Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Untold Stories: The Shocking Episode of John Wayne’s On-Set Bullying During ‘Hondo’ Production
Through his starring roles in westerns and war movies during the golden age of cinema in America, John Wayne became a cultural icon. His performances in the epic western The Searchers, as well as Rio Bravo, True Grit, and Red River, are probably what the actor is best known for, but Wayne also had a…
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John Wayne’s Blunt Rejection and Unforgettable Diss of a Hollywood Legend’s Debut
John Wayne was just as tough off-screen as on and rejected an offer to work with another Hollywood legend after blasting his debut Western. John Wayne was the undisputed High Sheriff of American Western movies for thirty years. From his breakthrough star-making 1939’s Stagecoach he rode across the silver screen all the way to 1969’s…
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The Resonance of ‘Red River’: How John Wayne Redefined Himself in This Legendary Western
What Makes John Wayne’s Performance So Powerful in ‘Red River’? The complexity of John Wayne’s performance as Dunson echoes Humphrey Bogart in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, which was actually released in the same year (it was a good time to be a Western fan). With the gradual reversal of his role from protagonist…
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John Wayne’s Blunt Critique: Hollywood’s Golden Age Legend Slams ‘Bad Taste’ Death Scenes
Hollywood legend John Wayne became a household name after he rose to fame starring in Western and war films such as The Searchers and Rio Bravo. In a recent Talking Pictures episode on the BBC, viewers got an insight into his well-established career on the big screen and life away from the cameras. In the…
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The Actor Clint Eastwood Said Will Be Remembered In “100 Years”
Hollywood’s most venerated living legend, Clint Eastwood, broke through in the 1960s, offering an alternative to John Wayne as one of the most violently popular western stars. Having established a tough outlaw image in the formative TV series Rawhide and mastering it in Sergio Leone’s legendary Dollars Trilogy, the dashing gunslinger consolidated his status as…
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Dirty Harry’s Origin: The Unsung Hero Without Whom Clint Eastwood’s Iconic Role Might Vanish
In 1971, Clint Eastwood starred in the neo-noir action film Dirty Harry. The film, and its adjoining sequels, follow Inspector “Dirty” Harry Callahan, a rugged detective that is on a hunt for a psychopathic serial killer named Scorpio. The Dirty Harry franchise lasted from 1971 to 1988, and has since been considered a classic. In…
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Douglas’ Defiant Gamble: The Role Wayne Mocked, But Earned an Oscar Nomination
Standing high and mighty as two proud pillars to the chamber of Hollywood’s inner sanctum are Kirk Douglas and John Wayne, two true icons of American cinema. Douglas’ intense gaze seemed to pierce through the screen in notable performances like Spartacus and Paths of Glory and he carved out a legacy for himself unlike any…
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Spielberg’s Cinematic Ritual: Unlocking the Enigma of John Wayne and John Ford Inspirations
The Indiana Jones franchise famously began as Steven Spielberg and George Lucas sought to pay tribute to the serials that inspired them in their respective youths, including Zorro, Buck Rogers, and Flash Gordon, to name three. Spielberg was also driven by his admiration for the James Bond movies, but a classic western from two genre…
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Turbulent Tinseltown: Aissa Wayne’s Revelations on the John Wayne-Clark Gable Clash
Very few actors in Hollywood history can compare to the might of John Wayne, a performer who was as much a cultural icon as he was a star of the silver screen. Making the western genre shine throughout the 20th century alongside such names as Clint Eastwood, Gary Cooper and James Stewart, Wayne remains a…
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