THE DUKE - THE ENDURING LEGEND

The legend of John Wayne continues to grow by the day - over thirty years after his death his name still shines brighter than most movie stars. As a performer his image is cemented in the mass consciousness - travellers are presented with a large bronze statue upon touching down in John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, the police in his home town pay tribute to him with their DUKE helicopters.

Away from the camera Wayne was unpopular because of his political views - he was president of the Motion Picture Alliance for American ideals. He was a supporter of Richard Nixon and an outspoken opponent of communism. However in the final analysis it is for his work in motion pictures that he should be remembered and not for his often extreme right wing views.

Born in 1907 in Winterset, Iowa and promptly named Marion Robert Morrison and not, as some people think Marion Michael Morrison

Wayne spent the early years in show business churning out B-westerns for the Poverty Row Studios and few of his earlier B's hint at the start he would soon become. Several of the B's are worth checking out though and many are available on budget DVD - The Archive suggests The Man from Utah, Riders of Destiny, The Lucky Texan and Randy Rides Alone as being especially good.

Wayne's first real break came in 1930 when, on John Ford's suggestion, director Raoul Walsh cast him as the lead in the epic western, The Big Trail. Unfortunately the film was not the major success it was hoped. The film is a must see thought for both Wayne and western fans. It's a great epic movie which whilst not as accomplished as say Stagecoach is still a great adventure movie with Wayne looking like a prototype of the Duke we came to love.

It was 1930's Stagecoach, directed by John Ford and with Wayne playing the now iconic role of the Ringo Kid that made Wayne a superstar. The movie is a flawless masterpiece and is the movie that really gave the western mainstream respectability. Legendary British movie critic, Barry Norman placed it in his 100 best works of the twentieth century.

Westerns would prove a big part of the Duke's screen life with his starring in many classic of the genre but he also made dramas, historical epics,war movies, family adventure pictures and even cop thrillers. And although Wayne will always be associated with westerns there is certainly much more to him than cowboys and Indians.

He was terribly miscast several times and is laughable as the Roman Centurion with the western accent in the Greatest Story ever Told. However many of his non westerns are once again all time cinema classics:

The Quiet Man
The Green Berets
Sands of Iwo Jima
In Harm's Way

To name but a few.

It was criminal that Wayne didn't receive an Oscar for The Searchers - perhaps the best western ever made. But he was awared it many years later for True Grit - many feel that the award was for his services to cinema rather than for his performance as the one eyed old codger, Rooster Cogburn.


When Wayne died in 1979 the entire world went into mourning - a true cinema icon had passed and Hollywood and indeed the entire film industry has shone just that bit dimmer since his passing. There is never a time when a John Wayne movie is not showing somewhere in the world.

John Wayne may have passed but his legend is immortal.