|
John Wayne Turns 100 Years Old
John Wayne turned one hundred years old in May, an occasion Hollywood
marked with several DVD releases. The Cannes Film Festival showcased a
restored version of Hondo (1953) in 3-D. Newspapers and many bloggers
dutifully doffed their hats. And Patrick Wayne bulldozed a gas station in
Winterset, Iowa, to make way for the first dedicated John Wayne museum.
According to a recent Harris poll, the Duke remains America’s third most
popular movie star, no matter that he passed away in 1979. It’s been three
decades since his last film, The Shootist (1976) yet he’s consistently
ranked in the top ten since Harris started polling 13 years ago.
How Wayne Became a Cowboy
From stunt man and former rodeo champion Yakima Canutt, John Wayne learned
how to be a cowboy; how to ride, how to fight, how to hold a gun. Canutt was a
terrible actor, but Wayne watched him on and off camera, and noticed how when he
was confronted with real danger, Canutt didn't act scared; on some level he
seemed amused. That half-humorous glint at the first sign of trouble found its
way into Wayne’s arsenal. Thirty years later, when Patrick Wayne was starting
out on his own acting career, the only note his father gave him was to learn to
master a horse. James Caan and Chris Mitchum both recalled how Wayne made a
point of demonstrating the right way to bear arms.