John Wayne Movies

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I assign The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance for an upper division course I teach because of its Lockean message and political themes. Lately, I have classes of students who have NEVER seen a John Wayne move or who have never even heard of John Wayne (or John Ford for that matter)… What do you think of this? And, what do you think of John Wayne?
 
PoliSciProf said:
I assign The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance for an upper division course I teach because of its Lockean message and political themes. Lately, I have classes of students who have NEVER seen a John Wayne move or who have never even heard of John Wayne (or John Ford for that matter)… What do you think of this? And, what do you think of John Wayne?
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My husband would tell you that is his favorite movie and has always been.

I am trying to see what he sees in it, but I can’t. My dad made us watch them with him as kids, and um, I was not interested at 4 years old, and would have rather done anything else than that.

Hey, I was a kid then and it scared me. But, I am interested now in it.

My preschooler watches Maverick and can sing the theme song, and Paladin, and she likes it. Because no one forced her to.

I bet she will love John Wayne.
 
Some of his movies were good but he was also in quite a few flops. I do give credit to Hollywood marketers of the time to craft a quasi-mythical god-like image in many peoples’ minds.

I view his overall career as overrated but it is also a sign of the times where the youth have not even seen any movies in reruns or evening cable changing channels.
 
PoliSciProf said:
I assign The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance for an upper division course I teach because of its Lockean message and political themes. Lately, I have classes of students who have NEVER seen a John Wayne move or who have never even heard of John Wayne (or John Ford for that matter)… What do you think of this? And, what do you think of John Wayne?
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Shameful. A great American that I almost got to do a movie with but he took sick. 😦
 
I was a big fan of the Quiet Man but I’ve watched a lot of his movies and they’re all pretty good.
 
Leopard said:
I still am. “He’ll regret it till his dying day, if ever he lives that long…”
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:rotfl: :rotfl: I love that line & The Quiet Man is one of my favorite movies! I think I have seen every one of John Wayne’s movies because my Dear Mother, may she rest in peace, was his greatest fan! She loved “The Duke,” and I’m pretty fond of him, too!
 
I’m a “Quiet Man” fan, too! I love the fight scene. I don’t think there’s a better one in any manly film ever made.

I especially loved the older priest telling the younger priest it was his duty to stop the fight all the while he was cheering on the fighters. Priceless!

And he and O’Hara’s first kiss. Wow! It still makes me weak in the knees!

That film had it all: humor, charm, a great story, fun, and some serious issues too. Great film–a real classic.
 
I have vague memories of having seen probably several John Wayne movies when I was a kid - and none since. I suppose he must be skilled, but I don’t pay a lot of attention to actors. I presume the Prof assigns The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance because of its plot & themes, not because it has a great actor, right? The ID of the actor is not really the point of a movie.

I don’t know if my kids know anything about John Wayne, so what? I’m more concerned that they know some good authors.
 
I love John Wayne and think that he is a fine actor. Like so many here, The Quiet Man is my favorite John Wayne movie, but I have enjoyed many others.
 
And “The Searchers”–what a film that is! What a searing performance he gave. John Wayne at his finest, IMHO.
 
Della said:
I’m a “Quiet Man” fan, too! I love the fight scene. I don’t think there’s a better one in any manly film ever made.

I especially loved the older priest telling the younger priest it was his duty to stop the fight all the while he was cheering on the fighters. Priceless!

And he and O’Hara’s first kiss. Wow! It still makes me weak in the knees!

That film had it all: humor, charm, a great story, fun, and some serious issues too. Great film–a real classic.
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Dittos on everything you said, including that kiss:love: :blushing: !!
 
Chovy said:
I was a big fan of the Quiet Man but I’ve watched a lot of his movies and they’re all pretty good.
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My daughters first experience of a JW movie was McClintock which they really enjoyed. Strange to say they heartily approved of the spanking scenes. :rotfl:

I like Cowboys, too
 
I’m probably the only person on the planet whose favorite John Wayne movie was “The Shootist.” 🤷

Sorry, but to me, he’s just another actor. I’m not really “for” or “against” him. My FIL likes him a lot, though.
 
Ah John Wayne! To me the image of the TRUE American.
Strong, tough, good heart and integrity! My favorite movies with him are:
“The man who shot Liberty Valance!”
“The Quiet Man”
“Red River”
“She wore a yellow ribbon”
“Rio Grande”
“The Searchers”
He did excellent work.
Did you guys know that it was Maureen O’Hara who fought for him to get the “Congressional Medal of Honor”. I believe he did get it.👍
 
I love the (urban legend?) story of John Wayne in the movie “The Greatest Story Ever Told”. Wayne (as the centurion) delivered the line at the Crucifixion, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” Director George Stevens asked him to try the line again and put some awe into it.
With typical Duke phrasing, Wayne drawled, “Awww, surely this man was the Son of God!”

Gotta love it!
 
maria_rose said:
Did you guys know that it was Maureen O’Hara who fought for him to get the “Congressional Medal of Honor”. I believe he did get it.👍
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Sorry, but I’ve to clear up a misconception.

John Wayne did get a medal from Congress, but not the Medal of Honor. Other people have also been honored by Congress with medals, such as George M. Cohan, but none of these were THE Medal of Honor.

The Medal of Honor (often mistakenly called the Congressional Medal of Honor) is awarded in the name of Congress to military personnel for outstanding bravery in combat. Most of the Medal’s that have been awarded have been awarded posthumously–for acts of bravery that resulted in the recipient’s death.
 
Wow…I’m a little embarrased to admit I think I’ve seen one John Wayne movie. “The Shootist”. And that was partially because my father made me watch it when I was in my teens. I’m just not a western person, I’ve only seen a handful and it just doesn’t do it for me, though I have seen a few that were very good. (“Dances With Wolves” anyone?)

Is it true that John Wayne got his nickname “The Duke” from the horse he used in his movies? Breyer model horses (I’m a collector) has just issued a model of Duke, and this story is floating around model horse land currently.
 
I had the good fortune to meet Marion Michael Morrison (John Wayne) before he died. He was a big, friendly, jovial person who seemed at times to be a little shy. Even in life, he seemed “bigger than life”. As an actor, he was so-so.
 
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