John Wayne (ll)
John Wayne post war work produced some of his finest Western films. He benefitted by working with some talented directors, notable among them in addition to John Ford, Howard Hawks and Henry Hathaway. Films in this period include Dakota (’45), Angel and the Bad Man (’47), Red River (’48), The Fighting Kentuckian (’49), Hondo (’53), Rio Bravo (’59), The Alamo & North to Alaska (’60), The Comancheros (’61), McLintock! (’63), The Sons of Katie Elder (’65), El Dorado (’66), The War Wagon (’67), The Undefeated (’69), Chisum & Rio Lobo (’70), The Cowboys (’72), Cahill U. S. Marshal (’73) and Rooster Cogburn (’75).
True Grit (’69) garnered Wayne his only Oscar for Best Actor. In it, Henry Hathaway’s screen play departed from the poignant ending of Charles Portis’ book where the now adult Maddie claims Cogburn’s remains to bury in the family plot beside her father. I suspect it had something to do with plans for the Rooster Cogburn (’75) sequel. They should have stayed with the book.
Consider the singular body of work John Wayne amassed under the brilliant direction of John Ford following their Stagecoach reunion in 1939. Classics include She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (’49), The Searchers (’56) rises to the top of more than a few best all time lists, The Horse Soldiers (’59), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence and How the West Was Won (’62). Others with Ford you may remember include Fort Apache (’48), Rio Grande (’50) and Wagon Train (’60). Many could call Wayne’s collaboration with Ford a career.
John Wayne’s last Western and fittingly last film, The Shootist (’76) told the story of aging gunfighter J. B. Books, dying of cancer. In a case of art mimicking life, Wayne shot the film suffering from cancer and complications that would claim his life three years later. John Wayne lived his life the way he played his characters, straight from the hip. He knew no other way. He was outspoken and unapologetic in views that rubbed some the wrong way. He was married three times and liked his bourbon well enough to brew his own small batch. He found solace late in life, embracing Catholicism before he died. The inscription on his headstone reads: Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and puts itself in our hands. It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.
Next Week: Maureen O’Hara
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Ride easy,
Paul
True Grit (’69) garnered Wayne his only Oscar for Best Actor. In it, Henry Hathaway’s screen play departed from the poignant ending of Charles Portis’ book where the now adult Maddie claims Cogburn’s remains to bury in the family plot beside her father. I suspect it had something to do with plans for the Rooster Cogburn (’75) sequel. They should have stayed with the book.
Consider the singular body of work John Wayne amassed under the brilliant direction of John Ford following their Stagecoach reunion in 1939. Classics include She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (’49), The Searchers (’56) rises to the top of more than a few best all time lists, The Horse Soldiers (’59), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence and How the West Was Won (’62). Others with Ford you may remember include Fort Apache (’48), Rio Grande (’50) and Wagon Train (’60). Many could call Wayne’s collaboration with Ford a career.
John Wayne’s last Western and fittingly last film, The Shootist (’76) told the story of aging gunfighter J. B. Books, dying of cancer. In a case of art mimicking life, Wayne shot the film suffering from cancer and complications that would claim his life three years later. John Wayne lived his life the way he played his characters, straight from the hip. He knew no other way. He was outspoken and unapologetic in views that rubbed some the wrong way. He was married three times and liked his bourbon well enough to brew his own small batch. He found solace late in life, embracing Catholicism before he died. The inscription on his headstone reads: Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and puts itself in our hands. It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.
Next Week: Maureen O’Hara
Return to Facebook to comment
Ride easy,
Paul
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