John Wayne: A tribute

by Norm Goldstein

John Wayne, a towering giant of a man, was one of those rare individuals who became a legend in his own time--a symbol of American decency, vitality, and determination; liked and admired even by those who did not always agree with him. Here is a pictorial tribute to the Duke, tracing his personal and professional life from assistant prop man to No. 1 box office star. The book is rich in anecdotes and information about his experiences on and of the set during a career that spanned half a century and included more than 150 films. A wealth of pictures from Associated Press collection take readers behind the scenes for fascinating glimpses of John Wayne at work and play--action shots from many of his most popular movies, candid shots of the Duke relaxing with friends, intimate photos of Wayne with his family. This handsome visual record of John Wayne's life capture the unique spirit of the man, providing a fitting memento for his many admirers.

159 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[Jerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells Wayne’s story as much through photos as through text, and while they’re all black and white they do not skimp on the size. Many are full-page photos and some—usually chapter headings—are two-page spreads.

He was America’s No. 1 box office lure in 1950 for the first of several times, and twenty years later he accepted his first Oscar as Best Actor. His films have earned more than half-a-billion dollars; at last count, seventeen of the one hundred biggest box-office attracts are “John Wayne movies.”

Many of the photos are from his movies, and this book added three Wayne movies to my short list of movies I need to watch. Two of them should have already been on it: I have never seen Fort Apache or Stagecoach. The other is Legend of the Lost, in which his costar is Sophia Loren.

It also made me want to watch True Grit again, but that’s not difficult to do.

Goldstein covers his movie life from his first non bit-part movie, the Raoul Walsh-directed The Big Trail, which also included the origin of his screen name. (Because “Morrison… Sounds like a circuit preacher.”)

His personal life is mostly ignored, although in Goldstein’s defense this is about John Wayne, not Marion Morrison—I don’t think his real first name appears anywhere, just that his nickname of “Duke” came from his football days and survived his transition to a screen name.

For example, when he married Esperanza, Goldstein mentions that “Duke’s mother, then Mrs. Sidney Preen, gave a wedding reception.” and then, parenthetically, that “His father had died of a heart attack eight years earlier.” The parenthetical was necessary because that fact hadn’t been mentioned before, and an explanation is thus necessary for why Wayne’s mother isn’t Mrs. Morrison.

Goldstein does cover his health issues, but (a) that’s mainly because it’s how John Wayne died, and (b) it showed how much John Wayne’s fans cared for him. His ankle injury on one early movie is mentioned in passing; and that’s probably partly because it comes up again when he tried to enlist during World War II.

As a history of John Wayne and movies that were pivotal in his career, this is a great book. And some of the photos are phenomenal. Whether they’re chosen from movie stills or are photographs, whoever chose or took them did a great job.

There’s also a list of each of his movies, with a short blurb, in the back, starting with Mother Machree (“John Wayne is an unbilled extra in a story about an Irish mother in America and her son.”) and ending with The Shootist, which in a one-sentence blurb tells the whole story, including the ending. It’s a great movie, so watch it before reading this.

Few other men, living or dead, have ever portrayed the fine, decent, and generous American qualities as Duke did.—Foreword by James Stewart

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read for a John Wayne fan. As you might guess from the word "tribute" in the title there's not going to be anything negative about The Duke. Goldstein touches briefly on Wayne's family life and goes into his acting career. The author was generous with the photos and black and white images can be found throughout the book.

There's really not much in here that a true Duke fan doesn't already know. One anecdote that I don't remember hearing before showed how much times have changed: during the contentious court proceedings between Duke and his second wife it was alleged that both sides used physical violence to one degree or another. Some of Duke's lady fans were in attendance at the courthouse with a sign proclaiming "John Wayne, you can clobber me any time you like."

I enjoyed the book, like I enjoy Duke's movies, although I am fully aware that he has fallen somewhat out of favour. I've seen almost all of his films and I think most still stand up to scrutiny even in these cynical times. He never portrayed an unmanly character and his movies were generally clean-cut affairs. The strongest curse word I ever heard him utter was "Hell".

As a bonus for fans, an Appendix lists Duke's filmography, right from "Mother Machree" to "The Shootist", all laid out nicely in chronological order. I'm thinking of a certain brewer right now that might stop their catastrophic sales dive by slapping The Duke on their beer cans. Might be the only thing that can save them.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent quick read on the life and films of John Wayne. The book is filled with wonderful photos. Really enjoyed reading it and highly recommend for those that like John Wayne films as well as for the newbie wanting to learn about the man and his films.