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Duke: The Life and Legend of John Wayne
Almost two decades after his death, John Wayne is still America’s favorite movie star. More than an actor, Wayne is a cultural icon whose stature seems to grow with the passage of time. In this illuminating biography, Ronald L. Davis focuses on Wayne’s human side, portraying a complex personality defined by frailty and insecurity as well as by courage and strength.
Davis traces Wayne’s story from its beginnings in Winterset, Iowa, to his death in 1979. This is not a story of instant fame: only after a decade in budget westerns did Wayne receive serious consideration, for his performance in John Ford’s 1939 film Stagecoach. From that point on, his skills and popularity grew as he appeared in such classics as Fort Apache, Red River, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Quiet Man, The Searches, The Man who Shot Liberty Valance, and True Grit. A man’s ideal more than a woman’s, Wayne earned his popularity without becoming either a great actor or a sex symbol. In all his films, whatever the character, John Wayne portrayed John Wayne, a persona he created for himself: the tough, gritty loner whose mission was to uphold the frontier’s--and the nation’s--traditional values.
To depict the different facets of Wayne’s life and career, Davis draws on a range of primary and secondary sources, most notably exclusive interviews with the people who knew Wayne well, including the actor’s costar Maureen O’Hara and his widow, Pilar Wayne. The result is a well-balanced, highly engaging portrait of a man whose private identity was eventually overshadowed by his screen persona--until he came to represent America itself.
Davis traces Wayne’s story from its beginnings in Winterset, Iowa, to his death in 1979. This is not a story of instant fame: only after a decade in budget westerns did Wayne receive serious consideration, for his performance in John Ford’s 1939 film Stagecoach. From that point on, his skills and popularity grew as he appeared in such classics as Fort Apache, Red River, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Quiet Man, The Searches, The Man who Shot Liberty Valance, and True Grit. A man’s ideal more than a woman’s, Wayne earned his popularity without becoming either a great actor or a sex symbol. In all his films, whatever the character, John Wayne portrayed John Wayne, a persona he created for himself: the tough, gritty loner whose mission was to uphold the frontier’s--and the nation’s--traditional values.
To depict the different facets of Wayne’s life and career, Davis draws on a range of primary and secondary sources, most notably exclusive interviews with the people who knew Wayne well, including the actor’s costar Maureen O’Hara and his widow, Pilar Wayne. The result is a well-balanced, highly engaging portrait of a man whose private identity was eventually overshadowed by his screen persona--until he came to represent America itself.
- GenresBiographyNonfictionFilm
394 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1998
About the author
Ronald L. Davis
53 books3 followersRonald L. Davis is professor of history emeritus at Southern Methodist University (SMU) where he served as director of the university's DeGolyer Institute for American Studies and the Oral History Program.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
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March 18, 2009This appears to be a pretty even-handed biography of perhaps America’s most famous 20th-century icon. I found it interesting and fast paced throughout. You’ll read about John Wayne’s unfortunate childhood in Iowa and California, his parents’ marital problems, his mother’s failure to make him feel loved and appreciated, and his closeness to his father as a result, his aborted football career, and his eventual rise to not merely stardom but to literally representing what America means to tens of millions around the globe. Even today, as we approach the 30th anniversary of his death in June, virtually everyone understands instantly any reference to a John Wayne-type personality. He’s still riding around every classic movie channel you can tune into, and he retains a loyal fan base—a fan base that is younger than I would have thought possible.
You’ll read about his failed marriages and insecurities, his failures as a father and his successes as an actor and conservative spokesman. Despite the machismo for which Wayne is known, the biographer postulates that he was in fact a fragile man who constantly needed the reassurance of others around him that he was loved and appreciated. The book details his pictures, including a solid filmography, and it delves into his personal conflicts when others were fighting in World War II and Wayne was staying home making pictures. You’ll read about his two bouts with cancer and the almost-prophetic final film in which he plays an aging gunfighter dying of cancer. Mercifully enough, the book mentions the tension between his two families by two different wives, but doesn’t delve into it at great length. You’ll see a man of contradictions—a country bumpkin sounding guy who read four newspapers a day and hundreds of books and catalogues. You’ll read about the John Wayne who vehemently spoke out against homosexuality and genuinely liked and appreciated known homosexual Rock Hudson.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I must confess that True Grit, released in 1969, was the all-time favorite movie of my misspent boyhood. It was the perfect film for the aging Wayne, who played a drinking slob of a U.S. marshall named Rooster Cogburn complete with eye patch. I was fascinated to read that the young woman opposite whom Wayne starred in True Grit was, from his perspective, a spoiled brat of a girl. He appears to have gotten along somewhat better with Glenn Campbell, who put his singing career on hold long enough to play a significant part in the movie.
Even if you have only a relatively shallow knowledge of truly great early and mid-20th-century movies, you’ll recognize many of the ones mentioned in this book by plot and name. You’ll read about the making of Stagecoach in 1939, the film that brought Wayne to stardom at long last. Other classics are referenced here such as “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon,” “Fort Apache, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” and a host of others. Indeed, if this book has a failing, it is that the author seems to have focused on the movies almost more than the man. Still, this is an excellent read, and it may prove more than enough for those of you who want a somewhat in-depth look at John Wayne.
You’ll read about his failed marriages and insecurities, his failures as a father and his successes as an actor and conservative spokesman. Despite the machismo for which Wayne is known, the biographer postulates that he was in fact a fragile man who constantly needed the reassurance of others around him that he was loved and appreciated. The book details his pictures, including a solid filmography, and it delves into his personal conflicts when others were fighting in World War II and Wayne was staying home making pictures. You’ll read about his two bouts with cancer and the almost-prophetic final film in which he plays an aging gunfighter dying of cancer. Mercifully enough, the book mentions the tension between his two families by two different wives, but doesn’t delve into it at great length. You’ll see a man of contradictions—a country bumpkin sounding guy who read four newspapers a day and hundreds of books and catalogues. You’ll read about the John Wayne who vehemently spoke out against homosexuality and genuinely liked and appreciated known homosexual Rock Hudson.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I must confess that True Grit, released in 1969, was the all-time favorite movie of my misspent boyhood. It was the perfect film for the aging Wayne, who played a drinking slob of a U.S. marshall named Rooster Cogburn complete with eye patch. I was fascinated to read that the young woman opposite whom Wayne starred in True Grit was, from his perspective, a spoiled brat of a girl. He appears to have gotten along somewhat better with Glenn Campbell, who put his singing career on hold long enough to play a significant part in the movie.
Even if you have only a relatively shallow knowledge of truly great early and mid-20th-century movies, you’ll recognize many of the ones mentioned in this book by plot and name. You’ll read about the making of Stagecoach in 1939, the film that brought Wayne to stardom at long last. Other classics are referenced here such as “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon,” “Fort Apache, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” and a host of others. Indeed, if this book has a failing, it is that the author seems to have focused on the movies almost more than the man. Still, this is an excellent read, and it may prove more than enough for those of you who want a somewhat in-depth look at John Wayne.
March 11, 2012
Good book that looks at John Wayne's life. Author interviewed alot of family and co-stars and put together a pretty comprehensive review of the Duke.
May 9, 2017
Good biography of a larger than life person. Explains his hard work ethic and inner insecurity (one cause was that his mother did not love him at all as a child !) The author had no help with the biography from the older children, but did very well with tons of interviews from Harry Carey, Jr. and many other costars and friends. This book was very worthwhile and even surpassed the earlier biography I'd read, "Shooting Star". He was an icon, even though his politics were quite rigid.
August 28, 2021
Really a 3.5⭐️book….enough interesting information to engage the reader, but the author kept inserting HIS politics into the narrative and condemning Wayne’s.
I’m one thousand percent not interested in Mr. Davis’ opinions.
I’m one thousand percent not interested in Mr. Davis’ opinions.
January 15, 2020
Slow read
January 2, 2016
The cover of this book has John Wayne’s picture on it. I showed the picture to my three teen-aged granddaughters, and as I expected, none of them recognized him. Sad to think that Duke, who used to be not only a super movie star, but was also considered to be the shining embodiment of American courage and integrity, is quickly fading into the mists of history.
This is a good biography of John Wayne, telling of his long hard trek from being a clumsy prop boy into the most popular movie actor of his time. Duke spent many years doing dozens of low grade Westerns learning the movie business. He took a lot of abuse from the director John Ford. At one time Ford told Wayne to “walk instead of skipping like a god-damn fairy”. But Duke and John Ford became good friends.
John Wayne loved making movies, and was a workaholic. He was also nearly an alcoholic – something of a drunk and a brawler. He never drank during the day, but after work he really put it away, and as the author said, considered an occasional “fracas” just part of being a man. His habit of spending an excessive amount of time drinking with his buddies was a major cause of his three marriages cratering.
Many people said that he was a real gentleman, and very helpful to young actors. But he was brutal to anyone who showed up on the set unprepared.
Critics never were able to make up their minds as to whether he was a real actor, or just playing John Wayne. The author seems to think that it took years of careful work for him to become the John Wayne who looked so natural on the screen.
This is a good biography of John Wayne, telling of his long hard trek from being a clumsy prop boy into the most popular movie actor of his time. Duke spent many years doing dozens of low grade Westerns learning the movie business. He took a lot of abuse from the director John Ford. At one time Ford told Wayne to “walk instead of skipping like a god-damn fairy”. But Duke and John Ford became good friends.
John Wayne loved making movies, and was a workaholic. He was also nearly an alcoholic – something of a drunk and a brawler. He never drank during the day, but after work he really put it away, and as the author said, considered an occasional “fracas” just part of being a man. His habit of spending an excessive amount of time drinking with his buddies was a major cause of his three marriages cratering.
Many people said that he was a real gentleman, and very helpful to young actors. But he was brutal to anyone who showed up on the set unprepared.
Critics never were able to make up their minds as to whether he was a real actor, or just playing John Wayne. The author seems to think that it took years of careful work for him to become the John Wayne who looked so natural on the screen.
October 15, 2014
If you are a fan of John Wayne, probably you should pick a different biography. If you like celebrity gossip and harpooning larger-than-life characters to dismiss their greatness due to their other flaws, this will probably be your cup of tea.
The content (life of "Duke" Morrison and the screen character John Wayne) was good enough that not even a poor presentation could completely screw it up. But be ready for this author's style- he doesn't seem to like John Wayne or his ideals and regularly inserts little self-righteous jibes (several times refers to John Wayne's traditional values as "bigotry") that show his intent is to cast John Wayne as a bit of a hypocrite, a man that couldn't manage to live up to his own ideals. The author lauds Wayne's ability as an actor, but kind of allows that as the explanation of why Wayne doesn't life up to his own principles. I feel like the author didn't really understand Duke, although he may have understood John Wayne on a superficial level, since the screen character is primarily about appearance.
The content (life of "Duke" Morrison and the screen character John Wayne) was good enough that not even a poor presentation could completely screw it up. But be ready for this author's style- he doesn't seem to like John Wayne or his ideals and regularly inserts little self-righteous jibes (several times refers to John Wayne's traditional values as "bigotry") that show his intent is to cast John Wayne as a bit of a hypocrite, a man that couldn't manage to live up to his own ideals. The author lauds Wayne's ability as an actor, but kind of allows that as the explanation of why Wayne doesn't life up to his own principles. I feel like the author didn't really understand Duke, although he may have understood John Wayne on a superficial level, since the screen character is primarily about appearance.
June 13, 2018
This is a great book about John Wayne. He did not become famous overnight, he made Westerns for 10 years before really getting noticed. After that he made some classic Westerns and some war movies to support America. My barbers fathers in Kansas took John Wayne out hunting when we had more open land and his picture is on the wall. He admired John Ford and tried to be like him. He worked with him on many movies. He also was teamed with Maureen O'hara and they stayed lifelong friends. He formed his own company Batjac.. He loved Newport Beach where he spent his final days on his boat. He also put his friends Ward Bond and his children in his movies. He has been greatly missed and he will be remebered as a symbol of strenght and a walking embodiement of the American Dream.
August 24, 2016
Easy-to-read informational biography of Wayne with extensive filmography. Not rated higher because the liberal author couldn't help but keep asserting his liberal politics as the "center norm" against which Wayne's politics are "reactionary". Even as far as using that term in a chapter title.
So, too much authorial analysis that takes the reader out of the narrative of Wayne's life and work. Just the facts, please.
So, too much authorial analysis that takes the reader out of the narrative of Wayne's life and work. Just the facts, please.
May 7, 2012
The author says he wants to portray Wayne's significance to the country and culture more than the movies, but he doesn't really do that which suited me fine. It's about the man and the movies--and movies were pretty much all he did. Davis does a good job of portraying a deep guy whose sincerity could disarm just about anybody (except his wives).
February 3, 2015
In depth biography of a great man. Well done.
September 2, 2015
3.5. Nice tribute but not quite what I wanted. Seemed to rely on shock value a little too much.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews