QuoteDisplay MoreOriginally posted by itdo@Sep 10 2003, 02:15 AM
BOOKS ABOUT JW
ON BOARD WITH THE DUKE by Minshall & Sharon
The skipper of the Wild Goose and other mates decided – years after Wayne’s passing – to publish the pictures they took back then and write the story of Wayne’s yacht. While the pictures are certainly very private – and you’ll look at them with the guilty pleasure that the Wayne family probably didn’t expect to find them in a book – the text is somewhat not up to the importance of the pictures. You’ll find out that one of the mates made Duke a drink of protein and Wayne found it gave him energy – those are bits of information you’ll soak up of course – but then they’re not that important – are they? The book’s a companion piece with the VHS documentary with the same title, and home movies made by the same mates (and again, the same guilty pleasure you might experience watching private things like that)
JOHN WAYNE by Berndt Schulz
A big scale German publication. Certainly worthwhile for the beautiful reproduction of the photos. But the text will get your ears red. One wonders why Schulz ever set out to do a book about the man when everything he writes is either inaccurate in historical fact or just meant to hurt the Wayne image. One of the guys that cashes in on account of Wayne’s numerous fans abroad – but at the same time tries to be smart in writing about this icon he doesn’t understand.
JOHN WAYNE – A TRIBUTE by Norm Goldstein
Just what the title says – a Tribute. Nice Book about career and private life with Foreword by Jimmy Stewart.
JOHN WAYNE – LE DERNIER DES GEANTS
French publication done in tribute right after his passing, good photos
JOHN WAYNE – LE DERNIER GEANT by Francois Pascal
Also a nice French tribute book.
JOHN WAYNE – A GIANT SHADOW by C. McGivern.
Notable perhaps because it’s probably the first book about JW written by a woman. Only a few pictures. Short foreword by Steven Spielberg (who wanted JW to play the General in “1941”, a part eventually played by Robert Stack)
JOHN WAYNE – AMERICAN by Randy Roberts & James Olson
Hefty biography that covers a lot of ground
JOHN WAYNE – ACTOR, ARTIST, HERO by Richard D. McGhee
Another kind of biography: this author tries to look at the Wayne image in terms of fable, tragic heroes, romantic heroes and the sort. Sometimes too analytic. But why not.
JOHN WAYNE – MY LIFE WITH THE DUKE by Pilar Wayne
The memories of JW’s widow. Lots of insights of course in the private man John Wayne. Always interesting that the people that are the closest to stars and write books often mix up the facts about the films. Probably we notice because the fans are the real scholars – and to his next of kin he’s not a movie star on which you can have a trivia contest but, well – their next of kin. Interesting for example that Pilar writes about the infamous incident when Robert Mitchum behaved so badly – they say he threw somebody in the sea – he had to leave the picture Blood Alley and Wayne had to put in to save Batjac’s interests. So many years later she seems to be still angry at Mitchum (Wayne had to cut short his honeymoon to do Mitchum’s part) when it was long since cleared that Mitchum wasn’t to blame at all.
JOHN WAYNE – MY FATHER, by Aissa Wayne
An interesting look through the eyes of the daughter.
DUKE – THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOHN WAYNE by Ronald Davis
Solid bio.
JOHN WAYNE – THE ACTOR, THE MAN, by George Bishop
Another bio.
DUKE – THE JOHN WAYNE ALBUM, by Boswell & David
Handsome publication, great print, maybe the nicest of the “tribute” books that came to market in 79, mainly to cash in after JW’s death (I mean, why didn’t they honor him in 1978?)
DUKE – THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOHN WAYNE, by Shepherd, Slatzer and Dave Grayson
Maybe the first bio in which somebody participated who actually KNEW Wayne first-hand, his long-time make-up-man Grayson
THE JOHN WAYNE STORY, by George Carpozi
One of the first bios, written when JW was still alive, but by some guy who didn’t like him too much, and, as he claimed, he had reason to. Oh hell. Duke just shook him up a little at some time. Do you have to go and write a book about it? Published first in 72, and then in an extended version after his death. Yes – to cash in!
SHOOTING STAR, by Maurice Zolotow
Published in 1970, Zolotow was the first biographer to sit down and talk at length with JW – an advantage pretty much no biographer had afterwards
DUKE, THE STORY OF JOHN WAYNE, by Mike Tomkies
Bio published in 1971
DUKE – A LOVE STORY, by Pat Stacy
Written by someone who seemed to really have loved the man, not the legend.
JOHN WAYNE, by Ferrari
Small French tribute publication but “nice to have”
JOHN WAYNE – IN THE CAMERA EYE, by Sam Shaw
If you want to see the private man JW, with his kids, with his wife, at his desk, between shots (lots of Alamo pictures here) AND if you’re interested in the art of photography: Sam Shaw captured it beautifully.
JOHN WAYNE, by Allan Eyles
One of the standard works about the importance and the meaning of his films.
THE COMPLETE FILMS OF JOHN WAYNE, by Zmiewsky and Ricci
First edition done in 1970, when the True Grit Oscar brought a new interest to JW’s career, next edition (as “The COMPLETE Films of…”) came after his death. Probably the first time somebody took the time to count the films and assemble stills to each and every one of them. Still considered to be the definite list – although in the meantime many silent films in which JW participated, sometimes as a crowd extra – aren’t mentioned here.
The German edition JOHN WAYNE UND SEINE FILME by editor Joe Hembus was even larger because this well-known author added more info.
DUKE – WE’RE GLAD WE KNEW YOU by Herb Fagen
A collection of direct interviews with his co-workers. Actually, the concept looks very familiar to the books Tim Lilley did years before this one, but always in limited number and available just to the fans:
CAMPFIRE CONVERSATIONS, by Tim Lilley
Four beautiful books with first-hand-interviews with the Co-Workers, especially those stalwarts who are seldom talked about: the stuntmen. Published in limited numbers. You’ll still get some directly at the editor, Tim Lilley.
THE TRAIL BEYOND
An annual publication with which Tim Lilley will top his campfire series, 4 books so far, and the first one has sold out (can anybody get me one, please?)
JOHN WAYNE – LE COW-BOY E LA MORT by Eric Leguèbe
French author rounds up a great number of famous people (and for a change, people who did not know JW personally, like James Cameron and Ridley Scott) who tell in which ways JW was of influence.
THE OFFICIAL JOHN WAYNE REFERENCE BOOK by Charles Kiesalt
An amount of information of trivia only a fan can assemble.
JOHN WAYNE – AN AMERICAN LEGEND, by Roger Crowley
A book done by a fan who also gives credit to the Wayne fans, memorabilia, conventions, locations.
JOHN WAYNE’S AMERICA – THE POLITICS OF CELEBRITY by Garry Wills
Maybe the book JW-fans love to burn. True, Wills set out to look behind the image. And he did some research solid as a rock. Sometimes we would love to print the legend. But then you always get the feeling he did it in the first place to hurt the icon, not just to bring out the truth.
THE JOHN WAYNE MOVIES TRIVIA BOOK
Harmless fun. Not photos, but pencil drawings.
THE ULTIMATE JOHN WAYNE TRIVIA BOOK, by Alvin Marill
Ditto.
JOHN WAYNE – THE ALL-AMERICAN HERO, by Mario DeMarco
Written by a well-known author in western-circles, he’s especially interested in the B-movies.
THE JOHN WAYNE SCRAPBOOK, by Lee Pfeiffer
A fan lists the films he considers the best, as well as the JW “turkeys”. Good info on the side about memorabilia.
JOHN WAYNE
This Japanese publication has to be one of the great JW books – even though most of us won’t be able to read it. A hefty book with great, clear, and sometimes rare photographs of his films.
This is mostly about the photographs, so who cares about the reading.
JOHN WAYNE, by Alan G. Barbour
One of the first to analyze what the films meant in film history, often quoted. Published in 47. Good photos all the way.
DUKE – THE REAL STORY OF JOHN WAYNE, by Jean Ramer
The biographers will soon run out of titles for their books.
JOHN WAYNE, by Anton Giulio Mancino
Handsome German publication if you look just at the pictures but highly inaccurate if you go further and read the text.
THE DUKE – A LIFE IN PICTURES, by Wagner
Large-scale picture book, don’t bother to read the inaccurate text.
JOHN WAYNE… THERE RODE A LEGEND
Hefty! Great! The only book in which the late Michael Wayne participated. It’s not cheap, but, hell it’s worth every dollar. You knock out a buffalo with that one.
JOHN WAYNE, by Dureau/Christophe L.
Great French book on large canvas, just hundreds of photographs.
BOOKS RELATING TO JW-FILMS
STAGECOACH by Richard J. Anobile
Before everybody had a VCR this was the book to have – and it’s still wonderful: the whole film in photographs, every scene of it, along with the dialogue, and a text about the making of the classic.
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE QUIET MAN by Gerry McNee
That’s what you want to call a labour of love. A filmfan who goes and writes a book about everything to know about the making of this classic. You should read it before you visit Ireland – it’ll help you along a great deal. Great photos, sometimes provided by the towns-folk themselves.
JOHN WAYNE: AMERICA, WHY I LOVE HER
The companion piece of JW’s famous record.
JOHN WAYNE – A NOVEL, by Dan Barden
Surprise! This is not a John Wayne bio, the story is a fictional one dealing with the private live of John Wayne, and, as controversial books go, sometimes with the private PARTS of JW.
COWBOY MOVIE POSTERS by Bruce Hershenson
Featuring hundreds of full-color movie posters from silent films to present-day westerns. Some of JW’s beautiful B-movie posters are in it. If you are into the art of movie-posters and especially westerns, that’s the one.
CANDID COWBOYS by Neil Summers
The longtime stuntman and co-worker of JW, Neil Summers, assembles an astonishing number of candid fotos: from JW to Clint Eastwood, you’ll see the cowpokes relaxing between shots.
CANDID COWBOYS, VOLUME 2
Same concept, other photos. A couple of really-really rare photos of JW on the set of The Big Trail (hey, he looked so confident!)
MOVIES OF THE FIFTIES, by Lloyd and Robinson
Pays tribute to The Searchers
MOVIES OF THE SIXTIES, by same authors
Pays tribute to JW status in the sixties
LIFE GOES TO THE MOVIES
The best pictures the LIFE-photographes took of JW. After this we know why the LIFE photographers were considered the best.
THE ALAMO
The souvenir book Batjac published in several versions (long, short, soft- and hardcover, and in variations overseas), with a personal word by JW and background stories. Other hardcover souvenir books: HATARI, THE LONGEST DAY, CIRCUS WORLD, THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD.
A NEWS RELEASE: JOHN WAYNE’S THE ALAMO
The infamous News Release Russell Birdwell had sent to the press when the film was promoted. News Releases are generally just a couple of pages long, with poster art and articles to use by the press – but this one was so overblown it became a 186-page-BOOK (one page for every Alamo defender). It will sell at Ebay for more than 100 bucks – hard to find. If you’re thinking of buying one, do it now – prices are going through the roof.
JOHN WAYNE’S THE ALAMO by Clark & Andersen
The monumental task of researching every step of the making of the epic, as well as the restoration, along with many beautiful pictures.
ALAMO MOVIES by Frank Thompson
Everything you ever wanted to know about the Alamo films from the silents to the IMAX-presentation (for example: they used the same coat on Laurence Harvey’s Travis as in the later IMAX film). Very good research and real rare photos.
ALAMO – JOHN WAYNES FREIHEITSEPOS, by Andrea Rennschmid
German publication, uses German lobby-cards but not too much research here.
LA PRISONNIERE DU DESERT, by Jean-Louis Leutrat
Over-analytical French publication about the meaning of The Searches in metaphysical ways: the scalping of Scar compared to the beheading of the Medusa. Tough stuff.
THE QUIET MAN – MOVIES MADE IN IRELAND
Small book you might want to buy just as a souvenir when in Cong, Ireland.
THE QUIET MAN – QUIZ 1000, by Des Byrne
Kinda different trivia book which you’ll probably get only in Ireland: Questions you might be able to answer when you’ve seen the film about a 1000 times (and some of us are almost there, no?)
STAGECOACH, by Edward Buscombe
Analyze this! A scene by scene analysis.
STAGECOACH
The complete film script with added information for film scholars.
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.
JOHN WAYNE PAPERDOLLS
OK. There’s JW in his underwear and you cut out costumes from his films to dress him. Never figured that one out.
THE FALL GUY, by Chuck Roberson
The biography of Wayne’s longtime double is just loads of fun. This guy doesn’t care about analyzing the films he helped make – he rather remembers the poker games, the women folks, the fights on the sets. It’s out of print so if you come across one, grab it.
STUNTMAN, by Yakima Cannut
Yes, Yak earned his money as a stuntman, he really started out with JW in the serials. So we won’t complain about the rather stiff writing of his biography – it’s great insight.
HOW TO MAKE A JEWISH MOVIE, by Melville Shavelson
The Director of the ill-fated Cast a Giant Shadow reveals what went wrong: Everything! This has to be the funniest book on filmmaking. The only one he doesn’t make fun of is Wayne who helped him produce this thing – and got burned again (Shavelson told him: “Duke, this is like the Alamo in Israel!” to get him interested). Kirk Douglas didn’t like Shavelson’s accounts (sure, he looks like the baddie!) – in his own biography he got some payback when he said a man more Jewish than Shavelson would have made a better picture.
BOOKS RELATING TO THE WESTERN GENRE (so JW is referred to)
THE MAKING OF THE GREAT WESTERNS
Interesting background about the making of classics from Stagecoach to The Wild Bunch.
WESTERN-KINO, by Roloff and Seesslen
German-published, very analytical, uses good illustrations, such as lobby-cards.
GREAT HOLLYWOOD WESTERNS
A book so monumental one has to buy a new book-shelf along with the book. Great photographs.
WHERE GOD PUT THE WEST, by Bette Stanton
Deals with films made in the Moab, Utah, territory. Can help you find locations.
A PICTORAL HISTORY OF THE WESTERN FILM, by Everson
A standard book, published when the western wasn’t dead yet.
THE WEST THAT NEVER WAS, by Tony Thomas
Author points to films which should not go unnoticed, among them Wayne’s “Born to the West”
CIVIL WAR CINEMA, by John Cassidy
Deals with Gone With The Wind, Red Badge of Courage, Horse Soldiers and others
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE WESTERN MOVIE, by Jay Hyams
Well-illustrated
COWBOY MOVIES, by Norman Richards
For beginners.
WESTERN MOVIES, by Walter C. Clapham
Takes a look at some that mostly go unnoticed.
THUNDER IN THE DUST, by Hamilton
The most beautiful photographs taken during the shooting of some JW westerns and others, reveals some movie-making techniques.
LEGENDARY WESTERNS, by Peter Guttmacher
This is fun if you love the western.
THE WESTERN, by Phil Hardy.
400 pages A-Z encyclopedia. Has some good points.
WESTERN-LEXIKON, by Joe Hembus
Standard encyclopedia, the first ever issued in Germany, covers a lot of ground, and actually more than the US encyclopedia.
A PICTORAL HISTORY OF WESTERNS, by Parkinson
Good choice of pictures.
LE WESTERN, by Brion
Oui, they don’t come any better than this big French book. Uses original film cells as illustrations. Le French, they really love the cinema, n’pas?
THE WESTERN READER
Dives deeply. Psychoanalyzes The Searchers, for instance. Interviews with Clint and Anthony Mann.
THE COWBOY IN ART
Relates to the icon of the US cowboy in paintings (such as Olaf Wieghort’s who painted the ones we enjoy in the El Dorado title sequence). John Wayne wrote the foreword to this book.
BOOKS RELATING TO THE WAR FILM (so JW is referred to)
THE GREAT WAR FILMS, by Lawrence Quirk
Handsome pictures, good read.
VIETNAM ON FILM, by Adair
Takes a look at Green Berets
HOLLYWOOD GOES TO WAR, by Koppes
How Hollywood worked in the war effort
WAR MOVIES, by Garland
A-Z to the war movie genre
PROJECTIONS OF WAR, by Thomas Doherty
Deals with the importance of films as propaganda.
VIDEOHOUND’S WAR MOVIES, by M. Mayo
Describes every war film available. Enjoyable trivia.
A PICTORAL HISTORY OF WAR FILMS, by Clyde Jeavons
The whole story of the genre.
WAR MOVIES, by Jay Hyams
The whole story of the genre.
BOOKS ABOUT WAYNE’S DIRECTORS (so JW is referred to)
JOHN FORD, by Peter Bogdanovich
One read is not enough. Bogdanovich is of course now a filmmaker in his own right. His visit to Ford in Monument Valley and his long interview is now legendary.
JOHN FORD, by Joseph McBride and Michael Wilmington
Will give you lots of insight
PAPPY, THE LIFE OF JOHN FORD, by Dan Ford
Written by his grandson. A must.
JOHN FORD INTERVIEWS
Ford in his own words: So he DID give interviews. About two dozen of them.
COMPANY OF HEROES, by Harry Carey jr.
In my opinion, not only the best book about Ford, it’s also one of the best about Wayne as well. The long-time member of Ford’s Stock company tells it all. And it’s so much fun.
JOHN FORD
Published by the French Cahiers de Cinema, which are of course the movie critics who started to look at films differently in the Fifties, so men like Budd Boetticher could be discovered as cult directors. They analyze Ford at length. Good photographs.
JOHN FORD, THE MAN AND HIS FILMS, by Tag Gallagher
Considered to be the man who knows Ford’s work the best. I once attended a screening of Ford’s documentary “Battle of Midway” and Callagher asked us to see it twice the same evening. He knows his stuff. Beware: this is written from the perspective of a film professor, not from a man who loves Ford and wants to tell about this love.
ABOUT JOHN FORD, by Lindsay Anderson
Now he is the contrary to Callagher – a film student who admires Ford for what he is: Cinemas greatest poet. Anderson met Ford several times.
THE WESTERN FILMS OF JOHN FORD, by J.A. Place
Deals with every single Ford western, beautifully illustrated, interesting points.
THE NON-WESTERN FILMS OF JOHN FORD
The companion piece, by same author.
HOWARD HAWKS, by Robin Wood
Standard work, often quoted from.
HAWKS ON HAWKS, by Joseph McBride
The Best – Hawks gives a long interview, very much like Francois Truffaut’s famous interview with Hitchcock.
HOWARD HAWKS, STORYTELLER, by Gerald Mast
Interesting points.
HOWARD HAWKS, by Noel Simsolo
Nothing new here.
JOHN HUSTON, AN OPEN BOOK
His biography. He himself couldn’t figure out quite right what the hell went wrong with Barbarian and the Geisha. An interesting life to read about.
HOLLYWOOD TRAILBOSS, by Burt Kennedy
Kennedy’s biography, lots of funny stories.
ORIGINAL STORIES (books JW films are based on)
THEY WERE EXPANDABLE, by W.L. White
One of the first books published in WWII dealing with the real people on the front, the basis of Ford’s film and Spig Wead’s script. Highly interesting and very well written. There was another printing in 1945, using pictures from the film, very desirable.
THE LONGEST DAY
Cornelius Ryan’s, who later wrote the screenplay, monumental task to research D-Day.
THE SHOOTIST
By Glendon Swarthout. A modern classic.
THE SEARCHERS
By Alan LeMay. One of the greats.
WAKE OF THE RED WITCH
By Garland Roark. The first edition was used in the trailer of the film.
THE GREEN BERETS
By Robin Moore. Wayne found this story before it was published. But then, the screenplay is a world apart from Moore’s combat look.
HONDO
By Louis L’Amour. Just one of the great westerns. Actually, L’Amour published this first as a short story, A GIFT FROM COCHISE (which is also a great story). Then James Edward Grant made it into the screenplay. And only THEN, L’Amour wrote HONDO.
THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE
By D.M. Johnson. Complex story.
THE WAR WAGON
By Clair Huffaker. Same author, done in 1957, but quite different than his own screenplay 10 years later.
WAR PARTY
By James Warner Bellah. Re-wrote it to FORT APACHE. In the original, it is the Cohill character who really hides the truth about Thursday’s death (who shot himself!)
THE QUIET MAN, by Maurice Walsh
This and other short stories help you make a transition to Ireland once you open the book. It is, of course, quite different from the Frank Nugent screenplay. For example, Sean Thornton’s name is Paddy Bawn Enright in the original story.
TRUE GRIT, by Charles Portis
Move over, Huckleberry Finn – this novel is a classic.
THE COMANCHEROS
By Paul Wellman. A good western.
THE COWBOYS
By William Dale Jennings. This author knows what he’s writing about. A classic novel and a briefing in cowboying.
RIO BRAVO
By Leigh Brackett. Now this could be just a tie-in for which they used Brackett’s name, not an original work by that famed author (who later went on to write STAR WARS).
TIE-INS
Not original books, but written to help advertise the film, were produced for THE ALAMO, HATARI, MCQ, TRAIN ROBBERS, CAHILL, BIG JAKE, CHISUM, MCLINTOCK, TRAIN ROBBERS…[snapback]4467[/snapback]
Just finished two of the books on here. John Wayne-American. It seemed like these two ran out of gas at the end. They spent very little time talking about the films Duke made after True Grit. They suggested that he was on the doward skids and realy didn't make any good films. They suggested that The Shootist was his attempt to get his film career back together. I don't know but I thought The Cowboys and Big Jake were well done films.
Duke We're Glad We Knew You was an excellent book and I enjoyed it very much. Would recommend it over the other.
