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Saturday October 19, 2024 1:00 am, United Kingdom
John Wayne is a character that is difficult for movie lovers to accept in the modern world. His views on issues such as race and decency have set his legacy apart from the ever-changing social spectrum, but it is often forgotten that even in his heyday he was distinguished by his conservatism. Wayne, known for his protection of the American way of life, was maniacal about this defense and regularly appeared on sets, gave interviews and awards shows to harshly criticize those who threatened him.
This way of life allowed Wayne to color himself in two different ways. To some he was an American hero, a bit like Hulk Hogan to a war-torn, Western-loving generation. He mounted evildoers, punched them in the mouth and asked them to apologize for it. He acted like a superhero to millions of movie lovers. But such patriotism is also unashamedly problematic, and its fury often got out of hand, most notably at the 1973 Oscars.
When Marlon Brando’s name was hailed as the winner of “Best Actor” for his role in the film GodfatherSacheen Littlefeather took to the stage on the actor’s behalf to reject the award and condemn Hollywood’s treatment of Native Americans. This angered Wayne beyond measure. “I remember the faces in the crowd,” Littlefeather later noted of this event. “John Wayne had to be restrained backstage by six men from coming for me and dragging me off the stage.”
In other cases, when talking to PlayboyWayne also tagged Easy rider AND Northern cowboy as “perverted,” where he noted that heterosexual sex was OK on screen, but asked the question, “Does a story about two f*gs qualify?” All of this paints a picture of a Hollywood icon who was unable to access the skills necessary to advance in rapidly changing times. But it wasn’t just in Wayne’s later career that he allowed his association with the sanctity of the Stars and Stripes to cloud his judgment.
Founded in 1944, Wayne was part of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideas. It worked to defend Americans from cultural infiltration by communism, or as Wayne put it, as “just a group of filmmakers on the right, not leftists and not communists. I was president for several years.” While he said the idea of a Hollywood blacklist – which Dalton Trumbo faced – was “a lot of bullshit,” he admitted that instead they “just drove a lot of people out of business.”
(Source: Far Out / TCM)
Wayne himself was invited to what he called “communist recruiting meetings” in the homes of Hollywood’s elite. Wayne would take an outspoken stand against this way of thinkingand while talking to Playboy, He he was harsh towards those he considered a threat to America. “I also knew two other guys who really did things that were detrimental to our way of life,” he explained. “One of them was Carl Foreman, the guy he wrote the script for High noonand the other was Robert Rossen, the one who took the picture about Huey Long, All the king’s men.“
However, the latter film both irritated Wayne and highlighted how his passionate beliefs often made it difficult to accelerate his career. He said: “Rossen’s version All the king’s menwhich he sent me to read as part of it, every character who had any responsibility at all was guilty of some crime against society. Making Huey Long a great, gruff pirate was great; but according to this picture, they were all shit except for this weak intern doctor who was trying to find his place in the world.
The idea that such a pathetic character could be considered the hero of the work was clearly at odds with Wayne and his vision of the American dream. “I sent the script to Charlie Feldman, my agent, and I said, ‘If you send me a script like that again, I’ll fire you.’ Ironically, he won an Oscar,” he said. The film won awards for “Best Picture”, “Best Supporting Actress” for Mercedes McCambridge and, most importantly, “Best Actor” for Broderick Crawford.
This isn’t the only time he was offered a role in “The Dirty Dozen” but turned it down due to his conservative values. The painting is a vivid testimony of rebellion and the cunning nature of war. The film’s ballet of renegade soldiers, directed by Robert Aldrich and led by the indomitable Lee Marvin (the role was first offered to Wayne), combines brutal war with dark humor. However, his affair with an Englishwoman discouraged Wayne because he did not want to be seen committing adultery on screen.
John Wayne never minced his words. His belief in conservative principles was unwavering, even if it was undeniably problematic. However, one thing can be said about the actor: he rarely shied away from these values for the sake of his professional career.