During the Duke’s unparalleled 50-year career in the movie industry, there were performances by supporting players (and, in a few instances, by people who were billed above Wayne in the credits) that I thought were truly memorable. Please list your personal favorites among the roles of all those who played in “John Wayne” movies over the years. To start things off, I’ll list my own favorite roles. (NOTE) I’m not including performances by players in “The Longest Day” or “How The West Was Won”, since Duke was, in effect, just one of many stars in those films.
The Shootist
Lauren Bacall – Bond Rogers
Ron Howard – Gillom Rogers
Moses – Scatman Crothers
The Cowboys
Roscoe Lee Browne – Jebediah Nightlinger (Among my very favorite supporting roles.)
Big Jake
Richard Boone – John Fain
Pat Wayne – James McCandles
True Grit
Kim Darby – Mattie Ross (Probably my all-time favorite supporting role)
Robert Duvall – “Lucky” Ned Pepper (Another among my favorite supporting roles.)
Strother Martin – Colonel Stonehill
The Sons of Katie Elder
Dean Martin – Tom Elder
George Kennedy – Curley
McLintock
Maureen O’Hara – Katherine McLintock
Yvonne De Carlo – Louise Warren
The Comancheros
Stuart Whitman – Paul Regret
North To Alaska
Stewart Granger – George Pratt
Ernie Kovacs – Frankie Canon
Capucine – Michelle (Angel)
The Horse Soldiers
William Holden – Major Hank Kendall
Rio Bravo
Practically the entire supporting cast, but especially
Walter Brennan – Stumpy (He shoulda got an Oscar for that performance)
Dean Martin – Dude
Angie Dickinson – Feathers
Ricky Nelson – Colorado Ryan
Claude Akins – Joe Burdette
Pedro Gonzalez – Carlos
The Barbarian and the Geisha
So Yamamura – Baron Tamura
Sam Jaffe – Henry Heusken
Eiko Ando – Okichi
The Searchers
Jeffrey Hunter – Martin Pawley
Ward Bond – Capt. Rev. Samuel J. Clayton
Natalie Wood – Debbie Edwards (Grown)
Hank Worden – Mose Harper
Vera Miles – Laurie Jorgensen
Henry Brandon – Chief Scar
John Qualen – Lars Jorgensen
Ken Curtis – Charlie McCorry
The Quiet Man
Maureen O’Hara – Mary Kate Danaher
Victor McLaglen – Red Will Danaher
Barry Fitzgerald – Michaeleen Flynn
Ward Bond – Father Lonergan
Operation Pacific
Patricia Neal – Mary Stuart
Sands of Iwo Jima
John Agar – Pfc Pete Conway
Forrest Tucker – Corporal Al Thomas
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon
Victor McLaglen – Sgt. Quincannon
John Agar – Lt. Flint Cohill
Harry Carey Jr. - Lt. Ross Pennell
Joanne Dru – Olivia Dandridge
Ben Johnson – Sgt. Tyree
Three Godfathers
Pedro Armendariz – Pete
Ward Bond – Perley “Buck” Sweet
Harry Carey Jr. – Abilene Kid
Red River
Montgomery Clift – Matthew Garth
Walter Brennan – Nadine Groot
Joanne Dru – Tess Millay
Fort Apache
Henry Fonda – Lt. Col. Owen Thursday
John Agar – Lt. Michael O’Rourke
Ward Bond – Sgt. Major O’Rourke
Victor McLaglen – Sgt. Mulcahy
Pedro Armendariz – Sgt. Beaufort
Hank Worden – Hick Recruit
They Were Expendable
Robert Montgomery – Lt. John Brickley
Donna Reed – Lt. Sandy Davyss
Ward Bond – “Boats” Mulcahey
Stagecoach
Claire Trevor – Dallas
Thomas Mitchell – Dr. Josiah Boone
John Carradine – Hatfield
Andy Devine – Buck Rickabaugh
There were several other supporting roles I really liked but this is getting so long I don’t wanna overdo it.
