John Wayne on Blu-ray

[ltb2.0]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

I'm a huge Kirk Douglas fan, but really, a "must"? I haven't seen it, but reviews are pretty tepid.

It's a project that Kirk Douglas believed strongly in, and he gives a fantastic performance. If it wasn't for him this would be any easy pass for all but hardcore John Wayne fans.

Though behind the scenes, apparently no one got along at all.

If you are a Douglas fan it's worth a watch at least once.

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

I'm a huge Kirk Douglas fan, but really, a "must"? I haven't seen it, but reviews are pretty tepid.

No, it really isn't a "must" at all. Unless you're a Kirk Douglas completist.

I picked up the Kino disc dirt cheap when HMV Canada were closing out. It was an okay film, kind of overlong and a bit slow at times, definitely of interest if you're into Israeli history, but I ended up flipping it and haven't give it much thought since.

[SeanJoyce]

I recently went on a massive Kirk spree (it doesn't get better than his 40s-60s run), but tried to avoid being, as you put it, a "completist".

Sounds like it might be something worth watching at least once, but I'll probably be prudent and avoid buying (like Two Weeks in Another Town and The Way West.)

I find the idea of Wayne helping Douglas get a pro-Israeli film funded amusing, especially considering how polar opposite they were on the political spectrum. They must have gotten along though, as I've not heard about any friction behind-the-scenes.

That wasn't the case with Robert Ryan and Wayne though; reportedly a political discussion got so heated on the set of The Flying Leathernecks that Ryan, a fierce liberal and ex-champion boxer at Dartmouth, challenged Wayne to step outside. The Duke refused.

By the way, re The Longest Day (also with Ryan), I felt that Richard Burton stole the show in my sole viewing.

[ltb2.0]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

I recently went on a massive Kirk spree (it doesn't get better than his 40s-60s run), but tried to avoid being, as you put it, a "completist".

Sounds like it might be something worth watching at least once, but I'll probably be prudent and avoid buying (like Two Weeks in Another Town and The Way West.)

I find the idea of Wayne helping Douglas get a pro-Israeli film funded amusing, especially considering how polar opposite they were on the political spectrum. They must have gotten along though, as I've not heard about any friction behind-the-scenes.

That wasn't the case with Robert Ryan and Wayne though; reportedly a political discussion got so heated on the set of The Flying Leathernecks that Ryan, a fierce liberal and ex-champion boxer at Dartmouth, challenged Wayne to step outside. The Duke refused.

By the way, re The Longest Day (also with Ryan), I felt that Richard Burton stole the show in my sole viewing.

From TCM.

Cast a Giant Shadow was the work of Melville Shavelson, who produced, directed and wrote the film. Shavelson had a fight with John Wayne during a film shoot a decade earlier but Wayne later sent a letter of apology and offered to help if there ever were a need. Shortly afterwards there was. Shavelson had the idea for this film but couldn't raise the money to make it. Wayne signed on, agreeing to co-produce and appear in a smaller role since he was a bit too old for the lead role.

And here's a quote I found in Michael Munn's John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth.

Chapter 23 page 260.

[John Wayne said]An American army officer helps a little country fight for independence. That's the most American story I ever heard.

[glennstl]

Well, my John Wayne Blu-Ray reinforcements came today!

Today got: John Wayne Film Collection ( 7 movies, The Big Trail, The Barbarian and the Geisha, The Horse Soldiers, North to Alaska, The Comancheros, The Longest Day and The Undefeated); Cahill US Marshall; The War Wagon; The Train Robbers; and Rooster Cogburn.

I figure some of the above are 2nd tier Wayne but I’ll take any John Wayne I can get right now Not to mention I got them for a good price.

My other Wayne movies I own and have all watched already are: Red River, Stagecoach, Hondo, McClintock, The Cowboys, El Dorado, Rio Lobo, Big Jake, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Quiet Man, Rio Bravo, Fort Apache, The Searchers, True Grit, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.

I also have Rio Grande on the way.

I’ve gone from 3 weeks ago owning zero Wayne movies to 27. I think I have a problem Seriously, though, I love all the Wayne movies I’ve now seen, almost all of them for the first time ever. There’s just something terrific about John Wayne and many of the movies.

[ltb2.0]

Originally Posted by glennstl

Well, my John Wayne Blu-Ray reinforcements came today!

Today got: John Wayne Film Collection ( 7 movies, The Big Trail, The Barbarian and the Geisha, The Horse Soldiers, North to Alaska, The Comancheros, The Longest Day and The Undefeated); Cahill US Marshall; The War Wagon; The Train Robbers; and Rooster Cogburn.

I figure some of the above are 2nd tier Wayne but I’ll take any John Wayne I can get right now Not to mention I got them for a good price.

My other Wayne movies I own and have all watched already are: Red River, Stagecoach, Hondo, McClintock, The Cowboys, El Dorado, Rio Lobo, Big Jake, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Quiet Man, Rio Bravo, Fort Apache, The Searchers, True Grit, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.

I also have Rio Grande on the way.

I’ve gone from 3 weeks ago owning zero Wayne movies to 27. I think I have a problem Seriously, though, I love all the Wayne movies I’ve now seen, almost all of them for the first time ever. There’s just something terrific about John Wayne and many of the movies.

John Wayne is always good in his movies, sometimes however the material lets him down.

You're off to a good start on your John Wayne collection, hopefully you get around to Brannigan and McQ in the future. Brannigan is one of my favorites.

Beyond that however, I think I already covered all the movies.. if you have any questions I will be glad to answer them.

[glennstl]

Originally Posted by ltb2.0

John Wayne is always good in his movies, sometimes however the material lets him down.

You're off to a good start on your John Wayne collection, hopefully you get around to Brannigan and McQ in the future. Brannigan is one of my favorites.

Beyond that however, I think I already covered all the movies.. if you have any questions I will be glad to answer them.

I’ve been eyeing and reading about Brannigan and also McQ... there’s a good chance I’ll be looking to get those in my next order I’m enjoying Wayne more as he aged, so they both sound like something I might enjoy. I also like the idea of seeing him in something different than his Westerns.

[SeanJoyce]

Watch The War Wagon first

[glennstl]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

Watch The War Wagon first

Thanks for the recommendation! That’s actually next on my watch list Looking forward to it!

[glennstl]

Watched tonight Cahill: US Marshall. I really enjoyed it! I liked Wayne’s relationship with his two sons and also the overall plot. A fun movie!

[ltb2.0]

Originally Posted by glennstl

Watched tonight Cahill: US Marshall. I really enjoyed it! I liked Wayne’s relationship with his two sons and also the overall plot. A fun movie!

Glad to hear to it. That along with Brannigan, McLintock!, Rio Bravo, Tall in the Saddle and Blue Steel are the John Wayne's that get the most play from me.

[glennstl]

Originally Posted by ltb2.0

Glad to hear to it. That along with Brannigan, McLintock!, Rio Bravo, Tall in the Saddle and Blue Steel are the John Wayne's that get the most play from me.

Yeah, I thought Rio Bravo was esp. awesome and I also enjoyed McClintock.

I’m guessing Tall in the Saddle and Blue Steel aren’t on Blu? Maybe I can stream them sometime...

[Rzzzz]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

By the way, re The Longest Day (also with Ryan), I felt that Richard Burton stole the show in my sole viewing.

Yeah, he was good but I always felt that after Wayne, Red Buttons was the stand out. I loved that guy. He was also great in Hatari!, Poseidon Adventure and even When Time Ran Out.....

[ltb2.0]

Originally Posted by glennstl

Yeah, I thought Rio Bravo was esp. awesome and I also enjoyed McClintock.

I’m guessing Tall in the Saddle and Blue Steel aren’t on Blu? Maybe I can stream them sometime...

Correct. Tall in the Saddle is sadly MIA on Blu-Ray but available in an HD stream on VUDU at least.

Blue Steel is one of John Wayne's earliest starring western and is a movie that is available to stream freely everywhere. However the quality is rather poor in most instances.

It is one of a series of 16 cheapies he did Monogram under the Lone Star banner.

It's a personal favorite that I can only recommend if you are willing to dive in whole heartedly into his filmography.

I thoroughly enjoy them, they aren't for everyone, however. So I wouldn't worry about trying to catch them.

Avoid the colorized versions on Amazon Prime. They dubbed the entire cast, and the guy doing John Wayne sounds nothing like him. It's insulting.

B Westerns are one of my favorite genres and find I them to be fun ways to kill an evening. Each movie is barely an hour. Most of them clock in at 54-55 minutes.

After Big Trail failed Duke was quickly relegated B pictures and rather quickly ended up making movies on what was called poverty row. So these westerns were where he began to hone the persona that would last him his entire career.

The production values can be rather rough, but they were shot quickly, often in less than a week. The costs were kept low and profits were practically guaranteed if you found a star the kids liked.

It was in these movies that he formed a lifelong friendship with Yakima Canutt and began changing how fights were filmed. It was that friendship that inspired John Wayne to recommend Canutt to John Ford for Stagecoach, Yak as he was called staged the stunt where he leaps from the coach to the horses.

Yak was basically the godfather of stuntmen. He modernized a lot of things and made stunting a safer profession.

He teamed with Gabby Hayes for the first time in these westerns. A team that would last for roughly 12 years off and on.

[glennstl]

Watched War Wagon today. I really enjoyed it. I especially liked all the interactions between Wayne and Kirk Douglas. I thought the picture quality looked great on Blu! The story was entertaining and fun.

[ltb2.0]

Originally Posted by glennstl

[Show spoiler]

Watched War Wagon today. I really enjoyed it. I especially liked all the interactions between Wayne and Kirk Douglas. I thought the picture quality looked great on Blu! The story was entertaining and fun.

I particularly love the theme.

"The War Wagon" (Burt Kennedy, 1967) -- Theme Song by Ed Ames - YouTube

[glennstl]

Originally Posted by ltb2.0

I particularly love the theme.

"The War Wagon" (Burt Kennedy, 1967) -- Theme Song by Ed Ames - YouTube

LOL that is an awesome theme song!

I'm also a comic book fan... that cover is great!

[glennstl]

Finished watching The Big Trail. It was Wayne's first starring role from 1930. I thought it was decent... I'm just not a huge fan of extremely early (nearly silent) films. The picture and sound quality aren't great, but I guess that's to be expected considering the movie is almost 90 years old.

What I did appreciate was seeing a VERY young John Wayne in action, which in itself made it a decent watch. It also includes some good extras.

It was one of the 7 movies on the John Wayne Film Collection I bought for $21. While I wouldn't want to really own it on it's own, it's not bad for being in the collection for about $3.

[ltb2.0]

Originally Posted by glennstl

[Show spoiler]

Finished watching The Big Trail. It was Wayne's first starring role from 1930. I thought it was decent... I'm just not a huge fan of extremely early (nearly silent) films. The picture and sound quality aren't great, but I guess that's to be expected considering the movie is almost 90 years old.

What I did appreciate was seeing a VERY young John Wayne in action, which in itself made it a decent watch. It also includes some good extras.

It was one of the 7 movies on the John Wayne Film Collection I bought for $21. While I wouldn't want to really own it on it's own, it's not bad for being in the collection for about $3.

First off you have to realize that the early sound equipment was huge and cumbersome to move around. They also shot that movie as authentically as possible. So when you see them haul wagons up the mountain side, they were doing for it real.

Big Trail was shot on location as much as possible. It's as close as to a documented Oregon trail movie as you are going to get.

Sound was still in it's infancy, seriously primitive equipment, and really wouldn't come of age until the mid 1930's when Busby Berkeley and a few others showed what could be done with sound. At least in my uneducated opinion.

Taken as one of the earliest talking pictures shot on location it's an amazing cinematic achievement that was ahead of its time and suffered because of it.

The great depression left theaters unable, or unwilling, to invest in both the required sound and projection equipment. So the movie in its intended form went mostly unseen for decades. And was thought lost for a while.

The film is hampered by stage actors who had not yet figured out the medium and as such overplay their parts as if they were in a play. Tyrone Power Sr is an example, delightful though he is in the movie, he is practically devouring scenery. He comes across like the inspiration for Popeye's nemesis Bluto/Brutus.

Due to the early sound equipment the camera is unable to freely move around and as a result is fairly static giving the movie kind of a stagy feeling.

Despite all those limitations, Big Trail should never be forgotten as the cinematic landmark it is.

Fun fact, Ward Bond appears in this marking the 1st of many appearances in a John Wayne movie. His last being Rio Bravo in 1959. He died a few years later.

Raoul Walsh, the director, would direct John Wayne a decade later in The Dark Command.

[Rzzzz]

Originally Posted by ltb2.0

Correct. Tall in the Saddle is sadly MIA on Blu-Ray but available in an HD stream on VUDU at least.

Blue Steel is one of John Wayne's earliest starring western and is a movie that is available to stream freely everywhere. However the quality is rather poor in most instances.

It is one of a series of 16 cheapies he did Monogram under the Lone Star banner.

It's a personal favorite that I can only recommend if you are willing to dive in whole heartedly into his filmography.

I thoroughly enjoy them, they aren't for everyone, however. So I wouldn't worry about trying to catch them.

Avoid the colorized versions on Amazon Prime. They dubbed the entire cast, and the guy doing John Wayne sounds nothing like him. It's insulting.

B Westerns are one of my favorite genres and find I them to be fun ways to kill an evening. Each movie is barely an hour. Most of them clock in at 54-55 minutes.

After Big Trail failed Duke was quickly relegated B pictures and rather quickly ended up making movies on what was called poverty row. So these westerns were where he began to hone the persona that would last him his entire career.

The production values can be rather rough, but they were shot quickly, often in less than a week. The costs were kept low and profits were practically guaranteed if you found a star the kids liked.

It was in these movies that he formed a lifelong friendship with Yakima Canutt and began changing how fights were filmed. It was that friendship that inspired John Wayne to recommend Canutt to John Ford for Stagecoach, Yak as he was called staged the stunt where he leaps from the coach to the horses.

Yak was basically the godfather of stuntmen. He modernized a lot of things and made stunting a safer profession.

He teamed with Gabby Hayes for the first time in these westerns. A team that would last for roughly 12 years off and on.

Agree 100%. I love these old B westerns and Blue Steel is great. The amazing thing about these movies is as cheap as they were to make, most of them have death defying horse stunts such as the stunts done to stop the runaway horses. This was in the days where the concern for safety was entirely in the hands of the stuntman risking his life. If you want to seek these out, get this.....



You can't go wrong for the price. I have a feeling when you have finished all the later John Wayne, you will also appreciate these....