Regards,
Nathan Bedford Forrest
Posted on 02/11/2023 10:20:49 PM PST by Saije
John Wayne is a Hollywood icon with a presence so dominating, he defined two different American film genres: westerns and war films. While Hollywood's golden age may have produced better actors, few approached the charisma or screen presence of Wayne, who was the embodiment of America and masculinity on movie and television screens for nearly half a century.
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Of the more than 150 films Wayne made in his career, just over a dozen of them are non-western war films. Yet, he remains a war movie icon, because most of those films were box office hits and classic movies that still stand out more than 40 years after his death. Let's take a look at the 10 best war films from The Duke, with many available to stream online or purchase on physical disc.
5. The Longest Day
A number of film buffs don't consider The Longest Day a John Wayne film, as they call his role a glorified cameo. It's a valid argument, as the film is an ensemble piece featuring over two dozen high-profile stars, including Henry Fonda, Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum, Sean Connery, Red Buttons, Robert Ryan, Roddy McDowell, and Peter Lawford. His screen time is limited, although it is one of the larger roles in the film, which chronicles the D-Day invasion from both sides of the conflict. His presence in the film, however, is pivotal, evidenced by his separate listing in the film's credits (as "and John Wayne").
Although The Longest Day romanticizes war at times, the film is excellent overall, with nice attention to the historic details. All the actors get a chance to shine, with Burton in particular getting some great scenes. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It won two, for Best Cinematography and Best Special Effects.
(Excerpt) Read more at movieweb.com ...
Though Wayne grew up riding his mare Jenny to school and made much of his career from atop a horse he was once interviewed and had this to say about horses.
“I’ve never really liked horses.”
Perhaps not, but horses were integral to his success as an actor and part of his personal life as well. Wayne owned a ranch and was an avid rider who taught his children to ride. Horses certainly had a significance throughout his lifetime, from Jenny to Dollor. Or is it Dollar?
The family mare, Jenny, carried young Marion Michael Morrison to school every day in Lancaster, California. By the time Marion Morrison became John Wayne, he was an experienced rider who once said that riding a horse “came as naturally to me as breathing.”
“He was surprisingly skilled, considering his size. For a big guy, he looks graceful on a horse,” Petrine Day Mitchum, author of the book Hollywood Hoofbeats says. “But he also had the advantage of working with Yakima Canutt, the famous stuntman, who gave him a lot of coaching.”
Here is another
In the most recent Wayne biography, a very good one, the author found Wayne was riding a horse daily from their small, poor farm to school and about as his primary transportation. His first work in the movies was as a stuntman and extra (i.e. “guy in the posse”, “guy in the saloon”) in the westerns mostly.
Stuntmen particularly had to be skillful riders as they were falling from horses frequently for “hero shot me”, “hero outrode me through rough terrain”, etc. in dramatic ways that frequently killed horses and not infrequently killed or busted up the stuntmen too
This one addresses the left’s myth about Wayne and horses.
John Wayne hated horses.
“After starring in more than 80 westerns, and owning a ranch, and riding a horse to school as a child, this is another hard to believe myth, and yet there are those who readily believe it. In fact, it has actually made it into print, albeit into a rather biased book titled “John Wayne’s America, the Politics of Celebrity” by Garry Wills, and reiterated by Wills during a PBS Newshour interview with him by David Gergen. Here’s a snippet:
DAVID GERGEN: And yet in the end the idea of John Wayne was really a myth. You say that he hated horses, a man—
GARRY WILLS: Hated horses. Never rode except on the set, and never rode when he didn’t have to.
Now, while it is true that Wayne once told an interviewer that he did not especially enjoy riding horses, and generally didn’t unless it was necessary, this does not mean he hated horses. Nor did it mean that he was a poor horseman as some have suggested. In fact, the reverse is true and there is ample evidence to support this. Not only can John Wayne be seen riding horses in his 80+ western films, but he can also be seen riding horses in home movies taken at his Arizona ranch. John Wayne’s son Patrick once said, ““He was a terrific horseman. In Big Jake (1971) there is a scene at the beginning when the characters are introduced. Chris Mitchum rides a motorcycle into the scene and Dad is on a horse and it rears up and throws him. Later in film there is a chase and as they are passing by a bar a guy gets thrown out into street. Dad is riding a horse and the horse gets spooked and goes sideways. Dad stayed with it and stayed in the saddle, even though it was going sideways for ten feet, just an amazing display of horsemanship. It was all caught on film, but it had to be cut because it was inconsistent with the opening scene. A guy who could ride like that could never be thrown like he was thrown in the opening scene.”
In addition, although John Wayne was not a “real” cowboy (as has been pointed out by many), he was not a complete novice when it came to cowboy work. In an interview with Wayne, he once related, “I was hired on as an assistant for a George O’Brien western (I was actually hired as an actor but it was understood I would act as an Assistant – a scrounger, today they would call them a location manager). One of my jobs was to get 400 head of cattle into Blue Canyon which was 150 miles from any paved road. A preacher who had a little church on the Hopi reservation agreed to help me gather them. In gathering those cattle, we horsebacked into Monument Valley. … It was during the making of this picture, in which I was assistant as well as riding in the posse, that I personally rode through Monument Valley.” The film was 1930’s Lone Star Ranger. [Tim Lilley, The Big Trail, Vol VI, No 1, June 1989]
What this proves is, that not only did John Wayne visit Monument Valley long before John Ford had (thus debunking the myths that Harry Goulding told Ford about the valley, or that Ford had “discovered” it), but that he was herding cattle by horseback, and if that isn’t cowboyin’ then I don’t know what is.
So he may not have been a “real” cowboy as far as his chosen career path, but he was a real cowboy in every sense of the word.
So where do these myths about John Wayne come from? Well, primarily from two different sources. The first is that they are perpetuated by ignorant people who have never let the truth of any matter come in the way of perpetuating a damaging hateful lie.”
http://dukefanclub.blogspot.com/2012/03/clearing-up-some-misconceptions-about.html
Yet Wayne was not just a good and legendary actor but also a genuinely good person. When Dennis Hopper's career withered because of drug use and insolent behavior on set, Wayne gave him a fresh chance in True Grit -- and closely checked that Hopper was on time every day and ready to perform. Wayne also teased Hopper for his Lefty views, referring to him at times as "that little pinko." The passage of years (and perhaps Wayne's influence) eventually made Hopper into a conservative.
A friend of mine, John Smith (his real name) once met John Wayne under unusual circumstances. At a hotel in Miami, John Smith chanced to meet Frenchy, an old friend who had made a fortune as an oil wildcatter. John learned that Frenchy had just buried his beloved wife of many years. As the two commiserated, Wayne passed in the hallway and, recognizing Frenchy's voice, popped his head in through a door that was slightly ajar.
Under those circumstances, most of us would make short, polite condolences to an old friend and then excuse ourselves. Not Wayne. Invited in, he stayed for many hours. Over room service dinners and many drinks, the three shared stories of the departed and of love, loss, and better times. Most of all, Wayne conveyed to his old friend an Irishman's confidence that tears are for this world and that those we lose here go to eternal glory to await us.
As my friend John Smith explained it, Wayne did not leave until Frenchy was cried out and ready to face life alone.
While not exclusively a war movie, I think maybe “Legends of the Fall” portrayed that brutality of war pretty accurately. Another that comes to mind is the (1981?) remake of “The Razor’s Edge”.
John Wayne could ride. He wasn’t a show rider who followed “rules of equitation”, but IMHO many of those rules are total bunk. He rode like a good trail rider.
A friend of mine is a rancher. Now semi-retired. He prefers trucks to horses and would use an ATV if he could. But his work required him to ride daily for years, often 50+ miles a day. He’s not sentimental about horses, but there is a photo on the wall of his favorite horse - a stallion who he said would do 50+ miles a day for a week straight and be fresh and ready to go on day 8. It is framed by hair from the horse’s mane and he’ll gladly tell stories about the horse.
But he doesn’t “like” horses. Not the way a 14 year old suburban girl does. They are “tools” - but he knows all their names, knows all their breeding going back 30 years, and has ridden all of them. His sons estimated once that their Dad had ridden at least 50,000 miles in his life.
And if you asked him to go riding for fun, he’d think you were nuts. But when this suburban retired old guy who rides horses for fun needs advice, I give him a call!
I suspect that the image not loaded is his signature closing portrait of General Bedford, akin to your “regards,”
Morning coffee. The German was carrying morning coffee to the beach gunners.
Is that the movie where they using PT Boats?
A writeup of this subject which ranks In Harm’s Way number 4 and Operation Pacific as number 9 is hogwash.
Wayne was much better in his other movies. The Longest Day is a great movie but Wayne wasn’t up to par. My favorite WW II Wayne movie was “In Harms Way”.
Good point and I agree.
My favorite WW II Wayne movie is “In Harms Way”. He was the perfect age for the part. Great cast, too.
In Harms Way is my favorite Wayne WW II movie. Great cast, too.
“They Were Expendable (1945) is a terrific film on many levels. The fact that it is a “war movie” is practically irrelevant. It is just a flat out good movie. Of course it helps to like director John Ford’s style. Many remember his greatest movie The Searchers.”
From IMDB.com: During production, John Ford had put John Wayne down every chance he got, because Wayne had not enlisted to fight in World War II. Ford commanded a naval photographic unit during the war, rising to the rank of captain and thought Wayne a coward for staying behind. After months of Ford heaping insults on Wayne’s head, co-star Robert Montgomery finally approached the director and told him that if he was putting Wayne down for Montgomery’s benefit (Montgomery had also served as a naval officer in the war), then he needed to stop immediately. This brought the tough-as-nails director to tears and he stopped abusing Wayne.
Regards,
Nathan Bedford Forrest
#8 That was a story about Vietnam. I do not believe it happened. I believe the communists had that put in print to disparage John Wayne just like when the union that was trying to unionize Disney in the 1930’s falsely accused Walt Disney of being a pedophile. Look at the lies the ‘liberals’ say everyday about Trump and America.
The account of Wayne being booed was by WW II Marine and later author William Manchester and was based on personal experience.
He was also a liberal who supported John and Robert Kennedy so it makes me think he did not like John Wayne as he was a conservative.
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