American Titan: Searching for John Wayne – The Biography of the Duke and the American Century by Marc Eliot

by Marc Eliot

From the veteran New York Times bestselling biographer comes a major, in-depth look at one of the most enduring American icons of all time, “the Duke,” John Wayne.

As he did in his bestselling biographies of Jimmy Stewart and Clint Eastwood, acclaimed Hollywood biographer Marc Eliot digs deep beneath the myth in this revealing look at the most legendary Western film hero of all time; the man with the distinctive voice, walk, and demeanor who was an inspiration to many and a symbol of American masculinity, power, and patriotism.

Eliot pays tribute to the man and the myth, identifying and analyzing the many interesting contradictions that made John Wayne who he was: an Academy Award-winning actor associated with cowboys and soldiers who didn’t like horses and never served in a war; a Republican icon who voted for Democrats Roosevelt and Truman; a white man often accused of racism who married three Mexican wives. Here are stories of the movies he made famous as well as numerous friends and legendary colleagues such as John Ford, Maureen O’Hara, Natalie Wood, and Dean Martin.

A top box-office draw for more than three decades—starring in 142 films from Stagecoach and True Grit, for which he won the Oscar to The Quiet Man and The Green Berets—John Wayne’s life and career paralleled nearly the entire twentieth century, from the Depression through World War II to the upheavals of the 1960s. Setting his life within the sweeping political and social transformations that defined the nation, Eliot’s masterful portrait of the man they called Duke is a remarkable in depth look at a life and the “American Century” itself.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Film, Audiobook, Biography Memoir, Westerns

432 pages, Paperback

First published November 4, 2014

Reviews

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good factual biography of John Wayne's life. It's written in a positive light to his personality and life achievements in the film industry. There were chapters I just skimmed. Because cowboy movies and especially John Wayne fare were the few things that gave any smiles to my Dad's 94th and 95th years, I had to read more about this icon. Having seen most of his movies in my youth at least a couple of times each, I don't think he did all that much "acting" in many of them. He was more representative of his era's male culture (mindset and habits)than of his "Hollywood" profession or the people who were in it, IMHO. His politico rubbed wrong in Hollywood, even then- as Clint Eastwood's does today.

[Brett T · Rating 2 out of 5]

In his explanatory afterward to American Titan, celebrity multi-biographer Marc Eliot says he sought to write the story of John Wayne using his work in movies, treating Wayne as an auteur according to the theory of film criticism given that name. Usually, the label is restricted to directors, who are seen as the source of a movie's creative vision in the same way that an author is the source of a novel's creative vision. Actors usually aren't seen as auteurs, since they are responsible for only the part of the movie they're in.

The idea that an actor could create a body of work that speaks of his or her creative vision and views about the human condition in the way directors do isn't outlandish. And Wayne, who directed two movies and served as an uncredited assistant director on three others where the director fell ill, does have something that might indicate his vision as an auteur. His essentially unchanged character in the latter part of his career could also help establish that vision -- no matter who the director was or what the movie was called, he was pretty much John Wayne from dimmed lights to end credits.

The problem is that Eliot doesn't really do that. He explores Wayne's early career with some detail, but once he begins the "famous years" following Wayne's breakout in Stagecoach, he recites a fairly standard newspaper account of the Duke's career, throwing in some personal-life anecdotes. In Eliot's telling, Wayne's preference for the free and easy time of shooting movies and location living made him a most unreliable husband to each of his three wives, although he he participated as fully as possible in raising his children. His unflinching anti-Communist and pro-American viewpoint fueled both of his directorial efforts, which were slammed by critics and one of which, The Alamo, nearly bankrupted him.

Again, while it's most definitely possible to look at Wayne's work, understand how he saw humanity and the questions it faced and from that draw some understanding of his life, Eliot's book doesn't dig into that work enough to really accomplish that. He references too many movies briefly and too few important ones deeply to offer much more than the history on top. Titan also suffers by competing for shelf space with Scott Eyman's much more thoroughly researched and extensive John Wayne: The Life and Legend, also released in 2014.

As a tool for understanding the impact of Wayne the actor on the movie business and cinematic storytelling, American Titan is a metric wrench turning an English-measurement nut -- it creates as much, if not more, work in doing its job than you'd have if you used no tools at all. The presence of better equipment for the job means it can be set aside without much care or loss.

Original available here.

[Christopher Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

AMERICAN TITAN provides an extensive discussion of the life of John Wayne, with special focus on each of his films. The book begins with his family background, then soon branches into the early life of Marion Morrison. As a young gangly boy with an odd name, Marion was endlessly ridiculed by his schoolmates, until he learned how to fight and punch. After he decked one of his bigger tormentors, that put a stop to the teasing.

Most of AMERICAN TITAN is spent on the films. There is much detail--the actors, producer, director, etc. A lot of time is spent on Wayne's friendships with the directors and producers. The extensive notes and details on each film gets a little old after a while, but readers who are avid film buffs will find that part more interesting.

It was interesting to see how Wayne slowly got his start in Hollywood, and how poor an actor he was at first. When asked if he could ask, he replied, "Don't be silly, I can't act."

For me, the highlight of the book was near the end of the book, where Wayne is (barely) able to make it to the 1979 Academy Awards. The backstage workers honored him with an ovation, and Wayne quipped, "Hell, I'd have gotten sick before if I knew I'd get this kind of treatment." After his introduction by Johnny Carson, the frail actor ambles onto the stage, where he presents the award for Best Picture.

All in all, AMERICAN TITAN is an interesting read, albeit a little slow at times. It was heart wrenching to read about Wayne's last days, and his terrible end due to stomach cancer.

I have seen the bigger than life status of John Wayne many times at Orange County Airport, and it was good to finally get to know more about this great actor. Eliot provides an extensive Bibliography and Resource Notes at the end of the book.

Review copy courtesy of NetGalley

[Jim Nirmaier · Rating 4 out of 5]

There has never been as paradoxical a film actor as John Wayne. He embodied the American Male and the American Century like no other film star, yet never wore a military uniform (except in the movies) and excoriated those that avoided serving in a misguided and morally questionable conflict such as the Vietnam War. To many, he represented the antiquated and racist view of the West as the home of the Indian savage, the enemies of American’s Manifest Destiny, while in reality he was married three times to Hispanic women from Mexico. His later films embraced and respected indigenous peoples and, after all, Ethan Edwards WAS just a character after all.

Politically, he was a conservative Republican through and through. but who voted for FDR and Harry Truman and was adamant that he always “voted for the man” and not for certain political parties. He was the embodiment of the Macho Male of his time that did not embrace feminism in any way, but always treated his women co-stars on-screen with deference, respect, and even an endearing degree of shyness. He was also a bull of a man who inexplicably moved with a graceful physical ease that was truly unique to the Duke.

Marion Robert Morrison was born on May 26, 1907 in Winterset, Iowa into a fairly loving family with a amiable father (a son of a Civil War veteran BTW) who just couldn’t make a successful go at much of anything. After a futile attempt at small farming, the family moved to Southern CA. to Glendale in 1916. Little Marion got his lifetime nickname of Duke from a beloved family dog, a huge Airedale terrier. His mother was much more distant, and Marion’s younger brother Richard was clearly the favorite child of their matriarch.

The young Marion was an excellent athlete and excelled at numerous sports in high school and ended up attending the University of Southern California (USC) on a football scholarship. He suffered a broken collarbone which ended his athletic aspirations and caused the loss of his scholarship which also resulted in his withdrawal from USC. That injury was a star-crossed (literally) occurrence which would change the history of Hollywood and the cultural zeitgeist of the country

The young man was many things in his handsome youth. However, he was NOT an overnight success. He managed to find work in the newly burgeoning Hollywood; doing everything from moving sets and props, to carpentry and electrical work, to even a bit of miscellaneous stunt work.

Then one day, moving furniture on-set at the ripe old age of 23, established director Raoul Walsh ”discovered” the strapping young man with the chiseled features and promptly cast him in his early talkie Western spectacle "The Big Trail." Walsh was also responsible for changing the young man’s name from the somewhat wimpy sounding Marion Morrison to the rock-solid star name of JOHN WAYNE. The name evolved from Walsh’s respect for revolutionary war hero Mad Anthony Wayne, who was also the namesake for Fort Wayne, IN, which was the site of his military heroics.

Unfortunately for the young Wayne’s fledgling film career, Mr. Walsh paid much more attention to the sweeping vistas and the impressive location shooting of his western epic than he did his stars and their characters, and the movie was a huge flop.

It also relegated Mr. Wayne to nearly a decade of B Western purgatory on Hollywood’s Poverty Row in a period in which he made nearly 100 forgettable “oaters” before he was “discovered” once again in 1939 by the already legendary director John Ford in the classic saga "Stagecoach," which basically set the template for the cinematic western genre. The zoom shot of the arrival of Wayne’s character the “Ringo Kid” (as surprisingly out of focus as it is) is one of the most, if not THE, most famous star-making intro shots in American cinema history. The film also established the beautiful and stark Monument Valley outdoor locale of Utah and Arizona as an unforgettable and important icon of American Western film.

John Wayne was on his way finally as a young leading man (at the age of 32!) and would quickly become a contemporary of Gary Cooper, Jimmy Stewart, Henry Fonda, Errol Flynn, etc. and; sooner than later, he would eclipse them all in popularity and box office receipts.

The 1940’s saw the ascendancy of Mr. Wayne to the highest echelons of Hollywood super-stardom. He did quite a bit of forgettable stuff during the earlier part of the decade and at this time, he also engaged in several passionate affairs with his female co-stars: Claire Trevor (carried over from "Stagecoach"), Marlene Dietrich (they did three films together – 1940’s "Seven Sinners" and 1942’s "The Spoilers" & "Pittsburgh"), and Gail Russell ("The Angel and the Badman") from 1947.

Few, if any, male co-stars escaped the clutches of Ms. Dietrich if she was so inclined, and she was so inclined with John Wayne. They entered a torrid two-year relationship that ended when she cast him aside for a new conquest; as she did with all her romantic entanglements.

He really hit his stride as a leading man and a top-of-the-heap major star with hugely popular hits including the jingoistic "Sands of Iwo Jima" (1949), Howard Hawks’ classic western Red River (1948) in which Wayne played a much older character for the first time, and the first two installments of John Ford’s lauded “cavalry trilogy” with "Fort Apache" (1948), "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon" (1949) in which he again played a much-older character, and completed with 1950’s "Rio Grande."

The 1950’s were full of huge critical and commercial successes for the Duke, but he was involved with as many misfires as hits. His personal and professional relationship with Ford (“Pappy”) was cinematically fruitful, but much more convoluted off-screen. They jointly created 1952’s "The Quiet Man" (usually viewers either really “love” this film or really “dislike” this film, with not much in-between), 1956’s "The Searchers" (the creative and critical apex of the Ford/Wayne collaborations), and 1959’s "The Horse Soldiers" (fair to middlin’). These films also coincided with Ford’s escalating alcoholism, his creative decline, and his increasingly sadist bullying of Wayne.

The decade included additional huge commercial successes with "Hondo" (1953), "The High and the Mighty" (1954), and what may be the best Wayne film of them all; Howard Hawks’ "Rio Bravo" (1959). As well as strangely quixotic failures such as "Big Jim McClain" (1952) a blatant red-baiting flop with his young buddy & future star Jim Arness, "The Conqueror" (1956) about Genghis Khan of all people, "The Barbarian and the Geisha" (1958) the less said, the better, and "Legend of the Lost" (1957) which involved wandering around the desert with Sophia Loren with lots of sand and even more boredom.

"The Searchers" was initially received lukewarmly by critics of the time and was not the Duke’s biggest box office success. However, it has, over time, become a very important and influential work of American cinema that is universally revered by future filmmakers and critics alike. Mr. Wayne’s portrayal as the virulent racist loner Ethan Edwards is unquestionably the best acting portrayal of his long career. It’s a crime he was not honored with a Best Actor Oscar for the role, and it’s an even bigger embarrassment that he wasn’t even nominated. At that point, he had only been nominated once before for "Sands of Iwo Jima." Two scenes of "The Searchers" are arguably the most majestic of all America cinema – when Wayne sweeps a young Natalie Wood into his arms and, instead of killing her in a racist rage, he says softly, “Let’s go home, Debbie.”

And the legendary final laconic scene, in which Wayne, framed in the doorway of the prairie home of his brother’s family, his left arm crossed across his torso grasping his right arm (a conscious homage to one of his early Western heroes and mentors, Harry Carey) followed by his lonely, existential walk away from civilization and domesticated life, into the dusty Western horizon representing both unlimited potential and, more pointedly, the achingly sad loneliness of the perennial society outsider. That film and Wayne’s character, both good and bad, vividly represent the America of the 20th century.

At the same time, the overly conservative decade of the 1950’s involved the most troublesome and disappointing period of the Duke’s career for myself and many of his most ardent fans. The mid-century paranoid Cold War and political communist Red Scare, fueled by such demagogues and political opportunists as Richard Nixon and Joseph McCarthy, was a dangerous period that challenged our democratic ideals.

Scarily, very similar to the current political and societal situation we are now facing as a growing national crisis.

The Duke, along with Ward Bond and nasty newspaper celebrity gossip monger Hedda Hopper, were the worst in Hollywood as far as aggressively cooperating with the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and their unsavory methods of hunting supposed Bolsheviks in Hollywood. Many, many successful careers were damaged and destroyed due to the studio-imposed Blacklist of named artists that were linked as current or previous members of the Communist party. It was a horrible time in the film industry in which friends turned on friends and lives were destroyed.

He was a founding member of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, which focused on an obsessive and active attack on the left, and he became president of the group in 1949. I do believe he genuinely felt he was doing his duty as a patriotic American in fighting the Red Menace, but it is still, after all these years, very disappointing that he was so virulently involved in such a misguided effort to deprive honest Americans of their constitutional rights.

Once again, sadly, there are many corollaries to today’s political climate. It’s just a different type of “witch-hunt.”

However, none of this unfortunate political activity seemed to damage the Duke’s box-office popularity. He was voted the most popular star in America by movie exhibitors in l950, l951, and in l954.

As the turbulent 60’s arrived, Mr. Wayne was settling into more mature, middle-aged roles and finally brought to fruition his long-time dream of bringing the story of Davy Crockett and the Battle of the Alamo to the big-screen. He was producer, director, and the ill-fitting leading man as Crockett. Unfortunately, "The Alamo" was a box-office and critical failure, and virtually bankrupted the box-office champ and his film production company Batjac.

He rather quickly regained his footing economically, but was soon to face the biggest challenge of his life. The long-time smoker was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1964 and was hospitalized while his left lung was removed. His big “comeback” film was the hugely popular "The Sons of Katie Elder" (1965). Even though the big guy had to use oxygen between takes.

The prolific star made a total of 30 more films in the 60’s & 70’s. Most were memorable and very entertaining, and some were not so much. His cinematic highlight in this period was certainly his Oscar-winning turn as Rooster Cogburn in Henry Hathaway’s huge box-office smash "True Grit" (1969). Beginning with the aforementioned film, I was lucky enough to see all of his big-screen movies in the theater except, ironically, for his final two films; "Rooster Cogburn" and "The Shootist."

He became quite controversial as the 60’s progressed into the 70’s and his stance toward the Vietnam War became more intractable and his popularity plunged with young people. His jingoistic film "The Green Berets" (1968) was painfully out-of-step and just a downright bad movie. Even though some of his views became quite unpopular as he aged and as times changed, you always felt he genuinely believed what he said and that it came from a truly patriotic and loyal stance in defense of his country, however misguided.

Wayne’s undeniable durability as a box-office champion spanned a generation, from l949 to l974, regardless of changes in the political, social, and cultural context of the times. One joke in the industry was that Presidents and Administrations have come and gone, but Wayne was still at the top. Indeed, in the early l950’s, Wayne was on the movie star popularity poll with Cooper, Gable, Tracy, and Stewart, and in the late l950’s, with William Holden, Burt Lancaster, Glenn Ford, and Marlon Brando.

Players appeared and disappeared from the poll quite rapidly, but he remained. In the early l960’s, Wayne remained an immensely popular star along with Rock Hudson, Jack Lemmon, and Paul Newman, and later in the decade, his star company included another set of actors–Sean Connery, Lee Marvin, and Steve McQueen. And in the l970’s, Wayne was joined by yet another generation of actors consisting of Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood, and Charles Bronson.

His marriages were troubled, but he was a loyal friend to lifetime buddies, was a gentle and loving father to several children, and sadly succumbed to cancer when it re-surfaced. Mr. Wayne died on

His unforgettable final appearance at the Oscars occurred earlier that year and he was clearly close to death. That scene is seared into my memory and was one of the most courageous public acts I’ve ever seen from a celebrity of any kind. It was a fitting finale for a man of integrity, loyalty, decency, and yes – True Grit.

This biography by well-known celebrity biographer Marc Eliot is immensely entertaining and full of interesting anecdotes and little-known tidbits. The words flew off the page and it was a pleasure of a read in which I learned a lot about a man that I already knew quite a bit about.

Highly recommended, especially for fans.

[Relstuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Wayne made 164 movies in his career, 24 with director John Ford. 17 of the films he appeared in were among the 100 highest grossing films of all time, collectively grossing over 400,000,000 (in twentieth-century dollars). From page 2.

"It's just like I always said, that John Wayne, an actor, was more important to the mass psyche than any single American president. His longevity, his penetration-all that ultimately has affected how human beings behave, what choices they make, who they think they are, more than any straight prgamatic political action and groupthink." - Jack Nicholson, Vanity Fair, August 1986


My impression is that the author does a good job providing a balanced view of John Wayne where he details many of his failing and stuggles as a person while also capturing his positive qualities. John Wayne's parents had a difficult relationship that ended in divorce, and John Wayne was not his mother's favored child (he had one younger brother). He married three times, each time to a Hispanic bride. Each relationship ended in divorce and he decided not to marry the last woman he lived with as he came to the end of his life.

This book spends a lot of time discussing his films and uses his filmography as a way to discuss his life experience as he shot different moves and they were released. If someone hasn't watched his films I could see them being a little lost with this type of biography.

[Timothy Smallwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was this grandpa’s “American Idol?”

I personally enjoy biographies, because they allow me a chance to learn from great people of our past. I would not call this a biography. Rather, 670 pages of cinematic accomplishments, would be a more truistic description of this book. What I did learn about Wayne wasn’t very appealing. My whole life, people from the generation before me have held this man up as an American icon and I wanted to know why. The only “noble” thing I have found is his disdain for communism (which I agree with him on). However, he only fought for freedom in his movies. The little bit of biographical description shown was of a man full of lust, chasing every skirt he saw, leaving behind multiple wives and children to fend for themselves. This is hardly a role model for any generation and helps me to understand why our country is in the shape that we are in. This is who we held up as a “Titan” for freedom? This drunken womanizer is a shame to manhood and should never be idolized he any true Christian.

[Ron Wroblewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book for those who want to know about the life, both professional and personal of one of the most famous of American actors. But the book is more than that. It is a history of the American film industry from about 1930 until Wayne died in 1979 - production companies who went in and out of business, directors, other famous actors, movie production costs and earnings. How many of them were alcoholics (like Wayne) or who died of lung cancer; who liked who and who didn't. I learned a lot from this book. Covers Wayne's 3 failed marriages and his mistress before he died.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 3 out of 5]

An all around interesting biography on John Wayne. The author's note at the end of the book explains his method of biography writing which he bases on an actor's body of work reflecting the life of the person; he explains the concept of "auteurism". I'd never heard of this before. However, I enjoyed the book quite well. It is a highly positive look at John Wayne in chronological order through his movies. While remaining "pro"-Wayne the book does take on his controversial aspects such as Wayne's refusal to serve in the military. I've seen a lot of Wayne movies and knew him to be the ideal "American" of his time but didn't really know much of anything about him except that he died of cancer. The biography was highly entertaining and informative with lots of anecdotes about happenings on set and his relations with other actors of the day. Many famous names are included here. Wayne was a very opinionated man, extremely political and Republican who had no time to waste on fools so there are certainly some captivating stories! But The Duke was always a gentleman and respectful to others even when he totally disagreed with them. The author's writing is very readable but he does tend to follow a pattern chapter after chapter which becomes a bit tedious, such as continuously stating the salaries Wayne and his co-stars received for each movie as footnotes. Occasionally this information was eye-opening but the frequency of it is tiresome. Overall, a good read about the American patriotic movie scene from the silent movie era to the early seventies focusing mainly on westerns and war movies.

[Roderick Mcgillis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book irritating. The best part of the book is the short Acknowledgement section at the end; here Eliot riffs on the notion of the auteur, arguing that writers, cinematographers, producers, actors, as well as directors might be auteurs. The suggestion is that Wayne is an auteur, an actor with a vision that informs his work. This vision appears to be an America free of Communists, independent and strong. I guess this is where the notion of "titan" is pertinent. I confess the title baffled me as I read about Wayne's incessant womanizing, drinking, fawning to John Ford, whining after Marlene Dietrich, and generally being a self absorbed person. What irritated me most were the many failures of proof reading in the text, and the failures to get facts correct. For a book that promises so much, it delivers precious little.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I was critical of this biography I would say it contains many typos and drew a few conclusions that seemed to be based on opinion. But I enjoyed reading it, as it gave some key insights into what was going on in his life as he was making these movies. It turns out he was flawed just like you and me, his wealth and popularity perhaps enabling his to a greater extent. This version was sufficiently different from others I’ve read and it was easy to pickup to continue reading each day. Note that 27% of the book is bibliography and notes.

[Jim Kelsh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. Kind of a hatchet, and then he starred in star bio.
I found facts wrong, bad copy editing...even a wrong photo caption.

Don't read this...the Scott Eyman Wayne bio is far better

Two Jimmys out of five

[Steve Horton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of "He did this movie with so-and-so, made this much money"; not much insight into his personality. I did not get an impression of interviewing people who knew and worked with John Wayne.

[DeWayne Neel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up during the peak of "B" Western movies shown on Saturday at every local theater in the area which offered the best deal ever, 14 cents admission. The roughly one-hour movie, a cartoon, a war news update, and a 10-12-minute serial which was designed to get you back next week to see if the heroine died or survived. Most movies seemed to be made with the young in mind, presenting hero stories, a lot of cowboy music, shooting, and a love story: something for everyone. It was in this world that John Wayne entered the movie business. It was a lot of screen time and very few dollars. Then the 50s happened, color, big screens, bigger stars, and true movie stars along with bigger payrolls, but a hidden enemy, communism. A blacklist was developed that limited employment opportunities and created friction within the industry.
This book while focusing on Mr. Wayne, also details the industry and all its stars in the entertainment world in its heyday time. Everyone was looking to be the biggest star at the time and they were followed by reporters looking for every detail making life at the center stage a news story of tomorrow. Old stars did not want to go away, new potential stars were cunning villains seeking to unseat the over-the-hill old men/women. All this media-driven stardom brought big money to the industry along with drunkenness and marriage infidelity and a lifestyle that destroyed many stars before their time.
John Wayne while not respected early on in spite of his success survived to finally get the
Academy Award and be one the top at his death.
Along with a detailed description of Mr. Wayne's life, the story gives a good history of the movie business with all of its ugliness.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good reminder of how much of a presence Wayne had in the twentieth century and how he invented a persona that inspired millions of moviegoers. Eliot never, to his credit, argues that Wayne couldn't act (a dull and essentially useless idea) and treats Wayne's highs with the respect they deserve. Eliot is good on some of the disasters, too, like The Alamo, The Conqueror and The Green Berets. He's also good on Wayne's relationship with Ford--and while that's nothing readers of Joseph McBride's Searching for John Ford don't know, it's a good primer for those who don't. The last fifty pages, in which Eliot tells the story of Wayne's cancer, final public appearance, and need to be forgiven by his third wife, are moving.

In his documentary on The Searchers, John Milius says something like, "When people say, 'Oh, John Wayne doesn't really act, I always think of The Searchers and think that that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Eliot thinks likewise.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading in detail about his family history and early years breaking into films. The author goes into great detail about some of the movie plots. He does have errors in his book. Wayne is a complicated mix of assertiveness in many business situations and submissive to Ford and to his wives. He doesn't want his divorces, but is never faithful and is often unhappy in his marriages.

He is a loyal generous friend. His sense of humor and willingness to befriend people with whom he has opposite views makes him very likable. He did prove to be a good actor in some of his films.

The author never discusses Wayne's relationships with his children, but some of them worked with him. Were they close? No idea. That is a flaw in the book. What are his feelings toward his wives and children?

I enjoyed the book. He is not perfect, no one is. He has many admirable qualities and achievements.

He is a movie legend--deservedly so.

[Emmy]

I was really enjoying this book, but stopped for two reasons. 1.) Eliot has a tendency to spoil the ending of a lot of the films. Now, granted, the films that I was reading about were some of the early titles that fans weren't likely to watch...but I intended to watch them, so that was somewhat frustrating. And 2.) I'm aware that John Wayne had multiple affairs. But, the book tends to really focus on them. And oftentimes, it felt like the author was just really trying to hammer home that this was an affair. And affairs are lustful. And affairs mean sex. I mean, come on! We're all adults here. We know what affairs mean. You don't have to keep telling us. And after reading about Marlene Dietrich and starting into the section about Chata, I found that I was skimming more than I was reading. Each of those sections could have been half the size they were (or even smaller) if he would have just gotten to the point.

[Ethan May · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book also could be titled "American tragedy." How could someone as successful and popular as John Wayne be a tragedy?

He spent his life pursuing acknowledgment from his peers. He finally received it in the form of an Oscar late in his career. But by then, he had spent nearly 50 years chasing it.

He ruined people's careers by labeling them communists. He acted like the biggest patriot so people would forget he didn't fight in World War II. He was married three times and ended his life dating a fourth woman. Despite the box office success, he took numerous roles just for money because his finances were mismanaged.

The John Wayne of popular culture is very different than John Wayne the human. This book depicts it well.

[Al Berry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid biography that goes into the good and bad with Wayne, from saving his brother from a rattlesnake to his constant womanizing and dodging the draft in world war 2 to his death bed conversion to Catholicism.

His struggles as a young actors, his friendship with Ward Bond ( they played football together at USC before getting into movies) his working relationship with John Ford and Maureen O’Hara (he never fooled around with O’Hara, though Ford leaked rumors that they were to seek more tickets of the Quiet Man) etc

An interesting read on one of the most famous actors of the 20th Century.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

My grandfather loved John Wayne movies, and the fact that Wayne never enlisted or served in the armed forces during WWII never bothered my grandpa, who had been taken POW by the Germans at the Bulge.

Eliot pulls no punches; Duke's early life and contentious relationship with his mother are laid bare, as are his struggles to become a respected actor ("I don't act; I react"), and his later indiscretions with women and money. The patriotism when it wasn't cool, the steadfastness when it wasn't appreciated, the loyalty to friends when it wasn't valued.

I guess I think Hollywood could use more John Wayne and less Mark Ruffalo.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good biography of the Duke, John Wayne, detailing his early struggles in life. His entry into the film world after and injury sidelined his football career and his long upward path to movie stardom. Interesting details of his relations with co starts and directors especially John Ford. It also plays on his politics and his activities during the McCarthy Era. Interesting fact that I did not knows that he did not serve in WW II. I had always figured that he at least served making propaganda films like many stars.

[William Howle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like biographies and I have always liked John Wayne movies. I think my favorite is The Quiet Man. I was recently in Ireland and saw the statue of John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in the town of Cong. The book gave an interesting and enjoyable insight into the life and career of the man. The author has written other biographies I hope to read in the future.

[Steve H · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve always enjoyed a John Wayne movie. I thought this would be more in-depth about the man himself but it really didn’t tell me anything new. Was a bit ‘gossipy’ in places too which I found irritating. Annoying too when describing the movies. Was it really necessary to explain what happens including how a movie ended ? 🙄

[Rose Wesselman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very subjective account of his good and bad sides without being judgy. LOTS of plot descriptions in great detail about his movies. Maybe a little too much but it did remind me of some of his better ones.

[Joe O'Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very Good; John Wayne's movie making, politics and love life share billing in a good biography, though one riddled with editing errors making one wonder if other errors less obvious are also in place

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting life...

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

Author consistently had errors in the plots of the movies he described. If he made those errors, I doubted his “facts” in the rest of the book. Poorly written and edited.

[Shirley Leavitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading about John Wayne's life. I have watched most of his movies and certainly enjoyed them.

[Mick Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing new to add to the myriad of other biographies written about John way.wheels out the usual anecdotes.if it was to be your first biography about John Wayne then this would be for you.

[Timothy Meier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

[ElaineY · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very boring. Would have been interesting, I'm sure, if it had been an autobiography and not a bio. Marc Eliot is a hit or miss with me. This one is A Huge Miss.