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John Wayne: Movie Icon, American - and Believer By Mindi Johnson
Paramount Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video will join forces to honor John Wayne on May 22 — the week that would have been the actor’s 100th birthday. Paramount has a total of 14 Wayne titles on DVD, highlighted by an all-new Special Collector’s Edition of True Grit and three DVD collections: The JOHN WAYNE CENTURY COLLECTION, The JOHN WAYNE WESTERN COLLECTION, and the JOHN WAYNE ADVENTURE COLLECTION.
Now, I’m an unabashed John Wayne fan. A dangerous statement if you desire to be taken seriously as a film reviewer. However, most film historians grudgingly accept Wayne as one of the grandest personas ever to appear on celluloid. Some even take umbrage with the pronouncement that he could not act. From my research over the years, I’ve discovered that John Wayne was John Wayne. Bigger than life with a Mount Rushmore identity, Wayne was just as brave, tough, generous and patriotic off screen as on. Even political opposites such as Lauren Bacall and Kirk Douglas have paid tribute to the western-movie giant. True, no one has made more dreadful films (Rio Lobo, The Conqueror, Jet Pilot), but, on the other hand, few have given us any more entertaining pictures than True Grit, The Quiet Man, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon or The Searchers.
I suspect an endorsement of John Wayne as my screen hero may not sit well with some. After all, he often ended conflict with gun shots or fisticuffs. Still, as a kid, I learned something about character from the Duke’s movies. Wayne, who never played petty or vindictive on screen, portrayed men who faced down formidable odds, defended the rights of others, showed regard for authority and paid tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Those aren’t bad qualities for a boy to glean from a movie hero.
The man who became the embodiment of the great American western hero was born Marion Michael Morrison in Winterset, Iowa, May 26, 1907. (Fortunately, the nick name “Duke” replaced Marion.) Years later, when the young actor got his first big break (1930’s The Big Trail), the head of Fox Studios rechristened him John Wayne. His legendary career went on to span five decades, boasting several classic performances, including the Oscar-winning Rooster Cogburn in True Grit.
As a kid, I read True Grit by Charles Portis. Even then, I knew no one could play Marshall Rooster J. Cogburn, but John Wayne. And for years I have excitedly awaited the arrival of a “making-of” commentary. At last, it’s here. TRUE GRIT: SPECIAL COLLECTOR’S EDITION includes a commentary and several fun featurettes.
Along with being a movie icon, Wayne was a vocal Republican, even during the late ‘60s and early ‘70s when such a demonstrative conservative proclamation could have threatened his boxoffice championship. Though he did not serve in the military, he was always an exalter of the flag, his war movies and USO trips into harm’s way making him a patriotic symbol. There is also evidence suggesting he was a Christian. Indeed, there are many examples of him reverencing the Creator and acknowledging Jesus as the Son of God.
First off, he never denied God’s authority in his movies. Even toward the end of his career when rating codes had slackened, enabling movie stars to profane God’s name on screen, he never did. And in several films including 3 Godfathers, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, Operation Pacific, The Cowboys, Chisum, he was either seen leading others in prayer or discussing God’s authority. What’s more, on the first day of filming The Alamo, Wayne who produced, directed and starred in the picture, had a minister on the set to pray over the production, the prayer ending in Jesus’ name.
On a segment of The Dean Martin Show in the mid-1960s, Wayne made a point of letting the audience know he would make sure his newly born daughter would grow up guided by the Psalms and the Lord’s Prayer.
In the early ‘70s, a televised interview showed Wayne gathered with his family at meal time, Duke’s youngest saying grace – ending it in Jesus’ name. I remember thinking as I viewed Wayne bowing in prayer, “Yeah, we’ll see him up there.”
Certainly, it would be naive to think we know a man by his carefully protected public image, but an acknowledgement of God must have been important to him for some reason. And since he didn’t need to be reverential in order to maintain celebrity, I assume these displays were motivated by other judgments. I can’t bring to mind any of today’s movie stars volunteering such reverential beliefs either on film or in interviews – not even those who proclaim to be weekly churchgoers.
Yeah, we’ll see him up there.
Phil Boatwright celebrates his 20th year as a film reviewer. Presently he reviews for the free website, previewonline.org.
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