Posted on 01/26/2006 8:08:23 AM PST by areafiftyone
The latest poll is not good for the Democrats. I am not talking here of the one showing George Bush's approval rating inching up. I'm talking about the recently released Harris Poll showing John Wayne, one of the most popular movie stars of 2005. The one thing he and the Democratic Party have in common is that they are both dead.
Wayne was the quintessential anti-Democrat. Everything he stood for - from support for the Vietnam War to antipathy to the '60s and '70s counterculture - was in consonance with GOP positions. More important, though, his iconic man-on-horseback image has been adopted by virtually the entire Republican Party.
The Harris people tell us that Wayne, tied for third with Harrison Ford, is a particular favorite of men. Tom Hanks (No. 1 two years in a row) is beloved by women, and both Wayne and Hanks are the choice of conservatives. (Liberals chose Johnny Depp).
Wayne personifies the gender gap, the virtually habitual way white men vote Republican. There are many reasons for this - Democratic feminism, affirmative action, etc. - but one of them surely is that the John Wayne-style of the GOP appeals to the cowboy in most men. Even I, Eastern dude that I be, would rather follow the Duke than, say, Johnny Depp. Sorry, my man, but that's the way it is.
Back when I met Wayne, he was a dated, pro-war caricature. It was 1977 and the Duke had somehow been invited to Jimmy Carter's preinaugural gala at the Kennedy Center. When he was through addressing the crowd, he walked right at me, looming as huge and formidable as he seemed on the screen. John Wayne did not play in Westerns. John Wayne was a Western. (Actually, he hated horses and never rode if he could possibly avoid it.)
Since that night, Ronald Reagan has come and gone. Now we have another Wayne in the White House, another rancher who doesn't ranch, a cowboy who doesn't ride.
No matter. George Bush shed his family's Eastern ways just as surely as Wayne did his prosaic Iowa upbringing as Marion Morrison, son of Clyde the pharmacist.
You can scan the length and breadth of the Democratic Party and not find any breadth, and no Wayne figure either. None of the Democratic leaders seems to have what it takes to appeal to white male voters. But if you should happen to be in room 241 of the Russell Senate Office Building, you'll find Wayne galore: pictures of John McCain in various Arizona settings. He's a twofer - a military hero and a Westerner. Democrats, beware.
Okay, Bill Clinton won twice and he ain't no cowboy. So it can be done. But in the Harris Poll, Wayne's ahead of Julia Roberts, Clint Eastwood, Mel Gibson, George Clooney, Sean Connery and Sandra Bullock. Democrats take note. The Duke is still king.
Originally published on January 25, 2006
Ben Johnson, Jr:
"Everybody in town's a better actor than I am, but none of them can play Ben Johnson."
But I do not know how long he lived in Hollywood.
Check my tagline...
We're not talking about Marion Morrison, Hollywood actor.
http://www.jwplace.com/facts.html
According to the Von Hoffman brothers (`Big Damn Book of Sheer Manliness') Morrison hated blue jeans and horses . . . if someone yelled out John he didn't turn around. He responded to `Duke' or "John Wayne".
So we're (or I'm) not talking about `Hollyweird, `06', but about Old Glory and-------John Wayne.
LOL you are so right about The Searchers, and your reference, check post # 46.
Also, see this review of Wayne's performance.
http://www.libertyfilmfestival.com/libertas/index.php?p=1009#postcomment
Excellent review of the movie here.
http://www.filmsite.org/sear.html
I'm not amazed at all. John Wayne, while not flawless (but,who among us are?) was one hell of a guy.They don't make 'em like that anymore.Makes me wanna cry,when I see how feminized the male gender has become.I sure am crazy about a rough-hewn,no-nonsense,American-loving guy,and John certainly was that-and so was Mr.Reagan. I sure miss them both.
I thought Clint Eastwood would be the inheritor of Wayne's legacy but he just threw it away making "I want to be apart of the Hollyweird community" friendly films.
The tone of this thread is "fun" with a great American idol. I know the difference between fantasy and reality, and that is exactly why I sometimes ignore reality. As do many others. What I don't understand is why some overly stiff people always have to PEE on someone elses parade. John Wayne is and always will be a real live cowboy to many conservatives.
I was just doing some quick research on John Wayne......
Is it true he didn't serve in the military?
Agree! I have his photo on my wall.
"John Wayne" is an American hero as well as icon.
But I would disassociate him from Hollywood today: I suspect if he were 24 years old today, he'd do something else for a living.
Agreed. Clint mellowed in his later years.
But,DAMN! I still like me some Harry Callahan!! LOL
I liked the "Every Which Way" series of movies too, but I think Clint was tailor-made for those Dirty Harry movies.
I thought John Wayne made a much better cowboy that a cop,and Clint made a much better cop than a cowboy.Just my personal observation.
Thanks for the trivia. I didn't know about Olive. "The Searchers" is my favorite Duke flick.
The Searchers?
Military hero? How is a POW classified in the same ranks as an Audey Murphy or George Patton? He got shot down his first flight out, and since he has a habit of selling out his party, no telling who he sold out under Viet Cong torture. Hero my @ss!
Wayne was great in McQ!
Yes.
You get it, to bad newcats is so blind.
Kevin Costner's role in 'Open Range' and Clint Eastwood's role in 'Unforgiven' in some ways remind me of this. But the depth isn't there; at least on display as it is in 'The Searchers'.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.