John Wayne

John Wayne Borrowed A Tank To Answer A McQ Challenge From The Harvard Lampoon

After a brief critical and commercial revival kicked off by his Oscar-winning turn in 1969’s “True Grit,” John Wayne fell back into the creative slump that had dogged him throughout much of the previous decade. In 1973, the star slogged through a couple of listless Westerns in “The Train Robbers” and “Cahill, United States Marshal.” They were Old Hollywood tripe in an age of New Hollywood innovation. A few years prior, Wayne foolishly passed on a script about a loose-cannon cop called “Dirty Harry,” which wound up serving as Clint Eastwood’s transition from Spaghetti Westerns to Hollywood action flicks. It was the late-career break Wayne needed, but his taste was too old-fashioned to identify a delectable new flavor of film.
Wayne eventually found a pale imitation of “Dirty Harry” in “McQ,” which, if nothing else, flaunts The Duke wielding a newfangled MAC-10 machine gun. It’s mediocre, but at the time it gave Wayne the appearance of trying something different. Still, he was a punchline to Baby Boomers, many of whom detested their parents’ conservative, pro-Vietnam War hero.
The most savagely witty members of this hateful cohort were hurling bombs from the Ivy League bully pulpit of The Harvard Lampoon. Near the end of 1973, they felt emboldened enough to challenge The Duke to cross enemy lines and personally screen the just-finished “McQ.” They probably didn’t expect Wayne to accept their challenge, but he did. And, just like in his movies, he came out on top.
The Duke goes to Harvard
UniversalThe goofy feud kicked off when Jim Downey, the undergrad president of the Lampoon and future head writer of “Saturday Night Live,” fired off a missive to Wayne. According to Scott Eyman’s “John Wayne: The Life and Legend,” it read as follows:
“You think you’re tough? You’re not so tough. You’ve never pored through dozens of critical volumes on imagist poetry. You’ve never gotten your hands dirty with Corrasable Bond and corrector fluid. You’ve never had to do three papers and a midterm all for one course. The halls of academia may not be the halls of Montezuma, and maybe ivy doesn’t smell like sagebrush, but we know a thing or two about guts.”
They dared Wayne to set foot on “the most intellectual, the most traditionally radical, in short, the most hostile territory on earth.” The Duke, perhaps mindful that he was increasingly viewed as a filmmaking fossil, returned fire.
“I’m sorry to note in your challenge that there is a weakness in your breeding, but there is a ray of hope in the fact that you are conscious of it … I shall be most happy to stop by your campus on my way to London to visit the original college whose name you have assumed and whose breeding and manners you haven’t been able to buy. May the Good Lord keep you well until I get there.”
He got there on January 15, 1974. In a tank.
The Harvard Lampoon surrenders to a charm offensive
Warner Bros.If you ever find yourself in a public dispute with a movie star, keep in mind that their career hinges on knowing how to make an entrance. To wit: when Wayne descended on the Lampoon’s headquarters, he did so in a U.S. Army tank requisitioned from Massachusetts’ Fort Devens. Wayne was pelted by a few snowballs en route to the building, but once he took the stage for a Q&A at the Harvard Square theater, he gave as good as he got.
Consider this exchange between the Lampoon’s moderator and The Duke:
Q: “Is it true that since you’ve lost weight, your horse’s hernia has cleared up?”
A: “Well, the weight was too much for him, so we canned him, which is what you’ve been eating over at The Harvard Club.”
After the screening, the Lampoon boys succumbed to Wayne’s plain-spoken charm just as many of his detractors had in the past. They were in the presence of an American icon, and, being young men with malleable beliefs (Downey, then a self-professed “commie,” would eventually become the conservative cornerstone of “SNL”), they fell for the old cuss:
“They thought I was a horse’s ass,” said Wayne, “but when they saw I was as honest about what I thought as they were about their beliefs, they came around. Then they went too far the other way. We stayed up all night drinking. I guess I was the father they never had.”

John Wayne

The Legend Lives On: John Wayne is Still Alive!

In a world where legends never fade, we can’t help but wonder: what if John Wayne, the iconic figure of American cinema, is still with us in spirit? The Duke, known for his larger-than-life roles and undeniable charisma, continues to inspire generations.

From his unforgettable performances in classics like “True Grit” and “The Searchers” to his indomitable spirit, Wayne’s essence is woven into the fabric of Hollywood and American culture. His rugged persona, moral fortitude, and unwavering courage resonate deeply, reminding us of the values he embodied.

While we may not see him on the silver screen today, Wayne’s legacy lives on through the countless actors he inspired and the stories he helped tell. His films are timeless, bringing joy and adventure to audiences around the world.

So, as we celebrate the enduring impact of John Wayne, let’s keep his spirit alive in our hearts. Whether you’re watching one of his classics or sharing a favorite quote, remember that the legend of John Wayne will never truly die. Here’s to the Duke—forever a part of our cinematic history!

John Wayne

Why John Wayne Turned Down the Chance to Work With Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood and John Wayne are the two biggest legends in the history of Western movies, however, they never worked together. The duo did have the opportunity to work together once in the 1970s. Here’s why the film never came to fruition.

How John Wayne responded when Clint Eastwood tried to work with him

Firstly, a little background. According to the book John Wayne: The Life and Legend, it all starts with Larry Cohen. Though Cohen is not a widely known director like Steven Spielberg or Quentin Tarantino, he’s a huge name to fans of B movies. He directed famous B movies like The Stuff, Q: The Winged Serpent, It’s Alive, and God Told Me To. He also wrote a script called The Hostiles shortly after Eastwood released his classic High Plains Drifter.

The Hostiles was about a gambler who wins half of an estate of an older man. The gambler and the older man have to work together despite the fact that they don’t like each other. Eastwood optioned the screenplay with the intent of playing the gambler alongside Wayne as the older man.

Eastwood sent a copy of the script of The Hostiles to Wayne. Although Eastwood felt the script was imperfect, he saw its potential. However, Wayne was not interested. Eastwood pitched the film to Wayne a second time and Wayne responded with a letter. Wayne’s letter complained about High Plains Drifter. Wayne was offended by the film and its portrayal of the Old West as a cruel, violent place.

John Wayne

Ann-Margret Refused to Call John Wayne ‘Duke’ While Introducing 1 of His Movies

Ann-Margret once starred in one of John Wayne’s lesser-known movies. However, she refused to call him by his popular moniker Duke. Here’s a look at the film they made together — and why she declined to call him by a nickname.

The one time Ann-Margret and John Wayne made a movie together

Ann-Margret is probably most known for her work in musicals, specifically Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, and The Who’s Tommy. However, she also dabbled in the Western genre. She starred alongside Wayne in the mostly forgotten movie The Train Robbers.

Wayne was also known as The Duke or just Duke. According to USA Today, the nickname was derived from his childhood dog. It stuck with him for many years. It continues to be used today — even on the box covers of the DVDs for his movies.

John Wayne | Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images

During an interview with Interview Magazine, Ann-Margret explained why she didn’t refer to the Rio Bravo star by this famous name. “When I came to this country, first of all, mother and I didn’t know English,” she said. “I would curtsey, then say, ‘Thank you,’ and then when I was leaving, curtsey. For example, we went to Dallas to introduce a film I did with John Wayne. And I never called him Duke. I just couldn’t. That’s the way I was raised. When you meet someone, you say either Mr. or Mrs. or Miss. You stand up.”

Ann-Margret revealed she treated other famous people in much the same way. For example, she worked with director George Sidney on Bye Bye Birdie and Viva Las Vegas. She always called him Mr. Sidney.

What Ann-Margret thought about John Wayne

Ann-Margret refused to use Wayne’s most famous moniker. However, she had a positive view of the actor. During an interview with Fox News, she was asked what she expected when she met Wayne. “Oh, I didn’t know what to expect,” she revealed. “But when he hugged me, it’s like the world was hugging me. He was so big and wide with that booming voice.

“We were shooting in Durango, Mexico and my parents came down to visit me,” she added. “He was so great with my parents. So absolutely welcoming and gentle with them. And anybody who was great to my parents was on a throne in my eyes.”

How the world reacted to ‘The Train Robbers’

Wayne starred in many classic Westerns, including The Searchers, Stagecoach, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. However, The Train Robbers is mostly forgotten. It didn’t gain a cult following like Once Upon a Time in the West or Dead Man. It wasn’t a critical success either, garnering a 33% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, Ann-Margret had some fond memories of making the film — even if she refused to call Wayne by his famous nickname.