Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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John Wayne’S Singular Choice For Greatest Film And Actor – Perhaps His Most Famous
John Wayne was fiercely proud and protective of his beloved Western and war movie genres. He vocally blasted films like Gary Cooper’s High Noon or Clint Eastwood’s High Plains Drifter that he believed degraded the ideals and values of the Old West – values which the conservative Duke believed should apply to his own times…
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Unforgettable Set Moment: When John Wayne’s Co-Star Annoyed John Ford
The Searchers featured an appalling mistake by Ward Bond that had to be covered up for years to avoid the “terrible temper” and physical attack of director John Ford. When the filmmaker finally found out what he’d done to John Wayne, he was “left speechless”. john Wayne and John Ford collaborated on some of the…
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John Wayne estate shares rare The Searchers behind-the-scenes set photo
John Wayne’s estate has shared a rare behind-the-scenes photo from the set of The Searchers. Back in 1956, John Wayne starred in what many consider to be one of his greatest movies. John Ford’s The Searchers, one of the best Westerns ever made, saw Duke play a Civil War veteran spending years searching for…
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The Final Act: John Wayne’s Contemplations as His Career Waned
At 69, John Wayne rides tall with his fans (1976) “John Wayne has an endless face and he can go on forever.” – Louis B. Mayer Newport Beach, Calif. — A small group of dieticians sits quietly in John Wayne’s living room, planning a new weight-loss diet for him. “He’ll be allowed a quarter-teaspoon of…
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John Wayne’s Western Classic: A Reimagined Tale of Billy the Kid
A lesser-known John Wayne Western movie rewrote the legendary tale of William H. Bonney, best known as the infamous Old West outlaw Billy the Kid. Several films and television shows have often retold the mythical narrative of the real-life Bonney to fit new creative directions, including the current MGM+ series Billy the Kid. Wayne’s cinematic…
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Paul Newman Through John Wayne’s Eyes: The Anti-Hero and Director
John Wayne considered ‘Jet Pilot’ 1 of his worst movies ever Marc Mompoint’s John Wayne: A Photographic Celebration shares some critical quotes over the course of the actor’s career. Wayne called 1957’s Jet Pilot “undoubtedly one of my worst movies ever.” Unfortunately, the critical response certainly didn’t disagree with him regarding the level of quality…
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Remaking the Wild West: What Elevates Western Classics like ‘True Grit’ and ‘The Magnificent Seven’?
The original True Grit is an iconic film; not only did John Wayne finally win an Academy Award for Best Actor, but the character of Rooster Cogburn became a template for other Western stars to reflect on their career through the perspective of a grizzled, cynical hero. However, The Coen Brothers understood the original film…
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James Coburn’s Hidden Connection to ‘Seven Samurai’ Before ‘The Magnificent Seven’
John Sturges’ 1960 western “The Magnificent Seven” was a Yul Brynner vehicle from the jump — it was he and actor Anthony Quinn who had acquired the rights to remake Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai” epic as a western. To fill out the rest of the hired guns tasked to protect a Mexican village, the “Gunfight…
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The Untold Spat: John Wayne’s Harsh Words for Clark Gable That Shocked Hollywood
John Wayne has an impressive filmography backlog, and while fans across the world devoured the flicks he has starred in, those he shared the screen with often did not. The star, who passed away in 1979 aged 72, recalled a number of his celebrity feuds in conversations with his daughter Aissa. Writing in 1991’s ‘John…
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A Half-Century of Resentment: Bruce Dern’s Role in ‘The Cowboys’ Still Haunts Him
Over 50 years and Dern has said he still receives hate mail after his character Asa Watts killed Wayne’s Wil Andersen in The Cowboys. But he knew it was coming and so did Duke.Asked if he still runs into fans who are upset about it, the actor said: “No question. But I knew that would…
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