Posts by Colorado Bob

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  • The dukes cowboy shirt ~ do you know which movie?

    Howdy ansanaut, and welcome to the JWMB. I would think that you would be able to contact Luster Bayless at United American Costume and with the identification number on the tag, be able to identify which film or TV show, or appearance Wayne wore the shirt for. I have to be honest and say that it doesn't strike me as something Wayne would have worn in his westerns, as he purposely tried to avoid wearing these types of shirts, choosing instead to wear clothing that was more common to the everyday cowboy. But then again, I could be wrong! At any rate, I wish you the best of luck in identifying the shirt!

  • New book on John Wayne

    I was only able to find two essays by Meeuf online that concerned John Wayne. I read them (and actually downloaded them as well). Both were well written and not difficult at all to understand. I don't think he is out to deface John Wayne's image at all, and I do believe he is a John Wayne fan as well. That being said, however, I also think that he does have a tendency (as do most intelligentsia of today) to lean towards a deconstructing of what they view as modern mythology. Not necessarily a bad tendency though, depending upon where John Wayne lies on ones scale of popularity. I think most of the intellectuals of today tend to think that the vast majority of John Wayne fans have elevated him to the status of god, and those intellectuals feel it necessary to knock him down a few pegs in the eyes of those particular types of fans, so they can see that he is, after all, just a man. From that aspect, I have no problem with what they are doing (including Meeuf, if that is what he is doing), because that is exactly what John Wayne was - just a man. However, it is my experience that the majority of John Wayne fans do not view the Duke that way. They simply enjoy his films, his sense of humor and his philosophies. In other words, most of the intellectuals not only do not understand John Wayne, they also do not understand his fans. Because of this, they have a tendency to misinterpret the life and career of John Wayne, and thus really hammer away at his legacy, his body of work, and those human frailties that are so common to all of us and in doing so they come across as elitist bullies (which some of them actually are). Prime examples of this are Garry Wills and Douglas Jensen.


    I don't know if Russell Meeuf falls into this category or not, although I suspect he does not. After reading the two articles I was able to find by him concerning John Wayne, I found one of them ("Shouldering the Weight of the World: The Sensational and Global Appeal of John Wayne's Body") somewhat troubling as he came across (at least to me) as having some, um, well, "underlying tendencies" that I would not agree with, and those tendencies seem to permeate the article. The other article ("John Wayne as Supercrip: Disabled Bodies and the Construction of Hard Masculinity in Wings of Eagles") also exhibited those same tendencies, but to a lesser degree, thus making that article more enjoyable to read. All in all, I still have to stick to my previous statements regarding "heroic masculinity," but the proviso that they are based solely on a review of his book rather than the book itself. Once I read his book (which I intend to do and look forward to doing) those statements may very well change. I won't condemn his book outright, nor praise it unconditionally until I have read it through.

  • New book on John Wayne

    Hello Russell and welcome to the JWMB! Your book looks very interesting and I hope to pick up a copy soon. Of course, without reading the book first, I cannot really comment on it, however, I did read the brief review on the University of Texas Press website and one of the statements really jumped out at me. It said, “Meeuf concludes that, in his later films, Wayne’s star text shifted to one of grandfatherly nostalgia for the past, as his earlier brand of heroic masculinity became incompatible with the changing world of the 1960s and 1970s.” I am not sure that the statement “...his earlier brand of heroic masculinity became incompatible with the changing world of the 1960's and 1970's” is truly accurate. I realize that during that time, as now, there are many who believe that, but I think there are even more who believe that Duke's brand of “heroic masculinity” are very compatible with the society of the 1960's through today. In fact, I would go so far to say that they believe his brand of “heroic masculinity” is exactly what our society needs today and can only benefit from. Just my opinion of course, but I think it fairly accurate. At any rate, I do look forward to picking up a copy of your book and reading it. I am convinced I will enjoy it!

  • The Oregon Trail (1936)

    I'm not really sure exactly where to post this, but since it concern's John Wayne's 1936 film, The Oregon Trail, I figure here might be good place. I came across this article today from BBC news magazine. It's a good read, and the article contains a couple of links to clips of John Wayne interviews (including part of the Parkinson interview from 1974). All I can say regarding the article is, What A Find! Here's the URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24407455

  • Duke's Filmography

    I'm not really sure exactly where to post this, but since it concern's John Wayne's 1936 film, The Oregon Trail, I figure here might be good place. I came across this article today from BBC news magazine. It's a good read, and the article contains a couple of links to clips of John Wayne interviews (including part of the Parkinson interview from 1974). All I can say regarding the article is, What A Find! Here's the URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24407455

  • John Wayne Mentioned . . .


    Hi Sue,
    There are some videos out there of the POW Homecoming in 1973, and many of them do have John Wayne in them. Many of the clips do not have sound, but fortunately, one of them, which shows John Wayne on stage giving a short speech, does have sound. They are difficult to find, but they are out there. Say howdy to Jim for me.
    Bob

  • Books on Duke

    I read the preview of the book available on Amazon, and that was enough for me to decide it was a load of garbage. I did a review of it on my John Wayne fansite, and that got a nasty response (and I do mean nasty) from Richard Jensen (the "author" of the book). So I did a little digging and found out that his publisher, which is Raymond Street Publishers, was founded by some outfit in Oklahoma called "The Writers of the American West." As I dug farther, I found out that both of these are dummy corporations started by Jensen himself. In other words, there is no Raymond Street Publishers and there is no Writers of the American West. It's all fake. My original review of the book can be found here: http://dukefanclub.blogspot.co…me-fact-true-life-of.html , and my response to Jensen's nasty retort to my review, where I debunk both his book on John WAyne, and also Jensen himself (with documentation), can be found here: http://dukefanclub.weebly.com/…n-my-previous-review.html


    My opinion is that Jensen is a fraud and so is the book.

  • Duke's Missing And Rare Movies

    I would like to submit yet another previously unknown film featuring a young John Wayne. A still recently surfaced courtesy of (my nemesis) Richard Roberts, from the 1927 Educational/Mermaid Films production of "Seeing Stars." Standing in the back of the group is a tall lanky familiar looking kid - none other than John Wayne. I will try to post a blow up of the still here, but I have never been to good at it, so no guarantees. Here goes!
    Seeing Stars 02..jpg

  • Duke's Documentaries- Videos found.

    Keith, I am surprised that you don't have Patriotism: Have it Your Way and some others that are available on Archive.org for download. I am constantly amazed at how much John Wayne stuff they have over there, all in the public domain, that can be downloaded and burned onto DVD with Nero or a similar program. It is a veritable treasure trove from which I have made several additions to my John Wayne collection.

  • Hour of the Gun (1967)

    Hour of the Gun with James Garner, Jason Robards, and slew of up and comings, including Jon Voight as Curly Bill Brocious. Talk about a poor casting job there! Still, next to Tombstone, and My darling Clementine, Hour of the Gun is one of my favorite Wyatt Earp films.

  • What Was The Last Western You Watched?

    Hour of the Gun with James Garner, Jason Robards, and slew of up and comings, including Jon Voight as Curly Bill Brocious. Talk about a poor casting job there! Still, next to Tombstone, and My darling Clementine, Hour of the Gun is one of my favorite Wyatt Earp films.

  • THREE BAD MEN: John Ford, John Wayne, Ward Bond

    I have just finished reading Three Bad Men by Scott Nollen. Keith has asked me to write a book review, and I have done my best, but I am not a pro at this by any stretch of the imagine. At any rate, in case you're interested, here it is:


    Three Bad Men – A Review



    I am not a professional book reviewer, but I do know what I like and what I don’t like, and I can say without hesitation I really like “Three Bad Men,” the newest book by Scott Allen Nollen.
    “Three Bad Men” is not a book about celebrity, although three of the greatest celebrities ever to come out of Hollywood are the subject of it. And it is not a tell-all book exposing all the juicy dirt on three famous people. “Three Bad Men” deals in facts and does not gloss over their faults or unpleasant aspects of their lives. This is a book is about the relationship between three men. Three friends whose relationship with each other was far from perfect, far from storybook, but it was what it was. They were human just like the rest of us, and they were imperfect, just like the rest of us, and in spite of everything they managed to create some of the best of the best that Hollywood has ever produced.




    Both John Ford and John Wayne have had numerous biographies written about them. This is the first time, however, that a biography of Ward Bond has ever appeared in print, and Scott Allen Nollen steps up to the plate and does a wonderful job of presenting the first ever biographical history of one of the greatest character actors in Hollywood history. And that, in itself, is no small feat, as there are a plethora of Ward Bond fans out there. Including myself. In fact, I live smack dab in the middle of Ward Bond country – Benkelman, Nebraska – the birthplace of Ward Bond. So we tend to have a certain bias toward our local boy who did good.




    But what is most impressive about Nollen’s biographical work concerning Ward Bond, is that it is genuine, and it presents the “real” Ward Bond, just as it presents the “real” John Ford and John Wayne.
    Ford and Wayne biographers tend to fall into one of three categories: Those who have a patent dislike of them and tend to spin their biographies to highlight their negative biases (such as Gary Wills and Richard Jensen), those who are fans and who tend to gloss over the “warty” aspects of these men (such as Michael Munn and Jean Ramer), and then there are those who focus on the whole and complete unvarnished truth – both good and bad (such as Joseph McBride, Olson and Roberts, and others). Scott Allen Nollen falls squarely into this third category, and he does a remarkably fine job of presenting these “Three Bad Men” in all their unvarnished glory. And that is what I like best about this book.




    Nollen not only talks about their lives apart from each other, but also about their lives together, something no biographer has ever really examined before. And without that type of biographical examination, one cannot hope to understand these three men as completely as Nollen obviously does.



    He gives some refreshing insights to the early parts of their careers and of those who influenced them as well. I particularly liked what Nollen had to say about the wonderful character actor Lincoln Perry (Stepin Fetchit), and the way he dealt with Ford’s anti-racism and pro-minority feelings.




    I like to think that I am fairly knowledgeable when it comes to John Wayne, having been a dyed-in-the-wool Wayne Fan for the past several decades, but I must admit that while reading Nollen’s book, I found myself saying “I didn’t know that” more times than I care to admit! Nollen includes so many first hand accounts and on the scene comments from those who not only knew these men, but who were also there during some of the more important periods of their lives, that he gives his readers the sense of being there themselves.




    He includes detailed notes as well as a complete index, and so gives his book the necessary elements to easily become a researchers dream. Nollen also includes three filmographies that I have never seen before. The first is a filmography of John Ford’s projects (film, television, etc) that feature either Wayne or Bond, or both. The next two have never been featured anywhere before – the “Films of Ward Bond,” and the “Television Performances of Ward Bond.” I cannot thank Scott Nollen enough for putting these together. It is high time someone did, and Nollen did a great job on them, as he did with the rest of his book.



    “Three Bad Men” is a must have book for any fan of Ford, Wayne or Bond; and it is essential reading for anyone who hopes to really understand these three men. I have heard it said that the book is somewhat pricey, but I have seen lesser biographies go for a lot more. I personally think it is well worth the price. If you haven’t read it yet, you need to. If you haven’t picked up your own copy yet, do it as soon as you can. I have already read mine from cover to cover, and I cannot wait to read it again!



    [FONT=&quot]Three Bad Men: John Ford, John Wayne, Ward Bond by Scott Allen Nollen, foreword by Michael A Hoey, 398 pages Published 2013 by McFarland & Company, Inc – ISBN 978-0-7864-5854-7[/FONT]

    I also have it posted on my blog: http://dukefanclub.weebly.com/…ree-bad-men-a-review.html

  • Update

    I know this is a tough time for you Linda, for you and for your mom. I just want you to know that you are in the thoughts and prayers of a lot of people right now, and we all hope and pray for the best for both you and your mom.

  • Django Unchained (2012)

    I can tell you that I will never watch this film, and I base that solely on Jamie Foxx's statements that he made while promoting the film. In particular was one statement where he said of Django Unchained, "I kill all the white people in the movie. How great is that? And how black is that?" Seems a bit racist to me, and that was enough for me to be of the opinion that he can his film, I want nothing to do with it.


    Just my opinion.