On May 26th, 1907, 105 years ago, John Wayne (born Marion Robert Morrison, and later changed to Marion Mitchell Morrison) was born.
For those who know me, you know that I am a big John Wayne fan. He has always been, and always will be, my favorite movie star. He is The Duke.
A lot of people I know don’t think much of his acting abilities, despite the Oscar for Best Actor for True Grit, as well as a nomination for The Sands of Iwo Jima. They must not have seen some of his best films, like Stagecoach, The Searchers, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, The Quiet Man, The Cowboys, They Were Expendable, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance or The Shootist. These are some of his best films.
I can’t claim to have seen all of Duke’s films, but I have seen a lot of them, including a fair amount of his “B” pictures and all three movie serials that he made in the ’30s.
Many of Duke’s best roles were as the rugged, individualist American, who survives by his own wits, self-reliance. This is why he is synonymous with the American Cowboy, and is an American Icon.
John Wayne’s life was cut short at the age of 72 by cancer, passing on in 1979. He now rides into the Great Sunset in the Sky. I think he knows that there is a lot of u down here that miss him, and wish that some of today’s actors were more like him.
