Tag: John Wayne
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A Maverick’s Response: John Wayne’s Battle with a Beloved Western, Sparking the Birth of His Unique Version
To say that John Wayne was the de facto king of cinema during his heyday would be underselling just how safe and strong a box office draw the actor was. Known mostly for war movies and westerns, Wayne was also an outspoken individualist, American patriot, and conservative person, and that extended into his Hollywood activism.…
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Howard Hughes’ Lost Battle: The Oscar-Nominated John Wayne Western That Defied Suppression
Although John Wayne starred in many of the greatest Westerns of all time, Howard Hawks’ 1948 epic Red River stands chief among them. Although Red River featured stunning visuals that made it enthralling on an aesthetic level, the film was significant because of its darker analysis of capitalistic greed, toxic masculinity, and the inherent violence…
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The Unseen Majesty of ‘The War Wagon’ – A John Wayne Heist Adventure Worth Rediscovering
‘The War Wagon’ Is a Victim of John Wayne’s Success Few stars have a filmography as stacked as John Wayne, both from a volume and quality standpoint. Whether you look at the 1930s or the 1970s, you can find a legitimately great movie with John Wayne top-billed without breaking a sweat. The inevitable consequence of…
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Nitroglycerine and Gold: John Wayne’s Forgotten Western Heist in ‘The War Wagon’ Deserves Your Attention
‘The War Wagon’ Is a Victim of John Wayne’s Success Few stars have a filmography as stacked as John Wayne, both from a volume and quality standpoint. Whether you look at the 1930s or the 1970s, you can find a legitimately great movie with John Wayne top-billed without breaking a sweat. The inevitable consequence of…
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Rediscover John Wayne’s 1970 Variety Show, a Dazzling Celebration of America’s Rich History on July 4th
On July 4th, 1970, John Wayne hosted a variety show celebrating America’s history. it was Wayne’s first television special, originally aired as Swing Out, Sweet Land on NBC-TV in 1970, is a patriotic and poignant journey through American history – with music, comedy and many famous friends. As host and narrator, Wayne walks through pivotal…
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John Wayne’s Co-Star’s Audacious Act: The Secret Stir Behind ‘The Searchers’
The Searchers was shot in Ford’s favoured Monument Valley, part of the Navajo territory on the Arizona/Utah state line, where temperatures during filming could reach heights of 49°C (120°F). Among the actors was Gone with the Wind and It’s a Wonderful Life’s Ward Bond, who played Reverend Captain Clayton in the Western. He was a…
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Beyond the Horizon: The Enigmatic Tale of ‘The Searchers’ and John Wayne’s Redemption
Despite the best efforts of Clint Eastwood, Kevin Costner and a handful of other Hollywood directors and stars, the Western is largely a forgotten genre in these morally tangled times, its narrative simplicity and black-and-white verities elbowed aside by 150 shades of gray. Yet the taming of the frontier, even as portrayed in the Western,…
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Red River’s Intriguing Dynamics: Montgomery Clift’s Debut Amidst Affection and Guns
In 1946, when he was cast opposite John Wayne in Red River (the film’s release would be delayed until 1948), Montgomery Clift was 26 years old. As was common in those days, Clift spent years making a name for himself onstage, appearing on Broadway from the age of 15. Red River was his first movie…
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John Wayne’s Rescue: How His Role in ‘Red River’ Averted a Filmmaking Disaster
While the story about Tom Dunson, a determined rancher who turns into a horse-riding Captain Ahab during a harrowing cattle drive from Texas to Missouri, was crammed with action and intrigue, it proved tonally problematic for Hawks’ star. Gary Cooper had made several films with Hawks and many Westerns prior to “Red River,” but he…
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The Oscar Winner’s Hidden Gem – A Revolutionary John Wayne Movie!”
There’s a reason John Wayne is thought of as the quintessential cowboy, from his breakthrough role in “Stagecoach” (1939) to his final movie, “The Shootist” (1976). Starring in 142 motion pictures spanning six decades, John Wayne’s movies have made him synonymous with the Old West. His Westerns embody the frontier history of the United States,…