And don’t forget that incredible one, The Quiet Man, with the incredible Maureen O’hara. Hilarious, touching, dramatic and thought provoking through and through.
Speaking of Rio Bravo have you noticed how often the Duke’s movies had pop singers as semi-major characters: Ricky Nelson, Fabian, Glen Campbell? Roles later frequently played by one of his sons.
I believe the pop stars were the studio’s idea - not Wayne’s or his directors. In the case of Ricky Nelson, it did produce a really pretty little folk song and the theme from True Grit isn’t bad either.