"John Wayne was a great institution and person, but not much of an actor."
I disagree with you. Wayne was masterful at delivering the quip at the right moment.
I don't recall the movie, but he and Rock Hudson rode out on horseback to parlay with a gang of villians about to attack a wagon train.
They're talking, the parlay isn't going well so Wayne pulls out his revolver and shoots the bad guy. They ride back with the gang right behind them shooting at the wagon train.
All these bandits are attacking and this woman is standing there holding a rifle. She asks why he shot the bad guy. He says: "Well, ma'am, we just ran out of things to talk about."
Maybe I just like well-delivered quips.
That movie was called the Defeated I think. Its one of the only two John Wayne movies I dont like. Cant stand to see Rock Hudson trying to act like a man when he was a Poofer.
The other movie I dont like is True Grit. The acting of Glen Campbell was so bad it destroyed the whole film. Actually it wasn acting , he just read some lines and read them badly. It was a disgrace that Wayne got an Oscar for that movie when he made so many in which he was deserving.
His last movie the Shootist was one of the best he ever made and he knew it was his last when he was making it. It took courage to make that movie when it portrayed a dying man and he was dying himself.
John Wayne made many movies where he had to carry the incompetence of actors who couldnt act. He did a good job in them all , but those particular movies I couldnt overlook the incompetence of those acting with him.