Back in 1959, John Wayne teamed up with his longtime collaborator and fellow Hollywood conservative John Ford on what would be the filmmaker’s only full American Civil War movie. Duke and his The Horse Soldiers co-star William Holden negotiated a whopping $775,000 (almost $8 million today) each, plus 20 per cent of the overall profits. … Read more
It’s John Wayne’s birthday today. Few Hollywood stars had such a major and lasting impact, with his famous walk, drawl and silhouette still easily recognisable – even if he never actually said, “Get off your horse and drink your milk.” Way back in 1929, he had a small uncredited role in the American Football film … Read more
The cantankerous and eccentric John Ford had filmed several Westerns with John Wayne in colour from The Searchers to She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. But when it came to shooting 1962’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance with Duke and James Stewart on the Paramount lot, the director opted for black and white instead. There … Read more
Having starred in the first outing of John Ford’s Cavalry trilogy in 1948’s Fort Apache, John Wayne returned to lead the director’s follow-up in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon a year later. The movie was given a budget of $1.6 million, making it one of the most expensive Westerns at that point in Hollywood history. … Read more
This week marks the 78th anniversary of the release of 1945’s They Were Expendable, a film set during the Battle of the Philippines which took place just a couple of years prior. The film’s cinematic debut was pushed back to late December 1945 since the Japanese had surrendered earlier that year. Yet despite good reviews, … Read more
