Books on Duke- Past Discussion (Archive)

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    WHO THE DEVIL MADE IT? by Peter Bogdanovich


    Bogdanovich, now of course almost as legendary as the legends whom he used to write about in his early days, does every filmloving pupil a favor: With this book for the first time he releases the interviews he did many years ago for magazines, now in full length. He chats with men like Hitchcock and Chuck Jones and Don Siegel. And the ones who made films with John Wayne: Otto Preminger, Raoul Walsh. The longest interview in the book is the one with Howard Hawks. Even after the interview-book "Hawks on Hawks", this lenghty interview is like having Howard Hawks talk to you, the reader, 25 years after his death, and revealing many of his ways of filmmaking. They talk about Red River (and the finding of Monty Clift), Rio Bravo (and how Hawks got the singers), Hatari (and how they improvised the hunting stuff) and Rio Lobo (and how the leading lady didn't live up to expectations). Men like Howard Hawks were never given credit in the US for their body of work in American Film until Bogdanovich and others in his time started writing about him.
    All in all, it's a good dozen interviews in one hell of a hefty book.
    Outside France, Bogdanovich, in the times of the Nouvelle Vague, was pretty much the only one who held a torch for directors who had yet to become legends - through these writings. It'll be thrilling to read the soon to be published "Who the Devil Was in it?", holding interviews with JW and Jimmy Stewart.

    VOICES FROM THE SET - The Film Heritage Interviews, by Macklin


    Probably the most famous interview JW did in print is the Playboy interview. Yet he doesn't talk about his acting at all. He even leaves it at remarking "I don't have a technique". The one that really got him talking was Macklin, and the resulting interview runs for several pages is in this book. It's one of the very very few times JW talks about his acting and his roles, about his trade. He even stops once, saying that he normally doesn't talk about that, but the interviewer made him feel comfortable. So we learn what he thinks about Ethan, even dreaming up a sequel "Ethan Rides Again", in which he just improvises a plot, how Ethan could have gone on after that famous door closed. He talks about how he had to "find a role for himself" in the ensemble piece "Liberty Valance". He talks about how he stopped shooting a Republic quickie one day at midnight and the next morning was on the set of "Long Voyage Home", and having to learn that Swedish accent. The interview was done in 1975, and after all those years Wayne can recite the dialogue of several of his movies, 30 years and more in the past, without a flaw. He talks about how he helped Hawks on Red River, not taking a chance in the script for "Academy Award stuff", as Hawks suggested, but playing Dunson his way. A great interview. In addition, there's also an interview with Charlton Heston, a man who's especially proud of his profession. He studies his peers - and uses two pages in this book to talk not about himself but about John Wayne's acting technique. And Chuck has a deeper understanding about Wayne's acting than most of his critics ever did.

    We all know, so just for the record:


    'TIS HERSELF: A MEMOIR, by Maureen O'Hara


    The long-awaited biography of the Queen of Technicolor who had a special place in her heart for John Wayne. In the final chapter Acknoledgments she thanks a grand lady for her help, and we can take pride in that she's herself a registered member of this board, bringing to our attention Maureen O'Hara news: June Parker Beck.

    WHO THE DEVIL WAS IN IT? by Peter Bogdanovich


    Now released, the companion piece to Bogdanovich's interview book with famous directors, Who the Devil Made It?
    Bogdanovich remembers and re-prints his interviews with icons such as Jerry Lewis, Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne. The Wayne interview is of special interest to us, not only because Waye reveals some secrets, but also because the interview took place in 1975, and he wasn't very happy with his last films - The Shootist was just around the corner then. So Bogdanovich manages to capture the man in this time of his life. A hefty junk of book, but you'll eat it up.

    Hi all,
    I read the Maurice Zolotov book (French version). I find it interesting, especially these 2 things which are emphasized:
    - too much work (during Alamo) and too much tobacco for Duke's health;
    - right after the cancer, playing again and again.
    Kalmouk

    JOHN FORD by Scott Eyman, Paul Duncan


    This new release of yet another book on John Ford won't tell you anything new if you already have other works dealing with his life and his films. But this is by far the best book on Ford yet for photos of Ford himself! There's a great number of behind the scenes shots and very funny candid shots as well as rare and never before seen color photographs (for instance, from the sets of the black & white pictures Wagon Master, Liberty Valance and Fort Apache). Pictures such as Chief Scar getting his hair sprayed for the upcoming scene, Wayne and Fonda playing poker, let the making of these pictures come alive again.

    Quote

    Originally posted by itdo@Jan 3 2005, 01:22 PM
    Pictures such as Chief Scar getting his hair sprayed for the upcoming scene,


    Surely you jest, Roland. That bad, bad, baaaad Injun getting his hair sprayed? The very thought of that sends me into gales of laughter. :lol: :lol: :lol:

    De gustibus non est disputandum

    RIO BRAVO, by Robin Wood (BFI classics)


    Wood is one of the critics who fought his whole life to give Rio Bravo the status as one of the best films of all times. And if this critic is going to write a booklet on the film, you're in for some analyzes you didn't think of before. He expects his reader to know about the Hawks ouvre and makes interesting cross-references to Only Angels Have Wings and To Have and Have Not with which Rio Bravo really forms a trilogy in the director's body of work (Wood doesn't even mention the follow-ups El Dorado and Rio Lobo which most consider to be the trilogy). Good color pictures as well.

    Quote

    Originally posted by itdo@Sep 9 2003, 11:15 PM
    TRUE GRITS, by Lee Pfeiffer and Michael Lewis
    All right. This is a cook-book, using the titles of Wayne-films for receipts. Like “Cahill’s United States Mushrooms”. Those are NOT receipts for menus Walter Brennan cooked up at the chuckwagon, they are in no way related to the films. Oh well. At least there are some pictures.

    [snapback]4467[/snapback]



    This little gem has been on my Amazon wish list for quite some time, and recently, needing something to round out an order to over $25 to qualify for the free shipping :rolleyes: , I threw this on. It just came, and I wanted to mention that it has some interesting notes on some of the Duke's films. In addition, at the back of the book, it mentions Tim Lilley's The Big Trail, and also The John Wayne Film Society in Great Britain.


    As itdo mentions, the recipes are "inspired" by the movies of John Wayne in title only, and don't represent food the Duke liked, or food that was featured in any movie. Examples would be Hellfritters (Hellfighters), The Fighting CBs (cheeseburgers) (The Fighting Seabees), and Hot Toddy! (Hatari!), just to name a few.


    There are some good pictures, too! :jump:


    In the interest of not derailing the original intent of this thread, if anyone has any questions about the book, please start a new topic, and I'd be happy to join in.


    Mrs. C :angel1:

    I bought John Wayne:American about a year ago now and was the best john wayne book i have came across,although it set me bacp 55dollars,it was worth it.


    -IHW

    Quote

    Originally posted by InHarmsWay@Jan 19 2005, 02:22 PM
    I bought John Wayne:American about a year ago now and was the best john wayne book i have came across,although it set me bacp 55dollars,it was worth it.


    -IHW

    [snapback]13822[/snapback]



    The next time you decide to buy a book, IHW, go to this site. You can probably get it a lot cheaper. For instance, I think I paid about 12 US dollars (plus 3 or 4 S/H) for my copy of "John Wayne - American".

    De gustibus non est disputandum

    If you want to know the real John Wayne or Duke, at least for the last 7 years of his life you should read "DUKE a Love Story" by Pat Stacy his Secretary and Sweet-heart for his last years, and was done in the early 1980s after his passing. If you want to see some of the stories from the Book you can go to DUKE A LOVE STORY Chilibill :cowboy:

    Hi Chilibill -


    I have read Pat Stacy's book - very moving. I enjoyed Pat Stacy's stories which you have posted - reinforced what she had written in her book. I'm glad that the Duke had someone that was so devoted to him in his last years. I'm sorry to hear she died in '95 (I think that was in one of your posts). She seemed so young.


    Regards -


    Jay :mellow:

    Cheers - Jay:beer:
    "Not hardly!!!"

    Thanks Stumpy,will deffinetly need to use that site for my next purchases,I bought mine at Chapter,i believe you have that in the states right?

    John Wayne: American is by far the best. I bought it when it came out back around 1997. Before that book, nost Duke bios read like: "Duke loved children and animals, he never said anything bad about anyone, and was perfect in every way."


    Not really, but previous bios were rather shallow...


    Let me also say that American does a wonderful job in covering Duke's times, as well. You will learn a lot about HUAC and the divisions in Hollywood and the country. It almost reads like a history of the US during the mid-20th Century. Fantastic book I refer to quite often.


    I think another good biography of the Duke is "Shooting Star", of which I have an autographed (by Wayne) copy. It's funny - I thought "Shooting Star" was very complimentary of Duke but when I got it back from him, he had written a note on the flyleaf to accompany the autograph. It said, and I quote: "Jim,


    This fellow made mighty insulting mistakes in this book and wrote without permission but I guess it doesn't matter, nobody's perfect.


    /signed/ John Wayne
    1975"


    Apparently it was an unauthorized bio, though I read somewhere else that Duke had granted the author, Maurice Zolotow, lots of interview time.

    De gustibus non est disputandum

    Hi Stumpy you're lucky to have such a memento, I think shooting star was one of I the few books (if not the only one written about John Wayne while he was alive) and I think it started out to be his official biography but somewhere along the line it got out of sync.


    Again if I understand shortly before his death John Wayne began his autobiography but alas that was never finished. It might have been interesting to get a sight of what he did write, but again it can't happen.


    The worst book By far I have ever read on John wayne was by George Caprpozi which was both awful and completely inaccurate.


    Regards



    Arthur

    The Carpozi book, which was started right after the lung operation, was the first official attempt (to my knowledge).
    Shooting Star was official as well - the author even starts it off with the description of Wayne on the set of Rio Lobo; he followed him from set to set when he wrote the book. The issue I have shows him with Wayne on the set of Train Robbers.