As stars go, John Wayne still brandishes enough firepower to light up a Texas-size sky and that's no hyperbole, partner.
The actor born Marion Morrison -- who would've turned 100 on May 26 -- still rates as one of America's favorite movie actors, according to the most recent Harris Poll. In 2006, he finished third (behind Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks but ahead of Will Smith, Julia Roberts and Johnny Depp, for those keeping score) and has placed first or second almost every year prior to 2001.
Hollywood studio honchos know this, and beginning Tuesday, they plan on emptying their vaults onto DVD in celebration of the Duke's 100th. Close to 70 titles are slated for release, or will be available, between now and mid-June -- including a half-dozen not on disc until now. Lionsgate, Universal, Warner Home Video and Paramount will all take part, with the latter two studios coordinating releases and promotional efforts -- a feat largely unprecedented in DVD land.
"When you think about two major studios releasing their libraries, which is 48 films, it's phenomenal that they would come together," says Gretchen Wayne, the actor's daughter-in-law and the current head of Batjac Productions, the company the Duke formed in 1954. "It's a win-win for any fan of John Wayne."
The movies themselves are often moving, but for Gretchen -- who picked up the family mantle after Michael Wayne, her husband of 45 years, passed away in 2003 -- the stories behind various restoration efforts carry enough weight to justify scripts of their own.
Take "The High and the Mighty," the 1954 film that could've been redubbed "The Low and the Soaked" after a rare Southern California flood almost 20 years ago.
"You walk in the film vault and see water leaking from under the door and it smells musty and mildewy -- and the tin cans were all rusty and wet," Gretchen Wayne recalls. "They literally carried 'The High and the Mighty' out in buckets of water, because once it's wet you have to keep it wet, otherwise the film emulsion will pull apart."
Large swaths of the original print were destroyed. But before the rains, Michael Wayne had the foresight to make safety reels of "Mighty" for color separation purposes. Those four individual color versions were recombined to make up for the missing pieces, "So what you have now is a hybrid between the original film and a digital restoration," she says.
Another film bound to get attention this month is "Hondo" (which, like "The High and the Mighty," "True Grit," "Rio Grande" and "The Quiet Man" will be released in a collector's edition). Even die-hard Wayne fans may not know this, but the 1953 western was originally shot in 3-D, and a restored 3-D version will be shown at the 60th Cannes Film Festival later this month, with Gretchen Wayne in attendance.
"This terrible device called television had come along, and in 1953, the theater owners thought 3-D was something that would get everyone back in the theaters," Gretchen says. "But when they shot 'Hondo,' they had these behemoth movie cameras that were very finicky. You see two lenses in the stills I had from that time, and they were filming in Chihuahua, Mexico -- and with the dust and the heat, the cameras would break down and they had to send for a new one. They were also in this dusty little town -- it was 122 degrees in the dry heat -- and the local children would run around all over the set. They had to work around them."
The 3-D "Hondo" originally ran in three cities (New York, Los Angeles and Houston) before its makers decided to release it for conventional screens only. "But I decided on my own to restore 'Hondo' in 3-D," Wayne says. "I am so excited about this; it looks fabulous. I can't believe it. I would love to release it here theatrically."
Out next week on DVD: "Arthur and the Invisibles," "American Dad!" (Volume 2), "Coach" (Season 2), "Everybody Loves Raymond" (Season 8), "Frasier" (Season 9), "Half Past Dead 2," "Pan's Labyrinth," "The Rockford Files" (Season 4), "Seraphim Falls," "Stomp the Yard," "Wings" (Season 4).
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Wayne's world: A guide to the new DVDs
"John Wayne Double Features" (Lionsgate, $14.98 per DVD)
Release date: Tuesday
What's in it: "Sands of Iwo Jima" and "Flying Tigers" ; "Flame of the Barbary Coast" and "Santa Fe Stampede"; "Westward Ho" and "The Fighting Kentuckian"; "The Fighting Seabees" and "Wake of the Red Witch"; "Dark Command" and "A Lady Takes a Chance"; "Dakota" and "In Old California."
What's new: Mostly from the 1940s, these Republic Pictures films have been digitally remastered.
Rope 'em cowpoke? "Sands of Iwo Jima" stands as a Wayne classic; other films here, such as "Westward Ho," typify Wayne's B westerns.
Also worth noting: "John Wayne Collection Vol. 1 and Vol. 2" ($24.98 each) group picks from the double features for two four-film boxes. The sets contain titles from the above list, with each adding a John Ford collector's gem: the magnificent "The Quiet Man" (Vol. 1) and "Rio Grande" (Vol. 2).
"John Wayne Century Collection" (Paramount Home Video, $99.99)
Release date: May 22
What's in it: "The High and the Mighty," "Island in the Sky", "True Grit," "Hondo," "McLintock!," "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," "The Shootist," "Big Jake," "Donovan's Reef," "In Harm's Way," "Hatari!," "Rio Lobo," "The Sons of Katie Elder," "El Dorado."
What's new: Special collector's editions of five films (including "True Grit," which won Wayne a best actor Oscar) and commentaries by film critic Leonard Maltin.
Rope 'em cowpoke? This $100 set boasts a two-disc set of "Mighty," plus "Hondo" (both with Maltin commentary), John Ford's "Valance" and Wayne's last film, "The Shootist." Paramount also offers two smaller boxes -- the nine-film "Western Collection" ($74.99) and the five-film "Adventure Collection" ($42.99). You can also opt for "True Grit" as a solo ride ($19.99).
"John Wayne Film Collection" (Warner Home Video, $49.92)
Release date: May 22
What's in it: "Allegheny Uprising," "Big Jim McLain," "Reunion in France," "Trouble Along the Way, " "Tycoon," "Without Reservations."
What's new: All of these films come to DVD for the first time.
Rope 'em cowpoke? If you're a Wayne completist, for sure. Otherwise, pick carefully. One that looks interesting is the comedy-drama "Trouble Along the Way," where Wayne plays a football coach.
John Wayne special editions, single films (Warner Home Video)
Release date: May 22
What's in it: "Rio Bravo" (two-disc, $20.97; ultimate edition, $39.92) and "The Cowboys" ($19.97).
What's new: "Bravo" features commentary by John Carpenter and Richard Schickel; ultimate edition includes press book and Dell comic book.
Rope 'em cowpoke? "Bravo" is a better bet as a two-disc edition. "Cowboys" is a favorite of critic Rex Reed for Wayne's performance as a tough rancher.
"John Wayne: Screen Legend Collection" (Universal Studios Home Entertainment, $26.98)
Release date: June 12 (tentative)
What's in it: "Reap the Wild Wind," "The Spoilers," "The War Wagon," "Hellfighters," "Rooster Cogburn"
What's new: Appears to be a fairly straightforward re-release of Universal's catalog, but stay tuned.
Rope 'em cowpoke?: "Rooster Cogburn" and "Reap the Wild Wind" rank among Wayne's best.
By Louis R. Carlozo
Tribune staff reporter
Published May 8, 2007
