Remembering the Duke

Wow, so much to remember... He was a box office star... An Oscar winning actor of great range...And an American of the First Order.

I remember nearly every line of every John Wayne Movie... As kids we would be so excited when we heard a new John Wayne movie was coming to town.. We even got to stay up late if one was on TV.




I guess if it came right down to it, I can't pick any one of his movies that I could call my favorite. I can't for the life of me think of any movie I've seen of his
that I could truly say I didn't like. Oh he made some that didn't do well and some he did to finance his Production company; but, all in all, he made some real good movies.




The things I like about the Duke's movies were the fact that most of them were cut and dried; good vs evil, right vs wrong. And of course never let it be said he couldn't make a funny movie... Nothing too slapstick but he did have a great sense of humor and it was spot on in his timing and delivery... in fact I cant think of many movies that didn't have some humor in it.



As for being a great American,just look at the characters he portrayed. They were the personification of the way he saw America: strong, independent, willing to do the right thing no matter the cost, and not perfect but human.




Take some of his greatest roles: Sgt. John Stryker, Ethan Edwards, Tom Donovan, and of course, Rooster Cogburn. they were just men, doing what they thought right; each with his own demons that they also had to battle, whether it be alcohol or just having time pass them by.









But, in all honesty, it's his politics and stances that made him my hero. In an era of turmoil and Hollywood swinging even further to the left, Duke stood fast in his beliefs. He didn't hide them as some Hollywood Conservatives did. He went out and told the country what he stood for. He went his own way, even making a movie honoring our Special Forces at a time our servicemen and women were being spat on by their peers as they returned home from serving in Viet Nam. The Duke loved his country; the country that gave the opportunity Marion Morrison to become John Wayne. And as John Wayne, he died as he lived, his own man. Sounds kinda like his role as JB Book in last movie, The Shootist.



God Bless Ya, Duke! America and the World will never forget you