In the popular imagination of John “Duke” Wayne, there’s a soft side to him that goes unpraised: the delicious romantic, the cool hipster or relaxed compadre who doesn’t want to get in anyone’s way. We tend to think of Wayne as a prowling neon sign of America, an uncomplicated cliche: a hard, indestructible cowboy, more mythic than mortal (think of that unbearably hammy Rooster Cogburn in “True Grit”), a self-appointed symbol for “justice” in a West that, in the pervasive… [Read More]

In 1970 the publicity machine was knocking itself dead, extolling Howard Hawks's "Rio Lobo" even before it was finished. Much was made of Hawks being reunited with saddle pard John Wayne, with whom he made classics such as "Red River" and "Rio Bravo," among other films.

Journalist George Plimpton (who scored a cameo) did a TV documentary on "Rio Lobo" and Hawks, thus pushing expectations even closer to the stratosphere. Sadly, "Rio Lobo" was a huge disappointment, even to hardcore Wayne and… [Read More]

Now there are two places in Newport Beach to see John Wayne’s yacht.

Wild Goose, the late actor’s 136-foot World War II minesweeper turned pleasure craft, now sits in miniature inside a case at the Lido House hotel.

The roughly 5-foot-long illuminated model is a statement piece in the hotel’s lobby, showing the boat in fine detail down to the outboard motor of its tender, the stripes on its life rings, and a green card table, a nod to one of Wayne’s pastimes.

Lido House owner Bob Olson, who… [Read More]

“Mad Anthony” Wayne raised a militia unit at the beginning of the Revolutionary War and participated in the invasion of Canada. He fought in the Battle of Trois-Rivières, and led forces at Fort Ticonderoga and Mount Independence. “Mad Anthony” Wayne fought at Brandywine in 1777, then harassed British General Howe as his troops marched towards Pennsylvania. He fought at Germantown, and quartered the winter at Valley Forge.

In 1778, Wayne attacked at the Battle of Monmouth, and in 1779, he led a… [Read More]

The two military bad-ass actors were featured in a 1992 Coors Light commercial.

R. Lee Ermey and John Wayne once shared some screen time together — kind of.

The two military bad-ass actors were featured in a 1992 Coors Light commercial.

Now, Wayne died in 1979, but footage of him was repurposed to make it look like he was in the commercial, which was a big deal at the time as the tech was relatively new, especially for a TV spot.

In the commercial, Ermey — who died Sunday at the age of 74… [Read More]

JOHN WAYNE’S SON ETHAN WAYNE SHARES PERSONAL STORIES AND NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN PHOTOS FOR HDNET MOVIES’ ‘WESTERN ICONS’ FEATURING FILMS STARRING WAYNE, CLINT EASTWOOD, KIRK DOUGLAS AND MORE STARTING FRIDAY, MAY 18

‘WESTERN ICONS’ Celebrates 20 Cinema Legends In Western Films for 10 Nights of Double-Features at 7pE/4pP

Plus a 24-Hour Memorial Day Western Marathon on Monday, May 28

Los Angeles – April 26, 2018 – In honor of what would have been John Wayne’s 111th birthday this May, The… [Read More]

JOHN WAYNE ENTERPRISES ANNOUNCES INTERACTIVE TRAVELING EXHIBITION ABOUT THE LIFE OF AN AMERICAN ICON, JOHN WAYNE: THE GENUINE ARTICLE

This Holiday Season Experience The World Of An American Legend;
Debuts At Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville November 17 Through January 1

John Wayne enthusiasts and culture seekers alike can now step inside the world of an American legend and get to know John Wayne
the movie star, world traveler and family man at the new interactive installation, “JOHN… [Read More]

In 1969, Glen Campbell made his major motion picture debut alongside the legendary actor John Wayne for the film True Grit. The movie's success surprised the cast, especially Wayne, who went on to win his only Academy Award for his portrayal of U.S. Marshall Rooster Cogburn.

Wayne had already reach legendary status by the time he filmed True Grit and just a few years later, was the honorary guest at an event celebrating his career in film, An All-Star Tribute To John Wayne, which was hosted by… [Read More]

COWBOY UP WITH HDNET MOVIES FOR AN ALL-AMERICAN JULY 4TH WEST FEST MARATHON, FEATURING 24 HOURS OF CLASSIC WESTERN FAVORITES STARTING TUESDAY, JULY 4 AT 6aE

The 12-Film Block Puts the Spotlight on Western Epics Starring John Wayne, Paul Newman, James Stewart, Jeff Bridges, Charles Bronson, Lee Marvin, and More

Los Angeles – June 15, 2017 – HDNET MOVIES gathers a star-studded posse of classic Westerns in the 24-hour July 4TH West Fest marathon—putting the spotlight on 12 Old West epics… [Read More]

Like many of us – for good or ill – a lot of what I know comes from watching television.

Occasionally I learn something nice. On a recent episode of "Antiques Roadshow" there was this fellow who told of how his father was a crew member for many John Wayne movies. He said that on every movie, Wayne would give each member of the cast and crew a coffee mug on which was painted the name of the film, a scene from the film and an individual greeting, such as, "To Joe, from Duke."

And then, there… [Read More]