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Here Are 10 Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About John Wayne’s True Grit – My Blog

True Grit went down in history as one of the most successful and most iconic Westerns ever made but did you know: Trivia facts revealed that lead actor John Wayne who starred as U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn, wasn’t actually satisfied with the film and even said (according to IMDb) that he starred in much better films. Though he did reprise his role six years later in the character-titled sequel Rooster Cogburn and just like the first, it scored big at the box office, proving how phenomenal Wayne’s acting was. In 2010, True Grit inspired a remake which then earned an impressive amount of nominations at the Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know (But Should Know) About John Wayne’s True Grit
Aside from John Wayne not liking the film, what else is there to know about the film’s behind-the-scenes?
1. The film was written by a formerly blacklisted writer.


If you know John Wayne, then you know that he ascribed to extreme right-wing politics, and so, it was a point of contention for many that he would work with Marguerite Roberts, a formerly blacklisted writer (due to her left-wing politics). People said that he shouldn’t, but Wayne ignored all of the calls, and he actually knew about it before he read the script. After reading, he thought the screenplay was magnificent and even wrote to Roberts to say that and was hoping that she might write another one with him in mind.
2. John Wayne earned the first and only Academy Award of his career as Rooster Cogburn.

Yes, you heard it right. In John Wayne’s decades-long celebrated career, he had never received any Academy Award before True Grit. And he had been nominated only once before in 1949, for Best Actor at the 22nd Academy Awards for his role in Sands of Iwo Jima.
Twenty years later, his talent was finally acknowledged. And in his acceptance speech, John Wayne said, “Wow. If I’d have known that, I’d have put that patch on 35 years earlier.”
3. John Wayne personally thought that Richard Burton should have won Best Actor.

John Wayne earned his Best Actor award, beating Richard Burton for his role as Henry VIII in Anne of the Thousand Days and Peter O’Toole for his role as Arthur Chipping in Goodbye Mr. Chips.
Personally, Wayne didn’t think much about winning. In an interview with Roger Ebert, Wayne said, “Well, whether or not I win an Oscar, I’m proud of the performance, Wayne said. “I’d be pleased to win one, of course, although I imagine these things mean more to the public than to us. There are a lot of old standbys who don’t have one.” And when he won, he expressed his sentiment that he thought Richard Burton deserved the award more than him.
Additionally, critics also saw Wayne’s win largely as a sentimental choice citing his performance in the film as over-the-top and hammy.
4. John Wayne didn’t initially want to wear the signature eye patch.

Wayne’s eye patch on the left eye definitely created his character’s signature look that even those who haven’t really watc hed True Grit could identify Rooster Cogburn. But Wayne didn’t really liked the idea of it. Additionally, in the book, Cogburn didn’t wear an eye patch, although he does only have one eye. But thankfully, he did and won himself an Academy Award.
5. John Wayne pushed for his daughter for the role of Mattie.

In the book Duke: The Life and Image of John Wayne, Ronald Davis said that Wayne pushed for his daughter Aissa to get the role of Mattie, but Director Henry Hathaway didn’t cast her. Multi-awarded actress Mia Farrow was given the role, but she turned it down (after a co-actor in a previous film told her that the director was impossible to work with), and so Kim Darby ended up as Mattie.
According to IMDb, John Wayne was disappointed by the casting that he hardly spoke with Darby at all off-camera. But Darby always spoke high praises about Wayne, saying that he was a pleasure to work with onset.
6. Rooster Cogburn’s most intense scene was not actually filmed by John Wayne.

When Rooster Cogburn took on a wild horseback pursuit of the notorious outlaw Ned Pepper (Robert Duvall) and his gang, it was actually Wayne’s stunt double Jim Burk who performed the role. He did majority of the scene, and Wayne only showed up for one brief close-up, and he was riding a trailer, not a horse.
7. John Wayne almost hit Robert Duvall during filming.

Wayne’s character and Duvall’s were enemies in the film, and it seemed that that relationship translated into real life. Reports said that Duvall allegedly had a temper on the set as his acting preferences did not align with Hathaway’s direction. And one specific direction sparked a heated argument as Hathaway told Duvall, “When I say, ‘Action!’ tense up, Goddam you.” Wayne grew tired of the fighting on set, and he threatened to punch Duvall if he didn’t stop arguing with Director Henry Hathaway.
8. Elvis Presley almost played Texas ranger La Beouf.

Elvis Presley was in the original cast line-up that the producers wanted, and they did get him as Texas ranger La Beouf. Unfortunately, those plans fell through after Presley’s manager, ‘Colonel’ Tom Parker, said that Presley had to be the top-bill. But with a superstar like John Wayne playing the lead character, the producers couldn’t meet the demand. And we all know what happened, country music star Glen Campbell ended up with the role.
9. The original book was in Mattie’s perspective, but the film focused on Rooster Cogburn.

Charles Portis wrote the book in the first person (Mattie), and Rooster Cogburn and La Beouf were actually supporting characters.
10. Rooster was 40, but Wayne was 61.

While it’s common practice in the movie industry that actors do not have the same age as the character they’re playing, the usual difference isn’t actually that big. But in the film, 61-year-old John Wayne played the role of Cogburn, who was originally written as 40.
Though the most striking age difference was between actress Kim Darby and her character Mattie Ross. Darby was already a 21-year-old when she played 14-year-old Mattie.
Well, there you have it. And now you are 10 times richer with facts about John Wayne’s True Grit, and who knows? These may come in handy in the future!

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John Wayne or Jeff Bridges, who plays the role of Rooster Cogburn well? – My Blog

Two movies made 50 years apart, both based on a novel by the same name. Two different iconic actors took turns playing the rough-and-tumble marshal Rooster Cogburn in their respective versions of “True Grit.” John Wayne played him in the 1969 version, Jeff Bridges in 2010. Both were celebrated critically. Now, Duke’s official Instagram account is comparing the performances to see which one did it better.Of course, the question was posed by the John Wayne account. So it’s safe to say the people who responded in the comments were at least slightly biased toward the 1969 version.


Then again, both Rooster Cogburn actors were nominated for Academy Awards for their performances. So it’s really anybody’s game.“John Wayne & Jeff Bridges were both nominated for Oscars for their performance as Rooster Cogburn. Which version of the movie is your favorite, 1969 or 2010?” the Instagram caption read.

In the world of remakes, few movies do as much justice to their original counterparts as the 2010 version of “True Grit” from the Coen Brothers. There was no consensus among fans whatsoever. But some of the most popular sentiments seemed to be that the 1969 “True Grit” with John Wayne as Cogburn featured the more iconic performance. Though, many fans thought the 2010 movie was closer to the source text than the original.

“I have to fall on the side of the Duke. BUT, that’s the BEST remake of a film, I’ve ever seen! Loved them both,” a fan replied to the Instagram post.“2010 Much richer film and truer to the book’s feel. Wayne was robbed of an Oscar for the Searchers and this was a lifetime achievement award,” another added.Two Versions of ‘True Grit,’ Two Very Different Approaches to Character . One of the biggest complaints John Wayne fans had of Jeff Bridges’ approach to Rooster Cogburn was how disheveled he appeared.

“Jeff Bridges was horrible had marbles in house mouth and portrait Roster as a slob,” another fan replied to the post from John Wayne’s estate.But a different fan pointed out that, indeed, the portrayal of Rooster Cogburn in the novel by Charles Portis was one of a slobbish man.This isn’t to say that the Bridges performance is better for accuracy. It’s just that Henry Hathaway, the director of the 1969 “True Grit,” and the Coen brothers took different approaches to their movies. As a result, the actors contrasted greatly in their portrayals of Rooster Cogburn.

At the end of the day, however, the win may have to go to John Wayne on this one. After all, we’re still waiting on Jeff Bridges to reprise the role in a sequel. Duke did it in the 1975 film “Rooster Cogburn.”

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John Wayne’s ”expensive” sayings made the fans ”nod”’. – My Blog

John Wayne (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979) was an American movie Actor, director, and producer, known in movies like Stagecoach, Angel and the Bad Man, Red River, and The Shootist.They say that life is a good teacher and through them who lived this life we can learn a lot, especially from great people like John Wayne a.k.a Duke.Today I am going to share with you Wayne’s 5 rules you should be remembering in your daily life:


1. Money cannot buy happiness but its more comfortable to cry in a Mercedes than on a bicycle.
This is a long debate everywhere, rich people say that “those who say money can buy happiness are the ones who don’t have” and broke people reply that “you don’t know how miserable we are just because we don’t have coins in our pocket”.John Wayne made it clearer that though money cannot buy happiness but when unhappy moments arrive money can make someone comfortable.


2. Forgive your enemy but remember the bastard’s name.
Forgiving your enemy is in your favor, most of the time carrying such burden in your heart is more painful while the bastard doesn’t even know.Just to be careful, put their names somewhere in your mind. Once a soldier always a commando and once enemy, I don’t know.

3. Help someone when they are in trouble and they will remember you when they’re in trouble again.
Do what is right, help people but never expect something in return.According to John Wayne, the only thing you can expect from people is that if you have helped them in the hard times, they will remember you when they’re in trouble again.

4. Many people are alive only because it’s illegal to shoot them.
Everyone has enemies and some people do harm to us to the level we even wish to kill them. Not only our enemies would be killed if to kill was not illegal but also some innocents and powerless people.About this rule, something you have to learn is that we’re surrounded by people that don’t kill us only because it’s illegal.
5. Alcohol does not solve any problems, but then again, neither does milk.
Haha this rule is somehow funny but it is true on the other hand. You will find people telling you stop drinking alot it will solve nothing but at least you’ll have that sedative moment.Alcohol does not solve any problems, but then again, neither does milk.

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Interesting things happen at the “Duketober” celebration at the John Wayne museum . – My Blog

The enduring legacy of actor John Wayne, America’s ultimate cowboy, was celebrated last month, fittingly enough, by the Cowboy Channel in association with the John Wayne: An American Experience museum in Fort Worth, Texas.


The “Duketober” celebration is a month-long airing of classic John Wayne movies via broadcast and streaming. It will culminate with a 50th anniversary live panel discussion on Nov. 3 in remembrance of Big Jake, the 1971 movie that bought Wayne together with sons Ethan and Patrick, who will participate in a discussion about his films and career.Wayne’s legacy has taken a few hits in the last couple of years.

A 50-year-old Playboy magazine interview outlining some of his controversial views on race surfaced, sparking his USC alma mater to remove an exhibit on him. There’s also a movement to remove his name from the Orange County airport. So far, that action has failed to gain ground . But Wayne’s cinematic legacy, particularly his western movies, continue to rank among the finest ever produced by Hollywood. Such films as The Searchers, True Grit, Stagecoach and Rio Bravo are considered classics of the genre.

“The John Wayne: An American Experience (JWAAE) museum in the Fort Worth Stockyards has created a perfect synergy for the Cowboy Channel to highlight this incredible western film legend and showcase many of his classic films for our audience,” said Cowboy Channel CEO Raquel Koehler Gottsch.

“Our fans absolutely adore John Wayne, and we couldn’t be happier to have a great relationship with his family and be able to share his movies with our audience and dedicate an entire month to such a western star legend.”“He would be thrilled to learn that so many people still cherish his films after all these years and I know he’s smiling somewhere,” said son Ethan Wayne.

The Cowboy Channel will also feature a Halloween movie marathon of Wayne films, and fans can tune-in to such classics such as Rio Grande, Sand of Iwo Jima, and The Shootist.

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