Best and/or favorite John Wayne movies -

2645 Views 92 Replies 46 Participants Last post by Miller Tyme, 6 d ago

Tempest2

Discussion Starter · 15 d ago (Edited)

Miko.H's "Looking for Western movies..." thread has not surprisingly featured a lot of John Wayne mentions, and evocative film titles.

Mention of "The Quiet Man" triggered this thread. I don't know if it's his best (could be), but it's definitely my favorite.

Same-same with "The Son of Katie Elder" - whether it's his "best" or not but it's right up there with my faves.

"The Searchers" is a grim story and a highly rewarding film, and definitely in the running for "best."

To be honest, there may not be any single "best" John Wayne film. The three mentioned above are so dramatically different from each other, and so many others are valid candidates, that "favorite" may be a more fruitful conversation starter. But of course we can't help ourselves from also arguing "best."

Courting Maureen O'Hara in The Quiet Man:

Michaleen Flynn (Barry Fitzgerald): "No patty-fingers, if you please. The proprieties at all times."

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Ole Sailor

· #2 · 15 d ago

Don't recall a John Wayne movie I dislike but my favorite is a coin-flip between "The Quiet Man " and "The Shootist" and I lean toward
the Quiet Man". The bottom of the list has to be "The Conqueror". Sorry but someone else should have played Genghis Khan.

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Clyde

· #3 · 15 d ago

Ole Sailor said:
Don't recall a John Wayne movie I dislike but my favorite is a coin-flip between "The Quiet Man " and "The Shootist" and I lean toward
the Quiet Man". The bottom of the list has to be "The Conqueror". Sorry but someone else should have played Genghis Khan.

Suspect even John Wayne would agree with that, if you could ask him.

sheepdawg

· #4 · 15 d ago (Edited)

1. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
2. True Grit
3. The Shootist
4. Stagecoach
5. The Searchers.

"That's my steak Valance."

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Willie J

· #5 · 15 d ago

The Cowboys, my number 1

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bargunner

· #6 · 15 d ago

flying tigers, back to bataan

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Sgt Frank Rock

· #7 · 15 d ago

👍 most all.
Donavan’s Reef

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MasterChief

· #8 · 15 d ago

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P_Krammer

· #9 · 15 d ago

You are all going to hate me, but I’ll be honest: I dislike John Wayne’s character in every single movie I’ve ever seen him in.

I know nothing about him as a person, but cannot stand his movies.

I’m a big Clint Eastwood fan, though.

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Valhallarms

· #10 · 15 d ago

1) the man who shot liberty valance
2) the searcher's
3) sands of Iwo jima
4) true grit

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shjoe

· #11 · 14 d ago

all great entertainment. i am partial to "el dorado" and "the searchers".

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milprileb

· #12 · 14 d ago

The Green Berets. Second of course is Sands of Iwo Jima.
Both pay tribute to warriors.

Then all the Western films of John Wayne and CLint Eastwood.

snowbound

· #13 · 14 d ago

Liked his John Ford Films best. Was an Army Brat at Ft Benning when they filmed the Green Berets. All the Asian students at Baker HS were absent for weeks due to being extras. Met him at the NCO club and was able to tour the set. He also purchased a sweater from my mother at Davison's dept store. Finally, my neighbor's dad was an engineer who operated the crane slinginging the huey for the not very realistic crash.

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howiebearse

· #14 · 14 d ago

all of the movies he played a cavalry officer

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marshallj

· #15 · 14 d ago

Tempest2 said:
Miko.H's "Looking for Western movies..." thread has not surprisingly featured a lot of John Wayne mentions, and evocative film titles.

Mention of "The Quiet Man" triggered this thread. I don't know if it's his best (could be), but it's definitely my favorite.

Same-same with "The Son of Katie Elder" - whether it's his "best" or not but it's right up there with my faves.

"The Searchers" is a grim story and a highly rewarding film, and definitely in the running for "best."

To be honest, there may not be any single "best" John Wayne film. The three mentioned above are so dramatically different from each other, and so many others are valid candidates, that "favorite" may be a more fruitful conversation starter. But of course we can't help ourselves from also arguing "best."

Courting Maureen O'Hara in The Quiet Man:

Michaleen Flynn (Barry Fitzgerald): "No patty-fingers, if you please. The proprieties at all times."

We visited the village of Cong a couple years back. They act like The Quiet Man was filmed yesterday! I’m sure most young Americans who visit never heard of the movie.

Reactions: 1

pwcosol

· #16 · 14 d ago (Edited)

Truly, there are too many John Wayne movies to just choose one as "The Best". However, if I had to pick one film which represented John Wayne as an American Icon and was simply a classic of the genre, it would be "Big Jake". It has all the elements which often run through his films... good against evil, standing up for the down-trodden or those whom were wronged, action, humor, a great cast of characters (including Maureen O'hara... The Duke's #1 leading lady) and the actor himself.

A sidebar to this thread is my recollection of the day I learned John Wayne had passed away (6/11/79). I admit to shedding a few tears upon hearing the news. I grew up watching his many films from the 1960s onward. Most will acknowledge John Wayne was more than just an actor. A bit of America also died that day and will never be replaced. As a honorarium, the Orange County Airport was renamed the John Wayne Airport a few weeks later and a bronze statue erected as well. In 2020 an attempt was made to strip his name from the airport, due to some purported comment he made over 40 years prior. The leftists failed. They didn't pull down his statue. "The Duke" still prevails!

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NyaSverige

· #17 · 14 d ago

I always liked Chisum.

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LawMax

· #18 · 14 d ago

J.B. Books and Sgt. Stryker they don't make them like that anymore!

Tempest2

Discussion Starter · #19 · 14 d ago

P_Krammer said:
You are all going to hate me, but I’ll be honest: I dislike John Wayne’s character in every single movie I’ve ever seen him in.

I know nothing about him as a person, but cannot stand his movies.

I’m a big Clint Eastwood fan, though.

I can relate to having certain actors that are like fingernails on a blackboard to me, no matter what the role. No names are leaping to mind, but when see a that a movie I would love stars one of them, it makes me want to cry. 😢

Tough-luck that JW is in that category for you, given all the fab movies it pre-empts. Sympathy.

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Tempest2

Discussion Starter · #20 · 14 d ago

pwcosol said:
Truly, there are too many John Wayne movies to just choose one as "The Best". However, if I had to pick one film which represented John Wayne as an American Icon and was simply a classic of the genre, it would be "Big Jake".

I cited that film in a recent thead about modern firearms appearing in westerns.

An auto-pistol and high-power scoped rifle play important roles. Set in the early 1900s (nineteen-and-ought).

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