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JOHN WAYNE: AMERICAN
The story of John Wayne's life and career explains how his popularity suffered due to Cold War politics, examines his fiercely conservative values, and cites his contributions to the film industry. 40,000 first printing. Tour.
752 pages, Hardcover
First published September 11, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 27, 2023
Back in the late Seventies ,when I was in elementary school, I discovered John Wayne. Eastern Idaho was/is a very conservative area. Not surprisingly John "Duke" Wayne was a popular man and his movies were surefire crowd-pleasers. The television stations would broadcast his older movies on late night television and Sunday afternoons. This was before the networks locked up late night viewing and the rise of VHS home rentals.
It was during these few short years (1976-1979) that I watched such classics as "The Flying Tigers", "The Fighting Seabees", "Red River", "Stagecoach", "The Searchers" and "Sands of Iwo Jima". In addition, the three national television networks were airing his later movies during prime-time viewing hours (20:00 - 23:00 or 19:00 - 22:00 hours depending in which time zone you reside in the United States). I was a fan of his films. I can recall being rather melancholy when he passed away on June 11, 1979.
But ,like so many things in our lives, I drifted away from Wayne's movies when I reached the middle school years. It was in high school (82-86) that I learned Wayne never served in the military. I was flabbergasted by this. I just assumed that he would have been in uniform during World War II. As a teenager I wanted nothing more than to serve in the U.S. Army (1986-2000, active duty and reserve) and the idea that one of my childhood idols, a man I associated with all things great about AMERICA, had not worn one of the branch's uniforms shocked me. Even later, as I moved through adulthood, I found myself watching Wayne in his movies and concluded much of his swagger and snarl reminded me of the larger asshole sergeants and officers that I had served under in the Army. I decided that I didn't like John Wayne and his "larger than life" persona. I stopped watching his movies entirely.
Well time heals many wounds. In the past few years, I have mellowed and much of my youthful self-righteousness has faded. I've returned to watching Duke's films and several of them are now in my movie library. I've even taken a more philosophical stance on Wayne not serving in the military during World War II. Several weeks ago, I was perusing the book section in a very well-organized thrift store and came across a hardback copy of John Wayne: American. I thumbed through it and was impressed when I read that the authors had written the biography with an academic treatment. Extensive research (journals, correspondences, court transcripts, tax and business documents, news articles) and interviews with people who had known Wayne personally were all included. I paid the $2.00 (USD) and walked out with the heavy tome.
At 725 pages this biography is epic in length though that seems appropriate considering Wayne's status. The authors stick to the detail and circumstance of Wayne's life relentlessly. Impressively researched this biography is not so much a tell-all as a tell- everything biography. There are fascinating detours examining the economics of B movies, Hollywood during the "Red Scare" (Wayne was an ardent anti-Communist, but eventually even he came to disagree with some of the more fanatical red baiters), Wayne's relationship with director John Ford (who rescued Wayne's dying career in the '30s with "Stagecoach"), and so on.
The authors are restrained in psychoanalyzing Wayne, but their insights into his character struck me as being shrewd and subtle. They convincingly connect, for example, his guilt over avoiding military service during WW II to his later, rabid anticommunism. They also detail at length how his personality was ultimately shaped by his movie roles. As the years rolled by, John Wayne endured an almost ceaseless barrage of criticism for his political/social beliefs. Wayne was very opinionated, highly outspoken and not afraid to tell people to their face what he thought of their politics. In many ways Wayne seemed to thrive on the conflict; like he was Sherriff John T. Chance inside the besieged jail in "Rio Bravo". However, Roberts and Olson show that Wayne had an undeniable ``something,'' a force, charisma, even a basic decency that still radiates in his films. In other words, John Wayne was just a human being. Such a thing inevitably means a mass of contradictions and even inconsistencies. I realized that despite his faults (like all of us) Wayne was a good person. I might not have liked the man personally, but he wasn't a monster.
Roberts and Olson have written an excellent biography that is neither a puff piece or a character assassination. Instead it is a detailed and honest book that shows how complex John Wayne truly was. I think I'll find a place in my library for this one.
AFTERWORD
Shortly after I finished this review, I came across another current controversy involving John Wayne. There are those who wish to remove his name from the Orange County airport in California. In addition, there is a push to remove an exhibition celebrating Wayne at the University Southern California (which he attended but did not graduate from due to money). The cause of this anger is his 1971 Playboy interview. In the interview Wayne made some controversial/inflammatory remarks regarding race relationships in the United States. He has been dead for forty years and is once again at the eye of a political storm. It is entirely plausible, in 2019, that John Wayne and his legacy, is just too different (i.e., out of step) from where the United States is now. There were indications that was happening in the sixties and seventies, but after his death things settled. However, that seems to no longer be the case. It's all rather amazing that he can still fire people up. It's still an excellent biography, but current events will probably color one's perceptions. I leave it up to the individual reader to decide how they feel about John Wayne.
It was during these few short years (1976-1979) that I watched such classics as "The Flying Tigers", "The Fighting Seabees", "Red River", "Stagecoach", "The Searchers" and "Sands of Iwo Jima". In addition, the three national television networks were airing his later movies during prime-time viewing hours (20:00 - 23:00 or 19:00 - 22:00 hours depending in which time zone you reside in the United States). I was a fan of his films. I can recall being rather melancholy when he passed away on June 11, 1979.
But ,like so many things in our lives, I drifted away from Wayne's movies when I reached the middle school years. It was in high school (82-86) that I learned Wayne never served in the military. I was flabbergasted by this. I just assumed that he would have been in uniform during World War II. As a teenager I wanted nothing more than to serve in the U.S. Army (1986-2000, active duty and reserve) and the idea that one of my childhood idols, a man I associated with all things great about AMERICA, had not worn one of the branch's uniforms shocked me. Even later, as I moved through adulthood, I found myself watching Wayne in his movies and concluded much of his swagger and snarl reminded me of the larger asshole sergeants and officers that I had served under in the Army. I decided that I didn't like John Wayne and his "larger than life" persona. I stopped watching his movies entirely.
Well time heals many wounds. In the past few years, I have mellowed and much of my youthful self-righteousness has faded. I've returned to watching Duke's films and several of them are now in my movie library. I've even taken a more philosophical stance on Wayne not serving in the military during World War II. Several weeks ago, I was perusing the book section in a very well-organized thrift store and came across a hardback copy of John Wayne: American. I thumbed through it and was impressed when I read that the authors had written the biography with an academic treatment. Extensive research (journals, correspondences, court transcripts, tax and business documents, news articles) and interviews with people who had known Wayne personally were all included. I paid the $2.00 (USD) and walked out with the heavy tome.
At 725 pages this biography is epic in length though that seems appropriate considering Wayne's status. The authors stick to the detail and circumstance of Wayne's life relentlessly. Impressively researched this biography is not so much a tell-all as a tell- everything biography. There are fascinating detours examining the economics of B movies, Hollywood during the "Red Scare" (Wayne was an ardent anti-Communist, but eventually even he came to disagree with some of the more fanatical red baiters), Wayne's relationship with director John Ford (who rescued Wayne's dying career in the '30s with "Stagecoach"), and so on.
The authors are restrained in psychoanalyzing Wayne, but their insights into his character struck me as being shrewd and subtle. They convincingly connect, for example, his guilt over avoiding military service during WW II to his later, rabid anticommunism. They also detail at length how his personality was ultimately shaped by his movie roles. As the years rolled by, John Wayne endured an almost ceaseless barrage of criticism for his political/social beliefs. Wayne was very opinionated, highly outspoken and not afraid to tell people to their face what he thought of their politics. In many ways Wayne seemed to thrive on the conflict; like he was Sherriff John T. Chance inside the besieged jail in "Rio Bravo". However, Roberts and Olson show that Wayne had an undeniable ``something,'' a force, charisma, even a basic decency that still radiates in his films. In other words, John Wayne was just a human being. Such a thing inevitably means a mass of contradictions and even inconsistencies. I realized that despite his faults (like all of us) Wayne was a good person. I might not have liked the man personally, but he wasn't a monster.
Roberts and Olson have written an excellent biography that is neither a puff piece or a character assassination. Instead it is a detailed and honest book that shows how complex John Wayne truly was. I think I'll find a place in my library for this one.
AFTERWORD
Shortly after I finished this review, I came across another current controversy involving John Wayne. There are those who wish to remove his name from the Orange County airport in California. In addition, there is a push to remove an exhibition celebrating Wayne at the University Southern California (which he attended but did not graduate from due to money). The cause of this anger is his 1971 Playboy interview. In the interview Wayne made some controversial/inflammatory remarks regarding race relationships in the United States. He has been dead for forty years and is once again at the eye of a political storm. It is entirely plausible, in 2019, that John Wayne and his legacy, is just too different (i.e., out of step) from where the United States is now. There were indications that was happening in the sixties and seventies, but after his death things settled. However, that seems to no longer be the case. It's all rather amazing that he can still fire people up. It's still an excellent biography, but current events will probably color one's perceptions. I leave it up to the individual reader to decide how they feel about John Wayne.
April 6, 2009
Thoroughly detailed account of Wayne's life has its flag waving moments, but also portrays his contradictions and flaws. Not a muck-raking or expose, it also balances his film career with his personal life nicely and goes behind the scenes to describe his movie projects. Many productions are quite detailed: his chemistry with fellow actors and directors, the motivations for taking on a film, as well as their critical/financial receptions. The book does a great job of filling in the outline of the outsized image John Wayne later became.
February 16, 2009
this book had way too much information for someone who is not a fan. it actualy starts off with his grandfather and culminates with his death. It has everything you would, and would rather not have known about the Duke. It was a very, very long book. I usualy devour lengthy material like these in a couple of days, but this book had information packed in it like the colon of 40 year old tow truck driver, it took me almoast a week of nonstop reading to finish. I also noticed that i read it slower than i would any other book, i don't know if it was the authors work, or the fact of that it was about my "hero". I did learn alot about the Duke, one- that he never had any money to show for his stardom. 2 had become some one i would not hang out with in his latter years, ( eating caviar and drinking champagne on his yacht for brunch) he had comformed to the movie star lifestyle. 3 he was from a long line of losers monitarily speeking, but genuine great guys, and he fell right into that line. All in all, I enjoyed this book, but was exhausted by the end of the last chapter. frankly I have'nt picked up a book since.
March 14, 2014
A long read, but one that's well worth the time of any fan of a man who became a legend in his own time. Roberts clearly was interested in his subject, and his research shows on every page.
All in all, this was an excellent biography. I'd recommend it for any fan of the man whose boots have never been filled since his death.
All in all, this was an excellent biography. I'd recommend it for any fan of the man whose boots have never been filled since his death.
January 10, 2016
It took me over 3 months to get through this 648 page book, but it was worth it and I'm glad I invested the time and read it. I learned a ton about an American icon and a great deal regarding American/World history during the decades in which he lived. He was irreverent, loyal, dignified, patriotic, empathetic and a man's man. He said it how he saw it and didn't care what others thought.
In regards to government welfare, he said "I don't think a fella should be able to sit on his backside and receive welfare. I'd like to know why well-educated idiots keep apologizing for lazy and complaining people who think the world owes them living." He felt government welfare robbed people of their dignity and any sense of incentive and that a generation of people on the public dole would only produce a new generation of welfare recipients who had never had to work, or had ever seen anyone working for a living. (pg 604). And so it has.....
He was simple, yet complicated. He was American.
In regards to government welfare, he said "I don't think a fella should be able to sit on his backside and receive welfare. I'd like to know why well-educated idiots keep apologizing for lazy and complaining people who think the world owes them living." He felt government welfare robbed people of their dignity and any sense of incentive and that a generation of people on the public dole would only produce a new generation of welfare recipients who had never had to work, or had ever seen anyone working for a living. (pg 604). And so it has.....
He was simple, yet complicated. He was American.
February 15, 2020
Reading this book was an endeavor! Dense and thorough, Oslon and Roberts detail the movies as much as the Duke. I thought it was okay because it was a slog to get through but it was well researched and informative. If you are looking to dive into the Duke's past, stop here and read it...it will take a while.
I was most impressed with how they described the Duke's impact on American society. The loner, who is wary of the law, ethical and moral but also callus and ornery. The Duke's characters were similar and his impact on America significant. They were him. A hard worker and perfectionist who said, "Don't believe anyone is better than you, but never think you're superior to anyone."
I was most impressed with how they described the Duke's impact on American society. The loner, who is wary of the law, ethical and moral but also callus and ornery. The Duke's characters were similar and his impact on America significant. They were him. A hard worker and perfectionist who said, "Don't believe anyone is better than you, but never think you're superior to anyone."
November 24, 2015
This book about John Wayne is more detailed than other books I have read. It talks about he got started in the business, what kept him a movie star, his personal life and wives and the directors and actors he worked with. He was very loyal to his friends and he used them in his movies many times.
August 2, 2017
An excellent biography about one of my favorite actors, John Wayne!
December 4, 2017
Excellent Biography. Very well researched. Authors do a very good job of presenting Duke in the context in which he lived.
December 3, 2018
It is the best bio on him thorough and unbiased.
November 21, 2019
Excellent. Gives the facts without injecting his own opinions - something rarely seen anymore.
January 25, 2025
This is a long book, and the paperback version was a pain to hold at times. That might be my only moan about the book.
John Wayne: American is a history of a man, an actor, a legend, a mythological cinematic colossus who straddled Hollywood from the 1930s until his death in 1979. This is a rich and honest warts and all reflection of his life full of self reflective comments that demonstrate Duke's strengths, weaknesses, triumphs, and failures. At no point does the book shy away from controversy or Duke's political and social beliefs, but at the same time, the author does his best to balance perspectives with quotes from Duke's friends, family, and peers.
John Wayne: American is as much a history of Hollywood as it is John Wayne. The book captures the world of the golden era of cinema in the US and the stars from in front of and behind the camera. The history of Duke's career and relationships in Hollywood- his years struggling to break from the B movie format and making a name for himself, the days and nights carousing with the likes of Ward Bond and John Ford, or his marriages and family relationships with his parents and his own children reveal so much about a man, often reviled in recent years, but who for countless millions around the world presented the essence of what it is to be a man. To so many John Wayne was a cowboy, a stoic survivor and hero, but he was also the embodiment of, for both good and bad, America. That is what this book maintains. Love or hate John Wayne's films, his beliefs and attitudes, there is no denying his place in the history of cinema his impact on American culture and its perception globally.
John Wayne: American is a history of a man, an actor, a legend, a mythological cinematic colossus who straddled Hollywood from the 1930s until his death in 1979. This is a rich and honest warts and all reflection of his life full of self reflective comments that demonstrate Duke's strengths, weaknesses, triumphs, and failures. At no point does the book shy away from controversy or Duke's political and social beliefs, but at the same time, the author does his best to balance perspectives with quotes from Duke's friends, family, and peers.
John Wayne: American is as much a history of Hollywood as it is John Wayne. The book captures the world of the golden era of cinema in the US and the stars from in front of and behind the camera. The history of Duke's career and relationships in Hollywood- his years struggling to break from the B movie format and making a name for himself, the days and nights carousing with the likes of Ward Bond and John Ford, or his marriages and family relationships with his parents and his own children reveal so much about a man, often reviled in recent years, but who for countless millions around the world presented the essence of what it is to be a man. To so many John Wayne was a cowboy, a stoic survivor and hero, but he was also the embodiment of, for both good and bad, America. That is what this book maintains. Love or hate John Wayne's films, his beliefs and attitudes, there is no denying his place in the history of cinema his impact on American culture and its perception globally.
July 24, 2024
This book gives a comprehensive look at John Wayne's life. He was the son of a kindly pharmacist and a shrewish mother who never seemed to like him. He grew up in the California desert until the family moved to L.A. He was football player at UCLA but hurt his knee. He drifted into movies, making "B" films until he hit it big with John Ford's "Stagecoach." WWII broke out just as he was making it big and being the father of 4, he just never joined up. After the war, he made some of the greatest films of all time such as Red River, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Sands of Iwo Jima, The Quiet Man, Fort Apache, The Searchers, Rio Bravo and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. His anticommunist politics and cancer put him into a slump in the mid-60s but he finished out his career with 3 more great movies, True Grit, The Cowboys and The Shootist. Having survived lung cancer, it returned in the 70s as stomach cancer. The man smoked 6 packs of cigarettes per day! He drank tequila like it was water. He was an American hero who was all too human. I remember shedding a few tears when he died in 1979.
May 13, 2024
Being a Duke fan started when I was a kid in the late fifties. I truly enjoy watching him on tv and I have almost every movie on vhs or disc. But reading this book opened my eyes to how he lived, how he was treated in the industry, how he was revered by some, loathed by others and how horrible the film industry was and still is to some degree. Hard to say which is his best, Searchers, Quiet Man, and True Grit any of them. Book opened my eyes to a lot of things. Well done.
February 10, 2024
shares his unhappy childhood parents who were not a good fit, moves to california. college scholarship, hurt. goes into acting biz. a long slow climb to the top. overbearing directors, wives, children, money difficulties, political opinions, health issues. insightful. b/w images.
March 29, 2013
Another excellent book about the man behind the legend. Filled any many blanks left over after I read "John Wayne, American Icon" which I read around the same time.
Highly recommended to anyone interested in how an actor gets his start, and how a great actor becomes the number one box office draw for 25 years. A feat never repeated and with today's Hollywood, probably never will be.
Highly recommended to anyone interested in how an actor gets his start, and how a great actor becomes the number one box office draw for 25 years. A feat never repeated and with today's Hollywood, probably never will be.
June 16, 2016
Excellent book. Very detailed. I have had this book on my bookshelf for years and finally got around to reading it. John Wayne demonstrated by the way he lived his life what being a true American was all about.
May 25, 2010
This is a well-written biography. You get a good picture of life at the movie sets, his relationship with his wives and director Ford. His fight with cancer is a quite a story.
September 5, 2011
A biography of John Wayne who protrayed bigger than life characters in his movies. He was a proud American who played hard and took his politics seriously.
December 18, 2015
Darn good book!
I enjoyed this book very much. It appears to show JW the man and his blemishes. But doesn't detract from his legacy.
I enjoyed this book very much. It appears to show JW the man and his blemishes. But doesn't detract from his legacy.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews