Guess Who’s the Third Most Popular Movie Star in America Today?
by John NolteNo, it’s not any of those celebrities we’re told are stars. DiCaprio and George Clooney didn’t even make the top 10. Neither did Ashton Kutcher, Sean Penn, Brad Pitt, Seth Rogen, Matt Damon, Will Farrell, or Tom Cruise.
Every year for about 15 years now, Harris Interactive has conducted a nationwide poll and asked a very simple question: “Who is your favorite movie star?” And every year since the taking of the poll one particular individual has placed in the top ten — 13 of those years in the top 3.
This year, 2,388 U.S. adults were surveyed and this star rose three places to tie Will Smith for third. Only Denzel Washington and Clint Eastwood rank as more popular.
One last hint before the reveal: This star is the only actor in the history of the poll to rank posthumously:
John Wayne
Denzel Washington
Clint Eastwood
John Wayne
Will Smith
Harrison Ford
Julia Roberts
Tom Hanks
Johnny Depp
Angelina Jolie
Morgan Freeman
In 2007, Time Magazine’s Richard Corliss (a film writer I respect) got it kinda wrong when Wayne ranked #3 back in 2007:
Nothing radical there, except that Pitt, Jolie and, oh, Tom Cruise were among the missing. …
Forget the youthquake. What America really loves is… old. Whatever Wayne represents – the Old Testament God, a Mount Rushmore face with a permanent scowl, the craggy soul of Frontier or Sunbelt America[.] …
Will Hollywood take any lessons from this poll – say, to make movies with, and for, older people. Nah. The moguls have read the small print in the Harris poll, and noted that it was weighted for many variables, but not to mirror the average age of moviegoers.
Maybe Hollywood has taken a lesson, or at least might now that two guys over 55, Liam Neeson and Clint Eastwood are headlining two of the biggest smashes of 2009, “Taken” and “Gran Torino.”
Corliss seems to dismiss Wayne as representing God, the Old Testament, etc… You know, all that cornball stuff the rubes go for. The truth is, and this kills his critics to no end, what John Wayne represents is a canon of marvelous films, a half-dozen of which are outright masterpieces, followed by a dozen classics and a slew of wildly entertaining crowd pleasers that have already lived on in reruns and home video long past “Syriana” and… What films were nominated last year?
Wayne was the most popular and enduring star while alive and remains so today because he also represents honesty, justice, truth, liberty, America, fighting for what you believe in, integrity, chivalry, and most importantly in this awful era of the metrosexual, Wayne represents good ole’ give-a-punch/take-a-punch/have-a-drink-and-laugh-about-it-later masculinity.
And while those who didn’t make the list this year, those oh-so nuanced, so-called stars who boy-face their way across the screen emoting Chomsky-loving, Zinn-worshipping recipes for war, poverty, famine, slavery and genocide, let’s remember that the Duke kept it simple and direct with a code best summed up in his final film, “The Shootist” (1976):
I won’t be wronged. I won’t be insulted. I won’t be laid a-hand on. I don’t do these things to other people, and I require the same from them.
That, my friends, is what you call a recipe for World Peace.
And don’t let anyone ever let you forget that John Wayne happened to be one of the finest actors to ever grace the big screen.
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182 Comments
I guessed it! I guessed it!
Didn't need to read the spoiler. He was, is, and ever more shall be THE movie star.
I did, too—I never forget, but watching "The Quiet Man" yesterday reminded me of what an incredible, iconic talent he was…..they really don't make them like that anymore.
Regular readers of this site get no points for knowing the answer. You SHOULD know it.
Considering the lightweights that pose as 'Movie Stars' now having Clint second and the Duke third should surprise no one; personally we felt glad that Dimwit Damon was missing, his execreble revisionist 'Bourne' series gets under our skin (he really looks like he left his Harvard sweater somewhere- probably with old pal Affleck) but we digress…
John Wayne is American cinema. Watch 'Fort Apache' sometime. 50 plus years old it's still gripping- and relevant.
And that's the tip of his iceberg. It's just sad that the incestuous nature of Hollywood props up the same crowd ad infinitum (seems Sam Jackson is in every movie ever made) and is truly unwelcoming to newcomers. Unless, of course they are imbibing deeply of yon Kool-Aid…
Good to see Clint Eastwood so near the top. Maybe we have some hope yet in the times of quiche eating, hybrid driving phonies. Give me a meat and potatato movie star anytime.
Praise well worth giving. Too bad more younger actors don't try to emulate him.
Man do I miss him.
(sarcasm)
Racist-sexist-homophobic Nazi.
(/sarcasm)
Joking aside, why would anyone admit to liking John Wayne? I haven't seen any of his films, so I can't say I see why people like him, and I did read that old Libertas article, but why today? Why now? Not that there's anything wrong with it, but I thought that this was, for lack of better words, a "new era" where old ways of thinking are abandoned wholesale…simply because they are old.
I admit I didn't guess correctly. But do I get extra points for having nine JW movies in my collection? Just watched "North to Alaska" Monday night. Good fun, definitely not Oscar material — which is a compliment.
I'm afraid to say my Dad talked down John Wayne all my life. Dad knows movies …. but he pegged Wayne wrong — really wrong. I started watching Wayne's movies a few years back and discovered his unique presence on my own. Still catching up to all his classics … and loving it.
He was … and remains … a movie star. Sandra Bullock?? Keanu Reeves? C'mon..
Next year, I'm sure we'll see Edward Allier on the list.
Watched STAGECOACH for the first time a few weeks ago. Loved it.
As someone who has only really seen 2 of his films (STAGECOACH and QUIET MAN* -I know, I am poorly raised). How about a top 5 list of John Wayne films, Mr. Nolte?
*I saw THE ALAMO a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
The actors are only a small part of the problem. The biggest part is that Hollywood decision-makers don't want to make a John Wayne-style movie. They're all perverts, busy marketing perversion.
"…because he also represents honesty, justice, truth, liberty, America, fighting for what you believe in, integrity, chivalry…"
Because these never go out of style and get old. If we did abandon these, we would abandon everything we hope we are and hope to be.
"…because he also represents honesty, justice, truth, liberty, America, fighting for what you believe in, integrity, chivalry…"
Because these never go out of style and never get old. If we did abandon these, we would abandon everything we hope we are and hope to be.
I guess part of it is my naiveté in believing that a John Wayne figure will come in and save us from the Hollywood we have today.
Maaatttt Daaamon emulating the Duke? Leo Di? OH PULEESE! That line from City Slickers that Jack Palance shoots out at Billy Crystal when he first meets him. I cr*p bigger than you. Heh. Thats what I think the Duke would be thinking, Eastwood to when faced with the tribe of metrosexualized man boys who infest our cinema.
John Wayne and Clint Eastwood were both contract players. They got their chops tested by being the 3rd guy from the left for a few years. Once they developed their talent, they moved up rapidly. Modern actors don’t use that business model. Make a couple of movies that earn money, then jack your rate to the sky, make a couple of movies that make you money, and spend the rest of your life taking it easy. I really don’t think that Brad Pitt will have much of a career when he is Clint Eastwood’s age. I also don’t think that Angelina Jolie will be making her second best movie as she is dying of cancer like the Duke did (The Shootist, a very underrated movie.) Nor will they take the time away from his work and his illness to help a child star become a prolific director and producer like he did.
For this reason, John Wayne is the best that ever was.
Personal favorites: (in no order of rank)
The Cowboys
Sands of Iwo Jima
In Harm's Way
The Green Berets
They Were Expendable (could you imagine Hollywood using word like 'expendable' in a title today?)
I wasn't a big westerns fan as a kid.
"Stagecoach" and "The Quiet Man' are still two of my favorite movies. I took one film course in college and came away with an abiding appreciation for Mr. Wayne's performance in "Stagecoach" (as well as Gary Cooper's performance in "High Noon," which is another all-time favorite). There aren't that many newer movies that are actually worth buying for the family video library. Thanks for this post! Good to know there are still plenty of people in this country with discriminating taste.
The reason why legends don't get the respect they deserve is simply because they are so brilliant at what they do that they — well, Baryshnikov said it best of the legendary Astaire – 'he makes it look so easy'. That's the Duke. He was so effortless, so crafted, so subtle that you could look straight at him while he was doing it and you still didn't see it. Until you tried to do it yourself. Or saw some other Wayne-wannabe try to. That was when you finally realized how incredible it was. Only the best can make it look effortless.
The Duke was the best.
Interesting that the average age of the top 10 favorite actors is 57. (John Wayne would be 101 if he were still alive, but excluding him entirely the average age is still 52 among the other 9 actors.)
I didn't mean to say it was impossible. Mel Gibson, for instance, could have been a John Wayne, and with his star power, attracted the resources to pump out good films.
*sigh* Oh well.
I knew it right away! I was RAISED on John Wayne. Born in 1961, I grew up during some turbulent political times, and every time a John Wayne movie premiered, we would be there the first night (in Wichita, KS!). The movie would start, and when John Wayne appeared onscreen for the first time, my father and I would stand up and clap. I'm sure other people thought we were insane, but to me it was just the way our family lived. John Wayne pictures on the walls, bios and movie books ~ and I'll never forget the time Daddy returned home from a business trip to Los Angeles, opening the door and saying "Shake the hand that shook the hand of John Wayne!!"
When he died, June 11, 1979, I had just graduated from high school, and all my friends called me to console me.
God Bless John Wayne.
Well, I was guessing Charlton Heston but John Wayne – can't argue with that!
That poll only rates the popularity of movie stars, not necessarily the "best" movie stars. For instance, there are plenty of other actors, Wayne's contemporaries, who have displayed better range and acting abilities: Gary Cooper, Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Jimmy Stewart, Humphrey Bogart, to name a few. But the crucial difference is the position Wayne holds in our culture — unlike those other actors (perhaps with the exception of Bogey), Wayne is/was an icon.
Still, I've never been that impressed with the films of his that I've seen (admittedly, not that many). That said, I've enjoyed him in Donovan's Reef, The Searchers, The Longest Day, and The Green Berets.
"Not that there's anything wrong with it…"
Just to clarify, "it" refers to respecting John Wayne.
May God Bless the Duke.
How encouraging to see a poll indicating a widespread appreciation for true maturity.
Seems to me ageism has been getting prevalent and keeps getting worse in recent years.
Like the Duke said in The Searchers:
"No need to call me Sir. Nor Grampa. Nor Methuselah. I can whip you to a frazzle."
PS: There's a great song by George Harrison, on his Cloud Nine album, called 'Wreck of the Hesperus',
a cool, funny rebuttal to being dismissed as being 'over the hill'.
John,
Do you know your old blog (dirty harry) has been hacked? I accidently went there early today and it says something about North African and being hacked.
I think Eastwood will stay in the top ten (or 5) long after he passes, just like Wayne. We will never see George Clooney or Cruise at the top of the list. Clooney or Pitt were never big stars. They get get paid like they are. Ditto DiCaprio, even though Titanic was a huge movie, so was Star Wars and you don't see Mark Hamil on the list.
My favorites, in no particular order:
The Quiet Man
McLintock
True Grit
The Sons of Katie Elder
The Green Berets
Man, do I miss him.
Same here.
There is the Duke.
And then, everybody else.
No surprise this.
Give me a break! John Wayne is popular because he's so good. It's too bad there aren't any "stars" today who can be even half the man John Wayne continues to be.
Jeez, I forgot my favorite; THE SEARCHERS!!!
I've "lurked" around here for ages, but I have to comment the Duke! I grew up on his movies and still go out of my way to watch one! My mom and I will compete to see who can place the movie first if we stumble on one while surfing. I'm sorry to say, though, I really wasn't able to pass the good taste on- my kids still groan if one of his movies starts when they are visiting- with a few exceptions! My 25yr old daughter does like McClintock and Donovan's Reef.
I have about 37 John Wayne films in my DVD library plus reproduction movie posters of The Searchers and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and a stills from The Searchers and Rio Bravo. He is probably one of the few actors that have almost his entire body of work on DVDs although some of his early bit parts might not be on DVDs.
Among my favorites are the following:
John Ford director: The Searchers. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Quiet Man, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Stagecoach, They Were Expendable.
Howard Hawks director: Red River, Rio Bravo and Hatari.
Henry Hathaway: Shepherd of the Hills, True Grit, North to Alaska
John Wayne, director: Alamo
Others: The Comancheros, The High and the Mighty, Sands of Iwo Jima, Dark Command, Tall in the Saddle, Angel and The Badman
I think Stallone (and his sidekicks) could!
Five?!
Ask a parent to select which kid to kill, why doncha?
IMHO, try these 15 (19):
Stagecoach
They Were Expendable
Sands of Iwo Jima
Rio Grande/She Wore A Yellow Ribbon/Fort Apache (the Cavalry trilogy)
The Searchers
The Quiet Man
Red River
Blood Alley
The Alamo
Rio Bravo/El Dorado/Rio Lobo (they're really the same story, told slightly differently 3x, and all good)
McClintock
The Green Berets
Big Jake
True Grit
The Shootist
Without seeing at least those, or most of them. you've missed the essential John Wayne.
Second tip: watch them in roughly that order.
And it's no coincidence that many were directed by John Ford and Howard Hawks, nor that they include all 4 times he starred opposite Maureen O'Hara.
Having been born on May 26th, John Waynes birthday I say the best five are impossible to name. But since I like lists of bests, mine would be:
The Cowboys
True Grit
The Quiet Man
Sands of Iwo Jima
The Searchers
It's no surprise at all, A whole generation of Americans have been born in the years since "The Duke" passed from this mortal plain and into Legend. He left a body of work that is second to none, and has with stood the test of time. He won an Oscar for "True Grit", and he should have gotten one for "The Searchers" (My Favorite ) and for 'The Shootist' I saw that one on the Big Screen in Old Fort Worth, Texas while in Flight School. There are lots of other Actors that are of the same generation as Duke Wayne, there work stands well too.
Hear hear! Watch "True Grit"; that's acting. Duke is not the stereotype Duke, and he won a well deserved Oscar for it.
Huh?
I knew it had to be Wayne. But Charlton Heston is certainly worthy. Until last year I had never seen the movie "Tombstone". Most Westerns of the last decade or so have disappointed me so I wasn't expecting much. I didn't read any of the notes on the case, didn't even look to see who was in the movie. As I watched it, I was pleasantly surprised. I sat there thinking "these guys are doing a pretty good job, even Val Kilmer". I was "into" the story. Then they got to Heston's small scene. Again, I had no idea he was even in the movie. His presence just basically standing there so overwhelmed the other actors, I was blown away. I watched that scene 3 or 4 times just to make sure I hadn't imagined it before I went on with the rest of the movie.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the movie that vaulted John Wayne to stardom: Stagecoach. That movie is one of the all-time masterpieces!! Simply magnificient!! I'm absolutely positive John Nolte would refer to Stagecoach as one of the Duke's masterpieces. Heck, it's one of Hollywood's masterpieces!!
Almost everyone always misses seeing one of John Wayne's most interesting and complex roles. The film was WAKE OF THE RED WITCH. The character, he plays (Ralls) in this film is as riveting as Ethan in THE SEARCHERS and Dunson in RED RIVER. It's a film that has everything for everyone. It's a man's movie, it's a date movie it's just plain good. The book it's based on by Garland Roake was also a great read.
–Beau Smith
The Flying Fist Ranch
Wayne, Eastwood, and Heston
Anybody else is a wannabe.
Thank you, John for this article and the comments about the poll and the lists.
We love John Wayne in this house and the older we get the more we appreciate.
Our favorites are Rio Bravo. North to Alaska ( because he is very good and very funny in both)
True Grit. ( speaking to Ned Pepper when he called him a 'one-eyed old fat man': " fill your hand you S*B!"
taking the reings in his mouth he ran at them full bore.. Just love that scene) Too many of our children have been raised not to remember or appreciate either one of them and it is to our
detriment as a society, never mind a country entire.
Love this place for all those reasons and not the least the refreshing ideas and reminders of great actors and individuals of our past.
I grew up loving Sands of Iwo Jima. Also The CeeBees. They Were Expendable.
The Searchers is outstanding.
My all time best is The Quiet Man.
Its hard to narrow down favorite Duke movies, and its hard to argue all those already listed, but this 23 year old wanted to pipe up and say I always loved "Chisum". Just ordered "The Cowboys" on Blu-Ray for only like $13, I was so excited because I don't have the DVD, just an old VHS.
This is a good day to ask this question: Why do so many of Wayne's WWII movies take place in the Pacific theater rather than in Europe? I watched They Were Expendable, Flying Leathernecks, and Back to Bataan last week and it got me wondering about this.
A quick look at his movies shows these in the Pacific: Flying Tigers (China), The Fighting Seabees, Back to Bataan, They Were Expendable, Sands of Iwo Jima, Operation Pacific, Flying Leathernecks, The Wings of Eagles, In Harm's Way
In Europe: The Longest Day
Fill in if I'm missing any, but any specific reason for this imbalance?
One of my Favorite quotes from the Duke was in his last appearance:
"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I expect the same from them."
John Bernard Books (The Shootist): Only if we were all able to live by that Code.
John Wayne will live forever because he is the quintessential American………pilgrim!
Am I the only one here who thought his performance in 'In Harm's Way" was, well, stellar? I also loved "The Big Trail" for his performance and for establishing him as the ultimate western hero. "Stagecoach" made him famous, but "The Big Trail" set the stage.
Sorry, I don't think Wayne can light a candle to any of the other actors I mentioned.
"…because they are old" is a reason to abandon something?
Someone ought to warn your parents.
I was thinking that as well, Duke would have been my third guess right after Jimmy Stewart.
Preach it~
There is still hope when a couple of non-metrosexuals in Hollywood are at the top of the list.
There is still hope when a couple of non-metrosexuals in Hollywood are at the top of the list. Love the Duke! Clint's pretty good too.
True Grit and this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sekHkR5BKOY&fe...
An amazing wonderful man he was….
How dare you lable Stewart, a wannabe! oh my sweet Lord I could never make a list pick an any actor or actress for that matter prior to 1970 and you saw talent but one HAD to have talent then , but alas this is just my humble opinion.
I was in London when John Wayne died. Near the B & B I was staying at the newspaper seller had a sign on his rack that said "The Duke is Dead" and even though it was England there was no question the nobility in question was an American rather than a British aristocrat.
wow… Gary Cooper was hugely overrated, a stiff if ever one existed. Bogart was a one-off, a character actor who could do leads if they were idiosynchratic enough, Kirk Douglas did good work but also much hammy over the top stuff. Stewart was probably the most versatile leading man in history- no quibble there- and Burt Lancaster was a treasure. However, Wayne had a quality few possessed. Many can do the Bard but no one else could do Ethan in 'The Searchers' with such painful honesty…
[...] Original post: Guess Who’s the Third Most Popular Movie Star in America Today? [...]
My favorite John Wayne movie is Eldorado. It has Robert Mitchum and James Caan.
To me it is the quintessential Western.
http://www.cinemaretro.com/uploads/WAYNE2.jpg
My favorite sceen ,Duke with reins in his teeth , guns a blazin'
"Fill yer hands, ya sons of bitches!"
One of the best scenes ever.
Have you noticed that whenever Hollywood needs a real man to star in an action movie, they go out and hire a Brit or an Australian? The metrosexual fairies that dominate modern movies would turn John Wayne's stomach.
"She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" is still one of my all time favorite movies – not just for the sake of John Wayne and Victor McLaglen, I love watching Ben Johnson ride a horse. Poetry on horseback, that man was.
The Duke isn't Number 3, he is and always shall be Number 1.
Speaking of Liam Neeson in the original post, condolences and prayers to him and his family on the death of Natasha Richardson. What a horrible freak accident!
Could it be because it was easier to "make up" missions in the Pacific? Or that the terrain of California made for a better (and cheaper) match than European locales?
[...] CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT Tags: 3rd Most Famous Movie Star [...]
Can some one expalin why Julia Roberts is on this list? What is her appeal? I have never understood. But then again I don't understand why so many women love the Pretty Woman movie. The song, I get, just not that stupid premise.
Actually, Kendama you ask some good questions for someone not really familiar with him. OK, he was a good actor. There are good actors today. So what?
Here are some of my thoughts about trying to explain why so many still hold this man in such high regard.
As BevfromNYC said I think JW is still popular because of those listed qualities were so much a part of his films and part of his real life.
Even though you haven't seen any of his films, you've probably seen lots of photos, videos, even people impersonating him. Maybe you've read some articles about John. From these even someone who grew up after John Wayne passed away can tell here was a man of rugged good looks and not a pretty boy; a man whose presence exuded an attitude of strength, an air of confidence in himself and his decisions. He has the look of a tough customer while still being a good guy. Just from the photo above, one gets the feeling here was a man comfortable in his own skin and not worried so much about what other's thought but still respectful of them. A man's man. John Wayne was a man of conviction who was not ashamed of, nor did he ever apologize for, being an American. Nor did he apologize for being a man. These are qualities that, until about 30 years ago or so, were what men aspired to and what the world saw American men as.
Because he actually lived these qualities, it is unthinkable, for example, that he would ever go to Europe and apologize for our president, regardless of what he thought of the person in office at the time. It is unthinkable that John Wayne would stand in front of an awards show and declare "George Bush" (or any president) "hates black people". It is unthinkable John Wayne would call any president a NAZI.
That's why, at least in part, he's still popular.
Needless to say, I guessed correctly. Any man my age who didn't probably needs some serious professional help… like a thorough plow cleaning. LOL!
When I got my first computer with a DVD drive back in '99, the first DVD I bought was The Quiet Man and the second was The Searchers. Groundhog Day was third. ;^)
Sylvester Stallone is writing, directing, and starring in a movie called The Expendables. You can see more at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1320253/
We've got Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts, and Dolph Lundgren – see ya in 2010!!!
I'd be surprised if Heston's part was more than 60 seconds but when he tells the good guys that "they'll have to get through me first" you have a feeling that they won't! One of my favorite scenes too…
When stars were…….stars…
It's interesting. I'm not the biggest Clooney or Leo fan but I like Brad Pitt. Yeah, I know, but he's got the matinee idol looks and with movies like 12 Monkeys and Benjamin Button, he's shown a willingness to do something off the beaten path once in a while. And he's not quite as obnoxious as many of the others people complain about on this site.
It's interesting. I'm not the biggest Clooney or Leo fan but I like Brad Pitt. Yeah, I know, but he's got the matinee idol looks and with movies like 12 Monkeys and Benjamin Button, he's shown a willingness to do something off the beaten path once in a while (as opposed to a cheap sequel/spinoff/whatever). And he's not quite as obnoxious as many of the others people complain about on this site.
I think part of that is simply the way the bix works now (not that that's an excuse). You make one big movie and suddenly, you're on Letterman and Leno and the cover of Entertainment Weekly's A-List edition. I'm sure there are some actors who think to themselves, "Whoa, I'm not ready for this" but they're between a rock and a hard place.
I think part of that is simply the way the biz works now (not that that's an excuse). You make one big movie and suddenly, you're on Letterman and Leno and the cover of Entertainment Weekly's A-List edition. I'm sure there are some actors who think to themselves, "Whoa, I'm not ready for this" but they're between a rock and a hard place.
My favorite John Wayne line also came from the Shootist – what a movie to symbolize his life – but early in the movie he is held up on the trail – as he is tossing his wallet to the robber he says "and a little something extra" and shoots him – wounding him.
But John Nolte's nomination from the same movie –
I won’t be wronged. I won’t be insulted. I won’t be laid a-hand on. I don’t do these things to other people, and I require the same from them.
That is one of the most powerful lines from Wayne and symbolizes his whole philosophy.
John Wayne became more than a movie star. He became an icon, a pop culture touchstone, the standard for the stoic hero who may be gruff, rough, and hard to manage sometimes, but always does the right thing in the end, even when it costs him dearly.
He was also underrated as an actor, you never really doubt him or his sincerity in any role he plays, and isn't that the secret of good acting.
I could care less about his political persona, because he really was a bad actor. Bad in the way many 50s actors were — monochromatic and crude. He always played the same character, and that character was him. He had the most simplistic understanding of the men he played.
I prostrate myself in humility begging forgiveness for not including Jimmy Stewart.
Unless you're talking about John Stewart.
Well, since my Dad's favorite saying was "God Bless John Wayne," I guessed this one, too. For many years, I convinced myself that my love of older movies related to them just having more "there" there – better stories, actual, ya know, MORAL MESSAGES, good guys winning – and REAL good guys, not bullshit caricatures. But, as I've aged myself, I've come to realize that a big part of it was the actors and actresses who graced those movies with their talent and presence. John Wayne, of course. Jimmy Stewart. Cary Grant. Robert Mitchum. Olivia DeHavilland. Maureen O'Hara. KATHRYN HEPBURN!!!
Frankly, other than Clint Eastwood and Robert Duvall, I can't think who in the currently active crop is worth the powder it would take to blow them to hell. Pitt? DiCaprio? Damon? Are you SHITTING me??? They couldn't carry the Duke's spitoon. Metrosexual is an understatement. Whiny little effeminate bitches is closer to reality.
What a man!
Don't hold back — tell us what you really think!
I agree with every word, of course.
[...] good ole’ give-a-punch/take-a-punch/have-a-drink-and-laugh-about-it-later masculinity. source: http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/03…; var addthis_pub = ‘guycom’; var addthis_language = ‘en’;var addthis_options = ‘email, favorites, [...]
Dolph Lundgren?!? Guess I'll have to wait for the DVD release, because this sounds like a total beer movie.
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Once you said posthumously, bingo…John Wayne.
Unbelievably, because I love old movies and westerns, I had never seen The Searchers until about 8 yrs. ago. An old boyfriend wanted me to see it because it was his favorite movie so we rented it. Midway through the movie I said, 'no wonder you love this movie, you're exactly like him (Wayne's character).
And there you have his endearing legacy; he embodies core Americana traits and both men and women love him.
Kudos Kit – you read my mind, "Where I come from we don't talk about our ladies in saloons…"
(scuse the paraphrasing! Awesome, Awesome movie and The Duke was beyond brilliant in that movie…
Julia Roberts????? That dumb twat has 2 facial expressions which she uses wether or not they fit the dialogue or situation. She's a homewrecker and louse of a human. Never the lady either…
McLintock!
The Sons of Katie Elder
Big Jake
True Grit
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
you're a chicken hawk just like your heroes
Laura, you were reared well and it sounds like your father is a great guy. I want to add my condolences to you retroactive to 1979. Thumbs up!!!
or W or Rush
I like Pitt, but he's no Jonny Depp, another pretty boy who decided to do risky roles to show he could act. Depp is a great actor, very versatile. I think Pitt is pretty good. Certainly better than Damon or Clooney. But Button was a one note character with no real personality. The best thing he did IMO is Snatch, acting wise.
See "The Quiet Man".
You'll feel free to admit it also.
I like "True Grit", "The Sons of Katie Elder", "North To Alaska", and "The Shootist", too,
but "The Quiet Man" is incredibly well acted by the entire cast, one of the greats.
Um, he's on the list because people like myself grew up with the man and wish there were a few more manly men like him in the "new era" of Hollywood.
Not that I want to feed the trolls, but seriously due, what's the point. A buncha folks are expressing their appreciation for one of their favorite actors and you come in and start peeing all over everything. The mentality of folks who do this brings to mind something Alfred said in The Dark Knight. Regulars here will know what I mean. I doubt you will.
Not that I want to feed the trolls, but seriously dude, what's the point. A buncha folks are expressing their appreciation for one of their favorite actors and you come in and start peeing all over everything. The mentality of folks who do this brings to mind something Alfred said in The Dark Knight. Regulars here will know what I mean. I doubt you will.
Not that I want to feed the trolls, but seriously dude, what's the point? A buncha folks are expressing their appreciation for one of their favorite actors and you come in and start peeing all over everything. The mentality of folks who do this brings to mind something Alfred said in The Dark Knight. Regulars here will know what I mean. I doubt you will.
According to Wiki, he initially had exemption issues (he was 34 on 12/7/44, plus he was qualified as a 3-A) plus Republic Studio's actions that further muddled the issue for him.
And as to Rush. . .Outer, do you really know what the cyst Rush had REALLY does to you? I looked it up. That is PAINFUL, painful stuff… in your ass. I don't think you could deal with something that close to (in your case) brain.
And W actually served, so to call him a chicken hawk is just ignant.
*Quinn*
Hugh Jackman singing and dancing doesn't do it for you, eh?
Thank you, Frances. I am, indeed, a lucky individual, because I was raised with a strict moral sense of right and wrong, not being afraid to stand by my convictions, and to use manners at all times. My dad passed away in 2000; not a day goes by that I don't miss him. The best tribute I can give to him is raising my three children in the same way ~ ridiculously difficult, but so is anything worthwhile.
I appreciate your heartfelt message.
I think that's the movie that scared the bejesus out of me when I was a kid. Isn't that where Wayne is under water in one of those old, weird diving helmets and he gets attacked by a giant octopus? I know it sounds ridiculous written out like this, but in the movie, it works.
I have the LP of this, and when it came out on CD I bought one for me and one for my sister. I still get teary-eyed when I hear "An American Boy Grows Up", even more so now that I've got a 17 year old son.
Ooh, that reminds me I have to watch that this weekend. I usually watch it every year around about <del>St. Patrick's Day</del> Shamrock Day. "Let me have one of them black beers!"
How do they find the people who take these supposed nationwide polls? For once I'd like someone to poll me. I would have said Jimmy Stewart. Or Steve McQueen. Definitely not anyone on the 2009 list with the exception of Clint Eastwood.
http://the100mostannoyingthings.blogspot.com/
John Wayne was supremely comfortable on screen. There's a few of his movies that just blow me away, most notably Red River. If only it didn't have that craptacular ending.
With the exception of Clint Eastwood, we have to go outside the US to find an actor who can play a rugged alpha double plus male nowadays.
Yawn. At least come up with something original.
[...] Number One With Me 2009 March 19 by groovyvic Who’s the third most popular actor in [...]
I forgot about Snatch. And as for Button, it was just an example. I had a couple issues with it myself (more plot-related than anything but I do see your point).
Well, we were engaged in the Pacific war with Japan from Dec. 1941 onward, whereas the D-Day invasion wasn't until June 1944. Several of the films on your list were released in 1942-43. Frankly, these were propaganda films. Not in a bad way…back then, Hollywood supported our war efforts. But I think the Pacific war was more iconically an American effort, whereas the European theater was an "allied" force.
No disrespect intended to anyone who served in WWII Europe – my mother and an uncle both served over there, and my uncle was shot down over Germany and sat out the rest of the war in a P.O.W. camp.
Cuttting the line to serve in the Nat. guard while others are being drafted to die in Nam doesn't count.
To bad you don't understand how simple a good life and real people are.
"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I expect the same from them."
I guess you can't criticize John Wayne's acting ability here. Silly me. A simple negative comment about his acting style will not only gets thumbs down but will be tsked tsked as a put-down of the values he represents! What a way to silence dissent. Congratulations.
You can almost spot the New Englanders in these post. I would bet MOST of the endearing posts are made by folks west of there. It reminds me of France. You go to Paris as an american and you are looked down on. After meeting and working with the folks in the rural areas, you realize the French are actually quite fond of americans. I would rather my two young sons emulate John Wayne than just about anybody else.
Ah, crap. I wasn't suggesting that you should abandon something simply because it is old. In fact, I abhor such thinking. And I was referring to the "new era" mockingly.
I should have been clearer.
Do you have a point with this sophistry?
I don't know that "old" has anything to do with it as Corliss suggests. My kids LOVE John Wayne (ages 7 to 13). It's that he's a man, he's tough and he has fun, Wayne doesn't sit around fretting or wondering who he is.
Mike Morrison Rules!
Wayne got smeared as a war-mongering nationalist in the 70's because of "The Green Berets", which was portrayed as jingoistic propaganda by the Deciders.
In actuality, it was a pretty truthful account of the Vietnam war, as anybody who was actually there could tell. More truthful than any of it's contemporaries (and there weren't many) anyway. Unreservedly America-supporting, yes, but not without consideration for the Vietnamese, both good and bad. Next best: Burt Lancaster in "Go Tell The Spartans".
Wayne was "one hell of an actor", as John Ford said many times.
I will admit it, right away, because John Wayne represents a man that is a man, and what a real woman wants. I am tired of metro sexuals and guys that take longer to get ready in the morning and are higher maintenance than I am. I want a real man, someone that if the crap hits the fan, I can have confidence he will take care of the situation. Todays modern men are impotent, and weak, and if I wanted to be a lesbian I would just be one, not settle for a guy who acts like a women. This is why John Wayne is so popular, people are craving for real men in the world.
I will admit it, right away, because John Wayne represents a man that is a man, and what a real woman wants. I am tired of metro sexuals and guys that take longer to get ready in the morning and are higher maintenance than I am. I want a real man, someone that if the crap hits the fan, I can have confidence he will take care of the situation. Todays modern men are impotent, and weak, and if I wanted to be a lesbian I would just be one, not settle for a guy who acts like a women. This is why John Wayne is so popular, people are craving for real men in the world.
As a woman who grew up watching John Wayne movies, he represented the father I didn't have and wished I did. A man. A man who would protect and cherish me.
I am with you ASinners…this whole metro male thing although new wave stinks dog doo.
Mine, also in no particular order:
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
The Longest Day
Rio Grande
Fort Apache
The Green Berets (Story about that one)
Plus:
Sands of Iwo Jima
Rio Bravo
The Quiet Man
McLintock
Hellfighters
And:
The Shootist
Sons of Katie Elder
Flying Tigers
The Fighting Seabees
True Grit
And finally:
McQ
The Alamo
Chisum
The Cowboys
Hatar!
What am I talking about? Get the full list at IMDB. Put one of them in the player, and I'll watch it.
Hear, hear!
Huzzah!
Actually, "One of the best scenes, EVER!"
I don't think they'd turn his stomach…but boy, would he straighten 'em out on a shoot, keeping them up all night, drinkin' an' playin' cards, then make fun of them all day for being wussies.
From your mouth to God's ears…truth.
Thank you.
He volunteered to go, but the aircraft he was trained for was not being used. Do you want to start the truck again to move the goalposts, Dilly?
*MissQuinn*
watch "The Man who shot Liberty Valance" James Stewart and the Duke were great in that flick. One of my favorites. Also" the Cowboys" and "Big Jake". With Maureen O'Hara.
From IMDB:
Robert Aldrich, then president of the Directors Guild of America, stated in support of awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Wayne in 1979: "It is important for you to know that I am a registered Democrat and, to my knowledge, share none of the political views espoused by Duke. However, whether he is ill-disposed or healthy, John Wayne is far beyond the normal political sharp-shooting in this community. Because of his courage, his dignity, his integrity, and because of his talents as an actor, his strength as a leader, his warmth as a human being throughout his illustrious career, he is entitled to a unique spot in our hearts and minds. In this industry, we often judge people, sometimes unfairly, by asking whether they have paid their dues. John Wayne has paid his dues over and over, and I'm proud to consider him a friend, and am very much in favor of my Government recognizing in some important fashion the contribution that Mr. Wayne has made."
Suck wind, outer.
(SNORE)
You a F-106 driver?
You go where the military wants you, turd. You don't have a say in the matter. VN was not a -'06 mission place.
Eat pig a**.
My dad was a HUGE JW fan! So, needless to say, we watched 'em all. Personally, Quiet Man, McLintock, & Big Jake tie as tops with Cowboys & Who Shot Liberty Valance coming in a close second.
Cary Grant is my actual favorite actor of all — but Jimmy Stewart, Maureen OHara, K Hepburn, Hepburn & Tracy (different than Kate by herself) . Gotta love the oldies! Sigh – gotta miss 'em too.
PS: LOVED all of Tombstone!!
The actors are around but…. It's the *pictures* that got small.
"The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance"
The scene where John Wayne & Lee Marvin are about to fight over a steak…
Laura – somewhere The Duke and your Dad are a raising a pint of Guinness to you, no?
Lucky kids to have a great Mom and a role model grandfather.
I forwarded this to your parents. We are all relieved.
Something to consider: Unless you're Gutfeld, sarcasm doesn't translate on the 'net.
No..Thank You !!!!…:)
Nobody is trying to silence your opinion, but I fail to see your credentials to make judgments about his acting style when the whole rest of the planet loved him for what he stood for and what he was. You need to lay off the caffeine and in the famous words of Space Ghost "Your bringing me down man".
[...] yesterday’s post about the third most popular movie star in America today, I referenced 6 John Wayne masterpieces and [...]
[...] yesterday’s post about the third most popular movie star in America today, I referenced 6 John Wayne masterpieces and [...]
"By God girl, thats a colt dragoon! you're no bigger 'n a,,,, corn nubbin. Where 're you goin' with all this pistol?"
"Stand, and deliver!"
I have some of the "new Hollywood" movies, and I watch them on occasion, BUT…
I have LOT of John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart (Strategic Air Command!), Chuck Heston, etc. And they find their way into the player far too often to suit my teenage daughter. (DAD! Longest Day AGAIN?!)
I won't say it's all nostalgia, (I hope not, at least; I'd like to think I was a forward-looking guy), but there is PRESENCE there. If Chuck Heston was still around, could I go up, be respectful, shake his hand, like I can do with most actors, or will I simply stand there looking like an idiot, too in awe to even say anything?
The test would be if I get a chance to meet Clint Eastwood. I hope I don't miss it.
"True Grit" had some of the most lyrical dialog I have ever heard, and I know Shakespeare. I can even spell it without spell check. I don't even have to watch the thing to enjoy it. I can putter around in the house and do things while I just listen to the dialog. I do the same thing when the Calvary trilogy is on.
"The Shootist" has a lot of that, too.
(Unless I can get away with sitting down for them)
Me too. I was just thinking of my favorite star.
It is human nature to want what we can't have. We can't have John Wayne and what he stood for and what this country stood for during his lifetime.
I was waiting to see Big Jake on a list. For some reason this movie is rarely mentioned during all the John Wayne documentaries. I heard that the Shootist was made because they didn't want Big Jake to be John Wayne's last movie.
You forgot "The Cowboys"
WTF? Heston was in Tombstone? Must have been during a bathroom break, damn movie is long.
We are missing the America he represented as much as missing him.
Or just compare the actors from 1929 to 1969 and 1969 to 2009, really goes down hill after the turn of the century.
Excellent DVD, it has the story Bruce Dern tells of why the Duke often had one wet pant leg. Classic
The country had an incredible anger aimed at Japan because they attacked us, Hollywood was going for the biggest bang for the buck.
Made in New York City? Geta Rope
Stick two bananas on a watermelon and you have Julia Roberts face.
This reminds me of the scene in In Harms' Way when he meets his son by the PT boats and his reaction to what a pressed empty shirt his son turned out to be. Something about resisting the overwhelming urge to toss him in the water. Lol.
Oh, how I yearn for the clarity and simplicity of a John Wayne solution to the world's problems, starting with the liberals in Hollywood.
Oh, you mean like how Clinton didn't serve, I get it.
"She pulls him like a gun"
John Wayne was a talentless draft dodging racist McCarthyite coward. So glad he died a slow, painful, agonizing death from CANCER!
With all the names out there, why would anybody choose the name Harold…
Minxy, he picked the name Harold. I'm sure he was personally offend by Obama last night on Leno.
Yes, he probably was…..Perhaps he is the overly sensitive type, which would of course explain his utter detest for someone like John Wayne. It would also explain his venom while on virtual communications, I am sure he is not quite as vehement in person, that would take a little more courage then he would appear to have.
sound stupid. especially when the best time in the Western World were built on the "old ways." what we have now are decaying old ways replacing practical and ethical old way. what? you think perversion and and rampant socialism are new? 100 years ago they were call communism and bohemianism. and what did that get us? unballenced government spending and AIDS.
I was being sarcastic, but I just wasn't clear enough. I hate when people abandon some cultural feature simply because it is old.
I've never watched a John Wayne movie start to finish. Clint Eastwood is the LAST of the greats.
I hate to break the news to you, but my credentials — a working professionial in the film industry — have absolutely nothing to do with my opinion of John Wayne as an actor. What, suddenly one needs to have "credentials" to have an opinion about an actor? I also hate to break the news to you, but "the whole rest of the planet" does not love John Wayne as an actor. And most of us who don't, have the intellectual skill to separate his acting from "what he represents". Speaking for myself, if one is talking about the great American male actors of the 40s and 50s, I prefer Humphrey Bogart, Gary Cooper, Alan Ladd, Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, Kirk Douglas, Robert Ryan, Gregory Peck, Errol Flynn, Tyrone Power, Jimmy Cagney, Robert Mitchum … actors with a range that Wayne didn't possess. Despite the fact that a great director like John Ford got a decent performance out of Wayne in The Searchers, one has to credit the skillful directing, masterful script and exquisite cinematography for much of that movie's impact.
Wow, you are not just a little prejudice and bent out of shape by his popularity now are you? Now that you are done name calling, how about giving a little sustenance to your stances? Specifically why do you feel he lacked talent? Where are you getting such information that he is a draft dodger, is this information reliable? Racist, what examples can you give of his racist behavior, and are they from a reliable source as well? McCarthyite WOW that is a pretty deep "accusation" (pun intended) from some one that has done nothing but sling accusations without any backing here. Just a slight bit hypocritical are you? Ah…but you seem the type so I shouldnt be surprised. So Harold, how about doing your research / and justification for your opinions and enlighten the rest of us on why we should feel they have credence?
One that isn't on any list in here is an old one he did called "Allegheny Uprising". It was a story that took place between the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. It was an action flick, but it is almost forgotten because it was when he was still quite young. It came out the same time as "Stagecoach". The same lady (Claire Trevor) that was in that one was in the one above. Another good one was a western with Joan Blondell, of which I can't remember the title exactly. It was "Girl For The Night", or "Lady of the Night" or something like that!
Wow…your massive intelligence really impresses me……NOT!!!!!!
Why don't you go play at Huffington Post of AIr America…..lol
This is so much fun. Because I don't like John Wayne, "True Blue Mormon" thinks I am someone who should be on "Huffington Post"! Is that all? Guess you figure I'm one of them liberals, huh?
Joining a squadron which had 50% of its birds in Vietnam (they were pulled back to the US almost a year after Bush joined), which was also running patrols in the only region of the US where combat was an actual possibility (off Cuba) and were also detailed to be part of the initial response to a Warsaw Pact invasion of Europe (at the time, a distinct possibility).
It's also known that Bush volunteered for the Vietnam deployment, but he didn't have sufficient hours to be chosen before the squadron was pulled back to the US (F-106's were not needed in Vietnam due to their lack of ground attack capability).
I enjoy John Wayne movies. But he was an actor in which his persona dominated the role — you could never forget that that his character became John Wayne.
Contrast that with an actor such as Robert Duvall, who can play a cop from Brooklyn (Badge 373) and you swear he was born and raised there, and then be equally convincing as Puritan Roger Chillingworth (The Scarlet Letter) or a retired Cuban barber (Wrestling Ernest Hemingway).
Obviously, Wayne was a bigger star, hardly the best actor.
Hellfighters?
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