Shooting Star : A Biography of John Wayne

by Maurice Zolotow

Born Marion Robert Morrison, a high school and college football hero, the young actor who took the name John Wayne was for years featured in nothing but pedestrian Westerns. From there he moved on to become the leading man to many of the greatest women stars of that period, including Marlene Dietrich, Claire Trevor, Paulette Goddard, Jean Arthur, Claudette Colbert, Susan Hayward, and Joan Crawford. Then suddenly he emerged as that giant figure, Duke Wayne, a magnificent and wildly successful star in his own right, the closest associate and lifelong friend of the screen’s greatest director of the era, John Ford. Wayne is a man of many paradoxes. He was the most popular drawing card for decades but was consistently overlooked by the Oscar awards bestowers until, in the twilight of his career, he finally received that recognition. He is a 100 percent super-American, but all three of his marriages were to Latin women. He has been a sometimes misguided but consistently idealistic patriot, whose militantly conservative political convictions almost destroyed him for reasons he never comprehended. Maurice Zolotow has written a remarkably candid and objective biography about his friend. It is a book that any film fan will find engrossing, whether a Duke Wayne admirer or not, for it is an honest story of a truly epic figure.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Film

Hardcover

First published June 3, 1979

Reviews

[Mariah Startzman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up my copy of “Shooting Star” at an estate sale for $.50 and while I haven’t seen many of John Wayne’s movies yet, I have been watching more recently. I figured it couldn’t hurt to buy it and at least get a basic understanding of Wayne’s life and work. Unfortunately, I’m not sure this was quite the right book to start with. After reading through this book, which was written in 1974, it became clear to me that it was likely written for passing fans and could be purchased at grocery or corner stores. “Shooting Star” contained just as much gossip about Wayne’s life as it did anything about this film work. The author spent a lot of time explaining his divorces, but barely touched on some of his greatest hits. It was very interesting to be fair, but I just wished I could have learned more about the individual movies. But on a positive note, it appears the author Maurice Zolotow did personally know John Wayne and talked to him often. Zolotow included many quotes directly from Duke himself. That saved this book in my opinion. Overall, “Shooting Star” was not a waste of time and I did for the most part enjoy reading it, it just didn’t have the information I expected or was quite looking for.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK biography of John Wayne, the Western movie star.

[Jim Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a fan of John Wayne for most of my life. I've seen most of his movies - some several times. "The Alamo", "Rio Bravo", "The Quiet Man", "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon", "Hatari", "Red River", "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence", "The Green Berets", "In Harms Way", 'Hellfighters", "Donovan's Reef", "Blood Alley" and many more. My favorites were "The Alamo" and "The Quiet Man". One of those wouldn't of happened if he hadn't agreed to do both.

The book gives a view into his life - personal and professional. In both, he stood up for what he believed. His politics became stronger as he grew older and his impact greater. He would have felt out of place today.

There are pictures in the book from his teenage years almost to the end of his life. These are excellent showing aspects of him few knew.