The John Wayne Diet

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    :huh: To be sure that I am holding John Wayne in the right perspective I am putting myself on a month long diet from his movies. That is I will not watch any of his movies during the month of May 2005.


    Why? I'm sure that Duke would be very flattered by this site and that so many of his fans are still loyal to him. But I also feel that he would not want our lives to revolve around him. He believed in the capacity of the individual and I believe he would want us to make the most of our lives. Wether your a plumber or an accountant I think he would want us to be the very best we could be.


    But where does he fit into the scenario in our lives? Is he an a mere interest or an obsession? :stunned: Does his influence benefit us or is it a stumbling block? :wub:


    I want to check this in myself. I invite anyone else to take this challenge with me. I will give you weekly reports as to how I'm doing. I plan to investigate the films of some of his co-stars such as: Harry Carry, Ward Bond, Walter Brennan and Victor McLaglen. Also I would like to look at other films by directors Henry Hathaway and Howard Hawks.


    If you can't do it for a whole month try a week. :fear2:

    JWAngel,


    Your suggestion reminded my wife of a couple of summers ago, when we were on a real Cary Grant kick - a local video store has a pretty good collection of old movies, so for several weeks we watched Cary Grant flicks - when they finally ran out, we were like depressed addicts, almost going through withdrawal :fear: .


    Then we discovered John Wayne movies - :lol: - just kidding, we were already acquainted (and addicted).


    Over time, we have gotten into more of watching and collecting the Duke's movies, and chatting on this message board about him with fellow aficionados.


    However, your suggestion is intriguing - although with the release of some of the Duke's movies to DVD just days away, it seems . . . dare we say it . . . poorly timed :headbonk: . May is also John Wayne's birthday month - all the more reason to be focusing on the object of our affections!


    I think for us, John Wayne represents many things, and talking about him here is somewhere between mere interest :mellow: and obsession :vampire:, and definitely FUN :gossip: .


    We look forward to hearing from you over the month. As we type, we are listening to Gilbert & Sullivan, and we haven't watched a John Wayne movie in . . . days :uhuh2: . One thing you might notice is that you will probably recognize quite a few actors and actresses from Duke's movies in the others you are watching. So you won't get entirely away . . . there are many "connections."


    Keep us posted!


    Chester :newyear:

    hi there jwangel


    well with one thing and another happening i don't get the time to see as many of the dules movies that i would wish to see. :( the only free time i have is either really late at night (and only on friday/saturday nights ) or real early in the morn, so you can see i have some dry spells so just maybe i will be able to see this through with you, :fear: but this also depends on how cold this winter will get <_<


    so see ya round hope i can last the month B)


    cheers smokey

    " its not all black and white, but different shades of grey"

    JWAngel, sounds like a intrigueing idea. Here is a Henry Hathaway movie that you might be interestd in, The Desert Fox. It is the story about Rommel, his war years and the end of his life. Look for Richard Boone in it as his aid.

    Life is hard, its even harder when your stupid!!
    -John Wayne

    Also,who can forget James Mason as Rommel himself,such a strong performance...one of his best in my opinion.


    -IHW

    :) This week has been really good and very beneficial for me. I really don't miss him that much yet. I think I gorged myself too much the last week in April. I was actually beginning to get sick of him. :dead:


    I want to respond to Chester, Smokey, and SXViper.


    First to Chester and his wife: Thank you for your thoughts. However, I am a poor little church mouse and could not buy the new DVD's this month anyway. Such purchases for me are rare and besides they can wait.


    Second, I would rather remember Duke on his death next month since it is 25 years than worry about his birthday this month.


    To Smokey: Cheers to Smokey who is going to take the challenge with me!


    To SXViper: Thanks for your suggestion on the film. I will look for that in my local video store.


    I know I would run into connections to Duke through looking at these other films that it the point. I enjoy so many of his co-stars, I wanted to see what else they have done.


    I started this week with Walter Brennan. I rented a few of his last films that he did for Walt Disney. It was nice to see him in some starring roles rather than just a supporting character.


    He played the age he was then through most of his career. I think he aged a lot better then they always made him look when he was younger and playing older. I kept waiting for him to start limping around like "Cookie" or "Stumpy".


    In Harms way said I should limit myself. I will use moderation even after this diet. I got so caught up in Duke because I wanted to see everything he had ever done and that took quite a while to get through.


    I find there is a line drawn when I've talked to other John Wayne fans. Either you watch him on a regular basis or you watch him when ever he's on TV. True John Wayne fans know so much about him and use sites like this but the more casual ones watch him maybe once a year and they don't really like to talk about him.


    That's why I love this site! I love talking to other serious fans! But I also want to use moderation. He will always be a passion for me but I don't want him to be all consuming.


    Thanks everyone for their support!

    hi jwangle


    since we took up this difficult task i have to say i've been really good and not fallen off the wagon yet 10 days and counting.


    see you in another 10 days and let ya know how i'm doing :lol:


    cheers smokey

    " its not all black and white, but different shades of grey"


    Which movies did you see with Walter Brennan, that you enjoyed? We recently got a good deal, in a bargain DVD bin, of The Over-the-Hill Gang (1969) and The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again (1970). I've always kind of enjoyed Walter Brennan myself.


    Thanks for the updates!


    Chester :newyear:


    :lol: Rock on Smokey! We can make it. Although I am starting to crave him a little.

    :rolleyes: Second week and I'm still going strong. I'm starting to miss him some this week but not enough to make me brake. This week I watched a lot of my other favorite leading man Jimmy Stewart. In fact it was him that got my interested in Duke. I watched two Alfred Hitchcock's I've never seen before. Rear Window and The man who knew too much. I really enjoyed them both.


    To answer Mr. and Mrs. Chester the week before I rented Support your local Gunslinger. This actually didn't have Walter Brennan in it. I really meant to get Support Your Local Sheriff. Both of these have James Garner, Harry Morgan, and Jack Elam in it. The first one was really cute. I'll have to get the other next time. I also checked out The Gnome Mobil, The Calloways and The Genuine Original Family Band. I liked The Gnome mobilethe best! He actually plays a double role in that.


    Thanks for the tip on the other two movies. I'll have to look for those.
    Have either one of you seen Island in the sky or Jet Pilot? Once I do have money I would have to buy these without seeing them first. Are they really good?

    Hi JWAngel


    Jet pilot isn't that bad a picture although it is unfortunate in that it is often linked with The Conqueror as they were both made by Howard Hughes. The main problem with the picture is that it took so long to reach the screen because of Hughes habit of tinkering with the flying scenes, that when it did reach the cinemas it was incredibly dated.


    Island in the Sky is a part of the double (with The High and the Mighty) that a number of people are anxiously awaiting. I have a reasonable copy of the Black and White picture and I have to say that it is not a bad film with a very good cast. I don't think you would be disappointed with either film if you are an avid watcher.



    Regards


    Arthur

    Walk Tall - Talk Low

    [COLOR=red]Are you crazy? A month without John Wayne movies. Next your going to say stop smoking and drinking. The hell I will! :headbonk:

    NOT THE BRANDY YOU DOPE!

    hi there jwangel


    now up to day 20 and nearly fell off the wagon again as there isn't much on tele at the moment but bite the bullet and stayed strong. HOW MANY MORE DAYS CAN I GO :wacko: , got myself the oxbow movie with henry fonda to watch and watch gerogry pecks gunfighter just to starve of the impulse to watch the mans movies.


    see ya in 10 more days and will let you know how i did :D


    if you can you should see if you can watch his series called the three musketers have all 12 volumes now and they were great to watch no i did watch them in the last few days have had them for about 4 weeks now . just remembered them now to let you know of them chester let me in on to them what a great man he is ;)


    cheers smokey

    " its not all black and white, but different shades of grey"

    Before I joined this wonderful web-site, I used to slouch around in the easy chair, just watching Dukes's films.
    Now life has improved so much, because I'm now constantly
    exercising, moving this mouse around!!
    Thanks everyone, for improving the quality of my life!

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England


    That is the most inspiring story I've ever heard. Thanks for sharing!

    :D Three weeks and still going strong!! I miss him a little more this week but I'm doing okay. ;)


    Chester will be glad to know that I watched a lot of Cary Grant this week. I watched Charade for the first time and loved it! I will have to get that on DVD.


    Some of you may think I'm crazy to put myself through this but that's okay. I feel I will appreciate him more after this and also view him in a new light. It's always good to step back from things for a while then view them in a fresh perspective.


    This has given me the opportunity to look at some other good films which I have really enjoyed. I will always love Duke the most out of what I like to call "my fab four" (John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Gary Cooper, and Cary Grant) but from now on I am determined to keep him in moderation.


    I really enjoy discussing all the many aspects of his career with the fans on this site. I'm glad I found it. Thank you for your support and friendship!

    I remember a doctor asking me, when was the last time I went without booze for six weeks. I couldn't tell him,


    Same here, going a month without watching Duke?, I can't remember.



    Emmanuel. :P


    ...............................


    I'll try one of those black beers....THE QUIET MAN.

    Emmanuel.


    I'll try one of those black beers....THE QUIET MAN.