THE WESTERN JOHN WAYNE

Raised in: Born in Winterset, Iowa, his family moved when he was a boy to California. At Glendale High he played on the football team. Chances for a scholarship at USC and an athletic career vanished when he suffered a body surfing accident. To pay for his schooling he got work at the studios.

Western Awards: From 1961 to 1964 he received an Oscar nomination, four consecutive Golden Laurel Awards and three Bronze Wranglers for his westerns. These films were The Alamo (1961), The Comancheros (1962), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1963) and McLintock! (1964). It was in True Grit (1969) that he won his first Best Actor Oscar along with a Golden Globe, Golden Laurel Award and a Bronze Wrangler. On Chisum (1970) he received a final Golden Laurel Award. In 1996 and again in 2007 he was awarded The Golden Boot Award.

Interesting Western Fact: Wayne, along with his friend Louis Johnson, owned a purebred Hereford cattle ranch in Arizona that spanned over thirty-nine miles.

My Favorite Western: Big Jake (1971). There are a few aspects to this film that make it a personal favorite. One is the name of the title. Sharing the same name I found my name even more interesting as I watched this when I was young. Another thing I like is the pairing up of Wayne and a couple of his kids. The chemistry is already there.

John Wayne: I want to play a real man in all my films, and I define manhood simply: men should be tough, fair, and courageous, never petty, never looking for a fight, but never backing down from one either.

Before I talk about Wayne as a western movie star, I would like to say something about the collage picture above. As I began the concept of having all his western in one picture, I quickly became overwhelmed. Did you know he made over eighty westerns? Interestingly enough, most of them were prior to 1940. Each of those early films, however, where duplicated in story line, while the only thing changing was his characters name. Anyways, as I gathered all the pictures of my favorite westerns together, the collage program I use would not allow me to have more than thirty pictures. This is my explanation for why a few of the classics may be missing above.

Wayne and the West are inseparable terms. In fact, many try and avoid listing his films as favorites, in order to avoid the cliches. He is not only the definition of a cowboy, he is the definition of a man. Surprisingly enough, he has stated that most of his western mannerisms did not come natural to him. In truth, he actually thought many of them up; such as the squinted eye, waddle walk and even his drawl.

His character was always more of a hero than a saint. He took care of business, though he stepped on a couple toes in the process. He was always breaking the rules but never pushing the envelope. His presence demanded your attention, even if his dialogue didn't. His words were pointed and often witty and these same lines would forever be imitated. His humilty spoke louder than his fists making him one of the most admired men in our age. Wayne was the first American of the western screen. He brought with him the flag, the idea, and the feeling of what it meant to live in this country.

A few scenes and comments from The Alamo (1961).

Here he is winning his first and only Oscar. Try watching this

without tearing up. My favorite part is when you see him holding

his wifes hand, moments before it was announced.

BIG JAKE (1971)

Studio: Batjac Productions

Producer: Michael Wayne

Director: George Sherman

Music: Elmer Bernstein

Release Date: 26 May 1971

Awards: None.

Origination: The screenplay was written by the famous couple, Harry Julian Fink and Rita M. Fink. The original title was The Million Dollar Kidnapping.

Interesting Fact: This was the final film where Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne starred together. Also the grandson in this film is the actual son of John Wayne, Ethan Wayne.

Jake McCandles: You can call me Father, you can call me Jacob, you can call me Jake. You can call me a dirty son-of-a-b****, but if you EVER call me Daddy again, I'll finish this fight.

This movie sure brings back many memories that I had as a boy. I always liked my first name, but this movie made it sound tougher. Probably what makes this movie so enjoyable is the pairing of real life father and son John & Pat in this film. It makes each cutting remark from Dad even more realistic as does the sons responses. This film was a little darker than the westerns of the past, but the soft humor of Wayne rounded it out.

I must say that the performance of Richard Boone as a villain was frighteningly well done. Wayne and Boone had been in a few other films together but never as polar opposites like this. Another addition that is note worthy is Bruce Cabot's as Sam the Indian. He brought a more realistic touch to this era, when the west was changing.

This had always been my favorite western, until it was replaced by The Big Country (1958) recently. Wayne always seemed in charge and if things ever got too tough he would just yell, "Dog!." What a fantastic classic!

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MOVIE?

TOP TEN WESTERNS

Instead of listing my number one film at first, I've decided to go backwards and and post on my top film last. Now the list below may be depressing to some western fans out their, but there is a reason a few popular films may be missing. I would love to list films like High Noon (1952), The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) and others, but with all honestly I can't. This is not because I don't like them, but for the simple fact that I haven't even seen them yet.

Another film which I've also not seen is Stagecoach (1939). With all the research I have done on old films, this one continuously pops up as the number one western. Even members of the Wayne family have confessed this as their favorite film on the West. It's been said that it has all of the elements of a western and has never been matched since.

So here they are, my top ten favorite westerns:

#10: They Died with their Boots On (1941)

Though Errol Flynn was more of a romantic actor, he held his own in many an epic film. This one stands out to me more than other westerns for its historical background. When I watched it for the first time, it was like Batman Begins, I kept saying to myself, "This isn't a western." Then suddenly at the end you know whats going to happen and you just wish this once that it wouldn't.

#9: The Treasure of Sierra Madre (1948)

Whoever thought that Bogart could only do romance and gangster films is proved terribly wrong in this film. Not only can he do western, he can pull off a demented soul better than most. I just happened to catch this one on TMC and was glued since the beginning. I later found it on sale for $5 at Wal-mart and snatched it up. This film is also a favorite for the fact that it stars Walter Huston. His performance in this film won him an Oscar over Bogart. Walter won the Oscar along side his son who directed the film, John Huston. This was the first ever father-son victory at the Oscars.

#8: The Searchers (1956)

This is an obvious classic of western films. The struggle and eventual triumph portrayed by Wayne is as inspiring as it is saddening. One thing that may have not been noticed by the naked eye is Ford's focus on the family. Ford, himself, grew up in a troubled home and as a film director he tried to emphasize the power that the family can have on an individual. In the begging shots of this film we see the reunion of a family after the war. At the end, the theme returns as the family is once again reunited together. What a powerful story!

#7: True Grit (1969)

Who would of thought that the only Oscar Wayne would win was when he played a fat one-eyed Marshal. Maybe since it was so different from his other characters that it took everyone by surprise. This is one of the films that I watched over and over as a kid. It took me awhile to put together the fact that the Ranger was John Campbell the singer. I feel that the remake has done a fine job of paying tribute to this film and yet kept it's own stamp of individuality. This is a true classic.

#6: The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)

Martin and Wayne where in a few westerns together and you would of never thought a team-up like this would have worked out so well. Once when Wayne appeared on Martin's show, Wayne asked if he would join him in other films. Martin quickly replied that he couldn't, since he found it difficult to read the cue cards while riding a horse. All-in-all this is a beautiful story of the aspect of each child in a family and the roles they play in life.

#5: Shane (1953)

I just watched this film for the first time last week. I found it in the $5 bin at Wal-mart. I was told by a friend of mine that this was their favorite western. I never watched it as a kid and I had thought that I had seen all there was to see about the West as portrayed by Hollywood. Man, was I in for a surprise. Shane is the perfect hero who is idealized by an honest small boy. Through the boy's eyes you see violence in its truly ugly form and the struggle Shane has to avoid it. This is a must see!

#4: El Dorado (1966)

This storyline has been done once before in Rio Bravo (1959). I like the Robert Mitchum version over the Dean Martin one. With Wayne & Mitchum as the leads this film is a very popular classic. I also enjoy the addition of James Caan. My wife couldn't believe he was the same guy in Elf. Another thing I like about this film is Mississippi's long name. With a long name myself, I find the scenes, in which he is asked to recite it, very accurate.

#3: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

This film has two of my favorite cowboys; John Wayne & Jimmy Stewart. Though Stewart is a struggling lawyer instead of sturdy gunslinger like Wayne you find the opposites entertaining. This film teaches courage and devotion. An incident surrounding this film is something I wish to mention. Stewart received his first roast from Ford during this picture, as Ford was known for his searching questions that he would then turn on his victim in front of the whole cast. In this particular moment, Stewart admitted that the character, played by Woody Strode, looked a little "Uncle Remusey." With that, Ford stopped production and announced Stewart as Anti-Negro to the cast. Wayne, who was often the brunt of such pranks, beamed from ear to ear at that moment.



#2: Big Jake (1971)

This film used to always be my favorite western. This was partly for the fact that I share the same first name as the main character. I also love the pairing of John and Pat as father and son on the screen. One of my favorite lines, comes from the scene where Pat calls him Daddy. This film also has a great historical aspect of the end to the west with the invention of the horseless carriage. The villains are treacherous and the hero is questionable, just the way I like it. All-in-all I have became even more proud of my name as I watched this film as a kid.

#1: The Big Country (1958)

The first time I watched this film, I was blown away! This film teaches so much about life in general that it has become one of my favorite inspirational films as well. Here you have the classic Gregory Peck, with his usual quite character set in the wild frontier of Texas in between an even wilder war of families. It's up to him to solve the problems in a peaceful way and yet still keep his honor. This picture also taught me a thing or two about humility & pride and what it means to be a real man. If you haven't seen this movie you must!

Well there you have it, my top ten westerns. I hope to hear from any readers out there about your favorite films of the west and I encourage you to advise me to watch ones that you've treasured.