I missed posting about his birthday yesterday! How could I? (Okay, sure, I'd just gotten home from 2 weeks at my parents' house, I was madly unpacking and doing laundry and taking kids to swimming lessons... but that's no excuse.)
So, happy birthday one day late to my favorite actor of all time, not to mention a personal hero of mine.
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| This kind of sums up my attitude today. |
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| And if punching you doesn't work, I'll hit you with this pool cue! |
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| Or maybe I'll just fix your hat for you. (That's Ricky Nelson, in case you didn't know.) |
Okay, I know this is going to be very, very shocking, but I have yet to see him in anything (that I can exactly remember). Any suggestions for a good starter? :-)
ReplyDeleteOH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I... I... I don't know where to start! Okay, do you like westerns? If so, I'd say start with Rio Bravo. Or The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Or Tall in the Saddle. I think you'd like any of those.
DeleteIf you want something that's not a western, The Quiet Man is excellent. Without Reservations is pretty funny. Wings of Eagles is very dramatic and moving.
My favorites of his war movies are Operation Pacific, Sands of Iwo Jima, and The Flying Tigers.
All of the above are family-friendly, with the possible exception of the occasional mild curse word.
I'll be eager to hear what you think of any of those if you can find them! :-D And discuss them in detail if you so desire.
Thanks so much!! I'll definitely let you know if I see any of his... and I love detailed discussions! ;-) My sister has actually seen a couple of his and recommends Fort Apache, etc. (I can't remember the other two, but I think there's three in a row -- I know She Wore a Yellow Ribbon is one of them). Have you seen those?
DeleteJohn Ford's cavalry trilogy! Yes, I've seen all three: Fort Apache (1948), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), and Rio Grande (1950). I believe Fort Apache is generally considered the best of the three, as it's the most serious and deep, but I like Rio Grande best because it has Maureen O'Hara in it too. However, I've seen She Wore a Yellow Ribbon the most often because we owned a copy when I was a kid. All three are quite good, though Ribbon is probably the least-good of those three.
DeleteWayne is a fun actor to watch. Some of my favorites of his are (in no particular order), The Searchers, True Grit, and Rio Bravo.
ReplyDelete@Heidi: How is that even possible! o.0
-James
Ahhhhhhhh, Rio Bravo. Some days it almost ties with The Sons of Katie Elder as my favorite Duke movie. Mmmmm. The Searchers is probably his finest dramatic performance, but it's a little heavy to be someone's first John Wayne experience. And True Grit... I have tried to love, and failed. I like the sequel, Rooster Cogburn... and the Lady, which most people don't, so... I'm odd, that's all.
DeleteMy mum loves Hone Wayne. I've seen almost all of his movies, and they are a lot of fun. I enjoy them, not as much as she does, but I like them.
ReplyDeleteGood for you for enjoying them! So many people won't touch them because of some preconceived notion they'll be corny or something, which is total bosh. I raise my John Wayne coffee mug to salute you! And your mum :-)
DeleteGreat pictures! I just watched him in "The Longest Day" yesterday. I love his movies!
ReplyDeleteUntil we had kids, my hubby and I would watch The Longest Day on June 6 every year in honor of D-Day. So stirring! And talk about epic!
DeleteI used to not much care for John Wayne, but I am growing in appreciation. As you know, I caught The Quiet Man on the big screen last summer, and that was the beginning of my appreciation. And since my appreciation for Westerns has grown too, I'm finding myself willing to watch more of his films.
ReplyDeleteHope you had a great time with your parents. I'll be going to visit mine in July.
Happy Birthday, Duke!
We had soooooooooooo much fun at my parents' house! It was just the kids and me, and we actually stretched a one-week visit into two. Of course, now they're horribly spoiled, but they'll straighten out again eventually. Even watched a John Wayne movie with them while we were there, Operation Pacific again, which my kids are enthralled with :-)
DeleteWhat others of his movies have you watched since The Quiet Man?
ReplyDeleteBatZion Francesca3:05 PM, May 27, 2014
I've seen a host of John Wayne films, but most of them being his really early ones - some of which weren't fabulously done - but he is a fantastic actor! I love him in Stagecoach and Angel and the Badman... though my ultimate favourite is Rooster Cogburn and the Lady. Makes me laugh every time. :)
I love Angel and the Badman too! When I was a teen and just starting out with my writing, I named more than one character Quirt after him. Quite a thought-provoking movie, too, in its way. As is Stagecoach!
DeleteAnd I've seen dozens of his "oaters," those early westerns made in about five days. They're really rather amusing, and I've started showing them to my kids :-)
I just mentioned RCatL in another comment today! Definitely a fun movie, and I like it so much better than True Grit.
Oh... and The Quiet Man. :) Quite liked that one too. :)
ReplyDeleteA lovely, lovely movie. Can't get enough of him paired with Maureen O'Hara!
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