John Wayne
John Wayne: How Old Was He When Playing ‘Rooster Cogburn’ in ‘True Grit’?
John Wayne defined Rooster Cogburn. Almost literally.
You remember Rooster Cogburn, the aging marshal from True Grit. But did you know that in the earliest versions of True Grit, Cogburn was supposed to be 40 years old and young and nimble enough to help Mattie Ross kill Tom Chaney. Most historians believe the Rooster Cogburn part was loosely based on Heck Thomas, who died when he was 62.
Instead, John Wayne gained weight for the role. allowed his hair to go gray and donned an eye patch to play this particularly ornery, one-eyed character. He played Cogburn as a rascal, who was a belligerent, wise-cracking drunk.
John Wayne Said Rooster Cogburn Role Was His Most Authentic in 20 Years
“It’s sure as hell my first decent role in 20 years,” Wayne told the late film credit Roger Ebert. “And my first chance to play a character role instead of John Wayne. Ordinarily they just stand me there and run everybody up against me.”
Plus, the Rooster Cogburn needed enough life experience to say the line “Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” And be believable.
John Wayne won his first and only Academy Award for Best Actor at the 1970 Oscars. Barbra Streisand presented him with the award. Other nominees included Peter O’Toole, Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voigt and Richard Burton.
When he accepted the Oscar, John Wayne said: “If I’d known that I’d put that patch on 35 years ago.”
He’d told Roger Ebert: “Well, whether or not I win an Oscar, I’m proud of the performance. I’d be pleased to win one, of course, although I imagine these things mean more to the public than to us. There are a lot of old standbys who don’t have one. That comedian…what the hell is his name? Gary Grant. He never won one, and he’s been a mainstay of this business.
“Well, maybe this time they’ll review the picture instead of me and the war. That little clique back there in the East has taken great personal satisfaction in reviewing my politics instead of my pictures. And they’ve drawn up a caricature of me. Which doesn’t bother me; their opinions don’t matter to the people who go to movies.”
Jeff Bridges’ Cogburn Was Even Shaggier Version of Character Portrayed by Wayne
Almost four decades later, True Grit got a remake via the eccentric Coen brothers.
Jeff Bridges played Rooster Cogburn. He also was in his early 60s when he accepted the role. And he made Cogburn even more of a rascal than John Wayne did.
Bridges’ hair was shaggier. He added an eye patch, too, but wore it on his right eye. John Wayne covered his left eye.
Political bloggers tried to see meaning in the eye patches. But the eye patch didn’t help Bridges when an Oscar. He was nominated for best actor, but Collin Firth won for The King’s Speech.
John Wayne
The Legend Lives On: John Wayne is Still Alive!
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.
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