Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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With Just One Small Action, John Wayne Forced Charlton Heston To Regret It For The Rest Of His Life
John Wayne was one of the biggest Hollywood stars around in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. He starred in dozens of movies over the few decades and was just years away from winning his first Oscar for Best Actor in 1969’s True Grit. So it was extremely exciting for the industry when Wayne decided to…
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The Untold Story of John Wayne’s Most Ill-Fated Film: From Western Hero to Historical Blunder
Following his movie star breakthrough with 1939’s Stagecoach, Wayne’s screen image would forever be closely linked to Westerns. Most of his biggest successes were in the genre, including Red River, The Searchers, True Grit and the unofficial Rio Bravo trilogy. Of course, with over 180 credits, he appeared in plenty of other genres too. There…
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True Grit And Duds By John Wayne: He Worked Tirelessly But Had Two Of His Best Movies Stolen
Long before his breakout role in John Ford’s Stagecoach, John Wayne was a struggling young actor who fronted dozens of “Poverty Row” films. These were low-budget b-movies that were filmed quickly, with some notable examples from his career including Wayne’s sole “horror” Haunted Gold. He always appeared to be on the cusp of stardom, but…
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Why “The Searchers” Should Have Earned John Wayne an Oscar Decades Earlier?
John Wayne has become synonymous with the Western genre and the archetype of a traditional cowboy as far as the American consciousness is concerned. He wasn’t considered a very good actor as much as he was recognized for having an undeniable screen presence. Tall, broad-shouldered, and stoic, he often portrayed quiet, principled men who could…
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Unveiling John Wayne’s Roots: The Fascinating Story of His Birthplace
BROOKLYN, Iowa — A new historical marker unveiled here May 28 pays homage to a movie star who lived in the community as a child. John Wayne, who was born Marion Morrison, moved with his family in 1909 to a privately owned home at 717 Jackson St. in Brooklyn. His father, a pharmacist, moved the…
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A Love Story for the Ages: Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne’s Irresistible Chemistry
Actor Maureen O’Hara once admitted to the undeniable chemistry that she had with John Wayne on the screen. However, this is something that both actors acknowledged after seeing their own performances at the time. They shared romantic energy that audiences simply swooned over. O’Hara once broke down the “erotic chemistry” that she shared with Wayne…
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40 Years Later: How Jeff Bridges Mastered Rooster Cogburn in True Grit
In order to make his best movie of the past few decades Jeff Bridges was forced to ignore Western icon John Wayne. That takes some serious bravery and boldness. Jeff Bridges is no stranger to the Western genre. Lloyd Bridges, Jeff Bridges’ father, took on a leading role in some of the best Westerns ever…
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Katharine Hepburn vs. John Wayne: The Showdown That Transformed Their Working Relationship
Katharine Hepburn isn’t one to hold back her opinions, including when it comes to her co-stars. After refusing to work with one famous actor during the 1950s, she eventually did do a movie with him in the ’70s. But, that didn’t mean that she suddenly approved of everything he did. After the movie finished filming—and…
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Clint Eastwood Became a Massive Robert Downey Jr. Fan For His One Movie That Risked Getting Him Canceled
Famously, Clint Eastwood rose to fame with the cowboy TV series Rawhide, and Sergio Leone’s spaghetti western Dollars Trilogy helped make him a cultural icon in the mid-1960s. In the latter’s role, he played the unwavering antihero ‘The Man with No Name’, who could be identified by his poncho, cigarillos, and rough manner. These roles,…
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Clint Eastwood May Not Have The Volume Of Stars Like John Wayne, But What He Lacked In Quantity He Made Up For With Quality
He’s closely tied to the genre, but how many Clint Eastwood Westerns are there? During the so-called “Golden Age” of the Western, the genre made up around half of Hollywood’s annual output. This speaks to how sharp the decline would prove in later years, where during the ’60s they soon became increasingly rare. Eastwood got…
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