Smash Cut Culture seems to be down for the count, alas, but this being Texas Independence Day, I thought it was as good a time as any to repost the first article I wrote for them, which went live on July 4, 2014.

“Never trust a man who doesn’t like John Wayne,” said the anonymous comment on Big Hollywood several years ago, perhaps the best advice I’ve ever seen on a blog comment forum. That in itself is good evidence for the way The Duke’s legacy endures. That legacy isn’t limited just to...