John Wayne's Top Three Movies.

[Smokey]

This month is Duke’s birth day, so it might be appropriate to choose his best top three movies. Searchers [IMO] is definitely is his best, but bottom two might get tricky here as opinions will vary.

So here is my list, ranked accordingly:

1. Searchers (1956): At his best, and toughest. He have the same “tone” tone here as in Red River, but in color.


2. Rio Bravo (1959): Not only top notch performance from Duke, Dean Martin and Walter Brennon, but also a top notch story and movie.


3. Stage Coach(1939): He does not appear until almost 1/4 into the move, but his appearance by the side of road as Stagecoach come to screeching halt might be one of the best character introduction in movie history.

[PeruvianSkies]

This month is Duke’s birth day, so it might be appropriate to choose his best top three movies. Searchers [IMO] is definitely is his best, but bottom two might get tricky here as opinions will vary.

So here is my list, ranked accordingly:

1. Searchers (1956): At his best, and toughest. He have the same “tone” tone here as in Red River, but in color.


2. Rio Bravo (1959): Not only top notch performance from Duke, Dean Martin and Walter Brennon, but also a top notch story and movie.


3. Stage Coach(1939): He does not appear until almost 1/4 into the move, but his appearance by the side of road as Stagecoach come to screeching halt might be one of the best introduction in movie history.

I can't really disagree with these choices, although they are perhaps not my favorite to watch, they are probably his best films and the most important. I personally also enjoyed the following:

RED RIVER
THE QUIET MAN
THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER
TRUE GRIT
and even ROOSTER COGBURN

I think that most will agree that his worst film or at least one of them is THE CONQUEROR.

[likeitloud]

Hondo
The War Wagon
The Sons Of Katy Elder

[Smokey]

Good list guys.

Sons of Katie Elder and War Wagon is also my favorite, but never came around liking True Grit.

And believe or not, haven’t seen Hondo yet.

I think that most will agree that his worst film or at least one of them is THE CONQUEROR.

The Cowboys may belong in that list also.

[Jack]

The Searchers
True Grit
The Shootist
with a few others not too far behind.

[Worf101]

As usual Smokey you know a leetle about John Wayne Movies.. VERY LEETLE!!!

John Wayne HAS to be the luckiest actor to have ever lived. Never has a man done more with less and entertained so many in the bargain. If you folks know me you'll know my top 3 Duke films.

1. The Quiet Man - Ireland as one can only remember it in a dream Ford and Wayne at their finest. Scenes so memorable I quote them in my sleep.

2. "Red River" - Wayne as a force of nature. So macho some of it even rubs off on Montgomery Clift. One of Wayne's more nuanced roles. Directed by Howard Hawks. When Ford saw the film he said of Wayne.. "if I'd known that the sonuva***** could act, I'd a had him do more of it!!"

3. "They Were Expendable" - The guns weren't even cold yet when Ford used Wayne again in this homage to PT Boats in the Pacific. Perhaps because Wayne WASN'T the lead he feels free to give off with a little less of the stock Wayne bravura.

4. "The Cowboys" - Wayne as mentor and father figure. Something he didn't do enough of in his career.

5. "Rio Bravo" - The most star filled western of it's day. Hell I even loved the duet between Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson. Hawks directs a great western again.

6. "Fort Apache" - Simply one of the finest cavalry epics ever filmed. Teamed with Henry Fonda for the first time (they'd meet one last time in "In Harms Way) , the film retells the "Custer Saga" from a slightly different point of view.

7. "The Shootist" - His last film and one of his finest roles.

8. "The Angel and the Badman" - Wayne proves he can "change his ways" and almost make you believe it.

9. "Sands of Iwo Jima" - Wayne plays the ultimate "tough marine" in the flag waiver. He chews up the scenery in typical Wayne fashion.

10. "In Harms Way" - Underated Otto Preminger film that could've been great had they eschewed the plastic ship models in the end.

Da Worfster

[Smokey]

Good selection as usaual Worf, but I am having trouble with couple of your choices as his best movies.

I thought Cowboys and The Quiet Man were some of his less likable movies. That is just probably me. And since don't like too many war movies, couldn't comment on your last two choices

As usual Smokey you know a leetle about John Wayne Movies.. VERY LEETLE!!!

What do you mean as usual

[PeruvianSkies]

As usual Smokey you know a leetle about John Wayne Movies.. VERY LEETLE!!!

John Wayne HAS to be the luckiest actor to have ever lived. Never has a man done more with less and entertained so many in the bargain. If you folks know me you'll know my top 3 Duke films.

1. The Quiet Man - Ireland as one can only remember it in a dream Ford and Wayne at their finest. Scenes so memorable I quote them in my sleep.

2. "Red River" - Wayne as a force of nature. So macho some of it even rubs off on Montgomery Clift. One of Wayne's more nuanced roles. Directed by Howard Hawks. When Ford saw the film he said of Wayne.. "if I'd known that the sonuva***** could act, I'd a had him do more of it!!"

3. "They Were Expendable" - The guns weren't even cold yet when Ford used Wayne again in this homage to PT Boats in the Pacific. Perhaps because Wayne WASN'T the lead he feels free to give off with a little less of the stock Wayne bravura.

4. "The Cowboys" - Wayne as mentor and father figure. Something he didn't do enough of in his career.

5. "Rio Bravo" - The most star filled western of it's day. Hell I even loved the duet between Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson. Hawks directs a great western again.

6. "Fort Apache" - Simply one of the finest cavalry epics ever filmed. Teamed with Henry Fonda for the first time (they'd meet one last time in "In Harms Way) , the film retells the "Custer Saga" from a slightly different point of view.

7. "The Shootist" - His last film and one of his finest roles.

8. "The Angel and the Badman" - Wayne proves he can "change his ways" and almost make you believe it.

9. "Sands of Iwo Jima" - Wayne plays the ultimate "tough marine" in the flag waiver. He chews up the scenery in typical Wayne fashion.

10. "In Harms Way" - Underated Otto Preminger film that could've been great had they eschewed the plastic ship models in the end.

Da Worfster

I think what seems to be a discreprecy that most have when it comes to "Top" lists is the difference between someones BEST film, someones FAVORITE film, and someones most IMPORTANT film. What I mean by that is this...

CITIZEN KANE is an incredibly important film, as is BIRTH OF A NATION, but I don't sit around and watch these films on a highly regular basis. Therefore they are not in my 'favorites' list. Best, on the other hand, typically refers to a certain person, such as Orson Welles BEST film or D.W. Griffiths BEST film. This can refer to anyone, usually the actor or director.

As far as John Wayne is concerned he has some very memorarble roles, but when you are talking about his BEST, I like to think of his BEST performances, which can often be great roles, but lousy films. My BEST list for John Wayne is different from my Favorite John Wayne film and likewise my IMPORTANT list would also be different. Movies like THE SEARCHERS or STAGECOACH are more important in their contribution to cinema and John Fords ability to masterfully handle the Western Genre. It would seem that Worf's list is most on track with what he feels are his BEST roles and movies that Worf has enjoyed as his favorite films.

[Mr Peabody]

I guess when you said, "3", that was figuratively speaking

Mine would be:

Rio Bravo, I love Dean Martin in his role. Maybe you Wayne experts can tell me why they made a version of this movie with Robert Mitchum playing the Dean Martin part. I really like Mitchum but I thought Martin did the role best.

Rooster Cogburn

&.... The Shootist.

It is easy to get carried away as he made many entertaining movies worth watching over. Remember McClintock? The Searchers killer..... How about Big Jake?

[Worf101]

Good selection as usaual Worf, but I am having trouble with couple of your choices as his best movies.

I thought Cowboys and The Quiet Man were some of his less likable movies. That is just probably me. And since don't like too many war movies, couldn't comment on your last two choices



What do you mean as usual

We all have our opinions Smoke, and I do consider you a comrade and a buddy.. We could quibble about "The Cowboys" BUT the Academy did make "The Quiet Man" a Best Picture Nomination and Ford a Best Director Oscar winner soooo it couldn't have been all that Bad

Da Worfster

[PeruvianSkies]

Rio Bravo, I love Dean Martin in his role. Maybe you Wayne experts can tell me why they made a version of this movie with Robert Mitchum playing the Dean Martin part. I really like Mitchum but I thought Martin did the role best.

I honestly don't recall Robert Mitchum doing that role...can you get more details on that film because I am having a hard time locating such a film?

[Smokey]

I honestly don't recall Robert Mitchum doing that role...can you get more details on that film because I am having a hard time locating such a film?

PS, may you should watch more American movies and less foreign films

You probably find out about movie by now (El Dorado), so here is a run down. It is basically same theme movie as Rio Bravo except Mitchum replaced Martin, Arthur Hunnicutt replacing Walter Brannon and James Caan substituting for Ricky Nelson. It is actually an entertaining movie and stand pretty much on its own.

[PeruvianSkies]

PS, may you should watch more American movies and less foreign films

You probably find out about movie by now (El Dorado), so here is a run down. It is basically same theme movie as Rio Bravo except Mitchum replaced Martin, Arthur Hunnicutt replacing Walter Brannon and James Caan substituting for Ricky Nelson. It is actually an entertaining movie and stand pretty much on its own.

Well, I've probably seen more of both than you have, and second..I didn't realize he was talking about a movie of a different title...that makes more sense. I understood the post as Robert Mitchum doing a movie also called RIO BRAVO. My mistake.

[Jack in Wilmington]

Just watched El Dorado and it is definately one of my top three.

1. El Dorado
2. Hellfighters- One of his more contemporary movies that I like
3. The Green Berets

To bad the Duke couldn't have hung around long enough to do a western with Clint Eastwood. That would have been something.

[Smokey]

To bad the Duke couldn't have hung around long enough to do a western with Clint Eastwood. That would have been something.

Oh man, that would be a movie to watch. I am drooling thinking about it.

May be a continuation of Good, Bad and Ugly where Duke is a sheriff, and Eastwood as an outlaw with fastest gun where he switch side at end to save Dukes life. And Eli Wallach as town’s drunk

[Mr Peabody]

I liked El Dorado too, thanks for clearing that up, but I liked Rio Bravo better.

[PeruvianSkies]

Oh man, that would be a movie to watch. I am drooling thinking about it.

May be a continuation of Good, Bad and Ugly where Duke is a sheriff, and Eastwood as an outlaw with fastest gun where he switch side at end to save Dukes life. And Eli Wallach as town’s drunk

What do you mean by 'hung around'? He died in 79, made THE SHOOTIST in 1976...at this point Clint was making Westerns for over a decade.

[Jack in Wilmington]

What do you mean by 'hung around'? He died in 79, made THE SHOOTIST in 1976...at this point Clint was making Westerns for over a decade.

I guess a better way to put it would have been, when they were both in their prime.
The Duke from El Dorado not the old guy in Shootist.

[PeruvianSkies]

I guess a better way to put it would have been, when they were both in their prime.
The Duke from El Dorado not the old guy in Shootist.

Ok, well that still doesn't make sense because then they would have to be the same age. You said that "too bad the Duke couldn't hang on long enough to do a film with Clint", which implies that he lived longer in my mind. Anyway, it would have been cool to see them do a film together, but their Westerns are quite different.

[Jack in Wilmington]

Ok, well that still doesn't make sense because then they would have to be the same age. You said that "too bad the Duke couldn't hang on long enough to do a film with Clint", which implies that he lived longer in my mind. Anyway, it would have been cool to see them do a film together, but their Westerns are quite different.

That is one thing we can agree on. Their westerns were very different. I can't remember a movie where Wayne played a character that was on the wrong side of the law. Where as Eastwood was (except for Hang em High) usually making his own brand of justice.

[kelsci]

I liked John Wayne better in a group of B-Westerns he did for Republic Pictures in 1938 and 1939 where he played the character of Stoney Brooke in THE THREE MESQUITEERS. He actually got to show off his persona in these films. These films of been popping up on the AMC movie channel at odd hours, but one of them will be on Sat. 5/26 at 10:15 AM, EDT, called SANTA FE STAMPEDE. He really was great in PALS OF THE SADDLE, OVERLAND STAGE RAIDERS,THE NEW FRONTIER(FRONTIER HORIZON),THE NIGHT RIDERS and RED RIVER RANGE.

[Mr Peabody]

I love the fight scenes in those old westerns, there sort of a choppy sped up kind of a thing. You can tell film making has come a long way.

[3-LockBox]

I'll put in my two cents without so much as reading all the posts

1. The Cowboys
2. The Searchers
3. The Quiet Man

I thought most of his 'WW2' movies sucked.

I have a soft spot for John Wayne, but lets face it, he was the most heralded one trick pony ever. He wasn't a character actor in the Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas mold, he was a personallity actor. John Wayne was John Wayne in every role he ever played, with maybe a tweak here and there. But no sentimental roles for him. He was a man's man, but really, he wasn't all that handsome in the classic or modern sense. But he had such presence; he could permiate a scene with testosterone by just standing there. He was the only actor who could have ever pulled it off, besides Robert Mitchum. Wayne either played the quiet tough, good guy, or the blatantly tough, good guy, or the pensitive, tough, good guy, etc. He was always a very imposing figure, even when he was trying to play the tough guy thing down. But its the role he was meant to play, and he did it convincingly, because you just knew that John could absolutely give you the ass-beating of a lifetime, and if you gave him an excuse, he would. I can't remember a scene in a movie which someone ever stole from the guy. Its too bad he never played a real evil villan or total bastard, though, he teetered on that edge too. There will absolutely never, ever be, another John Wayne.

[PeruvianSkies]

Its too bad he never played a real evil villan or total bastard, though, he teetered on that edge too. There will absolutely never, ever be, another John Wayne.

That was his off-screen persona.

[3-LockBox]

Rio Bravo, I love Dean Martin in his role. Maybe you Wayne experts can tell me why they made a version of this movie with Robert Mitchum playing the Dean Martin part. I really like Mitchum but I thought Martin did the role best.

Yes, Dean Martin was the best drunk...duh?

Actually, I think that Hawks made improvements on the character's stories by the time El Derado was made, but he shoulda stopped there. There are aspects to both movies I like but let's face it, Ricky Nelson didn't quit his day job, did he? James Caan acted circles around the boy, but then again, Caan didn't advance country-rock, err...wrong forum.

My favorite part of El Derado was at the end of the movie. All during the movie, I noticed Wayne kept shifting his crutch from one arm to another (I fergit the affliction at the time). At the very end of the movie, Mitchum actually pitches a joke about it. Mitchum might have been the only actor capable of holding his own in a scene with The Duke.