Tag: The Duke
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What Specific Element or Scene from a 1956 John Wayne Film Resonated with Guillermo del Toro and Stood Out as His Favorite?
With three Academy Awards and a remarkable filmography, Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has successfully established himself as one of the best horror filmmakers of all time. His distinctive horror and fantasy films are a result of his fascination with monsters. His 2001 movie, The Devil’s Backbone, received positive reviews and performed decently at the…
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How Did John Wayne Navigate Through a Humiliating Role in “The Deceiver” and Transition to Becoming an Iconic Screen Legend?
For better or worse, a great deal of John Wayne‘s pride came from his desire to be the manliest of men, meaning that humiliation was a feeling he was never familiar with during the peak of his career. However, long before he became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, he was forced to swallow his pride…
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The Longest Day Drama Unveiled: John Wayne’s Revenge on Producer for Public Insult
John Wayne was famous for his tough guy image on and off screen, mostly being known for playing cowboys and military men. By the early 1960s, Duke was in his fifties, struggling with health problems yet continuing to insist on not only doing his own stunts but also playing characters – including historical figures –…
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1974 London Trip Turns Nightmare: John Wayne’s Battle with Pneumonia and Heart Issues During Brannigan
John Wayne suffered serious health problems while shooting Rooster Cogburn with Katharine Hepburn. Duke had struggled with pneumonia, relied on an oxygen mask and would have furious outbursts on set. After winning the Best Actor Oscar for 1969’s True Grit, John Wayne returned for a sequel with 1975’s Rooster Cogburn – which celebrates its 48th…
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John Wayne’s Last Frontier: The Weariness Behind ‘Rio Bravo’ and the Quest for ‘The Alamo’
John Wayne had been working steadily in movies for over 30 years when principal photography wrapped on Howard Hawkes’ “Rio Bravo” in 1958, and the miles were beginning to wear on the screen legend. At the age of 52, retirement was out of the question. He’d launched Batjac Productions only six years prior, and had…
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Chisum Chronicles: Unmasking John Wayne’s Heartfelt Moment in the 1970s
Chisum was John Wayne’s first movie of the 1970s, which would be the Western legend’s final decade. The film was based on the Lincoln County War of 1878 with John Wayne starring as John Simpson Chisum, a wealthy cattle baron of the American West. The 62-year-old actor was playing a 54-year-old man, so had to…
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Reconciling with the Duke: The Heartbreaking Attempt to Mend Fences in John Wayne’s Final Days
John Wayne’s Rio Bravo remake El Dorado had him co-starring opposite Robert Mitchum, with whom Duke became firm friends on the 1966 movie. When the director of both films Howard Hawks wanted to make the film about a sheriff defending his office from outlaws for the third time, he hoped he could convince his starring…
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Aging Against the Odds: John Wayne’s Cinematic Brilliance Beyond Accolades and Oscar Snubs
A trophy cabinet stuffed to bursting point with accolades isn’t a prerequisite to going down in the history books as one of the most iconic movie stars in Hollywood history, with few underlining that feeling better than John Wayne. The actor left behind a towering legacy throughout a career that spanned decades. It saw him…
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The Untold Story of John Wayne’s Hollywood Rumble: When Patience Wore Thin
The 1933 drama, which starred Wayne alongside the likes of Barbara Stanwyck and Donald Cook, followed the tale of a strumpet who uses men as stepping stones to success, as she attempts to lay bare a “rags-to-riches” formula. At the time of its release, reviews were critical of the flick, but modern reviews of the…
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John Wayne’s Bold Stand Against Dirty Harry and Clint Eastwood’s Violent Wave in Cinema
John Wayne famously turned down Dirty Harry before Clint Eastwood took the role, which is ultimately for the best, as Wayne’s two 1970s cop thrillers show he was a bad fit for the part. The waning popularity of Westerns throughout the ’60s and ’70s in Hollywood did little to slow down Wayne’s output in the…