I heard someone talking about John Wayne yesterday and that got me to recollecting. It may or may not surprise some of you that this peace-loving, so-called "liberal" is still a fan of some John Wayne movies. And, while I want to post on several topics that have risen of greater merit, I thought I'd stop to share some fond Wayne memories.
Now, understand, he had horrible politics and made some awfully racist, misogynistic and militaristic comments, he still could make an entertaining movie with some humor and (sometimes) grace.
One of my favorite quotes from one of his movies was from The Greatest Story Ever Told - the Easter movie where Wayne had a bit part as the soldier at the cross who said, in his own John Wayne style - "Waww, truly this was the sonofgod."
Some of my favorite movies of his include Rio Lobo, El Dorado and McClintock (which is sexist, racist steaming pile of poo, but fun nonetheless - Lord forgive me - I think it's sort of a campy satire of the characters Wayne normally played).
Some quotes:
"I've had my back broke once, and my hip twice, and on my worst day I could beat the hell out of you."
from The Cowboys
"I have found a certain type calls himself a Liberal...Now I always thought I was a Liberal. I came up terribly surprised one time when I found out that I was a Right-Wing Conservative Extremist, when I listened to everybody's point of view that I ever met, and then decided how I should feel. But this so-called new Liberal group, Jesus, they never listen to your point of view..."
~John Wayne's own self
And, of course, some great lines from the Oscar-winning True Grit:
[Attorney] Goudy: [cross-examining Rooster] How many men have you shot since you became a marshal, Mr. Cogburn?
Rooster Cogburn: I never shot nobody I didn't have to.
Goudy: That was not the question. How many?
Rooster Cogburn: Uh... shot or killed?
Goudy: Oh, let's restrict it to "killed" so we may have a manageable figure...
Goudy: I believe you testified that you backed away from old man Wharton?
Rooster Cogburn: Yes, sir.
Goudy: Which direction were you going?
Rooster Cogburn: Backward. I always go backward when I'm backin' away.
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Rooster Cogburn: When's the last time you saw Ned Pepper?
Emmett Quincy: I don't remember any Ned Pepper.
Rooster Cogburn: Short feisty fella, nervous and quick, got a messed-up lower lip.
Emmett Quincy: That don't bring nobody to mind. A funny lip?
Rooster Cogburn: Wasn't always like that, I shot him in it.
Emmett Quincy: In the lower lip? What was you aiming at?
Rooster Cogburn: His upper lip.
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And, as he's confronted four deadly criminals at the film's climax - they're all out in a field, all on their horses, all armed. Rooster plans to capture the lead bad guy, Ned Pepper (ably played by Robert Duvall)...
Ned Pepper: What's your intention? Do you think one on four is a dogfall?
Rooster Cogburn: I mean to kill you in one minute, Ned. Or see you hanged in Fort Smith at Judge Parker's convenience. Which'll it be?
Ned Pepper: I call that bold talk for a one-eyed fat man.
Rooster Cogburn [a bit taken aback, then angry]: Fill your hands, you sonuvabitch.
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You got favorite John Wayne quotes? (Let's not do the awful ones - and there really are some borderline evil quotes John Wayne, the man, said in real life. Let's stick to the interesting or uplifting.)
15 comments:
My favorite True Grit Wayne quote was his retort to Glen Campbell's character, who had just claimed to have faced situations where he drank water from a horse's footprint "and been glad to have it." Wayne as Rooster replies, "If I ever meet a Texan who HASN'T drunk from a horse's footprint, I'll shake his hand!" I love it.
My favorite Wayne movie was The Quiet Man but because it was so against type, not for any of his lines.
In general, I'm afraid I remember his racism, militarism, misogyny, xenophobia, more than anything uplifting he said.
what is up with john wayne these days? i was getting my haircut last friday and the guy next to me was going on and on about him.
once i had a college class very much centered on the john wayne persona. it was quite interesting.
i'm with MWW, the Quiet Man was a wonderful movie.
don't know much about mr. wayne but i know that when my grandpa was alive, he sure loved him.
dan, stop back by pisteuomen some time! see ya.
My favorite John Wayne movie is Chisum. My cousin Geoffrey played Billy the Kid in that one and so got to know Wayne quite well. He says, that Wayne was a truly imposing person but kind, and was a mentor to a young actor.
And how about this quote from the movie Chisum, "Well, I don't favor talkin' to vermin, but I'll talk to you just this once."
That might be a useful quote, actually, in the blog world considering your last post!
Holy cow! Your Pete and Geoffrey Duel's cousin?
I suppose they are (were) brothers?
I LOVED Smith/Jones! And Chisum! Billy the Kid was great!
Wow.
Hey Reverend, great to hear from a very busy student. You, too, T Michael.
I have some problem with your website, Michael, where some program is apparently running at your site and it slows my computer down. Would you know what that is?
The comedian John Byner did John Wayne as a brain surgeon: the famous Wayne amble up to the patient, and the growl, "Waaa'l,
Ah guess we're gonna have ta yank it outta there..."
From "The Quiet Man"
Will Danaher: "I'll count three, and if you're not out of the house by then, I'll loose the dogs on you."
Sean Thornton [Wayne]: "If you say "three," mister, you'll never hear the man count "ten."
Also from The Quiet Man:
Danaher says that he's enjoyed their fight so far.
Thornton: "Well, I hope you can stick around for the finish!"
I always loved the conversation between the characters played by John Wayne and Katherine Hepburn.
KH: I'm bound to ask you this. Is your name in the Lamb's Book of Life?
JW: Sister, are you licensed to preach? What church do you belong to? They let women preach in it?
KH: I'm not an exhorter, Mr. Cogburn. Service to others is my witness. I'm a teacher, and a journeyman nurse. Ayah, I can pull teeth. I'm sorry that you don't like me.
JW: I just don't like the way you talk.
KH: How should I talk? Talking of such things is my business.
JW: It isn't that, it's the way you talk. "Ayah, ayah." What is that business?
KH: Oh, it's my Yankee speech
that you find offensive?
JW: I do.
KH: I must try to remedy that. Paul tells us that we must be all things to all men. I'll have to learn some vulgar southern expressions. I'll learn to be lazy and slovenly.
JW: I'll tell you something else
that Paul said: "Let your women be silent in church."
Mike, that's from Rooster Cogburn, the oft-forgotten sequel to True Grit. It didn't win Wayne an Oscar like TG did and Hepburn later said she thought it was one of her worst roles.
Like most sequels, it was simply forgettable--except, apparently, by you. :-)
This comment thread is way, way too civil. If no one else steps forward to insult Dan without provocation, I will.
Oh, I'm so glad that you know of Pete and Geoff. You will have to ask Stevie to tell you about his favorite "Uncle Geoffy." As I surfed to your site I was on the phone talking to Geoff.
Yeah, I talked with "Stevey" last night about it. Again, How Cool!
And thanks, John. I appreciate your willingness to step into the breach - but only if needed.
Favorite is "Stagecoach," wherein John Wayne played the Ringo Kid, who uttered this great line: "Well, I guess you can't break out of prison and into society in the same week."
Love it.
BTW, John Wayne has been everywhere this summer because he would've been 100 in May.
BTW II, "True Grit" and "Rooster Cogburn" are faves, of course, since I grew up 8 miles west of downtown Fort Smith, and my family, my dad's side, came to the Cherokee Nation in the 1870s. Names are on the Cherokee censuses, first as residents under permit, later as "intruders" (illegal aliens). I wound up working on a history master's in ought-one after, while doing genealogy research, I found purt near my whole dang family tree growing in Judge Parker's criminal court records (actually now housed in a regional National Archives facility in Fort Worth, Texas). The Rednecks were ALL in and out of trouble, fightin' and scrappin' and sellin' whiskey to Indians and all manner of ne-er-do-wellism. All laws applyin' to whites were federal in the Nation, so's even just sellin' a jug was a federal case. I was inspired to study history for real when I realized my family had been part of it. I come by my redneckery honest, I reckon is what I'm tryin' to say!
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