John Wayne: Prophet of the American Way of Life

by Emanuel Levy

John Wayne was the most popular and the most durable star in film history. He was also a national legend, a folk hero, and a powerful symbol of the American Dream. Levy evaluates Wayne's film oeuvre by comparing him with other major stars of his generation and demonstrates that of all American actors, he came closest to the notion of "actor-as-auteur." Author Emanuel Levy (Ph.D., Columbia) is a tenured professor of film and sociology at Arizona State University West. Previously, he has taught film at Columbia, Wellesley College, and the New School for Social Research. Dr. Levy is the author of six film books, the latest of which id the definitive biography of the legendary Hollywood director, "George Cukor, Master of Elegance" (William Morrow). His new book, "Cinema of The New American Independent Film Wave", the first chronicle of the American Independent Cinema, will be published by NYU press in 1999. Dr. Levy is a film critic for "Variety" and is the president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.

379 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1988