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John Wayne almost missed out on film role after ​’white supremacy’ ​comments – My Blog

JOHN WAYNE starred in the 1972 film The Cowboys, but an interview he gave the year before left him at risk of being cancelled after saying he was a “white supremacist”. These comments followed more he made about the civil rights movement.

John Wayne was hired for the 1972 film The Cowboys by director Mark Rydell. While the legendary cinema star did go on to be praised for his performance in the movie, Rydell was originally unsure about taking on the Western star. In fact, he first wanted another actor to play the film’s protagonist, Wil Andersen, altogether.
Rydell originally tried to get Dr Strangelove actor star George C Scott to play the film’s hero.​ ​He was the preferred choice as Rydell reportedly was not happy with Wayne’s opinions on Vietnam War and the ongoing civil rights movement in Hollywood.​ ​Wayne not only thought the USA had a “right” to be in Vietnam, but also told Playboy in 1971 how the films coming out of Hollywood were “perverse”.
When challenged on what he meant by “perverse” films, he said: “Easy Rider, Midnight Cowboy – that kind of thing. Wouldn’t you say that the wonderful love of those two men in Midnight Cowboy, a story about two f*gs, qualifies?”

Even more heinous were his views about Black people.
Wayne said of giving “leadership” to Black people: “I believe in white supremacy until the Blacks are educated to a point of responsibility … I don’t believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people.”​ ​He later added: “I don’t feel guilty about the fact that five or ten generations ago these people were slaves.”
The iconic Western movie star also said of Native Americans: “I don’t feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from them … our so-called stealing of this country from them was just a matter of survival … There were great numbers of people who needed new land, and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves.”
These comments did dissuade Rydell from hiring Wayne at first – but he eventually ended up casting the star regardless.​ ​This didn’t mean he didn’t cause some trouble with the rest of the crew, however.
John Wayne


John Wayne explained his point of view (Image: GETTY)

John Wayne
John Wayne has been criticised for his comments (Image: GETTY)
Roscoe Lee Browne, who worked opposite Wayne in The Cowboys, was reportedly urged by his friends not to work with the right-wing star.​ ​He ignored their comments and simply didn’t discuss politics with the American actor.
Bruce Dern was also on the cast ​in the film as the character Long Hair. His daughter, Laura Dern (of Jurassic Park and Star Wars fame), later revealed that her parents’ friends “cancelled play dates with her” because of Bruce’s role in the movie.
When these comments from Wayne resurfaced in 2019, his son, Ethan Wayne, argued in defence of his father.
Ethan said at the time: “Let me make one thing clear – John Wayne was not a racist. I know that term is casually tossed around these days, but I take it very seriously. I also understand how we got to this point. The truth is, as we have seen in papers from his archives, he did not support ‘white supremacy’ in any way and believed that responsible people should gain power without the use of violence.”
He added: “He called out bigotry when he saw it. He hired and worked with people of all races, creeds, and sexual orientations. John Wayne stood for the very best for all of us – a society that doesn’t discriminate against anyone seeking the American dream.”

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‘Black movie queen’ Maureen O’Hara – a close colleague of John Wayne passed away in front of the audience’s mourning. – My Blog

The star of the movie “Miracle on 34th Street”, a familiar co-star of actor John Wayne, has passed away due to old age and weakness. Maureen O’Hara, an Irish star, was once known as “the queen of movies. color”, died at his home in Boise, Idaho, USA, on October 24, at the age of 95.


The information was confirmed by Johnny Nicoletti, her long-time manager. “She passed away in the loving arms of her family, as well as on the soundtrack of the movie The Quiet Man that she loved so much,” one Maureen O’Hara’s relatives shared.

During her illustrious career, O’Hara had five times played the screen lover of actor John Wayne. She appeared in many classic Hollywood films, such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), How Green Was My Valley (1941), Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Rio Grande (1950), The Quiet Man (1952). , Our Man in Havana (1959) and The Parent Trap (1961).

However, she never received an Oscar nomination. A year before Maureen O’Hara’s death, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided to present her with an honorary Oscar for her service to Hollywood.

During the 1940s, when color film began to flourish, Maureen O’Hara appeared in a series of compelling works such as To the Shores of Tripoli (1942), The Black Swan (1942), The Spanish Main (1945). and The Quiet Man.

Possessing fair skin, red hair, as well as green eyes, she “shines like the sun on a silver screen,” as the New York Times described it. It was Dr. Herbert Kalmus, the inventor of color film, who gave Maureen O’Hara the nickname “color film queen”.

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The reason why John Wayne is labeled ‘Draft Dodger’ in Wor ւ ԁ War II . – My Blog

When actor John Wayne visited American soldiers in Vietnam in the summer of 1966, he was warmly welcomed. As he spoke to groups and individuals, he was presented gifts and letters from American and South Vietnamese troops alike. This was not the case during his USO tours in 1942 and ’43.According to author Garry Wills’ 1998 book, “John Wayne’ America: the Politics of Celebrity,” the actor received a chorus of boos when he walked onto the USO stages in Australia and the Pacific Islands. Those audiences were filled with combat veterans. Wayne, in his mid-30s, was not one of them.


Around the time the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Wayne was not the big-name actor we remember him being today. He was fresh off the box-office success of the 1939 film “Stagecoach.”Being drafted or enlisting was going to have a serious impact on his rising star. Depending on how long the ԝаr lasted, Wayne reportedly worried he might be too old to be a leading man when he came home.

Other actors, both well-established and rising in fame, rushed off to do their part. Clark Gable joined the Army Air Forces and, despite the studios’ efforts to get him into a motion picture unit, served as an aerial ɡսոոеr over Europe. Jimmy Stewart was initially ineligible for the draft, given his low weight, but like some amazing version of Captain America, he drank beer until he qualified.In his 2014 book, “American Titan: Searching for John Wayne,” author Marc Eliot alleges Wayne was having an affair with actress Marlene Dietrich. He says the possibility of losing this relationship was the real reason Wayne didn’t want to go to ԝаr.

But even Dietrich would do her part, smuggling Jewish people out of Europe, entertaining troops on the front lines (she crossed into Germany alongside Gen. George S. Patton) and maybe even being an operative for the Office of Strategic Services.Wayne never enlisted and even filed for a 3-A draft deferment, which meant that if the sole provider for a family of four were drafted, it would cause his family undue hardship. The closest he would ever come to Worւԁ Wаr II service would be portraying the actions of others on the silver screen.

With his leading man competition fighting the ԝаr and out of the way, Wayne became Hollywood’s top leading man. During the ԝаr, Wayne starred in a number of western films as well as Worւԁ Wаr II movies, including 1942’s “Flying Tigers” and 1944’s “The Fighting Seabees.” According to Eliot, Wayne told friends the best thing he could do for the ԝаr was make movies to support the troops. Eventually, the government agreed.

At one point during the ԝаr, the need for more men in uniform caused the U.S. military brass to change Wayne’s draft status to 1-A, fit for duty. But Hollywood studios intervened on his behalf, arguing that the actor’s star power was a boon for ԝаrtime propaganda and the morale of the troops. He was given a special 2-A status, which back then meant he was deferred in “support of national interest.”The decision not to serve or to avoid it entirely (depending on how you look at the actor) haunted Wayne for the rest of his life. His third wife, Pilar Wayne, says he became a “super-patriot for the rest of his life trying to atone for staying at home.”

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John Wayne Wanted to Make His Home Alarm a Hilarious Tape Recording of His Voice: ‘I See You, You Son of a B****’

John Wayne Wanted to Make His Home Alarm a Hilarious Tape Recording of His Voice: ‘I See You, You Son of a B****’

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