John Wayne

The Searchers Theory: John Wayne’s Ethan Is Really Debbie’s Father

A popular theory for The Searchers suggests that John Wayne’s Ethan Edwards is really the father of his kidnapped niece Debbie. Wayne spent many years starring in low-budget, “poverty row” Westerns when his career began. This includes Wayne’s only “horror” movie Haunted Gold, but it was the success of 1939’s Stagecoach that made him a star.
This John Ford directed Western featured an ensemble cast, but it was Wayne’s Ringo Kid who stood out to audiences. Wayne later cited Stagecoach as one of his personal favorites and acknowledged how much it – and his many collaborations with director Ford – changed his life and career. Wayne and Ford went on to work together over a dozen times, which included movies like They Were Expendable, The Quiet Man – another favorite of Wayne’s – while the three movies Fort Apache, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon and Rio Grande formed Ford’s so-called “cavalry trilogy.”
Of the many collaborations between Ford and Wayne, The Searchers is often considered their masterpiece. This 1956 epic cast Wayne as Ethan Edwards, a bitter Civil War vet who returns to his family home after eight years. Shortly after his arrival, his brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew are all killed in a Comanche raid. His youngest niece Debbie was also kidnapped, so Ethan and his adopted nephew Martin set out on a years-long rescue mission. The Searchers is considered one of the greatest Westerns and greatest American movies ever made. It was an influence on filmmakers like David Lean, Martin Scorsese and even George Lucas, with the original Star Wars borrowing several ideas from it. It’s also been suggested that Ethan is Debbie’s father following an affair with his brother’s wife Martha, but is there any substance to this theory?
Ethan’s Relationship To His Family In The Searchers

the searchers ethan and martha subplot

The Searchers is a movie that trusts audiences to pick up on character and story details without spoon-feeding exposition. This can be seen in the opening, where Ethan returns after an eight-year gap. In the years since the Civil War ended, it’s heavily implied Ethan became a mercenary in Mexico, and that he and his brother Aaron share a slightly strained relationship.
His nieces and nephews are thrilled he’s back, however, and Ethan appears especially warm with young Debbie; he even gifts her one of his medals. The Searchers explores Ethan’s racism also, and he is depicted as having an obsessive hatred of Native Americans, even making veiled comments to nephew Martin (Jeffrey Hunter, who played Pike in Star Trek’s pilot) about being one-eighth Cherokee. The headstone for his mother reveals she was killed in a Comanche attack, which is likely where this hatred began.
What’s intriguing to note in these early scenes is the relationship between Ethan and Martha (Dorothy Jordan). While they rarely exchange dialogue they often give each other meaningful glances. When Ethan leaves to inspect a local cattle theft, Martha is seen lovingly looking at his coat in another room before handing it to him, and the two embrace as Rev. Capt. Johnson (Ward Bond) tries his best to ignore the obvious charge between the two. This moment would turn out to be the last time Ethan sees her alive.

Could Debbie Be Ethan’s Secret Daugther?

ethan and debbie in the searchers

Aside from the implied romance between Ethan and Martha, The Searchers reveals that Debbie is eight years old and that Wayne’s – who regretted playing Genghis Khan in The Conquerer – Ethan just happened to be away for eight years. This is far from proof, but Ford himself is said to have framed the relationship between Ethan and Martha in a way that audiences could imply something had happened between them; the eight-year timeframe is unlikely to be an accident on this front either.
Debbie being Ethan’s daughter doesn’t change the story of The Searchers much, but it does add an interesting subtext to Ethan’s quest. Throughout the film, Martin questions if Ethan actually wants to save his niece or if he plans on killing her for integrating with a Native American tribe. Racism and fear of miscegenation is a major theme throughout, which was introduced early over Ethan’s discomfort with Martin’s heritage and it’s repeated throughout, even by “civilized” characters. When Ethan finally finds Debbie – played by Natalie Wood – she has become a wife to Scar (Henry Brandon, of John Carpenter movie Assault On Precinct 13), the Comanche chief who led the attack on the Edwards homestead.
Scar is also a mirror of Ethan’s prejudice, and of his actions he states that after two of his sons were killed by white men that “For each son, I take many scalps.” Ethan’s revulsion at the mere idea of Debbie becoming part of a tribe sees him attempting to kill her, only for him to be wounded in the process. After becoming absorbed by his own single-minded need for revenge, The Searchers‘ ending sees Ethan chase after Debbie following a Texas Ranger raid on Scar’s camp. Instead of killing her, Ethan picks her up in his arms and carries her home.
Why Ethan Could Never Return Home

the searchers doorway ending

The Searchers closes on one of the most iconic final shots in movie history. Ethan carries Debbie back to the ranch of their neighbors the Jorgensens; Debbie enters, as does Martin with his love interest Laurie (Vera Miles from the original Psycho movie), but instead of joining them, Ethan turns and walks into the distance as the door closes behind him.
In The Searchers final scene, Ethan fulfilled his vow to bring Debbie back but likely realized his bitterness and rage has isolated him from his family and that he could never lead a normal life. His love for Debbie overrode his destructive impulse to kill her for becoming Scar’s wife – even if it was against her own will. The Searchers is easily one of the darkest roles Wayne played, and is far from the unambiguous hero he played in many of his Westerns.
The reading that Debbie is the secret daughter of Wayne’s – who thought Cahill U.S. Marshal was his worst Western – Ethan adds another texture to The Searchers, but it was left ambiguous by design. Earlier in the story, Ethan vindictively shot out the eyes of a dead Comanche warrior so his soul would be left to “… wander forever between the winds.” This becomes his own fate in a way, as he returns to the desert following Debbie’s return, knowing Martin, Laurie and Debbie represent a future he can never be a part of.

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.

John Wayne

True Crime on Amazon Prime: ‘Lorena’ Reexamines a 90s Tabloid Sensation

True crime might not be the first type of show that comes to mind when you think of the offerings on Amazon Prime Video. The perpetually buzzy genre is usually more associated with the likes of Netflix and HBO.

However, the streaming service boasts at least one standout docuseries from 2019. It’s one that can scratch the true crime itch for fans, but also give them a much needed new perspective on a well-worn tabloid sensation from the 1990s.

‘Lorena’ was produced by Jordan Peele of ‘Get Out’ fame

Jordan Peele, Head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke, and Lorena Gallo attend the 'Lorena' Premiere during the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.

Jordan Peele, Head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke, and Lorena Gallo attend the ‘Lorena’ Premiere during the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. | Rich Fury/Getty Images

Lorena, as the simple, to-the-point title suggests, chronicles the sordid story of Lorena and Jon Bobbit. The series was produced by Jordan Peele, the comedian-turned-director best known for Get Out and Us, and released on Amazon Prime Video in early 2019 following a premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.

In 1993, Lorena Bobbitt infamously cut her husband, John Wayne Bobbitt’s penis off in his sleep with a kitchen carving knife. She drove off with it, tossed it out the car window into a field, and eventually called 911 to report the incident. After a search followed by 9.5 hours of surgery, John Bobbitt was able to get his penis reattached and functioning normally.

Thanks in large part to the salacious and sexual nature of the Bobbittss story, it quickly became a tabloid and late-night talk show sensation. Sadly, as one might expect from a male-dominated culture, the media spectacle largely focused on John Bobbitt as a sympathetic victim and cast Lorena as a hysterical victim. John Bobbitt went on to become something of a cult figure for a time, even starring in two pornographic films.

Part of the mission statement of Lorena, the series, was to use the true crime format to recontextualize the Lorena Bobbitt story. Despite the prevailing perception of the incident beforehand, in reality, John Bobbitt had subjected Lorena to years of domestic abuse and rape, up to and including the night of her attack.

John Bobbitt was eventually acquitted on rape charges. Lorena Bobbitt was found not guilty by a jury for reasons of insanity.

“25 years later, Lorena is a groundbreaking re-investigation of the deep moral issues and painful human tragedies buried at the heart of this infamous American scandal,” Amazon’s official description of the series reads, as reported by Deadline. “Lost in the tabloid coverage and jokes was the opportunity for a national discussion on domestic and sexual assault in America.”

Lorena saw a positive reaction upon its release, currently boasting an 82% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It was the biggest project yet from director Joshua Rofé, who previously helmed Lost for Life, a documentary about juvenile offenders sentenced to life in prison.