Connect with us

Entertainment

John Wayne’s Dirty Harry Rip-offs Explained (& Why They Didn’t Work) – Old western – My Blog

Here are John Wayne’s two Dirty Harry-inspired cop thrillers explained – and why they didn’t quite work. After years of starring in b-movie Westerns, John Wayne broke through thanks to the success of 1939’s Stagecoach. While the star appeared in just about every genre – even horror, with 1932’s Haunted Gold – he’s a screen icon thanks to his many cowboy roles. From Rio Bravo to True Grit and his final film The Shootist, he came to be seen as the defining image of the big-screen cowboy. While Westerns were a huge genre during Wayne’s heyday, but the end of the ’60s, their popularity had started to wane and came to be seen as too old-fashioned for modern audiences.Clint Eastwood also made a career out of appearing in Westerns like the Dollars movie trilogy that portrayed a darker, more cynical view of the West. Eastwood was able to evolve beyond the genre because of 1971’s Dirty Harry. Eastwood played the titular detective, who is more than willing to break the rules to catch a vicious killer stalking San Francisco. While many critics were appalled by the movie’s seeming endorsement of vigilantism, Dirty Harry was a major success that spawned four sequels in later years.Eastwood wasn’t the first choice for Dirty Harry, with stars like Frank Sinatra turning it down. Wayne was also offered the movie, but later revealed he passed on it partly because he didn’t want a role Sinatra rejected. The star was also in his 60s and was seen as a little too old to pull the character off convincingly.John Wayne Didn’t Suit The Dirty Harry MouldOnce Dirty Harry was a success, Wayne lamented his decision and after some of his recent Westerns like the terrible Rio Lobo flopped, he decided to try something more modern. This led him to two cop thrillers that sought to cash in on Dirty Harry and its 1973 sequel Magnum Force, but neither movie hit with viewers.McQ (1974)John Wayne’s first Dirty Harry rip-off cast him as a veteran Seattle detective who goes rogue to avenge his partner’s murder. This puts him up agains a drug dealer and corrupt elements within the force. Of Wayne’s two police thrillers, McQ feels the closest in spirit to Dirty Harry, including the title character’s rule-breaking and questionable (to put it lightly) treatment of suspects. The movie features some solidly staged action but while Wayne is a commanding presence, McQ proves that Dirty Harry made the right casting choice. Eastwood could play both the physicality and moral ambivalence of the role, but with McQ, Wayne seems a little uncomfortable with both aspects.

Brannigan (1975)
John Wayne’s second Dirty Harry movie rip-off is Brannigan, where his Chicago detective is sent to London to bring back a crime lord (played by Dirty Harry’s own John Vernon). Brannigan also has an early buddy cop movie hook, as Wayne is partnered with Richard Attenborough more strait-laced, by the book detective. Brannigan has several strong points, including a Western-inspired fight in a London pub and the winning chemistry between Wayne and Attenborough, but its needlessly complex plot and slow pacing drag it right down. The movie also feels more in line with a John Wayne Western than a modern (for its era at least) thriller, and it must have felt dated even back in 1975.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Entertainment

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.”

Continue Reading

Entertainment

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.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

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.

Continue Reading

Trending