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John Wayne’s Two Lost Movies, Explained – My Blog

Two of John Wayne’s movies have been lost to time. Long before his breakout role in John Ford’s Stagecoach, Wayne was a struggling young actor who fronted dozens of “Poverty Row” films. These were low-budget b-movies that were filmed quickly, with some notable examples from his career including Wayne’s sole “horror” Haunted Gold. He always appeared to be on the cusp of stardom, but after concerns about being typecast, Wayne attempted to leave Westerns behind in the 1930s by accepting a contract with Universal. This saw him appear in a variety of more contemporary roles like I Cover The War.This move was disastrous, ultimately, as all six of his Universal outings bombed. Luckily for Wayne, Stagecoach was right around the corner, and Westerns soon became his go-to genre. He worked almost non-stop during his decades-long career, so alongside some classics like The Searchers or True Grit, he made his share of duds too. Fans of the actor have well over 160 movies to work through, including Jet Pilot, which Wayne felt was his worst. However, two of his early movies have been lost.Why John Wayne’s Oregon Trail & Adventure’s End Are Missing

john wayne in the oregon trail 1936


Wayne’s first missing film is 1936 Western The Oregon Trail, which he made for Republic Pictures. Wayne made over 30 movies with the studio, with Oregon Trail casting him as an army captain seeking revenge for the death of his father. The film also co-starred Gone With The Wind’s Anne Rutherford as Wayne’s love interest. According to a BBC article, the search to find a print of The Oregon Trail began in 2003, and a decade later, a collection of black and white stills were recovered. Despite this, a print of the film itself has yet to be found.The second lost John Wayne movie is 1937’s Adventure’s End, which was the final entry in his Universal run. This cast him as Duke Slade, who signs on to work on a whaling vessel and finds himself caught up in a munity. Adventure’s End was co-produced by Trem Carr, who lured Wayne away from Republic to Universal and promised to break him free of Westerns. Carr was famous for cost-cutting, however, with Adventure’s End being another quickly slapped together cheapie. Unlike The Oregon Trail, a surviving print of Adventure’s End is said to be held by the Library of Congress, though there’s no sign it will ever be released officially.Adventure’s End Was A Turning Point In Wayne’s Career
john wayne in adventures end

Adventure’s End sounds like it tried to sell itself on Wayne’s sex appeal, as he was shirtless for the majority of his screentime – as the few surviving stills can attest. However, after it received poor reviews and bombed, it left its leading man in a bad spot. Wayne – who starred in 80 Westerns – attempt to turn away from Westerns had fared poorly, and he had to basically beg Republic for more work after leaving them. Had Adventure’s End been a success, maybe Wayne’s career could have gone in a totally different direction, but it appears Westerns were always his destiny.

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John Wayne’s unexpected reaction to his lung cancer diagnosis. – My Blog

Years before people would take getting checked for cancer seriously, John Wayne actually did and it ended up saving his life.His son Ethan Wayne, in the latest Gritcast, talks with Stacy Mulder, who is vice president of the John Wayne Cancer Foundation.In this clip provided by the John Wayne Estate on Instagram, Ethan offers some insight into his father’s reasoning for taking action.


John Wayne also knew that it was possible he might not get insured for future pictures.Take a look and listen as The Duke’s son opens up about this important subject.Fans did not hold back their love and respect for Wayne.One of them writes, “Your Dad was one of a kind!”Another one writes, “I loved and still love and respect the person he was! Not just a wonderful actor and entertainer but a great human being! They don’t make them like him anymore!”

A Wayne fan offers up a simple comment. “Awesome son and father”.Outsiders, we will agree that Ethan has done a stellar job in helping to keep the name of John Wayne in the public eye.While The Duke had that cancerous tumor removed and went on to more movie success, he still had issues with cancer.

Sadly, Wayne died in 1979 from stomach cancer.John Wayne Movie ‘Big Jake’ Might Be Super Flick For This Hollywood ActorSo, who would be a solid fit to play the role that John Wayne made famous in Big Jake?Again, we turn to the Wayne sons for some feedback.Ethan and Patrick Wayne offer up their thoughts on this question.“For a while, I’ve watched […] Gene Hackman, at a certain period of his career he easily could have done it,” one son says.

When someone else asks, “What about Russell Crowe?” Patrick says, “Russell Crowe would be great.” Others say “he’s good in everything he does.”The John Wayne Estate has been celebrating the 50th anniversary of Big Jake, which premiered in 1971. Big Jake happened to be director George Sherman’s final film.The cast included Wayne, Maureen O’Hara , and Richard Boone. Big Jake follows the McCandles family while they are being attacked by the Fain Gang.

Martha McCandles ends up sending for estranged husband Jacob “Big Jake” McCandles to find their kidnapped grandson, Little Jake.Film critics took note of the film’s violence, especially for a Wayne movie.Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune writes, “With a little bit of restraint, the latest John Wayne Western, ‘Big Jake,’ might have been one of the veteran star’s recent best. The most obvious excess and this is unusual for a John Wayne film is violence.”

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Bruce Dern paid homage to Western past as ” Man Who Killed John Wayne ” – My Blog

Over the years, Bruce Dern has made quite a career in film. From acting to producing and just about every facet of the industry. One of his most notable roles, earlier in his career was when he killed John Wayne. That film, 1972’s The Cowboy, came up in his Goliath series.Dern’s series, Goliath features Billy Bob Thornton and others in a legal drama, unlike many others.


Throughout the series, the production crew has tried their best to incorporate some of the film legend’s old material into the show. A man who has worked with everyone from Alfred Hitchcock to John Wayne, Quentin Tarantino and more, has a lot to reflect on.

However, it was how they paid homage to that old John Wayne film that really surprised Dern. During the fourth and final season, Billy McBride has a dream in which Dern appears. Riding a horse and wearing a very familiar outfit.“But what they did that I didn’t know, they went back to Western Custom and got the 1972 exact costume I wore in The Cowboys when I killed John Wayne,” Bruce Dern said.

“They did stuff like that. I was totally surprised. I said, ‘S***, I’ve seen this stuff before.’ And they said, ‘Yeah, you wore it in The Cowboys when you killed John Wayne.’ Oh, my God.’” He continued, “Each day they’d come up with little things like that particularly for me. I really appreciated that. And that is Larry Trilling and big-time Billy Bob Thronton. He’s all about what was there before. I mean, we’re not inventing the wheel, so to speak. We’re trying to find new ways to communicate things. And I enjoyed the opportunity to do that.”Bruce Dern Made a Lot of Enemies Killing John WayneWhile the action was just part of a movie, The Cowboy had quite an influence on how many Western fans viewed Bruce Dern. Taking out The Duke is no small task. It comes with a lot of repercussions. Especially the way his character did it, shooting Wayne in the back after losing a fistfight…in front of a bunch of kids.

While the dramatics of the scene was a perfect example of those old classic Westerns, Dern never really shook the reputation with a certain generation of fans. However, while working with John Wayne, Dern received direct orders to disrespect Wayne on set.“But right at the start, he says to me, ‘I want you to do us a favor.’ He was including himself, [director] Mark Rydell, and the scriptwriters.” Dern explained that during the pep talk, “He [Wayne] gave me carte blanche to just treat him like a turd.” All so the kids acting on set as the cowboys would be scared of the bad guys.

Bruce Dern got into the role and listened to the orders that Wayne gave him. Now, the movie is a Western classic, and infamous in the minds and hearts of John Wayne fans everywhere.

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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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