Movie Review: *** How the West Was Won

This is a good western epic following the lives of two sisters, Eve and Lilith Prescott (Carroll Baker and Debbie Reynolds) and their husbands, Linus (James Stewart) and Cleve (Gregory Peck).  This movie is overflowing with famous actors.  Karl Malden portrays the father of the girls.  George Peppard as the son of Eve.  Henry Fonda as Jethro Stuart a mountain man dealing with changing times.  Andy Devine in the Civil War scene as a corporal, Robert Preston as the wagon master who wants to marry Lilith, John Wayne as General Sherman and Harry Morgan as Ulysses S. Grant.  There are some portrayals that are racist--depiction of Native Americans, and no Black people in the west at all.  But it has good action and drama.  And Debbie Reynolds can really sing.  She is the thing that makes this movie move.

James Stewart, John Wayne Movie Review: ****^ The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

 The West is in its last days, and a lawyer, Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) comes to town.  He meets Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin) on his way to town as Valance beats him with a whip during a hold up of the stage coach.  Tom Doniphon (John Wayne) collects him of the trail and brings him to town.  Doniphon uses a gun for his talking, and Stoddard law books.  Valance also uses guns and violence.  Stoddard has a couple more run ns with Valance.  The sheriff, Link Appleyard (Andy Devine) is ineffectual.  Doniphon has a girl, Hallie (Vera Miles) at least he claims her, but she takes a liking to Stoddard.  Stoddard teaches her to read.  

The territory is going through a struggle for statehood.  Stoddard and Valance are on opposite sides of the issue.  He represents the ranchers who want to keep things open and wild.  Dutton Peabody (Edmond O'Brien) the newspaper editor writes a derogatory story about Valance.  He gets himself a beating for his efforts. Valance issues a challenge for Stoddard.  Something has to give.

Very good movie with an interesting twist at the end.  Different philosophies collide and Doniphon is a dying breed.  Pompey (Woody Strode) is Doniphon's sidekick.  

John Wayne Movie Review: El Dorado

 Cole Thornton (John Wayne) is a gun slinger.  He is recruited by Bart Jason (Ed Asner) to help him run off the McDonald ranching family.  John Wayne decides to refuse as he would be going against the sheriff, and old friend, J.P. Harrah (Robert Mitchum.)  However even so he ends up killing the son of the ranchers, (as a reaction to being shot at) and the sister, Joey McDonald (Michele Carey) puts a bullet in him.  The bullet is against his spine and needs a better doctor for removal. 

John Wayne leaves, and hooks up with Minnesota (James Caan) who is good with a knife and not so good with a gun.  The hear that Jason has hired a different gun slinger, Nelse McLeod (Christopher George) and that Harrah has gone to drink over girl issues.  Minnesota and Thornton decide to go back and help.  They helpp rehabilitate Harrah, and take on the Jason men.  Thornton is bothered by the bullet which causes paralysis attacks.  Harrah is shot in the leg.  They are joined by the deputy, Bull (Arthur Hunnicutt.). Jason has kidnapped a McDonald and forcing the father to sign over his water rights.  And our heroes are set for the final confrontation.

Very fun movie.  Similar to Rio Bravo where the deputy is the drunk and Wayne is the sheriff,  In this the sheriff is the drunk and Wayne the deputy.  Maudie (Charlene Holt) provides the female love interest and does a good job.

John Wayne Movie Review: ****The Searchers (1956)

 This is a very good movie, and the racism of the lead character spills out all over the movie.  I think this was the point.  Uncle Ethan Evans (John Wayne) has returned home three years after the Civil War ended.  He is caught up in rescuing his nieces who are taken by Comanche.  Their brother, Martin Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter) goes with him but he is not a blood brother, but adopted and has Cherokee blood, which Uncle Ethan doesn't let him forget it.  Pawley has a girlfriend, Laurie (Vera Miles).  Early on they find the older sister murdered.  However the search for Deborah (Natalie Wood and Lana Wood), the younger sister goes on for many years.  Pawley is worried Uncle Evan will kill her as she has been amongst the Indians too long and will be an Indian.  The learn Cicatriz, or Scar (Henry Brandon) has her, but make little progress in finding him.  The first time they come upon Debbie Uncle Ethan does want to kill her, and Pawley intervenes.  However the second time there is a major operation and Cicatriz is killed.  However when Uncle Evan gets to the niece, now about 15 he says lets go home, and it is both he and the niece going home as Uncle Ethan lets go of some of his hate.  

The party would come home from time to time.  On one of these occasions they enter the wedding of Laurie and Charlie McCorrey (Ken Curtis, later Festus).  Laurie had grown tired of waiting and McCorrey had worn her down.  McCorrey and Pawley fight, and there is no wedding.  It is after this fight we hear that Cicatriz is in the area.  Another interesting character is Moss Harper (Hank Worden).  People thinks he is crazy, but it is he who was able to discover the whereabouts of Cicatriz.  Sisters Natalie Wood and Lana Wood portray Debbie, Lana the young Debbie and Natalie the older Debbie.  

I enjoyed this movie.  You have to remember Uncle Ethan's racism is his character form seeing death in the Civil War and fighting against the Native Americans.  

John Wayne Movie Review: Rio Bravo (1959)

 Sheriff Chance (John Wayne) arrests a man Joe Burdette for murder, and his brother Nathan Burdette (John Russell) doesn't like it.  John is a big land owner and is complicit in a murder himself, paying people to do his evil work.  Chance has two deputies, Stumpy (Walter Brennan) who is crippled and Dude (Dean Martin) who has been on a two year bender after things went sour with a girl.  But they do have the fortress of the jail.  There is a woman (Angie Dickinson) new in town, who befriends Chance.  Also a young gun man, Colorado Ryan (Ricky Nelson) whose boss is murdered by Burdette's men, and becomes a third deputy.  Finally the dye is cast, when Burdette's men kidnap Dude, and arrange an exchange for Joe Burdette.  This sets up the final gun battle.  With the help of some dynamite things do not go well for the crooks.

I enjoyed this movie.  The action was very nice, as was the romance.  The nicest part was a couple of songs the deputies sang while they holed up in the jail where they thought they could defend against the criminals.  One of the songs the Tabernacle Choir has also sung, "Cindy." 

John Wayne Movie Review: ***^ Chisum (1970)

 Chisum is a formolaic John Wayne film.  Wayne plays Chisum, who has lived in the area for 25 years and built a ranch with hard work, and Lawrence Murphy (Forrest Tucker) who figures he can do better by taking what is Chisum's and controlling the law in the process.  You add Billy Bonney (Geoffrey Deuel) who is hot headed and explosive and things do not always go as planned.  Things go too far when Murphy's men kill Henry Tunstall (Patric Knowles) who had befriended Bonney.  Bonney takes it upon himself to kill the murderers and the sheriff and Murphy and anyone else complicit in the murder.  Makes for a good feud and war in town.  Ben Johnson plays Pepper, Chisum's long time friend and Pamela McMyler plays Sallie, Chisum's niece.  Glen Corbett plays Pat Garrett.  

John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara Movie Review: **** Rio Grande (1950)

 This is the first of five collaborations of John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara.  Lt. Col Kirby York (Wayne) is osted on the Rio Grande, and dealing with Apache Indians.  Mrs. Kathleen Yorke (O'Hara) his estranged wife comes to camp after her son, Trooper Jefferson Yorke (Claude Jarman Jr.)  He had arrived in camp a few days earlier as a new recruit.  The relationship between Yorke and his wife evolves during the movie and it is fun to watch, as too the growth of their son.  Other characters are Trooper Tyree (Ben Johnson) who in addition to being a trooper is wanted on manslaughter charges.  Trooper Boone (Harry Carey Jr.) starts in a fight with Trooper York but they fast become best friends.  The movie is also graced with the serenading of the regimental singers (Sons of the Pioneers.)  

Great story telling.  In Black and White.  John Ford directed.

John Wayne Movie Review: ****The Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)

 Sergeant Stryker (John Wayne) is a tormented person.  He has an alcohol problem, and is tough on his men.  But he hopes he has taught them enough that it might save their lives.  Of course nothing ever works 100 percent.  After a hard fight up Mount Suribachi, Stryker is killed by a sniper's bullet, just before the raising of the flag by the Marines on the mount.  Stryker's death was not expected.  I though Wayne always lived.  After his death the discover he has a son he is not able to see, a reason for some of his torment.  Ira Hayes played himself in this movie as one of the men who raises the flag, and as a member of the unit Stryker trained and commanded.  

Tough fighting but an enjoyable movie.  Wayne was nominated for an Oscar for this movie.  

John Wayne Movie Review: **** The Alamo (1960)

 This is an epic movie of the Battle of Alamo directed and produced by John Wayne.  John Wayne also plays Davy Crockett.  Richard Widmark portrays Jim Bowie and Laurence Harvey plays Colonel William Barret Travis.  Smitty, the young man sent away to get reenforcements is played by Frankie Avalon.  Two of John Wayne's kids are in the movie.  Patrick portrays a member of Colonel Houston's staff and his daughter portrays a small girl who survives the final attack.  His son Michael Wayne is credited as a co-producer.  Another daughter also played a townsfolk as did his wife, Pilar.  In the move there is a budding love interest thrown in between Crockett and Flaca (Linda Cristal).  Crockett sends her away to be safe.  There were women in the church who were spared.  All the defenders were killed, about 200.  There were 400-600 casualties of San Ana's troops.  

This movie is not totally accurate in its portrayal of the Alamo.  However it has some good points.  It shows a very large Mexican Army.  It shows lots of marching and pageantry.  And it has some intense battle scenes.

The public loved the movie, the fourth highest grossing movie for the year.  Critics were not so kind.  It did eventually make a profit, but not initially as it has lots of cost over runs.  This is the only film Wayne directed and it is considered more a sketch about Wayne and his political feelings and o0inions than about the Alamo.  

John Wayne Movie Review: ****The War Wagon (1967)

 This is one of the movies that fascinated me as a young man.  It came ut when I was ten.  They way they attack the war wagon is one of thos things that trigger the imagination.  Taw Jackson (John Wayne) leads the effort and he recruits Lomax (Kirk Douglas) guns and safe cracker, Levi Walking Bear (Howard Keel) Native American liaison, Billy Hyatt (Robert Walker Jr.) explosives expert and Wes Fletcher (Keenan Wynn) inside man and wagon transport.  They are going to rob gold from the mine now owned by Frank Pierce (Bruce Cabot) who swindled the property from Jackson, and sent him to jail, while paying to have him shot; by Lomax no less.  Everyone knows Pierce is a crook, but he is a crook who owns the law enforcement.  The other interesting character is Kate (Valora Noland) who is the wife of Fletcher.  He purchased her and treats her poorly and is jealous of everyone.

The part that is not good about the movie is a non-Native American playing the part of the Native American, Walking Bear.  It also plays on stereotypes of Native Americans.  This is a product of the times in Hollywood.

John Wayne Movie Review: ****Island in the Sky (1953)

 John Wayne is the pilot of a Corsair C-47 transport in the northern country, when they become confused as to their location, and icing forces them down way north where temperatures are not in their favor.  Nor is it in the favor of those who would find them.  This makes for an interesting movie as they attempt to communicate their location, and survive.  

I enjoyed this movie.  It is very emotional.  One of the men dies when he decides to go hunting and becomes lost in the cold and dark; even though he is just steps away form the plane.  The planes get close, but do not see them

• 

  John Wayne

  Capt. Dooley
• 

  Lloyd Nolan

  Captain Stutz
• 

  Walter Abel

  Col. Fuller
• 

  James Arness

  Mac McMullen
• 

  Andy Devine

  Willie Moon
• 

  Allyn Joslyn

  J.H. Handy
• 

  Jimmy Lydon

  Murray

  (as James Lydon)
• 

  Harry Carey Jr.

  Ralph Hunt

John Wayne Movie: ***^In Harms Way (1965)

 This is a John Wayne movie with lots of supporting stars.  Wayne portrays Admiral Rock.  He is on a destroyer and gets to sea after Pearl Harbor.  His son is Jere (Brandon de Wilde).  Eddington (Kirk Douglas) is Rock's best friend.  Patricia Neal portrays Maggie, who is Rock's new girlfriend.  Jill Haworth portrays Jere's girlfriend.  Jere is an interesting character as he startys the movie being a jerk and then repents.  As a result he is engaged to Jere.  However she goes out with Eddington who rapes her and as a result she suicides.  Eddington is remorseful so takes a dangerous mission, and is able to locate a Japanese fleet, before he is shot down.  

A big battleship is coming down a narrow water pass before the take over the island.  Admiral Rock throws everything at them, mines, PT boats which are decimated.  Rock's son Jere is on a PT boat.   Then they try to stop them with their own boats.  Rock's boat is sunk, but the overall battle turns out to be a victory.

John Wayne Movie: ***^Hatari (1962)

 This movire is filled with rhinos, elephants, monkeys, giraffes and so much more.  It starts with Little Wolf (Bruce Cabot) being gored by a rhino and ends with elephants chasing through town helping Sean Mercer (John Wayne) find Dallas D'Allesandro (Elsa Martinelli) as he plans to marry her.  This has many views of Africa, and the dangers involved in catching animals for the zoo.  Pockets (Red Buttons) provides some comic relief.  He comes up with a contraption for catching monkeys.  He also gets the girl in the end, Brandy (Michèle Girardon).  She is the daughter of the owner who was killed by a rhino.  Now Mercer runs the outfit.  Two others vied for her affection, Kurt Muller (Hardy Krüger) and Luis Francisco Garcia Lopez (Valentin de Vargas).  Muller is a race car driver.  

The animals don't much like being captured.  Except the baby elephants who keep showing up.  But this show is cute.  I don't care for the excessive drinking, which seems to end each day.

John Wayne Movie: ****Trouble Along the Way (1953)

 This is a very cute movie with with the relationship between father Steve Williams (John Wayne) and his daughter Carol (Sherry Jackson).  Enter a third party, social worker Alice Singleton (Donna Reed) who is investigating at the insistence of the ex-wife (Marie Windsor) who has been away for five years.  At the same time Williams is hired to coach football by Father Burke (Charles Coburn) for Saint Anthony's.  They have never been good at football, but need to do something as they school is facing closure if they can't make some money.  Williams turns the team around by having an older group of freshman play who are really coal miners or down on their luck otherwise.  He recruits a player who played a professional game in Canada.  This all turns around on him after his first game and his ex reports the players.  It also seems he will lose his daughter to his ex-wife.  The court hearing doesn't turn out as expected, and everything is up in the air in the end.  Except perhaps a budding relationship between the social worker and the father.

John Wayne Movie Review: ***The Conquerer (1956)

 This movie is in the oist of the 50 worst movies of all time.  I don't think it was that bad.  True John Wayne has a hard time being Mongolian Temujin (Genghis Khan).  Susan Haywood portrays Bortai, who Temujin wants for a wife.  Her father had killed Temujin's father.  This movie has intrigue and betrayal.  The shaman (John Hoyt) is the greatest betrayer.  He even tries to fool Wang Khan (Thomas Gomez) into not supporting Temujin, who was his closest ally.  In the end the shaman murders Wang Khan, and Temujin murders him.  During the movie Temujin is wounded, and taken prisoner.  However his wife is able to help him escape.  So most of the asians are played by Mexicans.  Pedro Armendáriz portrays his blood brother, who is manipulated by the shaman to look like a traitor.  

Perhaps the greatest tragedy of this movie is that it was filmed near St. George, Utah which was in the down winder area.  40 percent of the participants in the film developed cancer.

John Wayne Movie Review: ***Pittsburgh (1942)

 This movie is not about the city, but the man, Pittsburgh Markham (John Wayne).  He was big into coal, he and his best friend, Cash Evans (Randolph Scott).  However there was a woman who came between them, Josie Winters (Marlene Dietrich).  Markham makes his money, and destroys relationships in doing so.  It finally catchers up to him, and he ends up broke.  He starts over again, at the bottom.  His hard wark is noticed, and Evans calls him in to be a vice president, not realizing who he is.  And this is what starts a resolution.  This is during the time of war, and everyone is needed to increase production of war materials.

John Wayne Movie Review: ***^The Green Berets. (1968)

 The Green Berets is a classic John Wayne soldier movies.  John Wayne portrays Col. Mike Kirby.  David Janssen portrays a soldier embedded with the military unit that is on a mission to capture a Viet Cong general.  One of the most touching aspects is Hamchunk, a Vietnamese orphan looking for Sgt. Petersen (Jim Hutton) who is killed.  This movie borders being a propoganda piece for the Viet Nam War.  Even so there is plenty of action.  There are also views of booby traps which may or may not be accurate.

John Wayne Movie Review: ***^Jet Pilot (1957)

 This is a cold war movie of spy versus spy.  It appears a Russian pilot, Lt. Anna Marladovna Shannon/Olga Orlief (Janet Leigh) is defecting to the U.S.  Col. Jim Shannon (John Wayne) is assigned to her to get information from her.  At the same time she is getting information from the Americans and feeding it back to Russia.  She even gets some plans.  Orlief and Shannon marry in an attempt to keep her from being deported.  It is discovered she is actually a spy.  Now the opposite happens, Shannon flies her to Siberia and he defects.  However he is also working as a spy for the Americans.  When Orlief learns that the intend to trade Shannon to the Americans, but not until they destroy his memory with drugs, they do the defecting rescuing thing a third time.

John Wayne Movie Review: ***Seven Sinners (1940)

 Marlene Dietrich plays Bijou who is featured in this movie as the woman men will fight for.  The movie starts and ends with a big bar room brawl as men fight for her love.  Bijou is ordered expelled from the island.  This seems to happen over and over.  She falls for the doctor on board the ship, Dr. Martin (Alber Dekker), but still gets off at the next island which has a new governor, so they might not remember her, and a bar where she use to sing.

In this case, Lieutenant Dan falls for upon first sight.  On the other hand, Antro (Oscar Homolka) has claimed her as his girl.  He is a known murdered and always carries a knife with him.  The lieutenant decides to leave the Navy so she can marry Bijou.  His family has a very long history in the Navy.  

This movie ends the way it began, a very big bar fight as Anto and his cronies want to do the Lieutenant in.  Bijou send him away, back to his ship, while she again is on a boat to the next island, and reforms her relationship with the doctor.  

I didn't understand the bar room brawl at the first, as it opened the scene.  I understood a bit more as the show went on.  

John Wayne Movie Review: ****Shepherd of the Hills (1941)

 A great move with the characters controlled by hate and revenge.  It seems to have spoiled the hearts of the characters and they see the world as dark an oppressive.  Young Matt (John Wayne), has harbored a grudge against his father who he has not seen for many years.  He is determined to kill him if he should seem him.  He left suddenly, with no explanation, leaving he as a small baby and his mother to fend for herself.  She became ill and passed away.  He blames his father.

But his aunt Beaulah Bondi) who took him in is the most bitter.  And the home where they lived has b een abandoned since; given to the ghosts.

But a mysterious man (Harry Carey) comes to town, and insists on buying the property.  The aunt sells as he offers $1000.  But turns out the man is the father, unbeknowst to the people.  However Sammy Lane (Betty Field)  figures out who he is, and that if young Matt does kill him, he could never be his husband.  

Everything does blow up when Young Matt realizes who he is.  He has been hoping for a chance to kill his father for many years.  His aunt burns herself up and her son.  The father shots John Wayne, to keep him from the same fate he went through as he was gone for having killed a man and sent to prison.  He couldn't get back.  Young Matt survives, and his need for revenge is appeased.

I enjoyed this movie very much.  I especially liked the character portrayed by Betty Field, as she is in love with John Wayne's character, and he also loves her, but neither are prepared to admit it.