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| John Wayne |
| 1907 - 1979 |
| John Wayne was probably the biggest star in the world but in many respects he was a little kid with an enthusiasm and awe for life that few ever achieve. |
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| When director John Ford cast John Wayne as the Ringo Kid in the smash hit Stagecoach in 1939, John Wayne was on his way in becoming a legend. |
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| In 1976 John Wayne starred in "The Shootist," his last picture he ever made. In that picture there is a quotation that is a favorite of mine. It in a nutshell says who John Wayne the legend and John Wayne the man were... they were one of the same. John Wayne was the best thing that ever happen to western movies and to America. The quote from the movie goes like this: "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 require the same from them." |
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| John Wayne's movie career started in 1926 and he did his last picture in 1976. He did hundreds of westerns. He also did other pictures. But my all time western favorite is "Stagecoach," which he did in 1939. I can see that movie time and time again and each time I get something new from the movie. John Wayne is gone now but his legend lives on in his movies and what he said, which can be found in the public record. I for one grew up on the weekly Saturday afternoon matinee of westerns and John Wayne was an important part of these movies I saw as a kid while living in Cocoli. He shaped my early life. In his movies there was no question about who was evil and who was good. This something some movies lose track of today. May he rest in peace. |
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