Is there another American actor that is more iconic than John Wayne? Celebrating the 100th year Anniversary of Wayne´s birth, Paramount and other studios are assaulting retail shelves with special edition re-releases of many of John Wayne´s films. Born on May 27, 1907 in Winterset, Iowa, John Wayne would make his big screen debut in the uncredited 1926 film "Brown of Harvard." Wayne would make a name for himself working with John Ford on many classic westerns during five decades beginning in the late Twenties and ending in the early Sixties. The Western genre was the most defining films for John Wayne, although he is notable for numerous World War II films. Wayne earned two Academy Award nominations before finally winning on this third nomination for the 1969 film "True Grit."
While being one of the more popular American actors in the history of cinema, his first performance as Rooster Cogburn showed the toughness and determination of the legendary actor; as he rode horseback and a great performance with a body ravaged by cancer and the advanced age of sixty two. Wayne had been diagnosed with lung cancer in 1964 and had his left lung removed and four ribs. An additional surgery found part of his right lung removed. John Wayne´s involvement in the Howard Hughes film "The Conqueror" was the popular public target for Wayne´s lung cancer, but the actor claimed a five-pack-a-day smoking habit that was the likely cause of his cancer. Regardless of his poor health, Wayne returned to the saddle for a number of films and earned his Academy Award for Best Actor on "True Grit." The overweight, 6´5" actor stood just as imposing and commanded the screen as dominating as ever as the drunken and surly Cogburn.
In "True Grit," Wayne is the one-eyed Rooster Cogburn, a Federal Marshal known for using excessive force and having no problem bringing those to justice in a coffin. When a business man, Frank Ross (John Pickard) is killed by a man working for him, Ross´ daughter Mattie (Kim Darby) seeks out the help of Cogburn to seek out the killer, Tom Chaney (Jeff Corey) and bring him to justice. Mattie and Cogburn are not alone in their pursuit of Chaney. The governor of Texas has sent a Texas Ranger, La Boeuf (Glen Campbell of "Rhinestone Cowboy" fame) to bring Chaney back to Texas alive and collect a handsome $1,500 reward. La Boeuf has not faced nearly as many vicious criminals as Cogburn and is more of a liability in their pursuit of Chaney than perhaps the young girl who refuses to not stay behind.
Chaney has taken a part in a gang of outlaws led by Ned Pepper (Robert Duvall) and is protected by the sizable force of Pepper´s gang. Cogburn does not slow down or change his course of action when he learns that Pepper and Chaney are involved together. Cogburn, La Boeuf and Mattie come across two members of Pepper´s band in an abandoned cabin. The two men, Emmett Quincy (Jeremy Slate) and Moon (Dennis Hopper) turn on each other and Moon details the motives of Pepper and his men and confirm that Chaney is riding with the dangerous men. Although Cogburn was initially very hesitant in allowing the tough and smart talking Mattie to ride along, he slowly accepts the girl´s involvement and looks over her as a "Baby Sister." He continues to ridicule the Texas ranger with the pretty hair and big gun, but ultimately respects the man who saves his life twice before Pepper and Chaney are brought to justice.
John Wayne earned his Academy Award for his performance in this first Rooster Cogburn movie. As Cogburn, Wayne stepped aside from his more stereotypical cowboy performance. He allowed himself to be upstaged by a young girl and had to overcome his physical ailments in this role. It has been said that John Wayne had difficulty in walking more than a few yards before having difficulty breathing. You would never know that Wayne was missing ribs and a lung in his performance as the drunken and uncouth Cogburn. He spent much of his career wearing spurs and a cowboy hat and dedicated his life to portraying an American hero with strong values and a true notion of honor. Part of the award may have been in honor of his career, but his performance was certainly worth the gold statue. I´ve never been a tremendous John Wayne fan and have never considered him a great actor; until I saw "True Grit" and realized the condition he was in when he filmed the role.
The rest of the cast doesn´t quite match up to the greatness that is the tall Iowan. Glen Campbell looks just a bit too handsome to be a Texas Ranger in the old days of the American frontier. Kim Darby has a tough job in acting opposite of an actor who has always been larger-than-life, but her naïve cuteness does wear thing before the climactic moments when Cogburn must deal with the bad guys and get Mattie to safety. Neither Campbell nor Darby were bad, but when put up against somebody as iconic as John Wayne, they seem miscast. Robert Duvall was very good in the film and Dennis Hopper gave a good early performance. At the time when "True Grit" was released, Wayne´s audience was older and Campbell was brought in to appeal to a younger audience, but the veteran Wayne is the true star of the show.
"True Grit" is a classic western that first introduced John Wayne in one of the roles that he is best remembered for; that of Federal Marshall Rooster Cogburn. Wayne is a pure American icon and one tough customer that would live for another ten years and act in films for another seven. Paramount has wisely chosen "True Grit" as one of the first films in the massive John Wayne push for the "John Wayne Collection" and this title joins other seminal John Wayne classics as "Stagecoach," "The Searchers" and "Sands of Iwo Jima." There will never be another actor who can embody the American cowboy and the American war hero as John Wayne did and nobody can ever fill his boots. I look forward to watching more films in the "John Wayne Collection" as they are released and appreciate the large body of work of this great man.
While being one of the more popular American actors in the history of cinema, his first performance as Rooster Cogburn showed the toughness and determination of the legendary actor; as he rode horseback and a great performance with a body ravaged by cancer and the advanced age of sixty two. Wayne had been diagnosed with lung cancer in 1964 and had his left lung removed and four ribs. An additional surgery found part of his right lung removed. John Wayne´s involvement in the Howard Hughes film "The Conqueror" was the popular public target for Wayne´s lung cancer, but the actor claimed a five-pack-a-day smoking habit that was the likely cause of his cancer. Regardless of his poor health, Wayne returned to the saddle for a number of films and earned his Academy Award for Best Actor on "True Grit." The overweight, 6´5" actor stood just as imposing and commanded the screen as dominating as ever as the drunken and surly Cogburn.
In "True Grit," Wayne is the one-eyed Rooster Cogburn, a Federal Marshal known for using excessive force and having no problem bringing those to justice in a coffin. When a business man, Frank Ross (John Pickard) is killed by a man working for him, Ross´ daughter Mattie (Kim Darby) seeks out the help of Cogburn to seek out the killer, Tom Chaney (Jeff Corey) and bring him to justice. Mattie and Cogburn are not alone in their pursuit of Chaney. The governor of Texas has sent a Texas Ranger, La Boeuf (Glen Campbell of "Rhinestone Cowboy" fame) to bring Chaney back to Texas alive and collect a handsome $1,500 reward. La Boeuf has not faced nearly as many vicious criminals as Cogburn and is more of a liability in their pursuit of Chaney than perhaps the young girl who refuses to not stay behind.
Chaney has taken a part in a gang of outlaws led by Ned Pepper (Robert Duvall) and is protected by the sizable force of Pepper´s gang. Cogburn does not slow down or change his course of action when he learns that Pepper and Chaney are involved together. Cogburn, La Boeuf and Mattie come across two members of Pepper´s band in an abandoned cabin. The two men, Emmett Quincy (Jeremy Slate) and Moon (Dennis Hopper) turn on each other and Moon details the motives of Pepper and his men and confirm that Chaney is riding with the dangerous men. Although Cogburn was initially very hesitant in allowing the tough and smart talking Mattie to ride along, he slowly accepts the girl´s involvement and looks over her as a "Baby Sister." He continues to ridicule the Texas ranger with the pretty hair and big gun, but ultimately respects the man who saves his life twice before Pepper and Chaney are brought to justice.
John Wayne earned his Academy Award for his performance in this first Rooster Cogburn movie. As Cogburn, Wayne stepped aside from his more stereotypical cowboy performance. He allowed himself to be upstaged by a young girl and had to overcome his physical ailments in this role. It has been said that John Wayne had difficulty in walking more than a few yards before having difficulty breathing. You would never know that Wayne was missing ribs and a lung in his performance as the drunken and uncouth Cogburn. He spent much of his career wearing spurs and a cowboy hat and dedicated his life to portraying an American hero with strong values and a true notion of honor. Part of the award may have been in honor of his career, but his performance was certainly worth the gold statue. I´ve never been a tremendous John Wayne fan and have never considered him a great actor; until I saw "True Grit" and realized the condition he was in when he filmed the role.
The rest of the cast doesn´t quite match up to the greatness that is the tall Iowan. Glen Campbell looks just a bit too handsome to be a Texas Ranger in the old days of the American frontier. Kim Darby has a tough job in acting opposite of an actor who has always been larger-than-life, but her naïve cuteness does wear thing before the climactic moments when Cogburn must deal with the bad guys and get Mattie to safety. Neither Campbell nor Darby were bad, but when put up against somebody as iconic as John Wayne, they seem miscast. Robert Duvall was very good in the film and Dennis Hopper gave a good early performance. At the time when "True Grit" was released, Wayne´s audience was older and Campbell was brought in to appeal to a younger audience, but the veteran Wayne is the true star of the show.
"True Grit" is a classic western that first introduced John Wayne in one of the roles that he is best remembered for; that of Federal Marshall Rooster Cogburn. Wayne is a pure American icon and one tough customer that would live for another ten years and act in films for another seven. Paramount has wisely chosen "True Grit" as one of the first films in the massive John Wayne push for the "John Wayne Collection" and this title joins other seminal John Wayne classics as "Stagecoach," "The Searchers" and "Sands of Iwo Jima." There will never be another actor who can embody the American cowboy and the American war hero as John Wayne did and nobody can ever fill his boots. I look forward to watching more films in the "John Wayne Collection" as they are released and appreciate the large body of work of this great man.
Is there another American actor that is more iconic than John Wayne? Celebrating the 100th year Anniversary of Wayne´s birth, Paramount and other studios are assaulting retail shelves with special edition re-releases of many of John Wayne´s films. Born on May 27, 1907 in Winterset, Iowa, John Wayne would make his big screen debut in the uncredited 1926 film "Brown of Harvard." Wayne would make a name for himself working with John Ford on many classic westerns during five decades beginning in the late Twenties and ending in the early Sixties. The Western genre was the most defining films for John Wayne, although he is notable for numerous World War II films. Wayne earned two Academy Award nominations before finally winning on this third nomination for the 1969 film "True Grit."
While being one of the more popular American actors in the history of cinema, his first performance as Rooster Cogburn showed the toughness and determination of the legendary actor; as he rode horseback and a great performance with a body ravaged by cancer and the advanced age of sixty two. Wayne had been diagnosed with lung cancer in 1964 and had his left lung removed and four ribs. An additional surgery found part of his right lung removed. John Wayne´s involvement in the Howard Hughes film "The Conqueror" was the popular public target for Wayne´s lung cancer, but the actor claimed a five-pack-a-day smoking habit that was the likely cause of his cancer. Regardless of his poor health, Wayne returned to the saddle for a number of films and earned his Academy Award for Best Actor on "True Grit." The overweight, 6´5" actor stood just as imposing and commanded the screen as dominating as ever as the drunken and surly Cogburn.
In "True Grit," Wayne is the one-eyed Rooster Cogburn, a Federal Marshal known for using excessive force and having no problem bringing those to justice in a coffin. When a business man, Frank Ross (John Pickard) is killed by a man working for him, Ross´ daughter Mattie (Kim Darby) seeks out the help of Cogburn to seek out the killer, Tom Chaney (Jeff Corey) and bring him to justice. Mattie and Cogburn are not alone in their pursuit of Chaney. The governor of Texas has sent a Texas Ranger, La Boeuf (Glen Campbell of "Rhinestone Cowboy" fame) to bring Chaney back to Texas alive and collect a handsome $1,500 reward. La Boeuf has not faced nearly as many vicious criminals as Cogburn and is more of a liability in their pursuit of Chaney than perhaps the young girl who refuses to not stay behind.
Chaney has taken a part in a gang of outlaws led by Ned Pepper (Robert Duvall) and is protected by the sizable force of Pepper´s gang. Cogburn does not slow down or change his course of action when he learns that Pepper and Chaney are involved together. Cogburn, La Boeuf and Mattie come across two members of Pepper´s band in an abandoned cabin. The two men, Emmett Quincy (Jeremy Slate) and Moon (Dennis Hopper) turn on each other and Moon details the motives of Pepper and his men and confirm that Chaney is riding with the dangerous men. Although Cogburn was initially very hesitant in allowing the tough and smart talking Mattie to ride along, he slowly accepts the girl´s involvement and looks over her as a "Baby Sister." He continues to ridicule the Texas ranger with the pretty hair and big gun, but ultimately respects the man who saves his life twice before Pepper and Chaney are brought to justice.
John Wayne earned his Academy Award for his performance in this first Rooster Cogburn movie. As Cogburn, Wayne stepped aside from his more stereotypical cowboy performance. He allowed himself to be upstaged by a young girl and had to overcome his physical ailments in this role. It has been said that John Wayne had difficulty in walking more than a few yards before having difficulty breathing. You would never know that Wayne was missing ribs and a lung in his performance as the drunken and uncouth Cogburn. He spent much of his career wearing spurs and a cowboy hat and dedicated his life to portraying an American hero with strong values and a true notion of honor. Part of the award may have been in honor of his career, but his performance was certainly worth the gold statue. I´ve never been a tremendous John Wayne fan and have never considered him a great actor; until I saw "True Grit" and realized the condition he was in when he filmed the role.
The rest of the cast doesn´t quite match up to the greatness that is the tall Iowan. Glen Campbell looks just a bit too handsome to be a Texas Ranger in the old days of the American frontier. Kim Darby has a tough job in acting opposite of an actor who has always been larger-than-life, but her naïve cuteness does wear thing before the climactic moments when Cogburn must deal with the bad guys and get Mattie to safety. Neither Campbell nor Darby were bad, but when put up against somebody as iconic as John Wayne, they seem miscast. Robert Duvall was very good in the film and Dennis Hopper gave a good early performance. At the time when "True Grit" was released, Wayne´s audience was older and Campbell was brought in to appeal to a younger audience, but the veteran Wayne is the true star of the show.
"True Grit" is a classic western that first introduced John Wayne in one of the roles that he is best remembered for; that of Federal Marshall Rooster Cogburn. Wayne is a pure American icon and one tough customer that would live for another ten years and act in films for another seven. Paramount has wisely chosen "True Grit" as one of the first films in the massive John Wayne push for the "John Wayne Collection" and this title joins other seminal John Wayne classics as "Stagecoach," "The Searchers" and "Sands of Iwo Jima." There will never be another actor who can embody the American cowboy and the American war hero as John Wayne did and nobody can ever fill his boots. I look forward to watching more films in the "John Wayne Collection" as they are released and appreciate the large body of work of this great man.
While being one of the more popular American actors in the history of cinema, his first performance as Rooster Cogburn showed the toughness and determination of the legendary actor; as he rode horseback and a great performance with a body ravaged by cancer and the advanced age of sixty two. Wayne had been diagnosed with lung cancer in 1964 and had his left lung removed and four ribs. An additional surgery found part of his right lung removed. John Wayne´s involvement in the Howard Hughes film "The Conqueror" was the popular public target for Wayne´s lung cancer, but the actor claimed a five-pack-a-day smoking habit that was the likely cause of his cancer. Regardless of his poor health, Wayne returned to the saddle for a number of films and earned his Academy Award for Best Actor on "True Grit." The overweight, 6´5" actor stood just as imposing and commanded the screen as dominating as ever as the drunken and surly Cogburn.
In "True Grit," Wayne is the one-eyed Rooster Cogburn, a Federal Marshal known for using excessive force and having no problem bringing those to justice in a coffin. When a business man, Frank Ross (John Pickard) is killed by a man working for him, Ross´ daughter Mattie (Kim Darby) seeks out the help of Cogburn to seek out the killer, Tom Chaney (Jeff Corey) and bring him to justice. Mattie and Cogburn are not alone in their pursuit of Chaney. The governor of Texas has sent a Texas Ranger, La Boeuf (Glen Campbell of "Rhinestone Cowboy" fame) to bring Chaney back to Texas alive and collect a handsome $1,500 reward. La Boeuf has not faced nearly as many vicious criminals as Cogburn and is more of a liability in their pursuit of Chaney than perhaps the young girl who refuses to not stay behind.
Chaney has taken a part in a gang of outlaws led by Ned Pepper (Robert Duvall) and is protected by the sizable force of Pepper´s gang. Cogburn does not slow down or change his course of action when he learns that Pepper and Chaney are involved together. Cogburn, La Boeuf and Mattie come across two members of Pepper´s band in an abandoned cabin. The two men, Emmett Quincy (Jeremy Slate) and Moon (Dennis Hopper) turn on each other and Moon details the motives of Pepper and his men and confirm that Chaney is riding with the dangerous men. Although Cogburn was initially very hesitant in allowing the tough and smart talking Mattie to ride along, he slowly accepts the girl´s involvement and looks over her as a "Baby Sister." He continues to ridicule the Texas ranger with the pretty hair and big gun, but ultimately respects the man who saves his life twice before Pepper and Chaney are brought to justice.
John Wayne earned his Academy Award for his performance in this first Rooster Cogburn movie. As Cogburn, Wayne stepped aside from his more stereotypical cowboy performance. He allowed himself to be upstaged by a young girl and had to overcome his physical ailments in this role. It has been said that John Wayne had difficulty in walking more than a few yards before having difficulty breathing. You would never know that Wayne was missing ribs and a lung in his performance as the drunken and uncouth Cogburn. He spent much of his career wearing spurs and a cowboy hat and dedicated his life to portraying an American hero with strong values and a true notion of honor. Part of the award may have been in honor of his career, but his performance was certainly worth the gold statue. I´ve never been a tremendous John Wayne fan and have never considered him a great actor; until I saw "True Grit" and realized the condition he was in when he filmed the role.
The rest of the cast doesn´t quite match up to the greatness that is the tall Iowan. Glen Campbell looks just a bit too handsome to be a Texas Ranger in the old days of the American frontier. Kim Darby has a tough job in acting opposite of an actor who has always been larger-than-life, but her naïve cuteness does wear thing before the climactic moments when Cogburn must deal with the bad guys and get Mattie to safety. Neither Campbell nor Darby were bad, but when put up against somebody as iconic as John Wayne, they seem miscast. Robert Duvall was very good in the film and Dennis Hopper gave a good early performance. At the time when "True Grit" was released, Wayne´s audience was older and Campbell was brought in to appeal to a younger audience, but the veteran Wayne is the true star of the show.
"True Grit" is a classic western that first introduced John Wayne in one of the roles that he is best remembered for; that of Federal Marshall Rooster Cogburn. Wayne is a pure American icon and one tough customer that would live for another ten years and act in films for another seven. Paramount has wisely chosen "True Grit" as one of the first films in the massive John Wayne push for the "John Wayne Collection" and this title joins other seminal John Wayne classics as "Stagecoach," "The Searchers" and "Sands of Iwo Jima." There will never be another actor who can embody the American cowboy and the American war hero as John Wayne did and nobody can ever fill his boots. I look forward to watching more films in the "John Wayne Collection" as they are released and appreciate the large body of work of this great man.
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