John Whitehead's Commentary
John Wayne Was the Real Deal
Some people cast incredible shadows that grow even stronger before their deaths. And when they die, they metamorphize into myths--such as Hitchcock in film, Mozart in classical music, the Beatles in popular music, Hemingway in literature, Einstein in science, etc. Such was John Wayne.
Born in May 1907, Marion Michael Morrison set the standard for the tall (6'4"), strong, silent type. On the centennial of his birth, the Duke is now being celebrated in parts of the country and on some movie channels.
A former USC football player, Wayne broke into movies in the 1920s by doing bit parts. The lowly paid actor rose to stardom when he was cast as the Ringo Kid in John Ford's classic western Stagecoach (1939). From there, he never looked back.
Wayne's imitators and those he influenced, while too numerous to list, range from tough guys like Clint Eastwood to comedians such as Jim Carrey, who caricatured Wayne's mannerisms in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
Some have criticized Wayne for making too many films. But that's how most of us know him. Thus, there's no better way to remember the Duke than watching his movies. Here are ten of his best.
Stagecoach (1939). The first pairing of Wayne and director John Ford. Orson Welles so revered this film that he made his crew watch it before making Citizen Kane.
Angel and the Badman (1947). Wayne is a notorious gunslinger who, when wounded, is taken in by a pacifist family that nurses him back to health. One of Wayne's better performances.
Red River (1948). This Howard Hawks epic of a grueling cattleman and the battle of wills between father and son (Montgomery Clift) is one of the best westerns ever made. A great John Wayne performance as the cattle boss and one that should have won him an Oscar.
The Sands of Iwo Jima (1949). Wayne earned his first Oscar nomination as a tough, gritty Marine sergeant who trains his troops for one of the pivotal battles of World War II.
The Quiet Man (1952). Wayne is a weary American ex-boxer who returns to the Irish village of his childhood and tries to take a spirited woman (Maureen O'Hara) as his wife. Of course, Wayne has to fight for her.
The Searchers (1956). This John Ford film is one of the two best westerns, along with Shane, ever made. Wayne is a hard-hearted frontiersman who spends years searching for his niece who was kidnapped by the Indians--a much-copied storyline in other film genres. A great performance by Wayne. And Wayne's often-repeated phrase in the movie, "That'll be the day," so inspired Buddy Holly that he wrote a classic rock song of the same title.
Rio Bravo (1959). Sheriff Wayne takes a killer into custody, and his cattle baron brother comes to break him out. Overlooked at the time by critics, this film has proven very influential and has been remade in other contexts, such as John Carpenter's Precinct 13.
North to Alaska (1960). Wayne, as a gold prospector, picks up his partner's fiancé and brings her home to Nome, Alaska. This film shows Wayne's obvious comedic talents.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). This fine John Ford film has tough-cowboy Wayne protecting an idealistic lawyer (James Stewart) against a mean, nasty villain (Lee Marvin). Strong but subtle performance by Wayne.
True Grit (1969). Wayne as the cantankerous marshal, Rooster Cogburn, who is hired by a girl to find her father's murderers. This film won the Duke his only Oscar.
To those who followed Wayne's development as an actor, it was somewhat disheartening that his greatness as an actor was not recognized until he was nearing death. He was diagnosed with cancer a few years after winning the Oscar. However, despite the criticism heaped on him for his ultra-conservative stands, when his death came it moved many--as did Wayne's brave walk, looking gaunt and ghostly, down the Academy staircase two months earlier to present the best picture Oscar to The Deer Hunter.
John Wayne was the real deal. Off-screen, he was much like the characters he played on-screen. And he fought courageously to the end. After all, he was only following his own philosophy. As Wayne once said, "Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."
Born in May 1907, Marion Michael Morrison set the standard for the tall (6'4"), strong, silent type. On the centennial of his birth, the Duke is now being celebrated in parts of the country and on some movie channels.
A former USC football player, Wayne broke into movies in the 1920s by doing bit parts. The lowly paid actor rose to stardom when he was cast as the Ringo Kid in John Ford's classic western Stagecoach (1939). From there, he never looked back.
Wayne's imitators and those he influenced, while too numerous to list, range from tough guys like Clint Eastwood to comedians such as Jim Carrey, who caricatured Wayne's mannerisms in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
Some have criticized Wayne for making too many films. But that's how most of us know him. Thus, there's no better way to remember the Duke than watching his movies. Here are ten of his best.
Stagecoach (1939). The first pairing of Wayne and director John Ford. Orson Welles so revered this film that he made his crew watch it before making Citizen Kane.
Angel and the Badman (1947). Wayne is a notorious gunslinger who, when wounded, is taken in by a pacifist family that nurses him back to health. One of Wayne's better performances.
Red River (1948). This Howard Hawks epic of a grueling cattleman and the battle of wills between father and son (Montgomery Clift) is one of the best westerns ever made. A great John Wayne performance as the cattle boss and one that should have won him an Oscar.
The Sands of Iwo Jima (1949). Wayne earned his first Oscar nomination as a tough, gritty Marine sergeant who trains his troops for one of the pivotal battles of World War II.
The Quiet Man (1952). Wayne is a weary American ex-boxer who returns to the Irish village of his childhood and tries to take a spirited woman (Maureen O'Hara) as his wife. Of course, Wayne has to fight for her.
The Searchers (1956). This John Ford film is one of the two best westerns, along with Shane, ever made. Wayne is a hard-hearted frontiersman who spends years searching for his niece who was kidnapped by the Indians--a much-copied storyline in other film genres. A great performance by Wayne. And Wayne's often-repeated phrase in the movie, "That'll be the day," so inspired Buddy Holly that he wrote a classic rock song of the same title.
Rio Bravo (1959). Sheriff Wayne takes a killer into custody, and his cattle baron brother comes to break him out. Overlooked at the time by critics, this film has proven very influential and has been remade in other contexts, such as John Carpenter's Precinct 13.
North to Alaska (1960). Wayne, as a gold prospector, picks up his partner's fiancé and brings her home to Nome, Alaska. This film shows Wayne's obvious comedic talents.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). This fine John Ford film has tough-cowboy Wayne protecting an idealistic lawyer (James Stewart) against a mean, nasty villain (Lee Marvin). Strong but subtle performance by Wayne.
True Grit (1969). Wayne as the cantankerous marshal, Rooster Cogburn, who is hired by a girl to find her father's murderers. This film won the Duke his only Oscar.
To those who followed Wayne's development as an actor, it was somewhat disheartening that his greatness as an actor was not recognized until he was nearing death. He was diagnosed with cancer a few years after winning the Oscar. However, despite the criticism heaped on him for his ultra-conservative stands, when his death came it moved many--as did Wayne's brave walk, looking gaunt and ghostly, down the Academy staircase two months earlier to present the best picture Oscar to The Deer Hunter.
John Wayne was the real deal. Off-screen, he was much like the characters he played on-screen. And he fought courageously to the end. After all, he was only following his own philosophy. As Wayne once said, "Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."
ABOUT JOHN W. WHITEHEAD
Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute. His most recent books are the best-selling Battlefield America: The War on the American People, the award-winning A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State, and a debut dystopian fiction novel, The Erik Blair Diaries. Whitehead can be contacted at staff@rutherford.org. Nisha Whitehead is the Executive Director of The Rutherford Institute. Information about The Rutherford Institute is available at www.rutherford.org.
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