywood’s Golden Age in the ’40s and ’50s, so it’s hard to imagine The Duke being embarrassed by making these three Western movies. In the ’20s, Wayne started out making pre-Code movies that capitalized on his college football days such as The Brown of Harvard but wanted to…
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Baby Face’s Bold Lover: John Wayne’s Unexpected Role in a 90-Year-Old Hollywood Shakeup
John Wayne made his name in Westerns and the war genre, but he did occasionally branch out into other genres. One of those times resulted in a movie that was so controversial, it prompted Hollywood to overhaul its censorship laws. Though John Wayne had a small part in the movie, he’s still part of Hollywood…
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Critical Acclaim or Backlash? Decoding Reviews for The Andy Griffith Show’s Inaugural Episode
Hindsight isn’t always 20/20, because nostalgia can cloud our memory. Sometimes our rose-tinted glasses trick us into thinking everyone shared the same experience. The way that pop culture history, in particular, is remembered doesn’t always reflect what happened. There are critical darlings that people assume were mega-hits when truthfully they were hardly watched. On the…
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What Andy Griffith Really Thinks About the Future of The Andy Griffith Show Sans Don Knotts
Saying goodbye to friends is always hard, but for two pals like Don Knotts and Andy Griffith, who spent five seasons together on The Andy Griffith Show before Knotts decided to call it quits, it must have been especially rough to say goodbye. While Barney Fife often made guest appearances after he stopped his run…
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Unveiling the Last Surviving Stars of The Andy Griffith Show: Where Are They Now?
In the decades since its premiere in October of 1960, it’d be the understatement of the century to say that quite a lot has changed. While Griffith’s Sheriff Andy Taylor and his supporting cast of various friends and family in the fictional town of Mayberry, North Carolina will always rank among the best sitcom characters ever, the…
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Whimsical Tales: Andy Griffith’s Barbershop Adventures in the Real Mayberry
One of the reasons The Andy Griffith Show is so fondly remembered is its setting. The characters imbue Mayberry with a warmth and charm that feels incredibly realistic. Much of that believability comes from the fact that Mayberry is rooted in the real world. Griffith molded the fictional location after his real-life hometown of Mount…
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Dive into Hang ‘Em High: The Compelling Story Behind ‘You Better Look at Him’
Ex-lawman turned rancher Jed Cooper (Clint Eastwood) is moving a small herd of cattle when a group of nine men on horseback, led by Captain Wilson (Ed Begley Sr.), ride up and accuse him of having stolen the cattle and killed their owner. Refusing to believe his account, they string him up by the neck…
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From Bronco Billy to Outlaw Josey Wales: Clint Eastwood’s Exclusive Club of Cinematic Allies
Clint Eastwood, the iconic actor and director, possesses a unique charisma that extends beyond his on-screen performances. In the world of cinema, his legendary presence is accompanied by an indomitable stare that can convey more than words ever could. As the saying goes, “You’re going to look awfully silly if you’re lying dead in the…
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