John Wayne:The Review

Alright, alright pilgrims. All I want you to do is tell me flat out what you think of the chaps-donning chap from Iowa:John Wayne. I'll keep it open to nice liberal discussion, no pidgeon holing nor lists (and no Green Berets). I first want to see how many of you damn tin horns bring his conservative right-wing politics into your judgment, your rantings about his Commie witch-hunting, Big Jim McClanes and Brannigans. I know to most o' you young 'uns The Duke seems antiquated and anachronistic, but consider his towering screen presence, his absolute compability with the western genre, his excellent performances in Red River, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, The Searchers and The Shootist in which he portrays characters sensing loss of ideals and morals with complexity and intensity.
Okay, also consider his bad patches (hokey '30s serials, his directorial efforts and all of his later work bar the Shootist), lazy patches
(samey, derivative westerners) and eye patches (True Grit). Commence bigoting.

I never thought he was that great of an actor… and judging from a few things he had to say off screen, I wouldn’t have liked him period.

BTW, this thread should have been posted in the Actor forum… so I am moving it…

__________________

Wayne obviously was one of those icons that just had to be within the frame, and he owned it. He wasn't an extraordinary actor, he didn't have to be. Him just being John Wayne and realizing his own attraction was enough. Then, of course, he had views that I disagree with and that I can't help to connect to the characters that he played. So, I always think he's kind of a jerk not matter how good the guy he play is. Just about the same with Ronald Reagan... eh... what??

__________________
The novelist does not long to see the lion eat grass. He realizes that one and the same God created the wolf and the lamb, then smiled, "seeing that his work was good".

--------

They had temporarily escaped the factories, the warehouses, the slaughterhouses, the car washes - they'd be back in captivity the next day but now they were out - they were wild with freedom. They weren't thinking about the slavery of poverty. Or the slavery of welfare and food stamps. The rest of us would be all right until the poor learned how to make atom bombs in their basements.

Okay, these are the responses I anticipated. But would it interest you to know that Jimmy Stewart was a friend of Ronald Reagan? I expected most to perceive Wayne as simply a screen icon. Which is, undoubtedly, what he is. I am not extolling him as one of the great actors. He is no Brando, or De Niro, or Fonda. That is not my point. In my first post, I carefully chose some words. Note I said his performances were 'excellent' in particular films, not 'Brilliant'. I still stand to this. I am merely trying to perhaps push people's perception beyond the label of 'American icon'. It makes sense anyway. Don't you find it slightly bizarre that I, a 16 year old kid from Huyton in England, should appreciate him? I suppose you could call me naive, but I don't judge an actor by his politics. Nor a director. Do you warily approach Elia Kazan because he was a Communist informer during the McCarthyism? Or Don Siegel because of his uneasy politics in 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers', or 'Dirty Harry'?
Plus, how many John Wayne films have you seen? I admit I've seen plenty (plenty of rubbish too), but you seem to suggest that he always plays straight heroes. In fact in the Searchers he is the ultimate Anti-hero, plagued with ambiguity, prejudices and contempt, left to wander in the final act whilst civilisation establishes itself. Perhaps I'm too young to be so damn didactic, but if I am, blame it on Kurosawa.

No, but I knew he was a republican. And a better actor than John Wayne.

Ok, we will.

[quote=Piddzilla]No, but I knew he was a republican. And a better actor than John Wayne.

I don't disagree with you.

Are we talking Ronald Reagan or James Stewart?

Besides acting, Jimmy Stewart was a better man than either of these two.

Some facts regarding Jimmy's military career:

Overseas 21 months
20 combat missions
Six battle stars
Remained with the Air Force Reserves
Promoted to Brigadier General, July 1959
Retired 1968
Distinguished Service Medal 1968
Presidential Medal of Freedom 1985
A full list of medals awarded:

Distinguished Service Medal
Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster
Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters
Army Commendation Medal
American Defense Service Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 3 Service Stars
World War II Victory Medal
Armed Forces Reserve Medal
French Croix de Guerre with Palm
Presidential Medal of Freedom

My source is from The Jimmy Stewart Museum.

The Jimmy Stewart Museum

I really don’t see what difference who was friends with who makes… Wayne couldn’t act… and as far as I am concerned, neither could Reagan… Jimmy could…


I think I have seen the majority of Wayne’s movies…..

Six-shooter
Kill
Injuns
Ma’am
Horse
Dog
Pilgrim

Yup... that about covers them…

I was talking about Stewart. And even if I don't think it's unlikely that he was a better man than the other too, the decorations only prove he was a better soldier.

They're called westerns, dear.

Plus, Caitlyn, since when did I say that the majority of his films were good? I chose a select few. Anyway, DIVERSITY ISN'T ALWAYS THE POINT.
I still stand by what I say. I think Wayne COULD act. And my point regarding Stewart referred merely to political issues. As I have said, my argument is not that Wayne was a brilliant actor. I'm merely saying that he COULD act, and gave SOME rather good performances. And will you please stop bringing up bloody genre motifs! I'm not interested, you fools!

Now don't get upset, just because people don't agree with you, or this may happen to you.

__________________
Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
Buddha

Now...now...don't get hot and take it personally Dyook. Caity's a sweetie. We all have different tastes. Puppy and I disagree about a certain elf-man, but I still like him and would scratch him behind the ear if he needed it.


Now...can we preceeed with the John Wayne shrine?

To tell you the truth...I never thought about whether John Wayne could truely act or not before. It never matter to me that he tended to play the same type of character...many actors from that era did like Errol Flynn, Basil Rathbone, Edward G. Robinson, Alan Hale...heck even Cary Grant in his early years (and I adore him)....so I’m kinda soft on the old Duke.

As I think about it now...I couldn’t see him cast in say...It’s a Wonderful Life...because I would have expected...and even wanted his character to just punched Mr. Potter in the nose and gotten to the bottom of what happened to the money. John Wayne had his nitch...and I have really fond memories of watching some of his movies with my family.

A few if my favorites are...

North to Alaska (1960)~ B-rated and cheesy I know, but I don’t care. It’s a fun, entertaining romance. I liked the cast.....Capucine was gorgeous, sophisticated...and matched well with Wayne’s ruggedness, Fabien was the young hottie of the day and Stewart Granger was fine in the best buddy role.

True Grit (1969) ~ Kim Darby was a perfect match for the crusty old bird. Still love the old gun fight were he takes the reins in his mouth.

Stagecoach (1939) ~ I really liked it...he was pretty handsome when he was a youngin’. His bad/good guy thing just worked for me...and I liked the romance between he and Claire Trevor.

The Quiet Man (1952)
If you’re tired of seeing hin in a western...this is a little heart warmer...and I see this more as Maureen O'Hara’s movie than Wayne’s. She’s a pretty strong character.

Some others I've liked were...
Angel and the Badman (1947)
Rio Bravo (1959)
Rio Grande (1950)
The Cowboys (1972)
The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)
Donovan's Reef (1963)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
3 Godfathers (1948)
I’ve never seen Red River (1948)...but, one day I’d like too.

Also...my dad liked his war movies like Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)...and In Harm's Way (1965).


So you see Dyook...at least one person here likes him.

John wasn't a very good actor, and its hard to take any of his work seriously, but The Sands Of Iwo Jima is a great film.

__________________
It's a god-awful small affair, To the girl with, the mousy hair, But her mummy is yelling "No", and her daddy has told her to go, But her friend is nowhere to be seen, Now she walks through her sunken dream, To the seat with the clearest view, And she's hooked to the silver screen, But the film is a saddening bore, For she's lived it ten times or more...