John Wayne

Clint Eastwood Only Considers Himself A ‘Fan’ Of One Specific Actor

Clint Eastwood rose to stardom in the 1960s by employing a minimalist style of acting as Sergio Leone’s Man with No Name in “A Fistful of Dollars,” “For a Few Dollars More,” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” His characters were men of few words and even fewer expressions. Some critics at the time mistook this as a laughable lack of range on Eastwood’s part — an assertion the actor would prove incorrect with shockingly vulnerable performances in “Play Misty for Me” and “The Beguiled.”
But while Eastwood was not precious with his image, he was keenly aware of what he could not, or should not, do. He could play blustery types like John Wilson (based on director John Huston) in “White Hunter Black Heart,” but he knew not to emote. He could tweak his on-screen persona, but he almost never went broad (even when the movie did, like “Every Which Way But Loose”).
In terms of performance style and genre preferences, Eastwood’s obvious comparison is John Wayne. Eastwood is far more adventurous than The Duke was in picking projects, but his approach to the craft of acting is similarly unfussy. So you might be surprised to learn that Eastwood’s only a fan of one particular actor, and he wasn’t exactly known for his restraint.
Eastwood is a Yankee Doodle boyWarner Bros.In an interview with Patrick McGilligan (as featured in the 1999 book “Clint Eastwood: Interviews”), Eastwood acknowledged that while he liked John Wayne as a young man (“depending on the film”), his favorite actor was James Cagney. Yes, James “Top of the World!” Cagney. A man whose rat-a-tat delivery synced up perfectly with the lead sputter of the tommy guns his characters often brandished. An joyously outsized performer who was just as likely to hoof as put a bullet in you. Cagney could do it all, and did –- until Billy Wilder drove him to exhaustion while making the antic comedy “One, Two, Three” in 1961.
Eastwood loved Cagney, especially his early movies, and was aware this was an unexpected choice. As he told McGilliagan:
“He isn’t at all like me. When I first started out as an actor, all the secretaries used to call me Coop, because they thought I resembled Gary Cooper, kind of a backward kid –- quite a few years ago. But Cagney … I always liked Cagney’s style and energy. He was fearless. Most of those guys were, though: they were fearless. Going back to the most famous thing, sticking grapefruits in people’s faces, they weren’t afraid to do things that were outrageous. A lot of good actors get wrapped up in images.”
Eastwood turned 92 in 2022 and has yet to line up a new film after the box office failure of 2021’s “Cry Macho.” If he does get around to acting in another film, it’s highly unrealistic to expect him to break with his tried-and-true approach to performance and, for the first time in his career, indulge his inner Cagney. Eastwood doesn’t do surprises. He just does Eastwood. And speaking strictly about movies, we like Eastwood just fine.

John Wayne

Inside John Wayne’s Decades-Long Relationship With Maureen O’Hara

One of cinema’s most beloved pairings was John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. Both are legends in their own right, but when paired together, the two made magic on the screen.

They co-starred in five movies throughout their careers: Rio Grande (1950), The Quiet Man (1952), The Wings of Eagles (1957), McLintock! (1963), and Big Jake (1971).

Their chemistry on-screen and close bond off-screen led many to believe that O’Hara and Wayne were an actual couple.

But their friendship was just that…friendship. They couldn’t have though higher of each other, and they made sure everyone knew!

In an interview posted to Wayne’s official Instagram account, a reporter says, “She’s been your wife a great many times,” and O’Hara interjected, “His fighting partner!”

Wayne laughed and when the sam reporter said, “There’s no way to make her not look beautiful,” Wayne revealed, “[Director John] Ford tried to make her unattractive in a few scenes – and it was impossible!”

They remained close friends until The Duke’s death in 1979. O’Hara spent three days with her legendary friend in the hospital trying to raise his spirits. When he wasn’t feeling great about turning 72, about two weeks before his death, O’Hara told him, “So what? Mileage never hurt a Rolls Royce.”

O’Hara passed away from natural causes in 2015 at the age of 94, reuniting her with one of her dearest friends, as well as her husband Charles Blair.

We are thankful for this partnership in cinema, friendship, and legacy they left behind!

John Wayne

Famed famous actress will not work with John Wayne for many years .

While many fans love John Wayne and his movies, it turns out he wasn’t always that popular with his fellow celebrities. In fact, there was at least one actress that refused to work with him for a long time! eventually, she came around but she called out his behavior and asked him to change. That actress was the iconic Katharine Hepburn.

In the ‘50s, John was a Republican who would often share his political views. Of course, this led to disagreements and other people didn’t always agree or like his views.

John wanted Katharine to play Angie Lowe in his western film Hondo. However, after she discovered that he supported the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), she didn’t want to work with him.

Kathar Hepburn famously feuded with John Wayne : In changed her mind. They worked together in the 1975 classic Rooster Cogburn. However, it doesn’t seem that all was well when they filmed the movie. After the movie was completed, Katharine spoke out about John, saying that he was always arguing with the crew and the director. She called him out during the film’s wrap party.

Reportedly, she told him, “I’m glad I didn’t know you when you had two lungs. You must have been a real b*****d. Losing a hip has mellowed me, but you!” Years later, before his death in 1979, they apparently made up and had some fun times together.

John Wayne

The reason Elvis Presley turned down John Wayne’s offer to return to the West together.

Elvis Presley could have starred in the 1969 western True Grit alongside icon John Wayne. However, as much as his manager Col. Tom Parker wanted Elvis to be a Hollywood star, he didn’t want him to have any co-starring roles. If it wasn’t the main role, then he didn’t want it for Elvis.

Reportedly, after Elvis’ western Love Me Tender did so well, John Wayne started noticing him as an actor. He asked Elvis to star in movies with him a few times, including True Grit. He wanted Elvis to play the part of Texan Ranger LaBoeuf.

Elvis Presley could have acted with the iconic John Wayne : However, at the time, Elvis was wanted to focus on music and live performances.

Just a year before True Grit came out, Elvis filmed his 1968 Comeback Special. His manager also asked if Elvis could receive the top credit in the film, above John, if he were cast.

So, Glen Campbell was cast instead. In addition to playing the role of LaBeouf, he sang the title song of the film. This wasn’t the only film role that fell through for Elvis because of his greedy manager.

Elvis was asked to play the lead role in A Star is Born with Barbra Streisand. After negotiations fell through, Kris Kristofferson was cast instead. Can you imagine A Star is Born starring Barbra and Elvis instead? That would definitely have been interesting. Sadly, Elvis died just a year after the film came out.