John Wayne’s extraordinary courage on Rio Lobo in the face of devastating personal pain – My Blog
Meanwhile, “Get off your horse and drink your milk” has frequently been attributed as one of John Wayne’s most famous ‘quotes.’Despite some claims that it came from an advert he shot, it is actually almost certainly an urban myth, most likely started by comedians doing drawling impressions of the Hollywood Westerns legend.Sadly, though, by the time the star came to film 1970’s Rio Lobo towards the end of his career, he was in so much pain struggled to get on and off his horse.In fact, the movie was surrounded by personal tragedies for the actor.
It was director Howard Hawks’ final film and the third film he made with John Wayne about a beleaguered sheriff standing against outlaws.In a 1971 interview Hawks said of Rio Lobo: “The last picture we made, I called him up and said, ‘Duke, I’ve got a story.’ He said, ‘I can’t make it for a year, I’m all tied up.’ And I said, ‘Well, that’s all right, it’ll take me a year to get it finished.’“He said, ‘Good, I’ll be all ready.’ And he came down on location and he said, ‘What’s this about?’ And I told him the story. He never even read it, he didn’t know anything about it.”
Famously, when Wayne realised it was a remake of Rio Bravo and El Dorado, he quipped: “Yes, he said, ‘Do I get to play the drunk this time?”
Hawks was less jocular after the film bombed and blamed it on 63-year-old Wayne being too old and out of shape for the role.Critics and audiences agreed and the film took just over $4million against a production budget of $6million plus all the extra promotional costs which are often the same again.Wayne’s physical difficulties were not due to his age, however. He had piled on weight for 1969’s True Grit and then while filming The Undefeated the same year, The Duke fell from his horse and fractured three ribs, leaving him unable to work for two weeks.Later in the shoot, he tore a ligament in his shoulder. With no movement in one arm, he had to be filmed only from the other side.
Wayne came into Rio Lobo in considerable pain, out of shape from True Grit and still suffering from a torn shoulder.Most of his fight scenes had to be filmed with stand-ins or carefully from restricted angles. Some fights even happened off-camera. And he struggled greatly getting on and off his horse.He also suffered two devastatimg personal blow when his mother died during filming and then his younger brother Robert E. Morrison lost his battle with lung cancer the month after filming ended.But there was one shining moment of happiness also.
Always a dedicated workhorse on set, no matter the physical injuries or personal pains, Wayne took a rare break from filming.He had a very good reason, since it was to attend the 1970 Academy Awards. After exactly 40 years on screen, The Duke finally won the Best Actor Oscar for True Grit.Touchingly, when he returned to the Rio Lobo set, he was greeted by the cast and crew all wearing eye patches like True Grit’s Rooster Cogburn.
Mel Gibson slammed for sharing ‘insane’ conspiracy theory about LA fires after his mansion burns down
Mel Gibson has been met with backlash from social media users after discussing a conspiracy theory on live TV regarding the Los Angeles wildfires.
The 69-year-old actor revealed over the weekend that he had lost his Malibu home in the blaze after it succumbed to the flames while he was a guest on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
Speaking on Elizabeth Vargas Reports on NewsNation, Gibson revealed he was in Austin, Texas, when he found out that his multi-million dollar mansion was “completely toasted” ,describing the loss as both “devastating” and “emotional”.
“I’ve never seen such a complete burn,” Gibson said. “It is obviously devastating, it’s emotional. You live there for a long time, and you had all your stuff. I lived there for about 14, 15 years, so it was home to me.”
Now, Gibson has appeared on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle to speak about a conspiracy theory that even he admitted was “insane”.
He told the host: “I know they were messing with the water, letting reserves go for one reason or another. They’ve been doing that a while. California has a lot of problems that sort of baffle the mind as far as why they do things.”
Gibson then asked the questions, “Is it on purpose?” and “Do they want the state empty?”
The actor then admitted he was guilty of concocting “horrible theories” about the fires in his mind, adding: “I can make all kinds of horrible theories up in my head, conspiracy theories and everything else, but it just seemed a little convenient that there was no water.”
“And that the wind conditions were right and that there are people ready and willing and able to start fires,” Gibson continued. “And are they commissioned to do so or acting on their own volition? I don’t know. But they seem pretty well equipped these people that they are catching.”
During their discussion, Ingraham said: “Well, now there’s already talk. And we played a couple of soundbites. Of re-imagining the way rebuilding occurs.
“And obviously there’s a great need for high-density housing in California and across the country. That’s a big push by the climate folks. And you’re already hearing rumblings of that. In this case, like goodbye single-family homes. Hello high-density housing!”
In response to the segment, viewers took to X to bash the actor’s baseless claims.
“Conspiracy theories are his last claims to fame,” one person wrote, with another adding: “The has been is now an expert on water reserves.”
A third tweeted: “I will never watch another movie with him in it.”
“Mel needs a rest,” one viewer responded, with another simply writing: “Shameful.”
The fires remain one of the most destructive and costly disasters in US history.
At least 16 people have lost their lives — 11 in the Eaton Fire and five in the Palisades Fire. Thirteen others remain missing, as of this writing.
As firefighters continue to contain the blazes, officials have issued critical health and safety warnings to the public:
Water Safety: Residents in and around Pacific Palisades have been advised not to drink tap water due to potential contamination from the fires. Bottled water is being distributed at Westwood Recreation Centre and Brentwood Country Club.
Air Quality: The LA County Public Health Department has urged residents to avoid using power blowers like leaf blowers to limit exposure to ash, smoke, and particulate matter worsened by the fires and windstorm conditions.
Ocean Waters: Authorities have also warned against swimming, surfing, or playing in ocean waters between Surfrider Beach and Dockweiler State Beach, covering a 20-mile stretch. “People entering these waters could become ill,” the department stated.
Meanwhile, early estimates suggest that recovery efforts in the Los Angeles area could cost upwards of $150 billion, per AccuWeather.
Our thoughts continue to go out to everybody impacted by this unfolding tragedy.
How people view beauty in American and the world at large
The standard of beauty is changing, driven by social media, where women can proudly display their natural beauty in all shapes and sizes. A recent study in the *International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology, and Education* confirms this shift, showing that the average American woman now wears between a size 16 and 18, rather than the size 14 of previous years.
The study, which analyzed data from over 5,500 U.S. women, found that the average waist size has increased from 34.9 inches to 37.5 inches over the last two decades. Susan Dunn, a lead expert on the study, believes this information is crucial: “Just knowing where the average is can help a lot of women with their self-image.”
Dunn, along with co-author Deborah Christel, calls on the fashion industry to adapt to these changes. “These women aren’t going away, they aren’t going to disappear, and they deserve to have clothing,” Dunn emphasizes.
The message is clear: it’s time for clothing designers to update their sizing standards to reflect the reality of the modern American woman, embracing her true shape and size.
She hasn’t cut her hairs for 20years, even though her husband begged her to. Then, one day, she finally gave up and cut her hair! Better sit down before you see what this woman looks like today
Whether it’s the boring hairstyle we’ve had for years or the clothes we got tired of, a little change always makes us feel better.
Rosa Ramirez, an American woman, saw that it was time for a change after 25 years of not getting her hair cut.
Because her hair was so long, she sometimes walked on it.
Over the years, her husband had tried to get her to change her hairstyle, but she was always proud of her 1.5-meter-long hair.
She finally had enough and went to the hairdresser with some friends after 25 years of hard work. She had her hair cut to her shoulders.
The owner of the hair salon, Eda Motchka, told WXYZ-TV Detroit, “We love seeing different things done on customers, different styles. We meet a lot, and I always see her the same way.”
But she did what she did for a reason. Locks of Love is a nonprofit that makes wigs for kids whose hair has been lost to cancer. Rosa sent 4 feet of her hair to them.
Ramirez said, “I think it would make someone’s day who is sick a little better.”
Rosa’s change over time is very interesting to watch. Watch how it works in the video below.